COTE: A Mute Guy

Vol. 3 Chp. 7: Trouble Abrews

'Bold': Sign language

When I was in deep sleep, I heard the girls' voices as they were all in a bad mood.

"What the hell... I'm so fucking tired," I heard Sudou say.

"What's wrong?" I heard Hirata's voice.

"Um, Hirata-kun... Sorry, but can you wake up all the boys here? It's serious," I could hear Shinohara's slight anger and worry.

"Understood. I think they'll soon come out as I give them a shout."

 I felt someone shake my hammock, causing my tired eyes to open.

"Sorry to disrupt your sleep," Hirata said.

Then, in a few minutes, the boys exited their tent and rubbed their sleepy eyes. The half-asleep boys sensed an alarming situation when they began looking at the girls gathered outside the tent.

I got off the hammock and made my way over.

The girls' eyes that stared at us boys were all terrified.

"What's wrong, so early in the morning?" Hirata asked.

"Sorry for waking you up, Kagurazaka-kun," Shinohara apologized.

"Sorry, Hirata-kun. It's something that doesn't concern you, Hirata-kun, but... We've gathered here because there's something I have to check at any cost."

Shinohara gave everyone except Hirata a look of contempt, and then she spoke.

"This morning, well... Karuizawa-san's underwear was missing. Do you know what that means?

"Eh? Underwear?!"

Even Hirata, who was always calm, appeared shaken and upset at the unexpected situation, which reminded me that I couldn't see Karuizawa or the other girls.

"Now Karuizawa-san is inside the tent, crying. Kushida-san and others are comforting her, but..."

Saying so, Shinohara looked to the girls' tent.

"Eh? Why are you glaring at us, knowing the underwear is missing?"

"We decided that someone went through the bag in the middle of the night and stole it. The luggage had been put outside, so if someone thought of stealing all of it, they could have done so after all."

The boys, still dominated by drowsiness, looked at each other simultaneously.

I didn't see Kouenji anywhere, but I highly doubt he would steal a girl's underwear.

Actually, where does Kouenji sleep? I don't think he sleeps in a tent. I did allow him to have a hammock, but I don't know where he put it.

As long as he comes to the morning and night calls, I don't have a problem with it.

"What?!" Ike looked alternatively to the boys and girls in total panic. 

A boy, looking at the situation, coughed out calmly.

"Come to think of it, Ike, you yesterday... You went to the toilet quite late. You took a long time."

"No, no, no! I was struggling because it was dark!"

"It's true. You're the one who stole Karuizawa's underwear."

"Well, you're wrong! Don't do that!"

The boys begin blaming each other for the nasty and offensive crime.

"Anyway. I guess this is a big problem. But it's impossible to live camping in the same place as those underwear thieves."

Shinohara looked like she was about to lose her temper.