Being good at facing crowds is a talent Kikyo was born with

Unpleasant things always seem to happen one after another. Teacher Chabashira, who usually only made basic announcements, presented Class C (Ju Ji) with the news they least wanted to hear during the next morning's homeroom.

"I have something to report to you all today. It seems a bit of a dispute occurred within the school a few days ago. Sudo, sitting over there, appears to have gotten into a conflict with students from Class D. To put it simply, they got into a fight."

The classroom instantly erupted into a noisy commotion. The fact that Sudo had clashed with Class D, and that depending on the severity, he could face suspension and the deduction of class points, was laid out before them in all its stark reality.

Teacher Chabashira's indifferent, completely emotionless demeanor even possessed a strange kind of beauty. She was almost like a mature version of Suzune.

There was no bias in her words; she maintained a neutral stance throughout. This left the students present with no grounds for complaint.

"Um... why hasn't a conclusion been reached regarding this matter?"

Hirata, acting as the class representative, threw out a perfectly reasonable question.

"The complaint was filed by Class D. The other side claims they were unilaterally assaulted. However, when the school verified the facts, Sudo stated that this was not the truth. Instead, he claimed the students from Class D called him out to fight."

"I didn't do anything wrong; it was just self-defense."

"But you don't have any evidence, do you?"

"Even if I don't have evidence right now, Shinomiya will help me find it!"

Upon hearing Teacher Chabashira's questioning, Sudo, in his panic, blurted out his situation. This proved that Ju Ji was right not to tell Sudo the whole truth. He really couldn't keep anything to himself. He could only serve as a warrior charging at the front lines, not as a strategist. Although, Ju Ji wasn't exactly suited for that either.

"Shinomiya, is it? Perhaps he really does have a way. Let's set this matter aside for now. In short, because the truth of the matter is unclear at this stage, the conclusion is temporarily on hold. Depending on whose testimony is accepted, the outcome could change drastically."

"I won't accept any verdict other than 'not guilty.' In fact, I even want to receive compensation."

"Even if you say that, your current credibility isn't exactly high. If the witness Sudo mentioned truly exists, things might change. How about it? If any student witnessed them fighting, could you please raise your hand?"

Teacher Chabashira continued the inquiry calmly. But just as she was about to speak again, someone suddenly stood up.

"Um, Teacher, the person Sudo-kun noticed at the time was me. I was taking selfies and happened to see Sudo and the others fighting. I can prove that the Class D students started it. I have photos from that time, but since they are still in the camera, I still need to get them developed."

"Sakura-san, you really saw it? That's great!"

If it were the Sakura of the past, she certainly wouldn't have stood up to testify for Sudo. This current behavior was proof of her growth.

"I must say, Sudo, you are quite lucky to have a witness right in your own class. Finally, Sakura, may I ask why you stood up to testify for Sudo?"

It was only natural for Teacher Chabashira to ask this; most witnesses, even if they see such violent scenes, would simply stand by and watch. They wouldn't step forward to testify for the victim.

"That's because Sakura-san and I are friends."

"Is that so?"

Teacher Chabashira clearly did not believe Sudo's explanation.

"We are all aiming to reach Class A, aren't we? If this incident is confirmed to be Sudo-kun's fault, class points will be deducted. That would be very disadvantageous for our promotion. I can help him this way, which is why I came forward to testify."

As she said this, Sakura-san's eyes glanced in the direction of Ju Ji. Therefore, even Teacher Chabashira immediately understood that the "he" she referred to was not Sudo.

"In any case, I'll leave it at that. The final verdict should be delivered next Tuesday. Whether you can turn things around depends on your abilities. However, in order to find witnesses, I imagine every homeroom teacher is currently providing detailed explanations to their respective classes."

Even with a witness, Teacher Chabashira did not judge that they would win the case. It seemed her understanding of the whole situation was more detailed than imagined. That's right; a single photo alone could not prove the entire process. That was a fact.

From the school's perspective, this was likely an unavoidable measure. After all, since Sudo insisted he was innocent, it was reasonable for the school to search for witnesses to uncover the truth. Although, this would affect Sudo's reputation at school.

For Sudo, who hoped to keep things hidden, this was even worse news. His wish to resolve it privately was destined to remain unfulfilled. He would surely reflect deeply on himself in the future... probably.

"What? So Sudo was framed?"

"Since Sakura-san testified for you, we'll believe you this once."

"It's a good thing we have Sakura, who takes photos."

"But, can this one photo really prove Sudo's innocence?"

"We need to verify that before reaching a conclusion. Airi, can you show me the photos in your digital camera?"

"Of course."

There were quite a few photos saved in Sakura's digital camera. Regardless, this was private, so only Kikyo was allowed to look at them first.

"Found it, it should be this photo."

While flipping through them, she quickly found the photo of three Class D students pinning Sudo down, intending to assault him, and displayed it for the whole class to see.

"Really, Sudo was framed."

"We must demand an explanation from the school."

"Wait, everyone, calm down. Think about it—this photo actually only proves that the Class D students hit Sudo, but it cannot prove that it wasn't the student from Class C (Ju Ji) who started it first. So, let's keep looking for more clues. Is that alright, Shinomiya-kun?"

Unlike the other male students who were filled with righteous indignation, Hirata-kun looked at the problem from an outsider's perspective and pointed out the issue with the photo. This was the limitation of a flat image. It would be a different story if there were a video.

"Hirata, don't you believe me?"

"Calm down, Sudo, this looks terrible. Hirata-kun is right; we can only prove your innocence if we find more evidence. Otherwise, students from both sides will just end up being punished."

"Fine then, since Shinomiya-kun says so."

Sudo looked very frustrated by this. Even though they had found an eyewitness, they still couldn't prove his innocence. It was understandable that he felt frustrated.

"Everyone, let's go help Sudo find eyewitnesses. If anyone in this class, among your friends, or among the upperclassmen saw anything, I hope you can contact me. Please."

What she said was exactly the same as what Teacher Chabashira had said, but the effect it had on the class was different. Being good at dealing with crowds was Kikyo's innate talent. Her shining appearance made people feel somewhat mesmerized...