Hikigaya Hachiman leaned against the door, quietly observing the three in front of him.
Hayama Hayato had nothing more to say, still wearing that infuriatingly nice-guy face, looking anxious. He was probably worrying about how to handle things if the culprit was actually caught.
Yamato was a muscular guy, but he had a very honest-looking face. The term "gorilla" was more fitting for him than for the loud Hōbu. His thick eyebrows were furrowed together, making him look even more like a gorilla.
Ooka was the shortest among Hayama's group, sporting a crew cut. He was crossing his arms and shaking his leg impatiently, looking quite restless.
As for the Tobe...
"I mean, is it really necessary to kick everyone else out? We're just here to share some information, right?"
Tobe sat down on a chair with a loud noise, looking somewhat unhappy. "Why does it feel like an interrogation?"
The sound of the chair scraping against the floor was harsh, making Yukinoshita Yukino frown. Her sharp gaze shot at the noisy Thug like a sword.
"Please be quiet."
Like a chilling wind blowing through the room, it felt as if her cold stare froze his spine. Tobe instinctively shuddered and muttered under his breath,
Had she just seen a flash of crimson deep in Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes? It must have been an illusion.
After scolding Tobe, Yukinoshita Yukino took out Yuigahama Yui's phone and pointed the screen at him.
"I'll get straight to the point: did you do this?"
Tobe, who had only been quiet for a couple of seconds, shouted again, "How could this possibly be my doing!?"
"The person who sent this email is clearly talking nonsense. They are my friends, so why would I start a fight with them?"
"If you find out who sent this email, make sure to tell me so I can give him a good beating!"
He yelled passionately.
"Is that so?"
Sensing the anger in the slight shift of his aura, Yukinoshita Yukino put her phone away. "You can leave now; call the next person in."
"Ah?"
The abrupt end of the conversation, Tobe looking confused, as if to say, "Are you kidding me? Is that it?"
"It's over," Yukinoshita Yukino nodded.
"No, how can you find out who the real culprit is like this?"
Tobe frowned. He had expected Yukinoshita Yukino, who was quite famous in school, to be capable of finding the real criminal, but it seemed like they were just messing around!
"You can leave now; call the next person in."
Yukinoshita Yukino repeated calmly.
After a brief pause, her tone suddenly shifted, filled with an inexplicable sense of pressure. "Don't make me repeat myself a third time."
The unsettling feeling of being watched by something dangerous crept into his heart, and Tobe could only mutter to himself as he obediently left the Service Club.
"I'm done. Who's next?"
"That Yukinoshita, what did she ask you?"
As soon as Tobe walked out, Yamato asked.
"She just asked if I sent the email. It's so random!"
Tobe complained with an annoyed expression. "Hurry up, or that woman will go crazy again."
Hikigaya Hachiman held his breath, feeling tense as he stared at the loudmouth from the Ministry, afraid he might be sliced into sashimi at any moment.
You should know that Hayashizaki is very protective of his own. How dare this guy speak ill of Yukinoshita? Is he asking for death?
Fortunately, nothing happened, thanks to Hayashizaki's big-heartedness.
"Stop talking!"
Seeing him ramble on, Hayama raised his voice for the first time, putting a stop to his behavior.
"Next, I'll go."
Yamato walked into the service club.
Unlike the noisy Ministry member, Yamato quietly took a seat at the usual spot and said honestly, "Um, I'm Yamato."
"Mm."
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression softened a bit. She took out Yuigahama's phone and showed him the email.
"You sent this, right?"
Yamato immediately shook his head like a rattle: "That wasn't me. I wouldn't do something to hurt my friends."
"Hayama and the others know me."
"Even though I don't really talk much and usually just listen to Hayama and the others chat, they see me as a friend. I wouldn't do something so two-faced."
Yamato's honest face was filled with sincerity.
There wasn't even a hint of negative energy in his weak cursed power; he didn't seem to have much hatred for anyone who would defame him. He was genuinely a straightforward person.
"I understand. You can go now. Let's bring in the last person."
Yukinoshita Yukino put away the phone.
Yamato, having learned about the questioning process from the Ministry member, got up and left without the confusion or annoyance that the other had shown.
"Ooka, it's your turn."
"How was it? Did she give you a hard time?"
Yamato shook his head and replied honestly, "Just like you, Yukinoshita only asked me one question."
"Tch, how can that possibly help figure out who the culprit is?"
Ooka scoffed and walked into the service club.
He sat down impatiently and, before Yukinoshita Yukino could say anything, he said, "It wasn't me, okay?"
"Please look at this before you answer."
As she had done before, Yukinoshita Yukino showed him Yuigahama's phone.
"Is there really a need to look? Everyone in our class got the same email!"
Ooka just glanced at the email and didn't look at its content again, his gaze fixed on the door of the service club.
Hikigaya Hachiman thought: Hey, I didn't get it!
"Is that so? Then I'll be direct."
Yukinoshita Yukino raised her eyes and stared at him intently, speaking slowly, "The person who sent this email is you, Ooka."
"Huh!? I told you it wasn't me!"
Ooka turned his head sharply, glaring at her with dissatisfaction.
His voice carried a hint of unnoticeable panic, and his weak cursed power suddenly became chaotic.
"No, it's you."
Suddenly, her gaze grew deeper, and an inexplicable strong pressure locked onto Ooka—Hayashizaki slightly fanned the flames, releasing a bit of his aura.
Fear and panic surged, amplifying even the slight malice hidden deep within.
"This is ridiculous! I'm leaving!"
Ooka broke into a cold sweat, stood up, and prepared to leave, but Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly grabbed his arm.
Although her small, delicate hand seemed as fragile as it could be, Ooka felt like it was trapped by a pair of pliers, unable to escape. His arm was also being squeezed so tightly that it hurt.
"Hey, you! Let go of me!"
In a panic, he swung his other hand toward Yukinoshita Yukino, but as soon as she grabbed it, his world spun. Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through his back.
Reacting instinctively to Ooka's retaliation, the girl threw him against the door of the Service Club. His back slammed into the door with a loud crash, and his phone fell out of his pocket.
Yukinoshita Yukino walked over, picked up Ooka's phone, and used his fingerprint to unlock it.
After a few moments of looking at the screen, she relaxed her furrowed brow.
"Although you deleted the sent email, you didn't delete the sent records. You also didn't clear the emails in the trash."
She showed the phone's screen to him. "Your grades must be terrible, right, Ooka?"
The sound of Ooka crashing into the door caught the attention of a few people in the hallway. When Hayama opened the door, he was shocked to see Ooka curled up on the floor. "What happened? Ooka?!"
"The culprit has been found."
Yukinoshita Yukino handed the phone to Hayama, while Tobe and Yamato also crowded around.
After a moment, the three of them looked at the crumpled Ooka on the ground with complex expressions.
...
...
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