The moment Chabashira Sae's high heels disappeared at the end of the hallway, Class D's classroom erupted like a beehive that had been poked. A boy in the front row slammed his textbook onto his desk. The sharp smack of its plastic cover against the tabletop was the starting gun for the commotion. "What the hell! We're not getting any points because of this guy?" Someone pointed at Akito Miyake in the back row, his voice as hoarse as if it had been scraped with sandpaper. Spit flew from his angry gestures and landed in the hair of a girl in the row ahead.
"Exactly! Thirteen Class Points only comes to 1,300 Personal Points. It's not much, but why should we all be dragged down because of one person?" Some of the girls stood with their arms crossed, their headbands slipping down onto their shoulders as they shook with agitation. "I even picked out a limited-time meal at the cafeteria last week. Now I have to think twice before I can even buy a bottle of juice!" Her complaint was like a spark falling into hot oil, instantly igniting the discontent of even more people. A dozen mouths opened and closed at once. Accusations, sighs, and the shrill scrape of desks and chairs blended together, drowning out even the cicadas outside the window.
But a different voice rang out from the other side of the classroom. A boy with glasses pushed his slipping frames back up and shouted in rebuttal, "Get your facts straight before you start blaming him! Miyake said three people cornered him. If it were me, I'd have hit back too!" The girl beside him nodded repeatedly, her pen unconsciously scribbling across her notebook. "Class C was already out to get us. For all we know, they set him up on purpose." The two sides quickly fell into a shouting match, spittle flying between them. Some even leaned forward so fiercely that they might have grabbed the other person by the collar if the desks hadn't been in the way.
"Um, everyone, could I ask you to listen to me for a moment?"
The clear female voice flowed like a stream over the noisy, rocky bed of the argument, instantly quieting the uproar. Kushida Kikyo stood in the aisle between the desks, her hands clasped before her chest and an appropriately concerned expression on her face. Sunlight fell through the window onto her fair cheeks. Even the angry students quieted without realizing it, and dozens of gazes turned toward her in unison.
Only after the classroom had fallen completely silent did she turn to Akito Miyake. Her tone was gentle, but carried an unmistakable seriousness. "Miyake, could you please tell us what happened, from beginning to end?"
Every gaze snapped toward the back of the classroom as if drawn by a magnet. Akito Miyake's fingers, which had been gripping the hem of his uniform, slowly loosened. His Adam's apple bobbed twice. He first glanced over the suspicious and angry faces, then gave a muffled grunt before speaking slowly. "Last Friday, I went to work out on the field after school, like I usually do." His voice was hoarse from exercising, but unusually clear. "After I finished, I passed by the Special School Building and spotted three suspicious-looking figures."
He paused, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the desk. "So I followed them. When they got behind the Special School Building, they suddenly stopped and turned around to surround me—as if they'd known I was following them all along." Akito Miyake suddenly lifted his head, a hint of ferocity flashing in his eyes. "First, they started insulting us, saying everyone in Class D was useless. I knew I was outnumbered, so I kept quiet, but they just kept pushing."
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Insults weren't enough for them. They started shoving my shoulders and tripping me. I kept putting up with it and didn't hit back, until one of them pulled out a utility knife—" A gasp went through the classroom, but he quickly added, "It was a folding knife. He didn't open it, but he was clearly ready to get serious. I'd had enough, so I knocked them back with a few punches and kicks."
"When they realized they couldn't beat me, they ran off. They weren't hurt at all!" Akito Miyake smacked the desk hard, the chair legs scraping half an inch across the floor. "Seriously injured? That's total bullshit!"
Though he spoke with conviction, someone in the front row still turned up their nose, while a girl in the back pulled at her deskmate's sleeve and shook her head. Doubt spread through the classroom like a fine spiderweb, silent and unseen.
"I see." Kushida Kikyo's voice rang out. She had listened intently, her eyelashes fluttering with each blink. "So it wasn't Miyake's fault." She turned to the class, her smile bright as sunlight after the rain. "I'll help clear Miyake's name. Watanabe, could you come with me to Class C to see how those three students are doing?"
Akito Miyake looked up sharply. "Thanks, Kushida." His voice still carried some of his anger, but there was a little warmth in it now, too.
At Kushida Kikyo's words, Watanabe Hayabara froze. The whole class focused on him again, as if countless tiny needles were pricking his back. He saw the expectant look in Kushida Kikyo's clear eyes, and Akito Miyake also gave him a grateful glance. The words of refusal caught in his throat, and in the end, all he could manage was an almost inaudible sigh.
She really loves making trouble for me, Kushida Kikyo.
"Fine, Kushida," Watanabe Hayabara replied helplessly.
With a determined look on her face, Kushida Kikyo promised the class, "Please believe me. I'll get to the bottom of this and see that Miyake gets justice. I also won't let the class suffer unnecessary losses over this." Her words were sincere and forceful, and many of the students looked convinced.
Yosuke Hirata added, "I'll do everything I can to help, too. If you need anything coordinated or need an extra hand, just let me know."
Reassured by the pair's promises, the crowd gradually dispersed and returned to their seats. Order slowly returned to the classroom, though a trace of tension still lingered in the air.
"Watanabe...?" A cool voice came from behind him. Watanabe Hayabara had been about to leave with Kushida Kikyo, but stopped when he heard it.
He turned around and saw Horikita Suzune standing there, her posture straight and her gaze fixed on him. "What is it, Horikita?"
"I'll help, too." Horikita Suzune sounded certain, without a hint of hesitation.
Watanabe Hayabara was taken aback, then smiled. "Then I'll thank you on Miyake's behalf, too."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had remained seated the entire time, his head lowered and his hands folded on the desktop. No one could see his expression. He was like a bystander, removed from the situation, and yet he also seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Everything around him appeared to have nothing to do with him. Only the occasional slight furrow of his brow showed that he wasn't truly indifferent to what was happening.
"We should get going, Watanabe," Kushida Kikyo said, gently tugging at the hem of Watanabe Hayabara's uniform as she reminded him. Her eyes were full of urgency; she wanted to begin the investigation as soon as possible.
Just then, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had been silent until now, suddenly raised his head. His gaze swept calmly over everyone before he spoke. "I think that if we need to question students from other classes, we should start with Class B."
Horikita Suzune looked puzzled and furrowed her brow slightly. "Why Class B?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's speech remained unhurried, as if he were weighing every word. "Because I most hope that the witnesses are in that class... Though that's all I have to go on."
Kushida Kikyo seemed confused as well. She blinked and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, Ayanokoji. I don't quite understand what you mean."
Watanabe Hayabara stood quietly to the side without speaking, but judging by his slight nod, he had clearly understood Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's reasoning.
Rather than answer directly, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked, "To Class B, which is more of a nuisance, Class D or Class C? Put another way, which class is more likely to threaten their own?"
Kushida Kikyo answered at once, without a moment's thought. "That's obviously Class C. So we should go to Class C last, right? But then couldn't we also go to Class A?"
"For one thing, we still know too little about Class A, and I don't think they'd want to get involved in a troublesome matter that seems to have something to do with points." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka explained his reasoning clearly. "Besides, from Class A's perspective, they might not care what happens to either Class C or Class D. So asking the students in Class B is our best option."
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