The July midday sun hung high in the sky. It was the hottest mont of the entire year.
At the Advanced Nurturing High School dormitory building, the school had generously and extravagantly installed central air conditioning. Even the first-floor lobby and corridors were suffused with a crisp, cooling atmosphere.
Only the stairwell remained, like a forgotten stear, its narrow space perated with a suffocating, oppressive heat.
"So hot..."
The stifling air made Komiya Kyogo unconsciously wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The sweat soaked into his cuff, leaving behind a dark stain.
Despite this, an expression of eager anticipation still suffused his face. He repeatedly cast glances toward the vicinity of the stairway, as if sothing wonderful was about to happen.
However, the very next mont—
"I regret to inform you, Kushida-san will not be coming. That ssage was a lie ant to deceive you."
The flat, emotionless voice was like a freezing gale sweeping in from Siberia, instantly chilling half of Komiya's heart.
Turning his head, he saw the girl nad Horikita Suzune push open the door from the stairwell's upper floor. The door hinges emitted a faint creaking sound, breaking the deathly stillness of the stairwell.
Backlit by the light filtering down from the upper window, she gazed at him with a look of utter disdain.
Very quickly, a surge of fury blazed up from the soles of Komiya's feet.
"What kind of joke is this?! Calling out in this blistering heat, and to a place like this, no less!" A voice, not loud but brimming with rage, erupted in the stairwell.
Regrettably, Horikita did not respond to him. Instead, she simply folded her arms across her chest and, with a lofty, superior stance, looked down upon his figure.
The entire stairwell was plunged, for a ti, into a soundless, deathly silence. Outside the window, the restless droning of cicadas grated piercingly against Komiya's ears.
The noise—"Zzzz— Zzzz—" bored into his brain. Sweat once again seeped uncontrollably from his temples.
Seeing that Horikita had no intention of acknowledging him, Komiya was suddenly seized by an ominous premonition. He muttered under his breath.
"Wha— whatever. You call here and then say nothing. I'm leaving. It's sweltering here."
Just as he turned to leave the way he had co, several students led by Ichinose Honami, blocked his path.
"I think you'd best give up on that idea, Komiya-kun."
"I-Ichinose! Why are you Class B people here?! And mixing together with Class D?!"
Unlike the forced calm mixed with a trace of disdain he had displayed when facing Horikita, Komiya was clearly flustered by Ichinose's appearance.
"You still haven't figured it out?"
At that mont, Horikita, who had remained silent all this while, finally spoke. Her icy voice echoed through the stairwell.
"This scene—this is where you and Ryuen-kun cornered our class's Hirata-kun that day, isn't it? Where you provoked him and goaded him into attacking you?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?! It was clearly—clearly Hirata who suddenly charged over and attacked us!"
Large beads of sweat continuously rolled down from his forehead. Komiya shouted loudly, a trace of guilt bleeding through his voice.
"As expected, you won't admit it so easily. Did Ryuen specifically warn you to guard against this at all costs?"
"O-of course! Because everything we've said is the truth!" Komiya desperately squeezed out a smile and spoke with feigned conviction.
Horikita ignored Komiya's words entirely. Instead, she turned her head in the other direction, gazing toward a certain spot in the hallway corridor.
"Wednesday, the week before last—the third day after the midterm exam results were announced—6:23 PM. You three entered from this direction, didn't you?"
"H-how do you know that?!" A voice of sheer disbelief spilled from his throat.
Still paying his words no heed, Horikita continued on her own.
"Then, right at the spot where you now stand, you successfully intercepted Hirata-kun. You continuously provoked him. Even after he repeatedly expressed his desire to leave, you still blocked his path."
"Hirata-kun, already in a fragile ntal state due to his classmate's expulsion, was finally enraged. He struck at you in fury, and you thus brawled."
"In the end, neither side gained the upper hand over the other. The situation consequently devolved into an outco where both sides were wounded."
Finally, Horikita's piercing gaze returned to Komiya, as if she intended to see straight through him from head to toe.
"Am I wrong, Komiya-kun?"
The cold, clear voice was like a sledgehamr, crashing heavily upon Komiya's heart.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I have no idea." Komiya had completely lost his nerve, shouting out in stamrs.
"How wonderful for you, Komiya-kun. At this rate, you're going to be expelled." Mimicking the flippant tone Chabashira Sae had used during the expulsions—etched deep in her mory—Horikita kept her face taut and continued.
"What do you an?"
"Komiya-kun."
Ichinose let out a sigh and looked at him with sympathy, while simultaneously striving to recall the insider information that had reportedly been passed from Katsuragi Kohei to Fuyuji Mikage.
