Class Trial

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-A.

"The midterm exams are about to begin. I don't need to repeat the requirements; the passing mark is half of the class average, and anyone who fails a single subject will be expelled."

Mashima Tomoya cautioned the students of Class A from the podium. Looking at his confident students, he felt no cause for concern.

"Rei-kun."

Before the exam started, Sakayanagi Arisu walked over to Amasawa Reigetsu's desk—

"Could you wait for me after the exam?"

"How about I wait for you on the rooftop?"

"...Are you misunderstanding something? Rei-kun, I only wanted to discuss some inter-class matters with you."

Sakayanagi Arisu's voice was half a tone softer than usual, and her final syllable carried a faint, imperceptible tremor. She subconsciously gripped her cane, her fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure.

The face that always maintained such elegance was now flushing a visible shade of crimson, spreading from her fair earlobes all the way to her cheeks. She turned her head slightly, attempting to hide her flustered gaze behind her cascading light-colored hair, but her burning skin and slightly rapid breathing betrayed the panic deep within her heart.

The rooftop? Isn't that, that, that, that, that the place for confessions!?

Amasawa Reigetsu watched her quietly, the curve of his lips deepening. He was far too familiar with the Little Alice who usually had everything under control, acting as if the world were in the palm of her hand.

But right now, this girl before him, whose rhythm of breath had been disrupted by a single tease of his, her earlobes red enough to drip blood—

Much obliged.

The exam ended smoothly. If Amasawa Reigetsu's expectations were correct, he should have achieved a perfect score in every subject.

School building, rooftop.

"Arisu, you're late~"

Amasawa Reigetsu leaned against the mottled wall of the rooftop, his hands tucked casually into his trouser pockets. He tilted his head slightly, watching the girl's somewhat hesitant figure, his tone drawn out with a hint of teasing.

"I specifically handed in my paper early just to wait for you up here."

Sakayanagi Arisu bit her lower lip gently, struggling to keep her voice steady.

"Rei-kun is truly insensitive. You know my physical condition is inconvenient, yet you specifically arranged to meet me on the rooftop..."

Counterattack ineffective!

"Don't you think, Little Alice—that this is a good place?"

"Click."

Amasawa Reigetsu locked the rooftop's iron door, instantly cutting off all of Sakayanagi Arisu's paths of retreat.

"Eh?"

The light before her eyes dimmed abruptly, and Amasawa Reigetsu's warm breath instantly enveloped her.

Amasawa Reigetsu leaned down slightly, circling her into his arms from behind. The height difference between them allowed him to easily reach over her shoulders, his long arms crossing over her chest to keep her firmly trapped by his side.

"Don't..."

Sakayanagi Arisu's body stiffened violently; she could feel her reason suffering a massive fracture at this moment. She subconsciously wanted to struggle, but the warmth radiating from behind her drained away all her strength.

"I have serious matters to discuss... mmm..."

Her soft, sweet protests only stirred Amasawa Reigetsu's desire further. Sakayanagi Arisu unleashed the Criminal Excitement Punch!

Amasawa Reigetsu didn't speak, merely resting his chin gently on the crown of her head. It was as if he were saying—

"Mhm, keep going, I'm listening."

Sakayanagi Arisu felt as though her heart were about to leap out of her chest. Her pride in her strategy, her composure, and her genius intellect had completely collapsed under the weight of Amasawa Reigetsu's irresistible presence.

"I... you, you, you..."

Sakayanagi Arisu had completely crashed. Her eyes were veiled in a hazy mist, and her entire body felt as if the bones had been removed, leaving her to go limp in Amasawa Reigetsu's embrace, forced to let him control every breath and heartbeat.

Ah... I really can't refuse Rei-kun—

I have fallen deeply in love with you... my god♡

As if sensing the shift in the girl's mindset within his arms, Amasawa Reigetsu tightened his grip around her chest, embedding her deeper into his embrace. The intense feeling of confinement made Sakayanagi Arisu let out a soft moan.

"Mmm... be gentle, Rei-kun♡"

After a wholesome exchange of feelings, Sakayanagi Arisu nestled in Amasawa Reigetsu's arms, a look of feigned annoyance on her face.

