Chapter 39: Exposed

After Shiina agreed to my proposal, we ended up leaving the karaoke place not too long afterwards in order to start planning for the inevitable battle of words with Kushida. I didn't want to postpone my return any longer, so after we came up with a plan, I decided that we would implement it the very next day. And before I knew it tomorrow became today and I found myself at the front doors of AN. I hadn't been there for what felt like a really long time. I was anxious about making my way into the school. So, I thought back to what Shiina sang to me-

'What do they think of me? What do they think I'll be? I could not care less! I don't wanna know! Am I doing right? Am I satisfied? I wanna live my life like it's meant to be! Yeah!' Particularly these words that resonated with me in this moment. I then took a deep breath before using my strength to push the double doors open before making my way inside of the building. I was met with the long hallway that I had been accustomed to seeing throughout my tenure as a student of AN. And since it was right before classes were about to start, it was barren of people.

Except for one in particular who was indispensable to me. That person being Hiyori Shiina. I moved the wheels of my wheelchair while she waited for me patiently with a reassuring smile on her face. When I saw it, I instinctively put my hand to my mouth to realize that I wasn't smiling. It's not that I couldn't smile. But in this current situation I found myself in, it became increasingly hard to maintain my smile. That should go without saying since I was about to come face to face with my classmates again. Most of which I hadn't seen for an entire month.

The last time I saw them I couldn't have been on worse terms with them. And after learning of my identity, I can't expect their feelings for me to have changed. In fact, they may hate me even more, after I failed to save Sakura. But I'm going to make an effort to change their opinions of me, back to how they used to be prior to my reputation being destroyed by Kushida. That's why I moved the wheels of my wheelchair forward until I closed the distance between me and Shiina. But just before we entered the classroom. She had something to say to me.

"Deku… are you sure you want to do this, now? We can always give it another day if you're not feeling up to it." Shiina asked while maintaining her smile, but it was all too clear to me that she was worried about me. But I had no desire to postpone this any longer. I should have done this a month ago. But I didn't. I was too afraid that nothing would change and that Kushida was right about that. That's why I shook my head in refusal before reaffirming my resolve with a smile of my own. Shiina noticed this and there weren't any more words to say between us.

'DONG!' So, as the bell rang for classes to begin, we entered the classroom together with a slight 'creak.' And upon entering the room, my classmates took note of me immediately. Each of them froze in place with their shock clearly evident on their faces. Of course, some stood out more than others, particularly, Horikita, Sudo, And Karuizawa. No one clearly saw this turn of events coming. Well, aside from one other person. But I was momentarily surprised too. There was one person who was absent today, that person being Ike. Though I shouldn't have expected that the entire class was going to be present today. Realizing this I moved forward alongside Shiina.

"Midoriya, right on time. And it seems that she brought Ms. Shiina with you." Chabashira spoke with her usual monotone tone of voice that everyone was accustomed to. But what my classmates were shocked to hear was her words. It was almost as if she had known that this would happen. And that's because she did. What I was about to do wouldn't be possible without letting Chabashira know of the plan and getting her approval. She was still the teacher after all. And in her classroom, what she says goes.

So, the night before I called Chabashira and explained my side of the story. She wasn't particularly thrilled to hear that I wanted to do this right in the middle of prep for the upcoming Sports Festival. However, she knew that I was deeply affected by what happened last month as well being exposed to the public of being the 'vigilante.' That's why not only was she relieved to hear that I was alright, but that I wanted to make an effort to be part of the class again. Which was why she agreed to this. But of course, she didn't let the class know of this. (Mainly because she always arrived right before the bell rang. So, there wasn't any time to explain.) But…

… That didn't stop one person from amongst the classroom to raise her hand before being allowed to answer. And that person was none other than-

"Professor Chabashira, why is Midoriya, here all of a sudden? Shouldn't he be getting some rest after being roughed up by that big bad scary monster?" Kushida asked with an innocent look on her face. But what was hidden behind that innocence was the face of a monster that knew exactly why Midoriya was here. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see where this was going. Especially considering how their last encounter played out. Even still she was genuinely surprised to see him, after thinking that there was no chance in hell that he would ever show his face to her or any of the others after what she told him on that night.

