Before the Ruling

"Should we stop it?" Miyabi Nagumo waved her phone. "This is already disrupting the normal teaching order."

"No need." Horikita Manabu stood up and walked to the window. "As long as it doesn't violate school rules, competition itself is something to be encouraged." He looked down at the students discussing in small groups. "However... we should pay attention to how things develop."

"Understood," Miyabi Nagumo said with a meaningful smile, quietly swiping a message on her phone.

He was not against chaos; in fact, he hoped the turmoil would slightly disrupt the order of Horikita Manabu.

He's really looking forward to tackling the other grades.

Unfortunately, the opponent was the student council president, a third-year student.

He was only a second-year student and was the vice president.

As the president, Horikita Manabu's power was limitless, to him.

Chapter 104, 103 Before the Ruling

Time flies, and the weekend is here in the blink of an eye.

There is only one day left until the deadline.

Thanks to Horikita Manabu, he completely preserved the competition rule left by previous students. "The competition is limited to the same grade level."

It was not disrupted by Miyabi Nagumo, the "Nostalgia Faction" spokesperson who reversed the calendar.

This protects younger students from encountering situations where advanced players intrude into beginner dungeons and easily defeat weaker players.

However, this also means that older students have little interest in younger students.

Without devoting time and energy to it on a regular basis.

Even though the 500,000-point reward caused a stir throughout the school, Class D obtained very few clues.

After gathering information, Horikita Suzune discovered that the only valuable clue came from a photo taken by chance by an upperclassman—in the picture, Ken Sudō, Komiya Yogo, and Kondo Suzune were walking together, all of them looking uneasy.

In addition, a senior colleague suggested a line of thought.

"Although there are no surveillance cameras in the special teaching building, there are on the road leading there. If we can prove that Sudo was called there, it at least shows that there was a reason for it."

Following this line of thought, they reviewed surveillance videos from the area along that route on the day of the incident.

However, there are too many cameras along the way, making it a huge undertaking, like finding a needle in a haystack.

Despite Class D's best efforts in searching, they only managed to find a blurry image at the entrance of the club.

Similar to the photo, it cannot be proven that it was the three members of Class C who called Ken Sudō out.

It can only serve as ambiguous evidence.

After all, according to Ken Sudō's recollection, he was traveling with Komiya Yogo and Kondo Suzune, while Ishizaki Daichi was waiting for him in the Special Teaching Building.

Therefore, this can be taken advantage of.

This statement is consistent with the evidence above.

Adding all three together might change the outcome of the ruling.

But the best outcome would be nothing more than turning Ken Sudō's one-sided venting of violence into a full-blown brawl.

In the end, Ken Sudō was severely punished, while Class C was punished lightly.

After all, one side was unharmed, while the other was covered in wounds.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said calmly.

Because the 500,000-point bounty had spurred activity throughout the school, Horikita Suzune decided to abandon the feint.

She understood the principle that too much of a good thing is bad.

Even the pressure from the entire school didn't throw Class C into disarray.

If she were to adopt this strategy again, she would feel guilty.

This will strengthen the resolve of the three students in Class C.

Let me recount the efforts I've made over the past few days.

Seeking alliances.

A hefty reward is offered.

Review surveillance footage for investigation.

Anonymous accounts subtly lure and attempt to arouse their greed.

Kushida Kikyo sent them messages to lure them out.

All attempts ended in failure.

Nothing was gained.

It seems that the three students in Class C are convinced that Class D will not be able to obtain any useful evidence.

Faced with various methods, it remained as steadfast as a rock.

No matter how you change, I will remain steadfast.

Class D, without conclusive evidence.

It's like a mouse trying to pull a turtle—there's nowhere to start.

Sakura Airi was another possible breakthrough.

Unexpectedly, Kushida Kikyo rejected Horikita Suzune's request for contact.

Horikita Suzune had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

However, accompanied by Tanaka Yukishin and Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi declined to help.

Horikita Suzune still remembers Karuizawa Kei's warning look and Tanaka Yukishin standing behind her.

Considering Sakura Airi's close circle of friends and the stability of her class.

She ultimately chose to give up—to continue would only seem impolite.

