Chapter 174: Yamauchi Haruki, the Man Who Sacrifices His Friends for the Class!
Tuesday.
Shimizu Akira woke up on time, finished his basic exercises as usual, and headed to the track for his long-distance run.
Just as Horikita Suzune had said, she did not appear on the track.
However, the field wasn't occupied by him alone today.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, dressed in simple sportswear, was doing stretches by the side of the track, his movements fluid and efficient.
Since Shimizu Akira invited him to run together last month, this classmate would show up here from time to time—about two or three times a week, neither more nor less.
The two had almost no conversation, yet they had somehow formed a silent understanding—Shimizu Akira always ran in front, while Ayanokouji Kiyotaka followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far. Ten laps every day, unfailing.
After the run, they each returned to their dorms to wash up and met at the cafeteria promptly at 7:30 AM.
While eating breakfast, Shimizu Akira suddenly noticed Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's gaze drift past his shoulder toward the back, his eyes carrying a trace of inexplicable confusion.
"What is it?" he asked casually, turning his head to follow the other's line of sight. Not far away sat several students from Class C, whispering with their heads down.
"Nothing... those people seemed to glance at you several times." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka withdrew his gaze and took a sip of milk.
In a cafeteria teeming with people and students from various classes scattered about, being noticed by students from other classes wasn't exactly rare. However, the fact that Ayanokouji had such a rare reaction made Shimizu take a bit more notice.
After all, they were students from Class C.
"Right, I got it."
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Shimizu Akira walked into the classroom and sat down. His fixed daily "Information Refresh" surfaced right on time.
Kito Hayato of Class 1-A wants to be a fashion designer. Sakura Airi of Class 1-D is the sole witness to the fight between Sudo Ken, Komiya Kyogo, Kondo Reo, and Ishizaki Daichi. The surveillance monitor next to the elevator entrance displays real-time footage from inside the elevator car.
The first piece.
Shimizu Akira had no impression of Kito Hayato, so this piece of information didn't stir much interest.
The second piece, however, was different; its weight was significantly heavier.
Sakura Airi actually saw Sudo and the others fighting with her own eyes? And she was the sole witness?
But the problem was that Sakura Airi belonged to Class D.
Even if she truly were the sole witness, it would be difficult to avoid suspicions that she was biased toward her own class.
Unless... the evidence in her hands was critical enough to make all doubts untenable.
As for the final piece of information, Shimizu Akira was momentarily stunned—he had never really paid attention to it before, but thinking back carefully, it seemed there was indeed such a thing.
When waiting for the elevator, people outside could clearly see the movements inside the car. The image quality was even as high as 4K at 60fps; even subtle expressions could be seen clearly.
Sometimes, while waiting for the elevator, one could easily know who the passengers were through this device.
In his experiences from his previous life, he hadn't really seen elevators with this kind of display installed on the outside of the car.
Usually, in his memory, such real-time recording devices were kept in the security monitoring room.
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This morning, shortly before class started, Chabashira Sae appeared at the Class D classroom door again.
Just like yesterday, she clearly came with urgent business.
With just a few sentences, she explained the trouble Sudo Ken had caused—the content was almost identical to what Shimizu Akira had heard from the President the previous night.
Sudo had gotten into a dispute with Class C students. According to the determination of responsibility for both parties, Sudo not only faced a possible suspension, but Class D's Class Points would also be deducted.
Looking at the consequences alone, the impact of this conflict was far more troublesome than imagined—for Sudo personally, it was the risk of suspension; for the entire class, it was a tangible loss of points. For a Class D that was already at rock bottom, this was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.
"Sudo? What the hell are you doing?!"
"After all that, the reason our class points were delayed was because of you?!"
"I barely had any points left from last month..."
Since Class Points were tied to everyone's benefits, no one could remain indifferent to such a senseless loss.
Chabashira-sensei ignored the complaining crowd and continued: "Are there any witnesses in this class?"
