Chapter 133: The Second Hearing Begins!
On the way to the student council office, Ishizaki glanced suspiciously at Yamawaki and Komiya.
"Is it just me, or do you two seem strangely excited?"
Komiya's heart jumped, but Yamawaki, whose courage had been thoroughly trained by Yuto, answered without changing his expression.
"Of course we're excited! That demon Shimizu Yuto is about to be expelled."
"That's why we're so happy. Aren't you happy too, Ishizaki?"
"Of course I am," Ishizaki immediately replied.
Seeing Ishizaki's cheerful smile, Komiya and Yamawaki exchanged a slightly guilty glance. However, once they remembered that Ryuen and Ishizaki would soon be expelled, their anxiety quickly disappeared.
In truth, Yuto had deceived them.
Even if Ishizaki and the others had lied during the student council hearing, concealed the truth, and falsely accused an innocent student, they would not normally be punished with expulsion.
Yuto had deliberately asked Manabu to describe the consequences in the most severe terms possible, making them believe that being exposed as liars would lead to suspension or expulsion.
Under the pressure of that terrifying possibility, Yamawaki and Komiya immediately surrendered to Yuto and betrayed Ryuen.
That morning, Yuto had already delivered the written confessions they prepared the previous night to Student Council President Horikita Manabu.
...
When Ishizaki reached the student council building, he cried out in surprise upon seeing Ryuen.
"Huh? Boss Ryuen, why are you here?!"
"I don't know. The student council suddenly called and ordered me to come here," Ryuen answered with a frown.
The unexpected summons filled him with a powerful sense of foreboding. He had tried calling Nagumo to ask why the student council wanted him, but Nagumo knew nothing and said it had been Manabu's decision.
Unable to understand the reason behind the summons, Ryuen's ominous feeling only grew stronger.
Komiya and Yamawaki silently exchanged glances. They knew perfectly well why Ryuen had been called.
In their written confessions, they had described Ryuen's entire conspiracy against Yuto in detail.
They had written that Ryuen ordered them to provoke and attack Yuto, instructed them to accuse him before the student council, and personally inflicted the serious injuries covering their bodies.
Feeling somewhat guilty, Yamawaki and Komiya followed Ryuen and Ishizaki into the student council office.
Many people were already seated inside: Shimizu Yuto, Class D homeroom teacher Chabashira Sae, school nurse Hoshinomiya Chie, Class C homeroom teacher Sakagami Kazuma, Student Council President Horikita Manabu, Vice President Nagumo Miyabi, and Secretary Tachibana Akane.
Compared with yesterday, Nagumo's loyal secretary Tonokawa was absent.
"Yo, Ryuen. Long time no see," Yuto greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Hmph. Shimizu Yuto, this may be the last time we ever meet," Ryuen replied with a cold laugh.
"Mm, that's certainly possible," Yuto answered pleasantly.
After all, Ryuen would soon be suspended and expelled.
This truly might be the final time Yuto ever saw him.
Manabu adjusted his glasses, and Tachibana immediately understood his signal.
"Everyone has arrived. Take your seats. The second hearing will now begin."
Ryuen and Ishizaki sat beside Sakagami on Class C's side.
What shocked them was that Yamawaki and Komiya walked across the room and sat beside Yuto instead.
Their choice of seats caused Nagumo, Ryuen, Ishizaki, and Sakagami to widen their eyes.
That behavior could only mean one thing.
They had betrayed them!
Chabashira crossed her arms and showed the faintest hint of a smile. She did not need to guess who had caused this situation.
Hoshinomiya, who had once again come purely to enjoy the spectacle, stared in astonishment. She looked at Chabashira's subtle smile, then at Yuto's completely composed expression.
What exactly had happened?
That same question appeared in everyone's minds.
With Ryuen's face becoming frighteningly dark, Ishizaki hurriedly called toward the two students across from him.
"Hey! Yamawaki, Komiya, why are you sitting over there? We still have plenty of seats on this side!"
"No! We've abandoned the darkness and chosen the light," Yamawaki declared firmly. "That means we should sit beside Shimizu-kun!"
"That's right!" Komiya agreed.
Ryuen's heart sank completely.
He could now confirm that those two bastards had betrayed him.
Sitting in the vice president's seat, Nagumo secretly clenched his fist and cursed Ryuen for being utterly unreliable.
Two of the subordinates he had selected to execute the plan had actually turned against him!
"Let's stop wasting time and begin the second hearing. I still need to go home for dinner," Yuto said with a smile.
"Then the second hearing will begin."
This time, Tachibana skipped the opening explanation and addressed everyone directly.
"Before we begin, I possess two documents submitted to the student council by Class C students Komiya Kyogo and Yamawaki."
"These documents provide powerful evidence concerning the incident. Everyone, please examine them."
Tachibana distributed copies of the two written confessions to everyone present. Even Hoshinomiya, who was only there to enjoy the drama, received one.
After reading them, Nagumo finally relaxed.
The confessions described only Ryuen's conspiracy against Yuto and made no mention of Nagumo's involvement.
Ryuen stared at the written confessions from Yamawaki and Komiya. His entire face turned black as he glared across the table with savage fury.
"You two bastards! Shimizu Yuto really bought you off!" Ryuen snarled through gritted teeth.
"He didn't! Shimizu-kun didn't buy us off!" Yamawaki declared righteously.
"We realized our mistakes and abandoned the darkness!"
