Chapter 45

We had to choose somewhere without cameras." "W-why would there be cameras! There aren't any on the other floors! It's weird to have them installed only here, isn't it?" Ishizaki began to panic. "It's true that the school corridors generally don't seem to have cameras. But there are a few exceptions. Cameras are installed in the corridors outside the staff room and the science classrooms. The staff room is obvious enough—there are plenty of valuable things inside, right? And the science classrooms store all sorts of chemicals. Since there are science classrooms on this floor, it's only natural that cameras would be installed." Ichinose was pretty good at lying, too. As expected, the prettier the girl, the better she was at deceiving people. I didn't know what deal she'd made with Class D to step in and help them, but now that they'd declared war, they could look forward to our revenge. It wouldn't be long... "Why don't you check behind you? There's more than one camera. If we had installed them, would we have gone to the trouble of setting them up on that side, too? And besides, how could we have arranged all this when we can't leave the school?" That settled it: they'd definitely set this up! And you idiots, Ishizaki—you'd forgotten the task Ryuen had given you, hadn't you? "T-that's impossible... How could this happen? We... we checked back then..." "This is the third floor. Are you sure you checked the third floor? Maybe you checked the second or fourth floor instead. There really are cameras here, you know?" Even from far away, I could see the sweat on Ishizaki's head. Call me... Had he forgotten what I'd told the class? If there was a problem, come to me and Ryuen! I resisted the urge to rush out and kept testing Ishizaki and the others, hoping they'd learn something from this incident. "Besides, do you realize you've already given yourselves away? Ordinary people don't care whether there are cameras or go around checking for them. By bringing it up, you've basically admitted that you're the culprits." Ichinose delivered her final blow. "Th-then... could they have filmed us back then, too...?" "Cameras of that type probably can't record sound, but they definitely caught the decisive moment when you struck first. In fact, the school is probably waiting for you to tell the truth. That's why they gave you an extension, and why the Student Council President came to check whether you were lying. Think back to your conversation with him. Doesn't it seem like they saw right through everything?" "No way... I never heard about this...! We're done for!" Komiya leaned against the wall and weakly bent his knees. Kondo clutched his head, too. "W-wait. I still can't accept this. If the cameras caught footage, couldn't you prove your innocence without doing anything? Even if you didn't tell us, we'd have found out during the meeting. You must have installed the cameras yourselves!" Ishizaki, you're a little late to the party. And if that were really true, why would she tell you? She'd said they could just sit back and win. Why would she warn her enemies? "Innocence depends on what standard you're using, doesn't it? From the moment the incident happened, it was certain that both sides would suffer. Whoever struck first, both sides would be punished in the end. Whatever the circumstances, Sudo hit the three of you. That can't be changed. Of course, if the footage proves that Sudo didn't strike first, his punishment could be reduced to the minimum. But that would be a problem. If even one bad rumor got out, his place on the team would be in danger. And he might not be able to compete in the tournament, either." "What? Hey, then the footage would be a problem for you, too, wouldn't it? In that case, we should just go on the attack. Even if it's only for one day, getting Sudo suspended is enough." "If you do that, you'll be expelled. Are you fine with that?" "If they check the footage, it'll also expose the fact that all three of you lied. If that happens, you'll almost certainly be expelled. Anyone can see that." "W-what...?" "Th-then why doesn't the school... tell everyone we lied?" Kondo asked weakly. "The school is testing us. They're testing whether we students can resolve our problems among ourselves, and what kind of conclusion we'll reach. Doesn't this whole incident make sense if you think of it that way?" "...Why... Why would they do that...? I absolutely refuse to be expelled...!" "H-hey, Ishizaki. It's not too late. Let's go tell the school we lied! If we tell them ourselves, maybe they'll forgive us!" "Damn it... Don't mess with me... You want me to admit I lied? If I'm going to be punished for it, I'd rather go down fighting, even if it means risking everything...! That way, Sudo's finished, too!" That's right! That's the choice a man like Ishizaki should make! If those cameras were real, the outcome was already decided. Admitting the truth would mean betraying the class. And what were you afraid of? Even if they filmed it, the footage would only show Sudo beating you three up. Who struck first wouldn't matter. It would clearly be excessive self-defense. "It's too early to draw a conclusion. I'll give you one last chance. This is the only way to save both Class C and Class D." "How could there possibly be a way to do that?" "There's only one way to resolve this incident. Tell the school you want to withdraw your complaint. Then the school won't force the camera footage into the open to pass judgment. If the complaint is withdrawn, no one will be punished. If the school insists on checking the footage, Class D will support you, too. As I said, if the footage becomes an issue, Sudo will also be suspended. In other words, Class C and Class D can work together against the school. We can claim that the footage alone doesn't show what happened, and the school won't investigate any further, right?" Ayanokoji stepped in at just the right moment. "Huff, huff... Let me make a call..." Ishizaki took out his phone, but Ichinose stopped him. He'd finally taken out his phone. I smiled with relief. These guys weren't beyond saving after all. I switched off the recorder. It was my turn to make an appearance. "It seems you won't listen, so we'll have to steel ourselves, too. We'll go confirm the footage with the school right now and have you expelled." Ichinose took out her phone, looking ready to notify the school. "Go ahead and check. The only result will be Sudo's expulsion." My cold voice came from the shadows behind Ichinose. "Kitazawa!?" Ishizaki's excited shout and Ichinose's shocked voice came one after the other. Beside them, Ayanokoji shook his head, looking as though this had become a real problem. That's right. Once the captain steps in, it's all over. Volume One: The First Glimpse: 27 We Can Only Gain Life by Giving Up Our Lives "We can only gain life by giving up our lives." — Rabindranath Tagore "W-were you listening the whole time, Kitazawa?" Ichinose asked awkwardly. "That's right. It's a rare thing for you to have filmed...