The Night Before the Trial, a Witness Gathers Courage

The night faded, and the morning sun spilled into Advanced Nurturing High School, yet it could not pierce the gloom hanging over Class D. With only one day left until the Student Council's public hearing, the entire classroom remained shrouded in a suffocating silence. Ken Sudo sat at his desk with his head bowed, his fists clenched tight; despite being the victim, he looked like a prisoner awaiting his sentence. Yosuke Hirata paced back and forth, anxiety etched across his face, yet he could find no breakthrough to resolve the crisis. He knew all too well that without a witness, any defense would be in vain.

Suzune Horikita sat in the corner of the classroom. Overnight, the arrogance she usually wore had diminished, replaced by a layer of composure. The cold words of her brother, the hand he had struck down with, and the unexpected intervention of Yoshikage Kira played on a loop in her mind. Her brother had denied her, yet through the appearance of Yoshikage Kira, he had offered a glimmer of expectation.

-- She could no longer rely on her arrogance to escape, nor could she wait for others to bestow justice upon her. No one would pay the price for her self-righteous sense of superiority; she had to seize hope for herself.

Her terminal vibrated gently.

An anonymous text message, devoid of any prefix, contained only a chillingly calm prompt:

[Yesterday evening, under the shade of the trees in front of the Class C classroom, there was a witness. Class D, Airi Sakura.]

Sender: No remarks.

But one look was all it took for Suzune Horikita to know who it was.

Yoshikage Kira.

She snapped her head up, looking toward the direction of the Class B classroom. Across the hallway, she could almost see that calm figure sitting in the back row, head bowed as he organized his notes.

Suzune Horikita took a deep breath, the confusion in her eyes dissipating entirely, replaced by a cold, steely resolve.

She stood up and walked straight toward the corner of the classroom where the girl who always hunched her shoulders, wore a hat, and desperately tried to remain invisible was sitting.

Airi Sakura.

Hearing footsteps approach, Airi Sakura stiffened, burying her head even lower as her fingers nervously picked at the hem of her shirt. She feared being noticed more than anything, feared being spoken to, and feared being dragged into trouble above all else. Yet today, Suzune Horikita's footsteps stopped directly in front of her desk, inviting her out for a talk.

"Airi Sakura." Suzune Horikita's voice was much softer than usual. "You saw the conflict between Class C and Sudo, didn't you?"

It was not a question, but a confirmation.

Airi Sakura shuddered violently, her face turning pale in an instant. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's hum: "I... I didn't... I was just passing by..."

"You don't have to be afraid." Suzune Horikita lowered her voice, trying to minimize her own sense of pressure. "Yoshikage-kun told me. He said you were hiding in the back and saw the whole thing from start to finish. It was Kakeru Ryuen who provoked him first; it was Ishizaki and the others who intentionally goaded Sudo into a rage and then got themselves hurt."

With the truth laid bare, Airi Sakura could no longer hide it. Her eyes turned red instantly, and tears welled up: "I... I don't dare to say anything... Kakeru Ryuen is too terrifying, they will retaliate against me... I don't want to be targeted, I just want to stay here quietly..."

She had been timid, introverted, and insecure since she was a child, accustomed to shrinking into corners and remaining unseen. Being suddenly pushed to the forefront to become the key witness in a trial was, to her, more terrifying than being punished herself.

"I won't force you." Suzune Horikita spoke softly, her tone more earnest than ever before. "But you must understand one thing -- if Sudo is expelled, Class D will suffer a massive blow, Class C will become even more unscrupulous, and more disgusting traps will be set.

And you, while holding the truth in your hands, will have to live forever with the self-reproach of 'I could have stopped this.'"

She paused, passing on the silent acknowledgment Yoshikage Kira had given the night before:

"Yoshikage-kun said that you aren't a coward; you just haven't found a reason to be brave yet.

Now, that reason is right in front of you.

You don't have to do this for Class D, for Sudo, or even for justice.

Do it for yourself --

So that you no longer have to be afraid, so that you no longer have to run away, and so that one day, you can walk with your head held high."

Airi Sakura stared blankly at Suzune Horikita.

For the first time, someone had told her that bravery could be for her own sake.

