Investigation

The morning sunlight streamed through the dorm kitchen window, casting warm patches of light on the floor. On the table sat a simple breakfast—freshly fried eggs, toast toasted to perfection, and a small plate of salad made from the free vegetables provided by the school. The air was filled with the warm aroma of food and a faint hint of coffee.

Shimiya Kuki and Ichinose Honami sat across from each other, quietly enjoying their breakfast. The atmosphere was much more relaxed than the subtle tension of yesterday's dinner.

"Yesterday... you really went through a lot, Kuki-kun." Ichinose took a small sip of milk, a helpless yet amused expression on her face. "Afterward, I chased after Shiratori-san and explained for ages and ages..." She sighed, mimicking Shiratori's demeanor from back then, speaking in a soft, delicate voice: "'Okay, I understand. But, Class President Ichinose, you don't need to be so shy! Have more confidence in yourself!'" After saying that, Ichinose couldn't help but burst out laughing, then her face fell as she poked at the egg on her plate with her spoon. "She said she 'understood,' but that look in her eyes... it was totally 'I get it, Class President, you don't need to explain'! She didn't understand at all!" She puffed out her cheeks, looking both amused and exasperated.

Shimiya Kuki calmly cut his toast. After listening to Ichinose's "complaint," he merely gave a faint "mm" to acknowledge he'd heard, his face maintaining its usual unshakable calm. As if Shiratori's earth-shattering "I wish you happiness" and the subsequent misunderstanding had never happened.

The two had been partners for over a month now, and they'd settled into a stable routine for daily expenses. Thanks to the school's free individual portions of vegetables, their weekly spending on ingredients hovered around 3,000 points. They mainly bought meat, eggs, milk, bread, and seasonings. Shimiya was exceptionally sharp about supermarket discounts; whenever he spotted a sale on meat or fish, it was a chance to splurge a little at the table. Though simple, under Shimiya's careful planning, every day's meals were nutritionally balanced.

As for cooking, Shimiya Kuki handled most of it. Whenever Ichinose tried to help, she'd blink her big, watery eyes, mix a bit of playful coaxing with sincere admiration, and say, "Oh, Kuki-kun, my cooking skills are nowhere near yours! Let me just stand here and learn from you first, okay? Please~" That "eager to learn" look, impossible to refuse, left Shimiya with no choice but to tacitly accept his dominance in the kitchen.

After finishing breakfast, Ichinose helped clean up the dishes while steering the conversation back on track, her expression turning serious. "Shiratori's matter is pretty much settled. So now, about helping Ayanokoji-kun and the others like we promised—it's time to start moving!" Her eyes sparkled with determination and eagerness.

Shimiya placed the washed plates in the drying rack, wiped his hands with a towel, his movements still unhurried. He turned to look at Ichinose, his voice steady as he announced, "Regarding this matter, I won't be participating today. I have other things to handle." He paused, then added, "However, I can spare some time to attend tomorrow's school review meeting."

"Huh?" Ichinose stopped wiping the table, looking at him in surprise. "What is it? Need any help?" Her tone carried concern and a hint of curiosity.

"No need." Shimiya's reply was crisp, with no intention to explain. "I can handle it myself." He walked to the door, picked up his school bag, and suggested naturally, "As for your side, if you need a hand, you can ask Kanzaki. He's quite strong at investigating and analyzing things like this."

"Kanzaki-kun?" Ichinose's eyes lit up, immediately grasping Shimiya's intent. "Yeah! That's a great idea! I'll go bother him today, then. Hope I can get his help." A relieved smile spread across her face.

The two parted at the dorm entrance, heading in different directions. Ichinose walked briskly, clearly already forming a plan to discuss the investigation with Kanzaki. Shimiya Kuki, as usual, blended into the morning stream of students heading to the school building, his calm back revealing nothing of his destination that day.

The next day, outside the School Review Room

As the appointed time approached, the corridor outside the review room felt somewhat empty and quiet. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the floor. Shimiya Kuki, Ichinose Honami, and Kanzaki Ryuji, who had been invited to join, stood waiting not far from the review room door.

Kanzaki Ryuji looked at Shimiya, who had just arrived, and spoke first, his voice carrying his usual calm pragmatism: "Shimiya, I heard from Ichinose yesterday that you had other matters to attend to? Did everything go smoothly? If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

Shimiya Kuki gave a slight nod, answering succinctly: "Mm. It's resolved. Thanks." He then looked at Ichinose and Kanzaki. "What about you two? Any gains yesterday?"

Ichinose immediately took over, her face showing a mix of drive and slight regret. "We didn't slack off yesterday! Following Kanzaki-kun's advice, we posted notices on the dorm building's public bulletin board and a few main information boards around campus."

She gestured as she spoke: "The notices were about finding witnesses to the gym back warehouse incident, and we briefly explained the controversy, hoping to find anyone who was near that area between five and six in the evening." She spread her hands, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "Unfortunately, up until this morning, we haven't received any new witness feedback."

"But!" Ichinose shifted gears, her eyes brightening. "Even though we didn't find new witnesses, we did get some anonymous feedback—about Class C's Ishizaki Daichi-kun!" She looked at Kanzaki, signaling him to elaborate.

Kanzaki Ryuji nodded, pulling a record sheet from the folder he carried, his voice steady as he stated: "Yes. According to the feedback, Ishizaki Daichi-kun's reputation during junior high... is very similar to Sudo Ken-kun's."

"He was also frequently involved in violent conflicts, with multiple records of fighting on file. The feedback described him as a well-known 'troublemaker' in junior high."

Ichinose nodded emphatically, her face full of conviction. "Right! And this information came from multiple sources, seemingly different people. Though all anonymous, the direction was very consistent. Kanzaki-kun also thinks this increases the likelihood that Class C set this up." She looked at Kanzaki with admiration. "Posting those notices was a brilliant idea, Kanzaki-kun! Even though we didn't find direct witnesses, this clue about Ishizaki-kun's past is incredibly valuable! It gives us even more reason to suspect this incident was a trap set by Class C, targeting Sudo-kun's personality flaws. We also shared this part of the information with Ayanokoji-kun and the others yesterday."

Kanzaki Ryuji's expression remained serious, and he merely gave a slight nod. "Information needs cross-verification, but multiple anonymous feedback pointing to the same conclusion makes its credibility worth noting. Combined with the deliberate choice of conflict location, the probability that Class C actively guided the incident is rising." His analysis was cool and objective.

Shimiya Kuki listened quietly to their report, his gaze calm. The information about Ishizaki's past didn't seem to surprise him. He looked at the closed door of the review room, his tone flat: "Mm. The key is still what happens inside today." His gaze seemed to pierce through the door, landing on the internal review about to decide Sudo's fate.

The corridor fell silent again. The three of them waited, each with their own thoughts, for the review room door to open—and for the next turn in this unfolding storm.