Chapter 6 Part II

"I let you see something so embarrassing…"

Sakura, walking next to me, had stopped crying. She now wore a sheepish smile.

"It's been such a long time since I cried in front of someone. I feel a little relieved, actually."

"I'm glad. When I was a kid, I used to cry in front of people all the time."

"I had no idea that you were like that, Ayanokouji-kun. That's completely unlike the image I have of you."

"Yeah, I cried a lot. Maybe 10 or 20 times in front of other people."

I'd been frustrated and embarrassed, but I'd been unable to stop crying. However, people who cried could grow stronger and move forward. Sakura seemed to be the type who bottled up her feelings. This incident might have been an important step forward for her.

"I was really happy…when you said that you believed me."

"It's not just me. Horikita, Kushida, and Sudou do, too. All of our classmates believe you."

"Yeah… But you came out and told me directly, Ayanokouji-kun. You said it."

Sakura wiped her eyes once again, probably because the tears blurred her vision.

"You gave me courage. I was happy," she said, with a small smile.

When I heard that, I felt relieved. Even if we could've saved Sudou just by forcing Sakura to come forward and pushing her into an uncomfortable situation, it wouldn't have been a perfect solution. The two of us lapsed into silence. Neither of us was very good at making conversation. However, it didn't feel strange or unpleasant.

"U-um, well… I don't think I should be saying this now, but…"

Just as we neared the entranceway, Sakura opened her mouth.

"Actually… I… Right now…"

"Yahoo! You're really late, huh?"

Ichinose and Kanzaki were waiting for us by the entranceway. They must've been on tenterhooks about the trial's results.

"Were you waiting for us?" I asked.

"We were wondering what happened."

I stopped and turned to Sakura. "Sorry, Sakura. Can we continue this later?"

Sakura opened up her shoe locker and looked inside. She turned her face to me. "Oh, no, it's nothing. I just…wanted to say that I would try my best. I'll be brave."

With this quick answer, she lowered her head and left.

"Sakura?" I tried to stop her, but she hurried out the door.

"I'm sorry. Was this a bad time?" Ichinose asked.

"No, it's fine."

I described the events that had transpired in the student council room.

"I see. So, you rejected the compromise, huh? Class D is insisting on Sudou's innocence until the very end?"

"Well, if Sudou even got as little as one day's suspension, Class C would win."

In other words, the compromise had been a trap. A sweet trap set to lure us to our defeat. The two of them didn't seem convinced, though. Kanzaki in particular insisted that we'd made the wrong choice.

"The fact remains that he hit the other students. Your opponents made a concession because of corroboration from the witness and her evidence. You should've accepted the compromise."

"But like Ayanokouji-kun says, Sudou's suspension would be a loss for Class D. If Sudou were suspended due to his bad behavior, then his chances of being a team regular would probably vanish. He'd be back to square one."

"He might not just be sent back to square one. It might be worse, actually. If the school knew both sides shared the responsibility, they'd take that into account when assigning punishments. However, if Sudou's share of the blame increases tomorrow, it'll be bad news."

Neither of them were wrong. Either we appealed for his innocence, or we accepted the deal. One of those was the correct answer.

"I see. I think so, too."

"If you think so, shouldn't you have stopped it?"

"If you're brought back into a retrial, you'll inevitably lose. Just like Kanzaki says, obtaining a not-guilty verdict is virtually impossible."

No matter our testimony, no matter how passionately we made our claims, we couldn't win on that point. It wasn't about just winning or losing anymore. We'd come to an impasse on the battlefield.

"Are you still going to fight? Even without new evidence or testimony?"

"Our leader gave us her decision. We'll fight to the bitter end."

Horikita wasn't stupid. She already knew well enough that this extension wasn't a victory. Yet she'd still made the choice to press forward, intending to fight on. That Class D was prepared to face the difficulties ahead was proof of our readiness.

"Hmm. Well, I don't think we'll be able to obtain any more leads, but I'll go check what information I can gather from the Internet." Though it wouldn't have been odd for her to wash her hands off us at this point, Ichinose laughed and still offered her cooperation.

"I'll do my absolute best to look for more evidence or another witness." Even though Kanzaki would have opted for compromise, his cooperation also remained unwavering.

"You're still willing to help us?" I asked.

