Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Explosion
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Monday.
After getting dumped by Ren, I was so drained I had no strength left, so I ended up skipping the entire morning class.
Who cares about lectures anyway.
Ren is the only thing that matters to me. First things first, I need to clear up this misunderstanding.
Aiming for lunchtime, I was hanging out in the school building when I soon ran into her.
"Yu-ssi."
Huh?
In spite of all the agonizing over the weekend about how to approach her and what to say, surprisingly, Ren came up to me first.
Even stranger, Saki was with her, face stiff and expression hardened.
The usually energetic girl—why the long face? Did something happen?
"Oh, Saki's here too? If it were Tsumetai-san, but even you going for the school lunch—"
"Yu-kun, were you wandering around the school over the weekend?"
Before I could get a word out, Saki fixed me with a hard stare and asked the question point-blank. With one hand, she was pulling Ren behind her, almost like she was trying to shield her from me.
"Uh, yeah? I wandered around a bit. Why?"
"…"
Saki squeezed her eyes shut, like she'd just heard something she really didn't want to, and shoved her smartphone screen in my face.
"Look at this."
What the hell? Why's she showing me her phone?
The content floating on the screen—what I'd dismissed as no big deal—totally blew past my wildest imagination.
Subject: I was victimized by a hidden camera in school…
Author: Anonymous
Hello, I'm a first-year female student attending Yumekoi Academy. A few days ago, a friend tipped me off that my nude body was being spread around the internet. When I checked out the site my friend told me about… there was a video just like the one below. A hidden cam video exposing all my most private… parts. (Mosaiced GIF) The face was mosaiced, but do you think I wouldn't recognize my own body…? That was definitely me. The name of the poster who uploaded that video to the hidden cam sharing site… was Yu Sanghyeon. Yes… the exact same name as that Korean guy who just transferred into our academy. Plus, witnesses saw that foreign student guy wandering around the empty school grounds last Sunday. I'm so creeped out right now, I just want to die. My head's buzzing, my hands and feet are shaking uncontrollably… (311 Recommendations) (4 Disrecommendations)
"…What?"
Utterly ridiculous.
An anonymous post with zero evidence.
Saki and Ren must've seen this and come rushing straight to me.
"Yu-ssi, if all your kindness to me up till now wasn't fake, then answer me honestly."
That's odd.
Just yesterday, Ren had misunderstood me as a hidden cam creep and stormed off.
I figured she'd come here to condemn and despise me, but instead she approaches first to hash it out with words…?
As I cocked my head, Ren—picking up on my inner confusion—fixed me with cold eyes and continued.
"…The angle's different."
"Huh?"
"The angle you were filming at yesterday was from outside the changing room. The video in that post is from a cam inside the locker. The quality isn't anything like the high-res smartphone you were holding either. Something… feels off. For starters, a foreign student using their real name for something this illegal just seems way too contrived…"
Aha.
She did misunderstand me yesterday, but this post made her smell something fishy instead. Talk about an interesting turn.
Whisper whisper whisper
-"That's the guy…?"
While facing off with Saki and Ren, whispers I'd missed earlier started filtering in.
-"Don't stare! You wanna end up like…!"
The whole atmosphere in the school flipped hostile toward me in an instant.
-"Like a damn beast…"
Raw hostility blazing in the eyes of every passerby.
But Saki shifted a step to block their stares, firing back with unwavering eyes.
"Don't pay attention to crap like that. People just eat up anything sensational and swallow it whole. The Yu-kun that I—and Ren-chan—saw might've been a weird kid, but he's not the type to stoop to something like this."
As expected of the Theater Club President everyone admires—this is the kind of 'radiance' she brings.
She's more protagonist than me.
But with me still not answering, even the upright Saki started showing signs of unease.
"…Right? This is all just a big misunderstanding? A post with no evidence at all—it's insane."
Exactly. A misunderstanding. One I have to clear up right now.
A misunderstanding that could drag my life straight to hell!
But…
Hmm.
Hold on a sec.
It's true I got hit with a dangerous frame job, but what if I turn this around and use it?
Pretend to roll with it—a full deception play.
-"Puhahaha… what a dumbass."
-"Kekeke"
Those punk-ass delinquents snickering from afar, watching me—lure 'em in completely.
