Chapter 16: Quietly still, in a lie

"There is nothing permanent except change."

—Heraclitus

"Ichinose-san, did you get anything?"

The time for the trial was fast approaching. However, despite how much we tried putting up posters for witnesses and asking around, nothing turned up. It seemed that there were truly no witnesses. That was why I had arranged for a meeting with Kanzaki-kun, in the park.

"So still nothing, huh?" Kanzaki-kun read my expression and pursed his lips. "Guess that means we're out of luck."

I bit my lower lip. "Kanzaki-kun, you believe in Shibata-kun's innocence, right?"

"Well… yeah, I'd like to believe in it. But believing in it is useless if we can't prove his innocence."

At first, I wanted to retort to his point, but he was correct. Even though no one in our class believed that Shibata-kun had really attacked another student over the topic of the soccer club, the school didn't see it that way. The Student Council probably didn't see it that way, either. Was there really nothing they could do?

"Hello, Ichinose-san." It was Horikita-san and Kiyotaka-kun, along with Kushida-san.

"Ah, Horikita-san! You guys haven't found anything, either?" They shook their heads in unison. Only then did it occur to me that I hadn't invited Okitani-kun; the thought had never even made its way into my mind. Kiyotaka-kun was the centerpiece of Class D. However, Kanzaki-kun didn't seem to trust him, as he narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe we should visit the scene of the crime," Kiyotaka-kun suggested.

"What do you mean?" Kushida-san asked curiously.

"I mean, to collect intel for your trial tomorrow. It's common to visit the scene of the crime," the golden-eyed boy explained, "It's just so that we can gather any additional information that might be there."

"That makes sense!" Kushida-san said brightly.

Horikita agreed, nodding. "It may help you gain context to build an argument. I'm assuming you don't have anything right now."

I nodded. At this rate, we weren't going to have any witnesses for tomorrow's trial, so it was better to follow Kiyotaka-kun's advice.

The five of us made our way toward the deserted warehouse, where the dispute between Shibata and Kondō had supposedly occurred. Along the way, I found myself engaged in trivial conversations with Kushida-san and Kiyotaka-kun.

After a few more minutes of walking, we finally arrived. It wasn't anything interesting, only a vending machine next to the warehouse. There wasn't anyone there—no workers or students besides them.

"So it's another vending machine…" Kushida remarked. "The incident between Class C and Class A was also because the two of them met at a vending machine."

That was very strange indeed. Of course, it was suspicious that Class C had two disputes against two other classes, all involving one student attacking another in a one-sided beating near a vending machine. However, concrete evidence was required. We began looking around the vending machine and the alleyway, trying to hopelessly find something.

Kiyotaka-kun seemed to be looking at something for several minutes now. What had caught his attention? I was curious.

As I followed his gaze, I noticed that there was an empty, white perch, the kind that held cameras, embedded in the wall. A lack of cameras was the reason that Class C had been here. However, it wasn't clear whether he was looking at that perch or gazing up at the white clouds hovering in the sky.

But there were cameras in the four corners of the classroom to ensure that we modeled behavior at all times…

An idea suddenly struck me. But, immediately, I almost dismissed it. It was unethical and immoral.

I couldn't do such a thing. I didn't even know if it was right to right a wrong with a wrong.

But… if we could somehow lure the Class C students who had filed the complaint to this place, and convinced them, with the help of a fake camera, that the camera had actually been there in the first place, then… well, if it was a successful attempt, then we could get them to withdraw the complaint, right?

Even though those Class C students were the bad guys, I didn't know if I could lie to them. But, on the other hand, they were the ones who started this entire mess, right?

This whole thing was so messed up. A bead of sweat formed on my forehead. It felt cold, despite how hot it was.

I felt Kiyotaka-kun's curious gaze on me.

I quickly averted my eyes, pretending to focus on the vending machine again. Somehow, it felt like his eyes glancing at me, his gaze, carried some kind of invisible weight that made it hard to think straight.

