"Shibata was reported?"

Early July homeroom.

While we were confused about why the usual point transfer had not been made, we were told something completely unexpected.

In the final week of June, in the special building, Shibata So assaulted Komiya Kōgo and Kondō Reon of Class C.

That was their claim.

The shock was so great that even Kanzaki, who is usually calm and composed, let the words slip out.

As for me, I could not close my mouth either.

"That's not true! I didn't do it!"

Shibata, the person in question, shouted.

From the desperation in his voice, it seemed he understood the seriousness of the situation.

"I know, Shibata-kun. You're not the kind of person who would do that. But why didn't you talk to us about it? If you had told us even the day before..."

Indeed, we might have been able to act before the accusation was filed.

Ichinose's approach was good as well, she did not accuse him, but pointed out what could have been done differently.

"I'm sorry... I didn't want to cause trouble for everyone in the class... You know, I'm not very useful to the class, right? So I thought at least I shouldn't be a burden..."

There was a tragic tone in Shibata's voice.

However, one phrase in his words did not sit right with me.

"I think Shibata is definitely useful."

Before I realized it, I had spoken.

And with that action, the entire class turned their attention toward me.

"Ayanokōji..."

"Because of Shibata, the atmosphere in the class stays bright. And during gym class there are many things I learn from watching you. No one here thinks you're useless. So next time, rely on us too. We're teammates, aren't we?"

"Ayanokōji!"

Before I realized it, Shibata ran over and hugged me tightly.

"You're such a good guy!"

Perhaps the phrase would be tears of gratitude.

Shibata's eyes had become slightly moist.

He had been set up by Class C and must have felt extremely isolated.

I cannot even imagine the despair he experienced.

"Shibata is absolutely not the type of person who would do something like that. Since Class C filed the accusation, they are clearly our enemy now. Right, Ichinose?"

I turned my gaze toward Ichinose sitting beside me.

"Yes. The moment they caused trouble for one of our classmates, I have absolutely no intention of helping them."

Determination appeared in Ichinose's expression.

With that, there was no longer any chance of the same situation happening again.

"Shibata, can you explain exactly what happened at the scene?"

In response to Kanzaki's question, Shibata silently nodded.

Summarizing Shibata's story, the situation was as follows.

First, on the final day of June, Shibata was called out by students from Class C.

Because Ichinose and the others had warned him, he was cautious. But they mocked him for being scared, so he reluctantly went with them.

In the end, at the special building, they spent a long time insulting Ichinose and the other classmates right in front of him.

Eventually they even started mocking him directly.

However, the admirable part was that Shibata never resorted to violence.

Even when pushed that far, he suppressed both his pride and his feelings of affection through sheer self-control because he did not want to cause trouble for the class.

"But... what should we do..."

Even after hearing the story, no solution came to mind.

But that was only natural. The other side had probably planned this carefully.

"The student council trial will take place the day after tomorrow. Before then, we need to find at least one witness."

Just as Amikura said, the time limit was extremely tight.

However, it was not impossible.

"...I suppose there is no choice. Even if someone from our class claims to be a witness, they probably won't be believed. At best it would only buy time. In that case, shouldn't we request cooperation from other classes?"

I finally spoke.

What followed was a desperate measure to break the stalemate.

"But would they cooperate? Class A is probably busy with internal power struggles and Class D..."

Ichinose muttered with a gloomy expression.

But we still had our strongest card left.

"We lure them with Private Points. If we publicly declare that we will pay points for anyone who can provide evidence or testimony, then we can make use of them without involving personal feelings."

It might be expensive, but it could not be helped.

If someone tried to sell their testimony for an outrageous price, then I would use another method.

However, that method would affect my standing and the way other classes view me, so I would rather avoid it.

It would be ideal if this strategy worked.

"That's true. We've been saving points. If it's for a classmate, we can use them. Is everyone alright with that?!"

Kanzaki spoke loudly enough for the entire class to hear.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As expected, our unity in times like this was exceptional.

"Then we won't hold back. Even though I'd prefer not to spend too much. Shall we start after school today?"

If we wanted to address everyone, morning or after school would be best.

Kanzaki and I really do think alike.

"Then I'll go to Class D. I'll take responsibility for dealing with them."

Besides, I have a connection with Hirata.

Negotiations should go more smoothly if I handle it.

"You wouldn't listen even if I tried to stop you, right? Then I'll go to Class A."

"Then I'll go with Ichinose. Ayanokōji should be fine on his own, right?"

It seemed Kanzaki trusted me quite a lot before I even realized it.

That was a pleasant thing to hear.

Being relied upon by your teammates is not a bad feeling.

Of course, relying on me too much would be a problem.

"Yes, leave it to me. I'm only making an announcement anyway."

"When you think of it that way, it doesn't seem so worrying. Let's do this."

"Yeah. Let's prove Shibata-kun's innocence together!"

"OOOOHHHH!"

* * *

After school.

When I entered the Class D classroom, Hirata was the first to speak to me.

The others were clearly wary.

Which was understandable.

I came here fully expecting that reaction.

"Ayanokōji-kun... what do you want?"

"Today, the point transfers for all first-year classes were suspended. That happened because of a dispute between our Class B and Class C led by Ryūen Kakeru."

First, I told them the truth.

Even so, suspicious gazes continued to be directed at me.

"I see... So what about it?"

"The issue is that Class C claims Shibata So from Class B assaulted Kondō and Komiya from their class. Because of that accusation, the school froze our points."

That claim was false.

But hiding things would not lead to a better outcome.

It was better to be honest here.

"So that Shibata guy is the bad one then, right? And honestly, you sure have some nerve coming here. Our friends got expelled, you know."

The first person to complain was a blonde female student.

Borrowing Watanabe's terminology, she would be classified as a 'gyaru'.

"Kei Karuizawa!"

Hirata scolded her blunt remark.

But what she said was reasonable.

"I understand your point. From your perspective, I am the one who caused your friends to be expelled. But listen until the end. Shibata is not that kind of person. That is why we are searching for witnesses."

I faced the Class D students directly.

"If anyone witnessed the scene, or can provide testimony along with evidence, we will reward them with an appropriate number of points. I am making this same offer to the other classes. Any number of witnesses is acceptable."

I wrote a series of numbers on the blackboard with chalk.

Then I clapped the chalk dust from my hands and spoke again.

"This is my phone number. If anyone has information, call me anytime. I'll be waiting."

That was all I needed to say.

Just as I ignored the murmurs and was about to leave the classroom—

"You must be Ayanokōji-kun. I should express my gratitude."

An extremely cold and intimidating voice reached my ears.

The contrast between the words and the tone surprised me and I turned around.

In my line of sight—

There was a female student with long, beautiful black hair.

Sitting in the very back seat by the window, she looked like a queen.

"Gratitude?"

I asked instinctively.

The only thing I could think of that might earn gratitude from a Class D student was helping Hirata recover.

But I did not think that was the reason.

"Yes. If you had not opposed them before, a few foolish monkeys might still be in this class. Just imagining it makes me shudder. So thank you for assisting in their extermination."

Her words caused most of the class to frown.

Whether she noticed or not, she remained standing calmly.

‘Foolish monkeys…’

I suppressed the urge to sigh.

I had thought Hirata and Wang were decent people, so perhaps Class D still had hope.

But apparently not.

"Thanks for the introduction. I'll be waiting for your call."

Leaving only those words behind, I walked out of the Class D classroom.