I had a feeling that she was thinking something like that behind her cute façade. And once upon a time, she was right. I wouldn't have shown up here before this because I genuinely believed she was right. But even if she is and this whole plan goes up in smoke, I'm not going down without a fight. And I also knew that neither would she. What was about to commence was our battle of words. But before that, Chabashira had to answer Kushida's question.

"Midoriya has made progress healing from his injuries he sustained from his fight. That's why I'm allowing him the chance to rejoin the class. After all, we're going to need all hand on deck for the sports festival. Having the entire class work together is the only way for you all to succeed. But there's also another reason why he's here. As you already know, last month, Midoriya was accused of a particularly heinous accusation. I will give him the chance to explain himself. That is all." Chabashira explained the situation in the most natural way I would expect of her to do so. But even still, that person wasn't convinced.

"Explain… what exactly? Hasn't it already been made aware that all Midoriya wanted was Karuizawa's body? I mean, who knows what might happen to her if he's allowed to be part of our class? Not to mention that he's clearly in no shape to even participate in the sports festival. If he was, I doubt he would need something like that to get around. Don't you agree, everyone?" Kushida asked with a smile on her face as she had already fired several gunshots and lit a fire under the floor of the classroom that threatened to burn everything around us to a crisp.

I couldn't help but be affected by Kushida's harsh words. Not only did she say everything that was on everyone's mind. But she did it in a way that was perfectly akin to something 'Kikyo Kushida' would say. Suddenly, the glares of multiple of my classmates pierced me like arrows. But I expected as much. She's all too talented at skillfully getting people on her side.

'I can't believe you would actually accuse Kushida of all people. You should know that she would never have done anything like that to Kei. And even knowing this, you accuse the person who has only treated everyone as a friend. You are the most disgusting person I've ever met, Midoriya.' Hirata's words from before made this all painfully clear to me. Kushida has a knack for being able to befriend people and get them on her side.

'I rule Class A. And let's just say hypothetically I didn't and everything I've been telling you was bullshit. So what? I'm a woman. A poor defenseless woman who says she was taken advantage of by a man. Do you really think they are going to take your side? You see, Midoriya, I won far before I even had to lift one of my fingers. Because no matter what happens next… no one will EVER believe you.' That's why she most certainly believed that everyone would turn against me and take her side over mine. And she was right to a certain extent. Because now the majority of our classmates were glaring daggers at me. The only few outliers were the ones aware of her lies.

"I disagree. Midoriya may need a wheelchair for the time being. However, it's clear that his injuries aren't extraneous to the point that he would need it for the rest of his life. There's a chance that he will be able to walk in due time. As his classmates we should be here to help him when the time comes." Horikita argued with a serious look on her face and a tone of voice that matched it. But her argument wasn't paid any heed to by her classmates. The exception being the few who knew the truth and the culprit behind everything.

"Chance? And what proof do you have of that specifically? As it stands right now all he is a liability. Also, why should we be there to help him? Because he fought against some big bad scary villain? Are we to be sure this isn't a ruse in order to garner our sympathy? Let's not forget what he did. All those horrible, awful things he said about Karuizawa. I wouldn't want someone like him, to even be in the vicinity of me knowing how he's looking at me. Am I alone in this sentiment?" Kushida asked the classmates as they remained silent until someone spoke up.

"I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. It may look like he said all of that. But didn't you all think the same thing when I was accused of what you all thought I did. But Midoriya believed in me. All I'm saying… is that we should hear him out." Sudo spoke as my eyes went wide upon noticing him defending me. Not only that but he spoke calmly while maintaining his cool. A far cry from how he used to be. It made me smile to see that he wants to believe in me and how much he has matured in the few months that I've known him for.