Could he sense my unease? Did he know what I was thinking? I swallowed the lump in my throat, still unsure if I had the courage to even bring up my idea. Would they think it was too extreme? Too dishonest?

Kanzaki-kun suddenly broke the silence. "This place feels strange, doesn't it?" His voice was low, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "It's too convenient. The lack of cameras, the fact that two incidents happened in nearly identical locations… I don't like it."

"You're right," Horikita-san chimed in, her eyes narrowing as she looked around. "It's as if this spot was chosen deliberately. But without witnesses or evidence, it's impossible to prove anything. It's their word against ours."

The frustration in her voice mirrored my own feeling. Time was running out, and we were no closer to saving Shibata-kun.

But Kiyotaka-kun was silent. His gaze wasn't on the perch anymore, but just in my general direction. Every sense felt heightened when he was looking at me—why was he looking at me?

Kushida-san tried to lighten the mood. "Well, even if we don't find anything, at least we tried, right? Maybe something will pop up when we least expect it!"

Her words, though hopeful, didn't do much to calm the storm in my mind. As much as I racked my mind, I couldn't come up with anything else.

I knew what needed to be done, but I hated the idea of crossing that line.

I glanced at Kiyotaka-kun again, wondering if he'd come up with a more ethical solution than this. Surely he had.

But his face was unreadable, as always.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I broke the silence.

"There's… something we could try. But it's risky. And it's not exactly… honest." My voice wavered, and I immediately regretted speaking up. Everyone turned to look at me, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.

"What do you mean?" Kanzaki-kun asked, his tone cautious.

I hesitated, then took a deep breath.

"An eye for an eye, a lie for a lie." I pointed at the empty camera perch.

"What if we convinced the Class C students that there was a camera here all along? We could fake some footage, make them believe that we have proof of what really happened. We can buy a security camera and plant it there. By inviting Kondō out, we can then convince him to retract the Class C trial."

"But we need Kushida-san's help in luring him out since someone from Class B would be too suspicious. Kushida-san is popular with boys and would be the best for this plan. There, we would confront them. I'll need Kanzaki-kun to record the conversation."

Kanzaki fell silent and appeared deep in thought.

Horikita-san's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly composed herself.

"I see," Horikita-san said neutrally. However, she appeared hesitant. Perhaps it was truly unreasonable to ask for their help. Kushida-san also appeared hesitant, and her gaze flitted toward Kiyotaka-kun, almost as if she were asking for permission. Kiyotaka-kun was undoubtedly the true leader of Class D.

"That's… quite a bold idea, Ichinose-san. But it's also dangerous. If they realize we're bluffing, it could backfire," Horikita-san finished her thought.

"I know," I said quietly. "It's not something I'd normally suggest, but… we're out of options. If we don't do something drastic, Shibata-kun's going to be punished for something he didn't do."

Kushida-san, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke up. "It's true we're in a tough spot. But is it worth the risk? Even if we trick them, we'd be stooping to their level."

"I don't like it," Kanzaki-kun muttered, running a hand through his hair. "But what else can we do? We don't have any solid evidence. And we're running out of time."

All eyes turned to Kiyotaka-kun. He hadn't said a word since I'd brought up the idea. It was like he was the person who would give the final word of approval.

Finally, he spoke.

"It could work," he said calmly as if we were simply discussing the weather. "But it would need to be executed perfectly. If there's even the slightest flaw in the deception, they'll catch on."

I felt a strange mix of relief and apprehension. Kiyotaka-kun's approval was unexpected, but his warning made it clear that this was a gamble. A dangerous one.

"So… what do we do?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kiyotaka-kun's golden eyes flickered with something—perhaps amusement, or maybe calculation. "We set the trap. But we'll need to be meticulous. No room for error."

Horikita-san crossed her arms, clearly conflicted. "Are we really prepared to deceive them like this? If we go through with it, we can't take it back."

I clenched my fists, my heart pounding in my chest. "I don't know if it's the right thing to do. But if it means saving Shibata-kun… I think it's worth the risk."

