UNEXPECTED WITNESS
Next morning. The part of the class that consisted of Hirata and Kushida's group, was in a hurry to exchange information. Ike and his friends hated Hirata because of his popularity with the girls. Chatting with each other, they were chatting lazily and enjoying themselves as the girls clung to Hirata.
However, while listening to their conversations, it seems that they are not getting the information they want. They only recorded the names of the people they asked directly, occasionally writing memos on their phones. It would be great to be true to someone who actually showed up after school.
As for me, of course I was alone. Although I could talk to Kushida, I still couldn't handle a group. So, I asked her to tell me what happened then and stayed away from the group.
Meanwhile, my neighbor who refused Kushida's invitation, was preparing for class with an indifferent expression.
The person who was really involved in this matter, however, was not at school.
"Huh... Can we really prove that it was Class C's fault...?"
"If we can find witnesses, it's not impossible to prove. Let's do our best, Ike-kun."
"Before we start 'doing our best', was there actually a witness in the first place? All Sudou said was that he vaguely remembered there being one, right? Isn't that a lie? After all, he's rude and tends to provoke someone a lot. "
"If we keep doubting it, we won't be able to solve anything. Don't you agree?"
"Yes that's true, but... If Sudou is wrong, all our points will be taken away, right? We'll go back to getting zeroes and return to our difficult lives without pocket money. Our goal of being able to play to our hearts' content will remain a dream. "
"Then we can start saving again, it's only been three months since the beginning of this year."
The girls in the class blushed as they listened to Hirata's honest words. Our class hero, as always, gave good advice without hesitation. Karuizawa looked proud of his beautiful girlfriend.
"I think our points are valuable, it's related to our motivation, right? So, I think we should do whatever it takes to maintain those class points. Even if we only maintain 87 points."
"I understand how you feel, but I think it's dangerous to insist on maintaining points and ignore reality. The most important thing for us is to cherish our close friends."
Ike looked at Hirata with a suspicious look.
"Even if Sudou is at fault?"
It was natural to feel bad if an innocent person was punished.
However, Hirata nodded without hesitation. It seemed like he was saying that such self-sacrifice was a trivial matter. Because of Hirata's humble attitude, Ike looked down, feeling burdened.
"What Hirata-kun said is very natural, but I still want my points every month, A-class kids always get around 100,000 points a month. I really envy people who buy a lot of stylish clothes and if compared to them, aren't we pathetic?"
Karuizawa was sitting on the table while dangling his legs. Our classmate looked very bitter as she pointed out the huge difference between the classes.
"Why wasn't I in class A from the start? If I had been in class A, I would have had the time of my life by now."
"I wish I could be in class A too, I could always play around with my friends."
I realized that the people who met for the sake of saving Sudou had almost given up.
No one was paying attention but me. Horikita, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh at Ike and Karuizawa's delusions. It seemed like he wanted to say that they wouldn't be able to start in A class even if they tried.
Horikita immediately took out a library book and started reading, trying not to be distracted by the noise. I looked at the cover; it was Dostoyevsky's Demons. A good choice.
T/N: (Dostoyevsky's Demons is a novel)
"It would be great if there was a trick to get to class A in an instant, it's so hard to save class points."
The difference between our class and A class is a thousand points. Needless to say, this was a big difference.
"Lucky for you, Ike, there is a way to become A class in an instant."
There was a voice from the classroom entrance. It was Chiyabashira-sensei, who had arrived 5 minutes before the start of class.
"Sensei... what are you saying?"
Ike, who almost fell out of his chair, composed himself and asked.
"I'm saying that there's a way to get into A class, even without class points."
Even Horikita turned away from his book, wondering if he was lying.
"Are you kidding~ Sae-chan-sensei, don't mock us."
Ike who had definitely taken the bait, but he was laughing at her at the moment.
"I'm serious, there are special methods in this school."
However, it seemed that Chiyabashira-sensei was joking.
"It's not like she's lying to cause chaos..."
There were times when Chiyabashira-sensei omitted information, but usually she didn't lie.
Ike burst out laughing.
"Sensei, what 'special method' are you talking about...?"
Ike asked in a polite tone, trying not to offend her.
All the students who were in the class also saw Chiyabashira-sensei.
Even students who didn't care about class A probably thought that it wouldn't be bad to know this method.
"On the first day of school, I said that there's nothing you can't buy with points. In other words, if you use personal points, you can force a class change."
Chiyabashira-sensei glanced at me and Horikita. We gave her a "special method" to test out by buying one point for Sudou right after the exam, and it worked.
Our class points and personal points were connected. If we didn't have class points, we wouldn't get personal points every month. But that didn't mean they were really the same thing. Since we could transfer points, in theory, we could get personal points even if we didn't have class points.
"S-Serious!? How many points do we need to make this happen!?"
"20 million points, you better save up, then you can get to the class you want."
Hearing that extremely unreasonable number, Ike literally fell out of his chair.
"If it's 20 million... isn't that impossible!?"
The whole class started booing. Everyone's hopes were crushed.
"Normally it's impossible, but since it's a surefire way to get to A-class, it's only natural that the price is high. Even if you reduce the number by one digit, there will be a hundred A-class students graduating every year. there will be no point in having an 'A-class'. "
Even if we are able to maintain 100,000 points monthly, it's not an easy number to achieve.
"I'm just curious, but... has there ever been a class that managed to buy its way out?"
An obvious question to ask. Koudo Ikusei High School had been around for about ten years. Thousands, hundreds of students had fought their way through this school. If anyone had done so, there would still be news today.
"Unfortunately, there has never been such a case, the reason is obvious. If you save up for three years by maintaining the initial grades, you will get about 3.6 million points in three years. As an A class, you can probably get up to 4 million points. Normally, that's not something that can be done. "
"Isn't that the same thing as being impossible..."
