"Panties...?"
I quickly hid them between my fingers before glancing around to make sure nobody saw me.
Thankfully, the only one nearby was Kouenji lying on his bed in that ridiculous head-down position of his. There was no way he could see what was in my hand.
I stuffed them into my pocket.
I need to get away from here before someone else wakes up.
I hurried away from the camp toward the river.
Was Ibuki trying to plant them among the boys' belongings?
That little...
Maybe she stole them from the girls' things to spark conflict between the two sides of Class D.
Class C had already started moving.
And somehow, I'm the one caught in the middle of all this.
What am I supposed to do now?
If someone finds these on me, I'm finished...
Nobody would believe the story I tell them.
They'd probably just say they always knew I was some kind of pervert because of my eyes.
I need to get rid of them somehow...
Should I hide them? Throw them away?
No, burning them would be better...
No, that's stupid.
If they simply disappear from the girls' belongings, the boys will be blamed first. That'll start an all-out war between them, and the class might collapse afterward.
They need to be returned somehow.
But how...?
I can't think properly...
My mind feels completely scrambled.
I dropped to my knees beside the river and began splashing cold water onto my face so I could focus before it became too late.
"I see... so you're kneeling before the river..."
A voice came from behind me.
I turned around while shivering.
"No, it's just... uh..."
Yukinoshita had apparently just woken up and was holding her toothbrush.
"What's wrong? Your eyes look even deader than usual..." Yukinoshita said.
"Ah... no, I'm fine..." I replied while touching my face.
I don't know how to act anymore.
I can already see my approaching end...
Yukinoshita...
Maybe she'd believe me if I explained everything.
Maybe she could even find a solution.
I stood back up, a false sense of hope rising within me as I clung desperately to survival.
"Yukinoshita... I need to tell you something..." I said while my knees nearly gave out beneath me.
"I'm listening..." Yukinoshita replied, surprised by how serious I sounded.
I tried encouraging myself, convincing myself things might still turn out alright before slipping my fingers into my pocket and pulling them out...
For a moment, I couldn't open my fist.
I was afraid her reaction might be violent...
But I had no other choice.
I slowly opened my fingers one by one, not knowing where exactly I should even direct my eyes.
Yukinoshita's gaze settled on my hand for a moment before she turned around and started walking away.
"Yukinoshita, where are you going...?" I asked, unable to understand what she was doing.
"Stay where you are. I'll go bring Chabashira-sensei so the proper procedures can be carried out..." Yukinoshita said while walking in the opposite direction.
"No, it's not what you think...!" I hurried after her.
"Shut up... What exactly does a girl's underwear doing in your possession mean? I never thought you had those kinds of tendencies... I'm disappointed..." Yukinoshita said.
This isn't the time for misunderstandings...
I wiped the water and sweat from my hands against my shirt before quickly reaching out and grabbing her hand.
"Wait, just listen to my explanation first...!"
"Ah... what do you want...?" Yukinoshita trembled weakly, unable to pull away as she looked at me like I was disgusting.
"Just hear me out..."
I explained everything in exhaustive detail, starting from the moment I woke up all the way until Ibuki escaped into the forest.
If Yukinoshita didn't believe me, then I was already finished.
"So you mean Ibuki-san tried to plant them among the boys' bags, but they ended up in your hands instead...?" Yukinoshita asked while staring at me with her cold eyes.
"Yeah... I think she stole them from one of the girls to create conflict inside the camp, so we need to return them before everyone wakes up..." I said, hoping she would come up with the solution I couldn't find myself.
"So you don't know what to do now...?"
"Y-Yeah..."
I can't think of anything.
It feels like my brain stopped functioning after getting kicked.
"Fine... give them to me. I'll return them," Yukinoshita said while extending her hand toward me.
Huh...?
She's really going to do it...?
"T-Thank you so much..." I quickly placed them into her hands before dropping to my knees again to wash my hands in the river.
"Go do your job now," Yukinoshita said while slipping them into her jacket pocket.
"Ah... okay..."
I need to gather firewood for breakfast.
Right, that's my role...
"Yukinoshita, thank you so much... You saved me..." I said while heading toward the forest.
For a moment, I honestly felt like I was going to lose my mind...
Ibuki...
She's the one who came up with all this.
I swear One day I'll make sure your IQ matches your personality
---
(Narrator)
Yukinoshita watched Hikigaya's back as he disappeared toward the forest with his usual hunched posture.
Though recently, he had started standing a little straighter.
She remained standing there, unable to respond after hearing his words.
She didn't understand why he suddenly said those things.
She adjusted her bangs with her slender fingers in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.
After regaining her composure, she placed her hand over the pocket containing the underwear which, according to Hikigaya's explanation, had been stolen by Ibuki from the girls' tent to frame the boys.
Although Yukinoshita personally thought the idea was childish and pointless, deep down she admitted just how dangerous it actually was.
Especially considering how easily the minds of Class D students could spiral into a meaningless conflict.
Perhaps Hikigaya getting involved this morning had been a curse for him...
But it was undoubtedly a blessing for the future of Class D.
Yukinoshita turned back toward the camp.
She didn't know whose underwear these belonged to, but one thing she was certain of was that they weren't from any of the girls in her tent.
The entrance to their tent hadn't been opened this morning, nor had anyone touched their bags.
Yukinoshita was confident that if anyone approached her side, she would've sensed it immediately.
Not because of instincts or heightened senses...
But simply because she slept lightly.
Most likely, the underwear had been stolen from the other tent where Ibuki had slept the previous night.
Yukinoshita approached the tent and quietly opened the entrance.
Most of the girls were still asleep in their places.
She glanced at the bags lined neatly to the side.
Every single one remained tightly closed.
There was no way to know which one had originally contained the missing underwear.
