The Villain Who Got Pinned Down Until He Ran Out Of Stamina ~ This Time I Raised The Protagonist's Affection Too Much And Everyone Fell For Me~

“So, how did it go?”

“…We didn’t find anything in their luggage or room…”

Tajima, who had thoroughly searched my and Yuito’s room, said in a small voice.

“Of course not. Neither Yuito nor I stole any envelope containing money collected for the present.”

“…”

Even after my response, Tajima still had a stern expression that suggested he was suspicious.

“Y-you did it, didn’t you? You stole the money!”

When Tajima had suddenly accused me like that, I’d been surprised… but when his roommate had caught up and explained the situation, I’d learned that an envelope containing money collected from the class for the present had gone missing.

…So it’d finally begun.

One of the game events: the missing present money incident. The event where Kasajima Yuji, who was displeased with the protagonist for being close to the beautiful sisters, tried to frame him.

But this time, I absolutely wouldn’t think of framing Yuito. Absolutely not. If a glitch occurred and someone else cast suspicion on Yuito, I would of course prove his innocence.

“Like I said, Kasajima is rich to begin with. Why would he steal an envelope containing just 300 yen from 25 people?”

“N-now that you mention it… that’s true.”

“Right? For him, 7,500 yen is just pocket change.”

Hey, Tajima’s roommate. Were you supporting me or insulting me? Well, at least the suspicion against me seemed to be fading.

“So the suspicion against me is gone?”

“Y-yeah… We searched your luggage and room thoroughly and found nothing… and you’re rich, after all…”

He’d become quite calm at the mention of “rich”. Maybe I should have just slapped him with a wad of cash from the start.

“Looks like I’m in the clear. So… you owe me an apology, right? I bet you just assumed I was the culprit based on my appearance and baseless rumors?”

Even I couldn’t stay quiet after being falsely accused. I spoke with a stern face and voice. As I stared at them with my arms crossed, both Tajima and his companion seemed intimidated…

“S-sorry. I shouldn’t have suspected you first, Kasajima…”

“I’m sorry too, Kasajima. And Saeki…”

The two of them bowed their heads sincerely. Yuito forgave them right away, but I still had plenty more to say… However, solving the problem took priority.

“Tajima.”

“…Huh?”

I called out to Tajima as he was about to leave the room. His voice sounded irritated… Now that he knew the culprit was someone else, his perspective was narrowing again due to anxiety and frustration. It was understandable that he felt responsible, but he seemed ready to lash out at anyone. This could escalate into a fight and ruin the school trip…

“Tajima, you’re lashing out at everyone, but were you completely blameless yourself?”

After a few seconds of silence at my words, Tajima finally spoke…

“I… I didn’t lock the room…”

“I see. So that’s why you think someone stole it.”

“Yeah…”

“All the more reason then.”

“…?”

I reached out to Tajima and…

“—HAH!!”

“OW!?”

“Yuji-kun!?”

Tajima held his forehead where I had just flicked him, Yuito exclaimed in surprise, and the other guy just stood there with his mouth hanging open.

“W-what are you suddenly—”

“Tajima, calm down first. If you, the one responsible for the money, don’t calm down, we’ll never resolve this.”

“…!”

I raised my voice slightly. Not yelling, but just enough to help him calm down.

Tajima seemed to cool down a bit after hearing my words.

“Besides, the culprit’s motive might not necessarily be the money.”

“…Huh?”

“What do you mean, Yuji-kun?”

With everyone’s eyes on me, I continued.

“If it was about the money, wouldn’t it make more sense to steal my wallet? Since I’m rich and all.”

“That’s true.”

It was true, but don’t just agree so readily, Tajima’s roommate! I was treating him as Tajima’s sidekick because I couldn’t remember his name!

“So… wait, what are you saying?”

“Someone might be trying to frame someone else.”

“Frame someone… you say.”

I was originally supposed to be in that position. Now that that was gone, it was entirely possible that a glitch had occurred and someone else had taken on that role.

“Tajima and… um, what’s your name again?”

“It’s Satoshima! We’re in the same class!”

“Satoshima, right. Sorry.”

Tajima and Satoshima… that was confusing.

“Tajima and Satoshima. Can you think of anyone who might hold a grudge against you?”

“A grudge…”

“A grudge, huh…”

After thinking for a while, they both said:

“None.”

“Me neither. But Tajima, you just had that issue with her recently, didn’t you?”

“H-hey, that’s not something to bring up here!”

“Well, a breakup could cause someone to hold a grudge.”

“That was… t-that couldn’t be helped!”

He had issues with his girlfriend…? A breakup…?

Those words sounded familiar. I tried hard to remember.

I think…

“Shut up, shut up! Anyway, my boyfriend came to me with a ‘breakup talk’ because he wants to date YOU now!! You must have done something to him!!”

A female student who was confronting Riina yesterday had said something similar. Could it be…

“Tajima, Satoshima. For now, go ask all the boys about the present money. We’ll deal with the girls later. Even if we don’t find the culprit… I’ll cover the cost of the birthday present. So take your time and ask around.”

“Huh…”

“Come on, hurry up. The next event is about to start. Satoshima, please look after Tajima.”

“S-sure.”

I urged Tajima and Satoshima out of the room by pushing their backs. After confirming they were walking away, I closed the door.

“Now then… Yuito. You couldn’t follow the conversation earlier, right? Sorry about that.”

“Mmm. It’s okay.”

“Thanks. So, there’s something I need your help with.”

“Of course I’ll help. We need to find that envelope with everyone’s precious money quickly!”

Yuito was quick to understand, which was helpful. If that female student was the culprit, her target was—

Tajima and Satoshima left Yuji and Yuito’s room. Suddenly, Tajima muttered:

“Kasajima is… unexpectedly a good guy, huh…”

“Huh? What’s with that all of a sudden? Did you fall for him?”

“Don’t be stupid! Look, even though I accused him of being the culprit without any evidence… he’s helping us find the real culprit.”

“Ah… I see. I also judged Kasajima based on his scary face, wealth, and bad rumors… thinking he was a jerk… Actually, I think I said worse things about him…”

“We both need to reflect on that.”

“Yeah… So did you really fall for Kasajima?”

“Say one more word and I’ll turn you in as the culprit, got it? Let’s hurry up and ask around… This is supposed to be a fun school trip. I can’t let it be ruined because of me.”

“Heh. I’m with you, my friend.”

◆

—Meanwhile, in the girls’ room.

“I’m back, Riina.”

“Mm, welcome back. Were you visiting girls in another room again, big sis?”

“They invited me. You should socialize more too, Riina.”

“I don’t really need to…”

“Building relationships properly now will make things easier later.”

“Yes, yes, whatever you say~”

“You’re not listening at all. Riina especially needs to be careful about getting along with people, or you’ll make enemies.”

As she said this, Mahiro closed and locked the window.

“…I’ve already made plenty of enemies, it’s too late.”