"Are you blind?!"
In the student council office, Hikigaya couldn't help but slam his hand on the desk as he presided over the disciplinary meeting.
Yesterday at noon, after issuing a warning to certain individuals from Class B and Class D, things had developed even more smoothly than expected.
And now, just a day later, the student council had convened to deliberate on the matter.
The main reason was that both sides had individuals who voluntarily turned themselves in. Most notably, Ayanokoji had gone straight to the student council after school that very afternoon, confessing everything he had done.
His unexpected cooperation made Hikigaya feel a little guilty for how things had unfolded.
However, another certain white-haired, troublemaking "loli" had handled things far less satisfactorily.
"Sakayanagi, I'll give you another chance to rephrase your statement."
"Hmm? Whatever do you mean?"
Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly, feigning innocent confusion.
But as if recalling what was about to happen, the facade quickly cracked. A playful, knowing smile spread across her face.
"...Wipe that smirk off your face," Hikigaya snapped, irritation rising. "You're seriously trying to claim that Kamuro secretly used the printer in your room without you noticing? Never mind the ink—just the fact that over a hundred A4 sheets mysteriously disappeared should've been a dead giveaway! Are you blind?!"
Inside the office, Sakayanagi, Kamuro, and their homeroom teacher, Majima-sensei, were seated on one side of the long table, while Ayanokoji and Chabashira-sensei sat on the other.
However, this time, there was no plaintiff or defendant—everyone was simply here to hear the verdict.
"Hehe, it seems even I have moments of carelessness."
Sakayanagi continued to lie through her teeth, her voice sweet and composed. "After all, I truly never expected Masumi to do such a thing. But at the end of the day, it was my negligence that inconvenienced Class A. How terribly rude of me."
"...The only thing rude here is your brain," Hikigaya muttered through gritted teeth.
"My, my? Hikigaya-kun, why must you speak so harshly to me?" Sakayanagi said, feigning distress. "I thought we were good friends. It's quite hurtful, you know."
"Your 'good friend' is the one you just threw under the bus."
Hikigaya shot a glance at Kamuro.
After hesitating for a moment, Kamuro let out a resigned sigh, then awkwardly admitted, "Look, Hikigaya... just let it go. I… yeah, I did it. I'm sorry."
"...There's no need to apologize to me."
Though Hikigaya had already known the truth, hearing Kamuro say it aloud left him feeling exasperated.
Sakayanagi remained silent, merely smiling at him ever so slightly.
Her gaze seemed to say, Satisfied now?
Tch. This devious little brat.
The rumors had been primarily spread by students from Class B. With Sakayanagi's personality, she naturally wouldn't have gotten involved directly. Strictly speaking, she really was "innocent" in this matter.
Even if Hikigaya wanted to punish those students, it was impossible. Online comments at least left a digital footprint, but in reality, words spoken aloud became a murky mess. Anyone could just make up an excuse and get away with it.
That was precisely why Hashimoto had been so brazen back then—he knew no one could do anything about it.
And even if those students turned on Sakayanagi and testified that she had orchestrated everything, it wouldn't matter.
After all, thanks to Hikigaya exposing her betrayal of her own class, she could easily claim that this was just her classmates retaliating against her. In the end, the matter would simply be brushed aside.
On the other hand, if he hadn't exposed her betrayal, then those students would've had even less of a reason to sell her out.
At the moment, Hikigaya's only solid evidence was the stack of notes labeled "Ichinose Honami is a criminal."
Yes, Ichinose had indeed stolen things in the past. However, she was never caught by the police, nor was she formally charged with anything. Legally speaking, she was not a criminal.
And that was exactly the angle Hikigaya had intended to use to hold Sakayanagi accountable for spreading false rumors.
Yet, in the end, she had neatly shifted all the blame onto Kamuro, completely washing her hands of the matter.
…No, it wasn't that he hadn't expected this outcome.
He had simply held on to a small hope.
A hope that, just this once, she would own up to what she did.
That way, this whole ordeal could finally come to an end.
But in the end, hope was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
As Hikigaya felt disappointed, he decided to vent his frustration on Ayanokoji.
"Since someone from Class B has been forced to take responsibility, we can put that matter to rest for now. Next up is Class D—"
Bang, bang, bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, the student council office door was suddenly knocked on.
A moment later, a middle-aged man pushed the door open and walked in.
He had neatly parted hair and a warm, friendly smile on his face, his eyes constantly squinting into thin slits.
