NTR Kousuke

Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Custody and Plotting

Kuzu: "No way... taking advantage of someone totally drunk to do whatever you want... like I'd ever..."

Smiling as he looked around, Kuzu seemed frightened by all the cold stares focused solely on him...

There are plenty of things you shouldn't do, but this is...

Osada: "That's why, this is your chance to prove your innocence, right? Show us your phone?"

Kuzu: "...What authority do you even have... This is just a joke! It was just one of those dumb, braggy things you say with your buddies..."

Osada: "Then show us? If there's nothing there, I'll apologize for suspecting you."

Kuzu: "No, no, an apology won't cut it! Forcing a phone check and then just moving on if nothing's there isn't right!"

Osada: "You sound like a shoplifter refusing a bag check. I'm asking you to show us so we can clear things up, right?"

Kuzu: "Seriously! It was just an attempt!"

An attempt...? He totally meant to go through with it, didn't he.

But there's something on his phone he really doesn't want anyone to see, right?

Of course, there's no actual reason Osada-san has to see it.

But the fact that he's refusing in this situation practically screams Kuzu's got something to hide.

Kuzu kept glancing back and forth between Osada-san and Nagase-san.

As it looked like Kuzu might try to run, more hands pinned him down... Hiroshi? Even timid Hiroshi was helping hold him.

Hiroshi was looking at Takahashi-san.

Takahashi-san and Ninomiya-san stood between Nagase-san and Kuzu, protecting Nagase-san.

...So that's why.

Osada: "Then it'll have to go to the adults, okay? And if it does, it'll be a police matter."

The word "police" sent a wave of tension through the room.

Kuzu's body stiffened, too.

Just as the tension reached its peak—

Ichinose: "Hello, student council here."

President Ichinose arrived with other student council members. Apparently, Nagase-san had called them.

President Ichinose quickly checked in with Nagase-san about the situation, and Tanaka-kun handed over the laptop as evidence. After a brief talk with Kuzu and a nod,

Ichinose: "The student council and the school will immediately investigate this matter and take appropriate action. Kuzu-kun, we're not planning to punish you unilaterally. But I want to hear your side—your circumstances and what happened. We won't jump to conclusions. I promise you that."

Oh, and he also warned him that messing with his phone now would seriously make things worse, so he should stop.

With the teacher who'd just arrived, President Ichinose urged Kuzu out of the classroom.

Nagase-san went along with them.

Leaving a message that they'd like to talk with Osada-san and Tanaka-kun after school, the group left, and peace returned to the classroom...

But the tension from earlier still lingered, giving the room a weird atmosphere.

Tanaka-kun came back to where Hiroshi and I were.

Tanaka: "...That was what I needed to do, I guess."

"...That was a shock."

Hiroshi: "Seriously! What the heck was that?!"

I've got plenty of feelings about Kuzu, but... there's just no forgiving anyone who'd do something that awful to a girl! My face twisted with a disgust I couldn't even describe, when—

Hinako: "It's unthinkable, isn't it? Going out drinking with a guy is scary!"

"...Wait, you can't even drink yet, can you? When did you get here? You useless tactician?"

Hinako: "...Call me Hinako, please? I was pretending to sleep in class, and I heard there was some groper incident yesterday. I figured if anything happened, it'd be here, so I was keeping watch."

"...So you were just pretending to sleep in class..."

Without me noticing, first-year Hinako Ootori had joined the conversation.

Before I could even question why she was here, the phrase "pretending to sleep in class" completely distracted me... Poor kid.

Tanaka: "...Another cute girl for Kousuke-kun..."

I introduced this useless tactician to Tanaka-kun—she's a scatterbrained girl I met recently.

Ootori-san pinched her skirt and did a theatrical "Nice to meet you" to Tanaka-kun. She's a returnee, you know. Ootori-san smiled brightly and said,

Hinako: "Oh, don't mind me, go ahead?"

Tanaka: "...So, anyway..."

