The students of Class B had different opinions on Ike and Yamauchi's case, but because everyone believed what Hondou and Miyamoto had told them, at least no one thought that Ike and Yamauchi were guilty. The very next day, most of the guys asked the two people of interest about the incident. Even though some of their usual enthusiasm returned, of course, Ike and Yamauchi were still a bit stiff about everything. Not only were they at the risk of expulsion, but their reputation inside the classroom, especially with the girls, worsened even more. It was no longer just a matter of them being a couple of annoying perverts. This time, they put the class at risk. Ichinose's Class C was only 121 points away from us, after all. For example, if their suspensions cost us 60 points each, then we're in critical danger. Any more than that, and we're going to be demoted to Class C.
The class kept everything closed, especially after Hirata and the rest relayed to us what Chabashira-sensei told them yesterday. We already got Ike and Yamauchi to agree to let the class know about the incident during the 12th, anyway.
When class ended, Ike, Yamauchi, and Horikita proceeded to a conference room along with Chabashira-sensei.
Hirata spent some time with Karuizawa and their friends, so Kikyou and I remained in the classroom, waiting for the meeting to finish. We took two seats and moved them right next to each other (her idea).
"Are you worried about Horikita?" I asked.
"Huh? No, I'm not. Why would I be?" Kikyou replied with a glare.
"I see. So you're confident in her," I joked.
"I'll punch you, Kiyotaka-kun." The veins on her forehead were visible. Well, no, they weren't, but I felt like they were.
"I'm kidding. I am a bit anxious, though. She might not be able to bring her best out," I said.
When we asked Chabashira-sensei about the details of the so-called 'hearing', she told us that it would be held by the student council led by the student council president. Horikita instantly stiffened upon hearing that.
"President Horikita, huh? What's up with the two of them?" asked Kikyou.
"I don't really know. Maybe Horikita has some confidence issues when her brother is around. He's quite accomplished, after all," I replied with a shrug.
"That's true. Horikita-san was originally placed in Class D, so I guess that might've been something that she's insecure about."
After talking about Horikita, Kikyou and I caught up on stuff that was happening in our separate friend groups. In the midst of our conversation, she suddenly asked something strange.
"Do you want a girlfriend, Kiyotaka-kun?"
She wore an expression of curiosity, but her body language exuded nervousness and anxiety.
"I mean, as a normal high school boy, I guess I do?"
"T-Then... If a girl confesses their feelings for you... Would you accept them?"
Kikyou's restless expressions were so adorable that I thought she was doing her cute-girl act again. However, anyone can tell that her jumpiness is authentic. I decided to answer seriously instead of making a joke.
"Hmm... I think it still depends on who the girl is. I'd probably reject them if I didn't know anything about them. But of course, I'd still express my gratitude."
"Okay... But what if they're someone from Class B? You're close with all the girls in our class, right?"
Well, I'm probably friends with every girl in our class, but I'm not inclined to say that we're close.
"If they're a classmate, huh? That's pretty hard. Frankly, I would be speechless. I don't have any experience with things like romance, after all."
Kikyou listened intently.
"Why do you ask, Kikyou?" I think this should've been my first reply.
"I was just curious," she answered with a grin.
"It's just the two of us in here. You don't have to lie with such a cute smile." I narrowed my eyes.
"That's no good, Kiyotaka-kun. You can't easily call a girl's smile 'cute'. They'd surely get the wrong idea," said Kikyou.
"Don't dodge the topic by lecturing me. Answer my question seriously as I did with yours."
Faced with my steadfast interrogation, Kikyou could only moue.
"U-Ugh... I can't say it..." she pouted.
I stared at Kikyou while staying silent.
"Ah, fine... I think a girl in our class plans to confess their feelings for you soon. It's supposed to be a secret but here we are. Be sure to act accordingly when it happens, okay? And don't snitch on me!" she said.
"I see... Well, I guess that's fine. It's not like the girl you're talking about would be able to tell anything even if I don't act surprised. Everyone in Class B knows how I am."
"I-I suppose that's true."
"Is it alright if I ask who the girl is?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.
"Of course not. I already told you this much so just be satisfied with it. Everything was supposed to be a secret but you made me spill the beans..."
"You started this topic. It's technically your fault."
"B-But if I didn't say anything, you'd just suspect that I'm asking for myself!"
"You're probably right."
"See?!"
