Vol. 2 Chp. 1: Bad News

': Writing

' ': Sign language

The morning was always lively in class D. Most students were far from being serious. Today was louder than usual, though. My classmates were curious if we got any points this time.

"Good morning. Everyone looks more restless than usual today," Chabashira says.

When the bell rang, Chabashira-sensei walked into the room.

"Sae-chan-sensei! Do we have 0 points this month too!? I didn't even have a point when I checked this morning!" Ike yells.

"Is that the reason why you are so restless?"

"This month, we worked our asses off! We got past the midterms. So, isn't it cruel to still be at 0!? We weren't late to class, weren't absent, and didn't whisper!" Ike complains.

"Don't go off deciding things on your own. Let me talk first. Ike, you worked harder than I've ever seen you try. We recognize that. Naturally, the school understands how you feel too."

Ike immediately closed his mouth and sat back down in his seat.

"Let's look at the month's total," Chabashira pulled out some paper and put it on the board.

Class A - 1034 cp (+94)

Class B - 870 cp (+90)

Class C - 562 cp (+2)

Class D - 87 cp (+87)

All the classes were close in points, and everyone had been awarded about 100 points except for Class C. The gap between classes A and D seemed massive, slightly above the points everyone started.

"Huh? 87? Did we increase our points!? Woohoo!" Ike cheered.

"I wouldn't be getting so excited right now. All the other classes increased their points by about the same amount you did. The gap didn't get any closer. This looks like a reward for just passing the midterm," Chabashira says.

Is nobody going to talk about how Class C got 2 points? Anybody?

"Are you disappointed, Horikita? Because the gap has slightly widened," Ayanokouji asked.

"I'm not disappointed at all. I'm content because I got something out of it this time," Horikita says.

"What do you mean, you got something out of it?"

Horikita didn't say anything else after that. Hirata stood up and answered for her.

"The deductions we got during April and May... in other words, along with whispering and being late to class, there were no other deductions, is what I believe Horikita-san was saying," Hirata explains.

That's the best way to put it.

"Ah, I see. If there were a lot of deductions, our 100 points would've been 0. Huh? Then why didn't we get any points?"

"This time, there's a bit of trouble. The points for the first years were delayed. Sorry, but you'll have to wait for a bit longer."

"Eh, seriously? Shouldn't we get some freebie because the school is having trouble?"

All the students grumbled in discontent. Their attitudes completely changed as soon as they understood they got points. Having 87 points and no points is a world of difference.

"Don't blame it on that. The school decided it, not me. Once the trouble is resolved, you'll get your points. If there are any points left, that is," Chabashira nonchalantly says.

Lunchtime

I went to the cafeteria and found an empty table to sit at. As I was enjoying my lunch, someone called out to me.

"I hope you don't mind if we join you, Kagurazaka-kun," I turned my head to see Onodera, Andou, Amikura, and two other girls.

I shook my head.

"You're the guy from the pool... I'm Minamikita Kozue," a girl with purple hair tied in buns introduces herself.

"This is Shiranami Chihiro, and she's a quiet and shy girl," Andou introduced the other girl.

She looked slightly uncomfortable, "H-hi..." She said shyly.

"Hi, Kagurazaka-kun!" Amikura cheerfully greeted me before sitting beside me, "Have you been talking to Ichinose-san recently?"

I noticed Shiranami tensed up slightly when Amikura asked me the question.

I shook my head.

I've been too busy to text or talk to Ichinose.

It makes me wonder why they wanted to eat with me. I'm not that interesting of a person. That does remind me... When will Sakayanagi invite me to play a chess match against her?

Amikura was staring at me with a pout on her face. She must have been talking, and I ignored her.

"You're going to make Ichinose-san sad if you don't text her," Amikura said.

So, I was wrong about why she was upset. Ichinose should understand why I never messaged her. The only person to ever message me was Ayanokouji, and that was to join Horikita's study group.

I continued eating my lunch in silence.

~Timeskip to after school~

"Sudo, I have something to tell you. Come to the staff room," Chabashira-sensei announces.

"Hah? What business do you have with me? I have basketball practice now."

"The less you complain, the quicker we can leave the staff room," Chabashira walks out.

Sudo let out a sigh and followed him out the door.

"I thought he changed, but I guess Sudo is the same. Wouldn't it have been better if he dropped out?"

I didn't stay in the classroom much longer and left.

~Timeskip~

Ayanokouji's POV

Once I finished eating, I went back to my dorm room. I pulled out my phone and checked my balance. I still had 88,320 private points, which hadn't changed since the morning.

It was considering that we got 100,000 points at the beginning of the year, it is a minimal amount.

"Save me, Ayanokouji!" While I was on my phone, Sudou burst through the door.

It would appear on my face if I could look disappointed right now. Who barged into someone's room without knocking. Actually, how did he even enter my room when it was locked?

"Why are you in a rush, and how did you get in?"

"This is the room where our room meets, so we held a discussion and decided to make a duplicate key. Didn't you know? It's not just me; everyone else has a key, too," he explained, spinning the key in his hand.

Why am I hearing about this now? Whose idea was this to get duplicate keys for my room?

"I learned this now..."

"That doesn't matter... I'm in a difficult spot right now! Help me out," Sudou pleaded.

"It matters to me. Give me the key."

"Huh, why should I? I bought this with my points. It's mine."

What an illogical argument. I don't care if we are friends; it doesn't mean you can buy a duplicate key to my room and barge in.

"If you're worried about something, how about asking Ike or Yamauchi?" I suggested, trying to get him out of my room.

"Those two are no good. They're stupid."