"We're in too deep now. Besides, it's like we said before. We can't forgive liars."

Kanzaki nodded. These were really good people.

"I sincerely appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary."

Horikita, who I thought had returned to the dorms, suddenly stood alongside us. Had she been waiting for me?

"Not necessary? What do you mean, Horikita-san?"

"We cannot get Sudou acquitted. Even if a new witness were to come from Class A or B, it would be impossible. However…there is something I would like you to prepare for us. It is the only possible solution."

"Preparing something?"

"That's—"

Horikita proceeded to explain to us what she wanted. The previously calm Ichinose's expression now stiffened.

"Oh… That's going to be a really hard request."

If Ichinose was this hesitant, perhaps it truly was unreasonable. Kanzaki fell silent and appeared deep in thought.

"I understand that I'm in no position to ask this," Horikita said. "The burden I'd be placing upon you is exceptionally great. But—"

"Ah, no. Well, this should be within the range of what we can do, I think. That's because I plan to figure out what's happening to Class D. I've got tons and tons of things I want to know, but… Well, maybe it would be better for you not to tell us why?"

"You're certainly right about that. Well then, if I can convince you, will you cooperate with us?"

Horikita continued to explain the details of her solution to Ichinose, Kanzaki, and me. Why was it necessary? What would we use it for? What was its purpose? After Horikita had finished, Kanzaki and Ichinose stood lost in silent thought.

"You should understand the risks as well as the usefulness of this strategy," Horikita said.

"When did you come up with this?" Ichinose asked.

"Just before the deliberation ended. Only by chance, though."

"That…an incredible move. I went to the scene of the crime and even I didn't think of that. Or, I guess I should say, I was completely in the dark about it. It wasn't even close to what I could imagine." Ichinose appeared to understand the plan and its intended effect. However, her expression was still distant, and she still seemed to be thinking.

"An unusual idea. You can probably anticipate the results, too. But does such a thing even exist?" she asked Kanzaki, who seemed a little shocked.

"It might be contrary to your ethics and morals, Ichinose."

"Ha ha, yeah. You might be right. It's a change for me. But…it's certainly one way of doing things."

"Yeah. That's what I thought as well. It's something that never should have been done."

Were they going to lend us a hand? There were lies baked into this strategy. For someone like Ichinose, who hated lying, it was a harsh request.

"Well, since a lie started all this trouble, maybe it'll take another lie to close the books on this incident. That's what I think, anyway."

"Mmmhmm, I see. An eye for an eye, a lie for a lie, yeah? But is that even possible, I wonder? I can't imagine such a thing would be easy to obtain."

"Don't worry about that part. I've confirmed it," Horikita said.

Had she left the student council room immediately to ascertain whether or not it was possible to collect the proof she needed?

"If you ask the Professor to assist us, it should be good. I'll talk to him."

Horikita gave a slight nod. She apparently didn't have any objections.

"Hey, Kanzaki-kun. Did you help us so that we would outpace Class C?"

"Yeah. That's right."

"But I was just thinking, perhaps what we're doing right now might end up coming back to bite you in the ass later?"

"That could happen."

"Man. I completely neglected to calculate the fact that Class D has a girl like you." Ichinose, after complimenting Horikita, took out her cell phone with a look of slight amazement. "I'll lend this to you. Please return it later."

With that, she affirmed her willingness to help.

"Sure. I promise." Horikita, grateful for the assistance, accepted it without any hesitation. "Well then, Ayanokouji-kun. There's something I'd like you to help me with."

"If it's not something really bothersome, sure. I'll help."

"Helping others is fundamentally bothersome and time-consuming."

In other words, I needed to prepare myself. I didn't see a way out of this, so I hesitantly decided to yield to Horikita.

"Okay, let's g—?!"

I received a shocking blow to my side. The pain was sudden and intense. I tumbled into the corner as if blown by a stiff breeze.

"I'll forgive you for touching me this time. However, next time I'll pay you back double."

"Wha— Ah, ah!"

The pain stole my voice, as if I weren't allowed to argue. Wait, when she said she'd pay me back "double," she meant her blows would be twice as hard as now? That was unimaginable!

Dumbfounded, Ichinose watched the whole spectacle. She looked at Horikita as if the girl were something terrifying. Remember that well, Ichinose. Horikita was a woman without mercy… Gulp.

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