The atmosphere in the meeting room had grown uncomfortably tense. Horikita Manabu had no choice but to glance toward Tachibana Akane, who stood nearby.
"Secretary Akane, could you please ask first-year Class D's Ayanokōji Kiyotaka to come here?"
"Understood, I'll notify him right away."
The situation in Class D had now been laid bare for all to see.
What should have been the most pressing issue—dealing with the expelled students—had somehow become the easiest to resolve.
A retake of the exam was practically a foregone conclusion.
With plenty of time to prepare, as long as luck was on their side, they could reduce the number of expulsions by more than half in one stroke.
That outcome would probably be acceptable to the school as well. But the most urgent problem facing Horikita Manabu now was how to handle Hirata and Ayanokōji.
His gaze drifted toward Amane, who had returned to her seat and was whispering with Ichinose.
The reason she'd dared to step forward and defend Hirata was that she'd spotted a loophole in the school regulations.
No—calling it a "loophole" wasn't quite right. It was more like she'd played word games to outmaneuver the school's system.
The rule stated that anyone who purchased exam papers and used them to cheat would face expulsion.
On the surface, there was nothing wrong with that regulation. But Amane had done something no one expected.
She'd cleanly split the offense into two separate parts.
Since Ayanokōji was the one who bought the exam, logically, he should be the one punished. But then the question arose—punish him for what?
It was true Ayanokōji had purchased the exam, but he hadn't used it to cheat. Unless there was surveillance footage, it was nearly impossible to prove his results were solely due to cheating.
Simply buying the exam wasn't enough to meet the school's criteria for punishment.
Meanwhile, Hirata, who had violated the other half of the rule, saw his offense shift: from both purchasing and using the exam to cheat, to merely using leaked exam content to cheat.
Thanks to Amane's maneuvering, even Horikita Manabu felt the difficulty of the situation had skyrocketed.
What should have been a clear-cut case for expulsion now felt murky and divided.
The responsibility was split in two: Ayanokōji bore part for purchasing the exam, while Hirata was responsible for spreading and sharing the answers, enabling others to cheat.
This meant that if Ayanokōji's testimony held up, Horikita Manabu would have to find a way to deal with both of them fairly and firmly—without stirring up unnecessary controversy.
Just thinking about it was enough to give anyone a headache.
And the one who had set all this in motion seemed completely at ease, as if it were all in a day's work.
Was everything really going to go that girl's way?
Horikita Manabu narrowed his eyes.
The key now lay with Ayanokōji.
If Ayanokōji admitted to buying the exam but denied providing it to Hirata, then his punishment would be limited to the act of purchasing. But if he confessed to willingly sharing it with Hirata, then Ayanokōji would likely face severe consequences—possibly even expulsion.
Amane noticed Horikita Manabu glancing her way from time to time.
She knew exactly what he was thinking. But things had already spiraled beyond her control.
She didn't even know whether Ayanokōji would admit to buying the exam, let alone whether he might shift the blame back onto Hirata.
If that happened, all her efforts would have been in vain.
Amane's eyes fell to her phone.
If only she could've warned Ayanokōji in advance…
But no…Horikita Manabu would never give her that chance.
Before long, Ayanokōji Kiyotaka arrived with Tachibana Akane.
The moment he entered, his eyes found Amane. He immediately sensed something unusual about the atmosphere in the room.
Chabashira-sensei's gaze was fixed on him, complex and unreadable.
On the way over, he'd tried to get some information out of Kushida, but she hadn't given anything away.
He did learn, however, that Amane had gone up against the student council and supporters of expulsion—all to protect Hirata.
In a way, that was pretty impressive.
But just how far had things progressed now?
"Ayanokōji-kun, there's no need to be nervous. We've called you here today simply to ask a few questions. All you need to do is answer truthfully."
Hearing Horikita Manabu's opening words, Ayanokōji immediately understood the gravity of the situation.
To be fair, Horikita Manabu was being as considerate as he could. Even if he wanted to catch Ayanokōji off guard, he still offered subtle hints in his phrasing.
Whether Ayanokōji picked up on them or not was beyond his concern.
And Ayanokōji did notice.
He sharpened his focus.
"Answer truthfully."
It sounded like a standard line used in interrogations or formal questioning. But when those words were emphasized, it usually meant there had already been disagreements over the "truth."
Now, his testimony—or evidence—was urgently needed to sway the outcome.
It was also an indirect warning: this matter was serious, so he'd better think carefully before he spoke.
Ayanokōji raised his hand slightly, a troubled look on his face.
"I don't mind answering questions, but if you could stick to recent events, that'd be helpful. My memory isn't all that great, you see."
As he spoke, his eyes met Amane's.
She said nothing, but her gaze held his steadily.
There was meaning in her eyes—something she seemed to be trying to convey.
Her fingertip traced idle patterns on the table's surface.
"The matter we're asking about happened some time ago, but I believe it's something you definitely wouldn't have forgotten." Horikita Manabu's voice was calm. "Did you, or did you not, purchase exam papers for the first-year midterms from third-year student Shimizu?"
Hearing the question, Ayanokōji felt a sense of clarity.
So it was about the exam papers, after all. He was well aware that what he'd done went against school rules.
Especially with a transaction that left a digital paper trail.
He'd known this day might come.
"Yes, I purchased the exam papers from Shimizu-senpai."
A faint smile touched Horikita Manabu's lips when Ayanokōji admitted it.
It seemed Ayanokōji was being reasonable.
If he'd played dumb—pretended he didn't know Shimizu or anything about the exam—Horikita Manabu's opinion of him would have plummeted.
With the transaction record as solid evidence, any denial would have been pointless.
This way, the rest of the questioning should go more smoothly.
"That said, I don't believe buying the exam had anything to do with the midterms, do you?"
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.