COTE : Backed By Black Technology System

The moment Kanda Shuichi realized what was happening, he instinctively reached for his phone to report them directly to Horikita Manabu—but then he stopped himself and calmed down. 

Horikita Suzune had been dropping hints earlier… Was this what she was talking about? 

In other words, she already knew about this. Maybe this was even the reason she was here. 

But if this was such a secretive plan, there was no way Ike would have told Horikita about it. 

So how did she find out? 

The answer was simple—someone snitched. And the only people who could have done that were those who were either involved in the plan or were forced to go along with it. 

Based on how things played out earlier, the informant was either Ayanokouji or Sudou. Their goal was obviously to stop Ike and Yamauchi from doing something stupid. 

But knowing Horikita's personality, if she had known about this in advance, wouldn't she have just walked up and smacked them both across the face right away? 

No… if she had done that, it might have backfired. If anything, it could have made them even more determined to go through with it. That would've been a disaster.

So Horikita planned to step in at the last moment, ruining their plan and leaving them with nothing? 

If that was the case, then Kanda Shuichi decided not to report this to Horikita Manabu. If he did, everyone involved might end up expelled. 

And clearly, some of them were innocent—like Ayanokouji, who didn't stop them. As for Sotomura, who provided technical support, Kanda Shuichi couldn't be sure if he was completely blameless. 

This wasn't something that could just be reported straight to Horikita Manabu. The consequences would be too big, and Hirata would definitely lose his mind. 

But it was also way too serious to just let it slide. So what should he do? 

Maybe… use the same trick again? 

With that thought, Kanda Shuichi nodded to himself, deciding to teach both the mastermind and the accomplices a lesson they wouldn't forget. 

After putting away the time TV and stuffing the four-dimensional pocket into his rash guard, Kanda Shuichi pressed the toilet's flush button and walked out. 

When he returned to the changing room, Ike and the others were already gone. Kanda Shuichi went to the spot where Ike had been, looked around, and found the screwdriver Ike had used earlier. He compared it with the screws on the vent cover and then pocketed it. 

By the time he got back to the hallway, Kamuro was already there, wrapped in a towel, waiting. 

"Masumi, come here for a second." 

With confused looks from the others, Kanda Shuichi called Kamuro over. 

"What is it? Do you want to check out my swimsuit in private? Or are you getting all worked up from seeing the girls at the pool and need me to help you let off some steam?" 

Ever since their relationship had changed, Kamuro had been getting bolder with her words. 

Kanda Shuichi nearly choked, his face darkening as he almost slipped. 

"This is serious." 

Then, he took Kamuro Masumi to a more secluded spot. 

"Our classmates are planning to peek into the girls' changing room…" 

He then explained Ike and the others' entire plan in detail. 

After listening, Kamuro's face showed pure disgust—way more intense than her usual look of disdain. 

That expression makes you look so righteous, but have you forgotten how you ended up in my hands in the first place…? 

"You're not going to report them?" Kamuro asked, clearly unhappy. "Or do you want me to do it?" 

"No, reporting them won't do any good. More importantly, I'm worried about your safety." 

Kamuro Masumi didn't quite understand what Kanda Shuichi meant. 

But then, he leaned down, put his mouth close to her ear, and whispered his plan. 

A few minutes later, Kanda Shuichi returned to the hallway, but Kamuro didn't follow. 

"Huh? Where's Kamuro?" 

Seeing Kanda Shuichi come back alone, Kushida looked puzzled. 

"She ran into a classmate and stopped to say hi. She told us to go ahead without her." 

He casually made up a lie, and no one questioned it. 

Now that Kanda Shuichi had rejoined them, the group headed deeper into the pool area. 

As they left, Kamuro, who had been hiding nearby, stepped out and walked toward the girls' changing room. 

Despite her usual cold attitude, she was actually very interested in crimes like this. 

No—maybe it wasn't the crime itself that fascinated her, but the thrill of dancing on the edge of danger. That was why she chose to steal from a supermarket filled with security cameras. 

