Judgment Postponed (Seeking Everything)

"Since everyone has arrived, this hearing will be presided over by our new Student Council disciplinary committee member, Watanabe Hayabara. Secretary Tachibana Akane and I will be supervising. The Student Council will uphold a fair attitude in maintaining the school's rules and order. If there are no questions, we shall begin." Horikita Manabu stood before the head of the long table, his gaze sweeping sharply across the room, his voice steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable authority.

When Class C homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma heard "presided over by Watanabe Hayabara," his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. His expression turned peculiar, as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately suppressed it and gave a slight nod of agreement. Class D's Chabashira Sae and her students naturally had no objections, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Ahem." Standing at the center of the long table, Watanabe Hayabara cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the office. He stood tall with a composed smile, taking the lead to state the claims of both sides and summarize the incident. His logic was clear, and he recounted the sequence of events with ease.

"Based on the aforementioned circumstances, we hope to clarify which side's claim represents the truth." Watanabe Hayabara smiled and turned his gaze toward Class C, gesturing for them to speak first.

A student from Class C stood up immediately, his tone righteous: "Based on the injuries of our three classmates and the situation regarding Akito Miyake, it is not difficult to deduce that Akito Miyake unilaterally assaulted our three classmates." As he spoke, he pointedly glanced toward Class D, his eyes filled with provocation.

"I object to Class C's claim!" Horikita Suzune stood up abruptly just as the other finished speaking, her gaze meeting the Class C student's with determination. "According to our investigation, we have evidence that the Class C students provoked the incident first. Therefore, Akito Miyake was merely acting in self-defense, and he did his best to disengage. Class C's claim is clearly a fabrication." Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear and carried an irrefutable strength.

Watanabe Hayabara glanced calmly at Horikita Manabu at the head of the table, catching the slight furrow of his brow, and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. He withdrew his gaze and continued, "Please provide the evidence, Class D."

Horikita Suzune then looked toward Horikita Manabu at the head of the table and said in a steady tone, "Airi Sakura, who is beside me, is an eyewitness."

"The eyewitness is from your Class D, right?" Sakagami Kazuma chuckled suddenly, his tone full of mockery. Everyone present understood the implication—the credibility of a witness from the same class is questionable.

"Sakagami-sensei, do you have a problem with that?" Watanabe Hayabara looked at Sakagami Kazuma with a smile, his tone gentle yet carrying a hint of pressure.

"No, no, please continue." Sakagami Kazuma waved his hand dismissively, acting as if he didn't care, though the disapproval in his eyes remained.

Horikita Suzune ignored Sakagami Kazuma's attitude and looked back at him firmly: "Airi Sakura also possesses key physical evidence."

Sakagami Kazuma remained nonchalant, as if convinced that Class D could not produce any real evidence.

"Please, Airi Sakura," Horikita Suzune said in a low voice to Airi Sakura beside her, then sat back down.

Airi Sakura took a deep breath and slowly stood up, her hands tightly twisted together, her knuckles turning slightly white. "T-that... this is my evidence." Her voice was thin, but she tried hard to make her words audible as she slowly pulled a repaired camera from her bag.

The camera was passed from Horikita Suzune to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and finally to Watanabe Hayabara.

Watanabe Hayabara took the camera, nodded slightly at Airi Sakura, and offered a gentle smile. Seeing his smile, Airi Sakura's tense nerves relaxed slightly. She nodded back with a light blush, then sat down slowly, subconsciously covering her flushed face with her small hands.

"Then, let me verify the evidence." Watanabe Hayabara connected the camera to the office's projection equipment, and soon, photos appeared clearly on the screen. The photos were taken from Airi Sakura's secondary perspective; although the distance was a bit far, one could clearly see the four figures entangled nearby. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Akito Miyake and the three students from Class C. In the images, one could vaguely see the Class C students initiating the shoving of Akito Miyake. As for the portrait photos Airi Sakura had previously stored, they had already been moved off the device by Watanabe Hayabara beforehand.

"I believe everyone has a better understanding of the scene now. Does either side have anything they wish to say?" Watanabe Hayabara operated the equipment to turn off the projection, looking calmly at Sakagami Kazuma and Chabashira Sae, waiting for their responses.

"I see. It seems you were indeed at the scene. I can only honestly admit that much." Sakagami Kazuma looked at the photos on the screen, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, yet his tone remained skeptical. "However, this photo only shows the four of them fighting; it cannot determine who struck first. Furthermore, this cannot serve as conclusive evidence that you witnessed the entire event from start to finish. Therefore, your unilateral claim that Class C provoked and struck first cannot be taken as absolute testimony." His gaze swept over Airi Sakura with a hint of unyielding hardness.

After speaking, he turned to Chabashira Sae, a calculating smile curling his lips: "Chabashira-sensei, what do you think? Shall we seek a compromise here?"

"Here is the compromise. I believe I also bear some responsibility for the Class C students." Sakagami Kazuma cleared his throat, putting on a facade of fairness. "Since there were three of our students, and one of them seems to have a history of fighting, that is also an issue. So, how about a two-week suspension for Akito Miyake, and a one-week suspension for the Class C students? The severity of the punishment depends on whether the other party was injured." His tone was relaxed, as if this proposal were already the greatest concession.

"Sakagami-sensei, please allow me to refuse your proposal." Horikita Suzune stood up almost as soon as Sakagami Kazuma finished speaking, answering on behalf of Chabashira Sae first. Her voice was clear and firm, her eyes filled with an unyielding stubbornness.

Watanabe Hayabara caught a glimpse of Horikita Manabu at the head of the table. Upon hearing his sister's firm stance, the latter raised an eyebrow, a hint of imperceptible surprise appearing on his face. He couldn't help but find it slightly amusing—it seemed Student Council President Horikita hadn't expected his sister to be so persistent. To be precise, Horikita Manabu could have anticipated Horikita Suzune's persistence, but he hadn't expected her to be so persistent for the sake of another student.

Horikita Suzune ignored the surrounding gazes and turned to Watanabe Hayabara, bowing slightly: "I implore the Student Council to postpone the verdict. We will continue to search for evidence of Akito Miyake's innocence." Her voice carried a hint of pleading, yet she kept her back straight, not retreating in the slightest.

"Sakagami-sensei, what is your opinion?" Watanabe Hayabara turned his gaze to Sakagami Kazuma, waiting for his response.

"I have no objection," Sakagami Kazuma shrugged, then changed his tone, his eyes becoming sharp. "However, if the punishment is maliciously delayed, I propose increasing the penalty for Akito Miyake."

Watanabe Hayabara looked at Horikita Manabu beside him, who nodded slightly, signaling him to decide for himself. He took a deep breath and decided with a steady tone: "Then I will grant Class D three days to collect evidence. We will meet in this office at the same time on Friday." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Class D students. "If Class D cannot provide the corresponding evidence, the Student Council will increase the penalty for Akito Miyake. Today's hearing ends here."

As his words fell, the office fell into silence. Sakagami Kazuma leaned back in his chair with a confident smile; Horikita Suzune clenched her fists tightly, yet a determined light flickered in her eyes; Airi Sakura let out a quiet sigh of relief, and Ayanokoji looked at Watanabe Hayabara with an expressionless face.

Watanabe Hayabara packed up the documents on the table, exchanged a look with Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane, and the three of them left first.