Judging by his appearance alone, he seemed easy to get along with, giving off an approachable and reasonable vibe.
However, from the way he walked, it was clear he had experience in martial arts… Most likely a formidable individual.
After all, people with squinting eyes are always monsters.
That aside, who the heck was this guy?
Hikigaya found himself questioning this, as he had never seen such a person at school before.
If he had ever encountered him, even just once, he would have remembered.
What puzzled him even more was the reaction of Mashima-sensei and Chabashira-sensei.
The moment they saw the middle-aged man enter, both instinctively began to stand up, only to be stopped by a wave of his hand.
It seemed like he was someone important.
"And you are?"
"Apologies for dropping in unannounced," the middle-aged man said with a smile directed at Hikigaya. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tsukishiro, and I recently joined this school. I heard that student disputes are handled entirely by the student council, so I wanted to observe. Would you mind if I sat in?"
"…Understood. Please have a seat."
Since the man was a staff member at the school, there was no reason to refuse.
However… this Tsukishiro fellow had a roundabout way of speaking. He didn't seem like an ordinary teacher.
Besides, the way the other two reacted didn't feel like they were dealing with a mere colleague.
…Could he be the new disciplinary director?
Hikigaya buried his doubts and resumed the proceedings.
"Now then, let's move on to Ayanokoji."
He pulled out a sheet of paper from a folder and slammed it onto the table. It read:
[Class 1-B, Ichinose Honami may have used improper methods to collect points—Ryuuen Kareku.]
"Last year, during the second semester, you stuffed these notes into all the first-year shoe lockers, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Read it over first before answering me. And be clear about it."
Though Ayanokoji was surprisingly cooperative this time, Hikigaya wasn't about to let his guard down.
He had to make sure Ayanokoji confirmed it multiple times.
Ayanokoji, fully aware that Hikigaya was being cautious, had no choice but to obediently take the note and read it.
"Yes, I copied that message and placed it in every first-year student's shoe locker early in the morning before anyone arrived at school."
"And why did you do that?"
"I just found it odd," Ayanokoji replied, clearly having prepared his response in advance. "At one point, I accidentally noticed that Ichinose had an unusually large amount of points. So I wondered if she might have obtained them through improper means. After all, for an individual to collect that many points through legitimate methods is nearly impossible."
"I see. I understand your reasoning."
Hikigaya nodded in a show of understanding.
But in reality, he knew Ayanokoji was completely lying.
Of course, he could guess Ayanokoji's real motive—it was to divert Sakayanagi's attention.
Otherwise, this whole rumor debacle wouldn't have even happened… Hah, and he had just complimented Ayanokoji for being sensible!
"Alright, while there are some issues with your actions, the message itself is passable."
Hikigaya wasn't going to wrongfully accuse anyone. After all, Ayanokoji had included the word "possibility" in his statement, meaning it technically wasn't defamation.
However, there was another problem with this guy.
"I get that you wanted to use this to probe information about Ichinose's class. But why did you sign Ryuuen's name? Were you already fighting over Karuizawa with him back then?"
"Uh…" Ayanokoji let out an exasperated sigh at the mention of that.
Even though the situation hadn't caused him any real harm, having that mess dumped on his head—without even a chance to clear his name—was still frustrating.
So this is what it feels like to be helpless…
Even if it wasn't something worth caring about, it still felt annoying.
"I just figured that since Ryuuen had a bad reputation, people would immediately believe it if his name was attached to the message."
"Hahaha, and you have the nerve to talk about Ryuuen's bad reputation?" Hikigaya laughed.
"Then tell me, between you and Ryuuen, who has the worse reputation now?"
"…Probably me."
"Oh? You're quite humble."
"I just said what you wanted to hear."
Ayanokoji put on an expression that said, "Since you want this answer, I'll just give it to you," acting as if he were completely innocent.
But in the end, wasn't it his fault?
"No, no, you're mistaken."
Hikigaya shook his head before suddenly pointing toward Sakayanagi, who was sitting nearby.
"What I want to know is—among you, Sakayanagi, and Ryuuen, whose reputation is the worst in the grade?"
"Uh…"
"You should consider holding an anonymous vote sometime."
At this moment, Hikigaya was thoroughly fed up with both Ayanokoji and Sakayanagi.
These two just couldn't stop stirring up trouble.
Sakayanagi, irritated, finally spoke up. "Hikigaya-kun, should I take this as you tarnishing our reputations? Besides, this matter—"
"We're talking about Ayanokoji right now. Unrelated parties should keep quiet." Hikigaya cut her off impatiently. "Besides, if you claim you weren't involved, then why are you even here? To watch the show?"
