Over the next few days, things went more or less as An Xiao had expected. The points that should have been issued still hadn't arrived, and Hoshinomiya-sensei gave him more or less the same answer she had when he'd gone to see her.
Meanwhile, in the Student Council, An Xiao looked over a report submitted by three named members of the first-year Class C Basketball Club, accusing Ken Sudō of Class D of physically assaulting them.
The report emphasized that Sudō of Class D had attacked them without provocation and injured them.
An Xiao studied the attached photos with interest. They showed the three of them with their arms wrapped in bandages after the beating, and he clicked his tongue from time to time.
He'd been pretty ruthless. They hadn't looked nearly as badly hurt when he'd left.
"What, are you interested in this case?"
Horikita Manabu set down the document in his hands and asked when he saw An Xiao looking at it.
"After all, it happened in our year."
"By the way, President, when is the Student Council likely to deal with this?" An Xiao asked, idly rubbing his finger over his phone screen.
"...In a week. The Student Council will step in and negotiate with Class C."
"So you've already decided Sudō from Class D is at fault."
At An Xiao's tone, Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses.
"Do you see it differently?"
An Xiao didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "If it were you, President, could you take on three people at once?"
Horikita Manabu said nothing. But at some point, Akane Tachibana had come up behind An Xiao and lightly tapped him with the clipboard she was holding. She chided him, "Why are you thinking about all this while you're working? Have you finished the two tasks I gave you before?"
"Uh..."
"You know how it is, Tachibana-senpai. There are so many shops on campus, and so many security cameras that need maintenance, so it's taking a while."
"And the most important thing is..."
An Xiao said helplessly, discreetly pointing toward Horikita Manabu, who was sitting in front of them.
The president dragged him to the Gym every day, and the workouts kept getting harder. An Xiao felt that just having enough energy left to do his Student Council work afterward made him incredibly dedicated.
"Since you have an idea about this matter involving your Classes C and D, go ahead and give it a try," Horikita Manabu said. "The Student Council won't help you in any way, but if you manage to resolve it, you'll receive a generous reward from the Student Council."
After Horikita Manabu finished speaking, An Xiao stared at him strangely. Only after a long moment did he speak with an awkward grin. "President, that sudden change in your tone is really throwing me off."
"It's even a little... gross." As he spoke, An Xiao gestured with his fingers to show just how little.
Horikita Manabu rarely seemed taken aback, but An Xiao's words made him pause. Then he let out a cold laugh.
"Heh. Looks like you're still not getting enough exercise. Next time..."
"I'm leaving for today!" An Xiao sprang to his feet, handed the finished documents to Tachibana-senpai, and ran off without looking back. "I'll definitely finish those two tasks by the end of this week!" he called, then disappeared from sight.
"Should I call him back?" Akane Tachibana walked over to Horikita Manabu.
"No need." Horikita Manabu shook his head. "It's almost time anyway."
"You really do think highly of him, President," Akane Tachibana said with a smile.
"After all, we'll be graduating in a year." Horikita Manabu looked toward an empty seat and let out a rare sigh.
"Hopefully, he'll grow up quickly."
"At the very least, we can't leave this school in that guy's hands."
"Honestly, how can the president not even take a joke? If he makes me do any more extra training, I might be the first person at this school to die in the Gym." An Xiao walked between the school buildings, grumbling under his breath.
Before long, though, he bumped into someone coming toward him.
"Hey! Do you not watch where you're going?" Yamauchi was already in a bad mood, and being bumped like that only made him angrier. Without even looking at who it was, he started shouting.
"Wait, you look kind of familiar..."
"Right, you're from Class B, aren't you? What was your name again?"
"Never mind. Just come with me for now."
Hold on. Do I even know you?
An Xiao tried to pull free, but his muscles still ached. Then Yamauchi dragged him forward, making him stumble, and he couldn't break away.
"Hey, look who I brought!"
Yamauchi pulled An Xiao over to a flower bed, then waved toward the people there and shouted.
"Did you find a witness?" Kushida asked hopefully.
"I didn't find the witness you were talking about, but he grabbed me and brought me here." An Xiao steadied himself and rolled his eyes at the familiar group of four.
"This guy bumped into me and dragged me over for no reason. He's like a human trafficker."
"I'm sorry. Yamauchi might have gotten a little carried away," Kushida quickly explained, then filled An Xiao in on what had happened.
It was more or less what An Xiao had seen at the Student Council, except that Class D's account was more sympathetic to Sudō.
"So, to sum it up, that redhead's about to get expelled again."
An Xiao delivered his verdict.
"Uh... that's more or less what you said." Kushida gave an awkward smile, then looked at An Xiao with pleading eyes. "Could you help us?"
"Hmm. From what you've told me, it does sound like Sudō was framed, and you could definitely use some help." An Xiao nodded. But before Kushida could smile, he continued, "But I refuse."
Although An Xiao had crucial evidence, the time to use it hadn't come yet, and he didn't want to hand it over to Class D for nothing.
Besides, it wasn't as if anything would happen in the end.
Oh, right. Sakura from Class D had been a witness too, hadn't she...
But when he thought of how socially anxious she was, he shook his head.
Hearing An Xiao's answer, Ike and Yamauchi couldn't sit still.
"Bastard, are you messing with us?"
"Heh." An Xiao pointed at himself, then at the four people across from him, and said helplessly,
"Have you got something mixed up? I'm from Class B, and you're from Class D. I don't think I'm obligated to help you, am I?"
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