Just one day left until the meeting between Sudou and Class C.
With the cooperation of Horikita and Yo, Sakura's testimony, and the actions of Hirata and Kushida, our whole class felt encouraged and courageous. It could be said that we were united. However, it was evident that we lacked solid and irrefutable evidence, and proving Sudou's innocence still seemed difficult. Our discussion would determine the outcome.
Ike: Man, it's so hot today...
I never thought about global warming more than when I stepped out of an air-conditioned building. Considering that I would suffer every day until August, my mood remained low. As I walked out of the dormitory lobby, the hot and humid air attacked me. Enduring the pain of my burning skin, I walked along the school path lined with green and lush trees. However, something was different today. There was something on the bulletin board on the landing of the stairs, a little ahead of the shoe lockers. An article on the board said they were looking for students with information related to Sudou and Class C.
Yuuichi: Mhmm...
Obviously, someone was trying to help. It was genuinely welcome because we ourselves hadn't considered the possibility of taking such measures. This mysterious person was focused on action. Moreover, even though the bulletin board message itself might seem like a weak effort, the author also wrote that they would be willing to give points to helpful informants. In that case, even apathetic students would pay attention.
As I scrutinized the message, I was quite impressed....
"Good morning, Katagiri-kun!!!" Did a girl with blonde or pink hair say from behind me?
Yuuichi: Um, hello? I said with uncertainty in my voice. In reality, I already understood more or less what was going on. This is what Horikita meant by cooperation with Class B, and obviously, I know who this girl is - Honami Ichinose, the leader of her class.
Ichinose: Oh, sorry. Ahem, I'm Honami Ichinose, the representative of Class B, and this guy to my left is Kanzaki Ryuji. Nice to meet you, Katagiri-kun.
Yuuichi: The pleasure is mine, Ichinose-san, Kanzaki-kun.
Offering a handshake to each of them.
Yuuichi: I saw the notice on the bulletin board. Did you post it, Ichinose?
Ichinose joined me in looking at the bulletin board. She seemed very interested.
Ichinose: Hmm. I see, I see. So there's this method too.
Yuuichi: Did you post this, Kanzaki-kun?
Kanzaki: Yes, I did, and I put it up on Friday. Is there a problem?
Yuuichi: Oh, no. Not at all. Actually, I'm quite thankful.
Ichinose: How did it go, Kanzaki-kun? Did you get any reliable information?
Kanzaki: Unfortunately, I haven't received any useful information.
Ichinose: I see. Well, shall we check the bulletin board?
Yuuichi: The bulletin board? Did you put up another notice?
Ichinose had a slight smile on her face, indicating it was something else.
Ichinose: Have you ever visited the school's website? There's a message board there. I requested people to come forward with information. I said that if someone witnessed a violent incident at our school, I'd like to know about it.
After saying that, Ichinose showed us the screen of her phone. On it, there was a message seeking witnesses, along with a count of the number of people who had seen it. The displayed number was still in the dozens, but it was much more efficient than asking people directly. Moreover, the message posted on the homepage offered compensation to witnesses and people with useful information. "Oh, as for the points, don't worry. We decided to do that ourselves. Besides, it might be difficult for us to get new information now. Ah!"
Kanzaki: What's wrong?
Ichinose: It looks like I just received two messages regarding the post. There might be some information.
Ichinose checked her phone to confirm it. After reading the messages, a slight smile appeared on her face.
Ichinose: That simple.
She showed me her phone so I could read the message for myself.
Ichinose: It seems that one of the boys from Class C, Ishizaki-kun, was a troublemaker in junior high. He was good at fighting and terrorized people in the area. Someone from his hometown must have leaked this.
Kanzaki: Interesting, murmured Kanzaki, reading the message as well. Like Kanzaki, I found the information quite interesting. Everyone assumed that the two students Sudou fought were just regular guys. However, if they were also problematic, then the story would be different. As for the other, being basketball players meant they had good motor skills. However, Sudou had turned the situation around and defeated all three of them without getting hit even once.
Ichinose: Kanzaki-kun, what do you think?
Kanzaki: Maybe they let Sudou hit them on purpose. If the three of them wanted to set a trap for Sudou, the story makes a lot of sense. The connection seems natural.
Ichinose: Yes, I think so too. Kanzaki-kun, you knew you'd figure it out. Great job. If we can verify this information, then we might be one step closer to proving Sudou-kun's innocence. But what we have is still quite weak, isn't it?
Yuuichi: Yeah... Even if we manage to convince people with this new evidence, it's still not enough. The fact that it was such an unequal fight puts a lot of pressure on us.
Sudou wouldn't want to shoulder part of the blame along with the others. Neither side wanted to be responsible for this situation. If we had testimonies from Class D, though, our chances would probably be 6 to 4, or maybe 7 to 3.