"It's very close to being impossible, but that doesn't mean it's impossible... It's a big difference, Ike."
However, about half the class had already lost interest.
For class D, who wanted 100, maybe 200 points, getting 20 million was an unreasonable dream. It's beyond the reach of our imagination.
"May I ask you a question?"
The sharp-eyed Horikita raised his hand. It looked like he decided that it would be helpful to know more about the details.
"Since the founding of this school, what is the highest number of points a student can save? I'd like to know for reference."
"Very good question, Horikita, about three years ago, but it was a Class B student who almost graduated, he saved up about 12 million points."
"D-Twelve million!? And a B class student on top of that!?"
"But before he could reach 20 million, he was forced to leave the school. He was expelled because he committed a massive fraud scheme."
"Fraud?"
"He went to the new first-year students one by one and swindled points from them. Maybe he could have collected 20 million points to join A class, but the school could not ignore his actions. Although his intentions were not bad, the school should punish his actions that violated the rules."
Far from being a point reference, it was a story that made it sound even more unlikely.
"So you're saying that even if you use cheating methods, 12 million is enough to be the limit."
"Give up on this method and try to cooperate with your class to move upwards."
Horikita continued reading, as if he felt like an idiot for raising his hand.
In this world, offers that seemed too good to be true were really too good to be true.
"Oh, right, neither of you get points from club activities, huh."
Suddenly remembering something, Chiyabashira-sensei started talking about a different topic.
"What do you mean?"
"There are cases where points are awarded to individuals who participate in club activities and for their contributions to the club. For example, if someone in the calligraphy club wins a prize in a competition, the school will give them the corresponding points by awarding them."
The classmates were surprised to hear the new information.
"W-We can get points for participating in club activities!?"
"That's right, the other classes probably already know about this."
"Hey, I mean why didn't you tell us before!?"
"I forgot about it, but clubs don't exist just to earn points. So, learning of this fact beforehand won't help."
Chiyabashira-sensei said without shame.
"No, no, it will definitely help, if you had said it earlier, I-"
"Did you say that you were going to join the club? Do you think you can already achieve something by joining the club and going to the competition with such weak willpower?"
"That-that might be true, but.... It might happen!"
I could understand what Chiyabashira-sensei and Ike were trying to say. First, if one joins the club just for the sake of earning points, they might not be able to create any results. Besides, joining the club and putting in a lot of effort would only deter serious club members.
On the other hand, someone might join for the sake of earning points and then discover that they have a talent for that activity.
All I can say is that our homeroom teacher meant it on purpose.
"Thinking back, it was very obvious."
"What do you mean? Hirata-kun."
"During swimming class, PE instructor Higashiyama-sensei said that the student who got first place would receive 5000 points, right? It even hinted at the fact that doing that club activity gives points."
Ike said "I don't remember~", and shrugged his shoulders while scratching his head.
"If we got points, I might've done calligraphy or some kind of art class."
It seemed that Ike was only looking at the positive side; there was actually something else involved.
If one didn't take part seriously and lost, there might be cases where they were judged negatively; the easy way would just destroy you.
However, it's good to know that results in club activities also give points.
"Horikita, doesn't this show that there is a point in saving Sudou?"
"Are you saying that we should save him because he plays basketball?"
"You heard the other day, he was the only first year to become a regular, right?"
Horikita gave a small nod as he thought back.
"If he's telling the truth..."
Somehow, it seemed like he still had doubts.
"It's better to have a lot of points, right? We can support our own grades, and help others like we did with Sudou's test."
"I don't think you're the type to spend your own money on others."
"I'm just saying that it's useful to have a lot of points. You understand, right?"
It's good to have a lot of points, both class and personal.
It's not dangerous.
Also, we don't know many methods to earn points in the first place. If our chances of increasing points with Sudou were in the class, then it would definitely contribute to our class effort. Horikita was silent as he could not think of any other way to increase our class points.
"I won't say that I'll help, but it's important for me to recognize Sudou's presence."
Horikita was being rude, but he recognized and understood his own importance.
Facts should be accepted as facts.
I didn't think I needed to say any more, so I stopped talking.
For a while, I saw Horikita pondering the matter and passing the time in silence.
The class temporarily became excited, but quickly returned to reality. Like yesterday, they were trying to get information about the witness.
On the other hand, I stood at the back of the room like a ghost, feeling amazed at Ike and Kushida's group for being able to casually talk back and forth.
Today, it was obvious that I, who couldn't even speak harmoniously, wasn't worth looking for witnesses. How can they talk so easily with strangers? They're monsters.
During the investigation, they collected not only names but also asked for contact addresses. Kushida's presence probably encouraged them to tell their addresses immediately after being asked. That's also a great talent...
Although Kushida and his group walked into the second-year class and asked all the seniors, there were no clues.
As time passed, the number of students left behind after school quickly decreased. When we stopped crossing paths with other students, we decided to call her every day.
"We didn't find anything today either..."
To revise our strategy, everyone returned to my room.
Soon after, Sudou came and joined the discussion.
"What happened today? Was there any progress?"
"Unfortunately, no progress was made. Sudou, is there really a witness?"
I understood Ike's feelings of doubt. Even after the school reported the same information, there was no indication at all that there were actually witnesses.
"Huh? I never said that there was actually a witness, I just said that I thought there was a witness."
"What... is that so?"
"Of course, Sudou-kun didn't say 'I saw' He said that he thought there was someone there.
"Was it just a hallucination? You must have ingested some strong drugs."
No, that's a bit too far... Sudou put Ike in an arm lock.
