Class C's Plan (9)

"Komiya and the other two claim that Sudo called them to the special building and assaulted them."

"However, Sudo denies this, asserting that it was Komiya and his group who called him out."

"The claims from both sides do not align, but there is only one fact that can be confirmed."

"That is, due to the actions of the perpetrator, Sudo, Komiya, Kondo, and Ishizaki were injured; the victims are those three."

"Am I correct?" Kitahara asked, looking at everyone.

"That is indeed the case," Banjo nodded and said.

"Even though I was the one who hit you, you were the ones who provoked me first!" Sudo stood up and pointed at them.

Seeing this, Kitahara could only shake his head helplessly, making no move to stop him.

At the same time, Ayanokoji looked at him, thinking:

Since the focus of the discussion has already shifted to the injuries, we cannot let Sudo run his mouth.

He called out, "Horikita."

But at that moment, Horikita's mind was already elsewhere.

"You're just jealous that I became a regular member, and you always get in my way during practice," Sudo continued to rant on the side.

Seeing that Ayanokoji and the others still hadn't made a move, Kitahara decided not to wait any longer and said, "Please, quiet down."

"If there is no new testimony, we will proceed."

"Is that acceptable?"

Seeing that they remained silent, Kitahara continued immediately:

"Judging by the injuries of the victims, the fact of a one-sided assault is established. Based on this criterion, I believe the result is already clear."

"Class 1-D's claim of self-defense and Sudo's plea of innocence..."

Before Kitahara could finish, Horikita, spurred on by Ayanokoji, stood up.

Ayanokoji said to Horikita, "If you don't fight back now, we've already lost."

Hearing Ayanokoji's words, Horikita looked at us and said, "Excuse me, may I ask a few questions?"

"You may," the President, sitting to the side, spoke up before Kitahara could answer.

Ignoring the resentful Kitahara, Horikita gazed quietly at her brother.

Feeling her brother's gaze, Horikita trembled slightly before looking at Class C opposite her and saying firmly:

"What reason did Sudo give to call you out?"

"Please answer me."

"He just said, 'Come here after club activities end'..." Komiya, sitting opposite, replied.

"Then why was Ishizaki at the special building?"

"He isn't a member of the basketball club. I find his presence there unnatural," Horikita continued.

"It was just in case."

"In case of what?"

"Because there were rumors that Sudo has a violent streak, and he's physically stronger than us."

"So, you're saying you thought you might get beaten up by him, is that right?"

"That's right."

"So you called Ishizaki, who was known for fighting back in middle school, to act as your bodyguard."

"That was just for our own safety."

"I have some experience in martial arts, and I know that when facing multiple enemies, the difficulty of a fight increases exponentially. Yet, the three of you were one-sidedly beaten by a single person—I cannot comprehend that."

"That's because we didn't want to fight him."

"If the opponent has no will to fight or offers no resistance, the probability of all three of you sustaining injuries is extremely low."

"Under normal circumstances, that is true," Chabashira chimed in.

"But that logic doesn't apply to Sudo. He is a very violent person," Ishizaki said.

"There is a student who witnessed the entire process," Horikita then said.

"The witness is already at the door."

As her words fell, and amidst the surprised looks from Class C, Sakura pushed the door open and entered.

"I am Sakura Airi from Class 1-D."

After she sat down, Kitahara continued.

"Then, witness, please begin your statement."

"I truly saw everything. It was the students from Class C who struck Sudo first. That is the truth."

After Sakura finished speaking, Banjo spoke up: "You are Sakura-san, right? If you really saw it, why didn't you come forward sooner?"

"It's because..."

"You must have been pushed forward by them to lie, all to save Sudo, right?"

"I only told the truth..."

Seeing that Sakura had already fallen into the rhythm of the opposition, Horikita spoke up:

"Because Sakura is truly an eyewitness to the incident, that is why she is here. Otherwise, even if we had begged her, she wouldn't necessarily have stepped forward."

"Oh..."

"If we just wanted to find someone to appear here, we could have chosen anyone, couldn't we?"

"You're trying to use someone with her personality to make the fact that she's an eyewitness seem more authentic," Banjo replied.

Seeing that neither side could convince the other, Kitahara looked at Sakura and said:

"Do you have any other evidence you can provide?"

"I do..."

"Don't push yourself," Banjo said.

"This is the proof that I was at the special building at the time." Under everyone's gaze, Sakura took out a camera memory card and said.

"Play it," Kitahara continued.

After a brief screening, Banjo said:

"I see. It seems you were indeed at the scene, but it's still impossible to tell which side threw the first punch."

"Furthermore, there is no evidence to show that you saw the entire process of the incident."

"This..."

"So, let's find a compromise," Banjo said, looking at Chabashira.

"A compromise?"

"Although these photos exist, they cannot serve as decisive evidence."

"However, the students of Class C bear some responsibility."

"So, how about this: Sudo is suspended for two weeks, and the students of Class C are suspended for one week?"

"The severity of the punishment depends on whether the other party was injured."

"So, Chabashira-sensei, what do you think?"

"You should have already reached a conclusion," Chabashira replied.

"Then the matter should be settled. What is your opinion, Horikita Suzune, representative of Class D?"

However, to everyone's surprise, Horikita firmly stated that Sudo from our class was not at fault in any way, and only needed to reflect on his usual behavior and make corrections.

She added that this was a deliberate scheme by Class C.

"Therefore, I still maintain that Sudo is innocent."

As Horikita's words fell, Banjo from Class C retorted sarcastically:

"I didn't expect the Student Council President's sister..."

Before he could finish, Horikita looked at us and continued:

"According to the eyewitness's testimony, Sudo is the victim. I ask that you make a correct judgment regarding this point."

"We are the ones who are the victims!" Ishizaki from the other side countered.

"..."

Just as everyone was arguing incessantly, Kitahara spoke up:

"Your testimonies are contradictory, which means one side among you must be giving false testimony. Therefore, until new evidence is found, this meeting will be reconvened at a later date."

"Once the final result is determined, the side that provided false testimony will face even harsher punishment."

"With that, this meeting is now concluded."