"You didn't know, did you? The school installs hidden caras in certain concealed corners to monitor the vast majority of students. However, to simulate a normal society, these caras are usually placed in spots that are difficult for students to discover."
"I-impossible!"
Komiya froze for a second, then instinctively raised his head and looked around in all directions. After a frantic search, his pupils abruptly constricted.
A tiny cara had appeared in a corner that a normal person would absolutely never notice.
"That... how is that here?! We clearly checked back then!" Komiya shouted out incoherently. "And, if the school knew the truth, why did they still hold that hearing?!"
"Because this school operates on the principle of ritocracy. So long as no criminal acts are involved, the school will turn a blind eye to this kind of competition among students, even if it knows the truth." Ichinose continued explaining.
Komiya let out a breath of relief, his chest heaving violently as he panted. However, the very next second, the words that ca out of Horikita's mouth made him instantly suffocate.
"But if we use points to purchase the footage recorded here at that ti and submit it to the Student Council, that's another matter entirely. Everything will be dragged out into the open."
The deliberately exaggerated consequences were delivered through Horikita's icy voice. She pressed in step by step, enunciating each word with deliberate precision.
"Deliberately provoking a student!"
"Ganging up on a classmate!"
"Along with filing a false accusation..."
"Three punishnts, added together..."
"The three of you will be expelled as a result!"
"Thud—!"
A muffled sound rang out. Knees collided with the ground. His entire robust shoulders caved in. Komiya collapsed powerlessly to his knees.
"Judging by your appearance, you've realized there's no hope of salvaging this, haven't you?"
"How can this... how can this be..."
Komiya pounded the floor desperately with both fists. His bangs covered the upper half of his face, obscuring his expression.
Seeing that the mont was ripe, Horikita asked, her expression unchanging.
"It seems you admit it, then. On Wednesday, the week before last, in the evening, together with Ryuen-kun and the other, you intercepted and provoked Hirata-kun?"
His robust fra sprawled upon the ground. Komiya's suppressed sobs squeezed out from the depths of his throat.
"Yes... Ryuen-aniki... and Yamawaki and I... in order to investigate the identity of that... mastermind... we blocked Hirata Yosuke's path... and provoked him... which led to him... brawling with us..."
At these words, all the students present let out a collective breath of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. It was over—
"You thought I would say that, didn't you?" The choked, sobbing voice suddenly turned playful and mocking.
Komiya's head snapped up abruptly. The sweat-drenched bangs across his forehead were flung aside, revealing his face, twisted into an exaggerated, theatrical grin. With a volu several tis louder than before, he opened his mouth and practically roared.
"The real truth is this! That despicable, shaless, filthy scumbag Hirata Yosuke launched a sneak attack on us while we were climbing the stairs, diligently training our bodies! All because he suspected that Ryuen-san was the mastermind behind the Class D student's expulsion!"
"Ahahaha!"
The loud, triumphant voice echoed throughout the entire stairwell, causing the expressions of everyone present to freeze on the spot.
"Heh heh"
"Ha ha ha!"
Another two peals of utterly arrogant laughter rang out. Just from the sound alone, one could detect the unconcealed mockery within. Following the sound—
The temporary leader of Class C, Ryuen Kakeru, was leisurely leaning against the corner of the stairway on the floor below. His hands were shoved in his pockets. He had appeared in the stairwell one floor down at so unknown point without anyone noticing.
Yamawaki, who had also participated in the fight, stood behind Ryuen, grinning widely.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
Accompanied by slow, deliberate applause, Ryuen clapped as he ascended the steps one by one with steady, rhythmic strides...
The mont he officially set foot onto this floor of the stairwell, he fired a single paintball that splattered across the cara lens. Then, with a vicious grin, he swept his eyes over the Class B and Class D students.
"Not bad at all. You almost succeeded, didn't you?"
"Yeah, yeah. They almost succeeded, didn't they? Right, Komiya?"
Beside him, Yamawaki pulled over Komiya, who was still clutching his stomach laughing, and patted him on the back.
"It wasn't for nothing that Ryuen-san spent the last two nights pulling all-nighters to coach you on your acting. Man, what a god-tier performance."
There was no doubt whatsoever—Class D and Class B's operational plan had been seen through completely...
After swiftly piecing together the truth, Horikita's expression soured. Because aside from coincidence and the possibility that Ryuen was indeed ticulous and thorough, there was one other possibility.
Kushida-san... and also... him...
Behind Ichinose, Kanzaki Ryuji also furrowed his brow, similarly arriving at the possibility that the plan had been leaked.
If it was Class A, leaking the plan to strike a blow against Class B was entirely within the realm of possibility...
