An Unexpected Development

"Hey, Hoshino-kun, um... are you free after school? I was wondering if I could invite you to a meeting to exchange information about Sudo's situation. Please?" Kushida stood by Hoshino's desk, her moist eyes carrying a hint of pleading.

"...Well, I still have things to take care of with the Student Council..." Hoshino awkwardly scratched his head, stammering as he looked away.

A pretty girl like Kushida definitely had a natural advantage in this sort of situation. Even Hoshino found it hard to resist.

"...I see. There must be a lot to do with the Student Council, too. Sorry..." Kushida said, then left with a disappointed look.

There wasn't much room to discuss this matter, anyway. The only real concern was Class B, but Hoshino had no idea where to start asking around.

He didn't dare fully trust Hoshinomiya-sensei or Ichinose, either. He didn't know them well enough; they were only acquaintances. As for Class D, there was even less to say!

He really had no idea where to begin.

Still, it didn't matter. This evidence should be enough to negotiate some terms with Ryuen.

To make sure Ryuen wouldn't have time to cause trouble, Hoshino decided to wait two more days before going to see him. That way, he could catch Ryuen completely off guard.

Why did the atmosphere in the classroom feel so strange?

Hoshino sensed something was off. He'd noticed it ever since he arrived that morning: quite a few people seemed to have started paying attention to the pink-haired girl sitting beside Horikita!

Even during break, he could see people looking at the girl curled up in her seat and whispering about her.

Had someone found something out? Was it because of last night's meeting to exchange information?

Perhaps unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere in the classroom, the pink-haired girl stood up and tiptoed out.

"Wait, Sakura-san. There's something I'd like to ask you. Is that okay?" The familiar voice could only belong to Kushida.

Hoshino suddenly grew curious. How had she found out? She hadn't noticed anything a few days ago.

He stood up and walked out of the classroom.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, he spotted two familiar figures nearby: Ayanokoji and Horikita! They were also watching Kushida and the girl near the doorway.

"...It's about Sudo..." Perhaps afraid of frightening the girl, Kushida softened her voice.

"...I'm... I'm sorry! I have something urgent to do..." The girl looked away, seeming afraid to meet Kushida's eyes.

"...It won't take long. This is important!" Kushida grabbed the girl's hand.

"I... I don't know! I don't know anything!" The girl struggled desperately and accidentally fell to the ground. Something seemed to slip from her embrace. Hoshino reacted quickly and caught the strap. Looking closely, he saw that it was a pink camera.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Kushida hurriedly bent down and helped the girl up.

"Here." Hoshino had only come out to see what was happening, so the object flying at him caught him by surprise.

"Thank you!" The girl took the camera and examined it carefully, then let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Hoshino-kun! I'm glad you were here!" Kushida smiled with relief, too.

"No, I just happened to be here." He couldn't very well tell her he'd come out to watch the commotion.

After thanking him again, the girl hurried off. Kushida called after her several times, but couldn't stop her...

"Hoshino, you'll preside over this hearing."

Hoshino had been bent over the documents in front of him when President Horikita's words startled him. He looked up, bewildered.

"Huh?... Why?"

"As the Student Council secretary, you need to learn how to handle things. This incident is a good chance for you to get some practice."

Hoshino had thought President Horikita was joking, but now he didn't know what to say. Then again, he'd never seen President Horikita joke around.

"But..."

Hoshino had no experience with anything like this. It was his first time dealing with a case like this.

And was it really appropriate for him to handle it? Shouldn't he avoid any appearance of bias?

"Don't worry. I'll be sitting in, too. If you make any mistakes, I'll point them out."

President Horikita seemed determined to make Hoshino do it!

"Uh... okay?" Unsure how to respond, Hoshino agreed hesitantly.

As he watched President Horikita reviewing documents behind the desk, Hoshino fell into thought.

This probably seemed like a trivial matter to President Horikita, too.

He'd actually trusted a classmate like Hoshino with the responsibility. President Horikita must have had some evidence of his own.

This was probably also a test of whether Hoshino was suited to serve on the Student Council and whether he could solve problems.

Still, it was a hassle. The troublemakers in his class would probably pester him nonstop.

Hoshino definitely couldn't bring himself to cover up for Sudo. But he'd already confirmed that the other party had been the one provoking him.

Sudo had indeed acted in self-defense, but Hoshino was the one witness...

Hoshino suddenly regretted agreeing to take this on.

Would this mean he'd lose his chance to get something out of Ryuen, too? Was the recording going to end up useless in his hands?

No! There had to be a way! Maybe he could get Sakayanagi to "take it off his hands"?

But what was he supposed to do about the case here?

Hoshino wasn't sure how to handle it.

Forget it! He'd stop thinking about it for now. Looking at the piles of work in front of him, Hoshino gave up.

"Phew! It's been ages since I went for a walk at night!"

Ever since joining the Student Council, Hoshino had been swamped with work every day. Even when he had a little free time, he no longer felt like going out.

Since he had some time today, Hoshino decided to go for a walk and get some rest. Maybe he'd come up with a good idea along the way!

As he walked around the artificial lake near the dormitory, Hoshino suddenly felt as if he'd returned to the real world. After all, getting into this school had felt like a dream from the start.

Come to think of it, he'd once run into Kushida and Ayanokoji here, secretly... sharing a secret? It was kind of funny to remember.

Wait! Ayanokoji! Hoshino suddenly had an idea, though it was still half-baked...