"Rei-kun is so mean. I really did come here to talk about serious business..."

"About the matter with Class C and Class D? I already heard about it at the Student Council. Horikita asked me to go see her tomorrow."

"Horikita? Which Horikita?"

Although Sakayanagi Arisu knew Horikita Manabu was also a Horikita, she decided to play it safe...

"The Student Council President, of course."

What the hell... So Rei-kun knew all along? Doesn't that mean I just walked right into his trap?

"What does Rei-kun plan to do? Whether it's Class C or Class D, this should be a perfect opportunity to strike, right?"

Sakayanagi Arisu looked up and saw Amasawa Reigetsu looking down at her as well. Their cheeks brushed against each other in a fleeting, dragonfly-light touch—as if it were just a casual gesture, or rather, a casual slip of the lips.

"You're quite aggressive, Arisu."

Amasawa Reigetsu pinched Sakayanagi Arisu's cheek as punishment for her lack of camaraderie toward her fellow students.

"Grrr..."

Sakayanagi Arisu pouted to show her dissatisfaction.

"Leave it to me."

In Amasawa Reigetsu's mind... a devious plan had already taken shape.

The midterm exams had ended, but the points for June had not been distributed. Mashima Tomoya convened a class meeting to explain the situation: a violent conflict had broken out between Class C and Class D, and since both classes held conflicting accounts, the point results could not be determined.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Student Council Office.

Only Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane were in the Student Council office, the atmosphere heavy with solemnity.

The door was pushed open, and Amasawa Reigetsu and Ichinose Honami stepped inside one after the other, closing the door behind them.

"You're here. Sit."

"Mm."

The two took their seats, and Horikita Manabu pushed a file folder toward Amasawa Reigetsu.

"Amasawa, I leave the judgment of this matter to you."

Behind the desk, Horikita Manabu sat with his hands clasped under his chin, the light filtering through the blinds casting deep shadows across his sharp, well-defined features.

Amasawa Reigetsu met Horikita Manabu's gaze without flinching, his tone carrying a hint of probing:

"I'm a first-year student too. Are you sure it's okay to hand over this level of authority to me?"

"This is the authority of the Student Council."

An authority-tripper!? Damn, I have authority too, so I guess that's fine.

But isn't this progressing a bit too smoothly? Amasawa Reigetsu scrutinized the two third-years in front of him—

The cards were clean.

Then Amasawa Reigetsu understood why.

"...Because of your sister?"

The crack in Horikita Manabu's impeccable, stoic expression widened. It was a good thing Nagumo Miyabi wasn't here; it really was wise to discuss this with Amasawa while Nagumo was away.

Horikita Manabu took a deep breath, burying the complex emotions that had flickered in his eyes.

He kept his cool.

"...If there's nothing else, get out."

"Okey-dokey."

The two left the Student Council office, but Ichinose Honami was unusually excited, following Amasawa Reigetsu closely as they made their way through the noisy hallway until they found a relatively quiet corner in the cafeteria to sit down with their trays.

Ichinose finally couldn't suppress her inner restlessness. Leaning forward slightly, she couldn't help but ask:

"Boss, when do we start the investigation? My detective soul is already burning!"

What? You have a detective soul too? The last person whose grandfather was a detective has already...

Ichinose Honami: There's such a thing as a good deal?

Amasawa Reigetsu had just picked up his chopsticks when he paused at her words, a look of pure bewilderment in his eyes.

"Investigate what? Did you think I was going to investigate the scene later? Is that why you were following me?"

Watching the question marks seemingly manifest above Amasawa Reigetsu's head, Ichinose Honami froze for a second, and then a few large question marks appeared above her own head as well.

"Aren't we going to investigate Sudo's incident? The fight between Class C and Class D has become such a huge commotion..."

She blinked those clear eyes of hers, her tone filled with the assumption that it was a matter of course.

"No need to investigate."

Amasawa Reigetsu picked up a piece of tonkatsu, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather.

"Class C and Class D are fighting; what does that have to do with us in Class A and Class B? In times like these, we only need to sit quietly on the shore, watching them struggle and trade interests as bargaining chips. As long as the final outcome isn't too unsightly, that's all that matters."