She bit her lip hard, her slightly trembling body straightening up, bit by bit.

"I... I am willing to testify in court.

I want to tell the truth.

I don't want to run anymore."

The boulder pressing down on Class D finally cracked.

Airi Sakura walked past the Class B classroom, pacing back and forth with obvious hesitation. Yoshikage Kira noticed her, but he did not take the initiative to go out, even though he judged that she was likely there specifically to thank him.

Airi Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly. When she realized Yoshikage was looking over, she averted her gaze, yet she still mustered the courage to bow gently toward Yoshikage Kira's direction.

She said nothing, just a silent expression of gratitude.

Yoshikage Kira raised his eyes, glanced at her indifferently, and gave a slight nod in response.

Airi Sakura, however, seemed to have received some form of validation; the last shred of unease in her heart vanished, and she turned and ran back to Class D.

This scene was noticed by Honami Ichinose.

By evening, the campus was once again shrouded in twilight.

The news that Class D had found an eyewitness had "accidentally leaked." The posts on the forum seeking witnesses, which Class B had helped publish, were all marked as closed. Inside the Class C classroom, the atmosphere was oppressive, bordering on violent.

Kakeru Ryuen kicked a desk over, his eyes so sinister they seemed to drip with malice: "Trash! A bunch of trash! You couldn't even handle a tiny Class D, and you actually let them find a witness!"

Daichi Ishizaki trembled, keeping his head down, not daring to speak: "Ryuen-kun... we didn't know... there was no surveillance in that area, and no one should have been passing by..."

"You didn't know?" Kakeru Ryuen sneered, his gaze cruel. "If you don't know, then go die. Tomorrow at the hearing, you three listen well -- insist that Ken Sudo provoked you and started the fight. Claim that the witness's testimony is all a fabrication by Class D. As long as you stick to that one point, no one can do anything to us."

"But... but what if the Student Council doesn't believe us?"

"Believe us?" Kakeru Ryuen's lips curled into a crazed smile. "In this school, whoever has the loudest voice, the most ruthless methods, and the most hidden cards is the truth. Manabu Horikita is fair? I'd like to see just how fair he can be."

His gaze swept coldly over everyone in the room.

Mio Ibuki stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall, her brow furrowed: "Don't go too far. If you push too hard, you'll only end up burning yourself."

"Inviting fire to burn oneself?" Kakeru Ryuen laughed wildly, "I was born a player of fire!"

Albert Yamada stood silently in the corner, his gaze calm, yet he clenched his fists ever so slightly.

He did not like these conspiracies, nor did he like this violence, but under the dictatorship of Ryuen, he could only remain silent and obey. If this could truly benefit everyone in the class in the end, he did not care about the process; this was also the sentiment of most ordinary students in Class C, though the others perhaps felt more fear than anything else.

The night deepened, and the entire campus fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone was waiting for tomorrow—

The public hearing that would decide the fate of Ken Sudo, the survival of Class D, and the initial trajectory of the first-year hierarchy.

Suzune Horikita stood before her dormitory window, gazing at the night sky, her eyes devoid of the slightest fear.

The stinging pain, despair, and confusion of last night had long since transformed into a burning resolve.

She would not drop out, she would not flee, and she would not follow the path arranged by her brother.

She would remain in this school, she would ascend to Class A, and she would prove herself with her own hands.

Meanwhile, Manabu Horikita stood atop the Student Council building, overlooking the entire campus, his expression as cold and rigid as ice.

He simply waited in silence.

He was watching.

Watching to see if his younger sister could truly stand up in the face of a desperate situation.

Watching to see how far that hidden Yoshikage Kira could truly go.

Watching to see if this insane school could truly crush all of a person's pride and dignity.

The night breeze was slightly cool, fluttering the hem of his uniform.

This Student Council President finally exhaled a single sentence, his voice so soft that only he could hear it:

"Suzune...

Do not let me down.

And do not let yourself, regret."

Inside his dormitory, Yoshikage Kira went through his bedtime routine as scheduled.

He closed his eyes, clearly simulating everything for tomorrow in his mind:

Everything was on the right track.

Class B would continue to be stable.

He would continue to be peaceful.

No one would be able to disrupt his daily life.