Chapter 40

The party that framed Hirata, even the formidable Karuizawa, was powerless to do anything and began complaining once again. On another front, it seemed like Kitazawa Minya had made some progress; at least that fat and lewd-looking Ichinose wouldn't be pestering me every single day anymore. However, I didn't rate their chances of defeating a half-baked lawyer like me at the hearing organized by the student council. There have been quite a few interesting things lately, such as Kobashi, who keeps in touch with me via email, telling me that her best friend Shiranami is planning to confess her feelings to Ichinose. I was absolutely stunned by this; the imbalance of the sexes at this school has reached the point where women are falling for women, and as a man, I feel deeply guilty. "As for Ichinose, she will definitely reject her, because she is the type who wouldn't give up a whole forest for the sake of a single tree," I replied to Kobashi. Later, things took an even more dramatic turn. Ichinose found a temporary boyfriend to fill the quota, and this person was none other than the gloomy pervert from Class D, Ayanokoji. Still, this guy is on the handsome rankings, so I suppose it's acceptable... I'm not jealous! I'm really not! Sigh, girls these days! How tacky! Furthermore, the meddlesome rich girl Ichinose, seemingly under the advice of the invisible Kanzaki, launched a high-reward search for witnesses. Well, it seems the rumors Ryuen spread were useless; next time I attack Class D, I'll try to give Ichinose more to do so she doesn't keep causing trouble. Perhaps there won't be a next time... Sudo's expulsion is already a foregone conclusion; the current members of Class D would certainly not go into debt twice in a row to save him. And I have already submitted the testimonies unfavorable to Sudo. Holding the conviction of certain victory, I headed to the hearing with Shiina and Ishizaki. Aside from the plaintiff and defendant, each side is allowed two accompanying members to attend, so it was not against the rules. "Kitazawa-kun... do you really have to drag me along?" Shiina's face was written with pure disgust. "I've told you before, you need to participate in more class activities! Besides, since this concerns the interests of the entire class, we need a witness on the girls' side as well. Don't you agree, Sakagami-sensei?" I cunningly brought out the big banner that Shiina couldn't refuse. "Indeed, Shiina-san's capabilities are also very much worth looking forward to," Sakagami-sensei said with a smile. "More importantly, isn't Ryuen coming? He's certainly confident!" "For such a trivial matter, there's no need for the class leader to step out!" "I see, but don't underestimate the enemy! This year's Class D is also quite extraordinary," Sakagami-sensei hinted at something. "Oh? That is truly something to look forward to!" We soon arrived at the student council office, where a very cute third-year senior invited us to take our seats, and Student Council President Horikita Manabu also appeared in the main seat. "First-year Class C, Kitazawa Minya. You really are a guy who can't stay idle! Your name has been circulating among the upperclassmen ever since you enrolled," President Horikita said. "It's just an empty reputation, not worth mentioning. I'm truly sorry for the trouble we've caused you! We are the victims, and I ask that you, President, uphold justice for us," I responded very politely. "Our student council will naturally make a fair ruling." Horikita Manabu didn't say much else to me. Not long after, Class D's homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, also knocked and entered. On the student side, the trio consisting of Horikita, Ayanokoji, and the center of the incident, Sudo, followed. "We're late," Chabashira-sensei greeted Sakagami-sensei with unexpected politeness. "It's not the scheduled time yet, don't worry about it." "Have you met before?" It seemed Horikita and the others didn't know Sakagami-sensei. "He is the homeroom teacher of Class C, Sakagami-sensei. Furthermore..." Chabashira-sensei focused her gaze on the person sitting at the very back of the office, Horikita-senpai. "He is the student council president of this school." Horikita's brother didn't even look at his sister, continuing to read the documents in his hand. Horikita also cast her gaze toward her brother, and I curiously observed this strange pair of siblings. "Why is it always you?" Horikita sighed at me after sitting down. "I didn't want this either, Horikita-san. Today I am here for the interests of my companions, and this is Shiina-san, who is here for the same goal. I have a feeling you two will get along..." I introduced Shiina to Horikita. However, the student council secretary, Tachibana, who didn't want to waste any more time, interrupted: "Without further ado, regarding the violent incident that occurred last time, we will now hold a cross-examination between the student council, the parties involved in the incident, and the class teachers. The meeting will be moderated by me—student council secretary Tachibana." "I didn't expect the student council president to personally attend a dispute of this scale; it's quite rare. Usually, it's mostly just Tachibana who comes," this was the information provided by Chabashira. "Due to my busy schedule, although I do not participate in some topics, it is ideal in principle for me to be present. Besides, the school has also entrusted me with the responsibilities of student council affairs." "In other words, this is just a coincidence?" Chabashira-sensei wore a meaningful smile, but Horikita's brother remained completely unmoved. However, the Horikita across from me was clearly shaken; it seems the Goddess of Victory decided to stand on the side of our Class C today without a second thought! Afterward, Secretary Tachibana repeated the summary of the incident in an easy-to-understand manner. "...Based on the above, we hope to clarify which side's claim is reasonable," Tachibana said, looking first at Class D. "Komiya-kun and his companion from the basketball club claim that they were called to the special building by you, Sudo-kun, and were unilaterally provoked and beaten there. Is this true?" "Those guys are lying. I'm the one who was called to the special building!" Sudo denied it without a moment's hesitation. "Then Sudo-kun, can you tell us the facts?" "After I finished my club training that day, I was called to the special building by Komiya and Kondo. Although I felt it was a hassle, I was already annoyed by their usual attitude, so I went to meet them." Sakagami-sensei and I exchanged a smile; Sudo, this guy, is the ultimate "pig teammate." "That's a lie. We were called out by Sudo, which is why we went to the special building." Komiya, being named, naturally didn't want to be outdone. "Stop messing around, Komiya. You're the one who called me out!" "I don't recall that." Sudo stood up and slammed the table in anger, while we in Class C sat motionless. "Sudo-kun, please calm down a little. We are currently just listening to both sides' accounts. Komiya-kun, please also refrain from interrupting halfway." "Hmph, I know that..." Sudo sat back down. "Both sides claim they were called out by the other, so the accounts do not match. However, there seems to be a common point. There has been friction between Sudo-kun and Komiya-kun and Kondo-kun, right?" "Rather than friction, it's more like Sudo-kun is always looking for trouble with us," Komiya answered according to the script Ryuen had instructed, cleverly mixing lies into the truth. "What do you mean by looking for trouble?" "He is better at basketball than us, so he often comes to show off. Even though we work hard at training without admitting defeat, he looks down on us."