Ichinose: Anyway, we'll have to transfer points to anyone who provides us with information. Oh, but what if someone does it anonymously? In that case, how will we transfer the points?
Yuuichi: We can tell you if you want. Do you want me to do it? I said.
Ichinose: Do you know something, Katagiri-kun?
Yuuichi: I just remembered something while fooling around with my phone. Do you know the person's number?
Ichinose: It's a toll-free number, but I remember it. Ichinose came closer and pointed to her phone.
Yuuichi: Open the points transfer screen. You should see your identification number in the top left corner. From your identification number, you can assign a temporary security key. If you open that and send the key, you'll receive a payment request.
Ichinose: I see. Thanks!
At that moment, for a split second, I saw something on Ichinose's phone. The fragment of the screen that I noticed stayed in my mind and didn't disappear.
---
The day when our fate would be decided was already here. First of all, I wanted to confirm that Sakura
would come to school. When I entered the classroom, I saw the same old scene. Sakura sat quietly by herself, not getting involved in other students' conversations. Her expression seemed even gloomier than usual. But in any case, she still came to school.
Yuuichi: Are you okay? I asked her.
Sakura: Ah, yes. I'm fine.
I wondered if she was nervous. She seemed calm, though not completely at ease.
Sakura: I thought things would be difficult if I skipped today, so...
She understood that the whole class would be upset if she skipped, so she made the painful decision to come to school. I imagined that it would be impossible to tell her not to think about Sudou and the others.
Yuuichi: Don't forget what I said.
Ike and Yamauchi looked at Sakura with great curiosity. Of course, that was because they now knew about her idol identity. Sakura was sensitive enough to notice this. It was as if she had guessed that Ike and Yamauchi had found out about her identity. Oh no... But Sakura only had a small smile and silently spoke her words.
Sakura: It's okay.
She was aware that we knew about her double life because of Kushida. Perhaps working as an idol had made her sensitive to subtle changes.
---
When the bell rang at the end of class, Horikita, Ayanokouji, and I stood up.
Yuuichi: Are you ready, Sudou-kun?
Sudou: Yeah... I'm fine. I was born ready.
As if mentally preparing himself for what awaited him, Sudou closed his eyes and crossed his arms. But then he slowly opened his eyes again.
Sudou: You can call me an idiot and make fun of me, but I'm me. If you have something to say, say it now.
He said, looking at Horikita.
Horikita: Don't do anything selfish. Actually, listening right now would be the smartest thing you could do, right?
Sudou: Ugh, you always act so arrogant, Miss.
When you saw them like that, it seemed like they were fighting like cats and dogs. But at least Sudou didn't hate Horikita. If he did, he would absolutely reject her help, no matter how advantageous her offer was.
Hirata: Do your best!!
Horikita didn't respond at all, but Sudou clenched his fist to show determination. I turned to see Sakura, who was still sitting there, her body stiff. She got up, her lips trembling a bit.
Sakura: Yes... I'm fine. Thank you...
Sakura was much tenser than I expected. If she was in this psychological state before the meeting started, she might not be able to speak satisfactorily.
Yuuichi: Let's go. We'll make a bad impression if we're late.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 4:00 PM. It was already 3:50 PM. We couldn't afford to take it easy. When the four of us arrived at the teachers' lounge, a teacher signaled for us to come in.
Chie: Yahoo! Hello, Class D students!
The Class B teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, gave us this cheerful greeting.
Chie: It seems something incredible happened, huh?
Her eyes sparkled as if she enjoyed sticking her nose into other people's business. (Well, she did).
Sae: What mischief are you up to this time? Muttered Chabashira-sensei.
Chie: Oh no. Have I been found out already?
Chabashira-sensei looked at Hoshinomiya-sensei as she left the teachers' lounge.
Sae: Every time you escape, I start to suspect.
Hoshinomiya gave a cute wink, as if to say, Teehee, you've caught me!
Chie: So, I guess I can't join, huh?
Sae: Of course, you can't. You know strangers can't participate.
Chie: Oh, that's too bad. Well, no problem. The results should be ready in an hour, I guess.
Chabashira-sensei forcefully pushed Hoshinomiya-sensei back into the teachers' lounge.
Sae: Well, shall we go? —she asked us.
Yuuichi: We're not going to handle this in the teachers' lounge, right?
Sae: Of course not. This school has quite complicated rules, but in cases like this, an agreement is reached between the teacher of the relevant class, the parties involved, and the student council. Horikita froze as soon as she heard the words "student council." Chabashira-sensei turned and looked sharply at Horikita's face.
Sae: If you want to stop, now's the time, Horikita.
Sudou, who didn't understand why Horikita reacted this way, seemed confused. It was almost as if a giant question mark was floating above his head. Our teacher, as always, had revealed an important detail at the last minute.
