Evidence in Hand

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

"Yes, I'm here to catch up on lessons today too." Lately, busy with student council work and gathering various intel, Shiraishi Makoto and Ichinose Honami—along with others involved in club activities—rarely attended the class-organized study groups. Meanwhile, Kanzaki Ryuji and other academically outstanding students showed up every day.

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

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

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

The Class A group returned to their study atmosphere, no one noticing Shiina Hiyori's ears twitch slightly.

After a short while, another batch of students arrived at the library—first-year Class D.

"Those Class D guys, this is the first time we've seen them." Hamaguchi Tetsuya, sitting next to Shiraishi Makoto, murmured.

Right, the very ones who needed tutoring the most only formed their study group a week after the results came out. Hard to judge.

Shiraishi Makoto didn't bother with Class D's situation because his phone buzzed.

"They're in the library. It's not easy for me to go in." It was a message from Kamuro Masumi.

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

A moment later, Class D's area erupted with sounds clearly unrelated to studying.

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

"It really has nothing to do with me. No matter how much you suffer, it won't affect me at all. I just feel pity—your entire lives so far have been about running away from hard work." Horikita Suzune's face was ice-cold as she spoke words that cut deep.

"You've got some nerve. Studying is completely useless for the future. I'm aiming to become a professional basketball player. Instead of clinging to textbooks, I'd rather go practice shooting now."

"Even with basketball, it's the same logic. You run from math problems you can't solve, and when you play, you only pick rules that benefit you, right? When faced with techniques that require hard training, do you turn and run like you do with studying? I don't think you'd actually practice seriously. More importantly, with your personality that disrupts the harmony around you, if I were a team manager, I wouldn't let you become a regular player."

"You—" Sudo Ken's anger hit its limit. He stood up, ready to lunge at Horikita Suzune.

"Sudo-kun!" Kushida Kikyo reacted quickly, grabbing 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'll face consequences up to expulsion." Shiraishi Makoto stood by the table and spoke. "This is the library. Please maintain basic quiet and order, and don't disturb students from other classes."

"It's this bitch's fault..." Perhaps Shiraishi's identity and words had an effect; Sudo Ken didn't make any more aggressive moves, but he glared at Horikita Suzune, eyes practically spitting fire.

"I merely stated my opinion truthfully. Someone who gives up halfway like you—forget becoming a famous basketball player, it's questionable whether you can even set foot on that professional path." Horikita Suzune's expression didn't change.

"Argh!" Sudo Ken erupted in rage again, to the point that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who seemed reluctant to intervene, had to hold him back.

"Please leave the library immediately and cool down. Don't disturb other students' studying." Shiraishi Makoto's right hand pressed against Sudo Ken's chest, stopping him from approaching Horikita Suzune. Then he turned to Horikita Suzune: "And Horikita-san, please stop any further provocations, unless you want to escalate this to the student council."

At the words "student council," Horikita Suzune silently closed her mouth.

"Seriously, I took time off from my club to come here, and it's a complete waste of time." Sudo Ken grabbed his books from the table, stuffed them into his bag, and turned to leave the library.

"I'm out too. Horikita-san might be smart, but looking down on people like this—honestly, it pisses me off." Ike Kanji beside him also packed his things.

"If you're fine with being expelled, go ahead."

"I'll cram all night on my own. Later."

"Can't you study on your own? That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Faced with Horikita's barbed words, Yamauchi and the others nearby couldn't take it either and started packing their books. It seemed Class D's bottom-tier students' first tutoring session had ended like this.

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

Shiraishi Makoto stood aside, fiddling with his phone, and only approached after confirming there was no risk of a violent incident.

"Though as a student from another class, I have no standing to say this—but if Horikita-san wants to raise your class points, this isn't the way."

"As you said, you have no standing." Horikita Suzune showed no sign of heeding Shiraishi's reminder.

"Then I'll say no more." Seeing Horikita Suzune packing up, Shiraishi Makoto discreetly placed a note in front of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka while raising his own phone.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's face still wore that indifferent expression, but his hands moved quickly, slipping the note into his bag when no one was looking.

Having done that, Shiraishi Makoto returned to his seat and continued studying his weak points.

At 8 PM, today's tutoring session ended.

Shiraishi Makoto didn't head back to the dorm with the group. Instead, he went to the park near the dormitory.

"The stuff?" Shiraishi Makoto asked, seeing Kamuro Masumi, who had been waiting a while.

"Here. Honestly, I didn't expect it either—that Kushida-san was that kind of person." Kamuro Masumi handed over the camera wrapped in a bag, a relieved look on her face.

Right, Shiraishi Makoto had asked Kamuro Masumi to record the video of Kushida Kikyo kicking the railing and cursing out her classmates on the rooftop.

"Sakayanagi-san probably kept a backup too." Taking the camera, Shiraishi Makoto inquired.

"Uh, yeah, she did." Kamuro Masumi nodded. As her direct superior, Sakayanagi Arisu was fully aware of the entire operation, so she'd requested a copy too.

"Pass this on to Sakayanagi-san. She can keep it if she wants, but if she needs to use this evidence for anything, it's best to go through me. Don't spread it around either, or news that a certain Class B student is a thief will be all over campus."

"I... of course I won't blab."