Chapter 31 – The whole class blocked the store

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At dusk, as the sun set, its rays seemed to intensify, turning the clouds into a mesmerizing shade of crimson. Despite being an unusual time for heavy customer traffic, the digital camera store in the Shopping Center was unexpectedly bustling with a surge of customers.

Class C students, summoned by Yukio, crowded the small digital camera store, even though they were unclear about the purpose of their visit. They trusted Yukio's judgment and obediently gathered there, making the shop almost impassable.

Such specialty stores in were typically small due to the limited customer base within the school. While a larger store might attract more customers in an external setting, there was no need for expansive space within the school.

Digital cameras, in particular, interested only a small fraction of high school students, with even fewer willing to pay for them. Compared to nearby game and cosmetic stores, the digital camera shop lacked appeal to high schoolers and wouldn't exist if not for the school's policy of diverse retail offerings.

The store clerk, an older gentleman, was perplexed by the sudden influx of customers. It seemed as if an entire class had descended upon the store. As he tried to greet and assist the students, he realized they were more interested in discussing the cameras amongst themselves rather than seeking his help.

Distracted by the lively presence of female high school students, the clerk's gaze inappropriately lingered on their chest areas. However, to his surprise, these students were not only pretty but also quite sharp.

The leader among the girls, Shiho Manabe, who headed a small group in Class C, was the first to confront the clerk. "Hey! What are you looking at? That's so disgusting! If you like to stare that much, go home and look at your mother!"

"Ugh, such a creepy old man!" chimed in another girl.

"Please, turn your head away, sir. You're ruining our view," added another, with the other girls expressing similar sentiments. The clerk was indeed being overly lecherous.

The clerk at the camera shop, while observing the high school girls, displayed an unmasked, greedy look in his eyes, almost as if he wanted to devour them. This overt gaze evoked a deep sense of disgust from the girls. Adding to their repulsion was the clerk's face, unconsciously revealing a tinge of excitement when he sneakily watched them.

Given such behavior from the clerk, it's no surprise that the fiery-tempered girls from Class C didn't hesitate to confront him directly. Normally, they might have just reprimanded him with a few harsh words, but given the current situation, they went all out in their verbal assault.

The boldness of girls like Manabe stemmed from the presence of about forty of their classmates in the store—all from Class C. Once Manabe pointed out the clerk's inappropriate behavior, the entire class was riled up and eager to seize the opportunity to follow through with Yukio's plan.

The excitement among the classmates was palpable, as indicated by the two messages left by Ishizaki in the Class C chat room. The first called for the entire class to converge at the Shopping Center's digital camera shop, and the second instructed them to find ways to distract the clerk, preventing him from observing his surroundings.

Though it was Ishizaki's account that issued these commands, everyone knew they were actually from Yukio. Some members of Class C, accustomed to causing trouble, felt right at home with this task. However, others were unsure of how to create a disturbance and lacked even the skills to nitpick.

But now, with Manabe setting the example, the group had found their direction. The students might not have understood why they were doing this, but they trusted that Yukio's orders had a deeper meaning, so they followed suit.

This unified response was a testament to the authority Yukio had built within Class C over the past two months. As a result, the sleazy clerk was cornered by the students.

"Huh? How dare you peek at the girls in our class? Don't you want to work here anymore? We will report you to the school!"

"You better be careful when you go out for a night walk tonight! Someone might suddenly jump out of the woods and put a sack on your head."

"How can there be an adult scum like you in the Shopping Center run by the school?! Please apologize to Manabe-san and the others!"

They threatened to report him to the school authorities for ogling their classmates and issued veiled threats and demands for an apology to Manabe and her friends.

Heart guilty and overwhelmed by the encircling students, the clerk became panic-stricken, sweating profusely, and his face turned pale. Unable to defend himself against the united front of Class C, he trembled with fear, his legs seemingly about to give way under the pressure.

While the sleazy clerk was distracted, Albert used his tall body to block the surveillance camera at the counter, allowing Yukio, Ryuen, Ibuki, and the two diligent students, Kaneda and Shiina, to search around freely.

They quickly found the past three months' weekly supply lists and Ryuen also found the sales records on the computer.

Using the serial number on the battery provided by Ichinose, they matched it with the lists and identified a student who bought a battery two months ago, just after the school year started, a first-year student from Class D, Airi Sakura.

"Found it, and it's someone from Class D?" Ryuen frowned, "If Ishizaki's actions were captured and selectively edited to show him in a bad light, and Class D complains first, we might face an investigation by the school. This turns the situation against us."

Ishizaki, embarrassed, followed alongside them with his head down. He had been so focused on his fight with Sudo that he only remembered to avoid surveillance cameras and forgot to check the surroundings.

"Yes," Yukio agreed, taking a photo of Airi Sakura's information with his phone. "It seems necessary to have a talk with this potential witness. Let's go."

At his command, everyone left the camera store, leaving the creepy clerk still trembling in fear and resentful.

As the last student from Class C left, the clerk's eyes filled with deep-seated malice. "Damn it, damn it!" he muttered.

"Just looked a couple of times, so why? Why did they have to gang up on me? Only Shizuku, only little Shizuku wouldn't resist my gaze, wouldn't resist my love!" His eyes showed a wild and violent madness as he spoke.