[ Hikigaya, come to the student council room. ]
That was the message I received from Student Council President Horikita this morning.
I think any message like that from your boss at work usually means a huge problem that could threaten your stability and end with you getting fired.
But for me, none of that really matters.
I could leave easily.
I headed to the student council room before classes started to find out what exactly the president wanted.
I knocked before entering, then stepped inside the room. As usual, the president was there alone with Tachibana-senpai.
"Ah... Hikigaya, you came. Good morning." President Horikita greeted me normally, as if there was no problem at all.
So this means I'm not getting expelled.
Then why did he suddenly call me here?
"Morning..." I replied briefly as I walked forward and stood in front of him.
He didn't waste much time. He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk and handed it to me.
What's this?
I reached out and took it, checking its contents.
My eyes quickly moved across the lines, and with every word I read, I couldn't help clenching my teeth harder.
Another disaster.
The paper was, in short, a complaint filed by three students from Class C against Sudou, accusing him of attacking them and causing injuries while leaving the fight completely unharmed.
I usually stay away from fights, so I'm no expert, but how does someone walk away from a fight against three people without a single scratch?
Unless they surrendered from the start, or the whole thing was fabricated.
"I feel like you expected this... You don't even seem surprised." The president carefully observed my reaction and noticed how expressionless I remained while reading.
"No, actually I'm very surprised. It's just that it's morning, and I'm still half asleep." I couldn't tell him that I had already thought before that Sudou might eventually lose control and explode like this.
Or that another class might attack us using a trick like this by targeting our weakest point... assuming Sudou is innocent in the first place.
I thought Sakayanagi would be the first to make a move, especially after everything that happened, but she must be busy dealing with problems in her own class.
So we'll be facing Class C first.
"In one week, there will be a meeting attended by both Class C and Class D to discuss this case, and I'll be the one making the final judgment."
"You'll decide the verdict?"
"Yes. Resolving disputes between students is one of the student council's responsibilities." The president tapped his fingers against the desk in a random rhythm while explaining what would happen.
I had already heard that the student council had authority like this.
So he already knows the kinds of punishments we might face.
"President, what kind of punishments are possible?" It was important to know what sort of trouble we were dealing with, especially since it could affect the entire class.
"Personal point deductions, class point deductions, suspension..." The president began listing the possible punishments.
"Class point deductions?" That punishment would heavily affect the entire class situation and widen the gap between us and Class C even more.
Could that have been their goal from the very beginning?
"Yes. Even class point deductions are on the table, and if evidence appears that clearly condemns the accused, the punishment could even reach expulsion." The president continued explaining every possible outcome.
"Expulsion?" I slightly raised an eyebrow. I didn't expect expulsion to be an option too. In this situation, it was basically a death sentence.
"Yes. The school does not tolerate violence or bullying. As long as there is real evidence, the maximum punishments are possible."
So evidence plays a major role in determining the verdict.
"Is there any evidence in this case?" If Class C had solid evidence, the game could end before it even started.
"At the moment, there's nothing besides a report from the nurse regarding their injuries."
I took a moment to think about everything he had said so far.
The existence of evidence could completely shift the balance of this case.
"Security camera footage?" Since my first day here, I had noticed the absurd number of cameras around the school. If there was video footage of what happened, things would become much easier.
"Unfortunately, the location of the fight doesn't have cameras..." The president shook his head, cutting off the main lead we could have relied on.
I nodded while thinking over all the information he had given me.
I don't know the exact details of the incident, but the lack of cameras at the fight location makes it highly likely that Class C planned this intentionally.
Even so, Sudou was still considered guilty, and this could worsen the class's situation even more, especially after falling back to Class D.
"Hikigaya, what are you going to do now?" The president interlocked his fingers in front of his face, his elbows resting on the desk.
"I don't think there's anything I can do." I didn't want to play detective, nor did I want to search for evidence.
The president quietly watched me before nodding.
