"So this is the method Ichinose mentioned..."
With his schoolbag slung over his shoulder, Chiba Yu stood in front of a notice board. It detailed how anyone who had witnessed the incident at the school building that day could contact Kanzaki of Class B.
Although Kanzaki had meant to help, Chiba didn't think a notice like this would be enough to find a witness. It was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
"Chiba!"
Hearing his name, Chiba turned and saw Ichinose and Kanzaki. He greeted them.
"This notice was Kanzaki's idea."
Before Chiba could ask, Ichinose explained.
Kanzaki waved a hand. "Things are incredibly difficult for you right now, so I thought we could try our luck. As it happens, someone provided us with some information."
As he spoke, Kanzaki told Chiba about the email he'd received that morning when he met Ayanokoji. Chiba's expression remained calm as he listened, because he knew the information wouldn't help them in the end.
The best option now wasn't to search for witnesses or put out a call for help online. They needed to find a way to get the three students from Class C to withdraw their accusations.
Even if they found a witness, would that really solve the problem? That was the worst-case scenario.
Based on what he knew about Ryuen of Class C, along with the rumors he'd heard, Chiba didn't believe this approach could put an end to the matter.
"Have you found any new leads on your end?" Kanzaki asked, glancing at Chiba, who was staring at the notice board.
"Our class? Unfortunately, we still don't have any leads. We haven't even found a witness." Chiba shook his head.
"Though we might have found something new. I just haven't looked into it. You could ask Kushida or Hirata from our class about it."
"After all this time, you're still the same. I thought you might have changed a little, but now I see you really haven't changed at all."
Kanzaki's wistful remark drew Ichinose's attention. She immediately asked with curiosity, "What do you mean, Kanzaki? Does Chiba have some kind of story from his past?"
Kanzaki straightened his cuffs. "This guy..."
"Kanzaki, if there's nothing else, I'm going to head off."
Chiba interrupted him. He had no intention of hiding his past, but he found it awkward to have someone else bring it up in front of him, so he decided to leave.
Kanzaki paused, then replied, "Sure. If you need anything, come find me. If I can help, I'll try."
But Chiba looked unconcerned. "Do you think someone like me ever runs into problems?"
Seeing his reaction, Kanzaki let out a resigned sigh. "I suppose not. We won't keep you, then. See you next time."
"Yeah."
Whatever had happened in the past, Chiba only wanted to take care of the life he had now.
With that conviction, he walked away without looking back.
Time flew by, and before long, the day of the hearing arrived.
After that, Chiba hadn't paid much attention to the fallout from the incident involving Sudo. As a result, he might have known less about the case than the golden-haired ponytail sitting in front of him.
That evening, when Chiba went out to buy a drink, he "happened" to run into Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was also heading out. That was when he learned what had happened.
Since there was no way to determine which side was lying, even with witness Sakura's testimony and the evidence, Sudo still couldn't escape punishment for hitting someone. In other words, Class D had already lost in this matter.
So the Student Council gave everyone one more day. If no one admitted fault or found evidence that the other side was lying by the deadline, the Student Council would make its decision based on its assessment of the incident—and impose the harshest penalty: expulsion.
"So, if I understand you correctly, Horikita plans to invite Ishizaki and the others to the special building tomorrow, use the claim that it has surveillance cameras to pressure them into admitting they were wrong and withdrawing their accusations?"
"Yeah. That's what Horikita said."
After hearing the plan, Chiba could only marvel at how bold Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji were.
To carry it out in real life, they'd need not only nerves of steel but also a good understanding of human weakness.
At this age, most boys were little better than rutting monkeys. If they took advantage of that, they could use Kushida Kikyo, one of the most popular girls in their year, to lure the three boys out.
Then they'd have to overwhelm them in one fell swoop, break through their psychological defenses, and pressure them into withdrawing their accusations with no way out.
Horikita's plan was like dancing on the edge of a blade. The slightest mistake could ruin everything.
Besides, it had one fatal flaw: Ryuen, Class C's leader.
Since Ishizaki had come up with a way to frame Sudo, someone else had to be pulling the strings. Without a doubt, that person was none other than Class C's tyrant, Ryuen.
If Ishizaki and the others told Ryuen about the plan, Horikita's scheme would be in serious danger. It could even fail outright.
"Can you guarantee the plan will go smoothly and succeed?" Chiba asked as he opened the drink that had just dropped from the vending machine. He and Ayanokoji sat on the same bench.
"Horikita is confident about it."
It was a clever answer, passing the question off to Horikita without stating his own opinion.
When the other boy showed no intention of saying more, Chiba didn't press him. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Ayanokoji, why did you choose to come to this school?" The topic change was abrupt, but Chiba didn't seem to realize it.
As if he'd prepared his answer long ago, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka replied calmly, "I'd heard that tuition was free here, and that graduates had a one-hundred-percent employment rate, so I came."
"To be honest, my family's pretty average."
It was a very official-sounding answer. Anyone else would probably have thought Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had come here for the same reasons as most people.
But Chiba clearly didn't believe him. Still, he didn't call him out.
"You and I... Never mind. It'd be a hassle to say more, so I won't."
"Hey, since I shared my story, shouldn't it be your turn to tell me about your own? That's only common courtesy," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said, sounding like he was teasing him.
Chiba slowly got up from the bench and stretched. "You said it yourself—that's just common courtesy. I think it's too much trouble. Or are you like those rigid adults, too?"
"No, not really."
"See? You said so yourself." Chiba shrugged. "Anyway, it's getting late. We should head back."
Chiba stood, patted Ayanokoji Kiyotaka on the shoulder, then walked off ahead of him.
Ayanokoji glanced at the drink in his hand, lost in thought. After closing his eyes and sighing, he got up and followed.