Sudo Ken Incites the Class / Chapter 96: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Wants to Give Up

Judging others by stereotypes is one of the inherent flaws in human nature, and he makes that mistake too. But jumping to conclusions and spreading misinformation before understanding the details... he really dislikes that.

Furthermore, this class shares a societal atmosphere where, if refuting Sudo is elevated to the level of absolute justice, everyone becomes a pawn for those who dislike Sudo.

Although almost everyone dislikes Sudo, who has dragged the class down, and strictly speaking, refuting Sudo is truly a righteous act full of popular opinion, Hoshino En really hates being used as a pawn and treated like a fool by others.

Is it because I didn't act as assertively as A-Sho that these people don't take me seriously...?

"Hey! Haven't you guys said enough?"

However, before he could explode, another person sitting at the front of the classroom broke up first.

It's Karuizawa Kei.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it stopped almost all the girls from arguing and made them chime in.

The girls who were following the trend stopped, and the noise in the classroom suddenly became much quieter. The quiet atmosphere gradually made the boys stop as well.

Seeing that the sound had disappeared, she slowly walked to the empty podium, placed her hands on the podium table, and looked as if she was about to take over the leadership of the class.

"The details of what happened haven't even been revealed, and you're already blaming Sudo... Aren't you all incredibly cowardly?!" — Tai

"Well, given Sudo's usual behavior, it's not surprising that he would get into a fight."

The boy who previously accused Ken Sudō of assault retorted.

Then he incurred a barrage of attacks from Karuizawa Kei.

"Do you think he can't guess that everyone else in the class has a problem with him? Or do you think he's completely unaware that you're all talking about him behind his back? He's not really stupid."

"If he really wanted to fight, our classroom would have turned into a battlefield long ago, and there wouldn't be any room for students from other classes..."

"This..."

The boy was left speechless.

"Furthermore, he almost got expelled not long ago, and he's currently in a stressful and sensitive period. He wouldn't do anything that could lead to his expulsion. There must be more to this story."

"Besides, since this has already happened, there's no point in assigning blame before it's resolved. Instead of blaming Sudo, I think we should all think together about how to protect Sudo and get through this difficult time, so that the Class Points we worked so hard to earn last month don't go to waste."

"I think none of you here want to watch your soon-to-be-acquired Private Points vanish into thin air, and then have to survive on unpalatable wild vegetable roots, right?"

Hearing her say that, most of the class's attention shifted from [Sudo's offense] to [Private Points].

But after a brief but lengthy discussion, they didn't come up with any effective countermeasures. Most people had already accepted the fact that Sudo was fighting, and based on this fact, they seemed to be in the wrong no matter what they did, and had no confidence to speak up for Sudo.

The discussion didn't last long; soon, Ken Sudō returned with Chabashira Sae.

"So, Chabashira-sensei, what exactly happened?"

This time, it was Karuizawa Kei, who was standing on the podium, who asked the first question.

Chabashira Sae: "..."

Wait a minute... how come Karuizawa is hosting again? What's Hirata doing?

Even if it wasn't Hirata, what about Kushida? What about Horikita? Why aren't they in class? Why is this guy who's been bullied in the past leading the class? Why???

... Could it be that I misjudged again?

Despite the shock and disbelief that Karuizawa Kei had taken over the class, Chabashira Sae maintained a cold expression and gave a flawless explanation.

"Let Sudo handle this himself."

Ken Sudō:... Huh?

"I'll leave the morning class meeting to you all; I'm sure you have a lot to discuss. I'll be leaving now; I still need to prepare for the next class."

With a combo and a finishing move, Chabashira Sae quickly slipped out of the classroom and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The students in the class. "..."

"So, Sudo, tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Karuizawa Kei looked at Ken Sudō with a serious expression and said...

Since Chabashira-sensei has said that, then Sudo's problem must be quite serious.

I need to use a little more force.

First Semester of First Year: wine

Chapter 95, Chapter 89: Ken Sudō incites public outrage

Karuizawa Kei's question drew the students' attention to the tall, unpopular boy.

But their gazes had no positive effect; instead, they irritated Ken Sudō, who had initially been interested but immediately became impatient.

"What does this have to do with you? Why should I tell you!" San

His barbed response immediately ignited the suppressed resentment of his classmates.

Shinohara Satsuki, who is usually at odds with boys and dislikes Ken Sudō's attitude, launched the first attack. (Lu)

"Sudo! Karuizawa only asked you to help you, what kind of attitude is that?!"

Following closely behind, Karuizawa Kei Sato, [Lackey No. 1] under Sato Maya, also followed suit.

"Exactly! And just now, when everyone else in the class was complaining about you, it was Karuizawa who stepped in and stopped them from criticizing you, and now you treat her like this... You ungrateful wretch!!"

Two [Alpha Wolf] fired the first shot, and the remaining [Coward] followed suit, taking advantage of the chaos.

"As expected, Sudo isn't worth helping at all."

"Yeah, he almost failed his exam last time, and we all chipped in to help him!"

"Karuizawa spoke up for him, and this is how she got treated... How pitiful."

"...":

More people actually said that Karuizawa Kei's actions were not worthwhile than those who criticized Ken Sudō, but regardless of the reasoning, these comments were fatal to Ken Sudō.

He also cares about his reputation. If someone insults or looks down on him, he will definitely refute them without hesitation; but if someone accuses him of being ungrateful, and there are irrefutable facts to support that accusation, he doesn't even have the confidence to speak now.

His classmates' comments were like a slow, agonizing torture, each cut slicing through his body and causing the tall, strong boy's back to bend little by little.

