Kaedehara Tōru did not use any inflammatory words, merely stating the objective technical facts regarding the video.
The office was deathly silent.
Yamauchi Haruki’s mouth hung half-open, the color draining from his face bit by bit, replaced by a deathly pallor.
He felt as though his brain had turned into a complete mess.
“How could this happen?
How could this video be fake?”
Meanwhile, Kamuro Masumi, who had been keeping her head down, finally raised it slowly.
She stared blankly at Kaedehara Tōru’s profile, observing his focused and serious expression, and that look of extreme confidence on his face.
“Framing…
this…
how is this possible?
How could the video be fake?”
Yamauchi Haruki’s brain finally recovered a shred of functionality from its crashed state, and immense fear caused him to roar.
He pointed at Kaedehara Tōru.
“President, don’t believe him; he is lying about everything!
Right…
he just made up this nonsense to deceive you all in order to shield Kamuro!”
Horikita Manabu looked at him coldly without saying a word, yet it caused Yamauchi Haruki’s clamoring to die down.
“No…
that’s not it!”
Yamauchi Haruki pointed at Kaedehara Tōru’s nose.
“This video…
this video is what he gave me!
It was Kaedehara Tōru who gave it to me!
He told me to take this video and threaten Kamuro, to extort her.
Kaedehara Tōru is the one who planned everything!”
Finally, desperate like a cornered dog, he said the words Kaedehara Tōru had been patiently waiting for him to say.
In that instant, time in the entire office seemed to pause.
Tachibana Akane stopped her recording pen and looked up in surprise.
The eyes of everyone in the office instantly focused on Kaedehara Tōru.
Horikita Manabu’s gaze also turned toward him.
“Oh?”
Kaedehara Tōru put on a feigned look of surprise, even wearing a hint of an innocent smile.
“Yamauchi-san, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want.
I understand that you are emotionally agitated right now, but framing a student carries a much heavier penalty. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
You say I gave you the video; where is the evidence?”
“I…
I have evidence!
You can check his phone; he is the one who gave it to me, I can swear to it!”
“Swearing an oath cannot serve as evidence.”
Kaedehara Tōru did not give Yamauchi Haruki any chance to catch his breath.
He stood up directly, turned around, walked in front of Horikita Manabu, took out his phone, and placed it on the desk.
“I don’t know why Yamauchi-san wants to throw dirty water on me.
Perhaps he saw his lies being exposed and wanted to drag someone down with him.”
Kaedehara Tōru’s voice was calm, yet loud enough for everyone in the office to hear clearly: “My phone is right here, and it has the school’s unified official system installed.
I, Kaedehara Tōru of Class A, hereby authorize the Student Council to thoroughly investigate all data on this phone, including but not limited to call logs, text messages, chat records from all applications, and file transfer records, solely to prove my innocence.”
His words were resonant and filled with absolute confidence.
Kaedehara Tōru was, of course, confident.
Because before coming here, he had already cleaned his phone using a special formatting program redeemed from the System Store.
Then, the forged video and the transaction record of those 50,000 points with Yamauchi Haruki were all stored in a hidden account purchased from the System Store.
The school’s technical department could absolutely not find any trace of evidence.
Horikita Manabu gave him a deep look, then took the phone.
He was silent for a moment, then reached out and took your phone.
“Tachibana.”
He said to Tachibana Akane beside him, his voice without a hint of fluctuation, “Contact the technical department, in the name of the Student Council, and apply for a data investigation of this phone.”
“Yes, President.” Tachibana Akane immediately picked up the internal phone on the desk and began communicating with the technical department.
The next ten-plus minutes were hellish torture for Yamauchi Haruki.
Yamauchi Haruki was restless, cold sweat streaming down his cheeks; he looked toward Kaedehara Tōru over and over again, but the other party couldn’t even be bothered to give him a glance.
Yamauchi Haruki didn’t understand why Kaedehara Tōru was so calm; as the mastermind, he was so calm, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.
Kamuro Masumi was the same, but her emotions were far more complex.
She looked at Kaedehara Tōru’s calm profile, her heart filled with questions.
He clearly copied Yamauchi Haruki’s video.
Could that video really have disappeared from his phone?
Finally, the phone on Horikita Manabu’s desk rang.
Horikita Manabu answered the phone, and the fast-paced report of the technician came through the receiver.
He only spoke a few words concisely, “Mm,” “Understood,” and “Alright,” before hanging up the phone. New chapters come out on g.com first.
He picked up your phone, placed it gently on the desktop, and pushed it back to you, and then cast his gaze toward the ashen-faced Yamauchi Haruki.
“The investigation results are in.”
His voice carried no temperature.
“Within Student Kaedehara Tōru’s phone terminal, no records related to that video file were found.
His account activity is normal, consumption records are clear, and there is no anomalous data.
Simply put, his phone is ‘clean’.”
Kamuro Masumi’s body trembled slightly; no records…
there really were no records in his phone.
Then…
the copy of Yamauchi Haruki’s video he mentioned earlier, did it just disappear into thin air?
She looked at you, the confusion in her eyes deepening.
“No…
impossible…
this is impossible!”
Yamauchi Haruki completely collapsed, slumping in his chair, muttering repeatedly, “It was clearly him who gave it to me…
why couldn’t they find it…
why…”
“Yamauchi Haruki.”
Horikita Manabu ignored his breakdown and read the final verdict: “Upon verification, the video evidence you submitted is suspected of being forged, and your accusation against Student Kaedehara Tōru of Class A is baseless.
Your actions constitute malicious framing of a student.
According to school rules, you will be expelled, and this matter will be recorded in your personal file.
Do you have anything else to say in your defense?”
Yamauchi Haruki sat there slumped with vacant eyes, his mouth slightly open, but he could no longer make a sound.
His world had completely collapsed.
Horikita Manabu’s gaze finally fell upon Kamuro Masumi.
“Student Kamuro, the framing incident has been cleared up.
Regarding the trouble and unfair treatment caused to you by the Student Council during the preliminary investigation phase of this incident, I apologize on behalf of the Student Council.
You may leave.”
Kamuro Masumi’s body swayed, and she steadied herself against the table.
Is it really over?
The one being expelled is not her, but Yamauchi Haruki…
It wasn’t until Kaedehara Tōru tapped her shoulder that she came back to her senses.
“Student Kamuro, don’t just stand there; you can go.”