"Even though I probably shouldn't say this... remember carefully that the judgment I make will be based on what you present."
The president fixed his eyes on me as though he were trying to convey a hidden message.
Was he saying that the school didn't really care whether the judgment was fair or not?
That would give students room to interfere and manipulate things.
"Alright... thank you." I placed the paper back on the desk in front of him.
"Your homeroom teacher will discuss this during class, but I wanted to tell you beforehand so you'd understand what's happening... you may leave now."
So that was all he wanted to tell me.
Honestly, it was probably better than hearing about it from Chabashira-sensei in class.
At least I wouldn't be forced into the role of informing everyone myself.
I said goodbye to the president and Tachibana-senpai, then left the student council room and headed toward the classroom. There wasn't much time left before class started.
The class's reaction to this news could be harsh, especially since Sudou had already caused plenty of problems for the class before.
Would they abandon him this time?
Also, everything I'd heard about Class C so far had involved violence and chaos, so it wasn't surprising that they got involved in fights.
Things were getting more complicated.
I started messing with my messy hair as I approached the classroom.
"I told you it wasn't like that! There were three of them!"
As soon as I got close to the classroom door, I heard Sudou shouting inside.
Did the news spread that quickly?
Well, students love talking about fights and conflicts.
As long as you're not personally involved, they're entertaining to discuss.
I entered the classroom, where everyone's eyes were focused on Sudou while he tried to explain what happened.
But because of the aggressive behavior he'd shown since the beginning, nobody believed him—not even his classmates. Suspicion was obvious on their faces.
Maybe his trial would begin here before the student council meeting even started.
I quickly sat down in my seat, ignoring the chatter filling the room. Class was about to begin.
Just as the president told me, the moment Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, she immediately announced the incident to everyone.
Standing at the front podium with her arms crossed as usual, she spoke calmly.
"Three members of the Class C basketball team have filed a complaint against Sudou... claiming that after practice ended, Sudou attacked them and injured them while leaving without a single injury himself."
Everyone listened quietly, but Sudou suddenly exploded and loudly defended himself while explaining his side of the story.
"It was self-defense! Self-defense!... They got jealous because I became a regular player on the team, so they started a fight."
"But there's no evidence of that." Chabashira-sensei interrupted him and pushed him back into a corner once again.
The entire case revolved around evidence.
Evidence that would condemn Sudou and end everything immediately... or evidence that would prove his innocence.
"The situation could change if there were a witness." Chabashira-sensei mentioned another possible solution.
A witness could settle everything too.
But how were they supposed to find one?
"Everyone... did anyone see Sudou-kun fighting? Does anyone know anything about it?" Kushida stood up and encouraged the class to speak if they knew something, but the only answer she received was silence.
"Perhaps it would be better if you got expelled, Red-Hair-kun. Your existence isn't exactly pleasant." Kouenji's arrogant voice suddenly broke the silence once again, irritating everyone.
"What did you just say?..." Sudou growled angrily as he slammed his fist onto the desk.
Great. Kouenji was only making things worse.
I think everyone already knew whose existence really wasn't pleasant here.
"Sudou-kun, don't..." Hirata quickly stepped in before things escalated further, but it seemed Sudou had no intention of continuing and backed down.
The teacher paid no attention to the disturbance that had just happened in front of her and continued speaking.
"In one week, there will be a discussion with Class C in the presence of the student council. Depending on the result, there may be point penalties as well as disciplinary action against Sudou... if you have any questions, you may ask the student council or speak with your classmate Hikigaya. He is actually a member of the student council."
Chabashira-sensei finished her announcement, but she dragged me into the situation as well.
Why would she do that?
"Who's Hikigaya?"
"We have someone from the student council in our class?"
"I didn't know that."
I couldn't help glaring at Chabashira-sensei as thanks for drawing unwanted attention toward me.
I'd bet most of them didn't even know who Hikigaya was until now.
This is unfair.
Chabashira-sensei merely responded to my glare with a sharp look of her own before starting the lesson.