"Sudo." Suzune muttered as she was taken aback by this. But she wasn't alone. The entire classroom was. Except for 'her.'

"Says who? You? Is one person's 'opinion' really enough to sway the entire class? Perhaps. But let's think of this from a different perspective. Sudo and Midoriya are friends, right? Who wouldn't be after you saved their butt from getting expelled? But that's exactly what they are. 'Friends.' How can we be sure that Sudo~Kun feeling bad for his friend isn't playing into this in any shape or form? He simply cares so dearly for Midoriya, and their friendship isn't doing him any favors in seeing the full picture." Kushida replied while skillfully defusing any suggestions that Sudo could be right. But she didn't stop there.

"But I think we all know who's in the wrong here. After all, how couldn't he be after all the terrible things that he said about Karuizawa? I wholeheartedly believe that Midoriya is going to try to blame one of us for his crimes. Crimes that made it crystal clear the type of man that Midoriya is. A lowly, despicable, coward who wants nothing more than to defile women. And as a woman myself, I'm all to scared that he'll target me in the future. Unless you have something to say about that. Do you, Mi~dori~ya?" Kushida asked while maintaining her smile.

"…" I froze in place as I struggled on how to respond to Kushida's words. Not only were they cruel, but my options to retort to them were limited. If I try to say that I believe one of our classmates, and in particular her is behind everything then I would only be supporting her argument. I knew that the monster disguised as a cute girl named Kikyo Kushida was cunning. But even still I can't help but be surprised with how ruthless she is with her words, all while maintaining her calm and collected attitude.

In that aspect, she was like All For One. But unlike AFO, I can't punch my way out of this. But how do I say anything after that without proving her right? I struggled on how to respond as Kushida's face remained as cheerful as ever. But as each second felt like an eternity. Someone did respond. But it wasn't me, it was-

'BAM!' In a decisive motion that caught everyone off guard, Shiina slammed her hand against the podium. Not only did it catch everyone's attention onto her. But it also gave her the opportunity to say what she would say next.

"How could you call Midoriya a coward after he fought for the sake of everyone? He didn't have to. In fact, he could have just run away, and no one would have blamed him. But he didn't. He fought so that no one would have been hurt by that monster. Knowing that, you still have the audacity to call that same man nothing more than a lowly, despicable coward? Sounds to me like the person you were trying to describe, was you." Shiina declared while pointing forward with an outstretched arm and an index finger as she glared daggers at Kushida. In the midst of this, multiple of my classmates gasped out of surprise over what they just heard.

"S-Shiina…" I muttered with a slight stutter as I was completely taken aback by how determined Shiina was. Even with everything stacked completely against us, she had no intention of backing down and chose to defend me to the bitter end even if it meant destroying her reputation in the process. I hadn't seen this side of Shiina until now. After all, I wasn't present in the school auditorium to see her defend me against Chairman Ayanokoji. But even still I couldn't help but be surprised not only because of that, but also since-

'Thump! Thump! Thump!' My heart was beating like crazy for some reason while my cheeks felt hot. I couldn't understand these feelings, so I averted my gaze from Shiina. But she noticed this.

'D-Did I come off to strong?' Shiina thought internally with a nervous smile on her face as she too was surprised by this. But she wasn't alone in this sentiment. Because there was one other person who was just surprised as us. And that person was-

"… Huh?" Kushida muttered with a smile on her face. For once, Kushida had nothing to say to retort another person's claims. She was so taken aback by what Shiina told her that her brain might as well have begun malfunctioning akin to a computer. I couldn't blame her as I was also incredibly surprised by what Shiina said. But that's the thing that Kushida wasn't prepared for, the wild card named Hiyori Shiina that she was not even aware of existed up to this point.

