The Person I Most Wanted to Thank

In the end, Manabu Horikita made his ruling.

Hachiman was innocent, while Manabe, who had framed him, would face suspension.

For something so vile, she was not expelled outright. Manabu Horikita was unexpectedly merciful.

As for Sudo, since the evidence was not clear enough, their testimony would be heard again tomorrow afternoon.

Hachiman and Sakura returned to the classroom together. On the way, Hachiman said with a smile, "That's great. I really have Sakura to thank for helping me get through this crisis."

Sakura shook her head shyly. "Not at all. I'm just glad I could help you."

Hachiman merely smiled. Sakura had clearly grown a great deal, far beyond what she had been in the original story.

When they entered the classroom, they found the Class D students anxiously waiting for their return.

Hachiman and Sakura walked in, Hachiman's face as dark as water.

The others immediately asked about the outcome when they saw them return.

Standing at the podium, Hachiman did not respond to their questions or gazes. Instead, he let out a disappointed sigh.

Everyone's hearts sank, their emotions a tangled mess.

The girls in Hachiman's fan club especially lowered their heads in despair, unwilling to accept the reality.

"Yeah! We made it through safely."

In the deathly silent classroom, Hachiman's voice suddenly rang out.

He raised his index and middle fingers, waving them smugly.

Everyone froze for a moment before bursting into cheers.

"That's wonderful! I knew Hachiman was innocent!"

"That's awful! They actually dared to deceive us."

"We need to teach that guy a proper lesson!"

The boys were all raring to go, eager to toss the actor high into the air in celebration that he could stay.

Most of them were not especially close to Hachiman, but with the mood like this, no one cared about such details.

Hachiman waved his hands nervously. "Sorry, everyone, could you quiet down and listen to me for a moment?"

At that, everyone fell silent, seriously waiting to hear what the class celebrity would say next.

Hachiman let out a soft breath and smiled.

"First of all, thank you for all your help these past few days. Thank you for being willing to run around gathering evidence for me.

"Especially Horikita."

Hachiman glanced at Horikita and Ayanokoji, who had just arrived at the classroom door, then bowed to everyone.

"Thank you very much!"

"It's nothing, Hachiman. We're all Class D students. When a companion runs into trouble, of course we'll do everything we can to help."

Hirata stood up and delivered those heart-stirring words. Moved by him, everyone else seemed to radiate boundless light.

Perhaps that was the charm of teamwork.

Hachiman nodded at him before continuing.

"However, the person I most wanted to thank wasn't any of you, nor was it Horikita."

Before anyone could get angry, Hachiman patted Sakura on the back.

"The person I most wanted to thank was Sakura."

Startled by Hachiman's pat, Sakura raised her head and met the gazes of her classmates.

"She gathered her courage and produced the evidence proving my innocence.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"Oh, so it was all thanks to Sakura!"

"Great job, Sakura!"

"Huh? I..."

Faced with their enthusiasm, Sakura seemed a little at a loss. Some people even rushed up to the podium, and Wang Meiyu directly took Sakura's hand to express her gratitude.

"Enjoy it. This is your moment."

With his hands in his pockets, Hachiman watched the scene with satisfaction.

I hope you keep growing.

"Where do you think you're going?"

A chill ran down his back. Just as he was about to leave in style, dozens of terrifying gazes bore into him from behind.

With sharp, icy glints in their eyes, the boys surrounded Hachiman, then lifted him up and hurled him hard toward the ceiling.

"Hey, hey, I'm going to hit the ceiling!"

"What? That's not high enough? Come on, guys, put some more strength into it."

Tears nearly streaming down his face, Hachiman endured their celebration. Out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to see Ayanokoji joining in as well.

Sudo, who returned later, stared at the scene with a head full of question marks.

My crisis hasn't even been resolved yet. What exactly are you people celebrating?

Horikita watched from the doorway, the corners of her mouth rising on their own.

Are these the so-called idiot boys?

They don't seem so bad.

In her sight, Hachiman's figure seemed to shine.

It's really good that you were able to stay, Hachiman.

Even Horikita herself did not know why, but after Hachiman overcame the crisis, she inexplicably felt relieved.

The sunset glow spilled into the classroom, adding another touch of beauty to the atmosphere.

"That's great. Hachiman finally proved his innocence."

At the Cafe, Hachiman, Sakura, Wang Meiyu, Sato, Matsushita, and Kushida sat gathered together.

Sitting there, Hachiman felt a little guilty. He kept feeling that the looks people gave their table were rather strange.

It felt like he had brought his harem out to show off.

Of the five girls, aside from Kushida and Matsushita, the other three all held a certain degree of affection for Hachiman.

Of course, that was all an achievement brought about by Hachiman's actions.

Though he could not exactly be proud of it in this situation.

"What an exhausting week! It's all Class C's fault. They actually came up with a way to frame someone. It's outrageous."

Sato waved her fist indignantly. Over the past week, she and Matsushita had also worked hard to help Hachiman search for evidence.

"Thank you very much for your help. Let me treat you all to drinks as thanks."

Hachiman raised his cup, and everyone else clinked theirs against it.

With that, this incident was officially over.

However, there was still one more matter left unfinished.

Something surfaced in Hachiman's mind. After Sakura finished her drink, she said to the others, "Sorry, I have something to do next, so I'll be leaving first."

"Huh? But I wanted to have a good chat with the hero who saved Hachiman."

Sato pouted in disappointment.

Sakura wore an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, but this is very important to me. I'll invite you all next time."

"Got it. Go ahead."

Sato smiled and waved, while the others also saw her off with smiles.

Not long after Sakura left, Hachiman stood up as well, preparing to leave.

"No way, Hachiman is leaving too?"

Both Sato and Wang Meiyu looked disappointed, as though they wanted to spend a little more time with him.

"I'm a little tired, so I'll be taking my leave first."

"Okay, keep it up, Hachiman."

Unlike the bolder Sato, Wang Meiyu merely waved and muttered something softly.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

With that, Hachiman left the Cafe.