Alright, alright, Ryuen, a chain of stratagems, is it?

"Yo, I heard some idiot from your class got expelled, huh?"

"Haha, typical Class D. A bunch of brainless losers—I bet they wouldn't even know how to sort themselves into a trash can."

"I heard that guy Ike had the answers and still cheated. What a moron~"

"What are you saying? Class D is just a pile of garbage, and isn't the one in front of us the same?"

"Damn it! You guys are looking for a death wish, aren't you!"

In the conference room, replaying the scene from that day in his mind, Sudo clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and pointed an angry hand at the three bruised boys opposite him. "They were the ones who provoked me first! They insulted our class and slandered my friend!"

"Hey, hey, you look exactly the same as you did when you beat us up that night!"

"So scary... you aren't planning on hitting us again, are you?"

"Mr. President, we request that you expedite the handling of this violent piece of trash!"

"Who are you calling a piece of trash?!"

"Will the respondent please remain calm! We will provide a fair ruling."

At the head of the conference table, Horikita Manabu rested his chin on his hands, silently observing the scene with a slight frown.

Today, as the presiding judge, he had to evaluate the brawl that had occurred recently and determine the appropriate disciplinary actions for both sides.

The parties involved were three students from Class C, led by Ishizaki, and Sudo, who already had a history of misconduct in Class D.

With both sides sticking to their own stories, he found it difficult to judge the nature of the incident, and for a moment, a fog of uncertainty clouded the minds of everyone present.

"Due to insufficient evidence to corroborate the claims of either side, no conclusion can be reached."

"The meeting is adjourned for now. The hearing will resume in one week. I hope everyone will have their evidence organized by then; do not waste everyone's time."

Horikita Manabu said coldly, then rose to leave the conference room. Before departing, he cast a sidelong glance at the girl standing next to the red-haired boy, who appeared to be lost in thought.

Suzune, let me see how you handle this.

In the Class D classroom, Ayanokoji was staring blankly out the window.

Before long, two men and one woman entered his field of vision.

Hearing their conversation, Ayanokoji frowned slightly.

"I told you, I didn't start the fight! They were the ones who provoked me first!" Sudo said anxiously, his agitation still lingering.

"I know... Sudo, please calm down and explain the sequence of events clearly."

Hirata said with a wry smile.

Horikita Suzune stood to the side without saying a word, as if her mind were not on the matter at hand.

Ayanokoji sighed helplessly, muttering to himself that one wave had barely subsided before another rose.

This school was truly a place of constant deception; if you didn't use your head, you would fall into someone else's trap.

However, in his eyes, this incident was no accident—or rather, it was a continuation of the earlier cheating incident involving Ike.

He stood up and walked silently toward the vending machine, his gaze wandering over the dazzling array of products while his thoughts drifted back to the afternoon of the expulsion announcement.

After Ike had left the classroom in a state of despair, he had waited for a while, pondered for a moment, and then followed him.

As for why he waited, it was, of course, to avoid drawing attention.

On his way to find Ike, he passed a corner without surveillance cameras and was drawn to a stop by the sound of an argument. He caught a glimpse of Sudo getting into a verbal altercation with several students from Class C over the situation with Ike.

Although he didn't linger, he could vaguely make out the clear provocation and insults in the other party's words; they might as well have had "come and hit me" written on their faces.

However, he hadn't stayed long, as he was focused on resolving the issue of Ike's expulsion.

He actually loved watching drama.

These guys were really giving him a headache!

He didn't care about class rankings, but for heaven's sake, don't let your stupid actions lead to collective punishment that drags me down with you!

I still need my monthly points!

Thinking this, he opened a drink and took a sip, his slight irritation fading by half.

If he had stayed a little longer, he could have recorded some evidence—what a pity.

Ayanokoji raised an eyebrow, a hint of regret crossing his face, just as he saw Horikita Suzune returning from the Student Council room, heading his way.

If he wasn't mistaken, this girl was definitely looking to lean on him for help again.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Horikita walk up to him, stopping less than a meter away, her long, beautiful legs encased in black knee-high socks.

His gaze uncontrollably fell upon the landscape between the black socks and the white skirt hem.

Absolute whiteness, absolute tenderness...

Was this the "absolute territory" so popular and highly praised in the 2D world?

I love it.

Before Ayanokoji could finish his internal lament, Horikita spoke in her characteristically icy tone: "Come with me tomorrow afternoon. I have a way to prove that Sudo wasn't the one who started the fight."

?

That doesn't sound like you. Did you have an epiphany?

Interrupting his appreciation of the beautiful scenery, Ayanokoji lifted his head slightly, his gaze shifting up to the girl's delicate nose, his eyes carrying a hint of resentment.

"Oh? Would you mind telling me how?"

Ayanokoji paused for a second before speaking, a flicker of curiosity crossing his eyes as he feigned an eager desire for the answer.

Acting skills: perfect.

"Hmph, you'll find out when you come tomorrow."

Horikita pouted, her tone neither heavy nor light, her tsundere nature practically overflowing.

Ayanokoji glanced at her, muttering to himself:

This girl is definitely acting out of a bit of spite. Since I used her as a tool twice without explaining the full story, she's trying to give me a taste of my own medicine!

Whatever, I'll humor her this time. After all, helping her grow sooner rather than later is only to my benefit.

Besides, I did promise a certain Student Council President that I would bring his little sister to the point where she could join the student council. (PS: Horikita Manabu never actually used the word "little," that was purely Ayanokoji's own conjecture.)

500,000 points—what a massive loss!

"Mm... got it," Ayanokoji said, his eyelids drooping as he put on a listless expression.

Horikita didn't say anything else and began walking toward the classroom with small, brisk steps.

Ayanokoji took the opportunity to sneak two more glances at her legs. So white!

Afterward, he bought another drink, intending to use it to ask someone for a favor.

It wasn't that he thought a cheap drink would be enough to make the other person help him, but it would be somewhat awkward to start a conversation empty-handed.

Moreover, he was certain that the girl wouldn't refuse him, because that was just the kind of person Ichinose Honami was.