The night before, in Ayanokouji's room.
"Ike, peeping is a crime."
Seeing how stubborn Ike was, Ayanokouji still tried to warn him.
Spying on the girls' changing room—if you put it seriously, it was a crime.
Hearing Ayanokouji mention "crime," Yamauchi and Sudou both hesitated for a moment.
"Technically speaking, yes, it is a crime, but—"
However, Ike didn't seem to take Ayanokouji's warning seriously at all. He glanced around the room and said, "But let me ask you this—haven't you all made mistakes before?"
"Huh? What does that have to do with anything? This is a crime!"
Sudou couldn't hold back and spoke up, looking uneasy.
Ike shook his head. "Ken, you've used violence and threats before. That's a crime too. If you were an adult, your violent behavior might even make the news. So, using violence is definitely a crime."
"But that was just a fight! That's not the same as assault!"
Sudou quickly tried to defend himself.
"Fighting and assault both involve hurting others. Isn't that right?"
Then, Ike turned to Yamauchi. "And Haruki, haven't you ever sniffed the girls' gym clothes after class? Or secretly licked a girl's recorder during music class?"
Under normal circumstances, anyone would deny such accusations immediately—whether they had done it or not. But Yamauchi actually paused and looked like he was trying to remember, as if he really had done those things.
Ayanokouji: "…"
What shocked Ayanokouji even more was… how did Ike know such details?
Ike continued, "If an adult did those things I just mentioned, there's no doubt it would be considered a crime."
Yamauchi and Sudou seemed to be getting sucked into Ike's twisted logic and nodded in agreement.
"So basically, as long as we're minors, it doesn't count as a crime!"
Ike said smugly, "Even if we get caught, all that'll happen is sensei or our parents scolding us. Do you really think they'd send us to the police? Obviously not. In other words, whether it's peeping or secretly taking photos, this is the perfect age to 'make mistakes.' If we miss this chance, once we become adults, we won't ever get another opportunity like this!"
"Taking secret photos is a crime. Violence is a crime. Licking a girl's recorder is the same. But this is what youth is all about! Even if you get caught peeping, all they'll do is warn you—they won't take you to the police. Get it?"
"When little kids make mistakes, adults forgive them. The same goes for high schoolers. A man has to go through these things to grow. This is what youth is!"
Ike's passionate speech left Yamauchi and Sudou stunned. His words were so confident, so full of conviction, that their expressions showed they were already convinced.
Anyone with a bit of sense could immediately spot the flaws in Ike's argument. He was completely twisting the facts, making crimes sound justifiable, and even... encouraging them.
But why is it that, even when something is obviously wrong, so many people still fall for it?
Besides being blind to their own situation, the bigger reason is that they can't control their own desires. Even when they know something is wrong, they always find 'reasonable excuses' to convince themselves otherwise.
And when things fall apart, they cry and say they were blinded by impulse, that they made a foolish mistake, hoping to escape responsibility.
Ayanokouji could easily see through Ike's flawed reasoning. But he couldn't argue against it—because you can't wake up someone who's pretending to sleep.
More importantly, Ayanokouji knew he had no real influence in this group. From the beginning, he had been treated as invisible. In Ike's mind, as long as he convinced Yamauchi and Sudou, that was enough. As for Ayanokouji? What right did a mere 'follower' have to refuse?
To prevent this from causing unforeseen consequences for the class, Ayanokouji made a call. At the same time, to further stop Ike's peeping plan, he even went ahead and sabotaged the second-year students' locker room.
But in the end, none of it mattered.
They were even aiming to spy on all the second-year girls—did they really not understand the consequences of what they were doing?
What could possibly be driving guys like Ike and Yamauchi—who had poor grades and no special skills—to take such a huge risk?
Was this what the books called "a man's desires"?
Looking at Ike and Yamauchi, Ayanokouji felt like he could 'learn' something from them.
As soon as they entered the locker room, they saw that most of the lockers were already in use. However, to Ike's relief, the locker closest to the underground ventilation duct was still empty.
"Looks like even the heavens are on our side!"
Ike couldn't help but grin.
Since there weren't many students in the locker room at the moment, and no second-years in sight, this was the perfect opportunity for them.
"Stick to the plan!"
With that, Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou sprang into action.
Yamauchi pulled up his scarf to block the view.
Sudou stood guard, keeping any approaching students away.
Ike got to work dismantling the vent.
Everything was going smoothly according to plan...
...
"Hikigaya-kun, hey there!"
Inside the main service station, Hikigaya suddenly heard a cheerful voice calling out to him. He instinctively looked up.
"Ichinose?"
A pink-haired girl stood there, wearing a straw hat and oversized black sunglasses. Her outfit was a simple, stylish dress, but even with such a basic look, she gave off the aura of a celebrity.
"Hey, where exactly are you staring at?"
A voice interrupted, and a head popped out from behind Ichinose—it was Shiranami Chihiro. Her eyes darted back and forth between Hikigaya and Ichinose before finally settling on Hikigaya.
"Oh, Shiranami, you're here too. Hey."
Hikigaya greeted her.
"Hey—wait! W-we're not that close!"
Shiranami quickly corrected herself mid-sentence, making both Ichinose and Hikigaya laugh.
Even though Shiranami always seemed to act hostile toward Hikigaya, he didn't really see it as 'hostility.' If anything, it felt more like she was just being stubborn.
Hikigaya also noticed that Ichinose and Shiranami weren't alone. Kanzaki, Yamashita, Shibata, and other students from Class A were there as well.
It seemed Class A was planning to have some fun at the water park before summer break ended.
"Hikigaya-kun, y-you got so dark."
Ichinose suddenly took off her sunglasses and blinked at Hikigaya before covering her mouth, unable to hold back a laugh. Then, as if she had just thought of something, she pulled a bottle of sunscreen spray from her bag and handed it to him. After that, Ichinose and the others headed to the changing room.
Hikigaya: "..."
Ichinose really had no sense of avoiding suspicion. Did she not see the weird looks from her classmates?!
"Hello, is this the service center?"
Just then, a clear female voice rang out. "I'm a second-year student, my name is Asahina. I need your help with something."
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