A scientist once proposed the theory of relativity, stating that time is related to gravity, but in the eyes of the general public, time actually has more to do with mood.
When in a bad mood, not wanting to study or work, time seems to pass incredibly slowly, making days feel like years. In contrast, when in a good mood, wanting to entertain oneself or go on vacation, time flies by, making years feel like days.
For students, summer vacation perfectly exemplifies this theory of mood-related time. A month of time, when spent on classes, often feels endlessly long to students, but during summer vacation, they tend to feel that time goes by too fast.
The highly anticipated summer vacation, with various club activities, competitions, and the students' joyful entertainments on campus, including the remarkable courage test organized by Yukio's class, quickly approaches its end amidst the lively atmosphere.
Perhaps with the students' psychological well-being in mind, the school decided to open the large swimming pool facilities for free for the last three days of summer vacation.
Yukio accepted the invitation and was waiting with Ryuen and Ishizaki at the first-floor lobby of the freshman dormitory for Ichinose and her group.
It's the second to last day of the summer vacation. They had agreed to meet at 2 PM, and Yukio's group, having eaten lunch late, arrived in time to wait.
Ichinose, not one to be late, arrived 15 minutes early with her classmates, surprised to see Yukio: "Yukio-kun, you're here so early?"
Following Ichinose, her two close friends, Shiranami and Kobashi, also greeted them. After the courage test, everyone had become somewhat familiar with each other.
Yukio casually explained their reasons and thought to leave with Ichinose's group. This was originally an invitation extended while lining up in the cafeteria to get water for Karuizawa.
However, as another elevator door opened, members of Class D came out, surprisingly Kushida and the trio of fools.
Upon seeing each other, the trio was baffled, wondering what Yukio's group was doing there. Kushida, on the other hand, took the initiative to greet Ichinose: "Ichinose-san, Yukio-kun, are you guys planning to go to the pool together?"
Since the school had opened the large swimming pool facilities for the last three days, outings like these were often aimed there, which is why Kushida asked.
"Yeah, yeah." Ichinose was very happy: "I invited Yukio-kun and others. Kushida-san, do you want to come along? The more, the better!"
Kushida glanced back at the trio of fools, signaling, "That's great! Actually, we were planning to go today too. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to join everyone!"
Both social butterflies smiled genuinely like the bright sun, dazzling to the point of being conspicuous. However, Yukio, as an observer, was very clear that one was genuinely flawless, while the other was an excellent pretender.
Ichinose even made a special effort to confirm with Yukio if it was okay, to which Yukio indicated that since it's the trio of fools who are afraid of him, not the other way around, why would he mind?
Thus, the girls chatted and laughed as if they were childhood friends, walking in the front, while the boys followed behind, the two groups from different classes keeping their distance without any interaction.
Yukio glanced around casually and then suddenly, with a sharp gaze, pointed at the large bags the other group was carrying, the really big kind: "Going to the pool, do you really need to bring such big bags?"
On Yukio's side, everyone was traveling light, with just a swimsuit and a towel per person, but the bags the other group was carrying were bigger than an average violin case.
"Ah? Ah!" Apparently caught off guard by Yukio's sudden question, they were startled, and without knowing how to respond, they started to act evasively, looking around, never directly answering Yukio's question.
Sudo, known for his quick temper, also strangely kept silent, avoiding eye contact with Yukio's side, as if he was quite afraid of him.
Ishizaki, seeing the scene unfold, smiled smugly: "Sudo, weren't you quite bold before? During the basketball club's away games, you were the only first-year starter, weren't you very proud of yourself? How come you've become mute in front of Yukio-san?"
Sudo and Ishizaki already had a conflict, and being provoked like this, Sudo was on the verge of exploding, possibly even coming to blows.
But this time, perhaps out of fear of Yukio or some inexplicable guilt, Sudo dared not meet Ishizaki's gaze directly, turning his neck as if he was afraid of the air beside him: "What's it to you?!"
The last member of the trio, Yamauchi, tugged at Sudo, trying to keep his voice down: "Don't start trouble, Sudo! Remember what we're here for today!"