"Hey... I give up, I give up...!"
While the two were playing around, Kushida and Yamauchi were still puzzling over the situation.
After the discussion continued for ten minutes, Kushida spoke up, having come up with a new idea.
"I think it might be better to change the direction of our efforts. For example, let's look for witnesses who might have witnessed the incident."
"Find witnesses who witnessed the incident? Isn't that useless?"
"Are you going to look for the people who entered the building that day?"
"Yeah, what do you think?"
The idea wasn't bad. There might have been a few people who entered the building on that day, but the entrance was pretty easy to spot. In other words, if someone said that they saw someone enter that particular building, we would be that much closer to finding a witness.
"That sounds like a good idea, do that right away."
When I noticed, Sudou was using his stamina on a mobile game that he had recently become addicted to. It seemed like it was called "Generation of Miracles" or something like that, but I didn't really know what was going on. After winning the game, he made a victory pose.
Although Sudou really couldn't do anything in the current situation, Ike and Yamauchi looked dissatisfied. However, since they were afraid of Sudou's counterattack, they decided not to show their own dissatisfaction. Both of them were silent, pretending not to see anything.
It was almost Friday. It will be difficult to get anything useful by the weekend.
In other words, the actual time we have to find witnesses is very short.
The bell rang and a visitor appeared at my door.
A small group of people who regularly visited my room had gathered, so it was probably that person.
"Has progress been made?"
Horikita asked in a condescending manner even though he probably knew the answer to his own question.
"No, not yet."
"I'm only saying this because of you, but I have something-"
While he was speaking, he realized there were many shoes lined up in the doorway.
She turned around and resisted the urge to panic again.
Kushida appeared, probably worried that she would be back soon.
"Oh, Horikita-san!"
Kushida waved at Horikita with a smile. Seeing his cheerful attitude, Horikita naturally sighed.
"You can't run away now, you know?"
"It seems to be true..."
Horikita entered the room reluctantly.
"O-oh, Horikita!"
Of course, Sudou was happiest to see her. He stopped his game and turned his head.
"Did you decide to help? I'm glad you decided to join."
"I didn't mean to help, there are no witnesses anyway, right?"
Kushida nodded sadly.
"If you didn't come to help, why did you come?"
"I wanted to know what plans you had."
"I'm happy that even if you're just going to listen to the plan, I also want advice."
Kushida then told him about the plan she had come up with a moment ago. Horikita's expression was stiff throughout the entire explanation.
"It's not a bad plan, it could even produce results with enough time."
Time is definitely an issue here. It was doubtful if we could accomplish anything in these few days.
"Now that I've examined the situation, I'll leave."
Finally, Horikita decided to leave without sitting down.
"Did you think of something?"
As he stood at the door, he clearly had something to say.
He's not that great at coming to my room for no reason.
"...I'll give you one piece of advice to help your feeble efforts, it's hard to see what's right in front of you, anyway if there really is someone who witnessed the incident, then that person is most likely someone close."
The information Horikita gave us was much more important than I thought.
He spoke as if he had found a witness that we weren't sure existed in the first place.
"What do you mean, Horikita? Are you saying you found a witness?"
Surprise and doubt came first before joy for Sudou. This was understandable.
Everyone, including me, was in disbelief until he answered.
"Sakura-san."
An unexpected name came from Horikita.
"Sakura-san, from our class...?"
Yamauchi and Sudou looked at each other. They looked confused as to who Sakura was. That's kind of expected. I also had to think about it for a while.
"The witness is that girl."
"How did you say that?"
"When Kushida-san asked the class for a witness, she looked down. Many students were looking at Kushida-san, but she was the only one who seemed disinterested. She wouldn't have acted like that if she was completely unrelated to the incident. "
I didn't notice at all. Horikita's powers of observation were impressive.
"Since you're one of the people staring at Kushida-san, it's only natural."
How sharp that tone was.
"So, you're saying that this is Sakura, someone like Kokura who might be a witness?"
T/N: Kokura, one of the cities in Japan
Sudou said something reasonable, unlike the boke role.
T/N: Boke is like a nickname for a fool.
"No, Sakura-san is definitely a witness, her actions make it clear, though she may not admit it, she's the one you're looking for."
Horikita acted like his usual self.
We were all moved that Horikita was doing this for the class.
"Are you really doing this for me...!"
Sudou looked very moved.
"No, I just don't want to waste time and look embarrassing to the rest of the class, that's all."
"Um, so in short, you're saying that you're doing us a favor, right?"
"You can interpret it however you want, but I'm just saying that you're wrong."
"Don't lie~ you're just a tsundere, Horikita~"
Ike hit Horikita's shoulder playfully, but he threw his arm to the ground.
"Ouch!"
"Don't touch me, better not next time, because I'll hate you until we graduate."
"I-I won't touch... even if I try to touch... Ow, ow!"
He pinned her into a headlock. It was a shame, but she deserved it.
After all, those were not the moves of a normal girl. Since her brother did karate and aikido, did she also do martial arts?
"My arm...!"
"Ike-kun."
Horikita spoke to Ike who was on the floor in pain. Isn't this too much?
"Should I revise it to, 'Looking down on you until we graduate won't hurt you?'"
"Uu! Sho is cruel!"
Ike was defeated by those last words.
But Sakura, well... Of all people, it's a D class student.
It was hard to say whether this was a good thing or not.
"Isn't that good, Sudou? If it's a Class D student, we'll definitely have evidence!"
"Yes, I'm glad there's a witness, but who is this Sakura? Do you know her?"
Yamauchi answered in surprise.
"Are you serious? She's sitting right behind you."
"No, that's wrong, she's diagonally in front of you to the left, isn't she?"
