Hearing: Justice

Kitasan Black hurriedly nodded and whispered, "Mm-hm, I know her."

Then, lowering her voice excitedly, she asked, "Then—Diamond, did the chairwomen come here to support us?"

Satono Diamond shook her head slightly. "No. People in a position like the chairwoman's can't act on emotion so easily."

Seeing Kitasan Black's disappointed expression after she finished speaking, she continued, "But the fact that they're seated in the middle means they're acting as mediators for this hearing. And the other side being willing to nominate the academy chairwoman as a mediator shows that they're still willing to compromise—at least on the surface. As for the person truly presiding over the meeting—"

She paused, turning her gaze toward the sternest-looking woman at the very front of the presiding table. "It's the woman in front, the one with the most serious expression—Trainer Nase Fumino.

"Having a trainer sit in that position is somewhat unusual, but Ms. Nase's family has deep roots in the industry. She herself is known for being impartial and uncompromising, so rigorous she can seem inflexible.

"In other words, having her preside means that this hearing will, at the very least, be absolutely fair in terms of procedure."

Kitasan Black looked at Nase Fumino's utterly impassive face and felt inexplicably more nervous. But hearing that the proceedings would be fair, she nodded softly at Diamond. "Mm, I understand—thank you, Diamond."

Satono Diamond smiled faintly and said nothing more. Instead, she and Kitasan Black silently surveyed the venue.

People were still filing in one after another.

Men and women in dark suits or skirt suits, most of them wearing serious expressions, walked steadily toward their respective seats.

The air was filled with restrained, subdued noise—not clamor, but the muffled tread of leather shoes on carpet, the soft sound of document bags being placed