Withdrawing the Charges

[Your intel was accurate. The Student Council has already taken action, and there really were photos in his luggage. On behalf of that student and the Student Council, thank you.]

[It was nothing.]

[That student had noticed something herself, too. She also hadn't updated her idol account online in quite a while.]

[What do you mean?]

[She thanked the Student Council. I turned her down and told her it was your doing.]

[You wouldn't have...]

[I showed her our chat. But don't worry, I deleted the messages above it, so she didn't see those.]

[...You really do have a nasty sense of humor.]

[Likewise.]

Qiuyue: (...Is this Horikita Manabu? Why does he seem a little different from the original?)

From the moment Kushida started approaching Sakura, the atmosphere in class had grown tense.

When Qiuyue saw Kushida and Sudo break into smiles, she knew the negotiations had succeeded.

The bell signaling the end of classes rang at noon.

Sakura stiffly followed Ayanokoji, Horikita, and Sudo as they left.

Qiuyue and the others watched them go until they disappeared from view, then Qiuyue hurried back to the dormitory.

As soon as she returned to her room, Qiuyue shut and locked the windows and door, took the earphones from her drawer, and put them on.

"I'm sorry, Chairman. I lied when I said the battery had little charge. It has more than enough power to last through this incident."

Qiuyue began listening to the audio through the earphones.

The scene shifted to the Student Council Office.

"Now, let's discuss the violent incident that took place last Tuesday. I, Tachibana, secretary of the Student Council, will preside over the meeting."

"I hope we can determine which side is telling the truth this time."

"Shall we begin?"

"Let's begin."

"Both sides claim that the other called them over. Their accounts contradict each other."

"But one fact is certain: as a result of Sudo's actions, Komiya, Kondo, and Ishizaki suffered fractures to their upper limbs."

Qiuyue: (...He should never have admitted to hitting them in the first place. Once he admitted it, there was no way Sudo could be found innocent. The only way to make this go away was to withdraw the charges.)

"I'll skip ahead. The meeting ended with another postponement, and both sides were told to gather evidence."

ヽ(≧Д≦)ノ

Qiuyue slowly took off her earphones.

"The meeting's over. Just like in the original, the next step is to trick Class C into withdrawing the charges."

"In the original, Ichinose helped. Ayanokoji didn't help Ichinose with her confession this time, so I wonder if he'll still ask her for help."

"Will he, like in the anime, trick the Class C students with Horikita? Would Ayanokoji really leave himself open to that kind of leverage?"

"I haven't taken down my pinhole camera yet. If he shows up, I can record him, and that might be enough to get him expelled."

"Even without audio, catching him installing a fake camera would be enough."

Qiuyue turned on the tablet connected to the pinhole camera, started recording, and stared intently at the screen.

"There! It's Horikita. She's setting up the camera. There should be someone else with her. Where are they?"

Three boys with bandages came into view. They looked displeased as they stared at Horikita, clearly puzzled.

Horikita said something, and their expressions turned angry.

Though all three were furious about whatever Horikita had said, none of them did anything rash. They simply turned to go back the way they had come.

But someone blocked their path.

He spoke to them with righteous indignation.

"What!? It's Hirata!?"

"Damn it. I was ready to report the video even if it was Kushida, but why does it have to be Hirata? No, Hirata can't be expelled yet. We still need him for the Uninhabited Island exam."

"Without Hirata, Class D is a complete mess right now. I can't afford even the slightest mistake in my bet with the Chairman."

The three boys on the screen looked irritated. Whether it was the heat or the hassle of the Sudo Incident, there was nothing about the situation to make them happy.

As they talked, it was clear that the three Class C students were losing ground.

Then Hirata pointed in a direction. All three looked over and visibly panicked.

There was a camera that looked just like the school's security cameras, and it was running.

The three Class C students were sweating profusely and started making excuses.

"Too bad I can't read lips. It's like watching a silent movie."

Horikita and Hirata began working together. They took turns speaking, leaving the three Class C students completely bewildered.

The other two Class C students could no longer hold back and started pressing Ishizaki.

Qiuyue couldn't tell what they were saying, but she could guess: the two wanted to admit their mistake to the school right away, rather than risk being expelled.

Actually, even if they did that, they wouldn't be expelled. They'd just be suspended along with Sudo.

Horikita and Hirata continued trying to talk the three Class C students around, offering them an easy way out: withdraw the charges against Sudo.

Ishizaki was still undecided. After thinking for a while, he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen, as if he meant to call someone.

Seeing that, Horikita quickly stepped forward and snatched the phone from him.

Already on edge, Ishizaki instinctively grabbed Horikita by the collar and raised his other hand.

Horikita calmly lifted the phone in her hand and said something.

Ishizaki glanced at the security camera nearby, his face turning ashen. He lowered his raised hand.

From Qiuyue's angle, she could clearly see the screen of the phone in Horikita's hand.

Ishizaki really had been trying to contact someone. The phone was on the call screen, and the name displayed was:

"Ryuen Kakeru"

Ishizaki lowered his head and kept muttering. He was probably cursing.

The other two seemed to have switched sides. They stood beside Ishizaki, trying to persuade him.

Ishizaki gritted his teeth, fists clenched tight, but in the end he gave up and unclenched them.

Qiuyue: (Sigh... No matter how many times I watch it, this plan feels way too flimsy. The risks are huge, too.)

(They're lucky those three are idiots. It might not have worked on anyone else.)

(They tried to call Ryuen, but Horikita stopped them. If she were really confident, she wouldn't have stopped them from making the call. She gave herself away right there.)

(And Hirata was the one who showed up. Does that mean Ayanokoji figured something out? Or did he simply not want to appear himself?)

There was a knock at the door.

"Hmm? Who is it? At a time like this?"

Qiuyue: (Who would come looking for me right now...? What a coincidence, showing up just as they're tricking Class C. More importantly, Ayanokoji wasn't in the frame.)

(What is he plotting? Could it be him outside the door?)

Qiuyue made sure the recording was still running, then put the tablet in a drawer and locked it. She tucked the key away.

Qiuyue slowly walked to the door, placed her hand on the knob, and gently turned it.