Chapter 61: The Thin Line Between Victim and Perpetrator
If someone committed violence, just issue a punishment. Follow the procedure, that's the simplest way to handle it, right?
No… that won't do.
If it's like that, they'd fall into a passive position again.
He had no cards left to play, not even witnesses or evidence. Meanwhile, the reality was that three students from Class C were seriously injured.
Cancel the complaint? Whether they were victims or perpetrators, they'd never agree to that.
Hikigaya walked slowly along the school path, head down, so focused on Sudo's situation that he didn't notice the passing students.
Until… His path was blocked by a silver-haired fairy.
"Sakayanagi?"
Sakayanagi gave Hikigaya a meaningful look, then limped toward him with her cane.
"I heard from Kamuro that you're in trouble."
Hikigaya gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Yeah, an unprecedented mess."
Though he'd decided to help Sudo, Hikigaya's life experiences had never involved such a violent incident. Choosing to help meant he might get dragged into it.
And… he didn't even have a clue where to start.
From the document just now, it was clear that the conflict between the students took place at the special classroom building, but the specific reasons could only be known if the parties involved revealed everything without holding back.
Sakayanagi stopped at a distance of about a fist's length from the boy, looking at Hikigaya with a playful expression: "Have you found a reason to help Class D?"
"Maybe… I guess I have."
"Oh? For yourself?"
"Not entirely…"
Hearing the boy's response, Sakayanagi showed a trace of surprise.
She hadn't expected the boy in front of her to find a reason to act in just two short months.
Sakayanagi, who had initially planned to offer help, instantly changed her mind.
Perhaps watching from a distance would be more interesting.
"Then, I'll look forward to your performance, Little Hikki."
With that, Sakayanagi brushed past Hikigaya, preparing to leave.
Looking at her limping figure, Hikigaya couldn't help but ask with some concern: "Are you really okay going back alone like that?"
Sakayanagi turned around, flashing an innocent smile: "Little Hikki, you're so kind. But don't worry."
"As a reward for your kindness, I suggest you check out the special classroom building… You might find the information you're looking for there."
With that, Sakayanagi left without looking back.
'The special classroom building?'
The so-called special classroom building wasn't used for regular classes. After school, most students didn't linger in the academic area, and the special classroom building had even fewer people.
It was indeed a prime spot for trouble to brew. From the perpetrator's perspective, it wasn't strange for Class C students to be there. But from the victim's perspective…
'No… I don't think the current Sudo would impulsively start a fight.'
'This incident doesn't seem like it can be simply chalked up to self-defense.'
No matter how he thought about it, without more details from Sudo, there was no way to clear him of blame.
Hikigaya had planned to go to the special classroom building to search for any useful information, but when he returned there, he found the main gate tightly locked.
'Right… the academic area is sealed off at night.'
By the time he'd dealt with Ichinose's issue, the sun had already set. After visiting the student council, the academic area was completely deserted.
'Looks like that's it for today.'
Hikigaya could roughly predict what would happen tomorrow. This matter would soon become common knowledge, and all the class's conflicts would point straight at Sudo.
At that point, it would depend on what Sudo chose to do.
Since the special classroom building was closed, Hikigaya decided to grab a meal and head back to his room to sleep.
[Sudo: "Now you all know how frustrating it was to be wrongly accused."]
[Ike: "Forget the rest, at least it got resolved in the end, right?"]
[Sudo: "Yeah, back then, Sakura… I don't know why, but right before the second trial started, they suddenly withdrew the complaint, and I was off the hook."]
[Ayanokouji and Horikita, as the masterminds, knew exactly how the matter was handled. But for Sudo, all he knew was that Horikita, Ayanokouji, and Sakura put in a lot of time and courage for him.]
[Yamauchi patted Sudo's shoulder: "Anyway, it's all good now. I always believed you wouldn't do something like that, bro."]
[Sudo shook his head: "I can't deny I did use some violence against them. It was self-defense given the situation, but looking back, it was my own issues that gave Class C an opening to exploit."]
[Hearing the red-haired punk's reflection, Horikita nodded in satisfaction. Meanwhile, Hirata clapped his hands, smiling at the class: "Anyway, this matter is over. I believe in this video, we can get through it easily too."]
That's what they said… but when Hikigaya arrived at the classroom just in time, as usual, the heavy atmosphere in the class had already spilled into the hallway.
Sudo: "I told you it wasn't like that! There were three of them!"
Karuizawa, looking troubled, said: "But…"
Hikigaya walked up to Sudo, gently patting his shoulder.
Seeing Hikigaya arrive, Sudo's angry expression softened a bit, but he seemed too embarrassed to face him.
He didn't want to show such an angry expression to his classmates or yell at them, but…
The feeling of being wrongly accused was just too frustrating.
In the first month of school, his rule-breaking cost the class a ton of points.
During the midterms, with help from Horikita, Kushida, Hirata, and his bro Hikigaya, he improved his grades. Thanks to the class's unity, he avoided expulsion.