"This is an attack by Class C against Class D... The President handed this matter to us, meaning he wants us to profit from it, exacerbate Class D's disadvantage, and use it to polish his precious, unrefined gem of a sister."

"But..."

Ichinose Honami's delicate brows furrowed, her hands clasped tightly on the tabletop, her voice laced with reluctance.

"If it's like this, if Horikita-san fails, someone will definitely be expelled in the end!"

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Amasawa Reigetsu stopped chewing, lifted his eyelids, and gazed calmly at the naive girl before him, retorting:

"Ichinose-san, do you think that in three years, no one from Class B will be expelled?"

"..."

Ichinose Honami opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She knew she couldn't protect everyone in Class B, so she could only bury her head like an ostrich, refusing to think about that possibility.

Watching Ichinose's lowered lashes and slightly trembling shoulders, Amasawa Reigetsu sighed. It was time to start training his secretary:

"Ichinose-san, have you heard of the 'Trolley Problem'?"

"A runaway trolley is hurtling down the tracks. Five people are tied to the main track, while one person is tied to the side track. You can choose to pull the lever, sacrificing one person to save five; or you can do nothing and watch the five people die."

"Or perhaps, I could stop the entire train by myself, and no one would be harmed."

"Maybe this metaphor is a bit inappropriate... but in a school that prioritizes meritocracy, protecting everyone comes at a price. That is the cruel reality."

Ichinose Honami fell into a state of mystery, staring blankly at the boy before her.

Amasawa Reigetsu watched her dazed expression without rushing her. He simply reached out, his fingertips gently pinching the fingers she had placed on the table, which had turned slightly pale from the pressure.

Such beautiful hands. Ichinose, I'm sorry, although this is a bit lewd... but I hope your angelic wings can be stained with my shade of black...

A good tool must be trained by one's own hands!

The warm sensation from his fingertips made Ichinose Honami snap back to reality. She suddenly realized how close the distance between them was, and that his hand was currently playing with her fingers without restraint.

"Ah...!"

Ichinose Honami's cheeks instantly flushed a deep crimson. She hurriedly pulled her hand back and clutched it tightly to her chest.

"Go back. Prepare for the Class Trial tomorrow. Set the time and location, and send out notifications to the relevant parties."

Amasawa Reigetsu stood up and left, hands tucked into his trouser pockets, never looking back.

"Ichinose, Lesson 1 begins:"

"Start by finding the person you truly want to protect."

June 1st, afternoon.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Class Trial.

A long table divided the classroom into two sides, the atmosphere tense and bristling with hostility—

On the left side of the table sat the members of Class C. Ryuen Kakeru leaned back in his chair, hands resting on the armrests, a provocative smile perpetually plastered on his face.

Sitting beside him were Kaneda Satoru and Albert. Further away from the rest of Class C, Shiina Hiyori sat quietly, cradling a novel as if the tense atmosphere around her had nothing to do with her, save for the occasional soft sound of turning pages.

On the right side of the table, the Class D camp appeared exceptionally strained. Sudo Ken clenched his fists tightly, seemingly arguing with Horikita Suzune about something.

"Are you kidding me! They were the ones who provoked it first! I never intended to hit anyone!"

Sitting beside him, Horikita Suzune's face was ashen. The investigation time hadn't been enough for her to find any decisive evidence, so she could only glare at Ryuen opposite her, trying to find a flaw in his composed expression.

At the very end of the seating, Ayanokoji Kiyoko seemed like a passerby who had wandered in by mistake, radiating an air of indifference as if the matter didn't concern her—

No, that was only if one ignored the burning gaze she directed at Amasawa Reigetsu.

In the center of the long table sat the student council representatives in charge of this "Class Trial": Amasawa Reigetsu and Ichinose Honami.

"Alright, small talk is over."

Amasawa Reigetsu stopped tapping his fingertips against the table and leaned forward slightly, shattering the suffocating silence in the room.

"Class C accuses Sudo Ken of Class D of intentional violent assault and demands the school issue an expulsion. Class D claims self-defense and demands an acquittal. So—"

He lifted his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc:

"Now, begin presenting your evidence."