After the last-period bell rang, Ren didn't pack his stuff as usual. Instead, he began doing his homework in the classroom while the other students left for home or their clubs. He stayed there.
He and Ritsu and Takeshi exchanged a few words, and he assured them that he was fine and just needed to finish this before leaving.
Seeing Ren in this state only supported Kenji's earlier conclusion. After saying goodbye to him, Ritsu left, heading straight home, while Takeshi stayed for soccer practice and headed outside to the field with the other members of the club.
After 30 minutes, Ren was the only person left in the classroom, and the school was less crowded with students. Ren didn't rush because, even though most of the students had left, it wasn't considered late by the school's standards. It was still time for clubs and all sorts of activities, so he continued with his work.
After an hour and a half, it was time to move. Ren closed his notebooks, put them in his bag, and left the classroom.
It was late afternoon, and 90% of the students, even the club members, had left by this time. Anyone who was still there would be considered late.
'Now I need to know who's still here.'
Ren knew that the blue information could only belong to three people, and they were:
'Aoi, Kenji, and Takeshi.'
Ren wasn't just sitting in the classroom; he was also watching the front gate to see if any of the candidates left, because if they did, he wouldn't be able to tell.
The school building was huge, so looking all around would be nearly impossible. Ren came up with a simple plan: during the time he spent in the classroom, he would monitor the gate to see who left. If any of the candidates left, he would eliminate them from the later search. When it got late, he would search the places most frequently visited by the remaining candidates. If the target itself left, he would leave as well.
But that also wasn't perfect, since it was possible that one of the candidates had left early with the crowd. So Ren was just relying on his luck.
Following that plan, Ren had already eliminated one of the candidates, and it was none other than the most problematic one: Aoi's boyfriend, Takeshi. Earlier, Takeshi returned to the classroom, gathered his stuff, and left after saying goodbye to Ren. Ren made sure that he had left by watching him walk out through the school's front gate.
At first, Ren was afraid that Takeshi might still stay even if Aoi was the one who wanted to stay late, using her boyfriend as an excuse. That would have been a real pain in the ass.
But now, with only two possibilities left, Aoi or Kenji, finding one of them would prove that the other had left.
Ren's goal was to find Aoi, so he began looking for her in the places where he believed she might be.
The first place was her classroom, X-4. Ren slowly opened the door and looked inside, but it was empty, so he left.
The second place was the club rooms, but they were empty as well. Ren continued to the third place, which was the last place she could be. Otherwise, he would have to look around blindly, which will looks highly suspicious, especially at this time.
The third place was the student council room. The door was open, which raised Ren's hopes, so he slowly opened it and took a look inside.
The student council room was minimally decorated, just like a normal classroom. However, all the chairs and desks had been removed and replaced with several long tables arranged in a U shape. The windows were covered with curtains, and on the far left stood a bookshelf full of books. Documents, pens, and books were scattered all over the place. In the middle of the U-shaped arrangement was a leather sofa, and sitting on it was Aoi, writing something while surrounded by papers.
When Aoi heard the door open, she jumped in shock. She hadn't expected anyone to be around at this time, let alone come to this room.
She hurriedly covered the papers in an awkward manner and looked at the person who had caught her off guard. It was none other than Ren.
The two stared at each other for a while, one gaze sharp and predatory, the other awkward and confused.
Ren entered the room, breaking the silent staring contest, and closed the door behind him.
'So it's true. She's really embezzling the funds or covering it up.'
What else could she possibly be doing here at this time other than trying to fix the unfixable?
At the same time, Aoi, who was confused and nervous, was trying her best to understand what had brought Ren here at this hour.
"Ah, h-huh? Yeah, Ren. What are you doing here?"
Aoi forced out an awkward question.
"Nothing important."
Aoi was stunned by Ren's tone. Ren, who was usually so awkward and quiet, had answered her question immediately, and in a completely different tone from his usual self.
'What the hell is going on? What is he doing here, and why is he acting that way? Doesn't Ren usually go home early?'
Aoi took a quick breath, regained her composure, and put the papers down.
"Then, is there anything I can help you with?"
Ren smiled and started looking around rather than answering her. A chill ran down her spine.
'What's wrong with him?'
Finally, Ren's eyes fell back on her. He stared at her with cold eyes and a calm smile before finally answering her.
"Embezzlement of event funds?"