Near a corner of the hallway close to the gym, he "happened upon" two Class C boys chatting.
Toudou Shizuka naturally slowed his pace and pretended to look at the notice board.
"Hey, did you hear? That Sudo from Class D is done for this time! Hahaha!"
"Ha! Ryuen Boss's plan is genius! He had Ishizaki and the other two go 'fishing,' and sure enough, they hooked that brainless mad dog!"
"Shh! Keep it down! But... how badly were Ishizaki and the others hurt? Ishizaki seemed to be limping a little when he walked today."
"Bullshit! He's faking it! Ryuen Boss said the 'worse' their injuries look, the harsher the school will punish Sudo!
The three of them are 'special protection cases' now, lying in the infirmary! They've got certificates from the 'school doctor'! Heh..."
The two boys' hushed conversation exploded in Toudou Shizuka's ears like a thunderclap!
Fishing! Faking injuries! Ryuen's orders! A doctor's certificate!
Class C's conspiracy had been exposed almost completely! As expected, it was a carefully planned frame-up!
Toudou Shizuka suppressed his shock and continued on, his expression unchanged.
But just as he was about to leave the area, [Danger Sense D-rank] sent a sharp stab of pain through him!
From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed an exceptionally tall, broad-shouldered figure in the shadows at the end of the hall. Like an iron tower, Albert stood there with his arms folded, a doorman-like presence. His icy gaze seemed almost tangible as it locked onto Toudou Shizuka!
He'd been spotted!
Toudou Shizuka's heart tightened. Albert was Ryuen Kakeru's loyal enforcer; his appearance couldn't be a coincidence! It seemed Class C had anticipated that "spies" might show up and prepared accordingly!
He didn't panic or even break stride. He simply adjusted his direction naturally and headed