From the corner of his eye, Shimizu Akira caught Sakura Airi, who was sitting next to him, flinch very slightly. However, she ultimately showed no intention of standing up.
On the podium, Chabashira Sae scanned the room. Seeing no one raise their hand, she added, "The other three classes have also been notified of this matter, mainly to search for relevant witnesses."
"Sensei, why did you make this public?" a student couldn't help but stand up and ask. "Now, won't the other classes know it's because of someone in our Class D that everyone's points are delayed?!"
A wave of whispering agreement instantly rose in the classroom.
Since points were related to class rankings, no one wanted the entire Class D to be antagonized by other classes because of Sudo Ken alone.
Chabashira Sae's tone remained flat: "This is the school's processing procedure. If no evidence can be found to prove Sudo-kun's innocence, not only will he be punished, but class points will be deducted accordingly. Making the news public is also to maximize the collection of leads.
Alright, that is all I have to inform you today."
Having said this, Chabashira turned and left the classroom.
The classroom immediately exploded into a chaotic mess as everyone began talking at once.
"Everyone, please calm down first!" Hirata Yosuke stood up abruptly.
"Class C already knows the truth; even if we wanted to hide it, we couldn't. The school making it public isn't necessarily a bad thing—it gives us a chance to collect evidence. There are actually benefits to this."
However, his words failed to quell the public's anger.
"At the end of the day, it's all Sudo's fault! Why get into a fight for no reason?!"
"Exactly! Not only is our point distribution delayed, but we're probably going to lose Class Points too. We worked so hard for a month to finally get 88 Class Points, and because of you alone, it's all going to be dragged down to zero!"
"Great, now we're going to be pointed at by people from other classes! The whole class is being held back by you!"
The students of Class D remained restless. Accusations hammered against Sudo Ken like heavy rain, and the air in the classroom began to heat up again.
"I told you, it wasn't my fault!" Sudo Ken suddenly clenched his fists and argued hoarsely. "Those guys provoked me first! They were jealous that I was about to become a regular member of the team and intentionally looked for trouble! I was forced to fight back; it was self-defense!"
"Sudo-kun, has the other party provided evidence that you hit them?" Hirata Yosuke's gaze landed on him, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny. "After all, in a matter like this, the other party can't just report you however they want without any proof."
"Well... when the school found me, I admitted to hitting them." Sudo stiffened his neck and added righteously, "But that was self-defense! I didn't do anything wrong."
Hearing this, Shimizu Akira's temples throbbed.
He was almost certain this guy didn't even understand the true meaning of "self-defense"—he likely felt that being insulted or losing a bit of ground gave him a reason to strike back.
In the eyes of the school, self-defense also implies that the other party's injuries were caused by you—Sudo Ken probably didn't understand this at all.
Or rather, those guys from Class C struck him intentionally, precisely because they knew this.
"Then do you have evidence?" Hirata Yosuke's frown deepened as he pressed patiently. "Evidence that proves the other party provoked you first. If you have that, there might still be room for maneuver."
"Ha?! Where would I get evidence!" Sudo Ken's face was full of frustration.
"I only found out several days later that those guys actually reported me! I'm the victim here!"
As he spoke, he slammed both hands heavily onto his desk, creating a loud bang.
The surrounding classmates looked at him with helplessness—with no evidence and an admission of violence, what use was shouting about "self-defense" and being the "victim"?
"Um... I still believe in Sudo-kun." At this moment, Kushida Kikyo stood up, her voice gentle. "He isn't the type of person who uses violence to bully others. Actually, he told me about this in our chat logs yesterday. I originally intended to tell everyone after school, but I didn't expect Chabashira-sensei to tell us first this morning."
Saying this, she turned slightly and explained the sequence of events in detail to everyone: "It was roughly like this—Sudo-kun had a high chance of being selected as a regular player for the basketball club. As a result, several students from Class C were jealous and called him out, threatening that he must quit the club. Later, a conflict broke out and developed into a fight... Sudo-kun only knocked those three down out of necessity for self-defense.
