After school was over, I hoped to leave the classroom quietly and as soon as possible, but before I could do that, some of my classmates/friends surrounded me and bombarded me with various questions. Sudou was the first one to ask me.
"Is that true, Ayanokoji. Did you really beat them?" He asked. Before I can answer him, someone else interrupts me.
"Did you pretend to be normal when you were secretly a delinquent?" Ike asked as he wraps his arm around my neck. He was surprisingly so close to the truth.
"No, I am perfectly normal, and I did not fight with anyone," I answered, removing Ike's hands from my neck.
"Then why did Class C report you to the school," Yamauchi asked. Upon hearing Yamauchi, several of my classmates looked at me suspiciously. I wouldn't say I like the attention that I'm getting. I indeed want to notice by my classmates, but not like this. I know that they worried about Class points because if I prove guilty, the whole class had to face the consequences. We already had very few class points compared to other classes, and they will lose their hard-earned class points because of me. It was only natural that students feel dissatisfaction toward me. It's also the reason that some students were glaring at me.
"If Ayanokoji said that he's innocent, then as classmates, we should all believe him," Hirata said. As expected from the leader of Class D, he quickly takes action.
"Are you really believe him, Hirata-Kun?" Karuizawa said. She was Hirata's girlfriend and the leader of Class D's girls. She is the most fashionable and modish student in our class. From my initial impression of her, I think she is a spoiled girl and uses her status to defeat those who stood against her. She didn't show any mercy to those who had low social status. Sometimes I feel like she hates me. Other girls also decide to rally up behind Karuizawa and accused me of lying.
"I also believe in Ayanokoji-Kun." Kushida stood tried to silence the commotion. But I know she was putting up a facade. In truth, she wants me to be expelled from the school because I know her secret.
Even after the Kushida intervention, few students believe in me. After leaving the classroom, I went straight towards the dorms. I was waiting for the elevator to arrived when someone called me.
"You look very composed despite getting into trouble. You know that if you are proven guilty, you could face suspension or worse expulsion." Horikita said as she stands behind me.
"I know I'm innocent, so there is no need to worry about that," I said with a careless attitude.
"Do you really believe that you could prove your innocence with that attitude?" Horikita said.
"Are you perhaps worried about me," I said. I turn around to face Horikita. I'm amazed to see that she was going out of her way to talk to me.
"Huh, don't get ahead of yourself. I'm doing this for myself. For me to reach Class A, you are an essential asset." She said in her usual icy tone. I'm was hoping that she would say something nice like I'm her first friend or she would feel lonely without me or something like this, but that's okay.
"In that case, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." I said. When the elevator arrived, I turned around to enter the elevator.
"I'm assuming you had a plan to get out of this situation." She asked.
"I didn't have any plan yet." With that, I pressed the button and closed the elevator door. Although I said that I didn't have any plan, but in reality, I had one thing which I prepared in advance. I lied to Horikita because my plan is not enough to prove my innocence, and I don't want to reveal my cards just yet, even if they are incomplete.
Since Class C is the one who initiated the attack and reported me to the school, they had an obvious advantage. They probably had some kind of evidence that convinced the school to accept the case but not enough to prove me guilty. I just need to know what evidence they had against me and counter it. I had a pretty vague idea of the evidence they are using against me, but I needed to be sure.
The elevator arrived on the fourth floor. I opened the door and walked toward my room. When I got near my room, I noticed a pink-haired girl in front of my door. She was hesitating to knock on my door.
I recognized her. She's also in my class. Although I never talk to her, I remembered her name was Sakura. She is a shy girl who mostly stays quiet in the class. The only time I heard her voice was during the introduction on our first day. According to Ike, if she weren't super shy, she would be very popular. The question is why she was standing in front of my room. Well, there is only one way to find out.
"Hello, is there anything you need from me?" I called out to her. Upon hearing my voice, she panicked.
"Ah, I just... um..." She muttered in a low voice. I can barely hear her. She was avoiding eye contact with me.
"Don't need to rush yourself. Take your time." I tried to calm her. She looks at me for a second then.
"It's nothing." She blurted it out and rushed past me. I noticed the eyeglasses didn't have any lens distortion, which means they are fake glasses. Her action confused me, why a shy girl wants to contact me. To know the reason for her unexpected visit, I decided to observe her from now on.
On the next day, after school, I headed toward the faculty room. I want to ask Chiyabashira-Sensei if I can see the evidence that class c is using against me. On the way, I meet up with Hirata and Kushida. We talk for a little bit. They told me some of the students are agreed to help me, and they are looking for a witness who can testify on my behalf. It's a pretty good idea. If someone saw the whole interaction between the students of class c and me, they can clarify that I didn't involve in any kind of fight between them.
"Let us know if you need any help, Ayanokoji," Hirata said.
"Didn't that going make Karuizawa-San angry," I asked. I know that Karuizawa didn't like me that much, and she didn't even believe me in the first place.
"Don't worry about that. Karuizawa and the other girls were just frustrated that they were going to lose their points. After she calmed down, she agreed to help you and convinced others to do so," Hirata said. Kushida also agrees with that. It's hard to believe that Karuizawa would help me. But I think it's because of Hirata that they decided to help me rather than Karuizawa.
Accepting Hirate help is one thing, but doing so, I'm also allowing Kushida to interfere. Right now, she is also my enemy. She would do anything to decrease my social standings and credibility. By doing so, she is ensuring that if I tell anyone her secret, no one would believe me. That's why I need to keep her as far away as possible.
Unlucky, I'm not allowed to see the evidence until the official meeting, so I'm back to square one. Without any particular thought, I arrived at the special building where the incident had taken place. This building didn't frequently use, which makes this perfect place to ambush me. When I checking out the building, I find Horikita in the hallway.
"What are you doing here, Horikita?" I asked. She glanced at me.
"I was looking for cameras. The school had cameras in every classroom, so I thought if there were cameras here, we would have solid evidence, but I can't find any of them in this hallway. There are electrical outlets by the ceiling," Horikita point towards the ceiling of the hallway.
It's True. If cameras were here, the matter would be solved by now. There is only one working camera, and it was at the entrance of this special building. Class c probably used this camera's recording as evidence which shows me entering with them and leaving without them. But I'm sure they had something more up in their sleeves. An awkward silence popped up between us as we both are unsociable people and incapable of holding a conversation. Now I think about it, even though Horikita hates social interaction, she trying to help me.
"You changed, Horikita. Usually, you wouldn't even give a second thought about others, and now you are helping me," I asked as I was tired of the silence.
"I'm not you helping you. I'm helping me. Remember I told you that you're an essential asset for the class. And I'm not helping you for free. I want for full cooperation until I reached class a. Understand," Horikita said in her familiar and unchanged cold voice.
"Sakura, are you there," a girl's voice called out. We both looked towards the source of it and saw a strawberry-blonde hair girl. She was none other than Ichinose Honami, the class leader of class B.
To be continued.