Kushida had paid Shiina nothing more than a glance during the exams on the island and the cruise. But with her connections Kushida was able to figure out how little influence Shiina holds over Class C and found there to be no reason to interact with someone she assumed was useless. That was until this moment when Kushida discovered firsthand just how dangerous someone like Shiina could be. To Kushida this was a game of chess, but what Shiina was take the chess board and flip it upside down. Now, the pawns that Kushida had in her hand were all over the ground and couldn't do what she expected them to do. And that…

… Made Hiyori Shiina an enemy that she was going to have to crush to pieces. And that's what she was going to do, as Kushida glared daggers back at her enemy before regaining her cheerful attitude.

"Tee hee! Who could you possibly mean by that? Your words couldn't possibly be directed at me? And if they were… then your 'opinion' is all it is and has no place in a classroom that isn't even yours to participate in. Shiina, was it? You are from Class C. A class that is our rival. Why should anyone even listen to what you have to say when all you could be doing is sabotaging us so that your class becomes the new Class A." Kushida suggested as the tables began to tip in her favor.

"I have no such intention. I'm here to defend Midoriya. Whether he is my classmates or not is of no concern to me." Shiina replied with a serious tone of voice and a face that matched it. But what Kushida proposed was what I was afraid of. And now, she knows how to strike Shiina where it hurts.

"Oh, then why are you here exactly? Care to explain why you're 'defending' Midoriya? That was a rhetorical question. I don't expect you to do so. So, allow me to give you, my theory. The reason why you are here is because Midoriya bribed you and your classmates. Both you and Class C have ample reason to take our place as Class A. So, by adding Midoriya back to the class you are effectively sabotaging us in the sports festival. Does that about sum up your reason?" Kushida asked while maintaining her innocent smile while provoking Shiina to snap. But the latter wasn't angered so easily so she was able to maintain her composure in spite of this.

"Like I said before. You couldn't be more wrong. But I can see that you have turned your attention to me. Why is that? You might say because I'm from a different class. But I have a different theory. The reason why you are now trying to make me look like I'm the bad guy is because you are scared of me." Shiina asked with a smile of her own that completely caught Kushida and the rest of the class off guard. But Kushida couldn't stand the accusation that Shiina had accused her of. So much so that Kushida stood up from her seat. And then…

"T-That's ridiculous! Why would I be scared of someone like you?!" Kushida snapped back but in the process of doing so, her tone of voice changed. This surprised everyone except me, because I heard her use 'that voice' once before on that night. But after speaking, Kushida realized that fact and covered her mouth only to see that Shiina had her fingers in the shape of a gun that was pointed at her. She then whispered 'bang' with a cheerful look on her face. Seeing that made Kushida's anger shoot through the roof.

'T-That bitch!' Kushida thought internally while glaring daggers at Shiina. In the process of trying to provoke her, she was the one who was provoked into showing her true colors for but a moment. However, Kushida managed to regain her composure because of that fact. It was only for a moment after all. And she managed to avoid saying anything too harsh so all of this can be slipped under the rug if she plays her hand correctly. Kushida might have been provoked once but now that she realizes that was Shiina's intention all along, it has become that much easier to keep calm now.

"What I meant to say was that I don't think there's really any reason for me to be afraid of you. I mean you're so cute! I could just eat you up!" Kushida replied with a smile that showcased her teeth as she wanted nothing more than to fulfill what she just said by devouring Shiina whole. And that's exactly what Kushida was going to do. However, targeting Shiina has already proven difficult considering that she has already shown her fangs all too clearly. Which means that her target shouldn't be Shiina but instead the person right next to her. I noticed this immediately as she looked at me.

"As I was saying, it's already been proven that Midoriya had sent those awful texts to Karuizawa. So, why even debate this further when the type of person that he is has already been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt? I don't see any reason other than him trying to pin his crimes on someone else. And let me try to guess who. Hmm… it's me, isn't it?" Kushida asked as the classroom went dead quiet. Oh crap! She knows! Kushida figured out where this conversation was going! So, now she's trying to turn everything against me!

