Are You Jealous?

"Ah~~~ Mmm~"

Ike Kanji let out a cry, then quickly clamped both hands over his mouth.

Outside the changing room, Ryuuen faintly heard an unnatural commotion from inside and immediately stopped.

He stepped forward, ignored the maintenance notice in front of Sudo, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What was that sound?"

Sudo tensed and blocked the door. "Work is in progress inside. No one is allowed to enter!"

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

The sound of a cane striking the floor came from the side, accompanied by approaching footsteps. Sakayanagi Arisu slowly stopped amid the people from Class A, calmly sizing up the two sides facing off.

Sakayanagi: "My, my~ How lively. Ryuuen and everyone from Class C, are you preparing to do something interesting here?"

Ryuuen turned his head and glanced at the group from Class A, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile. "Oh? Everyone from Class A, are you planning to meddle in this?"

Hoshinomiya Rinyu said nothing. Standing to Sakayanagi Arisu's left, he simply watched Ryuuen.

"We're getting ready to change clothes. Besides, wherever Class A goes, you don't exactly have the right to question it, do you, someone from Class C?" Hashimoto Masayoshi said with a smile, his slightly teasing voice sounding beside Sakayanagi.

Sudo was in an extremely awkward position. Wearing only a pair of swim trunks, he had been forced into the middle by both groups.

Just as the various sides held one another in check and the atmosphere grew unbearably tense, a figure leaped from the second-floor railing and landed on the ground.

Horikita Manabu's voice, as Student Council president, overpowered the commotion. "Stop. This is a school facility. Everyone, stop this pointless argument at once."

Ryuuen stopped moving forward and looked up at the Student Council president who had landed. The fierce arrogance on his face receded slightly, but his smile remained provocative.

"Well, well. I never expected the Student Council president to come here personally. We only intend to enter the changing room. It can hardly be called an argument."

As he spoke, he cast an amused look at Sakayanagi and Sudo Ken, who was leaning against the wall.

The cane struck the floor with a sharp tap. Sakayanagi slightly raised the corners of her lips, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on her face. She calmly looked toward Horikita Manabu and said softly, "We didn't mean that either. We merely happened to pass by and saw Ryuuen arguing with this student from Class D."

Horikita Manabu's cold gaze swept over Ryuuen, then passed over Sakayanagi and Sudo nearby. He spoke in a deep voice. "Gathering here and blocking the changing-room entrance has already disrupted public order."

Horikita Manabu's cold gaze slowly swept across everyone present. His tone was stern as he said, "The school has clear rules prohibiting groups from arguing in public areas. If you continue disrupting order, I have the authority to record the violation and deduct points from the corresponding class. Now, please leave."

Everyone immediately dispersed.

Ryuuen let out a derisive laugh and turned to leave with the people from Class C.

The faint smile remained on Sakayanagi's lips. Holding her cane, she gave a slight bow and unhurriedly led the people from Class A away.

As the crowd dispersed, the commotion faded. Only Sudo, wearing nothing but swim trunks, remained by the changing-room entrance.

His tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and a layer of cold sweat had already formed on his back.

He quickly scanned the area, glanced at Horikita Manabu's departing figure, then raised his hand and made a safe signal toward Ike, who was waiting in the distance.

Ike Kanji came out, bending over with his legs trembling.

"Ike, you... what happened?" Sudo asked in surprise when he saw Ike's condition.

"I nearly died of fright. The little car seems to be stuck in the pipes."

Ike Kanji panted heavily, his legs still trembling uncontrollably. His hands were empty.

He had tried to operate the little car and push it out just now, but there had been no movement at all inside the pipes, so he had been forced to give up.

"What?!" Sudo exclaimed in a lowered voice and hurriedly moved closer. "Then... what do we do about what it recorded?"

"We can only leave it inside. I didn't dare stay any longer. If we were spotted, it would all be over."

Ike Kanji swallowed, his heart filled with dejection at the failure of their plan.

He never imagined that the little car was not stuck in the pipes at all. Someone else had already quietly removed its battery and memory card.

The two of them slunk away from the men's changing room.

Elsewhere.

