“No…
this can’t be…
I was framed!”
Yamauchi Haruki’s desperate wails still echoed, but two Student Council students soon walked in from outside the door and dragged him out.
Kaedehara Tōru picked up his phone, “All in all, I still have to thank the President!”
“It’s nothing; I’m just handling the case impartially.”
“Well…
there’s no need to pretend.
You clearly saw there was a problem, otherwise you wouldn’t have given Kamuro Masumi a chance.”
The air in the Student Council office seemed to freeze.
“Giving Kamuro-san a chance?” Horikita Manabu finally spoke.
“Kaedehara-san, your observation skills are sharp, but your conclusion is too subjective.
The duty of the Student Council is to ascertain the facts and uphold school rules.
Before the final conclusion is reached, both parties have the right to defend themselves.
This is not a ‘chance,’ but a procedure.”
“As for the disciplinary action against Yamauchi Haruki,”
He paused, locking his gaze on Kaedehara Tōru’s face.
“The reason it is expulsion is because the mistake he committed touches the very foundation of this school.
A false accusation made through forged evidence is, in its essence, a destruction of the school system.
This kind of behavior is far worse in nature than simple violence or theft.
It must be eliminated with the most severe measures to serve as a warning to others.”
His words were logically tight and impeccable, placing him in the position of an absolutely impartial arbiter, explaining everything that happened before as a necessity of procedure.
The smile on Kaedehara Tōru’s face didn’t change; he even clapped softly.
“I see.
As expected of the president, your considerations are thorough.
Elevating the nature of the incident to the height of upholding the school system and applying thunderous measures not only eliminates unstable factors but also establishes the majesty of the Student Council in front of everyone.
Truly brilliant.”
His praise sounded full of sincerity, but every word seemed to reveal the true intent behind Horikita Manabu’s high-sounding rhetoric.
Tachibana Akane looked up, casting a surprised glance at Kaedehara Tōru.
In this school, no one had ever dared to speak to Horikita Manabu in such a nearly teasing tone.
“It seems you are not just a student who is good at debating.”
Horikita Manabu’s voice remained calm.
“With someone like you in Class A, perhaps things will become even more terrifying than I anticipated.”
“It is my honor to receive the president’s expectations.”
Kaedehara Tōru straightened up.
“Well then, since the matter is resolved, I won’t disturb the President’s official duties.”
Having said that, he turned and walked toward the door.
When his hand rested on the doorknob, his movements paused.
“By the way, if there are similar matters that require ‘impartial handling’ next time, I would be happy to help.
After all, for the honor of Class A, I, as an ordinary Class A student, should also do my part, shouldn’t I?” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Without waiting for Horikita Manabu to answer, he pulled the door open, walked out, and gently closed it behind him.
The office returned to silence.
After a long while, Tachibana Akane asked softly, “President, this Kaedehara-san…”
Horikita Manabu leaned back against the chair, his slender fingers tapping unconsciously on the desk.
“Tachibana, keep an eye on his movements from now on.”
…
The window at the end of the corridor was wide open, and the cold evening wind blew in, making Kamuro Masumi’s body shiver.
Everything was over.
She was saved.
But…
“I thought you would just cry and go hide somewhere.”
Kamuro Masumi slowly lifted her head, her beautiful purplish-gray eyes staring at Kaedehara Tōru in front of her.
“…Why…
your phone, that video…
why couldn’t the school find anything?”
She wasn’t a fool.
A seamless false accusation, relying only on a few arguments about “editing traces,” could never lead someone like Horikita Manabu to make a final verdict of expulsion.
The last straw that crushed Yamauchi Haruki was the technical department’s investigation result of Kaedehara Tōru’s phone—that unbelievably clean report.
“Kamuro-san, are you interrogating your savior?
How heartbreaking.” Kaedehara Tōru exaggeratedly clutched his chest, but there was not a trace of sadness on his face.
Kamuro Masumi seemed to realize her impropriety, waving her hands in panic, not knowing what to say.
“Alright, it wouldn’t hurt to tell you.”
Seeing Kamuro Masumi’s expression, he put away his joke and shrugged.
The hidden account bought from the system store couldn’t be mentioned to Kamuro Masumi, but there was a way to explain it, and an extremely reasonable one at that.
“Do you remember what Mashima-sensei said?
In the school, points can buy anything, as long as it doesn’t damage the school’s reputation.”
He paused and continued, “I know a senior who works in the school’s technical department.
We were schoolmates before, and we happened to have some contact.
Making a person’s mobile phone data ‘reasonably’ disappear during an official investigation is not a problem.”
“However…
do you know how many points it takes to convince a senior to take the risk?”
“Two hundred thousand…
I had to beg so many people to scrape it together.”
“Two…
two hundred thousand points?!” Kamuro Masumi exclaimed.
This number was the amount of points the school issues to an ordinary student for two months.
He was actually willing to pay such a huge price?
“Are…
are you crazy?
Spending two hundred thousand points…
for me?”
“Who said it was for you?”
Kaedehara Tōru’s eyes held a hint of cunning.
“I just spent two hundred thousand points to bribe a technician who could handle the trouble.
Yours can only be called a coincidence.”
He paused, leaned his body slightly forward, and moved closer to Kamuro Masumi, the distance between them instantly shortening to less than half a meter.
He lowered his voice, his warm breath almost blowing against her ear.
“And…
Kamuro-san, don’t you think that compared to the points spent, some things are more interesting?”
Kamuro Masumi’s heartbeat skipped a beat, and she subconsciously held her breath.
“After Yamauchi Haruki gave me the video, while watching it repeatedly, I discovered a very interesting phenomenon.
Although Yamauchi Haruki’s method was clumsy and the editing traces were very obvious, but…”
His voice paused.
“…It didn’t look like acting.
Those subtle, nervous hand movements, and that moment of relaxation after succeeding…
it was just too real.”
Kamuro Masumi’s mind went blank.
He knew from the very beginning!
He didn’t deduce she was innocent by analyzing the editing traces of the video.
On the contrary, he saw the truth of her crime through those clumsy edits!
“No…
I didn’t…” She instinctively wanted to deny it, but her voice was so weak she couldn’t even hear it herself.
“Look, you’re nervous again.”
Kaedehara Tōru reached out and lightly tapped Kamuro Masumi’s forehead with his index finger.
“I have a bad memory, especially for some insignificant trifles.
I only remember that a Class D student named Yamauchi Haruki was expelled for maliciously framing a student from our Class A.”
“As for whether anyone actually stole anything…
who cares?
At least, in the school’s records, you are innocent, aren’t you?”
“You are free now.”
Kaedehara Tōru didn’t say anything else and turned to leave.
Kamuro Masumi’s body stopped trembling.
She raised her head, looking in the direction where Kaedehara Tōru had disappeared.
Something had quietly changed in those eyes that were originally filled with confusion.
Because from today on, her life seemed to have found a sense of belonging.