Actually, last month, Class C harassed Class B; the incident with that midterm exam question might have been them pulling strings behind the scenes too." Kushida Kikyo added another sentence, her tone filled with a perfect amount of indignation.
"So this time, it's very likely Sudo-kun is being framed by Class C on purpose!"
As soon as these words came out, the tone of the discussion in the classroom changed significantly.
The skepticism on many students' faces was gradually replaced by hesitation—after all, Kushida was always kind to others, and her words always carried a convincing power. Moreover, what she said wasn't without merit.
Class D had heard a bit about the small tricks Class C played on Class B last month, and they had personally experienced that frustrating midterm exam ordeal.
Thinking about it that way, it wasn't impossible for Class C to use any means necessary to suppress other classes.
However, just as the students' doubts were beginning to subside, an untimely voice suddenly exploded in the classroom.
"Kushida-san, I can't believe a word this guy Sudo says." Yamauchi Haruki stood up abruptly, his tone carrying unconcealed suspicion.
"I think he's lying. This guy told me before that he used to fight every day in middle school, and he even boasted to me about the most 'effective' ways to hit people."
"Yamauchi, you bastard! What the hell are you saying?! We're friends, right? How can you do this to me?!" Sudo Ken froze, his voice trembling with disbelief as he stared dead at the other. "Is this how you repay me for everything I've done for you?"
If someone else had said such a thing, he might not have been so angry, but the person before him was Yamauchi—one of the "Three Idiots" who frequently hung out with him and Ike Kanji.
In the first month, under the persistent pestering of Yamauchi and Ike Kanji, he not only voted for Kushida Kikyo but also gritted his teeth and paid 25,000 points in class fees.
In the second month, they were the ones who nagged him to study hard, pushing him into Kushida's study group.
As for those so-called talks about "fighting methods," those were clearly just offhand jokes made at the time; he wasn't the kind of hot-headed idiot who liked getting into fights!
He had treated him as a true friend and done so much, only to be met with this kind of face-to-face betrayal?
What angered him most was that the guy actually "flamed" him right to his face, mocking him for being a violent maniac in front of everyone.
Sudo Ken's clenched fists creaked, and his chest heaved violently as if a fire were burning inside.
He glared at Yamauchi, the disappointment and anger in his eyes almost overflowing.
The classroom was deathly silent; everyone was stunned by this sudden confrontation.
Yamauchi Haruki shrank back under his gaze, his eyes darting around, but he kept his neck stiff and didn't speak.
Hirata Yosuke hurried forward to try and hold Sudo Ken back, but his wrist was violently shaken off.
Sudo Ken said nothing. He gave Yamauchi Haruki one last fierce glare.
But then, as if suddenly remembering something, his footsteps halted abruptly.
He turned around, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing straight on Shimizu Akira's side—or more accurately, on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka next to him.
On that face full of humiliation, there was now an added touch of irritation mixed with regret.
He didn't look at anyone else. After finishing, he spun around and practically stumbled as he stormed out of the classroom.
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"Excuse me!"
Karuizawa Kei suddenly raised her hand, her clear voice breaking the silence in the classroom.
"Leaving aside whether Sudo hit anyone or not!" She looked at Yamauchi Haruki, her eyes filled with unconcealed mockery.
"Yamauchi, what do you mean by kicking a friend while he's down instead of speaking up for him at a time like this? I seriously can't understand it."
This question clearly didn't stump Yamauchi Haruki.
He replied without hesitation, "Can't I be thinking for the sake of the class?! Even I have a heart dedicated to sacrificing my own friends for the sake of my classmates!"
"Yamauchi-kun! You're thinking of the class? How laughable!" A cold voice rang out.