If I spell it out here that 'I'm actually the victim, it's a faked video, and the real perps are Kyosuke and Daisuke,' then even if I don't call the cops myself, Ren, Saki, and who knows how many others will report it.
Those two idiots would freak, crowing that their frame-up post got busted already, then bolt to Kurogami trembling about 'what now that the cops are coming?'
That'd put Kurogami on maximum alert against me, obviously. Once she's on guard, she might even shut down the whole illegal filming racket in the school and start cutting loose ends. Cops show up, investigation kicks off.
Can't have that.
Got to smash the mole's head before it ducks underground.
"…"
Head's spinning.
Still no answer from me, just standing there zoned out—Saki's eyes started narrowing.
"Yu-kun, say something. This really you?"
Saki's face trembling harder by the second.
And Ren, frowning like something was off.
I want to explain right now.
Getting misunderstood like this—not just by Ren, but by Saki, my first friend since getting isekai'd—is the absolute worst.
But to save every last heroine, I've got no choice but to play it efficient.
Letting a bitch like Kurogami stick around is way too risky long-term.
Like leaving a tumor to fester.
I hardened my resolve.
Yeah.
Let's do this.
Sorry if it feels like I'm using you girls, but you've gotta move the way I'm thinking.
Time to poke at their suspicions instead.
"Hmm, who knows?"
Suspicious as all hell.
"Wh-what're you saying…? Did you really sneak around school over the weekend filming crap like that?"
"Ah~ dunno. Can't remember…"
Peak suspicious perp bullshit—claiming amnesia after the deed.
No matter how fishy the post or how much they trust the usual me, acting like this leaves no choice.
"Yu-ssi! Cut the joking!!"
This time even Ren shrieked.
Ren, famous for being dead quiet, yelling like that yanked stares from students who weren't even paying attention before.
But it's still not quite enough.
The more I look totally screwed, the more those punks and Kurogami drop their guard.
Time to spice it up more.
Might as well go all in.
"You—can't you just answer straight!? Are you seriously—!"
"Ehey~ Saki. Aren't we pals? Aang? Why get all suspicious over nothing—"
Drawing it out all sleazy, smirking—Saki's lid finally blew clean off.
"You piece of trash..!!"
A resonant bellow worthy of the Theater Club President.
Smack!
Saki slapped my cheek hard.
Kya~ now that's theater. Musical vibes.
Murmur murmur
-"What the hell's going on?"
Nice~ audience locked in.
"…You're the worst. Really."
Lead actress nailing the emotional arc.
"Get lost.."
Saki's voice dripped with contempt and disgust.
And those expressionless eyes Ren leveled up at me from behind? Pure revulsion.
Both of them shaking with humiliated fury—their trust in me utterly betrayed.
Perfect.
This blow-up? Everyone around saw it.
"You. Stay the hell away from me and Ren-chan from now on. Don't come near a sex offender like you… You're the worst, just like Ren said. And all that 'niceness' to Ren-chan? Just so you could hidden-cam her, right? Huh!?"
Ugh.
Even playacting, that one stung… tears pricking my eyes.
[Tsumetai Ren Strategy: Complete Failure Imminent]
※Switching to irreversible branch point enters A-Route Ending.
Tch.
Expected Ren's affection to tank into oblivion, but damn, it stings.
No biggie though.
Something like this? Once everything's wrapped up, I can fix it easy. Hell, she'll probably apologize till she's bawling her eyes out for snapping at me.
Hiding my real thoughts, I flashed a leisurely smile and opened my mouth.
"Yeah, got it, Saki. Hurts that you're calling me trash over some nothing post like that."
"Shut that mouth already! I… I believed in you so many times… 'Nothing'?!"
Our takes on the words were subtly skewed.
I meant 'that post is a baseless, laughable frame job'—Saki heard it as me brushing off 'hidden cam? Pfft, no big deal.'
Exactly as I'd planned.
"Anyway, sorry, Saki."
For getting you to dance to my tune.
This time, I bowed my head packed with genuine regret, then bolted from school right away.
Stares from people all over campus burned like acid.
Kurogami, hearing about my total downfall, had zero reason to go into hiding now.
I hadn't called the cops or struck back at the punks, so she'd probably chalk it up to just another peaceful day.
Clueless that it's the trap I set.
Good.
Now it's a speed game.
Time to track down that bitch's hideout ASAP and smash it to pieces.