As soon as the final bell rang, the classroom of Class F erupted into noise; the sound of chairs shifting and chaotic chatter rose one after another.
Sakuraba Ema sat at her desk, head down, slowly packing her textbooks into her school bag.
Hikigaya sat beside her, resting his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
Saeki Miria turned around, about to say sothing to Ema.
Then, the door was pushed open.
"Sorry to disturb you."
The voice was clear, overriding all the noise.
The classroom went quiet for an instant, and everyone looked toward the door.
Nikaido Hiro stood there, holding a manila envelope.
Hiro walked into the classroom, heading straight to the podium, and ca to a stop.
"I am Nikaido Hiro from Class J. I'm sorry to take a few minutes of everyone's ti, but I have sothing to say."
Soone recognized her.
"The one from Class J... the top of our grade?"
"What is she here for?"
Whispers erupted, then quickly died down because Hiro had already pulled a stack of papers from the envelope.
She held the first one up.
"I have already investigated who was responsible for spreading the recent rumors about Sakuraba Ema."
The classroom exploded into chaos instantly.
"What?"
"Wasn't it Miura?"
"Who else could it be?"
Miura Yumiko.
She had been the one constantly standing up for Saeki, and she was the first in class to claim that Ema had chased Hikigaya to his part-ti job. If the rumors were being spread intentionally, it had to be her.
Miura's expression changed.
"What are you looking at?" She stood up, her voice rising. "It wasn't !"
"But Miura had been saying things about Ema..."
"Could it be she did it to help Saeki..."
"I said it wasn't !" Miura's eyes were reddening. "By what right are you suspecting ?"
Hiro looked at her, those blood-red eyes calm.
"I didn't say it was you."
Miura froze.
The discussions in the classroom stopped as well.
Hiro turned the first paper toward the classroom so everyone could see its contents.
"This is the account on the campus forum that spread the rumors. Registration ti: last Saturday, 9:17 PM."
She placed that paper on the podium and held up the second one.
"This is that account's first post: One of the top ten niche cafes you must visit in Tokyo this weekend—Cafe Leblanc."
The third paper.
"The second post, published Sunday at 1:23 AM. Content: 'That pink-haired girl follows Hikigaya every day.'"
The fourth paper.
"The third post, published Sunday at 12:45 PM. Content: 'I heard that girl chased him to his part-ti job this weekend.'"
The fifth, sixth, seventh...
Hiro held up the final paper.
"This is the last post from that ID, made this morning. Content: 'That girl nad Ema is actually just trying to drive a wedge between Saeki and Hikigaya.'"
She placed that paper on the podium as well.
More than ten pages were lined up neatly.
Then, she picked up the second page again, her gaze falling on Miura.
"If you don't look at the contents of the second page, then Student Miura would indeed be the primary suspect.
But Student Miura went to Leblanc on Sunday."
Miura froze for a mont, then nodded forcefully: "Yes! It was Sunday! And the person who went with was—"
"So, it wasn't you."
Hiro interrupted her.
Miura opened her mouth, then swallowed her next words.
Hiro's gaze swept across the classroom.
"People who went to Cafe Leblanc last Saturday..."
She paused.
"Only three."
Hachiman Hikigaya, Sakuraba Ema, and Saeki Miria.
Saeki Miria's expression froze.
"W-wait a minute..." Her voice was sowhat panicked. "You don't suspect , do you?"
The whispers started up again around the room.
"Saeki was indeed there on Saturday..."
"Isn't she quite close to Hikigaya?"
"Could it be she wanted to drive Ema away..."
Saeki's face flushed red: "It wasn't ! Why would I do such a thing?!"
She stood up, looking at Hiro, on the verge of tears.
"I know it wasn't you."
Saeki froze.
"Why?"
"Because the person who posted those used the campus forum."
Soone said quietly: "Saeki... doesn't seem to use those, right?"
"Right, she never goes on the forums."
"When we entered school, they tallied contact thods in class, and she said she didn't use any social dia..."
Saeki stood there, slowly nodding.
"I... I don't use those."
Hiro looked at her.
"Since the start of school, Saeki Miria has not posted any content on any online platform. She has no SNS account, no forum ID, and doesn't even use LINE.
Many people in your class know this."
So nodded.
"True, she said that when school started..."
"I thought it was strange back then, who among young people doesn't use LINE..."
"So, it couldn't have been Saeki."
Hiro shifted her gaze.
Finally, it landed on one person.
Sakuraba Ema.
Her complexion turned pale in an instant.
The classroom was terrifyingly quiet.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ema.
Soone whispered: "Wait, Ema went that day too, right?"
"Isn't she the victim?"
"Can't the victim spread rumors about themselves?"
"What does that an..."
"It ans it's a self-directed production."
"No way, she's that calculating?"
"You can't judge a book by its cover."
"So disgusting..."
Hiro stood behind the podium, gripping the paper, the edges crinkling under the pressure.
She looked at Sakuraba Ema.
Hiro thought she would feel a sense of relief. She had prepared for so long—the investigation, the deduction, the screenshots, the printing, organizing the tiline—every step executed clearly.
She had imagined this mont many tis: exposing the truth in front of everyone, leaving Sakuraba Ema with nowhere to hide.
However, the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to speak them directly.
She thought back to that year in the first year of middle school, the three of them sitting on the rooftop with the sunset falling on them; she thought of Sakuraba Ema grabbing her hand and saying, "Hiro, we have to stay together from now on"; she thought of the hospital entrance, Ema running out, happily saying, "Hiro, I missed you so much..."
And now?
What is she doing?
Exposing Ema, and then what? Watching her break down, watching her beco like Yuki...
No.
It's different.
Yuki was pushed into a dead end.
Sakuraba Ema chose this path herself.
She rembered why she was standing here.
For Yuki.
For the person who could never co back.
She took a deep breath.
'This is correct. This is the correction of Sakuraba Ema's mistakes.'
She told herself.
Hiro's gaze swept through the classroom, passing over the expectant looks of those waiting for a show, Miura's complex expression, Saeki's stunned confusion, and Hikigaya's silent, bowed head.
Finally, it returned to Ema.
She opened her mouth, as if to deliver the final verdict:
"So, the person who spread the rumors is—"
"I did it."
Hikigaya stood up.
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