"You're both wrong... she's diagonally in front of Sudou-kun on the right."
Kushida corrected him with a frown.
"Diagonal in front to the right... I can't remember, I know there's still someone."
That was clearly a response. If the seat diagonally in front of the right was empty, it would be strange.
This girl, Sakura, certainly didn't stand out. It's a big deal that we don't know who she is.
"I may know her, but I don't know where I've heard her name."
I couldn't put my finger on it at all.
"Look, how does she look."
"Well, would it help if I said that she has the biggest boobs in the class? Really big, you know?"
Ike, who looked alive again, told us her physical characteristics, but I had no idea who she was with that explanation.
"Oh, that innocent girl, huh?"
How did you understand with just that...? I stepped back a little.
"It's not good to remember people like that, Ike-kun, it's sad."
"N-No, it's different, Kushida-chan, I'm not trying to offend you you know. How can you remember a tall person by their height? It's just like that! The only difference is that I remember other people with different characteristics...! "
Ike tried to smooth over the situation as Kushida quickly lost confidence in him. But it was too late.
"Damn it, this is different, this is different, I don't like planning girls like her! Don't get me wrong!"
No, I don't think there's any misunderstanding here.
Everyone turned the subject towards Sakura as Ike cried.
"Then the next step is to find out how much Sakura-san knows. Does anyone know?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure, we should ask her directly."
"Can't we go to her room now? We don't have much time."
Yamauchi's suggestion seemed safe, but it also depended on her personality and character.
Sakura was a very shy girl. If a person she didn't know well suddenly appeared at her door, it was easy to imagine that she would be confused.
"Should we call her then?"
By the way, I forgot Kushida had the contact addresses of everyone in the class.
Kushida was on the phone for 20 seconds, but she shook her head and put the phone down.
"No, it's not connected, I'll try again later, but it's a difficult problem."
"What do you mean?"
"She told me her contact address, but I think she'll be annoyed if I try to contact her, especially since she doesn't know me very well. Also, I don't think she's really available to pick up the phone..."
She might as well pretend to disappear.
"So she's like Horikita?"
Why did you even think to ask in front of the person himself, Ike?
He probably doesn't mind. On the contrary, it didn't seem like he was interested in what Ike had to say either.
"Goodbye."
"Ah, Horikita-san!"
Seeing he was caught off guard, Horikita quickly stood up and walked towards the door.
By the time I got up and chased after her, I heard the sound of the door closing.
"Tsundere."
Sudou looked pleased as he laughed, scratching his nose with his index finger.
He doesn't have tsun, nor does he have dere. I think she lost because of .... no tsun, no dere.
Since we couldn't do anything about Horikita's absence, the conversation continued without him.
"I think Sakura-san is just a shy person. That's the impression I got from her."
It's strange to talk about someone's character without ever talking to them before.
"By the way, she's plain, it's really a waste of what she has."
While speaking, Yamaono pointed towards her breasts.
"Yes, yes, her chest is so big, it's cute by itself!"
Ike seemed to have forgotten the regret he felt a few seconds ago and began to get excited.
Ah, but Kushida was smiling tensely. Seeing his expression, Ike regretted his words once again.
This is a perfect example of a living being that keeps repeating its mistakes.
The problem is that even though I keep quiet, I feel like I'm being treated like Ike and Yamauchi. Kushida's expression seemed to say, "You're also obsessed with breasts, right? You're depraved." Of course, this was my own persecution complex.
"Mm, about Sakura's face... no, don't remember anything."
I could barely match the name to the face. I remember seeing her face when we made a bet. I also remember her breasts. Somehow, it seems like I'm just like the others...
Sakura let go of the impression that she would always be alone and bowed.
"Which reminds me, I don't know if she actually ever talked to someone. What about you, Yamauchi? Wait, wait a minute... Yamauchi, you said you shot him before, right? Were you able to talk to her? "
Oh right, Yamauchi did say she shot him.
"Ah, ah, I don't remember if I did anything like that."
Yamauchi pretended to forget.
"Is that a lie..."
"Bah, no, I didn't lie, it was a misunderstanding. It wasn't Sakura, it was a girl from the next class. A girl who isn't as ugly and gloomy as Sakura. Oh, sorry, give me some time. "
Yamauchi avoided the question and took out his phone.
Sakura may be plain, but she's not ugly. I've never seen her face in person, but she has pretty good facial features.
But even so, I couldn't say with confidence because she had such a thin presence.
"First of all, I'll try to talk to her tomorrow. She'll probably be wary if there are many people."
"That's fine too."
If Kushida couldn't get through, perhaps no one could.
"...It's hot."
The school doesn't change uniforms throughout the seasons, so we have to wear blazers all year round. The reason is simple; every building is equipped with a heating and cooling system. The only drawback is the heat when we go to and from school.
Now it was the morning commute. My back starts to sweat in the few minutes it takes to get myself from the dormitory to school.
After walking to school, I took refuge in the cool building.
It must be hell for the students who exercise in the morning. In the classroom, the boys and girls with morning sports were all surrounding the air conditioner. It looked like moths swarming around a light source. Is that a bad analogy?
"Ayanokouji-kun, good morning."
Hirata called out to me. As usual, he had a refreshing face. I could also see the faint smell of flowers as well. If I were a girl, I might have begged him and, "Please hold me!"
"Yesterday, I heard from Kushida-san that Sakura-san is a witness."
Hirata looked at Sakura's empty seat.
"Are you going to talk to her?"
"Me? No... I'm just going to say hello, I want to talk to her because she's always alone in class, but I can't force and invite her, especially as a boy. Also, if I ask Karuizawa-san to talk to her, that would also be a problem."
