A Temporary Conclusion

Chapter 40

Ryuen's appearance cast a heavy shadow over the scene, interrupting everyone's movements.

Horikita and the others' expressions shifted from relaxed to grim, while light returned to Ishizaki's previously dejected eyes.

He was just about to say something to save face.

But Ryuen's attention was entirely fixed on Ayanokoji at the very back.

Horikita sharply sensed that malicious gaze. Facing Ryuen head-on, she watched him finally withdraw his eyes.

"Ryuen, if you came because of Ishizaki and the others, there's no need. They've already confessed, and the truth was recorded long ago."

The surveillance camera on the wall was Horikita's greatest source of confidence right now. As long as she kept up this attitude, her opponents would naturally lose their nerve.

"You mean the surveillance camera that was installed just these past few days?"

With a single sentence, Ryuen pierced Horikita's flimsy defense.

"I'm very familiar with surveillance cameras. I know the location of every camera in this place. Fake is fake."

"Whether it's fake or not, one look will tell."

Horikita refused to back down, intending to exploit their reluctance to check the footage and force their hand.

Ryuen suddenly slapped the metal cabinet beside her ear. The dull bang made Horikita's eyelashes tremble. "The newly installed camera—" As he leaned down, the shadow of his bangs swallowed Horikita's face. "Do you dare make the footage public?"

Horikita remained silent with her brows tightly furrowed. They really had no way to release the footage; there was not a single record of what Ishizaki and the others had done that day.

Seeing Horikita's reaction, Ishizaki and the others finally regained their usual arrogant expressions, breaking into wild laughter as their confidence returned.

"I knew you guys were behind this."

"You don't have any recordings from that day at all!"

"How despicable. You actually dared to set up a trap for us."

With Ryuen's arrival, Ishizaki and the others had calmed down and begun to see through Horikita's scheme. The situation before them had put Horikita and the others at a disadvantage.

Ichinose had kept her brows furrowed, repeatedly glancing between Ryuen and Horikita.

Ryuen noticed this "extra" person.

"Ichinose, why aren't you staying in your little Class B circle? You came here to uphold justice?"

"I won't tolerate what you're doing here."

"What are you talking about? Didn't we say we were the victims?" Kondo complained.

"A minute ago, you weren't acting like this."

Ichinose's words stopped Kondo and the other two in their tracks. They stammered for a long while without managing a reply.

"That proves there's something wrong with you."

"Hey, Ichinose, don't go making accusations without evidence. We're all good students, you know. If Sudo's mistake is punished, he'll be suspended for at least two weeks."

Ryuen smiled.

"You beat up and deceived your classmates. You've done it all."

"You..." Ichinose glared at Ryuen angrily. Then her expression suddenly changed, taking on a deliberately playful look.

"Who says we don't have evidence?"

"What evidence could you possibly have? Solving cases by bullying little girls?"

Ryuen scoffed. The only source of evidence in this matter was the photos Tokito had taken, and Sakamoto was the only one who had obtained those photos.

He also knew that, because of Sudo and the others' reckless actions a few days ago, their relationship with that person from Class A had already deteriorated terribly.

"Exactly! Those guys love lying and playing little tricks. There's no way we'd believe them—"

"These are photos of Ishizaki and the other two provoking Sudo!"

Ichinose answered righteously, raising the photos Tokito had taken. They were the evidence Ayanokoji had slipped into her hand from his sleeve.

The photos clearly showed Ishizaki's smiling face in close-up, contrasted against Sudo's frustrated expression.

Who the perpetrators were and who the victims were was obvious at a glance. Behind Ichinose, Ayanokoji quietly stepped back again.

"Hehe." Ichinose gave a soft hum.

"Bad people should be punished!"

Ryuen's expression froze. He stared at the kindhearted yet embarrassingly childish girl, then laughed.

"Looks like something happened that I don't know about. Still, Sudo won't escape punishment at the disciplinary hearing."

This whole matter had originally been planned by Ishizaki and the others, so there was nothing they could do about being punished when things went wrong. But Sudo had genuinely injured them. When all was said and done, he would not get off easily either. Mutual destruction—why would Ryuen be afraid of that?

Horikita knew she could not let anything happen to Ishizaki and the others.

"I don't intend to kick someone when they're down either. I have a way to resolve the conflict between Class C and Class D."

Horikita's plan was clear: Class C would withdraw its complaint against Sudo. Without a plaintiff, there would naturally be no punishment.

This solution was not unacceptable to Ishizaki and the others. Or rather, there was no better way to handle it.

Ryuen let Ishizaki decide for himself. Ishizaki hesitated only briefly before agreeing to Horikita's proposal.

They went together to the Student Council office and settled the dispute.

The Class C students hurriedly left the office.

The matter finally came to an end.

"Horikita, Ayanokoji, you really are my best friends."

Even a big guy like Sudo wore an expression that made people want to laugh as he took a huge gulp of his drink.

"I never expected Ichinose to end up getting the photos."

Ichinose smiled, but her eyes were fixed on Ayanokoji.

Ayanokoji, meanwhile, recalled what had happened that afternoon.

Why did Ryuen come looking for me? Tokito?

He seemed unusually concerned about me?

While Ayanokoji was eating, Ryuen had come to bother him.

But the information Ryuen revealed made him understand the truth at once.

Putting all the clues together,

it was naturally clear who had been acting behind the scenes.

"So you came after all." Sakamoto's slender fingers danced lightly across the piano keys. They barely brushed the black and white keys, with just enough force to keep the piano from making a sound.

"These clues were actually laid out rather plainly. Honestly, I wasn't very interested in helping you."

"What those idiots did was so dull it wasn't worth getting involved in. That Teacher Chasuke from Class D was rather right about one thing—if you have no value, it's best to leave this school. You're helping them like this... do you really expect to learn any virtues from those idiots?"

"They're a type of person I've never encountered before. If I stay, perhaps some changes will happen."

"You like raising sims too? Hahaha." Sakamoto used a term Ayanokoji did not quite understand.

"Forget it. These photos are useless to me anyway. I only got them in passing."

"What do you want?"

Sakamoto smiled and leaned close to whisper into Ayanokoji's ear...