I wonder... If Kikyou hadn't decided to forge her perfect persona, would everyone still like this flawed girl in front of me? Since the answer is most likely no, I guess I have no choice but to accept the reality that this Kikyou will never come out on the surface. She'll be buried within the lies of her phony kindness and goodwill... and I'll be there to accompany her.
"Kiyotaka-kun..." Kikyou muttered my name while looking away.
"Hm?"
"If... I'm the one who asks you out... Would you say yes?" she asked.
"Yeah, I would," I replied instantly.
"-?!" Kikyou slapped my arm with force. "You're teasing me!"
Of course, Kikyou knew that I wasn't telling the truth.
"An eye for an eye. I told you; it's futile to try and get a reaction out of me. I don't have any romantic experience, but that won't make me an easy target for teasing," I said before looking away. "Even if I was embarrassed, you won't see it in my face if I try hard enough."
"E-Eh-?" Kikyou's upset expression suddenly became confused.
"Let's go. The hearing should be over by now."
I stood up and walked towards the door.
"Wait! What did you mean by that?! Are you actually embarrassed?" she asked.
"No, I'm not," I answered without looking at her.
"Ugh, that's not fair, you liar! Hey, don't leave me here!"
————————————————————————
When Kikyou and I arrived at the place, we could still hear the voices from inside the room. We decided to stay and wait. From what I can make out of their words, it seems like they're finishing up. But before we could receive Horikita and the other two, a bunch of people arrived led by a familiar face.
"Oh? If it isn't Kikyou? I expected to see you here, but not with this guy. Where's Hirata?"
According to the list, this was Ryuuen Kakeru of Class D. Behind him were Oda Takumi, Nomura Yuuji, and Yamada Albert.
"Ryuuen-kun... Hirata-kun had other things to do..." she answered.
"Hey, you. You're Ayanokouji, right? You're one of the smartasses of Class D, and you're also a fast swimmer." Ryuuen addressed me with a smirk.
Knowing the main players of Class B isn't that surprising. Based on his words, Mii-chan, Matsushita, and Yukimura might also be on his radar. I can immediately tell that he isn't a simple person. He'll be able to tell a few things if I respond, but the same thing will happen if I choose to stay silent.
"Heh, interesting. Well, whatever. I'm here to fetch my classmates like you two. But still, I can't believe Ike and Yamauchi would pounce on Kinoshita and Manabe. If we weren't there, who knows what could've happened?"
"Ike-kun and Yamauchi wouldn't do such things!" Kikyou responded strongly, albeit with a soft voice.
"Hoh? Then you're saying that the two victims are lying? Aren't Kinoshita and Manabe your friends, too, Kikyou?"
"That's..."
"You're willing to condone Ike and Yamauchi's behaviors just because they're your classmates? Aren't you a girl, too? Can you really stomach those guys' actions?" Ryuuen bombarded her with questions. His words were heavy but they didn't match with his facial expression. He was smiling.
"That's enough, Ryuuen. The school will judge who's telling the truth," I spoke.
"You finally stopped acting like a mute, Ayanokouji?" he scoffed. "Truth, eh? I trust the school would make a fitting decision."
At that moment, the door finally opened. Kinoshita, Manabe, Ishizaki, and Kondou were the first ones to exit the room.
"Ryuuen-san," Ishizaki greeted with a nod.
"Oh, you guys. How did it go?" asked Ryuuen.
Horikita finally appeared with Ike and Yamauchi in tow. The moment he saw Ryuuen, Yamauchi instantly howled in rage.
"Ryuuen, you bastard!"
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, punk?" glared Ishizaki.
"Yamauchi-kun, don't make yourself look any worse," scolded Horikita.
Seeing the same guys who ganged up on him that day, Yamauchi could do nothing but glower spitefully.
"Kuku, so you had Horikita Suzune speak for you, huh?" Ryuuen shifted his attention to Horikita and acted like Yamauchi was air.
"You must be Ryuuen-kun, right?" Horikita asked with a glare.
"The one and only," he smirked.
"Horikita-san, how did the hearing go?" Kikyou asked nervously.
"They will make a final decision after the next and last session on Friday, which will be the trial." she sighed. "I did the best I can do."
"I-I see."
Horikita acted like I was invisible.
Seemingly satisfied, Ryuuen snickered and turned around.