There was a tense silence as everyone considered the plan. In the end, it came down to a question of morals versus necessity. And in that moment, I knew what my choice was. I knew what had to be done.

The results justified the means.

"Ichinose-san, even though I don't like it, it's an unusual idea. But does such a thing even exist? A security camera we can purchase?" Kanzaki-kun said.

"It does, I believe," Kiyotaka-kun said. "However, this whole thing, it might be contrary to your ethics and morals, Honami."

At his words, Kushida-san seemed to stare at me for a second, before averting her gaze.

"Ha ha, yeah. You're probably right," I acknowledged. "It's a change for me. But…it's certainly one way of doing things. And it's the only way we've got."

If there were any other viable options, I surely would have chosen one of them. But this was for the sake of the class. We couldn't allow Ryūen-kun's tactics to pull us down like they had done to Class A. We had to fight fire with fire. Morals certainly weren't everything. But…

As I thought back to that incident, Kiyotaka's eyes flitted toward me curiously. It was like he could sense what I was thinking. No, but if he knew about that, or sensed it, it would be bad. My image would shatter apart. I wouldn't be a good person in his eyes. No, I couldn't allow that.

"Okay, well, I'll help. What do you want me to do?" Horikita said.

"Kanzaki-kun and I can show up and put pressure on him first from the north side of the alleyway. Then, after he turns to leave, you can show up and stop him from leaving.

"I see," Kushida-san nodded. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Kushida-san" I accepted immediately, grateful for the assistance. "And one last thing. I know this may be a talk ask, but please refrain from mentioning this incident to anyone. If word gets out…"

"We understand," Horikita-san said immediately. Kushida-san and Kiyotaka-kun nodded, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. It would be bad if Class B's reputation plummeted due to this.

"Well then, Kanzaki-kun. Let's head to the Keyaki Electronics Store." Kanzaki-kun nodded, and our group dispersed.

Since it was only one person, I hoped that Kanzaki-kun, Kushida-san, and I could catch him off-guard. If there were multiple people, it might have required more of Class D's assistance. By outnumbering them, we could place pressure on them, and get them to retract the complaint that led to the trial.

-o-o-o-

The student council room was silent. Well, it wasn't the student council room that they typically met in—that was across the hall. Instead, this was the room specifically designated for trials such as this one.

Today, the Student Council was set to hear two trials. This was the first of the two, involving Class A and Class C. After being allowed three days to gather evidence, today would determine the result of this trial.

Horikita Manabu sat at the head of the oval oakwood table, with Tachibana Akane at his side.

Nagumo Miyabi sat to his left with Asahina Nazuna, and I sat to his right with Ichinose and Kikyō. Fūka had skipped the meeting, as expected of her. I didn't even try to persuade her.

From my viewpoint, Class A was occupying the left side of the table. A stern-looking man, the Class A homeroom teacher Mashima, was seated closest to us, followed by Hashimoto Masayoshi, Sakayanagi Arisu, Katsuragi Kōhei, and the defendant, Yahiko Totsuka, respectively. On the right side of the table was Class C's homeroom teacher Sakagami, along with Kaneda Satoru, Ryūen Kakeru, Ishizaki Daichi, and the plaintiff, Komiya Kyōgo. As Ishizaki met my eyes, he seemed to hastily avert his gaze. Ryūen seemed to have recovered from what happened a few days ago.

"Let us begin the trial," Manabu spoke authoritatively. "The plaintiff, Komiya Kyōgo of Class 1-C, claims that he was attacked by Yahiko Totsuya of Class 1-A after he insulted Yahiko, saying that he didn't deserve a place in Class A. Is this claim correct?"

"I wouldn't say that. We just conversed about the class rankings, and he attacked me like an animal," Komiya said. "I mean, look at what happened to me!" Komiya had bandages on his person, along with a black eye, which made for a convincing argument.

"That's not what happened at all!" Yahiko argued back fervently, nearly shooting out of his seat. Irritated, he impulsively struck his desk. Immediate silence followed.

