Finding a Witness

Hirata Yosuke walked up to the podium. With a gentle smile on his face, he played his usual role as the glue that held Class D together.

"I understand that everyone is upset about the points being deducted, but I don't think what we should be doing right now is pointing fingers at each other."

His gaze swept across the classroom, finally landing on Sudo Ken, his eyes filled with sincere trust.

"I choose to believe in Sudo-kun. Because he is our classmate."

Hirata's voice was not loud, yet it possessed a power that could soothe people's hearts.

"There is still a week left before the negotiations with the Student Council. Instead of complaining here, wouldn't it be better if we all worked together to find evidence and witnesses for Sudo-kun? This isn't just for Sudo-kun's sake; it's for the sake of our collective, Class D."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a crisp voice responded immediately.

"I agree with Hirata-kun!"

Karuizawa Kei was the first to stand up, expressing her support for Hirata without hesitation.

Following the lead of this female leader, the other girls around her immediately chimed in.

"Since Hirata-kun says so..."

"Yeah, we should trust our classmates."

The situation within the girls' group was reversed in an instant.

Just then, Kushida Kikyo stood up once again. With a smile even more radiant than before, she echoed in a sweet voice:

"That's right! I believe in Sudo-kun too! We are all partners in the same class; we absolutely cannot stand idly by when a partner is in trouble!"

Her words were like a spark in a dry field, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the boys that had already cooled. Under the call of the little angel Kushida, the boys also expressed their willingness to help.

The tense atmosphere in the classroom, under the agitation of Hirata and Kushida, shifted instantly into a mood of "uniting as one to overcome difficulties."

Kushida Kikyo looked at the scene before her with satisfaction, then walked with light steps straight to the back of the classroom.

She stopped beside Natsukawa Sosuke's desk, leaned over slightly, and wore a sweet smile:

"Natsukawa-kun, you'll help too, right?"

Natsukawa Sosuke looked up, meeting eyes that appeared innocent and pure but actually hid a sharp shrewdness.

He glanced at Hirata, who was still calling for unity on the podium, and then at the students around him who had been incited into a frenzy. He knew very well that in an atmosphere hijacked by "collectivism," any word of opposition would instantly make him a public enemy of the entire class.

Therefore, he simply nodded faintly and let out a perfunctory syllable from his throat.

"Yeah."

Having received an affirmative answer, the smile on Kushida Kikyo's face became even brighter. As if she hadn't noticed his perfunctory attitude at all, she happily clenched her small fists and said in a spirited voice:

"Great! Then let's work hard together, Natsukawa-kun!"

When the bell rang for the end of the school day, everyone was packing their bags in twos and threes, preparing to leave.

Kushida Kikyo, however, was like a butterfly with infinite energy, flitting about the classroom.

"Don't be discouraged, everyone! We'll definitely find clues!"

After comforting several dejected girls, she walked with light steps, heading straight for the corner at the back of the classroom.

"Natsukawa-kun, let's go!"

Kushida Kikyo wore a sweet smile and naturally stood beside Natsukawa Sosuke's desk, striking a pose that suggested, "Let's go investigate together."

Natsukawa Sosuke lifted his eyelids and looked at her calmly, his tone unruffled: "Go where?"

"To investigate, of course!" Kushida said as if it were a matter of course, even adding a hint of coquettish reproach, "Didn't we agree on this during the morning meeting? We're going to find eyewitnesses for Sudo-kun together!"

Natsukawa Sosuke's gaze drifted past her to the window. His voice betrayed no emotion: "That was what you all agreed on. I only nodded."

The implication was clear: he had no intention of participating voluntarily.

"Eh—" Kushida dragged out the sound intentionally, leaning forward slightly with her hands clasped together in front of her chest. Her large, watery eyes instantly filled with pleading and grievance, like a small animal abandoned by its owner.

"You can't do this, Natsukawa-kun! You clearly already agreed! It's too cunning to go back on your word now! Please, just come with me to ask around... I'm scared to go alone..."

She deliberately softened her voice, and that pitiful, pleading, and adorable appearance was enough to make any normal man unable to refuse.

Natsukawa Sosuke met her gaze for a moment. He knew very well that everything the girl before him was showing was nothing more than a carefully calculated performance. But he had to admit, her acting was truly impeccable.

In the end, Natsukawa sighed softly in his heart. He wasn't truly soft-hearted; he just felt that refusing such a persistent request might bring more unnecessary trouble later on.

"...Just this once."

He spat out the words, effectively agreeing.

"Awesome! I knew Natsukawa-kun was the best!"

Kushida Kikyo's mood shifted from cloudy to sunny in an instant, her smile even brighter than before. She even reached out naturally, wanting to grab Natsukawa's arm, but he dodged it without a trace. She didn't mind, simply spinning around him happily.

"Then let's head out! Time waits for no one!"

And so, dragged along by Kushida's half-coercive, half-coquettish insistence, Natsukawa Sosuke followed her to begin this investigation that he considered utterly meaningless.

The two walked through the campus, naturally attracting quite a few gazes. Kushida Kikyo, as a famous and super-popular beauty among the first-years, was the center of attention wherever she went.

Of course, the so-called investigation had a clear division of labor from the very beginning.

Kushida Kikyo utilized her terrifying social skills, smiling as she stopped one student after another from different classes, asking them questions in the gentlest, least aggressive manner possible.

"Oh, Tanaka! Long time no see! Um, sorry to bother you, but do you happen to remember if you were near the special building on the 28th, last Friday afternoon?"

As for Natsukawa Sosuke, he maintained the distance of a bystander, his hands tucked into his pockets as he stood quietly a few meters away, looking like nothing more than background scenery unrelated to the matter at hand.

Kushida was currently stopping a girl from Class A to ask her questions. The girl appeared to be a close friend of hers, and the two were chatting intimately.

Natsukawa's gaze was not focused on them; instead, his thoughts drifted back to the fragments of memory he held regarding this plotline.

In his memory, at this point in the original timeline, the sole eyewitness to the violent incident involving Sudo Ken should have been Sakura Airi.

That day, she was supposed to have gone alone and in secret to the secluded special building to conduct a photoshoot for her "Shizuku" persona. It was precisely because of this that she happened to witness the conflict between Sudo and those students from Class C.

But now...