Monday.

As the school bell rang to signal the end of the school term, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Horikita Suzune stood up from their seats.

"Are you mentally prepared, Sudo?"

"Hmm... It's done. I was prepared from the very beginning."

Ken Sudō seemed to be concentrating his will.

He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, then slowly opened his eyes.

"What I mean is, be prepared to take a leave of absence from school."

"... knew."

This week, thanks to the efforts of Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, and others.

He saw it all.

Keep it in mind.

There's really nothing to say.

At this moment, Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, Yamauchi Haruki, and others cheered them on.

"Go for it, Horikita, Ayanokōji, Sudo!"

Horikita Suzune remained silent.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remained unfazed.

Only Ken Sudō raised his fist and managed a weak smile.

"Let's go. Being late will negatively impact the adjudicator's impression."

The conversation will begin at four o'clock.

That is, shortly after school ends in the afternoon.

As the four were walking toward the teachers' office, they saw Hoshinomiya Chie teacher of Class A, standing at the door waving at them from afar.

"Hello everyone in Class D!"

Her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with a smile, and her voice was so sweet it could drip honey, "I heard you two caused quite a stir!"

Chabashira Sae rushed out of the office with a dark face and grabbed Hoshinomiya Chie by the shoulder.

"Oops, we've been found out?"

Hoshinomiya Chie stuck out her tongue, like a primary school student who had just pulled off a prank.

"I was just curious~ Tomoya-sensei is really interested too!"

She turned and called into the office, "Right, Mashima- sensei?"

An awkward cough came from Mashima Tomoya in the office.

"Hoshinomiya, don't drag me into this..."

"Let me join too~" Hoshinomiya Chie tugged at Chabashira Sae's sleeve and shook it. "I promise I'll just watch quietly!"

Chabashira Sae grabbed her by the back of her collar and shoved her into the office.

"Don't even think about it. Only the homeroom teacher of the class involved can get involved in this matter."

Turning to Mashima Tomoya, he added, "Please keep an eye on this troublemaker."

"Hey! That's too much!" Hoshinomiya Chie clung to the doorframe, refusing to go in. "At least tell us the result! I want to be the first to know in an hour!"

With a "bang," Chabashira Sae decisively slammed the office door shut.

You can faintly hear Hoshinomiya Chie inside, saying, "Sae is so cold~".

And Mashima Tomoya's helpless sigh.

"Let's go." Chabashira Sae adjusted her suit collar. "We're not in the office; we need to go to a special conference room."

Chabashira Sae explained as he walked.

"This school has special regulations. Disputes like this must be resolved in the presence of the parties involved, the class advisor, and the Student Council."

The group arrived at the Student Council Office on the fourth floor. Chabashira Sae knocked on the door and led the group inside.

A rectangular conference table was placed in the center of the room, where the three students from Class C and their homeroom teacher Sakagami Suma, were already seated.

At that moment Ayanokoji Kiyotaka noticed the boy sitting at the very back.

He flipped through the documents without looking up, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Horikita Suzune visibly stiffened the moment she saw him, then lowered her head and quickly walked to her seat.

"He is Mr. Sakagami teacher of Class C."

After introducing the teacher across from us, Chabashira Sae introduced us to a male student sitting at the very back of the office.

He is the Student Council of this school.

Presumably, these were former Class D students, which should have given Chabashira Sae sufficient mental preparation.

Just like when someone fails an exam and has to drop out of school, some people might think the exam paper was graded incorrectly.

Some Student Council did not recognize the Student Council who was present as a speaker at the opening ceremony.

Beside Horikita Manabu, the short-haired girl— Student Council Secretary Tachibana Akane—announced the start of the meeting.

"Regarding the previous violent incident, a hearing will now be held with the participation of the Student Council, the parties involved, and the homeroom teacher."

Chabashira Sae smiled meaningfully.

"I didn't expect the Student Council to handle such a minor dispute personally."

"The Student Council is responsible for maintaining order on campus; it's my duty."

Horikita Manabu's answer was watertight.

At that moment, Horikita Suzune suddenly raised her head again.

Because she had already understood her brother's expectations of her.

She didn't think her brother would hate her.