"Both of you, please remain quiet," Nagumo interrupted, an unsettling smile on his face. His fingers were laced together. "Otherwise, we may be forced to add on additional punishments to both sides such as class point deductions, suspensions, and perhaps even expulsions." At his threatening words, both sides instantly quieted. Though Manabu might not like how Nagumo officiated over student trials, it was clearly effective.

"We will first allow Class 1-C to present their opening argument and evidence. Following that, Class 1-A will present a counterargument. Class 1-C will be allowed to respond with a rebuttal, and Class 1-A will do the same. We will then adjourn for ten minutes, and come back for conclusions. Class 1-C, you have five minutes for your opening argument, commencing now." Tachibana—Loli-senpai placed a double-sided clock on the table, showing that it was counting down from five minutes.

It was the boy with the glasses, Kaneda, who gave the opening argument for Class 1-C. He rose from his seat. "Firstly, I would like to thank the Student Council for presiding over this trial. Komiya and Yahiko met at the vending machine inside the equipment building. Komiya was there to grab a drink, since that vending machine is often in stock and has several brands of drinks that can hardly be found elsewhere on campus."

No one disputed his claim, so he continued. "I present the infirmary report to the student council."

Yahiko's face was ashen white. Kaneda slid a piece of paper toward Sakagami-sensei, who passed it to Manabu without taking a look at it. The homeroom teacher of Class C appeared very confident in his class. Manabu regarded it for a moment, then passed it to me. The seal of the infirmary printed on the bottom right of the paper seemed like it was official. The date and time, printed on the top right corner, showed that Komiya had presented to the infirmary less than an hour after the ordeal. After a few seconds of examining it, I passed it on to Nagumo. After we had all finished looking at it, Kaneda continued.

"Therefore, we assert that Yahiko attacked Komiya after they exchanged words."

"Yahiko beat me senseless. It was a one-sided fight, I mean look at what happened."

"That's a lie! Don't screw with me! You're the one who attacked first. It was self-defense," Yahiko protested.

"Obviously it's not true," Komiya replied pointedly. "The infirmary report and my injuries confirm it."

As this exchange occurred, it was like Sakayanagi was taking a nap. Katsuragi seemed to realize her objective, and he inhaled sharply, grabbing Yahiko's wrist under the table.

"It would seem that there's no objection, given the arguments that we've heard from both sides thus far," Manabu spoke. The student council president seemed like he wanted to draw a conclusion as soon as possible.

"Regardless of which party called the other over, the fact remains that it was a one-sided fight between Yahiko and Komiya. We can clearly see that from the injuries that Komiya sustained. Therefore, we have no choice but to come up with a conclusion based on this evidence, due to the absence of any other evidence."

Sakayanagi closed her eyes peacefully. A small smirk was present on her face.

However, Katsuragi gripped the table with his hand. It was obvious that Sakayanagi was going to allow Class A to take a hit from Yahiko's case, because Yahiko worked under Katsuragi, and any trouble that he caused Class A would by extension be connected to Katsuragi. It seemed like Hashimoto was in on this plan as well. Hashimoto was Sakayanagi's pawn.

Try as he might, Katsuragi could not come up with a rebuttal.

This wasn't because of his lack of intelligence. Katsuragi was in Class A and one of the two leaders, so he was undoubtedly clever.

But he was at a loss due to the well-formed argument presented by Kaneda. Class C was able to justify why Komiya and Yahiko were at the building due to the vending machine—special drinks—and this wasn't something that Yahiko disputed.

It was a one-on-one fight, and since Yahiko was reasonably athletic, with the present evidence, it wouldn't be remiss to argue that Yahiko had attacked Komiya. Moreover, since the building didn't have cameras, this was the only piece of evidence that could be relied upon.

"If there are no objections, let's cast our votes as the student council vice presidents and president," Nagumo said.

As was the procedure, Nagumo, Manabu, and I cast our votes secretly under pieces of paper, before Tachibana began counting the votes. Afterward, she announced the results.

"Ahem. The result of the poll is that Class C wins 3-0."