"I didn't expect you to prolong their suffering. Good work, Suzune."
"I don't know where you heard that from, but my first name isn't something that I want to hear out of your mouth," Horikita responded vexingly.
Ryuuen continued walking like he didn't hear anything. His classmates followed him closely.
When I took a peek inside the room, the elder Horikita was still discussing something with Chabashira-sensei and Sakagami-sensei. Secretary Tachibana was also with them.
"Let's go." I turned in the opposite direction and continued walking.
Judging from Ike and Yamauchi's expressions, the hearing didn't go too well for them.
"Ike, Yamauchi, I'll try to find some other way out of this, but don't count on it too much," I said.
"Ayanokouji..." Ike muttered while looking at me.
The two of them seemed to have mixed feelings about my words. They still remember the harsh words I threw at them in the infirmary.
"What are you gonna do, Kiyotaka-kun? Did you manage to figure something out?" asked Kikyou.
"Hmm... Not really. If negotiations are available, then that would be ideal."
Horikita did nothing but stare at me.
"I see... I hope everything goes well... I don't want to say that Kinoshita-san and Manabe-san are liars, but I want to believe in Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun's innocence," Kikyou said with a smile.
"Thanks, Kushida-chan..."
"You really are a nice person..."
Kikyou shook her head.
"If there's anyone you should thank, it should be Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san. They're the ones in action. Supporting everyone is the least I can do," she said.
Suddenly, Kikyou's phone rang. Hirata was calling her. She put the call in speaker mode so we could all talk to Hirata.
"Kushida-san? Is the meeting finished?"
"Hirata-kun! I'm with everyone right now. They can hear you."
"Oh, I see. That's great then. Can I talk to Horikita-san?"
"What is it, Hirata-kun?" asked Horikita.
"How did it go?"
"It's pretty bad. We couldn't do anything about Yamauchi-kun and Ike-kun's fingerprints. All I could do was delay their final decisions. Unless we find a witness from another class that contrasts their statements, getting sanctioned will be inevitable."
"I... I see..." I felt something strange with Hirata's tone. Normally, he'd try his best to be positive, but he sounded really downtrodden. Is it because we're nearly in checkmate? "Regardless, please tell me if I can lend a hand. I'll try to do what I can."
He didn't sound optimistic at all, but I could feel his resolve from the other end of the call. If Hirata's planning to do what I'm thinking he'll do, it might interfere with my plan...
"Kushida-san, Ayanokouji-kun, thank you for being there to support them. Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun, we'll try our best to help you until the end."
"T-Thanks... Hirata." said Yamauchi.
"Yeah... Sorry about this, really." Ike clicked his tongue in frustration.
I'm sure both of them can sense how hard it is for us to be involved in this case where we're bound to lose. Because I gave them a reality check two days ago, they must be thinking that we're only doing this because we have to— that we think saving them is a waste of time for us. While this is true to some extent, I'm sure that's not the case for Kikyou and Hirata who are willing to help their friends even if their reasons and motivations are different. And right now, Horikita should be ingraining this incident into her memory, slowly normalizing it in her mind— that sabotaging another class's students is normal and should be expected.
Katsuragi and Sakayanagi are the leaders of Class A, and Ichinose is the leader of Class C. Their identities and roles are out there. Ryuuen must be thinking that Horikita or Hirata is the leader of Class B, but one thing is stopping him from being sure: The S-System. If they really were the leaders, then it would've been impossible for us to maintain such a high number of class points. It's not about how capable they are as a leader. It's about the class they've been assigned to. Ichinose, whose class functions similarly to ours, has fewer points. It's not a stretch to say that Class B, in terms of unity, is just a lesser version of Ichinose's Class C. If that's the case, then how are we the higher class? Even Ryuuen, who appears to control his class using tyranny, failed to maintain their points. The only exception was Class A, led by Sakayanagi and Katsuragi, who are still unknown to me. However, it's obvious that their methods worked. Ryuuen must be thinking that Class B is being led by someone similar to those two.
Of course, he's wrong. We're only in our current position because I bought the explanation using our own class points, and Ryuuen doesn't know that.
Regardless, I have to move soon.
(14:56) [I'll bring my main ordnance to your room at 7:00, correct?]
(14:56) [Yeah, thanks.]
(14:56) [It's no problem, Ayanokouji-dono.]
(14:57) [The idea of helping does put a smile on my face, after all.]