"Did I stutter? After all, you tried to say the same thing about me even though your 'proof' or lack thereof had no weight to them other than sheer coincidences. But I can see a reason why you'd like to pin it all on me. First, you already did so from before that much is obvious, and you know that trying to change your story is only going to make things even more suspicious on your part." Kushida spoke as she fired several shots at me with a metaphorical revolver before trading it in for a bazooka.

"Furthermore, pinning everything on me will be a serious blow to the class. And that's where Shiina-San comes in. There's no situation where this wouldn't benefit her and her class. That's why she's here everyone. The both of them are trying to say little ol me is the one that said all those horrible and nasty things to Karuizawa. I'm your class idol after all. Losing me would be a huge loss for Class A and a huge win for Class C." And with that Kushida finished by firing her metaphorical bazooka at us with a wide smile. In fell swoop, my classmates have turned their gazes back onto me and allied themselves with Kushida once more.

I couldn't help but feel as if her words caused an explosion to go off. One that threatened to destroy everything around me. And seeing those gazes of resentment toward me by people I trusted only sent shivers down my spine. I didn't want to be hated. But I also couldn't stop now. If I quit now, my classmates will never trust me ever again. But what am I supposed to say to all of that?! She's completely right on the money regarding that our target is her! Only confirming that would make things even worse! But in the midst of me thinking to myself, Shiina noticed the look of pain on my face and put a hand on my shoulder that made me return to reality.

'…' All she did was smile back at me. But her face told me everything that I needed to hear. So, she didn't need to say anything. Shiina then turned her attention from me and back to Kushida before nodding in affirmation.

"You're wrong. But there's one 'truth' to what you said. That being said, we're here to accuse you of being the one who sent those texts to Karuizawa." Shiina declared with a serious look. Not even a moment later, the atmosphere in the classroom only grew even more chaotic as her words made my classmates mutter things amongst themselves. There was so much indiscriminate talking that I couldn't decipher what they were saying. Though I knew that it couldn't be any good. And in the midst of that, one person couldn't have been more delighted at this sudden turn of events in her favor.

'Wow. And here I thought you might have been a threat to me, Shiina. But I couldn't have been more wrong. You're just like Midoriya. Someone who happens to be good at reading others' true intentions but at the same time couldn't be more of a dumbass around others. You see, that's where we differ Shiina, not only am I smarter, and much cuter than you, but I also know how to read the room better than anyone else. That's why I can say that this game is over. Better luck next time, bitch.' Kushida declared with a genuine smile on her face for the first time during this entire battle so far, one that illustrated how happy she was that me and Shiina had been beaten.

'BAM!' However, this was far from the case, as not even a moment later, Shiina slammed her hand against the podium in order to get the class's attention. But in the process of doing so, twice now, her hand was red and stung. Which made Shiina mutter 'O-Ow.' Before continuing.

"Allow me to correct you where you are wrong, Kushida. You may believe that we have no proof but that couldn't be further from the truth. After all, the person that has said proof is in this very room. And that person is you, Karuizawa." Shiina spoke to Kushida but turned her attention to Karuizawa at the very end. This made Karuizawa let out a 'Me?!' Which seemed a bit out of character for her given that she fessed up to her crimes back in the apartment lobby. But I deduced that she was simply keeping up appearances that would keep her reputation intact.

"Of course. You are the person that the true culprit sent those horrible things to via text messages. However, what Midoriya proposed from before stated that Kushida sent those messages early in the morning on the last day of august. Ergo, if we check her phone than if the times and date match up that only further proves that Midoriya is innocent and Kushida is guilty of her crimes!" Shiina declared while everyone's eyes shot wide open. Aside from me and Shiina. Because this was our plan of action that we figured was our best move at exposing Kushida. However, that person was the only exception of the people who were surprised.