"Very well then," Manabu said. "Class C wins this trial. Yahiko Totsuka will be suspended from school for one week, and Class A will suffer the loss of twenty class points per day, equating to one hundred class points for the suspension. Does anyone have an objection to this punishment? As a reminder, it is not possible to gain or extort class points from another class. We hope that the punishment for the criminal is adequate for the damage caused to Class C."

Class A didn't speak.

Yahiko looked pale, but even he must have understood that there was nothing he could do at this moment to change the result of the trial. Katsuragi only closed his eyes and crossed his arms in resignation.

Class C nodded satisfactorily.

"Then, the matter is settled. This case is over," Manabu declared. "We will reconvene tomorrow for another class dispute, this time between Class B and Class C."

Ryūen smirked. In the end, the dictator of Class C hadn't even lifted a finger.

-o-o-o-

It was past 3:40. With classes over for the day, Kanzaki-kun and I made our way to the alleyway. It was incredibly hot and humid, especially in the afternoon like this. Shortly thereafter, Kondō-kun appeared, grumbling about how unbearably hot it was. He appeared happy, though, wearing an optimistic expression.

That was because he had received an email to meet up from Class D's sweetheart, Kushida-san, one of the most popular girls in the grade. Could the message contain an invitation to go on a date? Or perhaps a romantic confession? All of it was left up to ambiguity and Kondō-kun's own imagination. It could be considered wrong to play with someone's feelings like this, but I had abandoned my morals already. However, when they saw Kanzaki-kun and I, their fantasies must have been crushed.

"What's going on? Why are you here?"

Apparently, they knew who we were. If Ryūen had warned them about us, then things would become increasingly difficult.

"Kushida-san won't be here. I asked her to send an email to compel you to come."

Kondō looked understandably angry, as he closed the distance between us. "This isn't funny. What did you do this for, huh?"

"You would have just ignored my request if I sent a normal message. We just wanted to talk to you."

"Talk to me? Why would you want to do that? Has the heat scrambled your brain or something?" Kondō, who was clearly affected by the heat, grabbed his shirt and flapped it. The sun was high in the sky and it shone done on us. However, due to the angle of the buildings, there was no shade to be found away from the wrath of the sun.

"No matter what you do, you can't hide the truth. Shibata beat me up. That's my answer. Now, he needs to quietly accept his punishment."

"I have no intention of arguing. That would be a waste of time."

"So why are you doing this? Are you going to abduct me so I miss the trial? Or are you going to have a bunch of people surround me and threaten me with violence?"

"Violence like Ryūen-kun's isn't my forte." That caught Kondō-kun off-guard. "J-Just give up. See ya later."

Bothered by my implicit accusation and understanding that Kushida-san would not be coming, he turned and tried to leave, but one other person stood in the way.

"Kondō-kun? I think you should consider the idea, actually." Kushida-san, who had been waiting for their target to appear, quietly stepped forward.

"K-Kushida-san? What are you doing here? No… you don't mean that you're on their side, right?"

Kushida-san looked guilty, her pink eyes flitting downward. "Well, I don't know, and that's why I'm here. I want to see what's really going on."

Kondō gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Well, I'm the one who's innocent. Anyway, this incident had nothing to do with Class D, right? So could you please leave…?"

But unlike when he had spoken to me, his words now sounded weak. He sounded desperate to get away.

"Don't worry, Kondō-kun," I said, causing him to whirl around. "You're certainly right that Class D has nothing to do with this. But Kushida-san is just an observer of what you did. How do you feel about involving everyone in your lies?"

"I didn't lie. I'm the victim. I am. Shibata beat me up after we had a civil conversation. He beat me up over some little words. That's the truth."

"So you remain lying until the very end," Kanzaki-kun shook his head. The strength of his words left no doubt in any observer's mind, swaying them to our side. Kondō-kun was panicked compared to us since he was presented with such an unfamiliar situation. I could tell that Ryūen-kun hadn't informed him of anything.

"You lied!" I declared, pointing at him. "We can all see through you, even Kushida-san. You got violent in the end. If you don't want that fact to become public knowledge, withdraw your complaint right away."

