Kazehara Tetsu hadn't used any inflammatory language. He had simply stated the technical facts about the video.
The office fell silent.
Yamauchi Haruki's mouth hung half open. The color gradually drained from his face, replaced by a deathly pallor.
His mind had become a complete mess.
How could this be? How could the video possibly be fake?
Kamuro Masumi, who had kept her head bowed, finally raised it slowly.
She stared blankly at Kazehara Tetsu's profile, at his focused, serious expression, at the confidence etched across his face.
"Framed... This... How is that possible? How could the video be fake?"
Yamauchi Haruki's mind finally recovered a sliver of function after freezing up. Overcome with terror, he let out a roar.
He pointed at Kazehara Tetsu. "President, don't believe him! He's lying about everything! Right... He's just making up this nonsense to protect Kamuro!"
Horikita Manabu looked at him coldly without saying a word, but that alone was enough to quiet Yamauchi Haruki's shouting.
"N-no, that's not right!"
Yamauchi Haruki pointed at Kazehara Tetsu's nose. "This video... He's the one who gave it to me! Kazehara Tetsu gave it to me! He told me to use it to threaten Kamuro and extort her. That bastard Kazehara Tetsu planned the whole thing!"
At last, with nowhere else to turn, he said the words Kazehara Tetsu had been patiently waiting to hear.
For a moment, time seemed to stop in the office.
Tachibana Akane stopped writing and looked up in surprise.
Every gaze in the office instantly shifted to Kazehara Tetsu.
Horikita Manabu looked at him, too.
"Oh?"
Kazehara Tetsu put on a look of feigned surprise, even wearing a slightly innocent smile. "Yamauchi, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't say whatever you like. I understand that you're worked up, but accusing another student on top of everything else is an even more serious offense. You say I gave you the video. Where's your proof?"
"I... I have proof! You can check his phone. He gave it to me, I swear!"
"An oath isn't proof."
Kazehara Tetsu gave Yamauchi Haruki no chance to catch his breath.
He stood up, turned, and walked over to Horikita Manabu, then took out his phone and set it on the desk.
"I don't know why Yamauchi would try to pin this on me. Maybe he saw his lies exposed and wanted to drag someone down with him."
Kazehara Tetsu's voice was calm, but everyone in the office could hear him clearly. "My phone is right here, and it has the school's official system installed. I, Kazehara Tetsu of Class A, hereby authorize the Student Council to thoroughly investigate all the data on this phone, including but not limited to call logs, text messages, chat histories from all apps, and file transfer records. I'm doing this solely to prove my innocence."
His words rang out with absolute confidence.
Of course Kazehara Tetsu was confident.
Before he came, he had already used a special formatting program redeemed from the System Store to clean his phone.
The fabricated video and the transaction record for the fifty thousand Points he had paid Yamauchi Haruki were all stored in the Hidden Account he had purchased through the System Store.
The school's Technical Department would never find a trace of anything.
Horikita Manabu gave him a long look, then took the phone.
He fell silent for a moment, then reached out and took your phone.
"Tachibana."
He spoke to Tachibana Akane beside him, his voice perfectly even. "Contact the Technical Department and, on behalf of the Student Council, request a data investigation of this phone."
"Yes, President." Tachibana Akane immediately picked up the internal phone on the desk and began speaking with the Technical Department.
The next ten minutes or so were a living hell for Yamauchi Haruki.
Yamauchi Haruki shifted restlessly in his seat, cold sweat trickling down his face. He looked at Kazehara Tetsu again and again, but Kazehara Tetsu couldn't be bothered to spare him even a glance.
Yamauchi Haruki didn't understand why Kazehara Tetsu was so calm. The real culprit was acting as though none of this had anything to do with him.
Kamuro Masumi was just as calm, but her feelings were far more complicated.
She watched Kazehara Tetsu's composed profile, her mind full of questions.
He had clearly copied Yamauchi Haruki's video. Had that copy really disappeared from his phone?
At last, the phone on Horikita Manabu's desk rang.
Horikita Manabu answered it, and a technician's rapid report came through the receiver.
He replied only with a few brief words: "Mm," "Understood," and "All right." Then he hung up.
He picked up your phone, gently set it on the desk, and slid it back toward you. Then he turned his gaze to Yamauchi Haruki, whose face had gone ashen.
"The investigation is complete."
His voice held not a trace of warmth.
"No records related to the video file were found on Kazehara Tetsu's Mobile Terminal. His account activity is normal, his purchase records are clear, and there's no anomalous data. In short, his phone is clean."
Kamuro Masumi's body trembled slightly. There were no records... There really wasn't anything on his phone.
Then... had the copy of Yamauchi Haruki's video he'd mentioned simply vanished into thin air?
She looked at you, the confusion in her eyes deepening.
"No... It can't be... This is impossible!"
Yamauchi Haruki completely broke down. He slumped in his chair, muttering over and over, "He was the one who gave it to me... Why can't you find it... Why..."
"Yamauchi Haruki."
Horikita Manabu paid no heed to his breakdown and read out the final verdict. "The investigation has found reason to suspect that the video evidence you submitted was fabricated, and your accusations against Kazehara Tetsu of Class A are entirely without basis. Your actions constitute a malicious false accusation against a fellow student. Under the School Rules, you will be expelled, and this incident will be recorded in your personal file. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Yamauchi Haruki sat slumped there, his eyes vacant and his mouth slightly open, but he could no longer make a sound.
His world had completely fallen apart.
Horikita Manabu's gaze finally settled on Kamuro Masumi.
"Kamuro, the false accusation has been investigated and resolved. On behalf of the Student Council, I apologize for the trouble and unfair treatment you faced during the initial review of this incident. You're free to leave."
Kamuro Masumi swayed and grabbed the desk for support.
Was it really over?
She wasn't the one being expelled. Yamauchi Haruki was...
She didn't come back to herself until Kazehara Tetsu patted her on the shoulder.
"Kamuro, don't just stand around. We can go."
Before you continue