The gavel hovered like a knife about to fall.
Kaelan's pen clicked once, a sharp sound in the tense silence. Then, his fingers moved over his tablet screen. "Authorization code entered," he said, his voice flat and devoid of inflection. "Release the snippet for council review."
[Ding!]
Event: Staff Authorization Granted (5s Snippet)
Status:
- Survival Probability: 40% → 42% (Δ +2%)
Note: Distant angle corroborates mirrored-proof; not conclusive alone.
The wall display flickered, showing five seconds of grainy, high-angle footage from the B-Hall camera. The time stamp read 12:16:05. The figures were small, but the key elements were clear: the shove occurred, but the spatial relationship was different. The locker bank was on the correct side, the wall clock showed numerals in their proper orientation, and the blurry crimson blazer, while indistinct, did not have the glaringly wrong crest orientation of the viral clip. It was neutral—it didn't prove her innocence, but it completely invalidated the prosecution's primary evidence.
Elara didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until the screen went black. She quickly gathered her composure.
"The chain of preservation is documented," she stated, lifting the folder containing the co-signed hold order. "The mirrored numerals and crest orientation prove digital manipulation. The forum post pattern—consistent use of UK spellings and the unique typo 'neckalace' tied to an external account—proves a deliberate frame-up. I formally move to enter the complete Refute Pack into the official council record."
A brief, charged debate ensued. Ms. Gable argued vehemently. "This is sophistry! A distraction from the core issue of violence and disruption!"
But the visual proof of the mirrored footage, now corroborated by the raw snippet, was too stark to ignore. Principal Vance nodded slowly. "The evidence of manipulation is… persuasive. The motion to enter the Refute Pack into the record is carried."
[Ding!]
Event: Evidence Admitted to Record
Status:
- Survival Probability: 42% → 47% (Δ +5%)
Note: Sub-Objective A achieved (+5%). Reasonable doubt established.
"Then I withdraw the motion for a public apology," the Principal continued, though she looked displeased. "The Council instead adopts a temporary hold on all proceedings, pending a full forensic review of the digital evidence by an independent IT specialist. No interim sanctions will be imposed at this time."
The gavel finally fell, not to condemn, but to adjourn. The immediate threat was neutralized.
As the council members stood, Kaelan remained seated for a moment longer, his gaze finding Elara's. It wasn't gratitude or warmth she saw there; it was the sharp, relentless focus of a puzzle-solver who had just been given a new, more complex problem. Her.
[Ding!]
Event: Male Lead Interaction (On Site)
Status:
- Attention: 24/100 → 27/100 (Δ +3)
- Survival Probability: 47% → 46% (Δ −1%)
Note: Prolonged focus increases risk.
Elara gathered her things and exited the glass room, the weight of the hearing lifting only to be replaced by a new, more insidious pressure. In the corridor, her tablet chimed with a campus-wide notification. A new post on the Confessions board flashed up.
Anonymous User: Mirrors can be tricky. Don't worry, we can cut a cleaner clip next time. See you tomorrow, Vance.
The taunt was a direct response to her evidence. They were still out there, confident, and escalating.
[Thrum…]
Side Flag: Trace the Uploader
Objective: Identify the source of the malicious posts and fabricated clips.
Timer: 24:00:00
Penalty on Failure: Survival −8%
Before she could fully process the new threat, Principal Vance emerged from the council room, her expression grave. "This reprieve is temporary, Ms. Vance. The disruption must end. If the individual responsible for these posts is not identified by this time tomorrow, the Council will have no choice but to reconsider sanctions for the original incident, regardless of these… digital questions. The school's stability must come first."
The Principal swept away, leaving Elara in the echoing hallway. The message was clear: proving her innocence was no longer enough. She now had to successfully unmask the real culprit.
Elara's fingers tightened around her tablet. The uploader had gotten sloppy with the mirroring. They'd left a linguistic fingerprint. They were posting from within the school network, likely during school hours. They were arrogant.
She opened a new message to Nora.
Elara_V: Need everything you can get on posts from the last 24 hours. IP logs, device signatures, posting times. And that external account linked to "neckalace"—full profile scrape. The hunt starts now.
The timer in her vision began its relentless countdown. She had twenty-four hours to turn from the accused into the hunter.