"Yesterday, an incident occurred at school. Ken Sudō, who is sitting over there, seems to have gotten into a conflict with students from Class C. To put it simply, he got into a fight with them.
"Class C filed a complaint, claiming that Sudō had attacked them without provocation. But when the school investigated to determine the truth, Sudō denied Class C's account.
"According to him, he hadn't picked a fight with them. The students from Class C had framed him."
It turned out that after Sudō had fled the club building the previous afternoon, he had run into Hirata, who had joined the Soccer Club and was also in the restroom.
After telling Hirata everything that had happened, Sudō was finally able to realize that Class C had set him up, thanks to Hirata's reassurance and analysis.
The thought that he hadn't killed anyone restored Sudō's composure. As an easygoing guy, he figured he wouldn't go to prison and would, at worst, get a little punishment like before. No big deal.
And after hearing Hirata's advice, Sudō thought that as long as he insisted Class C had framed him, he wouldn't face much punishment.
As a result, Class C sent someone to file a complaint with the Student Council that very day, and Sudō was questioned by the council members.
Sudō kept insisting that Class C had framed him, but the security footage and eyewitness accounts from people at the scene proved that he had thrown the first punch. What's more, Sudō didn't have a single injury, while several Class C students had been hurt to varying degrees.
So Sudō's story didn't help him at all. Unless new evidence could prove his innocence, he would be expelled from the school.
The next day, in Class D's classroom, Chabashira announced the news in front of everyone. She had been extremely shocked when she heard it, because Sudō might break the record for the fastest expulsion in the school's history, and his case could also bring Class D's Class Points to a new low after its first month.
Inside, she was already reeling, but her expression remained unruffled.
"I didn't hit anyone! At most, I hit that guy Komiya a few times while chasing them. I didn't do anything after I went into that classroom!"
The students in Class D didn't react to Sudō's explanation. They'd only known one another for a few days.
There were plenty of people in Class D who disliked Sudō. On the first day, when Hirata had suggested that everyone introduce themselves, Sudō's behavior had immediately made him seem like an outcast.
His buddies weren't willing to speak up for him now, either. They just wanted to avoid getting dragged into trouble.
"You say you didn't hit anyone, but do you have any evidence?"
"If I had evidence, I wouldn't have been framed."
In the end, Class D couldn't come up with a plan. At the time, no one from Class D had witnessed what happened.
Every angle that could have shown the inside of the Activity Room had been blocked, and even the security cameras couldn't capture what was happening inside. There were no witnesses.
"The school has notified all the homeroom teachers about this incident as a cautionary example. By now, they should all be explaining the details to the students in their classes.
"The final decision will be made no later than this Sunday. If you can find a witness or evidence that could overturn the decision, use this time to do so. That concludes this morning's meeting."
After Chabashira had finished delivering the news, she left the classroom. Realizing that he was in a crisis that would be difficult to turn around, Sudō hurried after her.
"Why should we care about that violent thug? If you ask me, it's a good thing if he gets expelled."
"Exactly. He doesn't understand the power of teamwork at all. Let him get expelled. Who knows if what he says is true? He can't even find any evidence himself. I saw someone from Class C come to class this morning on crutches, with their leg in a cast."
"I can't believe anything Sudō says, either. I think he lied to make himself look innocent. Besides, he once told me that he'd spent his entire middle school career getting into fights.
"He even happily explained how to hit people and where to strike them so they'd feel the most pain!"
After Sudō left the classroom, the students in Class D began discussing the incident.
They weren't willing to help Sudō, but they were more than happy to make a joke out of his situation.
"Everyone, quiet down and hear me out."
Before the atmosphere in the classroom could turn ugly, Hirata and Kushida went up to the lectern together and took control of the situation.
"I was near the club building yesterday afternoon, but because of a personal issue, I didn't witness what happened.
"Sudō had already explained the situation to me at the time. Class C deliberately provoked him verbally during Basketball Club practice, causing him to lose his temper.
"But Sudō didn't get into a direct fight with the Class C students. Instead, they lured him into the Traditional Literature Club's Activity Room. There, the Class C students injured one another by attacking their own companions, and that's how they ended up hurt.
"The problem is that by the time Sudō realized he'd been framed, it was already too late. In his panic, he could only flee the scene.
"There are no security cameras inside the club rooms, and the Class C students blocking the entrance to the Activity Room also obstructed the cameras in the hallway. So it'll be very difficult for us to get security footage as evidence.
"More importantly, when I asked some upperclassmen from the Soccer Club for help, I learned something. They told me that whenever one of our classmates is expelled, our class loses 300 Class Points.
"Class Points determine how many Personal Points we receive from the school each month. Every class starts with only 1,000 Class Points. If Sudō is expelled, then starting next month, each of us will only receive 70,000 Personal Points per month.
"So for the sake of the points we'll receive each month in the future, I hope everyone can unite and help Sudō through this difficult time."
Hirata calmly explained the crisis facing Class D to everyone, but he hadn't expected that telling his classmates about Class Points would make them resent Sudō even more.
"Why? Why should we lose our points because Sudō gets expelled? That's so unfair!"
"It's all Sudō's fault! We'll have 30,000 fewer points every month from now on. Why should we have to bear the consequences of his mistake?"
Voices like these echoed through Class D's classroom. Even Hirata struggled to suppress the negativity. Fortunately, Kushida stepped in to mediate. Otherwise, Class D might already have fallen apart.
The heated discussion about Sudō gradually died down only after he returned to the classroom.
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