Sometime after knocking the three small fries unconscious, I escorted the three girls away from the scene. Setsuna-nee and Juri still had to report to the dean regarding the patrols, after all. And since it’s already past the time, they’re going to join us for dinner.

With people still walking around on both hills, we’d just attract attention if we were found standing before the three unconscious idiots.

In any case, knowing how their mind works. I could already guess what they were going to do after waking up.

They’ll go file a complaint to the management and demand justice for what they suffered.

That’s why on our way there, I talked to Satsuki and Setsuna-nee about our next step. Although I said I wanted to avoid trouble, that became inevitable by now.

Besides, even if I only assumed they’re coming after Satsuki and Setsuna-nee, who knows what they’ll do? Let’s say they didn’t get to them. Then, there’s still a huge possibility that unlucky students or any girls walking around the hill might run into them. With how intimidating they appeared because of their horrendous looks, it’s more than likely that those girls would be left hopeless in pushing them away.

I settled that problem now that I knocked them down.

Then… What we should do next is to prevent it from happening again.

And what better way to do that than rely on those in authority?

“Ruki… What are you saying? Look for an employee of the hill and report what happened? I thought you said there would be no trouble?”

That was Juri’s immediate reaction after telling them my thoughts. Although the Maemura sisters didn’t say anything, their concerns were also apparent on their faces. In particular, Satsuki held my arm tight as she put on a serious expression. She’s waiting for me to elaborate on it.

“Sorry, Juri. I lied. Deciding to deal with them is already trouble, isn't it? It was an impulsive action on my part. However, now that I’ve done it, I believe it’s better to make our first move than wait for them to bring trouble to our heads.” I started with an apology before expanding on my thoughts.

I also didn’t leave out the other possibility. For example, holding a grudge against us and finding a different target instead. They’re already set on making trouble. Better to deal with them swiftly than wait for another incident to happen.

After I finished sharing my thoughts with them, all three girls contemplated for a while. And the first one to open their mouth was Setsuna-nee.

“Oi, shameless guy, stop acting like a hero. Don’t trouble yourself over this… We’ll handle it. Right, Juri?”

“Eh? Setsu. What are you talking about? How can we handle this?”

“How? Then we’ll take responsibility. We’ll say we’re the ones who knocked them down. I have eyewitnesses of their creepy behavior. That will justify it. If they bring up that they were knocked down by someone else, we’ll call that a bluff and state that they’re embarrassed to admit that they lost to women.”

That… That’s not a bad plan at all.

There were eyewitnesses of how they were trying to harass the girls from our school. Setsuna-nee and Satsuki alone would be able to pin the blame on them. Plus… I left that weapon the sneaky bastard tried to use on me close to them.

It’s not technically a knife but an improvised sharp object. A spoon, to be precise. He wrapped the main part of it with a cloth to be used as a handle and sharpened the handle. Sounds like something a person who was sent to prison would be using, no? Maybe he’s an ex-convict? I don’t know. There’s no way to find out.

But really, Setsuna-nee… Is she this concerned to me? It’s not like I will lose if it comes to justifying why I knocked them down, especially if we put that weapon on the table. And yet, she’s going so far to take the blame.

Earlier, she was dumbfounded at what I did but that’s not present in her face at the moment. All I could see was her determination not to let this incident fall on my head.

Nonetheless, I didn’t accept her offer right away and we continued moving.

Soon, as we approached the gathering area, we spotted someone working for the hill. He’s still on patrol and according to the pair of sisters, he’s the one who stopped the three idiots from harassing them earlier.

“Oi. Where are you going? Didn’t I tell you to leave it to me?”

Upon seeing me stepping forward to approach the employee, Setsuna-nee grabbed my arm to try and stop me.

I turned and faced her. First, I lowered my head in apology before saying, “Setsuna-nee, I’m not trying to be a hero here. I’m just going to take responsibility for my own actions, okay? You two didn’t ask me to do it. I decided that on my own. That’s why… I cannot agree with your suggestion.”

“But…”

“No buts. Just stay here and become my eyewitness, alright?”

Even though she tried arguing, I cut her off immediately before removing her hand from my arm.

I then looked at Satsuki who pulled her sister back, giving me the space to continue.

At this point, the man already noticed me approaching, and from behind me, I heard Setsuna-nee’s frustrated voice along with Satsuki and Juri who also chimed in.

“Ugh… Satsu-chan, is he stupid? Why is he that stubborn?”

“He’s an idiot, nee-san. Not stupid. But you see, that’s just how it is. He’s aware of our concerns and I trust he can get away with this. Though… I also feel responsible for asking him to break their eggs…”

“Don’t say that, Satsuki-chan. Ruki will still do it regardless. He’s someone who won’t just stand by if we suffer an injustice. And, Setsu, you know we can still help him, right? Believe in him. Your brother-in-law is a man of many wonders.”

“Who the hell is my brother-in-law? And what many wonders?! Ugh…”

Alright. Juri exaggerated that part but even then, Setsuna-

nee’s reaction was also over the top…

-

-

Sometime later, after reporting to that employee, we returned to the gathering area. My girls already reserved a spot for us so eating dinner with them went smoothly. Setsuna-nee and Juri went to the Dean to report the result of their task before joining us at our table.

And then, as the Camp Managers were about to light the huge bonfire they gathered in the middle, Shio appeared at our table. She called out to me and brought me away with her.

Expecting this scenario, I looked at my girls and told them not to worry about me. I’ve already told them what happened and explained that I could handle it anyway.

And to Sakuma’s dismay, Setsuna-nee also stood up and followed behind us along with Juri.

Given that it was big enough of an issue that would surely involve the intervention of the hill management, there’s no way we could keep that incident to ourselves. That’s why rather than surprise the Dean, the professors, and the teachers with their arrival, we just decided to tell them about it in advance. Setsuna-nee and Juri handled that when they went to report earlier.

As for Satsuki, I asked her to remain with the other girls. Setsuna-nee should be enough as an eyewitness.

With that, while most students’ attention was focused on the upcoming bonfire lighting, Shio along with Setsuna-nee and Juri escorted me to their cabin area where the Dean should be waiting. Most likely, she wanted to hear the incident from me herself. That way, she could determine whether to punish me or stand by my side.

Somehow, Shiina also popped up on our side at one point. From her mouth, I learned that she also became aware of what happened. She’s here to support me, I guess?

Due to that, I ended up being escorted by four beautiful women… The interrogation and investigation have yet to start but I’m already winning.