Thus, Kamuro Masumi Made Her Decision

"No... this can't be... I've been framed!"

Shannei Chunshu's despairing wails still echoed, but soon two Student Council Members walked in through the door and escorted him out.

Kazehara Tetsu picked up his own phone. "All in all, I suppose I have to thank the President for this!"

"Nothing of the sort. I was merely handling the case according to the rules."

"Hmph... no need to put on airs. You clearly saw something was off, or else you wouldn't have given Kamuro Masumi another chance."

Inside the Student Council Office, the air seemed to freeze.

"Give Kamuro a chance?" Horikita Manabu finally spoke.

"Kazehara, your observational skills are sharp, but your conclusions are far too subjective. The Student Council's duty lies in ascertaining the facts and upholding the school rules. Before a final verdict is reached, any party has the right to defend themselves. This is not a 'chance,' but procedure."

"As for the punishment of Shannei Chunshu,"

He paused, locking his gaze onto Kazehara Tetsu's face, "the reason it is expulsion is that the mistake he made struck at the very foundation of this school. A false accusation forged through fabricated evidence is, in essence, an act of sabotage against the school's system. Such behavior is far more heinous in nature than simple violence or theft. It must be eliminated with the harshest measures, to serve as a warning to others."

His words were logically rigorous and flawless, positioning himself as an absolutely impartial arbiter, explaining everything that had come before as an inevitable outcome of procedure.

The smile on Kazehara Tetsu's face did not waver. He even gave a light round of applause.

"I see. As expected of the Student Council President, your considerations are indeed thorough. Elevating the nature of the incident to the level of maintaining the school system, striking with thunderous force—you've both removed an unstable element and established the Student Council's authority in everyone's eyes. Truly impressive."

His praise sounded full of sincerity, but every word seemed to peel back the true intent beneath Horikita's high-sounding rhetoric.

Tachibana Akane Looked Up, casting a surprised glance at Kazehara Tetsu.

In this school, no one had ever dared to speak to Horikita Manabu in such a nearly teasing tone.

"It seems you are not merely a student skilled in debate."

Horikita Manabu's voice remained steady. "Having someone like you in Class A... perhaps things will turn out more fearsome than I anticipated."

"To receive the President's expectations is my honor."

Kazehara Tetsu straightened up. "Well then, since the matter is resolved, I won't disturb the President's handling of official business."

With that, he turned and walked toward the door. His hand rested on the handle, and he paused for a moment.

"Oh, and one more thing. If there's ever another matter requiring 'handling according to the rules,' I'd be happy to help. After all, for the honor of Class A, even an ordinary Class A student like myself should do their part, Isn't It?"

Without waiting for Horikita's reply, he pulled open the door, stepped out, and gently closed it behind him.

Silence once again filled the office.

After a long while, Tachibana Akane spoke softly. "President, this Kazehara..."

Horikita Manabu leaned back in his chair, his long fingers tapping absently on the Tabletop.

"Tachibana, keep an eye on his movements from now on."

The window at the end of the corridor was wide open, and the cold evening wind poured in, making Kamuro Masumi's body shiver.

It was all over.

She was saved.

But...

"I thought you'd just find a corner to cry in."

Kamuro Masumi slowly Looked Up, her beautiful violet-gray eyes fixed on Kazehara Tetsu before her.

"...Why... your phone, that video... why couldn't the school find anything?"

She wasn't stupid.

A flawless frame-up couldn't be overturned by a few arguments about "editing Traces" alone, enough to make someone like Horikita Manabu deliver a verdict of expulsion.

The final straw that crushed Shannei Chunshu was the Technical Department's investigation of Kazehara Tetsu's phone—a report so clean it was almost unbelievable.

"Kamuro, are you interrogating your savior? That's hurtful." Kazehara Tetsu clutched his chest dramatically, but there was no trace of sadness on his face.

Kamuro Masumi seemed to realize her impropriety, fidgeting with her hands in confusion, not knowing what to say.

"Fine, I'll tell you, it's no big deal."

Seeing her expression, he dropped the act and shrugged.

He couldn't tell Kamuro Masumi about the hidden account bought from the System Store, but there was a way to explain it—an extremely reasonable one.

"Remember what Majima-sensei said? In this school, points can buy anything, as long as you don't damage the school's reputation."

He paused, then continued, "I know a Senpai who works in the school's Technical Department. We went to the same school before, so we happen to have some connections. Making a portion of Phone Data 'reasonably' disappear during an official investigation isn't a problem."

"But you know... how many points do you think it took to persuade that Senpai to take the risk?"

"Two hundred thousand... I had to beg a lot of people to scrape it together."

"Two... two hundred thousand points?!" Kamuro Masumi exclaimed in shock.

That number was equivalent to two months' worth of points issued to an ordinary student.

For someone who had almost no connection to him, and even had a record of theft?

He would actually pay such a heavy price?

"You... are you crazy? For me... spending two hundred thousand points?"

"Who said it was for you?"

A hint of cunning flickered in Kazehara Tetsu's eyes. "I just spent two hundred thousand points to buy off a Technician who could handle the trouble. You being involved is just a coincidence."

He paused, leaning slightly forward, closing the distance between him and Kamuro Masumi to less than half a meter in an instant.

He lowered his voice, his warm breath nearly brushing against her ear.

"And besides... Kamuro, don't you think there are things more interesting than the points spent?"

Kamuro Masumi's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively held her breath.

"After Shannei Chunshu gave me the video, I watched it repeatedly and noticed a very interesting phenomenon. Although Shannei Chunshu's technique was clumsy and the editing traces were obvious, still..."

His voice trailed off.

"...it didn't look like acting at all. Those subtle, nervous hand movements, and the instant relaxation of expression after succeeding... it was too real."

Kamuro Masumi's mind went blank.

He had known from the start!

He hadn't deduced her innocence by analyzing the video's editing marks.

On the contrary, through those clumsy edits, he had seen the truth of her crime!

"No... I didn't..." She instinctively tried to deny it, but her voice was so faint she couldn't even hear it herself.

"See, you're nervous again."

Kazehara Tetsu reached out and lightly tapped Kamuro Masumi's forehead with his index finger. "I have a bad memory, especially for trivial little things. All I remember is that a Class D student named Shannei Chunshu was expelled for maliciously slandering a classmate from our Class A."

"As for whether someone actually stole something... who cares? At least, in the school's records, you're innocent, Isn't It?"

"Right now, you are free."

Kazehara Tetsu said nothing more and turned to leave.

Kamuro Masumi's body stopped trembling.

She Looked Up, her gaze following the direction where Kazehara Tetsu had disappeared. In those eyes, once filled with confusion, something had quietly changed.

Because from today onward, her life seemed to have found a place to belong.