Chapter 168: Seito and the Class E Boys Have Been Busted by the Police!
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"So, what's the move for this morning?" Seito asked, quickly steering the conversation away from his "minus thirty centimeters" comment.
"Morning is free time, I think. We can head out and explore," Iori Kitahara replied after a moment's thought.
Seito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How about... we go for a massage?"
The group: "..."
Everyone stared at Seito, bewildered.
"Ahem... a massage? Like... a legit massage?" Hidenori Tabata coughed, finding the words difficult to squeeze out.
"Of course! What kind of filth are you lot imagining?" Seito shot back. Young man, your mind is in the gutter!
Hearing this, the group fell into deep contemplation. A moment later, Hidenori took a sharp breath. "Let's do it!"
"Count me in!" the others chimed in. Seito grinned.
After finishing breakfast, Seito and the Class E crew headed out of the ryokan. As they crossed the threshold, they were intercepted by Kirukiru Amou and Kanade Tachibana.
"Seito, what are you guys up to?" Amou asked, eyeing the suspicious-looking group.
"We're going for a massage," Seito answered simply.
"A massage?" Amou's expression turned skeptical. "Why would you go to a place like that?"
"Got hit by a car yesterday, remember? My body feels like a lead pipe. I need to get my bones cracked and loosened up." Seito rolled his neck. It was true—he'd felt okay yesterday, but after a night's sleep, the stiffness was real.
"Fine, go ahead."
Noon...
In the dining hall, the first-year faculty and students were having lunch with Academy Chairwoman Minami. The excitement was palpable because they were scheduled to hit the beach in the afternoon.
Suddenly! Tramp, tramp, tramp—!
"CHAIRWOMAN! IT'S TERRIBLE!"
The sound of frantic running drew everyone's attention. A gasping Kirito burst into the hall and sprinted toward Chairwoman Minami.
The crowd murmured. What happened?
"Kirigaya-kun, calm down. Tell us what's going on," Kazuko said levelly.
"Huff... huff..." Kirito bent over, gasping for air, pointing a trembling finger toward the main gate. It took three full seconds before he could force the words out. "Seito... Seito-kun and... and the Class E boys... have been arrested by the constables!"
Chairwoman Minami: "..."
Everyone present: "..."
That is a massive scoop!
The entire hall was floored. It was only the second day of the trip! How on earth did Seito's group end up in handcuffs already?
"Explain the situation," Kazuko said, her mind racing.
Kirito: "I'm not entirely sure... I heard they went for a massage this morning."
The crowd: "..."
Holy crap! I mean, seriously?!
Every male student and teacher in the room looked at each other with expressions of profound shock. In their eyes, Seito and his crew were starting to look like legendary "brave warriors." This was some next-level audacity!
With a twitching lip, Kazuko looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka and Mafuyu Kirisu.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, Kirisu-sensei... please come with me."
The two teachers shared a look of utter resignation and stood up. Their students really didn't know the meaning of "quiet time."
The Local Constabulary.
A middle-aged constable with sharp, predatory eyes stared down at a row of boys crouching against the wall.
"Stay down! Don't move!" he barked. "We received a tip-off today that two wanted fugitives are hiding among your group. Don't make me use force!"
Earlier that day, the station had received a report: a certain "parlor" was harboring fugitives. These criminals were known masters of disguise, which was why they had eluded capture for so long. The constables were just waiting for the makeup remover to arrive to reveal their true identities.
Hidenori, crouching on the far right, finally couldn't take it anymore. He looked up at the constable. "Officer, sir, we're just students on a school trip. Is it really necessary to treat us like this?"
"Heh," the constable sneered. "Students on a trip? What kind of school trip takes you to a 'parlor' like that?!"
"Ah... well..." Hidenori's face turned bright red. He went silent and tucked his head back between his knees.
Beside him, Seito was feeling more than a little annoyed. Look at him—talented, peak-tier visuals, a face literally built to be a high-end "kept man." How could he be a fugitive?
Thinking this, he looked up. "Officer, what exactly did these fugitives do?"
"Armed robbery," the constable answered without hesitation.
"Do I look like the kind of person who needs to rob anyone?" Seito asked.
The constable blinked, confused. What is this kid getting at?
Seeing the officer's confusion, Seito spoke with arrogant pride. "With a face as handsome as mine, I could find a wealthy sugar mama to take care of me any day of the week! Why would I ever bother committing a crime?!"
The Constable: "..."
The Boys: "..."
Everyone's lips twitched, but no one argued.
Nearby, a younger constable chuckled and shook his head, turning to a female officer next to him. "Nanako, do you think he's telling the truth?"
The female officer, who was staring at Seito with literal stars in her eyes while wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth, snapped to attention. "Of course he's... telling the truth!"
The young male officer: "..."
Is this the power of being handsome? I... He felt like crying.
Just then, the rhythmic clack-clack-clack of high heels echoed through the station. Three stunning women walked in. Seeing them, Hidenori and Iori let out a desperate wail.
"CHAIRWOMAN, SAVE US!"
"TEACHER, HELP!!"
"SILENCE!!" the constable roared. The two boys shut up instantly. He turned to Chairwoman Minami and the others. "Are you the teachers for these boys?"
"We are," Chairwoman Minami said, her lip twitching. She felt like she was experiencing a "social death." Having your students arrested at a massage parlor was... not a great look for an educator.
"Wait a moment," the officer said, not being particularly hard on the ladies. "Once the makeup remover gets here, I have to screen them first."
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Thank you for reading.