He did strike them, but he believed it was self-defense since they attacked first.
Still, violence was violence, and he'd been uneasy ever since.
Because of this unease, he hadn't been able to talk to Hikigaya as usual these past few days. And now…
The rumors were starting to spread, and he couldn't control their direction. Feeling the class's trust slipping away, Sudo grew a bit irritable.
"Back to your seats."
Unnoticed, Chabashira had arrived at Class D's podium, and everyone obediently returned to their seats.
"Today, basketball club members from Class 1-C filed a complaint with the school, claiming that after club activities, they were unilaterally attacked and injured by Sudo."
'Oh? Their accusation is unilateral violence? But…'
Hikigaya glanced at Sudo, who showed no obvious signs of injury, and felt puzzled.
According to the document Horikita Manabu provided, three students were injured by Sudo. In a one-against-three situation, for him to come out unscathed…
'Impressive, Sudo… Oh, wait, no, no. But I'm curious about the condition of the three who filed the complaint.'
Hearing Chabashira-sensei's words, Sudo slammed the desk in frustration and said: "It was self-defense! Self-defense! They attacked first. Maybe they were jealous that I made it into the school's official team, so they came to pick a fight."
Sudo's words were clearly agitated, and if he was wrongly accused, it was understandable.
Though Sudo was frustrated, Chabashira pointed out the key issue.
"But you have no evidence. If there were witnesses, it'd be different."
Hearing Chabashira-sensei's words, Sudo realized no matter what he said, he was in the wrong. Though he was still often impulsive, under Hikigaya's influence, he'd started thinking more.
Compared to before, when he was like an irrational gorilla, he was now much more rational.
'Good. What's missing is a witness and solid evidence.'
'Since they're the victims, without concrete evidence, we can't effectively counter their claims or clear Sudo.'
At that moment, Kushida stepped into her angelic role.
She stood up abruptly, looking around at her classmates.
"Does anyone know anything about Sudo's fight or see it happen?"
'As if it'd be that convenient. If there was such a person, they'd have already… come… forward… right…?'
Hearing the angelic request, everyone's eyes instinctively turned to Kushida.
No… not everyone.
Hikigaya noticed the golden-haired lion king narcissistically checking himself in a mirror under his desk. But that guy was always like that, no matter what anyone said, so no surprise there.
But…
'It can't be that convenient, right?'
Seeing the pink-haired beauty trembling with her hands under the desk, her gaze not on Kushida but lost in thought, as if pondering something.
'Looks like… there's a lead.'
Though Hikigaya didn't know if the girl was a witness for Sudo, her behavior told him she was definitely connected to this incident.
A normal reaction would be like most of the class, looking at Kushida in confusion—except for unique cases like the golden-haired lion king.
But this wasn't about him being special. He'd just learned about this a day earlier, so he was prepared.
He wasn't special at all—Hikigaya knew that well.
He slowly shifted his gaze and noticed Horikita's attention was also entirely on the pink-haired beauty.
'As expected of a Horikita…'
It seemed Horikita had also noticed Sakura's unusual behavior.
In response to Kushida's question, everyone shook their heads helplessly.
Without a witness, there was no starting point for Sudo's case.
Sudo knew this too, so he could only lower his head helplessly.
Koenji: "Wouldn't it be better if you just got expelled, Red-Hair? You're quite an eyesore here."
Koenji hadn't once looked at Sudo directly, only slightly raising his mirror to better admire his own beauty.
Sudo let out a weak sigh: "Yeah… I can't deny it."
Hirata: "Sudo…"
Kushida: "We can't confirm it's Sudo's fault yet, right?"
Yukimura: "We need to find clues or witnesses that favor Sudo. Otherwise, we'll keep being on the defensive."
Wang Mei-Yui: "Yes… just going on like this is pointless, it could split our class."
Hasebe: "That's true, but… what do we do now?"
Hasebe's words instantly made the classroom atmosphere heavier.
Everyone knew that to clear Sudo of this trouble, they needed witnesses and evidence, but finding a witness was easier said than done. They didn't even know where to start.
Chabashira, arms crossed, said calmly: "One week from now, you'll negotiate with Class C at the student council. Based on the results, points will be deducted, and… Sudo's punishment will be decided."
Meanwhile, in the school's flashy Kakaore Clubs room, Class C was reveling in celebration. Compared to Class D, Class C, currently holding the upper hand, was far more relaxed.
Music vibrated through the room, colorful lights flashing incessantly. Ryūen, with a blonde girl in his left arm and a glass in his right hand, showed no expression on his face.
"Those monkeys in Class D must be panicking right now."
He brought the glass to his lips, took a big gulp, and burst into hearty laughter.
"Honestly, I'm pretty curious to see how Hikigaya will help Class D get through this mess."
Ibuki glanced at Ryūen and said coldly: "He might not even step in. He has no reason to help them."
"Oh? That'd be too boring."
As the two talked, a loud knock came from the door.
Knock, knock, knock…
Albert opened the door, letting Ishizaki Daichi in.
