Court Is in Session!

The sun was setting.

Kushida, who had spent the entire day searching for clues with Ayanokoji, sighed beside the fountain.

"We didn't find anything today."

Ike and Yamauchi were slumped beside her as well.

"Maybe Shinomiya lied. Maybe he really did beat them up."

Kushida did not respond, merely pressing her lower lip between her teeth.

"What about Hirata's side?" Ayanokoji asked Kushida.

"I asked around, but I didn't get anything either."

A voice came from the distance. Kushida looked up to see a pretty girl with long pink hair running over, waving as she ran.

"Kushida!"

Ichinose came to a stop in front of Kushida.

"I heard from my classmates that you're investigating something?"

"How about letting me help too?"

"Ichino—!" Kushida instinctively moved to hug Ichinose in gratitude.

But Ayanokoji grabbed her and pulled her back.

"It's better not to work together with another class."

Ichinose did not mind Ayanokoji's wariness.

"We don't mean any harm. We want to cooperate with Class D because we aren't direct enemies. Let Class B help you this time."

Ayanokoji thought about it.

It was true. Class B's enemies were Class A and Class C, while Class D could help them keep Class C in check.

In the end, Ayanokoji did not refuse Ichinose's proposal.

Kushida also informed the rest of the class about it.

No one had any objections.

The next day, Shinomiya angrily went to the bulletin board to see who had taken his ad spot.

There, he saw a reward notice asking whether anyone knew the details of his fighting incident.

Shinomiya was speechless. So he had screwed himself over.

"Are you Shinomiya?"

Shinomiya turned around and saw Ichinose and Kanzaki.

"Ichinose, what do you need?"

"This is the information we received from the reward. We came to tell you about it."

"Wait, you were behind this notice?"

"Oh, it was Kanzaki's idea. This way, we could gather information more effectively."

Ichinose was still giving Kanzaki credit, but Shinomiya had already stopped listening.

Damn it, couldn't you have checked what was there before using it? You took my spot.

"This is the information we gathered."

"One of the people who came looking for you that day was named Ishizaki. He was a delinquent in middle school and a skilled fighter. Everyone in that area was afraid of him."

Shinomiya figured that must have been the green-haired guy. He was the one who could take the most hits.

"The other two are from the soccer club, and they're physically capable too."

Shinomiya nodded, though he thought to himself.

Didn't feel like it. They all went down in one hit.

Kanzaki propped his chin on his hand, glanced at Shinomiya's slender frame, and began analyzing.

"The three of them attacked together, yet they were seriously injured. That doesn't make sense."

"But if they were trying to frame you, then it does."

"I see," Ichinose said thoughtfully.

Shinomiya only found Kanzaki's earlier look deeply rude.

Try taking one of my punches before giving your opinion.

"But I have no grudge against them. Why would they frame me?" Shinomiya inwardly grumbled, though his face was the picture of innocence.

Kanzaki continued reasoning. "This is simply an attack by Class C. You were just chosen as the target."

"Damn Ryuuen!" Shinomiya said, clenching his fist.

Ichinose was still trying to figure out how to transfer points to the informant, but she had run into a problem.

"Do you know how to transfer points to a stranger?"

"I do," Shinomiya immediately answered.

He was an expert at transfers. No matter who you were, he knew how to get your points out.

Just as Shinomiya was about to offer some guidance—

Ichinose handed him her phone.

Shinomiya looked at her in surprise.

She really has no sense of caution!

Shinomiya took the phone and quickly operated it, successfully completing the transfer.

The screen changed.

Shinomiya froze.

Ichinose immediately snatched the phone back from his hand.

"Thanks, Shinomiya. See you next time!"

With that, Ichinose left with Kanzaki.

Shinomiya stood there, staring at Ichinose's departing back as he fell into thought.

He had just seen that Ichinose had over 2.6 million points in her personal account.

She was loaded!

Shinomiya was already thinking about how to get his hands on her points.

You could only make more money by making money off rich people!

That had always been Shinomiya's way of thinking.

Just like that, time quickly passed.

The day of the hearing arrived.

Shinomiya, Kushida, Ayanokoji, and Horikita sat in the Student Council meeting room, with Sae Chabashira beside them to make up the numbers.

Opposite them sat Class C's homeroom teacher and the three delinquents.

At the head of the table were Student Council President Horikita Manabu and his secretary, Akane Tachibana.

Horikita Suzune looked at Horikita Manabu at the head of the table, wanting to prove herself to her brother during this hearing.

Horikita Manabu presided over the hearing.

"The Student Council has received a complaint. Three students from Class C claim that at eight o'clock on the evening of May 4th, they were unilaterally assaulted by Shinomiya Yo of Class D in an alley beside the dormitory and sustained serious injuries. Class C may speak first."

Class C's homeroom teacher spoke.

"The three students of Class C were assaulted by the other party. This is serious school violence! We demand that he be severely punished."

Shinomiya remained calm. He had originally planned to defend himself, but someone was now willing to do it for him.

Horikita Suzune spoke directly. "This is complete slander. We maintain that he is innocent and demand that the other side present evidence!"

Class C's homeroom teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, immediately played surveillance footage.

"This is footage from the camera at the entrance to the alley. You can see them enter one after another. Then Shinomiya leaves alone, and finally, our three students emerge injured and supporting one another."

"There is another piece of evidence!"

Kazuma Sakagami produced another recording. It contained the conversation between the three that night, but Shinomiya's voice was absent.

Horikita immediately refuted him. "None of this evidence can directly prove that Shinomiya assaulted anyone! We request more direct evidence!"

Shinomiya nodded in satisfaction. This was what he and Horikita had agreed on beforehand. Now it was his turn.

"I absolutely did not hit anyone that night. After they surrounded me, they started talking to themselves and fighting each other. Also, the injuries of the three people in that footage are completely different from how they are now!"

Shinomiya looked aggrieved, as pitiful as an innocent young woman being falsely accused. Tears nearly fell from his eyes as he spoke.

Kushida and the others were stunned by Shinomiya's acting.

The three people opposite them slammed their hands on the table.

"Bullshit!"

"You were obviously the one who hit us!"

"You're still trying to deny it!"

Just as the two sides were about to start arguing, Horikita Manabu stopped them and announced the result of the hearing.

"Both sides have stated their cases, which means one of you is lying. Go back and continue preparing. The hearing will resume in two days."

Shinomiya nearly failed to hold it in. It was not just one side lying.

Both sides were lying!

Class C wanted to exaggerate the facts and get Shinomiya expelled; Shinomiya denied the facts only to clear himself.

Still, Shinomiya had already achieved his goal.

After leaving the meeting room, Kushida and Horikita let out sighs of relief, feeling that they had saved Shinomiya.

After confirming their next steps, everyone dispersed.

Shinomiya followed Ayanokoji to a secluded corridor.

The two leaned against the railing and gazed into the distance.

"Thanks for this, Ayanokoji."

Shinomiya directly transferred 100,000 points to Ayanokoji.

"It's nothing. I didn't expect you to give me points, considering you threatened me into helping you back then."

Shinomiya smiled, and it was a brilliant smile.

"Don't say that, Ayanokoji."

"After all, I'm not some kind of demon."

Ayanokoji looked at Shinomiya's bright smile, then remembered the dark, gloomy Shinomiya who had threatened him days earlier. They seemed like entirely different people.

"Shiomiya Yo... which one is the real you?"