But just because she had a habit of stealing didn't mean she was okay with being secretly recorded. Those were two completely different things. 

So when Kanda Shuichi told her about this, an immediate wave of irritation hit her.

After returning to the girls' changing room, she found it completely empty. Anyone who had come to swim had already left, making it the perfect time to get things done. 

Kamuro Masumi pulled off the towel draped over her shoulders, took out the screwdriver Kanda Shuichi had just handed her, and removed the vent cover. Then, she reached inside and took out the remote-controlled car. 

Following Kanda Shuichi's instructions, she cut the power, removed the memory card, then took off the camera and put it away. Finally, she placed the remote-controlled car in a very obvious spot. 

After finishing everything, she let out a breath, packed up the tools, and left the changing room. 

Meanwhile, Kanda Shuichi and the others had barely walked a few steps before running into some familiar faces. 

Well, "familiar" might not be the right word—out of the three guys they met, Kanda Shuichi only recognized Kanzaki Ryuji. 

"Huh? Isn't that Ichinose? You guys are here too?" 

The one who greeted them was a bright, cheerful-looking guy. He gave off the same energy as Hirata, and looking at him, Kanda Shuichi felt like he was seeing a male version of Ichinose Honami. 

Behind him were two others—one was the purple-haired guy, Kanzaki Ryuji, whom he had seen before. The other was someone Kanda Shuichi didn't know. 

The unknown guy glanced at the students from Class D, and when he spotted Kanda Shuichi, he gave a small nod as a greeting. 

Kanda Shuichi nodded back in return. 

"Yo! Isn't this Shibata and his crew?" 

Ichinose seemed to be really familiar with Shibata and the others. Well, that made sense—they were in the same class, after all. 

Kanda Shuichi thought about that but didn't reflect on the fact that he still hadn't memorized all of his own classmates' faces. 

"By the way, where's Horikita?" 

Kanda Shuichi turned to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. At some point, Horikita Suzune had disappeared from the group. Miyake and Hashibara were also missing. 

Could she have gone off to be a third wheel? 

Nah, no matter what, she wouldn't be that oblivious. 

"Uh… not sure." 

Was that true or just an excuse? 

Since Ayanokouji had already said that, Kanda Shuichi decided to drop the topic and turned his attention back to the people in front of him. 

Despite having an amazing figure, Ichinose Honami was wearing the school swimsuit. Not that Kanda Shuichi minded—it actually made things more interesting. 

The way her body was wrapped in the blue one-piece swimsuit left a lot to the imagination, making it even more suggestive in a way. 

Kushida, on the other hand, was wearing a bold red bikini, which suited her energetic personality perfectly. 

Just then, loud cheers from the guys and shrieks from the girls erupted nearby. 

"What's going on?" 

Humans are naturally drawn to crowds, and Kanda Shuichi was no exception. 

He followed the others' gazes toward the commotion. 

At that moment, a person and a volleyball were soaring through the air. Then, that person spiked the ball down with incredible force. 

The ball, carrying immense power, slammed straight into the opponent's court in an instant. 

It was clear that a water volleyball match was taking place in the swimming area. 

Kanda Shuichi didn't recognize anyone on either team, but judging by their appearances, none of them had the youthful look of first-years—they were probably second or third years. 

The one who had just made that spike was the center of attention. At first glance, his tall and lean body looked delicate, but his faintly visible six-pack said otherwise. 

With every powerful move he made, his striking golden hair swayed, and his sharp, handsome face made him look like a model. 

It was no wonder that so many girls were drawn to him. 

"Damn it, I hate guys like that the most. They don't have any special talent or work hard, but just because they're good-looking, they get to have an easy life." 

Watching all the girls swoon over him, Ike and Yamauchi immediately started throwing insults.

These two really jumped to conclusions without even knowing the person. How awful. 

"That guy is Nagumo-senpai from Class 2-A. He's really popular with the girls." 

Noticing the confusion on everyone's faces, Kushida quickly explained. But Kanda Shuichi knew she was speaking to him specifically. 

"Nagumo..." 

So that's him? 