Tanaka-kun had spotted Kuzu trying to hit on someone a while ago and thought he might be up to something, so he kept an eye on him. Then Osada-san showed up, and she was suspicious of Kuzu too and started digging around—and then yesterday, Nozomi-chan did something! It looked like everything was finally coming to light!

And just as that was happening, we ended up with a scene like this today, he rattled off.

"I had no idea... You were doing all that?"

Tanaka: "But, honestly, maybe we should've dealt with him sooner."

"He hasn't done anything else, right?"

When I checked, Tanaka-kun nodded.

He said he was just thinking about the film club's project for this year's cultural festival.

Relieved—at least a little—I couldn't help but wonder what's going to happen to Kuzu.

Before I could finish that thought,

Hinako: "He's out of the tennis club just from his first line! And if he can't dodge some extra penalty, he'll end up begging the ponytail senior from the student council..."

I nodded at Ootori-san's smug face—no arguments here so far.

She pressed her index finger to her chin and continued,

Hinako: "Did he want to use their usual friendship to get her to go easy on him? Tried to butter her up? But she turned him down. And then Yakuza girl senior and ninja senior went, 'Fuck you!'"

Ootori-san flipped the bird... Girls shouldn't do that...

Hinako: "So now his charges double! Condolences, Kuzu. That's how it is, right?"

"Yeah, that's about it."

Hinako: "All the trouble and weird stuff in this school seems to gather around here. It's wild, right? Especially around Kousuke-kun senior!"

Watching the high spirits Ootori-san,

Tanaka: "...She'd probably get along with Nozomi-chan..."

"...I get it. And now my head hurts."

Hinako: "Well, I'm going to go hear Yakuza girl senior's side of the story—ciao!"

Like a storm, Hinako Ootori swept out of the room.

When she said all the trouble and weird stuff in this school gathers around here, my heart skipped a beat—talk about bad luck... Especially around me... I just want to focus on studying and club activities in peace...

So, what's going to happen with all this?

I guess we'll probably hear the verdict after Golden Week?

☆ ☆ ☆

Just as lunch break was ending, Nagase-san, Ninomiya-san, and Takahashi-san all came over to where the three of us were.

Nagase-san and Takahashi-san fidgeted while Ninomiya-san watched them with a grin.

Nagase-san turned to me,

Nagase: "Thanks for earlier, okay? ...You helped hold Kuzu down, didn't you? I was so startled, but seeing Kousuke-kun really holding him down let me speak up with my head held high."

"...Yeah, it really was shocking."

I mean, you're a girl—of course rough situations are scary.

Nagase: "It made me feel so much braver! Thank you, one more time!"

"...No problem."

Nagase-san gave me a bit of a sulky look,

Nagase: "Ever since our seats got farther apart, we barely get to talk, right? And some cute first-year girls keep coming to see you?"

From teary-eyed gratitude to a sulking Nagase-san.

Girls switch from offense to defense so fast—I wish I could do that in basketball.

"...If you ever need anything, I've got your back."

As I said that, Nagase-san turned bright red,

Nagase: "Kousuke-kun, you oblivious gigolo! Total natural flirt! Geez!"

With that, she smiled sweetly and went back to her seat in high spirits.

Next to me, Takahashi-san was blushing and thanking Hiroshi—looked like things were going well there.

...Tanaka-kun just stared into the distance with a blank face.

As Nagase-san and Hiroshi's pair left, Ninomiya-san, who'd been grinning at us, came closer and whispered in my ear.

Ninomiya: "Hey, Kousuke-kun, I've got a favor to ask..."

Her oddly sultry voice gave me goosebumps!

Nagase-san tends to overshadow her, but this girl's a real beauty too!

Ninomiya: "I've got a great idea! See, don't you think our Takahashi-chan and your Hiroshi-kun are hitting it off?"

...Sho always says, when someone claims they've got a great idea, it's usually something bad.

...But I agreed, since it might help Hiroshi.

☆ ☆ ☆

Ninomiya-san's scheme is moving forward, lol.

This is a story about Kousuke's group and Nagase group going on a trip, as requested by tohrusan.

The plan is for the last day of Golden Week (laughs).

If everything goes smoothly, that is?