"We've had enough of Ryuen's oppression and bullying. We also couldn't stand by while a good student like Shimizu-kun was victimized by his conspiracy, so we decided to testify!"
Yuto glanced at Yamawaki.
This delinquent was surprisingly good at talking. He made himself sound like a righteous hero.
"You bastards! How could you betray us like this?!" Ishizaki shouted furiously.
"Silence! This is the student council office, not a place for you to argue," Manabu ordered sternly.
Sakagami hurriedly calmed the furious Ryuen and Ishizaki, telling them not to lose control.
Hoshinomiya poked Chabashira's arm, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Sae-chan, how did Shimizu-chan accomplish this? He actually made two Class C students betray their group."
"I don't know. Shimizu never told me," Chabashira answered indifferently, though her heart was filled with delight and satisfaction.
She had not expected Yuto's counterattack to be so sharp. In an instant, he had escaped his predicament and placed himself in an unbeatable position.
The person who had inflicted Yamawaki and Komiya's serious injuries was no longer Shimizu Yuto.
It was Ryuen Kakeru.
Tachibana looked toward the dark-faced Ryuen and spoke in an official tone.
"Ryuen Kakeru, how do you respond to the documents submitted by Yamawaki and Komiya?"
"They're falsely accusing me!" Ryuen answered without hesitation.
"Those two were definitely bought by Shimizu Yuto. Everything they wrote is nonsense!"
"We aren't lying!"
"Everything in our statements is true!"
Yamawaki and Komiya immediately protested.
"But you don't have any evidence proving Boss Ryuen caused your injuries, do you?!" Ishizaki shouted.
He was not completely stupid. At the very least, he knew how to reuse Yuto's earlier argument against Yamawaki and Komiya in an attempt to protect Ryuen.
"So we've entered another deadlock?" Yuto asked with a smile before looking toward Nagumo.
"Vice President Nagumo, you said yesterday that situations like this require a compromise, correct?"
"...Yes," Nagumo answered, his face twitching almost imperceptibly.
"Then what would that compromise be?"
Nagumo glanced at the dark-faced Ryuen and forced himself to answer.
"Ryuen Kakeru, as the suspected aggressor, would receive a two-week suspension. Yamawaki and Komiya would each submit a written reflection."
Hearing that they would only need to write reflections, Yamawaki and Komiya immediately looked delighted.
They would neither be suspended nor expelled.
Meanwhile, Ryuen would miss the midterm and be expelled!
"A two-week suspension? That's enough." Yuto nodded with satisfaction.
His words made Ryuen's glare toward Yamawaki and Komiya even more frightening.
Ryuen realized that Yuto had clearly learned from them that suspension would cause him to miss the midterm and be expelled.
Nagumo sighed inwardly.
Their original plan had been to force Yuto into suspension, yet somehow Ryuen had ended up receiving the punishment himself.
What kind of absurd outcome was this?
"Ryuen Kakeru, do you accept this compromise?" Tachibana asked.
Sakagami hurriedly intervened.
"This should be considered an internal matter within Class C. I would prefer that our class handle it privately."
"No. This concerns the school's authority and regulations," Manabu replied coldly.
"A student who commits an offense on school grounds must receive punishment."
Sakagami became speechless. He sighed helplessly and turned toward Ryuen.
"In that case, Ryuen, accept the punishment."
"..."
Ryuen secretly gritted his teeth.
He could accept a two-week suspension under normal circumstances, but being suspended now meant missing the midterm.
Unfortunately, Sakagami had not realized that detail. Otherwise, he would never have advised Ryuen to accept.
Filled with anxiety and fury, Ryuen finally dragged his gaze away from Yamawaki and Komiya and looked toward Yuto.
Yuto sat with his hands folded, smiling pleasantly at him.
However, there was no amusement in his eyes—only chilling coldness and indifference.
Yuto had no intention of sparing a delinquent who had tried to have him expelled.
That icy gaze made Ryuen's eyes sting. In the end, he looked toward Vice President Nagumo.
Nagumo was now his only remaining hope.
When Nagumo noticed Ryuen's gaze, resentment and dissatisfaction filled his heart.
This guy was utterly unreliable. He had been given an excellent plan, yet still failed to finish Shimizu Yuto.
Even worse, Nagumo now had to help him.
Otherwise, Ryuen might decide to drag him down too and reveal his involvement in the conspiracy.
"President, Ryuen Kakeru appears unwilling to accept the compromise," Nagumo said to Manabu.
"Should we postpone the hearing and give him time to locate evidence proving his innocence?"
"Vice President, you should know that a hearing of this nature may only be postponed once," Manabu replied officially.
"Delaying it again would violate school procedure."
"However, this is no longer the hearing between Shimizu Yuto of Class D and the Class C students," Nagumo argued.
"It has become a separate dispute between Ryuen Kakeru and Yamawaki and Komiya. In that case, postponing this new hearing would be entirely reasonable."
"..."
Manabu frowned slightly.
"What you're saying is not entirely incorrect."
Nagumo secretly sighed in relief.
He had secured time for Ryuen either to prove his innocence or persuade Yamawaki and Komiya to withdraw their testimony.
Ryuen should no longer be able to complain that Nagumo had refused to help.
If anyone deserved to feel resentful, it was Nagumo.
How could such an effective plan fail so completely?
"Wait!" Komiya suddenly shouted.
Everyone in the student council office turned toward him.
Under the pressure of their attention, Komiya swallowed nervously before pointing at Ryuen.
"I have evidence proving that Ryuen caused my injuries!"
"What evidence?"
…
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