"Ugh~ Thank you, Yukinoshita-senpai~" Iwanaga Kotoko leaned forward, her face flushed red from being pinched, and expressed her gratitude to Yukino with a picture-perfect smile.
However, from an angle where Hoshimi couldn't notice, Iwanaga Kotoko's mysterious purple eyes revealed a provocative look that only she and Yukinoshita could see.
"No need to thank me, it's just the responsibility of the club president." Yukino, pretending not to notice Kotoko's provocation, replied expressionlessly.
"Heh~" Kotoko chuckled softly and then sat up straight, looking at Hayama Hayato. "Now, Hayama-san, where were we?"
Hayama glanced at Hoshimi and calmly said, "We were just discussing how Hoshimi called me a 'nice guy' to mock me..."
"Ahem~" Kotoko cleared her throat lightly and said, "Let me clarify here. When Hoshimi calls you a 'nice guy,' he's actually complimenting your indecisive... ahem, I mean, your easy-going and kind nature, your gentle and respectful demeanor..."
"Alright! Clarification over, let's continue with the previous topic."
Kotoko resumed her explanation, "Because of Hoshimi's label on you, I can rule out the possibility that you're the thief crying thief, Hayama-san."
"So that leaves us with the two possibilities I mentioned. When I brought up the first one, your expression didn't change much, just a bit of discomfort, which is understandable. After all, it's not easy hearing someone speak ill of you to your face. It would be more abnormal if you had no reaction."
"But when I mentioned the second possibility—that you know the real culprit—your expression changed slightly more."
"Based on that, I'm leaning towards the second scenario. Of course, I can't entirely dismiss the possibility that you're such a good actor that you fooled me."
"For now, let's set aside the idea that you might be acting and continue with the second possibility."
"Actually, at this point, the identity of the real culprit isn't that important. From the Service Club's standpoint, our job is just to resolve your request."
"But I'm personally a bit curious about who the culprit is, so I decided to test you, and your reaction was quite honest, just as Hoshimi described you: a true 'nice guy'"
Hayama Hayato's face looked a bit troubled, and his conversation with Kotoko reminded him of his exchange with Hoshimi before the mixed doubles tennis final last Friday.
Both of them had such keen observation skills that he couldn't help but feel like he was facing sister Haruno.
"Now, let me think about the motive behind the culprit..."
Kotoko, now intrigued, rubbed her chin as she muttered to herself.
"First, these three victims are all friends with Hayama-san..."
"Secondly, the culprit is among these three victims..."
"That implies that the relationships between these three victims aren't that great; otherwise, they wouldn't stoop to slandering each other..."
"Hayama-san..." Kotoko looked up at Hayama Hayato. "I've heard about you from Iroha. She mentioned that you're the star of the school soccer team, one of the most handsome seniors in the second year, and that you're well-respected among both the boys and girls."
"Because of that, Iroha concluded that Hayama-san is an excellent choice as a friend or even a boyfriend. Just being part of your circle guarantees a spot at the top of the school's social hierarchy..."
"I see. Now I get it."
Kotoko had an epiphany. She made a fist with her right hand and lightly tapped her left palm, confidently saying, "These three victims must be fighting over you!"
"Wait! Aren't they all boys?"
"Ew~~~" Kotoko recoiled in disgust.
She looked at Hayama Hayato with eyes full of the implication, "I didn't expect you to be... gay."
Thinking of this, Kotoko quickly grabbed Hoshimi's arm and advised, "Hoshimi~ Hoshimi~ You should stay away from this nice guy. I don't want you to turn out like that."
"..." Hayama Hayato's facial muscles stiffened as he awkwardly explained, "Kotoko-san, you're overthinking it. I'm really not that kind of person."
"Stop!" Kotoko raised one hand to interrupt Hayama's explanation while clinging to Hoshimi with the other.
She looked at Hayama, full of caution, and said, "Hayama-san, there's no need to explain. Just tell me if anything has happened recently that could have triggered this 'fight.' Once I understand, I can solve your request."
Hayama Hayato smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not too sure either. There haven't been any conflicts between them recently, and those emails suddenly started appearing over the weekend."
"Hmm? You don't know either?" Kotoko was a bit surprised.
"Yeah..." Hayama nodded.
Kotoko frowned and turned to the other Service Club members for information. "Yukinoshita-senpai, do you know if anything happened recently?"
Hoshimi remained silent, Yukino shook her head, and Yui seemed deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman, who was curled up on the sofa, had a flicker of insight as if he had a clue to offer.
He slowly sat up, just about to speak when...
Kotoko's eyes lit up, and she turned to Hayama Hayato, asking, "Aren't second-year students about to do their workplace internships? I overheard some second-year girls in the hallway discussing their internship groupings when I went to Class J to find Hoshimi earlier."
Hayama Hayato nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's true."
Kotoko's eyes gleamed as she continued to probe, "When did the news about the internships come out? And how many people are in each group?"
"People started talking about it right after the sports festival ended last Friday. The groups are the same as every year—three people per group..."
"That's it!" Kotoko declared. "Three people per group, but your three friends, plus you, make four. Someone would have to be left out, and it seems someone didn't want to be left out, so they resorted to these poorly-crafted slanderous emails to try to disqualify one person."
"But..." Kotoko's tone shifted as she mercilessly mocked, "It seems this mastermind isn't very bright. They ended up slandering themselves in an attempt to clear their name, but they didn't think it through enough to leave one person out as a scapegoat."
"Well~ maybe they did think of that but were too scared to go through with it, perhaps worried about the consequences or out of some sense of camaraderie."
"Overall, this culprit is really quite incompetent."
"If it had been someone more ruthless, they would've either done nothing or gone all the way—creating a scapegoat and permanently kicking them out of your circle, Hayama-san. And if they were really ruthless, they'd make sure the scapegoat couldn't stay at the school at all."
Kotoko smiled as she said this.
Nearby, Yui Yuigahama watched Kotoko at that moment and unconsciously took two steps back.
Sorry, Yukinon, it seems I'm no match for her... Maybe you should handle this yourself...
No! No! I can't! I'm Yukinon's best friend! How can I back down now?
Yui gritted her teeth, stepped forward again, and stood firmly behind Yukino.
I must become Yukinon's strong support, and help her defend Hoshimi-kun's affection!
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