But since both groups were walking together, even whispered words could be precisely picked up by anyone with slightly better hearing or focused attention.
Yukio and Ryuen exchanged glances, sharing a tacit understanding as they smiled. Ryuen then changed positions, moving to the other side of the trio, creating a pincer movement: "If I remember correctly."
"Your private points must be really low now, right? After two special exams this summer, your class is left with only 20 points. Even if you had 100 class points before the two special exams, you still have to pay us 200,000 points every month."
"Especially you three, you also owe money to your classmates in Class D. After all, when you three failed the midterm exam, the class pooled together 280,000 points. That's a debt that needs to be repaid, right?
"With such financial circumstances, it seems you're only fit to use the school's free items. So, whatever is inside these bags of yours is highly suspicious."
The trio was intimidated by Ryuen's remarks, sharp as a serpent's tongue, which made them shiver collectively! Unconsciously, they began to tremble, and the most distressed among them, Yamauchi, even started to cramp slightly.
"What, what are you talking about?!" Sudo retorted with a stiff movement, but his momentum was as low as it could go, like a child caught stealing candy by an adult, powerless to resist.
Then, somewhat cleverly, Yamauchi frantically defended, "Water guns! We're going to the pool, isn't it normal to bring some water guns to play with?!"
"Not really," Yukio yawned in the afternoon sun, covering his mouth while casually debunking the lie: "Ryuen just mentioned, you guys have absolutely no private points, where did you get the money to buy water guns?"
"And don't say it's borrowed from your classmates. Everyone knows the financial situation of Class D; none of you would be foolish enough to buy water guns. With that money, you'd definitely do something more meaningful."
Caught in a vice by Yukio and Ryuen, the trio was left speechless. Even Ishizaki, who was initially clueless, caught on and glared at the trio, causing them to sweat profusely under the afternoon sun, their faces as pale as paper.
As they were panicking, Yukio casually reached out and snatched one of the bags, causing Yamauchi to exclaim in alarm: "You!"
But a cold glance from Yukio silenced him, preventing any further outcry and avoiding attracting any bystanders' attention.
Yukio nonchalantly opened the zipper and saw a camera mounted on a remote-controlled car. His expression turned solemn: "You… you were planning to secretly film? The ventilation ducts in the changing rooms at the large pool facility are connected, and a remote-controlled car could indeed, huh, that's really low of you."
Yukio has always had a despise for voyeurism. He believes that if you want to film, you should boldly ask for permission. If the other party agrees, you can film however you like. Isn't that better than sneaking around?
Ishizaki was also shocked: "You guys are really disgusting!"
The trio could only clench their fists and lower their heads, completely silent, in a total state of resignation. What could they do? Getting caught attempting wrongdoing, they knew their fate would be grim.
Yukio truly looked down on the trio, each more pathetic than the last, too stupid even for undercover work. If he had caught them in the act earlier, he might have found some way to use them to his advantage.
But now, they were useless to him. In terms of secrecy, he had Sakura, who was practically invisible. In terms of influence on Class D, he had Karuizawa, the leader-like figure, and even the hypocritical little angel, Kushida, was far better than the trio.
These useless fellows were at best evidence to be used later to strike at Class D if the opportunity arose. Thus, Yukio didn't bother too much with them; it was meaningless.
"Ha, you should know that the school has many surveillance cameras, right?" Yukio reminded the trio, "From the moment you leave your dorm, through the corridors, the elevator, the lobby, and even outside."
"Everything can be captured, including the bags you're carrying. So, these voyeuristic devices are definitely yours, which serves as the best evidence."
After saying this, Yukio even lifted the bag and showcased its contents to a nearby surveillance camera, making the trio's faces turn even uglier.
Yukio walked over, tossed the bag back to Yamauchi, who was so panicked that he stumbled and fell backward, crashing to the ground, not knowing what to say.
"So, wise up in the future. I'll teach you a rule for free: if I don't report you, the school won't take action against you. You understand, right? Attempting to film the opposite changing room is a serious offense that could get you expelled."
Leaving behind this chilling threat that made the trio tremble with fear, Yukio walked away, planning to find an opportunity to further expose this incident and maximize its impact.
***
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