"Huh? Withdraw? Don't make me laugh. You can't just claim something and try to make it true. That's lying. Shibata started the fight and hit me," he pointed to his injuries, which were covered by band-aids. "Ryūen-kun even has the infirmary report as proof!"

"Ryūen-kun has your infirmary report? Why would he have that? Unless Class C is trying to fabricate something?"

It was obvious what I was getting at: the fact that Ryūen-kun was scheming using the infirmary report since Kondō-kun should have possession of his own infirmary report, which contained the record of his injuries. My questions attacked his base of understanding, and he froze. The argument was not too hard to refute, but the heat and humidity were so high that his own thinking and ability to concentrate suffered.

"I-I, uh—"

"Did you know that this school is one of the leading government-sanctioned institutes in Japan?"

Like a dog being thrown a bone, he leapt away from the questioning. "O-Of course I do. That's why I enrolled here."

"In that case, you should try using your head a bit more. Your aims were obvious right from the start, wouldn't you say?" I grinned, walking slowly toward him. He backed up a bit as I spoke.

"Didn't you think that the school's response to this incident was rather strange?"

"Huh?"

"When you raised the issue with the school, why wasn't Shibata punished immediately? Why give an opportunity to escape by granting a grace period of a few days and a trial with the Student Council? What do you think was the reason?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kondō-kun snarked. "He lied to the school and cried for mercy. If they hadn't given the time as a formality, I would have won because I'm the victim of his violent actions."

"Is that really true? I wonder if you had a different aim, a different purpose. It's pretty weird to think that Ryūen-kun is holding all your evidence, isn't it?"

"I think it's a little weird, too," Kushida-san said quietly, like a comment. But Kondō-kun heard it. The sun, still high in the sky, glared down upon us, increasing the heat and humidity, and constricting his ability to think.

"I've got no idea what you're talking about. Ah, damn it, it's so damn hot!"

"Whatever, I'm out of here. I'm going to boil alive if I stay."

"Is that really okay, though? If you leave this place, you might regret it for the rest of your life."

"What do you want, Ichinose?" He didn't seem to understand what I was getting at.

"Don't you understand? The school knows that you're lying, Kondō-kun. They've known from the beginning."

What I had said was probably bizarre and surprising to him, so much so that he began snorting with laughter. "Don't be stupid. I lied? And the school knows it?"

"Ha ha ha," I smiled, "You guys are so funny. You've been dancing to my tune all this time."

"That's a nice try, Ichinose. But I'm calling your shitty bluff!" Kondō-kun declared confidently.

"Of course, I have actual evidence," I continued, unfazed by his threats.

"Oh? Well then, let's see it. Show me what evidence you have—"

"Did you know that there are security cameras installed everywhere around the school?" From the moment he allowed me to speak, I had made sure that he wasn't going to leave this unscathed. "It's a measure they've taken in order to monitor what we do every day."

"Yeah. So what?" Kondō-kun appeared unconcerned. He already knew about the security cameras since that was common knowledge.

"Well, then. Did you not see that?" Kanzaki said, pointing. Kondō-kun followed his index finger to the white perch.

"Huh?" Kondō-kun's face dropped. A security camera was placed there, looking directly at them. Occasionally, it barely swung from left to right, capturing everything in the alleyway.

"That's too bad, isn't it? If you want to set a trap for someone, you would need to do it in a place without any cameras."

"Wh-what camera? You're lying! I checked it before! There weren't any cameras installed in this alley. You can't trick me like that, you guys installed the camera yourselves!"

"Obviously, this is next to a warehouse, so naturally there would be a camera installed here to protect the school's valuable resources," I countered. "Besides, how exactly would we have prepared surveillance cameras when we can't even leave campus in the first place?"

Ruthlessly, I cut off his escape routes one by one.

