As night gave way to dawn, morning sunlight streamed into Advanced Nurturing High School, but it could not dispel the gloom in Class D's hearts. Only one day remained until the public hearing before the Student Council, yet the classroom was still shrouded in suffocating silence. Ken Sudō sat with his head bowed, fists clenched tight. Though he was the victim, he looked like a prisoner awaiting sentencing. Yosuke Hirata paced back and forth, anxiety written all over his face, but he couldn't find a way to turn things around. He knew all too well that without a witness, any defense would be futile.
Suzune Horikita sat in the corner of the classroom. Overnight, some of the arrogance had left her, replaced by a quiet restraint. Her brother's icy words from the night before, the hand he had raised, and Yoshikage Kira's sudden intervention played over and over in her mind. Her brother had rejected her, yet Kira's appearance had given her hope.
She couldn't keep hiding behind her pride. She couldn't wait for someone else to grant her justice. No one was going to reward her for the excellence she imagined she possessed. She had to seize hope for herself.
Her phone vibrated softly.
A text from an unknown sender. No unnecessary preamble, just a message, cool and to the point:
[Yesterday evening, beneath the trees in front of the Class C classroom, there was a witness. Class D, Airi Sakura.]
Sender: No name saved.
But Suzune knew who it was at a glance.
Yoshikage Kira.
She looked up sharply toward the Class B classroom. Across the hallway, she could almost see him sitting in the back row, quietly organizing his notes.
Suzune took a deep breath. The confusion in her eyes vanished, replaced by cold determination.
She stood and walked straight over to the girl in the corner of the classroom, who always hunched over with her hat on, as if she wished she could hide herself away.
Airi Sakura.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Airi stiffened and lowered her head even more, nervously picking at the hem of her clothes. She hated being noticed, hated being spoken to, and hated being dragged into trouble most of all. But today, Suzune's footsteps came to a stop right in front of her desk, and she asked Airi to step outside and talk.
"Airi Sakura." Suzune's voice was much gentler than usual. "You saw the whole conflict between Class C and Sudō, didn't you?"
It wasn't a question. She was confirming it.
Airi flinched, her face going pale in an instant. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I... I didn't... I was just passing by..."
"You don't have to be afraid." Suzune softened her voice, trying her best not to intimidate Airi. "Kira told me. He said you were hiding behind them and saw everything from beginning to end. Ryuen Kakeru provoked them first. Ishizaki and the others deliberately riled Sudō up, then got hurt."
With the truth laid bare, Airi could no longer hide it. Her eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up. "I... I don't dare say anything... Ryuen is so scary. They'll retaliate against me... I don't want them to get back at me. I just want to quietly stay here..."
She had been timid, introverted, and insecure since childhood. She was used to hiding in corners, used to going unnoticed. Being thrust into the spotlight and made the key witness in a hearing was more terrifying to her than being punished herself.
"I won't force you," Suzune said softly, with a seriousness she had never shown before. "But you need to understand one thing: Sudō will be expelled, Class D will suffer a huge setback, and Class C will become even more brazen. More disgusting baiting incidents will happen.
"And you, even though you know the truth, will have to live with the guilt of thinking, 'I could have stopped all this.'"
She paused, then passed on Kira's silent words of approval from the night before, unchanged:
"Kira said you're not a coward. You just haven't found a reason to be brave yet.
"Now the reason is right in front of you.
"You don't have to do it for Class D, or for Sudō, or even for justice.
"Do it for yourself—
"so you won't be afraid anymore, so you won't keep running away, so one day you can hold your head high as you walk."
Airi stared at Suzune, stunned.
For the first time, someone had told her that she could be brave for her own sake.
She bit down hard on her lip. Her trembling body slowly straightened.
"I... I'll testify.
"I'll tell the truth.
"I don't want to run away anymore."
At last, a crack appeared in the massive weight pressing down on Class D.
Airi walked past the Class B classroom, pacing back and forth in obvious hesitation. Kira noticed her, but didn't go out to her, even though he figured she had probably come specifically to thank him.
Airi's cheeks flushed faintly when she noticed Kira looking her way. Her gaze darted aside, but she still managed to gather her courage and bow lightly in his direction.
She said nothing. It was a silent thank-you.
Kira raised his eyes, glanced at her, and gave a small nod in response.
It was as if Airi had received some kind of approval. The last trace of unease in her heart vanished, and she turned and ran back to Class D.
Ichinose happened to see the whole thing.
By evening, dusk had once again settled over the campus.
The news that Class D had found a witness "leaked" by chance. The posts from Class B and Class D, seeking witnesses, both announced that the threads were closed. Inside the Class C classroom, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was nearly explosive.
Ryuen kicked over a desk, his gaze so dark it seemed water might drip from it. "Useless! A bunch of useless idiots! You couldn't even handle a little class like Class D, and now they've found a witness!"
Daichi Ishizaki trembled all over, head bowed, not daring to speak. "Ryuen... We don't know either... There aren't any cameras there, and nobody would have any reason to pass by..."
"You don't know?" Ryuen sneered, his eyes cruel. "Then go die. Listen up, all three of you. At tomorrow's hearing, stick to your story: Sudō started the fight and hit you first. Say the witness's testimony is all fabricated by Class D. As long as you keep repeating that, nobody can do anything to us."
"But... what if the Student Council doesn't believe us?"
"Doesn't believe us?" A wild smile curled Ryuen's lips. "At this school, the truth has always belonged to whoever has the loudest voice, the cruelest methods, and the most cards up their sleeve. Horikita Manabu's fair? I'd like to see just how fair he can be."
His gaze swept coldly over everyone present.
Mio Ibuki leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, brows furrowed. "Don't go too far. Push them too hard, and you'll get burned."
"Get burned?" Ryuen burst out laughing. "I was born to play with fire!"
Albert Yamada stood silently in the corner, his expression calm as he lightly clenched his fists.
He didn't like this kind of scheming. He didn't like this kind of violence. But under Ryuen's dictatorship, all he could do was stay silent and obey. If this really could benefit everyone in the class in the end, then he didn't care about the process. Most of the ordinary students in Class C felt the same way, though the others were probably more afraid than anything.
As the night deepened, an eerie calm fell over the entire campus.
Everyone was waiting for tomorrow—
the public hearing that would decide Ken Sudō's fate, determine whether Class D survived, and shape the early balance of power among the first-year classes.
Suzune stood by the dormitory window, gazing at the night sky without a trace of fear in her eyes.
The pain, despair, and confusion of the previous night had long since transformed into burning resolve.
She wouldn't be expelled. She wouldn't run away. She wouldn't follow the path her brother had laid out for her.
She would stay at this school, rise to Class A, and prove herself with her own hands.
Meanwhile, Horikita Manabu stood atop the Student Council building, overlooking the entire campus, his expression as cold and hard as ice.
He simply waited in silence.
He was watching.
Watching to see whether his younger sister could truly rise to her feet in the face of despair.
Watching to see how far the inscrutable Yoshikage Kira could go.
Watching to see whether this maddening school could really crush all of a person's pride and dignity.
The night breeze was cool, stirring the hem of his uniform.
The Student Council President finally murmured a few words, so softly that only he could hear:
"Suzune...
"Don't disappoint me.
"And don't let yourself regret it."
In his dorm room, Yoshikage Kira went through his usual bedtime routine.
He closed his eyes and clearly pictured how everything would unfold tomorrow:
Everything was on track.
Class B would remain steady.
He would remain calm.
No one could disrupt his daily routine.
Before you continue