"I'm simply accompanying Masumi-san. That isn't against the rules, is it?"
Then, with a knowing smirk, Sakayanagi added, "But honestly, I find it quite curious. Why is this hearing being led by the secretary, Hikigaya-kun, rather than the student council president?"
"Nagumo-senpai is busy. He doesn't have time to deal with petty disputes like this."
"Then at the very least, the vice president should have been the one presiding, don't you think?"
"There's no need. Someone like me is more than enough to handle you."
The tension between them was palpable, their words laced with gunpowder.
Their eyes met, and it felt as if a spark of lightning flashed between them.
By now, Sakayanagi must have realized—despite securing Nagumo's promise before targeting Ichinose, she had been abandoned.
This current situation was proof enough.
No matter what decision Hikigaya made, Nagumo would likely approve it.
"Alright, I'm done wasting my breath." Hikigaya shifted his gaze away and calmly announced, "Now, I will deliver the final verdict. First, Ayanokoji from Class D—since you've admitted your mistake and your attitude has been relatively sincere, you are required to submit a reflection letter to the student council email within three days. …You remember the four key elements I mentioned last time, don't you?"
"…I do."
"Good."
Hikigaya nodded in satisfaction before turning to Chabashira-sensei.
"Chabashira-sensei, do you approve of this punishment?"
"I have no objections."
Of course, Chabashira-sensei had no issues. It wasn't like class points were being deducted—Ayanokoji only had to write a reflection letter.
He had done it before, so doing it again wasn't a big deal.
As for Class B, or rather, Sakayanagi…
There was no way she was getting off easy.
If You Refuse to Write a Reflection, Then Face the Consequences!
"Next, regarding Class B's Sakayanagi—or should I say Kamuro—this incident has had a seriously negative impact on the entire grade. Given that a certain someone has repeatedly ignored warnings, after careful consideration, the student council has decided to suspend Class B's points for three months as punishment."
"Wait a minute, this is completely unreasonable."
Before Hikigaya even finished speaking, Sakayanagi had already stood up, leaning on her cane. The sharp tapping sound echoed through the room as she protested.
Hikigaya, however, remained unfazed. With an air of complete indifference, he replied, "There's nothing unreasonable about it. Our school treats each class as a collective unit. If a student makes a mistake, naturally, the whole class bears the consequences. Are innocent students getting dragged into it? That's nothing new, is it?"
If anything, he was the one who had suffered the most unjustly.
From the start of the school year to summer break, Class D had screwed him over so badly that they lost more than a thousand class points. Rounding up, that was over a million yen gone.
"Then why does Class D only need Ayanokoji-kun to write a reflection?" Sakayanagi sneered. "Aside from favoritism, I can't think of any other explanation."
"Why are you even comparing yourself to him? His issue was impersonating Ryuuen, and I confirmed with Ryuuen yesterday—he generously chose to forgive Ayanokoji. That's why the student council exercised discretion."
"Hah, say whatever you want. I'm never going to accept this decision."
"Then go ahead and appeal. No need to waste time arguing here."
Hikigaya wouldn't have handed down this verdict if he wasn't confident in backing it up.
"Complain to the school all you want. Hell, report it to the entire grade if that makes you feel better. I'd love to see who would stand up for you… Honestly, I was being lenient by not deducting your class points. You should be grateful."
"…You're abusing your authority."
"Then go talk to the president."
Hikigaya wore the expression of someone who simply didn't care—like a pig that had long since accepted the boiling water. He remained completely unaffected by Sakayanagi's murderous glare.
That scheming little brat thought she could pull a fast one? No way was he letting her off easily.
Even if Kamuro was taking the fall for her, the moment this ruling took effect, the rest was irrelevant.
After all, no one was stupid. Everyone knew Kamuro was just Sakayanagi's pawn, acting under her orders.
Originally, the matter could've ended with minimal damage—Class B's students wouldn't have dwelled on it too much. But now that their points were being cut, resentment toward Sakayanagi was inevitable.
Sigh.
And to think that writing a simple reflection was the lightest punishment available.
Why couldn't she just grasp that simple logic?
Look at Sakayanagi—she fancied herself a genius, convinced that no one could ever catch her slipping, treating everyone else like fools. And yet, she ended up taking the biggest loss.
Now compare that to Ayanokoji—knowing when to advance and when to retreat, surrendering without hesitation when necessary.
That was true wisdom.