The next morning, Gu Heng did not attend Class D's first proposal meeting.
He handed the record board to Horikita and left only one sentence: "If there is no personal confirmation, do not wait for my explanation."
Horikita did not ask where he had gone.
She placed the exchange details before the class and required everyone to confirm each item individually.
The first item was permissions already used, the second was unused permissions, and the third was the range of event choices for the second round of the Sports Festival.
Without Gu Heng present, the meeting progressed twice as slowly as usual.
Sudo wanted to reserve strength-based events for the strongest fighters first, while Hirata insisted they first ask everyone what training burden they could accept.
Someone complained, "If Gu Heng were here, this would have been decided already."
Horikita looked up. "Then you can choose to wait for him to return."
"If we wait, we'll miss the window."
"Then decide for yourself now."
That did not end the argument, but it turned the meeting from waiting for orders into personal choices.
Hirata recorded the two opinions separately and did not label opposition as sabotage against the class.
Kushida sat with the girls, smiling as she suggested that the unused exchange permissions be given to "the person who can make everyone feel most at ease."
She did not name anyone, but her gaze moved back and forth between Horikita and Gu Heng's empty seat.
Horikita looked at her. "Reassurance is not a source of authority."
Kushida's smile froze for a moment.
"I was only suggesting a direction."
"A direction needs someone to take responsibility for it."
On the cold backup page, Yukimura wrote: Kushida proposed a unified handover recommendation; no application was formed.
That record kept Kushida from continuing to