It was hard to imagine a conversation between the super strict Karuizawa and Sakura.
"For now, I guess we'll wait for Kushida-san."
"That's good, but why are you talking to me? Talking to Ike or Yamauchi might be better."
That's right, that's right. This is the problem with Japanese people. Since we can't say "no", we can't outright refuse an invitation.
"Sorry, you don't want to have fun?"
Hirata sensed my discomfort.
"It's okay, it's okay, I'll definitely walk with you."
I replied, sounding rather disgusting.
I tried to act proudly, but I really wanted to go, so I gave up in the end.
"But are you okay with my boyfriend too?"
"Huh? Oh, Karuizawa-san? Yes, it's fine."
My response came very quickly. Well, there are different types of couples.
Since they still call each other by their surnames, I guess they're not too close yet.
Reluctant to part with Hirata, I waited for class to start as I held the headphones in my hand.
Then I noticed that Sakura was in her seat.
She was sitting, waiting for the time to pass.
I wonder what the student named Sakura is like?
In the three months I've been at this school, I've never heard anything about her other than her last name.
Maybe it's not just me, but the whole class as well.
Hirata and Kushida were active and outspoken. Horikita doesn't feel the pain of loneliness.
Then what about Sakura? Does she like being alone like Horikita? Or is she suffering because she doesn't know how to talk to someone like me? That's the question Kushida will answer soon.
After class ended, Kushida got up from her seat and approached Sakura who was quietly preparing to return home. Kushida looked very nervous.
Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou saw and looked at Kushida.
"Sakura-san."
"...W-what...?"
The girl with glasses and a hunched back looked up listlessly.
It seemed like she didn't expect someone to call her, because she panicked.
"Do you have time, Sakura-san? I want to ask you something about Sudou-kun's case..."
"M-Sorry, I... have plans, so..."
She averted her gaze; it was obvious that she felt uncomfortable. Talking to others did not seem to be her strong point. Or rather, it felt like she didn't like talking to others.
"Can you make some time? I really want to talk because it's important... During Sudou-kun's incident, were you near him by chance?"
"I-I don't know, I already told this to Horikita-san, but I don't know anything..."
Her words were weak, but she denied it strongly.
Kushida also saw how reluctant she was, perhaps he didn't want to push her too far.
Although she was confused at first, she immediately returned to smiling.
But even then, she didn't want to just retreat.
After all, this person would greatly affect Sudou's case.
"What... I can go back now?..."
But something felt strange. She wasn't too bad at talking to others, but it seemed like she was trying to hide something. It was very obvious from the way she was acting.
She hid her dominant hand and did not make eye contact with him. Even if she might feel uncomfortable with looking into his eyes, Sakura refused to look at Kushida's face.
If it was me or Ike talking to her instead of Kushida, it would have made more sense. After all, Kushida could invite her to exchange contact addresses. Interacting with Kushida was a completely different experience. I don't think Horikita was wrong in sensing that something was wrong with her. I also felt the same way.
"Can't you give me a few minutes?"
"K-why? I don't know anything..."
If Kushida failed here, their conversation was meaningless.
Awkward conversations naturally garnered more attention when dragged on and on.
But this situation really seemed to be a miscalculation on Kushida's part. Since they were acquaintances who had exchanged contact addresses, she had expected this conversation to go more smoothly.
If she hadn't expected to be rejected, this situation would have made sense.
My neighbor looked around at the situation attentively, then looked at me with a slightly smug expression.
It seemed like she was saying, "I know that your response power is amazing"...
"...I'm bad at talking to people...sorry."
She spoke in a tense voice, trying to get Kushida to stay away from her.
When we talked about Sakura earlier, Kushida said that she was an ordinary girl, albeit shy.
Looking at her current behavior, she is definitely not normal. Kushida is probably thinking the same thing, as he looks completely confused. Although she was good at getting people to open up, she couldn't do it at the moment.
Horikita, also witnessing the situation, came to a conclusion.
"Too bad, it looks like he can't persuade her."
It was as Horikita said. If Kushida wasn't able to do it, I don't think there was anyone in the class who could start and chat with Sakura.
Kushida was good at creating an atmosphere where anti-social people could easily socialize.
However, everyone has a "personal space".
Anthropologist and cultural researcher Edward Hall further categorizes this idea of "personal space" into four parts. One part is the idea of the "intimate zone". The "intimate stage" is about forbidden distance-if an outsider tries to enter this area, they will be strongly rejected. However, if it is an important friend or other close friend, the person will not feel uncomfortable. If an acquaintance like Kusida enters the "close stage", she will usually not object. That is, he does not use this idea of "personal space".
However, Sakura clearly rejected it.
No... on the contrary, it seemed like she was running away.
The first time, she said that she "had plans", but she didn't say it the second time. If she really had to go somewhere, she would've said it again.
Sakura stood up and took a few steps back from Kushida.
"S-goodbye."
Seeing that she couldn't end the conversation, Sakura decided to run away.
She grabbed the digital camera that was on her desk and walked away.
However, she bumped into the shoulder of Hondou, who was not paying attention to his surroundings as he texted his friend on his phone.
"Ah!"
The digital camera fell from his grasp and clattered to the floor. Still focused on his phone, Hondou waved it away, said "It's my fault, my fault" and walked out of the classroom.
Sakura picked up her camera in a panic.
"No... it won't turn on..."
Sakura covered her mouth in shock. Somehow, it seemed like the camera was dislodged from the impact. She kept pressing the power button and tried to take out the battery and put it back, but it wouldn't turn on.
M-Sorry, I'm being too pushy..."
"No... I was careless, so it's my fault... goodbye."
Unable to stop the irritated Sakura, Kushida looked frustrated and could do nothing but watch her leave.