"Um... I got the thing you asked for. The little car is stuck inside, and I happened to take the memory card from above. They won't find out."

A beautiful girl with a light-brown high ponytail spoke nervously into the phone.

"Ah~ Thanks for the effort, Karuizawa. Without evidence of the recording, Class D won't suffer any punishment."

A calm, magnetic male voice came from the other end of the phone.

The beautiful girl speaking to him was none other than the popular girl from Class D—Karuizawa Kei.

"You expected them to get the little car stuck in there from the start? What if they trace it back to me?" Karuizawa asked with a frown.

"They won't trace it back to you. They'll only conclude that the equipment malfunctioned and became stuck in the pipes, making it impossible to retrieve." The voice on the other end remained calm. "Only the two of us know about this."

"Then what are you planning to do with this?"

"Destroy it. The video won't be released, nor will it be used to blackmail anyone."

Karuizawa quietly exhaled and looked toward the people laughing and playing in the pool nearby.

"This is such a hassle. I don't want to get involved in something so dirty."

"Sorry for dragging you into this, but some things can only be done by you."

Hearing that affirmation, Karuizawa Kei felt quite pleased.

But a moment later, she still said disdainfully, "Tch~"

The two of them chatted for a while longer.

Across the pool, Hoshinomiya Rinyu quietly watched that figure.

His gaze fell on Karuizawa Kei in a secluded corner of the pool.

Her long light-brown hair was stirred by the evening breeze. She held her phone to her ear, the side of her face hidden in a faint shadow as she spoke about something.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu was too far away to hear the conversation at all. He could only see her occasionally nod slightly and respond in a low voice.

"What are you looking at, Hoshinomiya?"

Suddenly, a gentle voice came from behind him.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu turned around and saw Sakayanagi Arisu standing behind him, smiling brightly at him.

She held her cane with one hand, her posture elegant. Her violet eyes calmly gazed at him, but after resting on his face for a moment, they lightly swept toward Karuizawa Kei across the pool.

Sakayanagi asked as if making casual conversation:

"Oh, are you looking at Karuizawa?"

Hoshinomiya Rinyu did not deny it.

"Yeah."

"She seems to be on the phone." Sakayanagi smiled lightly, her tone betraying nothing unusual. "But her expression looks rather cold. I wonder who she's talking to."

She said it very naturally, but Hoshinomiya Rinyu still noticed.

Her smile had not disappeared, but there was an extremely faint layer of scrutiny in her eyes.

As if she were confirming something, or silently making a judgment.

Sakayanagi Arisu maintained her smile and continued softly:

"You seem to care a lot about her, Hoshinomiya."

Hoshinomiya Rinyu frowned.

"I just happened to see her."

"I see."

Sakayanagi nodded, seemingly accepting that explanation.

Yet in the next second, she took a small step forward and naturally moved closer to him.

Her voice remained gentle, but carried a barely perceptible hint of probing.

"If you want to go over and say hello to her, that's fine too."

Hoshinomiya Rinyu silently looked at her.

He knew Sakayanagi Arisu very well.

The calmer her smile, the more it meant that she was not as unaffected as she appeared.

She had not questioned him directly, nor had she shown any loss of composure.

But those eyes had already told him clearly—

She cared.

And she did not like him focusing his attention on another girl.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu spoke indifferently:

"I wasn't planning to go over."

At that, the smile on Sakayanagi's lips finally softened a little.

She said quietly:

"Good."

She did not continue questioning him, nor did she mention Karuizawa again.

Only when Hoshinomiya withdrew his gaze did the smile on her face deepen slightly.

As if confirming a certain answer.

Or as if declaring a position that was not particularly obvious.

Across the pool, Karuizawa was still on the phone.

Over here, Sakayanagi Arisu continued to stand smiling beside Hoshinomiya Rinyu.

Only no one noticed that the fingers of the hand holding her cane had tightened slightly more than before.

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P.S. I'll be going on the cruise ship for the exam tomorrow or the day after.

Thank you for all your support, dear readers. Please add this book to your shelves, send some power, and give it a gift if you can. Thank you, everyone.