"Ryūen, bad news. Someone might have seen it. When we clashed with Sudo, there was someone nearby."
[Sudo watched the scene, momentarily confused.]
[He clearly remembered the moment. He was definitely acting in self-defense, but he did use some violence. Back then, Ishizaki wasn't seriously injured, but it definitely wasn't like the scene shown here.]
[As if realizing something, Sudo's body trembled uncontrollably. At that moment, he finally understood why things turned out this way.]
[In the video, because of his changed personality, he didn't hit as hard, just driving them off.]
[And… back then, despite Koenji's provocation, he didn't argue back but accepted it calmly.]
[It seems… in that different world, I really grew a lot.]
Ryūen kept swirling his glass, not once glancing at Ishizaki.
"Do you know how to pull Hikigaya to our side, Ibuki?"
"Beat him into submission with violence."
Ryūen shook his head slowly, as if mocking her words.
"I've said it before: for the weak, violence is meaningless. His past experiences have made him smart enough to use everything to protect himself. Using violence would only drag us into a quagmire."
Not everyone has experienced school bullying, and not everyone just passively accepts it when faced with it. Clearly, during his time alone, Hikigaya had developed an exceptionally strong sense of self.
"Then what should we do?!"
Ibuki asked, visibly irritated.
Ryūen nodded at Albert. At that moment, Albert approached Ishizaki, said "bad boy," and proceeded to beat him up.
Ryūen: "Either we lure him with something he can't refuse, but it seems there's nothing in this world he desires, so that plan's out for now."
With that, Ryūen let out a meaningful laugh: "Or we completely crush his class, make them fall apart. Then, when we extend an olive branch, he'll have no reason to refuse."
Meanwhile, after being beaten up by Albert, Ishizaki was pinned to the table.
Compared to his earlier unscathed appearance, he now truly looked like a victim.
"Ah…"
Blood dripped steadily onto the table.
Ryūen approached Ishizaki, pouring the remaining liquor over his head.
"Now you look even more like a victim."
"Thank you… thank you so much…"
"Stick to the plan and act well."
[Yukinoshita: "It's unbelievable that someone would actually use such tactics to frame Class D."]
[Isshiki: "Looks like I underestimated this school. Senpai, you won't get beaten up there, will you? I don't want to see you end up like that."]
[Hikigaya: "Hey, don't jinx me! With my scrawny build, one hit and I'd probably pass out."]
[Hikigaya's athletic ability wasn't bad, but compared to someone like Hayama… there was still a gap.]
[Even if he was decent at sports, that didn't mean he could fight. At the very least, Hikigaya had no interest in such primitive behavior.]
[Yuigahama wore a worried expression: "Oh no, Hikki's gonna get bullied there."]
[Hikigaya: "I told you, stop cursing me! I haven't been beaten up yet…"]
[Class 1-D…]
[Sudo: "So that's how that guy set me up. I told you I didn't hit them that hard!"]
[Ike: "Looks like Class C was clearly targeting you."]
[Horikita: "No, Sudo's just the spark. It could've been anyone. Even if Sudo gets expelled, something like this would happen eventually."]
[Hirata: "Horikita's right. Their real target is Hikigaya and the entirety of Class D."]
[Though they'd long known this school couldn't be judged by normal standards, and they'd survived the uninhabited island test, learning that Ryūen framed them like this still sent chills down their spines.]
[Karuizawa's voice trembled. Seeing Ishizaki, it was as if she saw her past self…]
[Sakura felt the same. She hadn't imagined this school would be a hundred times scarier than she thought.]
After Chabashira-sensei took Sudo away, the class atmosphere became polarized.
Ike slumped over his desk, complaining weakly: "It's all Sudo's fault. This sucks."
Yamauchi echoed listlessly: "Yeah, I thought we could finally eat better this month. Looks like that's ruined."
Shinohara: "He should just get expelled…"
"…"
As expected, just as Hikigaya predicted, most of the class's criticism was now directed at Sudo.
Horikita stood by the window, as if making a decision.
"What are you going to do? Sudo sees you as a brother."
"Even if you say that… I don't know what to do."
"I'll help him. At least until things are settled, I don't want my previous efforts to go to waste."
"You're stubborn, huh? But that's good. Sudo's temper is improving, his athletic skills and club activities are outstanding. From the class's perspective, as long as his grades improve, his advantages far outweigh his flaws."
Hikigaya propped his chin with one hand. Though he was talking to Horikita, he was constantly observing the class's atmosphere and… most crucially, Sakura.
To help Sudo, they'd need to start with Sakura, but figuring out how to talk to her was already a brain-racking problem for him.
When the class exchanged contact info, only two people didn't swap with him—one of them was Sakura.
The other, of course, was the golden-haired lion king.
Horikita, arms crossed, looked out the window. Though she tried to hide her worry, her furrowed brow gave her away.
As both of them were deep in thought, Hirata, the class's backbone, stepped up to the podium…
( End of this chapter)