Horikita Manabu: You have quite the nerve, Hikigaya Hachiman, to engage in such illicit acts within the school building.

July 2nd, Homeroom.

Chabashira announced some troublesome news during the morning homeroom session.

"I have an announcement to make today. Sudo has gotten into a conflict with students from Class C. To put it simply, there was a fight."

The moment Chabashira finished speaking, the classroom erupted into a commotion. Although it was predictable given yesterday's events, it really was Sudo causing trouble again...

Amidst the noise, Chabashira continued her explanation: depending on how the responsibility is divided, Sudo could face suspension, and the class points would be deducted as well. If the class points were to hit zero, it would likely trigger a riot.

"Why hasn't a conclusion been reached yet?" Hirata asked the teacher.

"The complaint came from Class C. They claim they were unilaterally assaulted. However, according to Sudo, the Class C students lured him out and provoked him first."

"It was self-defense! I didn't do anything wrong!" Sudo shouted in his own defense, but the cold gazes of his classmates pierced through him one after another. Being stubborn and claiming "I did nothing wrong" at a time like this was just adding fuel to the fire...

"But you don't have any evidence, do you?"

"How could I possibly have something like that!"

"In other words, the truth is currently unknown, and the conclusion is being held in reserve. Depending on where the responsibility lies, the disciplinary action will be vastly different."

"I'm innocent! If anything, they should be paying me for emotional distress!"

"That is what the party involved says, but the credibility is low. If there were any witnesses who saw Sudo at the scene, the situation might be different—" Chabashira scanned the entire class, "Does anyone here have any witness to the conflict? If so, please raise your hand."

No one in the classroom responded. Even if a classmate were to testify, it likely wouldn't be persuasive enough.

"It seems there are no witnesses in this class. The school has synchronized the details of the incident with the homeroom teachers of each class to continue searching for clues."

"Huh?! They actually made it public?!"

(Isn't that obvious? Of course, all teachers would be notified if students are involved in an incident.)

"That is all for the notification. The final verdict will be announced next Tuesday, at which time the situation regarding witnesses and evidence will be taken into account. Homeroom is dismissed."

After Chabashira left, Sudo walked out of the classroom with a gloomy face.

"Sudo is done for this time, right?" Ike was the first to speak up.

"The class points we worked so hard to increase..."

"Are going to be ruined by him again!"

"It would have been better if he had just dropped out in the first place!"

Malice began to fester, just like it did after school yesterday. Perhaps I should have hidden away before the first period?

Just as I was thinking that, the classroom door was suddenly pushed open with a bang—the person who entered wasn't a teacher, but Kamuro.

"Is Hikigaya here? I need to talk to you."

This unexpected visitor caused the entire class's attention to shift from Sudo to me. Enduring a stomachache, I walked toward the door:

"What is it? Couldn't you have just sent a message?"

"Sorry about that. Can I borrow your math textbook? I need it for the first period, and I forgot to bring mine."

(Indeed, forgetting a textbook affects class points. Kamuro doesn't usually interact with other classes, which is probably why she came to me.)

"Sure, but I need it for the second period, so return it to me as soon as class ends."

I pulled the textbook out of my bag and handed it to her.

"Got it, thanks."

"I didn't expect you to be the type to forget things."

"I didn't pack it properly after reviewing last night, and I was in such a rush this morning that I left it behind."

"So, your clumsy side has finally emerged."

"Weren't you the one who was teased by Sakanayanagi for the exact same blunder?"

"I'll admit to that. But you're usually so cold and aloof, this contrast is actually quite cute."

"Shut up! Stop saying weird things!"

Kamuro glared at me and stepped closer, but suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell toward me. I reflexively caught her.

"Watch out... it was a pen on the floor. Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. You can let go now."

"Oh, sorry."

(To onlookers, it must have looked like we were hugging... though I had a similar experience with Yukinoshita before, I didn't break into a cold sweat this time.)

Kamuro turned around as if nothing had happened: "I'm going... thanks for earlier."

Her final words as she left made my heart skip a beat, but the time in the classroom began to flow again as she departed.

"Tch, how composed."

"Of course someone who has both private points and girls around them wouldn't care about class points."

"If you have the energy for that, why don't you help us out!"

The target of the malice suddenly shifted to me. Even though I hadn't done anything wrong...

At this moment, Kushida clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention:

"Everyone, Hikigaya-kun didn't do anything wrong; we should continue discussing Sudo-kun's situation. Actually—Sudo-kun might really be involved in a conflict just as the teacher said."

She began to relay the version of events she heard from Sudo: members of the Class C basketball team were jealous that Sudo might be selected for the starting lineup, so they called him out to threaten him into quitting the club, which eventually escalated into a physical altercation, with Sudo only acting in self-defense.

"If anyone witnessed what happened, please, by all means, speak up. I'm begging you." After saying this, Kushida sat down quietly.

(But the testimony of classmates isn't enough; unless there is evidence like a photo, it won't hold much weight.)

Yamauchi suddenly interjected: "Anyway, I don't believe Sudo. He said himself that he was fighting all the time back in middle school."

"I saw him grabbing a student from another class by the collar in the hallway before."

"He even yelled at a senior."

(Even though no one saw this incident, so many of Sudo's dark history stories are popping up... This battle is definitely lost.)

"I want to believe in him." Hirata, the class leader, stood up. "Sudo is our comrade. It's wrong to doubt him from the start."

(Even though he says that, he doesn't even believe it himself, right...)