"why is a gloomy girl like her a witness? Damn it. She doesn't even want to help."
Sudou leaned back into the chair and crossed his legs as he sighed in relief.
"I'm sure there's a reason too, Sakura-san didn't say that she was a witness."
"I know, if she said something, she would have said it, it's because she's an adult that she can stop herself."
"Sudou-kun, it's actually better if she's a witness."
"What does that mean?"
"She won't testify as your witness, this case will be considered your fault, so the D class can't completely escape the consequences, but we can consider her as a lucky person. In an incident like this, there's no way they can penalize us with 100 or 200 points. We are lucky that we can only lose 87 points. Also, since you said that you were innocent, the school can't ignore it and expelling you will be affected more for a C grade."
Horikita relentlessly said everything he wanted to say at once.
"Don't joke, I'm innocent, not guilty. The violence was a legitimate defense."
"Self-defense isn't as helpful as you think."
Oops, I spoke out loud on purpose.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun."
As I turned around, acting aloof, Kushida's face was very close. Even when I looked at her from this close proximity, she was very cute. Instead of feeling uncomfortable with the invasion of my personal space, I wanted her to come even closer.
"You're Sudou-kun's ally, right?"
"Well..... yes, but why are you asking again?"
"It's looking rather fragile now, as everyone's willingness to help Sudou-kun is diminishing."
I looked around the classroom.
"It seems like they might think that whatever we do will be in vain."
If Sakura's witness key denied it, no progress would be made.
"It doesn't seem like a perfect solution, let's give up, Sudou."
Ike muttered half-heartedly.
"What's wrong with you guys? Didn't you say that you would help me?"
"That... huh?"
Seeking agreement, he appealed to the remaining classmates.
"Not even your friends want to help you, that's too bad."
The other classmates said nothing to object to what Ike and Horikita were saying.
"Why isn't anyone on my side? Man, you're all useless bastards."
"Very interesting, Sudou-kun, have you noticed that everyone is turning on you?"
"What are you trying to say?"
The class was often tense, but today was even worse.
Since Sudou was talking to Horikita, it seemed like he was trying his best to restrain him.
However, the sword came from an unexpected direction.
"Don't you think it would be better for us if you were expelled? Your existence is not a beautiful thing. On the contrary, it's very ugly, red hair-kun."
The person who spoke was fixing his hair with the hand mirror he carried everyday.
It was a very conspicuous boy, Koenji Rousuke.
"...What did you say? Try saying it again."
"There's no point in continuing to say it, it's nonsense, since I already know that you're stupid, it doesn't matter if I say it one more time or not, does it?"
Koenji did not even look at Sudou and replied as if he was walking away.
The table flew into the air and fell to the floor. The students still felt hopeful, but the entire room froze. Sudou stood up and approached Koenji silently.
"Alright, stop right there. Calm down, you two."
The only boy who moved in this difficult situation was Hirata. My heart was pounding.
"Sudou-kun, you're part of the problem, but Koenji-kun, you're wrong too."
"Fu, I guess I've never been wrong since I was born, you are."
"Hah, it's okay, you better kneel down now or I'll beat you up and smash your face."
"Stop it."
Hirata tried to hold Sudou back by grabbing his arm, but he showed no signs of stopping.
It seemed his intention was to vent all his frustration by hitting Koenji.
"Please stop first, I don't want to watch my friends fight each other..."
"It's like Kushida-san said, I don't know about Koenji-kun, but I'm your ally, Sudou-kun."
You're too kind, Hirata. I think you should change your name to "Hero".
"I'll end this here, Sudou-kun, you should act more like an adult, if you make another big stir here, the impression of your school will only worsen.
"...Tch."
Sudou glared at Koenji and left the room. After the door slammed shut, there was a loud voice from the hallway.
"Koenji-kun, I won't force you to help, but you're wrong to blame him."
"Sorry, but I've never been wrong in my life. Oh, look at the time-it's time for my date, excuse me."
While watching their awkward interaction, I realized that there was no class unity.
"Sudou-kun is immature, I understand."
"Can't you be more friendly, Horikita-san...?"
"I won't have mercy on anyone who doesn't listen to him. He has done great damage and has nothing to gain."
Not that you have mercy on people who listen.
"Yes?"
"Uu..."
While shrinking back like a sharp knife (gaze) had just stabbed me, I made a small rebuttal.
"There's a saying that 'great talent grows late'. I think Sudou has the possibility to become a future NBA player. He may have the opportunity to make a great contribution to society. The power of youth is limitless."
I used a slogan that felt like an advertisement.
"I'm not saying that he won't be good in 10 years, but I need the strength to get to class A right now. If he has no talent now, he's useless to me."
"Yeah that's right..."
Horikita had a consistent opinion, but the other classmates felt indecisive.
The situation did not look good.
"You can be friends with Sudou, right? It seems like you guys eat together a lot."
"I don't think our relationship is bad, but it feels like a burden, he's the one who misses the most classes and fights, I should withdraw from there."
I see. It seemed like Ike had his own opinion.
"I'll try my best to persuade Sakura-san. After that, things will definitely get better."
"Hmm, I wonder, Under these circumstances, I don't think that Sakura-san's testimony will have a great effect. Also, I think the school will be suspicious that a witness suddenly appeared from class D."
"Suspicious... you mean the school will think it's a false witness?"
"Of course they might consider the testimony along with the circumstances, it wouldn't be absolute proof."
"That... what kind of evidence would make silence?"
"If you believe in miracles, the best evidence would be testimony that the school believes a different class or a different year witnessed the incident in the first place, definitely not that kind of person."
Horikita said confidently. I was thinking the same thing.
"Then... no matter how hard we try to prove Sudou-kun's innocence..."
