Since they had so few clues, no one could come up with a good solution right away. Chabashira-sensei would probably bring the school's disciplinary notice tomorrow, so after offering Sudo a few words of comfort, everyone began to leave.
On the way back, Karuizawa turned to him and asked:
"Katsuya, you have a plan, don't you?"
"Why would you think that? I'm not a god..."
"I don't know. It just feels like you always step up at the crucial moment, and you always look like you have everything under control."
Her words came from the trust she felt toward Shinjo. But in this case, even he couldn't come up with a good solution in such a short time.
Shinjo shook his head and asked the girl beside him:
"Kei, what do you think would make the school accept Class 1-C's unilateral claim and make Sudo find evidence to clear himself, rather than making the other side prove that he's guilty?"
"Hmm... Maybe if Class 1-C didn't have to prove anything?"
"Exactly. And Sudo admitted that he got physical with students from Class 1-C. Even if they don't have overwhelming evidence, since Sudo himself admitted it, he's the prime suspect."
"That's a real headache. If he can't find any evidence, won't that be terrible?"
They would definitely lose their hard-won Class Points, and the peaceful atmosphere the class had finally managed to build would be ruined. Everything would go back to square one—or maybe even worse.
"If only there were some eyewitnesses or something... But it's probably pointless to even hope for that, right? If Class 1-C deliberately set Sudo up, they'd have chosen somewhere deserted without any security cameras."
"It's too early to worry about that now. Let's see what the teacher says tomorrow."
"We don't have any other choice..."
The next day, everyone outside Horikita's study group clearly had no idea what had happened.
So, when Chabashira appeared in the classroom, someone raised a hand and asked:
"Teacher... why haven't our personal points been deposited yet?"
"Don't rush me. This is exactly what I wanted to discuss during today's homeroom. Sudo got into a conflict with students from Class 1-C and hit them, so both classes' personal points will be suspended until the final ruling."
As soon as they heard it was because of Sudo, everyone's expressions turned hostile. They all looked toward the red-haired boy in the back row.
Sudo wasn't going to sit there in silence, so he quickly stood up and shouted his explanation:
"That's not what happened! The people from Class 1-C provoked me first. I was defending myself! You have to believe me—I didn't hit them on purpose!"
But the others wouldn't listen. If Hirata and Kushida hadn't spoken up for him last time, they wouldn't even have wanted to lend him the points he needed to get through his predicament.
"Why did they only hit you and not anyone else? Have you ever thought about what you might have done wrong?!"
"What did you say?"
"In other words, why are you always the one causing trouble for the class?! Sudo! What did we ever do to you?! I'm begging you, stop causing trouble already!!!"
"Why are you saying this to me?! This clearly wasn't my fault! I'll say it again: they hit me, and I was just hitting back!!"
The classroom erupted into an uproar. Hirata and Kushida couldn't let things get even worse, so they hurried to their feet and tried to calm everyone down.
"Everyone! Calm down! You all heard what Sudo just said. The people from Class 1-C are trying to frame him. We should trust our own classmate!"
"Hirata-kun is right. We can't turn against each other now. We should help Sudo find evidence that proves he's innocent and expose Class 1-C's scheme!"
With those two taking the lead, many of the class's tempers quickly cooled.
Of course, plenty of level-headed students remained.
"Even so, Sudo, do you have any evidence that can prove you're innocent?"
"I... How could I possibly have something like that?!"
Chabashira didn't want to watch the students keep blaming one another and passing the buck, either. After saying, "Homeroom is over," she left through the front door.
"Everyone! Even so, we can't give up! We can use our connections and contacts to find out if anyone who was there witnessed what happened!"
"So, I'm asking you all: if anyone saw what happened, could you please step forward now? Our classmate needs your help!"
Someone from their own class... probably couldn't serve as a witness, could they?
Shinjo didn't know what the school's judicial system was like, but surely something this serious would involve rules against conflicts of interest?
Students from Class 1-C and Class D couldn't serve as witnesses.
Besides, a witness's testimony alone couldn't count as particularly strong evidence, since they might have been bribed.
Unless the eyewitness was a teacher or someone with great prestige, like the Student Council President.
"Do you still not understand?! This has nothing to do with whether you're the one at fault!"
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with it?! I didn't do anything wrong, so how can it not matter?! They're the ones at fault, but I'm the one getting punished! Is this really how the school works?!"
Nearby, Sudo and Horikita had started arguing again.
"Even you don't believe me? We're classmates!!"
"I've never considered you a classmate of mine. If you're going to be this stubborn no matter what, there's nothing I can do for you."
"You!"
Shinjo stepped forward and patted Sudo, who was down on his luck in love, on the shoulder.
"I believe you, but... I don't have a good solution right now, either."
"Shinjo..."
Sudo choked up. This was exactly what they meant by discovering who your true friends were in times of hardship. Little did he know that Shinjo was only using an excuse to get out of there. He didn't care whether Sudo got suspended, and as for the deduction in Class Points, it was only 87 points. They could do whatever they wanted with them.
Five minutes later, at Yorozuya.
"You've got one hell of a smoking habit. Want to consider paying me for the medical costs of secondhand smoke?"
Chabashira acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued smoking.
"What are you planning to do this time?"
"What am I planning to do? Shouldn't that be what you're planning to do?"
At that, Chabashira sneered, her expression and tone full of disdain.
"Hah! You really are heartless. Sudo trusts you so much, and you're still planning to profit from this?"
Shinjo didn't seem bothered by her mockery. He fiddled with the Spring Monster in his hand, a kind of stress-relief toy.
"That doesn't seem like much of a contradiction. And there's a serious problem with how you put it... I'm not taking anyone's money. I'm using someone's money to take care of their business! If certain people have a way to handle this, they're welcome not to come to me. After all, the Yorozuya has never forced anyone to buy its services, has it?"
Before you continue