Listening to their remarks, Hirata Yosuke wanted to say something, but when he thought of Ken Sudō's fiery attitude towards him, he immediately abandoned the idea of speaking up and acting as a peacemaker.

Speaking up now will only make things worse and put Sudo in an even more difficult situation, which would actually harm him... Let's leave this to Karuizawa.

He looked at the blonde girl on the stage, his eyes filled with pleading and expectation.

As for Kushida Kikyo, the other glue in Class D... her feelings weren't so complicated.

First of all, it's absolutely impossible for her to speak up for Sudo or be the first to stick her neck out. Although Ken Sudō is a loyal subject of her [Kushida Empire], she won't give up the whole forest for one tree.

Of course, it's impossible not to speak for him at all. She is [everyone's Kushida]. When a friend is in trouble, how could she not help him?

Although these two conditions seem contradictory, there is actually a compromise between them— Kushida Kikyo, mixed in with the crowd, began to speak for Ken Sudō with a very troubled expression.

[Although Sudo usually speaks in a very aggressive tone, I believe he doesn't mean any harm; he's just not good at communicating with others.] -- Such [sassy] remarks subtly boosted her popularity.

No one spoke up to stop the class, and the students' targeting of Ken Sudō gradually escalated, and things began to get out of control.

Just as Ken Sudō was about to be so ashamed that he wanted to run away, Karuizawa Kei spoke up again to stop the farce.

"Alright, that's enough."

Snap--

She opened her right hand and slammed it on the teacher's desk, the crisp sound instantly drowning out all the voices in the class.

The students were startled by her actions, and their clamor against Ken Sudō immediately ceased.

"What we should be doing now is figuring out how to solve the problem, not rushing to find someone to take responsibility."

"We can hold the criticism meeting later, after everything is over. Right now, we should let Sudo explain things clearly so we can come up with a targeted solution to save the Class Points, right?"

She addressed the class with a serious expression, but her right hand, which she had taken off the podium, was constantly rubbing against her thigh below the podium.

She'd heard that patting yourself on the shoulder while speaking in front of a crowd gives you a powerful presence and helps the conversation flow more smoothly, so she tried it out.

Although the results were indeed very good, she now regrets it.

Ouch! That hurts so much! I should have used something else to hit it... hiss.

My right hand feels swollen.

Although she was mourning for her right hand in her heart, she outwardly maintained a calm expression as she looked at Ken Sudō.

"Sudo, please tell me in detail what exactly happened, in an objective manner."

Her expression was calm, but in Ken Sudō's eyes, Karuizawa Kei seemed to be radiating light.

Although she looks fierce, she might actually be a warm-hearted angel, just like Suzune!

The impatience and shame on his face vanished completely, replaced by a strange, indescribable smile.

Because of the close proximity, Karuizawa Kei took in all his changes.

Even without being influenced by Hoshino En, she could tell the meaning behind the expression on his face—it was the kind of expression a boy would show when he was attracted to a woman, similar to courtship.

Oh dear... things seem to be getting a little complicated.

Fortunately, Ken Sudō has already explained what happened.

According to him, on the afternoon of May 30th, he was called to the Special Building by three members of the Basketball Club from Class 1-C: Komiya, Kondo, and Ishizaki. They were jealous of his selection as a regular player, so they verbally abused and physically shoved him. He could no longer tolerate it and retaliated against them.

Yesterday (May 31), three students from Class C filed a complaint with the Student Council alleging that they had been assaulted. Because there was no concrete evidence, the Student Council asked Class C and Class D to collect evidence by next Tuesday and to hold a public hearing on next Tuesday (June 7).

"So you were called out just now because the Student Council wanted to find out what happened? What did you say?"

"I... I was acting in self-defense anyway!"

Ken Sudō insisted that he was the passive party.

But that's not what Karuizawa Kei cares about.

"So, you admit you did it, right?"

"I acted in self-defense!!!"

"But the fact is—you admitted to the Student Council that you laid a hand on them, right?"

Karuizawa Kei's voice was exceptionally cold and stern, so much so that the whole class dared not speak loudly, and even whispers were greatly reduced. Upon hearing this, Ken Sudō once again showed annoyance and anger.

"I..."

He was somewhat embarrassed and angry, but when he thought of how Karuizawa Kei had defended him in front of the whole class, he forced himself to suppress his anger and honestly answered her question.

"Yes. I did admit it."

Upon hearing his final confirmation, Karuizawa Kei breathed a sigh of relief.

If he can admit to something like this, then what he said must be pretty close to the truth.

However, now that you've admitted it... this is a bit tricky...

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 96, Chapter 90: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka Wants to Give Up

"Sudo, you shouldn't have admitted it."

Karuizawa Kei sighed, looking somewhat troubled.

"Since the Student Council hasn't immediately handed you a death sentence, it means Class C doesn't have concrete evidence either; once you admit it, you're at a disadvantage, and it will be very difficult for us to defend you."

"You really are an honest idiot."

He was insulted, but Ken Sudō couldn't refute it.

Judging from what Karuizawa said, if he doesn't admit it, he won't have any trouble at first, right?

"Otherwise what? Otherwise, why would the Student Council need to find out what happened from you? If they had evidence to convict you, you would have been punished long ago. Why would you be struggling like this now?"

Ken Sudō: "..."

She can read my mind; she has me in her heart!!

Karuizawa Kei: "..."

Has this guy misunderstood something again?

"Never mind, you can go back to your seat."

After sending Ken Sudō back to his seat, Karuizawa Kei faced the class and began to lead the class meeting.

"I'm sure everyone has heard Sudo's explanation clearly. So, what solutions can you all come up with for this problem? Feel free to share anything you can think of."