"He's the current vice president of the student council. People say he'll be the next president, and he's supposed to be really smart too." 

Ichinose seemed to know quite a bit about him. 

Oh, right. Ichinose was the one he brought into the student council. It makes sense that she'd know him. 

"Flashy guy." 

Kanda Shuichi gave his opinion, drawing a glance from Ayanokouji. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"I just think you're in no position to say that." 

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, if you don't know how to talk, just shut up! 

Meanwhile, the others kept watching Nagumo's performance, and Ichinose continued her commentary. 

"Rumor has it he's just as strong as the student council president. Actually, last year, he and President Horikita competed for the position. And back then, Nagumo was only a first-year." 

"You sure know a lot about the student council, Ichinose." 

Kushida looked at Ichinose curiously. 

"I recently joined the student council, so I learned a few things." 

"...You joined the student council? I heard it's really hard to get in. Even Katsuragi and Sakayanagi from Class A were rejected at the start of the school year." 

Kushida looked surprised, glancing at Ichinose before discreetly shifting her gaze to Kanda Shuichi, who was talking with Ayanokouji. 

"Yeah, this school has some unusual rules. If you haven't joined a club yet, you can enter through the student council interviews held from April to the end of June, or in October. 

But this year was special. President Horikita Manabu was really disappointed with the first-years, so I was the only one who got in. Actually, I only got in because Vice President Nagumo gave me special permission." 

Hearing that, Kushida looked at Kanda Shuichi, who was still bickering with Ayanokouji, then nodded silently. 

As they watched the match and chatted, a volleyball suddenly flew straight toward the shore, making the crowd scream. 

"Watch out!" 

Seeing where the ball was headed, Kushida shouted in panic. It was flying right at Kanda Shuichi's face. 

Luckily, Kanda Shuichi had good reflexes. His physical ability wasn't great, but dodging a volleyball was no big deal. 

He simply tilted his head slightly to the side, and the ball grazed past his hair. 

Then Sudou jumped up and caught the ball midair. As expected from a basketball player. Nice save, Sudou. 

"Sorry, sorry! That was a mistake. Could you toss the ball back?" 

Nagumo took a few steps forward, smiling. 

A mistake? 

Heh. What a convenient "mistake." Out of all places, it just happened to fly straight at my head? Do I look like an idiot to you? 

"Well, if it was a mistake, then there's nothing we can do." 

Kanda Shuichi smiled, took the ball from Sudou, and casually let it drop. 

Then, just as it reached his lower leg, he swung his foot and kicked the ball straight at Nagumo's face. 

Unfortunately, Nagumo also managed to dodge the volleyball that Kanda Shuichi kicked toward him. 

"Oh no, my bad, my foot slipped." 

But the way he said it was so flat and unconvincing that it was obviously fake. 

As expected, someone immediately got upset. 

"Hey, you bastard! That was obviously on purpose!" 

The guy who had just been on Nagumo's team looked furious as he yelled at Kanda Shuichi. 

But Kanda Shuichi simply glanced at him before shifting his attention back to Nagumo. 

"I already said it wasn't on purpose. Nagumo-senpai, you don't believe me?" 

"Of course, I think you did it on purpose." 

After a brief silence, Nagumo smiled cheerfully. 

"But since this misunderstanding was caused by volleyball, why don't we settle it with volleyball?" 

He took a water volleyball from a nearby student and tossed it in the air a few times, his eyes filled with provocation. 

"Sorry, but I'm not in great health. I have a congenital heart condition, so I can't do intense exercise. I'll have to turn down your kind offer, Nagumo-senpai." 

Kanda Shuichi wasn't going to fall for Nagumo's taunts. He knew how to play to his strengths. 

Even though his body was now as strong as a normal person's, there was no way he would push himself in a situation like this. 

"Oh? Are you scared, Kanda-kun?" 

"Think whatever you want. I'm just not stupid enough to risk my life over something like this." 

Kanda Shuichi still looked completely relaxed. 

"But if you really want to play against a first-year, I do have a suggestion." 

A subtle glint flashed in Kanda Shuichi's eyes. 

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