Shannei Succeeds? Kagihara Betrays

The afternoon bell rang, signaling the end of school.

Kamuro Masumi rose from her seat, ignoring the various strange looks cast her way as she walked straight out of the classroom.

A few minutes later, Kazehara Tetsu leisurely packed up his things and followed after her.

The door to the Student Council Office was far heavier than Kamuro Masumi had imagined.

Pushing it open, inside the office, before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, Horikita Manabu sat upright behind a wide desk.

Beside him, Secretary Tachibana Akane was bent over a notebook, jotting something down.

And to their left, Shannei Chunshu sat in a chair.

His face was plastered with undisguised smugness, and when he saw Kamuro Masumi enter, the corners of his mouth stretched even wider.

His expression seemed to say, "You're finished."

Shannei Chunshu had already arrived, seated in the chair opposite Kamuro Masumi, his face brimming with barely contained glee.

When he saw Kamuro Masumi come in, he even gave a provocative little chin lift.

Kamuro Masumi paid him no mind, silently taking a seat on the opposite chair.

"Everyone's here."

Horikita Manabu's voice rang out as he glanced at his watch. "Then, regarding the matter of Class D's Shannei Chunshu reporting Class A's Kamuro Masumi for shoplifting at the school's convenience store, we will now begin the final confirmation."

He turned his gaze to Shannei Chunshu. "Shannei, please restate your accusation and present your evidence."

"Yes, President!"

Shannei Chunshu practically sprang from his chair, puffing out his chest and deliberately putting on a righteous air, as if he were a champion of justice.

"I, Shannei Chunshu of Class D, swear on my honor! I saw with my own eyes Class A's Kamuro Masumi stealing from the convenience store! She thought no one was watching, and she was quick about it, but I saw everything clearly! To prevent her from denying it later, I even recorded a video on my phone! All the evidence of her crime is right here in my phone!"

As he spoke, he held his phone out from his pants pocket toward Horikita Manabu.

He seemed completely immersed in his self-appointed role as the "ally of justice," as if he could already see Kamuro Masumi being expelled and himself being rewarded for it.

Horikita Manabu listened to his statement, his face still utterly unruffled.

He seemed to have anticipated Shannei's behavior all along.

After Shannei Chunshu's impassioned speech concluded, he merely gave a slight nod to indicate he had heard it, then turned his gaze to the silent Kamuro Masumi.

"Kamuro, do you have anything to say in your defense against Shannei's accusation?"

Kamuro Masumi's body trembled uncontrollably.

Defense?

No, she couldn't speak. Speaking meant losing.

She could only wait, wait for the one person who might break this deadlock.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just as the atmosphere in the office was about to freeze solid, a measured knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Horikita Manabu's voice remained cold and hard.

The door opened, and a figure appeared in the doorway.

Kazehara Tetsu wore a perfectly apologetic smile, like a student who had accidentally wandered in after getting lost.

"Sorry, President, it seems I'm late. I got held up handling some private matters. As another witness to this incident, I haven't disrupted your proceedings, have I?"

When Shannei Chunshu saw Kazehara Tetsu, his smile grew even brighter. Reinforcements had arrived! He straightened his back and shot Kamuro Masumi a look that said, "Let's see you talk your way out of this now."

"Kazehara, is it?" Horikita Manabu's gaze lingered on you for a moment.

At noon, Tachibana Akane had told him there was a witness who wanted to give testimony. He hadn't refused, since having a witness would make the judgment easier, so he had let Kazehara Tetsu come.

"Have a seat." He pointed to the empty seat next to Kamuro Masumi. "You're just in time. We've only just started the questioning."

Kazehara Tetsu sat down, even turning his head to give a small, smiling nod toward Kamuro Masumi, whose muscles were tense beside him.

This gesture of yours made Shannei Chunshu's smile widen even further. In his eyes, it was no different from the final blow crushing Kamuro Masumi.

Horikita Manabu tapped his finger lightly on the tabletop, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Kazehara, since you're also a witness, Shannei claims that you've seen this video he's submitting as evidence, correct?"

Shannei Chunshu looked at you with eager anticipation, already impatient to hear your affirmative answer and witness the moment Kamuro Masumi completely broke down.

"Yes, President."

Kazehara Tetsu nodded frankly. "I had the fortune, during lunch break that day, at the cafe in Beech Tree Shopping Mall, to see the video on Shannei's phone. The content of the video is indeed as he described."

The moment the words fell, Kamuro Masumi's shoulders jerked violently.

And Shannei Chunshu nearly burst out laughing in his chair.

"But..."

Kazehara Tetsu's tone shifted, his smile fading to be replaced by a serious expression. "Precisely because I examined this video very carefully, I discovered that this so-called 'evidence' submitted by Shannei contains extremely serious fabrications. In other words, he is using a carefully edited fake video to frame Kamuro."

"Wh... what?!"

The smile on Shannei Chunshu's face vanished instantly, shock and anger interwoven.

He leaped up from his chair, pointing a finger at your nose, his voice sharp with agitation, "Kazehara Tetsu! What the hell are you bullshitting about? You clearly... you clearly promised me!"

"Silence!"

Horikita Manabu's gaze swept toward Shannei Chunshu, who immediately shut his mouth like a duck with its neck caught.

His face, flushed from excitement and rage, had turned an ugly liver-colored hue.

He panted heavily, glaring at you with eyes full of the fury of betrayal.

Horikita Manabu's line of sight returned to Kazehara Tetsu. "Kagihara, you claim he's framing you and that the video is forged. That's a very serious accusation. What's your basis?"

"Of course there is."

Kazehara Tetsu remained unhurried, even flashing a smile at Shannei Chunshu's murderous expression.

He stood up and walked to Horikita Manabu's desk. "President, to explain more clearly, may I borrow Shannei's phone—this piece of 'evidence'?"

Horikita Manabu glanced at him, then at Shannei Chunshu, said nothing, and simply made a "go ahead" gesture.

Kazehara Tetsu picked up the phone on the desk, unlocked it skillfully, and played the video. Everyone in the office focused on the small screen.

"President, please look here." You paused the video at the moment Kamuro Masumi's hand moved.

"Notice this detail: at the instant of Kamuro's hand movement, the reflection of the potato chips packaging on the shelf behind her shows a distortion that defies the laws of physics."

He zoomed in and slowed the playback, clearly revealing the extremely subtle flaw.

"Also, the background audio—this noise here is a typical trace of audio splicing. And this change in shooting angle: it could have kept her full face in frame the whole time, but suddenly shifts to only the lower half... All these signs indicate that this video is a 'work' maliciously edited and pieced together."