"Th-that's impossible… That… I mean, we checked back then, we should have…"

"You guys checked? But only you are involved in this case. Also, you realized that you just destroyed yourself, right? Normal people wouldn't think to check whether there were security cameras, right? That's basically admitting your guilt." I delivered the finishing blow. Moreover, Kanzaki-kun held up his phone, demonstrating that he was recording the conversation.

Kondō-kun was holding his head and sweating far more than normal. "So, so… no way, that time…"

"The security cameras couldn't record the sounds of your voices, but they definitely captured the decisive moment when you threw the first punch."

The cuffs of their uniforms were completely drenched with sweat. "The school's waiting, right? Go ahead and tell us the truth. The Student Council probably saw through everything."

"That's… no… no." Kondō-kun buckled. Leaning against the wall to attempt to find some semblance of protection from the sun. He recognized what was happening. "W-Wait a minute. I'm still not convinced. Okay, let's say that the security camera did capture some footage. You should've been able to prove Shibata's innocence without having to really do anything, right? You didn't need to call me out here to tell me this. You could have just presented it at the trial. But you called me here, right?"

"Innocence? That depends on what you're innocent of. We know that both parties took damage during the incident. No matter the circumstances, Shibata-kun may have hit you. That's undeniable. Of course, if the security footage can prove that you attacked him first, then he would probably receive the lightest possible punishment. However, his position as a regular on the soccer team would still be threatened. He might not be allowed to participate in tournaments."

Sweat poured down Kondō-kun's forehead like a waterfall. We were hot as well, but comparatively much better than he was. His temperature kept rising as Kanzaki-kun and I cornered him, with Kushida-san standing witness.

"What the hell?" Kondō-kun laughed nervously, "Well then if it's like you claim, the security footage shouldn't be any trouble at all, right? We'll be fine as long as we can get Shibata suspended for even one day."

"If that happens, you might expelled. Keep in mind that Kanzaki-kun is also recording this conversation, and I think this evidence is more than enough that Class C set a trap for Shibata-kun. Are you fine with being expelled?"

The conversation assumed Kondō was the culprit, and with three of us surrounding him, it was getting harder and harder to think.

"If someone checked the security camera footage, it would expose your lies. If that were to happen, chances are good that you'd be expelled. Anyone could see that."

"What? W-Wait, why expelled? You didn't say that we lied!" Kondō-kun tried to save himself, his voice weak and strained.

"The school is testing us. They're testing to see if we can solve problems by ourselves and what kind of conclusions we draw, like self-government. Don't you think that's consistent with everything else in this case? Why the Student Council is giving us a grace period before the trial?"

"Why would… I-I definitely don't want to get expelled! Damn it…"

"It's rather early to draw a conclusion. We'll give you one last chance. There's only one way to save both Class C and Class B," I said. "Tell the school that you wish to withdraw your complaint. If you do that, the school will not bring forward the security camera footage. If there's no complaint, then no one can be punished. Additionally, if the security footage is never brought up, Class B benefits, too. As we already know, if the footage were produced before the Student Council, Shibata-kun would still face some degree of punishment. In other words, Class C and Class B can come to a compromise together so that neither of us gets punished. The school can't investigate if they can't watch the video and see that you lied, right?"

"Ahh, ahh… fuck…" Kondō-kun muttered, looking shattered, "Just let me call…"

"No," I interrupted. "You're not being very cooperative. Therefore, we have no choice but to prepare. We'll send the audio of this conversation as well as have the school confirm the security footage right away, and you'll be expelled." Kanzaki-kun nodded in agreement.

"Damn it! Fine… we'll withdraw. I don't wanna get expelled… it'll be fine if we withdraw…" he muttered, his hands on his head.

"Well then, let's head to the student council room right away. We'll go together."

Kushida-san brought up the rear, whereas Kanzaki-kun and I were on either side of Kondō-kun like we were escorting a prisoner. The notion made me feel a little uncomfortable, but if we took our eyes off him for even one second, he might pull out his phone and try to contact Ryūen-kun for advice.

When we finally reached the student council room, we pushed him inside, and he withdrew the complaint without any fuss.

-o-o-o-

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Next Chapter: April 15th

-thann