"However, if the fight happens in class, things will be different."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, those cameras are recording the class, right? So if anything happens, the footage will become evidence, and destroy that C class student's lies with one blow."
I pointed at the two cameras in the corner of the classroom.
They were small and decorating the wall, but there was no doubt they were there.
"The school uses those cameras to check if we whisper or nod in class, or else they wouldn't be able to do that monthly class assessment."
"...Seriously? I never knew...!"
Ike stared at the camera in shock.
"I just found out about this too... that there's a camera in the room."
"It's hard to see, I didn't realize it either until they started talking about the points."
"Well, ordinary people don't really care about which camera is where. Maybe they don't know where the cameras are in the store, even if they visit the store all the time."
If someone does know, it must be someone who is overly paranoid or feels guilty about something. Or they might have accidentally seen it and noticed it.
Alright, should I go home since we don't need to find any more witnesses?
Kushida and the others were probably talking about finding another witness. It would be a hassle to get involved in that.
"Ayanokouji-kun, want to go home together?"
"..."
Hearing Horikita's invitation, I reflexively placed my hand on his forehead. Her forehead felt cold, but her skin remained warm and soft.
"...I'm not cold, you know? I just wanted to ask you about something."
"O-Oh, I guess it's okay."
It's strange for Horikita to invite me. I wonder if it will rain tomorrow.
"As I thought, aren't you two already close? Yesterday, you looked like you were going to kill me when I touched your shoulder..."
Ike looked a little dissatisfied as he stared at my hand on his forehead.
Horikita's facial expression didn't really change.
"Can you take it off? Your hand."
"Oh, it's my fault, it's my fault."
I was relieved that Horikita didn't counterattack, and pulled my hand back. I didn't notice him at all.
The two of us walked into the hallway. I think I knew the gist of it, but I wanted to know what she wanted to talk about.
"Oh, right, I want to go somewhere before we go back, is that okay?"
"Well, as long as it doesn't take too much time."
"Yeah, it'll take about ten minutes."
It was hot and humid after school. I walked towards the club building where the incident happened a few days ago. The area didn't look any different; after all, it wasn't like it had to be cordoned off (like a police line) because of a murder case. After class, I couldn't see anyone else since the economy room and audiovisual room were rarely used. This would be one of the most ideal places in the school to call Sudou.
"Gosh, it's hot..."
The current weather was very abnormal. I guess that's how summer usually feels, but I don't think it will be hot and humid inside this building. Well, this is the effect of getting used to the air conditioning every day. It feels even hotter because I'm so used to the cold air in the A/C.
The air conditioning may be on during class, but I can't tell you how hot it is.
"Sorry to bring you here."
Horikita, who was standing next to me, didn't seem to feel the heat as he looked down the hallway.
"How strange that you're sticking your own neck out for this case, since we've already found the witness, there's nothing else to do. What else do you want to do?"
"Sudou is the first friend I made, I want to help him a little."
"Do you think there's a way to prove his innocence back then?"
"Hmm, I don't know, I can't say anything, I'm just acting alone because I'm not good at interacting with a larger group of people. It seemed like some responsibility would be pushed onto me if I stayed, so I ran away instead. After all, I like to avoid trouble. "
"Yes, obviously, but even so, it's contradictory to say that you want to help because he's a friend."
"Well, humans are interdependent creatures."
I had discussed this with Horikita before, but it seemed that he was open-minded about my way of thinking.
Horikita usually acted alone, so as long as it didn't affect him negatively, he would be fine with it.
"Well, your way of thinking doesn't really matter to me, so you're free to do whatever you want. Also, I don't think it's a problem to avoid both."
"I mean, it's only because you hate it."
"Having a common enemy leads to cooperation."
"No, just because I'm bad at dealing with them doesn't mean I hate them, I'm not like you."
By all means, I wanted to get closer to Kushida and Hirata.
But Horikita had a broad interpretation of my thoughts and tried to say that we were similar.
I walked down the hallway, observing the corner between the wall and the ceiling.
Horikita suddenly noticed something and started looking around.
"Hmm, nothing here, that's too bad."
"Huh? What's not here?"
"A camera like the one in the classroom. We have strong evidence that it was in the hallway, but it's not there."
"Oh, right, that camera. The case would have been solved immediately if they were here."
There was a booth near the ceiling, but it was not in use.
The hallway had no obstacles, so if there was a camera, it could have recorded the entire incident.
"Since the beginning, does the school usually have cameras in the hallway?"
Other buildings may not have cameras in the hallway either.
"I mean, they're probably not in the bathrooms or locker rooms, right?"
"Yeah, probably not."
"...It's not something sad at the moment. If there were cameras, the school would have checked them first and this wouldn't be a problem."
I shook my head, feeling embarrassed for getting my hopes up for a moment.
For a while, we wandered aimlessly without accomplishing anything.
"Did you think of a plan to save Sudou-kun?"
"Of course it's not your job to make a plan, I won't ask you to save Sudou, but it would be good if you could put us in the right direction."
Horikita shrugged his shoulders desperately. He was probably trying to find a way to respond to her. However, he found the witness, so he was at least considering helping.
"You want me to help? Right now?"
"The witness isn't that helpful to the situation because he's in class D. I think it's better to go find another one."
Horikita might tell the others even if it didn't help much. If he didn't want to tell them at all, perhaps he wouldn't listen or reply to their requests.
However, she calmly wandered around as if she had no cares in this world.
"There are many unpleasant things about Sudou, yet I want him to take less responsibility for the incident. Having a few points left is the best result, although there is a loss if the impression of the D class gets worse."
I think she was saying her honest feelings, though usually not directly.
