At last, the day of the fateful trial arrived: Tuesday.
Before then, the students of Class C (Ju Ji) had used every means at their disposal to look for clues, even receiving help from Ichinose of Class B. In the end, however, they found nothing. But Ju Ji had expected as much.
Meanwhile, since only two students besides the eyewitness and the defendant, Sudo, were allowed to participate in the hearing, the final choices were Suzune and Ju Ji. It was a familiar combination in Class C (Ju Ji).
As he stepped into the classroom, the scene before him was the same as always. Sakura was sitting at her desk, looking around restlessly, as if searching for something.
"Ju Ji, you're finally here... Ouch, I've been waiting for you forever. Still no useful clues?"
The moment Sakura spotted Ju Ji, her eyes lit up and she came over. But it seemed she'd banged her knee on a chair because of her clumsy movements. Her steps afterward were smooth, though, so it seemed she was fine.
It would be a serious problem if the eyewitness got injured on the day of the hearing and couldn't take part.
"Sakura, be careful. It'd be a pain if you got hurt now."
"Sorry, I'll be more careful next time. Or are you worried about me, Ju Ji?"
Ever since Sakura changed her image, she'd occasionally teased him like this, acting cute. It had caught him off guard at first, but he was used to it now. He wouldn't lose his composure over something like this. There was no way she'd get to see him flustered.
"Of course. If you got hurt, Sudo would have no eyewitness. Class C (Ju Ji) might end up in serious trouble."
"What? That's such a boring reaction. You're totally unmoved by a cute girl like me. Wouldn't it be better if you got a little more flustered?"
"Whose fault do you think that is? If you were trying to calm yourself down by acting like this, you've done it now, haven't you?"
"As expected of you, Ju Ji. You saw right through me so quickly. We really are connected at the heart."
For some reason, looking at the clown in front of him made him feel a little nostalgic for the old Sakura. The way she was now was just too much. She was certainly easy on the eyes, but in some ways, she'd learned some bad habits from Kikyo.
Luckily, there were only the two of them in the classroom just then. Otherwise, things would have gotten noisy again.
The bell signaling the end of classes rang right on time, and Ju Ji and Suzune rose from their seats together.
"Are you mentally prepared, Sudo?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. I've been ready from the start."
Sudo seemed to be concentrating. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly opened them.
"Hey, Shinomiya, you've found proof that I'm innocent, right?"
"Of course. I'll prove you're innocent. I'm not going to present it right away at the hearing, though. We have to make them pay a little for harassing you, so they won't do it again. Sudo, just say what you want to say."
"I don't want you, Horikita, looking down on me, but I'm counting on you and Shinomiya this time."
It was rare for Sudo to bow his head in front of Suzune. It seemed he'd truly reflected on his actions.
"Good luck, Horikita. Sudo. And Ju Ji, don't take things too far, either."
"What do you mean, 'either'?"
Ju Ji knew exactly what the meaning behind Kikyo's smile was: if he screwed things up, she'd make him pay. As if. There was no way he could lose a case he was certain to win.
"Sakura, shall we get going? Being late might make a bad impression."
The meeting was due to begin at four. It was already ten to four, so there was no point waiting any longer. The students from Class D were probably already there, full of confidence.
The four of them headed toward the faculty office. There, a teacher waved energetically at them.
"Hello, Class C! I hear things have gotten pretty serious."
The teacher spoke carefreely, as if it had nothing to do with her. In fact, that was true. What did an incident involving Class C (Ju Ji) have to do with a teacher from Class B? Even if the two classes were cooperating at the moment.
"What are you up to now?"
"Oh? Have I been found out?"
Teacher Chabashira stepped out of the faculty office, glaring at her.
"When you sneak off like that, it's usually because you feel guilty about something you did to me."
The two of them seemed to be quite close.
"Busted." Hoshinomiya-sensei blinked cutely.
"Can't I come along?"
"Of course not. As you know, outsiders aren't allowed to attend."
"What a shame. Oh well, the results will be out in an hour anyway. I'll just wait patiently."
After that, Teacher Chabashira forcibly ushered Hoshinomiya-sensei back into the faculty office.
"Let's go. This school has special rules. Cases like this are settled between the homeroom teachers, the people involved, and the Student Council."
When she heard "Student Council," Suzune looked surprised. She probably hadn't expected to see her brother again under these circumstances.
They climbed three flights of stairs from the first-floor faculty office to the fourth floor, where the office was located. A sign reading "Student Council Office" hung by the door.
A long table stood inside the Student Council Office, arranged in a rectangle. Three students from Class D had already arrived and taken their seats. Beside them sat a bespectacled male teacher who looked to be in his thirties.
"We're late."
"You're not late. The scheduled time hasn't arrived yet, so don't worry."
"Have you met him? He's the homeroom teacher for Class D, Teacher Sakagami. And this is the Student Council President."
Well, they didn't know the teacher, but they knew the Student Council President and the short-haired woman sitting beside him very well.
"Regarding the violent incident that occurred last time, we will now begin the cross-examination between the Student Council and those involved. Secretary Tachibana and I will preside over the meeting."
After Horikita Manabu introduced her, Secretary Tachibana smiled and nodded at Ju Ji. She seemed very interested in how things would unfold.
"I didn't expect the Student Council President to come in person. Usually, only Secretary Tachibana attends."
"I'm usually busy with other matters. I haven't taken part in some of the discussions, but in principle, it's better for me to be present."
"So this is just a coincidence?"
Teacher Chabashira's words seemed to imply something, but Horikita's brother didn't waver. Teacher Chabashira probably knew about the relationship between them, too. She had a bit of a mischievous streak.
The situation at this meeting wouldn't turn in Class C (Ju Ji)'s favor just because of their relationship, so there was no need to worry about it. Still, given the circumstances, Horikita Manabu had no need to attend this meeting at all. Was he interested in seeing how they performed, or was he worried about his younger sister?
Secretary Tachibana then outlined the incident, but both sides already knew the details very well, so there was no need to elaborate.
"Based on what we've heard, we hope to determine which side's claims are true."
This felt a little like Ace Attorney. Things were getting interesting. Everyone at this meeting besides the people from Class D was on their side. Teacher Sakagami, were you worried at all...?
Before you continue