"Go on Karuizawa. Let them check your phone." Kushida ordered while maintaining her fake smile as Karuizawa nodded with a worried look on her face before walking over to us and handing her phone. But when we saw it, my eyes shot wide open and so did Shiina as we noticed that the text messages had been deleted! What? No! This was our proof that Kushida was the culprit! Without this… we have…

"Nothing? I mean doesn't that make sense? Karuizawa deleted those horrible texts that scared her to the point of tears. If you think about it that way, then it makes perfect sense why she would do that. After all, who would want to be reminded of something so traumatic as being harassed by someone who made their intentions clear to take away her innocence. Don't you agree, Midoriya?" Kushida asked as once again the tables have turned in her favor. Without those text messages the proof that we had against her was gone! And Kushida knew this.

'You dumbasses. You really didn't expect that I would have those messages deleted? Especially you Midoriya. After all, you were the one who tried to have me exposed on that night. You made your intentions all too clear to me. That's why I knew that the text messages would have been a liability in the event you returned to attempt to take revenge against me. Well, too bad! It's all over! You lost because you are just a couple of dumbasses who really thought I was one too. Sucks to be you! Drown in your despair, you pieces of shit!' Kushida thought internally with a hideous smile on her face as she was completely right. There was nothing to be done. It's…

"… It's… over." I muttered with a face full of pain and anguish. I thought for sure that those text messages would have been still there. But that was foolish of me to think so. After all, the text messages on my phone that were sent to Karuizawa had been deleted so that I wouldn't notice them. Damn it! I'm such an idiot! I should have seen this coming from a mile away! But I was too stupid to see it! But in the midst of me internally berating myself, Shiina noticed the look on my face and lowered her body so that her mouth was close to my ear. And then…

"No. It's not over yet. We still have Plan B in the event that Plan A failed. We'll just have to use Plan B instead." Shiina whispered with a reassuring smile. I knew this. But even still, it wasn't enough! Plan A needed to work so that Plan B could have its full intended effect! Even if we use Plan B, at best, Kushida may only get a suspension! But that's not good enough! I don't want to be in the same classroom as her. I don't want the people that I trust to be alongside her either. I have to find another way! Think Midoriya! But in the midst of that, Shiina turned her attention back to Kushida as she was about to say something. But before she could-

"I have something that I want to say." The voice of the last person I expected to speak made my eyes shoot wide open as all I could do was look at her. This was the same for everyone else as no one saw this coming. Not Horikita, or Shiina or even Kushida. Because the person who just spoke was none other than Karuizawa.

"Karuizawa, I don't see any reason that would require you to say anything that hasn't already been said. You are the person that has been most affected by all of this. I strongly recommend that you take your seat so that you wouldn't get hurt any more than you already have." Kushida spoke while maintaining her fake smile while closing her eyes. But that last part was due to her wanting to obscure the intense glare as well as the feeling of white-hot anger that she has regarding Karuizawa right now.

'She wouldn't… no. After saying something like that, then I can only assume that she has the attention of exposing me right here and now. Well, two can play that game. If you say what I think you're going to say, then I will reveal your deepest darkest secret right here and now. Don't think I won't do it. Cause if we're both going down then I'm taking you with me. Just try it bitch. See what happens.' Kushida thought internally before sending threatening texts to force Karuizawa back into submission. But this only had the opposite effect as Karuizawa stepped forward much to Kushida's surprise.

"The truth is… I…" Karuizawa spoke as everyone awaited to hear her next words with bated breath. Especially me since what she has to say could be what I need to prove my innocence. However, what she said next couldn't be further than what I expected her to say. In fact, it was beyond my wildest expectations. And that was-

"… Killed someone." Karuizawa admitted while her sudden confession shocked both me and everyone else to their very core. I could have seen this coming even if I was told about it. Not me, or even Kushida for that matter. But even still…

… I was completely taken aback by how Karuizawa just exposed herself to everyone around her.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: Expelled

Go Beyond!

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