Yukinoshita stepped outside again, placing a hand beneath her chin while thinking of an immediate solution.
They needed to be returned before the girls woke up and noticed they were missing.
For girls, stolen underwear was an unforgivable crime.
But what if there was a bigger disaster to distract them instead?
Yukinoshita placed a hand on her forehead, realizing just how much that boy's way of thinking had begun influencing her as well.
She never used to think like this before.
But after understanding how he viewed situations—after watching him solve problem after problem—she had gradually begun to understand the way he thought.
Though this morning, his brain had practically shut down from stress.
Yukinoshita looked toward the boys' tent and sincerely apologized to them in her heart for what she was about to drag them into.
Still, she promised herself she would intervene if things got out of hand.
She entered the tent once more, opened all the bags inside, placed the underwear on top of them, then stepped outside and closed the tent behind her.
She looked around carefully to see if anyone else was nearby.
But at this early hour, all the students were still asleep.
Even Kouenji, who usually slept outside, had already disappeared somewhere.
So she was certain she was alone.
The entire area belonged to her now.
She rubbed her hands together lightly before grabbing one of the tent stakes and trying to pull it out with all her strength.
But it was firmly embedded into the ground.
The boys had done their work perfectly.
Deep down, Yukinoshita prayed none of the girls would get hurt.
Then she yanked it with all her strength until it finally came loose, causing part of the tent to collapse.
"Waaah...!"
"What's happening?!"
"Something's falling on us...!"
The girls began screaming after part of the tent collapsed onto them while they slept.
Yukinoshita quickly opened the tent to check on them.
Thankfully, everyone was fine.
She sighed in relief that nobody had been injured because of her.
"Yukinoshita-san, what happened...?" Kushida asked in panic.
The other girls weren't much different, including Karuizawa and her friends.
"Everyone, get out first..." Yukinoshita said while making room for them.
"W-Wait, it's too cramped in here..." Karuizawa complained while struggling to move.
"Wait, stop pushing, stop pushing...!"
"Ah, hold on... don't move so fast— agh... our bags fell over!"
"Look, their contents spilled out too! Our clothes are going to get dirty...!"
"Didn't we close them last night...?"
"I don't remember... I just wanted to sleep. It was too dark to see anything anyway..."
The girls kept chattering nonstop while exiting the tent one after another.
"Just get out already and stop talking..." Yukinoshita scolded them.
"Ah... I was sure I closed mine last night..." Karuizawa muttered as she exited the tent as well.
Yukinoshita finally relaxed once every girl safely exited the tent.
No more need to panic.
The entrance to the boys' tent opened, and they quickly came out after hearing the girls screaming.
"What happened? Are you girls alright?" Hirata asked worriedly while checking on them.
"We're fine... but what happened...?" Kushida asked while turning toward Yukinoshita, who had opened the tent for them the moment they felt something collapse.
"Ah... one of the tent stakes came loose, so part of the tent collapsed," Yukinoshita explained while pointing at the loosened stake on the ground.
"Really...? How did that happen...?" Hirata asked while kneeling to inspect it.
"Yukinoshita-san, what were you doing outside?" Horikita asked as she approached after hearing the commotion herself.
Yukinoshita slipped a hand into her jacket and pulled out her toothbrush.
"I woke up early, so I went to wash my face and brush my teeth. Then I saw the tent collapsing..." Yukinoshita explained while avoiding direct eye contact.
"Really...?" Horikita raised an eyebrow as if unconvinced.
Yukinoshita knew most of Class D were practically idiots.
But there were still some people who wouldn't accept things so easily.
Still, her target right now was the majority.
"Huh? How did this happen...?" Kushida asked while approaching Hirata to inspect the tent.
"Isn't it obvious? It's because the boys did a bad job setting it up..." Karuizawa turned toward the boys to blame them.
"Hah...? What did you just say?!" Yamauchi immediately shouted after feeling insulted.
"If you'd secured the tents properly, this wouldn't have happened," Karuizawa said while placing her hands on her hips.
"This has nothing to do with us..." Sudou replied while sticking his pinky into his ear.
"The boys are right..." Yukinoshita said, drawing everyone's attention back toward her.
"The soil quality here is poor, so the stakes weren't secured properly," she explained while pressing her heel into the ground to create a small hole.
"Is that true...? We didn't even think about that," Hirata said while touching the ground.
"Are you sure...?" Karuizawa asked skeptically.
"See? We're innocent then..." Yamauchi puffed out his chest like some superhero.
"We should move the tent somewhere else, but let's check the soil quality first, everyone..." Kushida said while clapping her hands together.
Yukinoshita covered her face with her hands.
She didn't know whether to feel happy they believed her or sad because they were idiots.
The soil quality was the same throughout the entire forest.
"Gather your belongings first so the boys can move the tent..." Yukinoshita instructed.
"Ah... okay."
The girls entered the tent to gather their things before the boys approached.
"Our clothes are all scattered on the ground too..."
"Ah, whose is this?" one of the girls asked while holding up a pair of panties.
"They're mine..." Karuizawa quickly snatched them away and shoved them into her bag before the boys could get closer.
"Where's Ibuki-san? I haven't seen her this morning..." Kushida asked while looking around.
"I saw her walking into the forest earlier this morning..." Yukinoshita answered before moving away to sit alone.
From afar, she watched them.
The half-asleep boys who had woken up because of the girls' screams...
And the girls who never stopped talking, even this early in the morning.
Another boy appeared in the background, slowly walking forward while carrying a bundle of sticks in his hands.
Hikigaya had finally returned after gathering the firewood the class would need today.
Yukinoshita smiled faintly as she looked at him.
He had completely lost his original color and now resembled a fully evolved zombie.
She couldn't help but wonder...
If she hadn't woken up early this morning...
What exactly would he have done?