It was the weekend.

  After confirming her target's whereabouts, it didn't take long for Kamuro Masumi to take action.

  Not that she was in a hurry to catch that damn bastard—definitely not. That wasn't why she was staking out Uesugi Gen's dorm this early in the morning.

  As for why she wasn't keeping an eye on Ichinose, the css leader, and was instead monitoring Uesugi Gen, the vice president of Css B?

  Well, even Kamuro Masumi had to admit that Ichinose was a straightforward and upright person. It was hard to imagine her resorting to threats.

  Uesugi Gen, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

  As Css B's vice president and also the Student Council's vice president, he was certainly suspicious.

  In all her time at this school, Kamuro Masumi had never actually seen him in person. Not even once. It was as if he had been deliberately avoiding her.

  More importantly, that damn text she got the other day—she was certain it had belonged to a guy. No normal girl would be interested in another girl's three sizes.

  Just thinking about it made her blood boil. In her mind, she could already picture a certain little shadow smirking smugly at her.

  And so, at 6 AM, Kamuro Masumi stationed herself outside Uesugi Gen's dorm, waiting for her target to appear.

  Hidden in a discreet corner, she kept her eyes locked on his door.

  Alright, let's see if you're really him.

  And then…

  7 AM… 8 AM… 9 AM…

  The door to Uesugi Gen's dorm remained tightly shut, showing no signs of opening.

  Kamuro Masumi's expression darkened.

  Don't tell me… he's pnning to stay in all day?

  If Uesugi Gen really was the one who had threatened her, then how had a complete shut-in like him just so happened to catch her stealing?

  At this point, Kamuro Masumi was beginning to doubt her own suspicions. Maybe the reason she had never seen him before was simply that… he never left his room.

  The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.

  Time ticked away. Before she knew it, it was already 11 AM.

  Her hopes were rapidly dwindling.

  Then, without warning, the door to Uesugi Gen's dorm finally swung open.

  A handsome boy with dark circles under his eyes stepped out, yawning as he rubbed his face.

  What time did this guy even go to sleep…?

  Kamuro Masumi, who had been waiting outside since the crack of dawn, suddenly felt exhausted.

  Shaking off her fatigue, she refocused her attention on Uesugi Gen.

  No matter. As long as he's out, I can observe him properly.

  The moment she saw him, the figure of that smug little shadow overpped perfectly with his image in her mind.

  He was definitely good-looking—apparently even ranked number one on some kind of popurity list.

  But for some reason, Kamuro Masumi had the strong urge to kick him in the face.

  Finally, Uesugi Gen stepped out onto the street.

  His movements were slow and zy, wandering left and right aimlessly.

  Kamuro Masumi immediately became alert.

  Wait… is he trying to shake me off?

  However, she quickly dismissed the thought.

  Uesugi Gen's eyes suddenly lit up, and he walked straight into a café.

  Without hesitation, he sat down at a table with other students, grabbed a menu, and ordered for himself.

  Kamuro Masumi swiftly followed, taking a seat nearby and ordering food as well. After waiting so long, she was starving anyway.

  As she observed, Uesugi Gen chatted animatedly while eating, gesturing wildly as if compining about someone's misdeeds.

  The two people across from him could only offer him wry smiles in response.

  If I recall correctly… those two are also from Css B.

  After finishing his meal, Uesugi Gen waved goodbye to his friends and left.

  Kamuro Masumi let out a breath of relief.

  So it was just a normal gathering with friends.

  Wait…

  Didn't he… not pay for his food just now?

  She repyed the scene in her mind.

  It was those two Css B students who had paid for him.

  Kamuro Masumi suddenly felt uneasy.

  Freeloading off cssmates?

  Or… was this some kind of bullying?

  No, no, maybe it was just a friendly treat.

  Shaking her head, she decided to continue observing before jumping to conclusions.

  After lingering at the café for a while, Uesugi Gen wandered into an arcade at Keyaki Mall and started pying games.

  "..."

  Honestly, Kamuro Masumi wasn't much of a gamer.

  But standing around in an arcade without pying anything seemed even more suspicious.

  With no other choice, she started up a game herself.

  An hour passed.

  Kamuro Masumi gnced up at Uesugi Gen, who showed no signs of leaving.

  Is he pnning to stay here all day…?

  Then, she witnessed something that truly made her question the world.

  The arcade manager, bowing slightly and rubbing his hands together, personally unwrapped a few newly released games and handed them to Uesugi Gen for free trials.

  Not only that, but he even provided complimentary snacks and drinks.

  All because he's the Student Council's vice president?

  Kamuro Masumi suddenly felt the crushing weight of adulthood.

  After a few more hours, Uesugi Gen left the arcade with a few free games in hand, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

  Then, after wandering around for a bit, it was dinner time.

  Once again, Uesugi Gen randomly grabbed a "lucky" Css B student from the streets and had them pay for his meal.

  At this point, Kamuro Masumi was completely lost.

  Could this guy really be the same bastard who threatened me?

  If he was, then…

  Was he actually being kind to me back then?

  Freeloading meals, making cssmates pay, accepting free gifts from store owners…

  Where the hell did this Student Council Vice President even come from? A delinquent school drama?!

  In the end, Kamuro Masumi clenched her teeth and pulled out her phone.

  There was no choice.

  She would have to use the final method Sakayanagi had taught her.

  She'd send that bastard a message.

  If he was truly the one, then based on his usual habits, he would definitely reply within twenty minutes.

  For now, she'd simply watch and wait.

  If he checked his phone and responded, then the likelihood of him being the culprit would skyrocket.

  If he didn't check his phone at all within twenty minutes, then… maybe she had been wrong all along.

  Kamuro: Oi, what are you up to?

  As she sent the message, she kept her eyes fixed on Uesugi Gen.

  At that moment, he was standing outside a digital store, looking at a pair of headphones.

  One minute passed.

  Kamuro Masumi stared at her phone's screen.

  Read, but no reply.

  She looked back at Uesugi Gen, who was still glued to the gss dispy.

  She sank into deep thought.

  Maybe… it really isn't him?

  No, wait.

  This infuriatingly casual response… doesn't it feel way too familiar?

  Then—

  Uesugi: What's up? I'm chatting with a cute girl right now.

  Kamuro: Not asking about that. Where are you?

  Uesugi: I'm in your head, obviously. You've been thinking about me all day.

  Kamuro: Go die.

  Kamuro Masumi's eyes bzed with fury as she smmed her phone shut.

  When she looked up—

  Wait… where did that bastard go?

  Realizing that Uesugi Gen had disappeared while she was distracted, she let out a deep sigh.

  Screw it. I'm exhausted. I'll deal with this next time.

  Worn out both physically and mentally, Kamuro Masumi headed back to her dorm, ready to put this torturous day behind her.

  Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, Uesugi Gen watched her leave, smiling as he set down his phone.

  Setting up an auto-reply script wasn't difficult for him.

  Thanks for keeping me company all day, Phantom Thief.

  Had it not been for the tracking data on Ichinose's phone, he might've actually spent the whole day gaming in his dorm.

  Next time you come spying, I'll make sure to take you on an even wilder ride.