Once Komiya's laughter had fully subsided, Ryuen twisted his head toward Ichinose, like a venomous serpent appraising its prey.
"I was originally just thinking of dealing with Hirata Yosuke. Never expected to reel in a big fish like Class B, such a pleasant surprise."
Faced with Ryuen's sudden intrusion and their plan's complete and utter collapse, Ichinose drew a deep breath and refused to show weakness.
"It seems our plan this ti was completely foreseen by Ryuen-kun. How exactly did you discover it? And you even trained your acting skills in advance?"
"Well, who knows."
Ryuen smiled disdainfully. Suddenly, he yanked Komiya over. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he pulled out a recording device the size of a thumb.
"That is..." Horikita's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Class D's small fry... you didn't actually think you were the only ones who could use this kind of trick, did you?" Casually tossing the recording pen up and catching it in his hand—toss, catch, toss, catch—Ryuen grinned broadly.
"What a splendid little farce. A hidden cara in a place like this? It must have been quite the struggle for you to co up with this idea."
With a snap, he caught the tossed recording pen between two fingers and displayed it to everyone present.
"Using so fabricated nonsense to try and make the good, honest boy of our class say things he doesn't want to say. Even cornering him in a place like this and not letting him leave..."
Ryuen looked up and swept his gaze over the surrounding environnt, clicking his tongue in admiration.
"This is outright coercive interrogation, isn't it? You sought to obtain testimony through deception and intimidation. As I recall, that's not permissible under the law, is it? If I were to submit this recording to the Student Council, what do you think would beco of the outco at next week's hearing?"
"..."
No one present responded. But everyone had already imagined the consequences of this affair.
"Allow to spell it out for you. Hirata Yosuke may very well be expelled."
"How utterly laughable. Under circumstances where evidence was insufficient, Hirata Yosuke could never have possibly been expelled. Now, thanks to your coercion sche, the outco of this incident will, without a doubt, swing in favor of our Class C."
"N-no... please... don't do this..."
Faced with the prospect that a student might be expelled because of her, Ichinose's pretty face instantly turned deathly pale. But for the mont, she could think of no solution and could only quietly plead with him.
"And you! Colluding with Class D to deceive a student and extract a coerced confession—you're an accomplice as well. While you might not face sothing like expulsion, a school disciplinary sanction is likely in order, don't you think?"
Ryuen pressed his advantage, seizing every opportunity to strike at his enemies, continuing to oppress Ichinose with his words.
"Class B's great philanthropist. I always thought you were so incredibly kind. Never imagined you'd join forces with Class D to pull sothing like this. I have to say, I underestimated you."
"Ryuen, watch your words." Several Class B students stepped forward, staring at Ryuen with displeasure clear on their faces. One of them reached out and positioned an arm protectively in front of Ichinose, their eyes wary.
"Ho~ You really have earned the trust of your classmates, haven't you."
Ryuen completely ignored the threat posed by the Class B students, deliberately dragging out his syllables and raising his chin provocatively.
"You... what do you want? State your objective." Horikita asked, a trace of unwillingness in her voice.
If he had no other purpose, Ryuen could simply take his recording pen and leave right now. There was no need for him to stay here locked in a standoff with them.
"You do have so brains after all. In that case, I'll state my demands directly. Having done sothing wrong, an apology is only natural, isn't it? Therefore... to ..."
"Kneel!" Ryuen's mouth split open as he cruelly spat out the word.
"What did you say?!" Several Class B students were beside themselves with fury.
"When you do sothing wrong, apologizing with a dogeza is only natural, isn't it?" Ryuen spread his hands. "Even a guy like understands this basic principle. Surely you honors students wouldn't—"
Suddenly, an extrely jarring ringtone pierced through the silent stairwell, instantly drawing the attention of everyone present.
Ryuen furrowed his brow and pulled out his phone. The triumphant grin on his face was replaced with impatience as he answered the call. "What's the matter? Didn't I tell you not to bother unless it's sothing important?"
In the already quiet stairwell, an extrely panicked voice burst out from the phone.
"R-Ryuen-san! This is bad! Check the forums, now!"
The forums...
The forums...
The forums...
For reasons unknown, the mont he heard the word "forums," a long-dormant sensation erupted from deep within Ryuen's brain, dragging him back to a past he never wished to recall ever again.
With fluid, practiced motions, he logged into the Advanced Nurturing High School student forums—sothing he had secretly done who knows how many tis. What greeted his eyes was:
[Advanced Nurturing High School Campus Forum Trending Topics.]
[1. Three Against One and Still Got Destroyed—Do You Even Know How to Play?!]
[2. The Crap-Eating King Strikes Again!]
[3. THAT Man Has Returned!]
...
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