"I agree too!" some of the girls chimed in.

Hearing Hirata's words, Karuizawa Kei—Hirata's girlfriend—raised her voice while adjusting her bangs:

"If he's being framed, then that's a huge problem, isn't it? Isn't it pathetic for an innocent person to suffer?"

Karuizawa, like Kushida, is a core figure among the girls. Driven by her, the girls began to express their support one after another. As a result, with Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa at the center, everyone seemed to be starting to take action to prove Sudo's innocence.

As for me? How could I possibly get involved in such a troublesome matter. At the end of the day, Sudo, who threw the punches, is also an aggressor. I can't be bothered to pay attention to an idiot who is clearly in the wrong but acts like a victim.

I treated the classmates' conversation as background music and silently prepared the teaching materials for the first period.

As time passed, it was officially decided after school that Hirata, Karuizawa, and Kushida would lead a team to search for witnesses. However, seeing Koenji, Horikita, and a few other classmates leave the classroom quickly, I followed them. On the way, Horikita was caught by Kushida, but nine times out of ten, she wouldn't cooperate.

Speaking of which, Hiyori is going to the Tea Ceremony Club today, and Sakanayanagi seems to be going out with her small group, so for the first time in a while, I'm left alone. This gives me more options: go to the library to read, go back to the dorm to play the game I bought from Ike, or go to the shopping mall to eat dessert...

...Forget it, I should save some points. I'm exhausted today, so I'd better just go back and sleep.

Having made up my mind, I headed toward the dormitory, and as soon as I entered the room, I threw myself onto the bed.

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By the way, waking up the next morning to see Hiyori in her pajamas screaming on my bed—that kind of reaction is only natural, right?

＊＊＊＊＊＊

The next morning, after walking to school with Sakanayanagi and Hiyori as usual, I parted ways with them on the way and headed toward the vending machine. Just as I was about to buy a MAX Coffee—

"Hey~ Hikigaya-kun~"

A spirited greeting came from behind. It was that voice that always carried the scent of sunflowers, Ichinose.

Turning my head, I saw Ichinose jogging toward me, and a certain plump area swayed along with her movement, so I quickly looked away.

"Morning, Hikigaya-kun. Is there something I can ask you?"

"What is it?"

"About the fighting incident. I heard that when I wasn't around yesterday, someone from Class D came to Class B to investigate, right?" It seems they really did go to other classes to ask around when I wasn't there.

"Are you looking for witnesses?"

"Something like that."

"'Something like that'? Weren't you involved, Hikigaya-kun?"

"No way. The person involved shows no remorse and is even playing the victim; who would help a guy like that?"

To put it bluntly, I just find it troublesome. It would have been better if someone like Sudo had dropped out during the midterm exams.

"I see... Actually, the teachers and students only said there was a violent incident, could you tell me the specific situation?" Ichinose blinked with eyes full of curiosity. It's not a secret anyway, so I told her everything I heard in the classroom.

"I see. So that's why they came to Class B to investigate."

"Pretty much. In any case, it's a done deal that our class will be punished."

"That's true."

Since Class C went out of their way to report it, the other party is likely not lightly injured. In contrast, Sudo looks completely unscathed today. Regardless of the character of the Class C students, comparing a severely injured Class C student to an ill-mannered but unharmed Sudo, public opinion is definitely unfavorable to the latter.

However, Sudo still insists he did nothing wrong. Unless decisive evidence appears, he is bound to lose. And my intuition tells me that Ryuen is pulling the strings behind this. If that's true, Sudo is absolutely finished—although I've only met him a few times, the danger that guy poses is obvious.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter what happens to that guy. He's an idiot who almost dropped out during the midterms and immediately caused trouble again; I can't be bothered to care."

"Eh? Sudo-kun almost dropped out before?"

Right, only Class D knew about that.

"He didn't reach the passing grade on the English midterm. He barely passed by using points to buy marks at the time."

"Wow~ So the school really can buy everything with points. By the way, how much did it cost?"

"One hundred thousand points per point."

"That's so expensive!"

Indeed, that's basically extortion, isn't it?

As I was thinking this, the preparatory bell suddenly rang. We had talked for longer than I realized.

"I need to get back to the classroom. If I'm not there before the teacher arrives, I'll get points deducted," I said, shaking my coffee can.

If a popular girl like Ichinose were late, her classmates would probably just give a wry smile and say, "Be more careful next time."

But if it were a loner like me, I'd definitely be picked on: "You brat, you've got points and you've got girls, yet you still dare to be late? Are you looking to die?"

"Oh, right! Let's go, let's go!"

Ichinose nodded and quickened her pace, and I followed closely behind. Just as we rushed into the school building and started climbing the stairs—

"Ah!"

"Whoa!"

She was walking in front of me when she suddenly missed a step. In the moment she lost her balance, she dragged me down the stairs with her. Fortunately, we had only climbed a few steps, so the fall wasn't too heavy, but my whole body ached.

Just as I was about to push myself up, a soft sensation came from my palm.

Ichinose, who was pinned beneath me, let out an "Oh my."

She let out a delicate gasp.

This sensation... could it be?!

Just as I was reminded of a similar experience from before, a cold voice suddenly came from above:

"To engage in such lewd behavior within the school building—you have quite the nerve, Hikigaya Hachiman."

I looked up to see a cold, handsome guy with glasses looking down at us. I knew this person—

"Come to the Student Council Room during lunch break."

After Student Council President Horikita Manabu finished speaking, he turned and walked away.

I'm done for...