"We're sticking to our original position: Sudo is innocent!"
"Heh, that's a bold claim. But you'll need evidence to back it up."
"Wasn't that recording just now evidence?"
"Oh? You should know that any recording made by a witness under duress is inadmissible."
"Tsk!"
In the meeting room, Horikita Suzune faced four people, including Teacher Sakagami, all on her own. Honestly, her chances weren't good. To make matters worse, the other side flatly denied what was said in the recording, leaving them still in a difficult position.
As for the solution Horikita Suzune had mentioned earlier, she'd probably only said it to placate them. Given the situation, the odds were completely stacked against them. That was what Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought.
"D Class, if you can't produce evidence proving Sudo's innocence, then according to the rules, we'll impose different penalties on D Class and C Class, depending on the circumstances. Any objections?"
Horikita Manabu sat high on the platform, gazing solemnly at everyone below. His eyes lingered on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka several times.
"Ugh!"
Horikita Suzune clenched her fists and glared at the three students from C Class, seething with frustration. But she knew that without irrefutable evidence, there was no way to turn things around. All she could do now was sit silently in her seat.
"Haah..." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed quietly, but still made no move.
Sudo glared fiercely at Ishizaki and the others across from him, but given the situation, he didn't dare do anything.
By contrast, Komiya and the others looked thoroughly smug. After Ryuen's warning the previous night, they knew that as long as they didn't do anything else stupid, they were sure to win today.
Even Teacher Sakagami pushed up his glasses with a smug air, a triumphant, arrogant smile on his lips.
Just as everyone waited silently for the verdict, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out, making them turn to look.
Ryuen stood arrogantly at the meeting-room entrance, sweeping his gaze across everyone inside with obvious excitement.
"We're still in the middle of a meeting. Unauthorized personnel, please leave at once," Tachibana warned, frowning at Ryuen, who had appeared without warning.
But Ryuen wasn't intimidated. He strolled into the meeting room as he pleased. "My apologies, everyone. But I'm not here to cause trouble today."
"Then hurry up and lea—"
"It's fine, Tachibana. Let him speak," Horikita Manabu interrupted, gesturing for Ryuen to continue his performance.
Seeing how cooperative the student council president was, Ryuen looked even more pleased. He glanced at Ishizaki and the other two, sitting obediently in their seats, then turned to Horikita Suzune with a broad smile.
"Don't be nervous. I'm here to do something your D Class will be happy to hear."
"Heh. Don't tell me you came to ask us to drop the charges against D Class?" Horikita Suzune shot back without hesitation.
"That's right. You guessed it."
"Heh. If you're just here to mock us—wait, what did you say?" Horikita Suzune's eyes widened slightly as she stared at Ryuen in disbelief.
"I said C Class will withdraw its complaint this time. That shouldn't be a problem, should it, Student Council President Horikita?"
"Ryuen! Have you really thought this through?" Teacher Sakagami sprang to his feet, sounding anxious.
Ryuen merely waved a hand at him. "Don't worry, teacher. I've thought this over carefully. Compared to this matter, the student council president's opinion should matter more."
At that moment, not only the students from C Class but even Horikita Suzune, who had always considered herself level-headed, was stunned. She immediately turned to look at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, sitting quietly off to the side, her thoughts churning like waves.
What had this guy done without my knowing?
Unlike Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was surprised by this sudden turn of events, but his face remained utterly blank, as if he'd expected it all along.
A figure suddenly flashed through his mind—a person who hadn't played a direct role in this affair, yet was closely connected to it.
Could it be him? But how had he pulled it off?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's thoughts raced, but outwardly he remained completely composed.
"So, can I take it that C Class considers this matter settled and won't pursue the case any further?" Horikita Manabu seemed to understand what was going on and quickly phrased his question.
"Of course. Once we withdraw the complaint, C Class won't pursue the matter any further."
With Ryuen's words, everything was finally brought to a close.
After declaring the matter settled, Horikita Manabu adjourned the meeting and dismissed the students present. The moment they walked out of the meeting room, nearly all of them were utterly baffled, with no idea what had just happened.
"Big Brother Ryuen, are we really just going to—"
"Shut up!"
At Ryuen's sharp rebuke, Ishizaki and the other two immediately fell silent.
"I really didn't expect this, Suzune. I never imagined your class had that kind of ability. To be honest, I underestimated your D Class this time."
Everyone, including Ayanokoji, had gathered in the hallway. Ryuen's words acted like a spark, setting Horikita and the others off.
"Now that you know, stop playing all those tricks of yours."
"Clap, clap, clap!" Ryuen applauded. "I admit it. C Class lost this time. But to waste such a good trump card over something so trivial—doesn't that bother you?"
"What are you talking about? Didn't your C Class withdraw the complaint because you decided you'd lost?" Horikita Suzune frowned, unable to make sense of Ryuen's remark.
At that moment, Ryuen seemed to have discovered something tremendously exciting and couldn't help laughing. "So that's what happened. Looks like you were kept in the dark by that guy too. How pathetic, Suzune."
"What are you trying to say?"
The next second, Ryuen held his phone up in front of Horikita Suzune and pressed play. A burst of static came from the phone.
"Big Brother Ryuen! Someone might've seen us...!"
The voice reached everyone's ears, causing a stir, but the recording continued.
"Ah!" A muffled groan rang out, accompanied by the dull thuds of punches landing. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened.
"Good. You're starting to look more and more like victims. Remember, stick to the plan and act your parts properly. If you slip up or betray me, you know what'll happen..."
That was where the recording ended, and Ryuen put away his phone.
"See? A rat infiltrated our class without us knowing and even managed to steal a recording of our conversation. Interesting, isn't it?"
While Ryuen basked in his own satisfaction, Horikita Suzune and the others fell silent...