"In the first month, I finished watching all the surveillance footage. It clearly showed that you were the person who caused the most point deductions in the class, yet you didn't offer a single word of apology. Now you're talking about sacrificing yourself for the class? Is that based on your sheer shamelessness?"
Horikita Suzune had looked up at some point, her gaze piercing straight at Yamauchi Haruki without leaving him an ounce of dignity.
It was just as she said—after Class D obtained the surveillance footage in the first month, she was the only one in the entire class who specifically borrowed a laptop to review the lengthy footage frame by frame, reviewing it hour by hour. Eventually, she listed every person who had caused the most class point deductions.
The results were almost identical to her initial prediction: Yamauchi Haruki was indeed the one with the most deductions, followed closely by Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji.
Ike Kanji had already formally apologized to the class for this last month; though Sudo Ken hadn't apologized, he had never said empty words like "thinking for the sake of the class."
Only Yamauchi Haruki, even when confronted by her with the surveillance evidence at the time, remained as stubborn as a dead duck and refused to admit it.
Now, his talk of "sacrifice" was clearly nothing more than blatant sophistry.
Unlike Sudo's current situation lacking evidence, Yamauchi's actions were backed by the ironclad evidence of the surveillance recordings.
These words carried more logic than Karuizawa Kei's retort; they were like a slap laced with frost, hitting Yamauchi hard in the face.
"This..." Yamauchi looked up sharply, his face turning from flushed red to a deathly pale. His lips trembled as they opened and closed, but ultimately, he couldn't mutter a single word of defense.
Those facts, nailed down by surveillance, made any rebuttal a futile struggle.
'Class D sure is lively today.'
Shimizu Akira mused silently in his heart.
Last night, Sudo Ken had acted as if Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's efforts were only natural, only to be backstabbed by Yamauchi Haruki the next day.
Especially just now, when Sudo pointedly looked at Ayanokouji before leaving—the emotion churning in that gaze was less about an apology and more a late-coming resonance.
Perhaps because his heart had been thoroughly broken by a "friend," he finally realized how hurtful his entitled attitude toward Ayanokouji yesterday truly was.
Indeed, karma is a cycle; heaven spares no one.
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Finally, Hirata Yosuke's gaze swept across the entire class, and he said slowly, "...I still hope everyone can try to believe in Sudo-kun and give him a little time and space. Yamauchi-kun might also just be too eager to compensate the class and spoke inappropriately in the heat of the moment." He paused, his tone becoming sincere.
"The most important thing right now is to find the witness to the incident. If you know students from other classes, please ask them to keep an eye out. I'm counting on you all."
These words acted like a soft cushion, giving Sudo a graceful exit and leaving room for Yamauchi, while redirecting everyone's attention back to the key to solving the problem.
Yamauchi Haruki buried his head, his fingers picking at the corner of his desk, not daring to speak.
Karuizawa Kei raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.
Horikita Suzune maintained her cold expression, acting as if the end of the class meeting had nothing to do with her.
However, Kushida Kikyo soon took the initiative to stand up, stating that she would take care of the matter.
Thus, the morning meeting finally drew to a close with Hirata Yosuke's words.
To be able to stabilize the situation at such a tense moment while taking everyone's emotions into account as much as possible—this level of tact was indeed rare.
But Shimizu Akira always felt that the other's speech was a bit too much like "playing both sides."
Or rather, Hirata Yosuke's personality was far too much of a "nice guy."
He vaguely remembered that Yamauchi Haruki had spoken ill of Hirata more than once in private, his words filled with disdain and jealousy toward such a "normie."
Yet even so, Hirata was still able to return grievance with kindness, leaving Yamauchi plenty of face in a public setting.
It wasn't to say this leadership style was bad—after all, maintaining the surface harmony of the class amidst chaos sometimes required such tolerance.
But this kind of unprincipled consideration could sometimes be more than just the glue holding the class together; it could also encourage certain "special" people to push their luck.
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