That's not a bad thing. However, most people are weak to loneliness. That's why some hypocrites act to stay together. That wasn't Horikita's case.
And unlike Kushida and the others, he had definitely given up on proving Sudou's innocence.
"As I said before, unless a perfect witness appears, it's impossible to prove Sudou-kun's innocence. Maybe this happens if Class C admits that they lied, do you think that will happen?"
"Definitely not, Class C won't do that."
Since the other classes also have no evidence, the lie won't go anywhere.
We also don't believe anything other than Sudou's words. The whole situation was in darkness.
"There's no one here after school."
"Obviously, since this building is not used for anything other than clubs."
One party called the other to the roof. After that, as fate would have it, the two disputing parties fought. In the end, Sudou injured the opposing party, and they complained about it.
I wouldn't bother coming to this hot place unless someone else called me here.
The humidity is oppressive. I felt like I was going crazy in this heat.
"Isn't this hot for you, Horikita?"
As my body suffered from the heat, Horikita looked around with a cold expression.
"I'm pretty good against heat and cold, you look... not so good."
I got out of it from the heat and moved towards the window in search of cold air. I opened the window to save myself from the heat... but I quickly closed the window.
"...It's dangerous."
As soon as I opened the window, a hot wind rushed into the room. It would be an even bigger disaster if I left the window open.
When I think of the fact that it will be getting hotter until August, I feel depressed.
However, there was a result of coming here today. It's not impossible-
"What are you thinking about right now?"
"No, not much, it's just that it's hot... I've reached my limit."
There seemed to be nothing else to do at the moment, so the two of us started back.
"Ah."
"Oops."
While turning the corner of the hallway, I accidentally bumped into another student.
"It's my fault, are you okay?"
It wasn't as strong as the impact, so neither of us fell.
"Yeah, sorry, I was careless."
"Me too, Oh wait, are you Sakura?"
As the girl apologized, I recognized who she was.
"...Ah, um...?"
From her garbled response, it seemed like she didn't know who I was.
After she looked at my face for a few seconds, she realized that I was one of her classmates. Then again, it's no use if you can only get to know someone by looking at them intently.
Sakura held her hand tightly in hers.
"Ah, um my hobby is taking pictures..."
She showed me her phone screen. I hadn't really planned to ask in the first place.
After all, it's unnatural to use a cell phone while walking.
Sakura was probably wondering why we were in this building.
"What pictures did you take?"
"Things like the hallway... and the view outside the window.
As she finished her explanation, she saw Horikita nearby and cast her eyes.
"Ah, um..."
"I have something I want to ask you, Sakura-san."
Sakura looked uncomfortable, but Horikita took a step forward.
She stepped back in fear. I held Horikita back lightly, gesturing for him to step back.
"S-goodbye."
"Sakura."
I quickly called out to Sakura, who had already run away.
"You don't have to force yourself."
I didn't really have to call out to her, but I did.
Sakura stopped walking but didn't look back.
"You don't have to come out as a witness. There's no intention to force a testimony out of you. However, if there is someone scary trying to threaten you, you can talk to us. I don't know how much I can help, but I'll help as best I can. "
"Are you talking about me?"
Let's ignore the possibility that there is a scary person and let him go.
"I didn't see anything, I'm the wrong person..."
She kept insisting that she wasn't a witness. After all, we were only working from Horikita's insights, and nothing else. It was possible that the witness was actually someone else.
"In that case, that's good. If anyone tries to pressure you, tell me."
Sakura gave a small answer and walked down the stairs.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right now, you know? She probably walked away because she knew something was going to happen."
"Since she denied it herself, there's nothing else we can do. You also know that a witness from class D is pretty weak."
"Well, I think."
She will act based on her thoughts. Then again, I don't know what she's thinking.
That's why we're not really investigating right now.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here?"
We both turned around, not expecting someone to call out to us. A girl with strawberry blonde hair looked at us.
I've seen her face before. She's Ichinose from class B, but I've never talked to her before. Also, I've heard that she's an excellent student from the rumors going around.
"Sorry for calling you suddenly, do you have time? Oh, but if you're here on a date, please leave quickly."
"It's not like that."
Horikita immediately denied it. It was only times like this when he was quick to respond.
"Ahaha, I see, this place is too hot to be a date spot."
Ichinose and I have never spoken before. I'm saying this without proof, but maybe she doesn't know my name. After all, I'm just one of the many students she sees every day.
Is she an acquaintance or friend of Horikita's? No.
If they suddenly met, "Hey, long time no see~ How are you~?" "I'm fine~!", I'm sure I would faint with foam at the mouth.
"You have business with us?"
Of course it probably wasn't anything like that, but Horikita immediately became wary of Ichinose, who had just appeared. He probably thought that this was no coincidence.
"Affairs... well, there's something like 'what are you doing here?'"
"Not much, we were wandering around a bit."
It was fine to answer honestly, but the pressure from Horikita's gaze made me answer differently.
"A little, huh? You two are in Class D, right?"
"...You know us?"
"I've met you twice before, though we've never spoken. Also, I remember meeting her in the library before."
Somehow, it seemed that she remembered me (I thought I looked really cool).
"Anyway, I have a good memory."
Are you trying to say that you wouldn't remember me if your memory wasn't good?
I was a little happy, but my mood was lost with that prick.
"I thought there would be something here that would be related to the fight. When I wasn't at school yesterday, there seemed to be information about a witness that had reached B class. I only found out later that the D class student was trying to prove his innocence. "
"If we're investigating here because of that incident, then how does that affect you?"
"Hmm, how does it affect me?... well, no, but I was a little doubtful when I heard the story, so I decided to come here to check things out. If it's okay with you, would you mind telling me the situation? "