Sakayanagi's and Ichinose's classes had already erupted; could Class D possibly be spared? Of course not—in fact, Class D was bickering the fiercest of all.
Onodera, who had harbored doubts about Matsushita ever since the rumors, had not stopped suspecting her even after Horikita tried to clear things up. Now, faced with this abysmal score, she fired straight at her target:
"Matsushita! It was definitely you! When you went in to transcribe you betrayed the class—deliberately altered what we'd written earlier, didn't you?"
"You're trying to sell us out so Yukio's class can win!"
During the past seven days Onodera had cornered classmates again and again with the same warning, trying to keep everyone alert. Most people only half‑believed her, choosing to watch from the sidelines rather than charge Matsushita—no one joined her except her best friend Sonoda.
But now was different. With defeat looming, the instinct to dodge responsibility took over. Many students lined up behind Onodera; suspicious eyes fixed on Matsushita, broadcasting their "doubts."
Did they really doubt her? Maybe, maybe not. They might simply resent losing and need a scapegoat to soothe their feelings, or they might be unwilling to admit they themselves had copied the sutra wrong and so picked on Matsushita instead.
"Matsushita? Is what Onodera says the truth?"
"We trusted you—thought you could lead our class upward—so how did our sutra score end up this low? Did you pull some trick?"
"Matsushita, please—say something!"
The tidal wave of negativity left Matsushita momentarily stunned. Karuizawa, unable to watch her friend be cornered—even with the gossip about Matsushita and Yukio—jumped in.
Hands on hips, finger stabbing the air, Karuizawa shouted, "What are you talking about?! Chiaki would never do that! Have your brains turned to mush?"
Shinohara and Satou echoed her in support.
That was the difference: when the whole class had targeted Horikita, no one defended her; now that Matsushita was under fire, at least Karuizawa and company stood up. Perhaps Karuizawa's clout among the girls was higher—once she spoke, several people lowered their banners and fell silent.
The sudden lull let Matsushita recover. She could not accept such groundless accusations. "It wasn't me at all—could everyone please be rational?"
"You claim I fooled around inside—wouldn't Chabashira‑sensei have seen it? She was proctoring right there!"
She turned toward Chabashira as she spoke.
Even the always‑cool Chabashira looked a shade green; she had never shown such displeasure. Was this really the Class D she believed could fulfill her obsession and reach Class A? Why had a civil war broken out so suddenly?
"No one tampered with anything in front of me." In the end Chabashira spoke for Matsushita. It was the truth, and also because she still pinned her hopes on Matsushita to keep the class together—without that, the climb to Class A would be impossible.
Bound by some unspoken limit, however, that single line was all she could say.
Beside her, Ichinose soothed her own class while Hoshinomiya ignored hers, secretly watching Chabashira. Seeing Class D tearing itself apart and Chabashira's green face filled her with glee—like eating ice‑cold watermelon in the dog days or soaking in a hot spring amid snow. She kept praising Yukio in her heart; watching Chabashira choke was her favorite show.
Chabashira's declaration left the accusing students red‑faced. Their homeroom teacher had spoken; what more could they say? Push further and they'd be implying Chabashira herself was betraying Class D.
"Chabashira‑sensei, don't let Matsushita fool you!" Only the iron‑headed Onodera still refused to give up.
That, too, was ordinary human nature—sunk‑cost fallacy.
The more someone invests in a person or matter, the harder it is to let go, because only by finally achieving the goal can the earlier investment gain value.
Take a simple example: lotteries. Some people spend a little; if they miss the jackpot, they quit. Others sink half their fortunes; they can't just stop— they must keep drawing until they win, or the previous stake is a blood‑loss.
Onodera was the latter. She had poured so much into the Matsushita affair that she swore not to quit until she nailed her target. Abandoning it now would cost her face, social capital, even her best friend's trust. At this point, how could she stop?
"Maybe you just didn't notice her little tricks, Sensei! Matsushita's smart—she might have some method!"
The green on Chabashira's cheeks deepened; a chilling pressure seeped out. "So you're saying I failed in my proctoring?"
That was practically a slap. After she spoke the matter should have ended, yet Onodera kept pressing, leaving Chabashira no graceful exit.
…
Hoshinomiya, forgetting her own class, devoted herself to the spectacle. If only Yukio‑kun would bring me sunflower seeds and beer, she thought. I could munch seeds, sip beer, and watch Sae‑chan squirm—pure bliss.
Almost as if summoned, her eyes lit up—Yukio's class wasn't quarreling at all. Led by Yukio, they were actually heading toward Class D.
Seeing him approach, Chabashira frowned. Onodera stiffened—was Yukio coming to defend Matsushita? Matsushita felt confused; Karuizawa, delighted.
Amid that swirl of emotions, Yukio strolled up, completely at ease. "Yo, things look lively over here, so I thought I'd come take a look—."
...
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