Evidence Secured

"Shiraishi, you came too?" Inside the library, Class A's study group spotted Shiraishi Makoto and raised their hands to wave him over.

"Yeah, I came to catch up on some studying today too." Having been busy familiarizing himself with Student Council work and gathering all kinds of information lately, Shiraishi Makoto and students like Ichinose Honami, who participated in club activities, had rarely joined the class-organized tutoring groups. Meanwhile, academically gifted students like Kanzaki Ryuji came every day.

First-Year Class B and Class C also had study groups, each occupying a section of the library. The only exception was a silver-haired girl.

"Shiina seems to come to the library every day. Even Class C students go to her with questions." Ichinose Honami followed Shiraishi Makoto's gaze and spoke.

"Yeah, I saw her come to the library on the second day of school." Shiraishi Makoto smiled. "Unlike us, she's here to enjoy the pleasure of reading."

The Class A students returned to their studies, and no one noticed Shiina Hiyori's ears twitch slightly.

A little while later, another group of students arrived at the library. They were from Class 1-D.

"This is the first time we've seen these Class D people," Hamaguchi Tetsuya, seated beside Shiraishi Makoto, whispered.

That was right. Despite being the ones most in need of tutoring, they had only formed a study group a week after the grades came out. It was hard to say what to make of them.

Shiraishi Makoto paid no attention to Class D, because his phone rang.

"They're in the library. It wouldn't be easy for me to go inside." It was a message from Kamuro Masumi.

"I'm in the library. I'll notify you again if anything happens," Shiraishi Makoto replied.

A little while later, distinctly non-study-related noises came from Class D's side.

"Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!" Sudo Ken slammed the table hard.

"It truly has nothing to do with me. No matter how much you suffer, it will have no effect on me. I merely feel sorry for you. Up until now, you've spent your entire lives avoiding difficult things, haven't you?" Horikita Suzune's expression was utterly cold as she spoke words that struck straight at the heart.

"You've sure got a lot of nerve saying that. Studying is completely useless for the future. My goal is to become a professional basketball player. Rather than clinging to textbooks, I'd be better off practicing my shots right now."

"The same should apply to basketball, shouldn't it? When you can't solve a math problem, you run away. When you play basketball, do you only choose rules that benefit you too? When faced with techniques that require hard practice, do you turn around and run just like you do with studying? I don't think you practice seriously at all. More importantly, with a personality like yours that disrupts the harmony around you, if I were a team manager, I would never let you become a regular player."

"You—" Sudo Ken's anger reached its limit. He stood up, intending to rush over and grab Horikita Suzune.

"Sudo!" Kushida Kikyo reacted quickly and immediately grabbed Sudo Ken's arm.

"That's enough." Another person appeared beside Sudo Ken.

"I'm Shiraishi Makoto from the Student Council. Stop your violent behavior immediately, or you may face the maximum penalty of expulsion." Shiraishi Makoto stood beside the table and spoke. "This is a library. Maintain basic quiet and order as well, and don't disturb students from other classes."

"But this guy..." Perhaps Shiraishi Makoto's position and words had worked. Sudo Ken made no further extreme moves, though he continued glaring fiercely at Horikita Suzune, as if flames could shoot from his eyes.

"I merely stated my opinion truthfully. For someone like you who gives up halfway, never mind becoming a famous basketball player—it's hard to say whether you can even embark on that professional path." Horikita Suzune's expression did not change in the slightest.

"Gah!" Sudo Ken flew into a rage again, to the point that even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had seemed unwilling to intervene, had no choice but to restrain him.

"Leave the library at once and calm down. Do not disturb the other students' studies." Shiraishi Makoto pressed his right hand against Sudo Ken's chest as well, stopping him from getting closer to Horikita Suzune. Then he turned to Horikita Suzune. "And Horikita, please refrain from any further provocative behavior unless you want this escalated to the Student Council."

Upon hearing "escalated to the Student Council," Horikita Suzune silently closed her mouth.

"Seriously, I even took leave from my club to come here. This was a total waste of time." Sudo Ken grabbed the books on his desk, stuffed them all into his bag, and turned to leave the library.

"I'm done too. Horikita might be smart, but honestly, I'm pretty pissed off when she looks down on people like this." Ike Kanji beside him began putting away his things as well.

"If you don't mind being expelled, go ahead."

"I'll stay up late and cram on my own. See you."

"Didn't you come here because you can't study in the first place?"

Faced with Horikita's barbed words, Yamauchi and the others beside him could no longer endure it either and began packing their books. It seemed Class D's first tutoring session for its underachievers had come to an end just like that.

Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, Okiya Kyosuke, and the others who needed tutoring left one after another. Kushida Kikyo also left the library, leaving only Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from Class D.

Shiraishi Makoto stood nearby, fiddling with his phone. Only after confirming there was no risk of violence did he walk over.

"Though I'm not really in a position to say this as someone from another class, if you want to increase your Class Points, Horikita, this isn't the way."

"Just as you said, you aren't in a position to say it." Horikita Suzune showed no sign of taking Shiraishi Makoto's reminder to heart.

"Then that's all I have to say." Seeing Horikita Suzune packing up her things, Shiraishi Makoto unobtrusively placed a note in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka while raising his phone slightly.

Although Ayanokoji Kiyotaka still wore that indifferent expression as if nothing concerned him, his hands moved quickly, and he slipped the note into his bag before anyone else noticed.

After doing all that, Shiraishi Makoto returned to his seat and continued working on his weak subjects.

At eight in the evening, that was the end of today's study session.

Shiraishi Makoto did not return to the dormitory with the main group. Instead, he went to the park near the dorms.

"Where is it?" Shiraishi Makoto asked when he saw Kamuro Masumi, who had been waiting for a long time.

"Here. Honestly, I never expected it either. Kushida is actually that kind of person." Kamuro Masumi handed over a camera wrapped in a bag, a relieved expression on her face.

That was right. Shiraishi Makoto had asked Kamuro Masumi to record video of Kushida Kikyo kicking the railing on the rooftop and viciously cursing her classmates.

"Classmate Sakayanagi should have kept a backup too, right?" Taking the camera, Shiraishi Makoto asked.

"Uh, she does." Kamuro Masumi nodded. As her direct superior, Sakayanagi Arisu had known about the entire operation, so she had requested a backup copy as well.

"Tell Classmate Sakayanagi that she can keep it if she wants. But if she needs to use this evidence for anything, it would be best to have it conveyed through me. And don't go spreading it around either. Otherwise, word that a certain Class B student is a thief will definitely spread throughout the entire school."

"I... I definitely won't say anything carelessly."