The Truth

"Looking at the video, it really doesn't seem to have anything to do with Kato Satsu. After all, no man attempting to force himself on a woman would do so with his back turned to her."

Although Tachibana Akane's tone carried a hint of confusion, she spoke the truth in the face of the evidence.

No one in the room responded; everyone wore a look of deep contemplation.

"You can clearly hear a scream in the video, and that is undoubtedly the voice of Yamamoto Sae." (Chabashira Sae)

"The issue lies in Kato Satsu's actions. While this behavior clearly refutes Sae's claims, however..." (Class 2-C homeroom teacher)

"But according to Kato's statement, Sae tore her own clothes. If she could have just taken them off, why tear them?" (Nagumo Miyabi)

"Furthermore, with a nearly naked woman standing right in front of him, Kato Satsu's reaction as a man was as if..." (Nagumo Miyabi)

"As if he had known in advance that Sae would do this, and acted that way specifically to clear his name." (Horikita Manabu)

Hearing these inner thoughts, cold sweat broke out on Satsu's back. These people were truly astonishing; they could piece together the truth almost entirely just by using their own imaginations.

"How about I pour everyone some tea? You all can think it over slowly," Satsu asked tentatively.

He said something nonsensical, trying to break the silence in the room, and as he spoke, he prepared to stand up.

Horikita Manabu glanced at him, then spoke to Sae in a steady tone: "Yamamoto Sae, do you have anything else to say?"

"Based on the evidence so far, it is clear that you are lying."

Upon hearing this, rage welled up in Sae, and she slammed the table, shouting: "I'm lying? Why would I use my own innocence to frame him! What girl would do such a thing?"

"You said you learned from your homeroom teacher that Kato Satsu and Kuraku had made an agreement to have you expelled."

Nagumo Miyabi interjected abruptly, then looked at the Class 2-C homeroom teacher, asking for confirmation.

"I'm not wrong, am I, teacher?"

The latter nodded slightly, acknowledging the matter: "That is true. Sae came to ask me about it at the time, and I answered her truthfully."

Nagumo Miyabi relaxed completely, adopting an attitude of having seen through everything, and said:

"Kato Satsu has only been enrolled for two days, and the news that he caused two upperclassmen to be expelled is common knowledge. You were terrified."

"So, in order to avoid being expelled yourself, you chose to strike first and get him expelled instead. After all, the best defense is a good offense."

Nagumo propped his legs up on the table, surveying Sae with an extremely relaxed posture, while the latter gritted her teeth in frustration.

Satsu, standing to the side, also looked smug; after all, the current situation was extremely favorable to him.

If things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before Sae was saddled with the charge of falsely accusing another.

But just then, a voice that sounded incredibly grating to Satsu reached his ears.

"You were the one who took the initiative to ask the homeroom teacher, rather than the teacher telling you voluntarily. In other words, you were merely seeking to verify the truth of that agreement."

Horikita Manabu accurately captured the blind spot and said calmly: "Then, who told you about the agreement between Kato Satsu and Kuraku?"

"Suzune's brother is truly different! He can easily notice things that others overlook." (Kato Satsu)

Satsu stared at Sae with a serious expression; he was also eager to know Sae's next move. Would she betray Sakayanagi Arisu?

The latter was visibly caught in a struggle, but after less than a minute, as if prepared to go down with the ship, she said excitedly:

"It was Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A. She told me the news, and she was the one who gave me the idea to frame Kato Satsu. I was merely the one executing it."

As she spoke, she began to cry again: "I was truly scared! I didn't want to be expelled! I didn't want to be expelled!"

She cried with the same genuine emotion as before, making it impossible to tell what was real and what was fake.

Despite this, not a single person present showed even a shred of sympathy.

Of this, Satsu, who possessed the ability to read minds, was certain. Even Tachibana Akane was thinking about what the truth of the matter was, rather than focusing her attention on Sae.

"Notify Sakayanagi Arisu of Class 1-A to come to the student council to assist with the investigation," Horikita Manabu said coldly.

Satsu was not surprised that Sae chose to give up Arisu.

What truly surprised him were the reactions of Hashimoto and Kamuro; the two of them had remained completely unfazed from start to finish.

Even though their leader's scheme had failed and they had been dragged into this vortex, they remained so calm.

"Arisu must have anticipated that Sae would fail!" (Kato Satsu)

"And she didn't tell these two about the subsequent plan; I can't read it at all!" (Kato Satsu)

Now it was Satsu's turn to grit his teeth. He could only wait for Arisu to arrive, then use mind-reading to learn the specific follow-up plan and figure out a way to respond.

"But if there really is a follow-up plan, why didn't I read it when I had dinner with her before? It's impossible for anyone to truly evade mind-reading, right?" (Kato Satsu)

"This isn't a game; she can't be cheating!" (Kato Satsu)

Arisu walked into the student council office unhurriedly, a calm smile on her face. Clearly, she had anticipated the current outcome long ago.

The moment Arisu entered, Satsu began to read her mind. Upon learning everything, Satsu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"This woman is terrifying!" (Kato Satsu)

"Her plan is a perfect one, successful regardless of the outcome!" (Kato Satsu)

After Arisu took her seat, Horikita Manabu began the questioning: "Sakayanagi Arisu, did you tell Sae the news that Satsu and Kuraku had an agreement to have her expelled?"

"And did you also suggest to Sae the idea of framing Satsu to get him expelled?"

Arisu answered unhurriedly and with unusual fluency, as if she had rehearsed it countless times in her mind.

"It was me who said it, but I was acting entirely in accordance with Kato Satsu's request."

As soon as Arisu said this, everyone turned to look at Kato Satsu, whose expression was as pained as if he had just smelled a middle-aged man's armpit.

"That day, I was having a meal with him. Kato Satsu told me about his agreement with Kuraku and asked for my help."

"He told me to guide Sae into doing that, so that he could take the opportunity to counter-accuse Sae of framing him and get her expelled."

"The evidence is a black rabbit doll in his house. Its eyes are micro-cameras, originally intended to record him remaining unmoved."

Arisu kept her eyes on Kato Satsu as she spoke, her expression playful, as if she were intoxicated by his fury.

"However, because Hashimoto and Kamuro were there, it didn't end up being used."

"Damn it, if I hadn't resisted Sae's temptation, I would have been recorded by Hashimoto and Kamuro, and the charge of raping a female student would have stuck!" (Kato Satsu)

"If I had resisted, the micro-camera in that doll would be ironclad proof that I set the trap!" (Kato Satsu)

"I didn't read the rest of the plan earlier because Arisu never thought I would resist the temptation, so she didn't think that far ahead!" (Kato Satsu)

"Damn it!" Kato Satsu gritted his teeth and spat out fiercely.