He makes a good point...

Sudou sat down on the floor, "Buy some carpet. My butt hurts," Sudou muttered.

Although my room was chosen as the meeting spot, we have never gathered here since the party. Even if I were to purchase a carpet, I would be the only one using it. The mere idea seems unbelievable.

When I got up to get some tea, the doorbell rang.

The entrance suddenly opened, and in came Kushida, the Madonna of our class. Every time I see her, I can't help but think how cute she is. She noticed Sudou, who was sitting on the floor.

"Oh, Sudou-kun's here," she said.

"I'm wondering, but do you have a duplicate key?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah? Isn't it so that we could meet up... by any chance, did you not know, Ayanokouji-kun?"

She pulled a key from her bag and showed it to me. To my surprise, it appeared to be identical to my key. Kushida seemed to believe that she had obtained my permission to duplicate it.

"Um, this... Should I return it?"

"It's fine. There's no point f you're the only one that returns it. Sudou won't return the key."

I am concerned about Kushida having the key. It almost feels like having a girlfriend if she keeps the key. However, I recognize this is not a healthy or fair way to view the situation.

"Since Kushida has also appeared, can we get to the real topic?"

Let's see what's going on.

Next Day

Kagurazaka's POV

It was the following morning, during homeroom, Chabashira-sensei had an announcement to make, "I have an announcement for you all today. There was a bit of trouble the other day. Sudou and some class C students were involved in an incident. It was a fight."

The classroom became noisy.

The disagreement between the two groups could result in Sudou being suspended and class points being deducted, depending on the specifics. Chabashira-sensei informed the class of the situation. Interestingly, despite her lack of interest, her expressionless face was beautiful.

"Uh... why hasn't the matter been resolved already?" Hirata asked a reasonable question.

"The complaint was raised by class C. They said it was a one-sided fight. However, when we asked Sudou, he said their claim was untrue. He said that the class C students called him out, looking for a fight."

"I wasn't in the wrong; it was self-defence," Sudou declared without any shame, earning the ire of cold gazes from his classmates.

"But you have no evidence. Am I wrong?"

"Evidence? I don't have anything like that."

"In simpler terms, the truth is unknown, and the situation has been suspended. The resolution will be based on identifying the true culprit."

"I don't know anything except that I'm innocent. I want money for my troubles."

"Sudou's credibility is questionable, as he is the only source of information. However, if his claim of having an eyewitness is valid, the situation could become more credible. Are there any witnesses to the fight? If so, please raise your hands," Chabashira-sensei kept talking indifferently.

No student raised their hands.

"Too bad, Sudou, but no one here was a witness."

"Looks that way..." When Chabashira-sensei looked at Sudou with doubtful eyes, he looked down at his desk.

"To look for a witness, each teacher informs their class about the situation."

"Hah!? You told everyone!?"

"Damn...!"

"Anyway, that's all. We'll most likely get a final decision by next Tuesday, taking the presence or absence of evidence into consideration. Homeroom is now over."

Chabashira-sensei left the room, with Sudou quickly going right after. He probably knew he would get mad at someone if he stayed in the room.

"Hey, isn't Sudou the worst?" The first to talk was Ike.

Isn't he your friend?

"If we lost points because of Sudou, doesn't that mean we'll have 0 points again?"

The situation was getting out of hand in the classroom.

"Hey, everyone. Can you all hear me out?" Kushida stopped the uproar and changed the situation, "As Sensei said, Sudou-kun was involved in a fight. But Sudou-kun was dragged into it."

"Kushida-chan, by saying 'dragged into it,' does that mean you believe in Sudou's words?"

Yesterday, Kushida shared a story with the class about being accepted as a regular and how some envious individuals attempted to have Sudou kicked out of the club, resulting in a physical altercation. Kushida recounted that Sudou fought back in self-defense. The majority of the class attentively listened to her genuine account in silence.

The story sounded reasonable, but no one believed it so quickly.

"I would like to ask again. If anyone knows someone in this class, among your friends, or among your senpais that saw what happened, please tell me. You can contact me at any time. I'd appreciate it."

Even though she had said the same thing as Chabashira-sensei did, the class had a completely different reaction.

It's fascinating how she's naturally gifted at connecting with people.

The class was wrapped in silence. The one who broke the silence was not an eyewitness but Yamauchi.

"Hey, Kushida-chan. I don't believe Sudou's story. I think he's making it up to justify his actions. During middle school, he kept talking about beating people up. He even lectured us about how it was fun to beat people up."

Starting with Yamauchi, the whole class voiced their dissatisfaction towards Sudou.

"Earlier, I saw him grab some kid from another class just because they bumped in the hallway."

"I saw him cut in line at the cafeteria and get mad at someone who tried to warn him."

Kushida's words about Sudou's innocence didn't reach the class.

"I want to believe him," Hirata stood up to support Kushida.

"I can understand if a student of another class doubts him. But I think it's wrong to doubt a friend or classmate. Isn't helping out someone in need what friends do?"

"I think so, too~," Brushing her bangs to the side, Karuizawa followed up after him.

"If it is a false accusation, wouldn't it be a problem? In any case, it'd be sad if he was innocent."

If Kushida is a leader with a soft heart, Karuizawa is a strong-willed leader. Most of the girls voiced their agreement, seemingly influenced by her presence.

Hirata, Kushida, and Karuizawa. These three were particularly popular.

"I'll ask my friends."

"Then I'll ask my senpais in the soccer club."

"I'll ask around as well."

The attempt to prove Sudou's innocence began with these three in the center.

I guess I don't have to help. It'll be better to leave it to them anyway.

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