Horikita: I'll go. I'm fine.
We left the first-floor teachers' lounge and climbed three flights of stairs to the fourth floor. A sign saying "Student Council Room" was posted on the wall near the door. Chabashira-sensei knocked on the door, and we entered. Although Horikita made an unpleasant gesture, she immediately followed us inside. In the room, long tables were arranged in a rectangular shape. The three Class C students had already arrived and were sitting there. Next to them was a teacher in his thirties.
Sae: Sorry we're late —our teacher said.
Sakagami: It's before the scheduled start time. No need to apologize.
Sae: Do you already know each other?
Sudou, Horikita, Ayanokouji, and I didn't know the teacher.
Manabu: This is Sakagami-sensei, the teacher of Class C. Now then —A male student sitting at the back of the room caught everyone's attention—: —This is the student council president. Horikita's older brother, without even glancing at his sister, examined the documents on his desk. Horikita glanced at her brother for a short moment, but when she realized he wasn't looking, she lowered her eyes and sat facing the Class C students.
Manabu: Well, now I'd like to discuss the violent incident that occurred last Tuesday with the student council members, the involved parties, and their teachers. The procedure may begin, student council secretary Tachibana.
Student council secretary Tachibana, a woman with short hair, made a small bow.
Manabu: Of course, considering the magnitude of this dispute, there are times when the student council president takes charge. There are several unusual aspects to this incident. Other than that, most of the proceedings will be handled solely by Tachibana, as usual. —Because I'm very busy, there are certain agenda items I will postpone. As a general rule, I prefer to handle these matters, as I've been entrusted with the direction of this student council.
Sae: So, this is just a coincidence? —Chabashira-sensei smiled as she said that, but Horikita's older brother never wavered. On the contrary, Horikita, the younger sister, couldn't hide her trembling. Considering they were siblings, the odds were not in our favor. In fact, I couldn't help but think that this situation was extremely disadvantageous as Horikita couldn't display her usual prowess here. Our expectations had been shattered. If the student council president were to act, there would be nothing we could do, whether we liked it or not. He joined Class A and immediately assumed the position of student council secretary. In December of his first year, he became the student council president after receiving overwhelming support in the elections. While some older students had naturally expressed their displeasure, our current situation, hopeless as it was, spoke of his incredible abilities.
The student council secretary summarized the situation of both parties in an easily understandable manner. There was no need for further explanations.
Tachibana: Based on the mentioned facts, we would like you to identify which version of events is true —After completing her explanation and the preface to the proceedings, the student council secretary turned her eyes towards us, Class D—. Kondou and another basketball club member went to the special building after Sudou-kun called them there. There, they claim to have been attacked in a one-sided fight. Is this true?
Sudo: What those guys said is a lie. I'm the one who was called to the special building —Sudou said—. That day, after practice, Komiya and Kondou asked me to go to the special building. Honestly, I thought it was a bit annoying, but I also thought it might have been because they had always been hostile towards me. So I went to see them.
Sudou was not one to beat around the bush. Normally, Horikita would have been displeased by his casual way of speaking, but judging by her trembling, she didn't hear it at all. Sakagami-sensei, Class C's teacher, looked amazed with wide-open eyes.
Kondou: That's a lie. Sudou-kun called us to the special building.
Sudou: Don't mess with me, Kondou! It was you who called me, you idiot!
Kondou: It seems you don't remember your place here.
Sudou, irritated, impulsively slammed his desk. There followed an immediate silence.
Tachibana: Please calm down, Sudou-kun. Right now, we're simply listening to what both parties have to say. Komiya-kun, we ask that you please show some restraint and not interrupt.
Kondou: Tch, fine...
Tachibana: Both parties insist that the other called them, so the accounts are conflicting. However, the stories have one thing in common. There was a dispute between Sudou-kun, Ishizaki-kun, and Kondou-kun, correct?
Ishizaki: I wouldn't call it a dispute. Sudou-kun is always looking for a fight with us.
Tachibana: Looking for a fight?
Kondou: Sudou is better at basketball than us, so he always boasts about it. We practice with all our might, but it doesn't feel good when he makes us look like fools. So we often have problems.
I actually didn't know the details of Sudou's club activities, but when I saw the veins popping on his forehead, it was pretty clear that they were lying. Then, student council secretary Tachibana spoke to Sudou.
Sudou: Not a word of what Kondou said is true. They're just jealous of my talent. When I practice, they constantly get in my way. That's the truth.
Naturally, both parties claimed that the other was at fault.
Tachibana: Both parties have presented their complaints, but now we need to come to a judgment with the evidence collected.
—Sudou-kun beat us mercilessly. It was a one-sided fight.
Class C intended to focus the discussion on their injuries.
The two students had black and blue faces. That was undeniable.
Sudou: That's a lie. They attacked me first. It was self-defense.