"A good kid?"
"My ass!"
Ryuuen never imagined someone could be even more shameless than him.
Ibuki was lying flat on the ground, and she still claimed they hadn't been fighting?
Did Ibuki have to be hospitalized for it to count as a fight?
Amane's words nearly made Student Council President Horikita crack a smile.
Even though Ibuki had thrown the first punch, according to witness statements, it was Amane who had tripped her, sending her to the floor.
Which meant Amane was involved in the fight.
Even if it was self-defense, she was still a participant.
"Miyako-san, do you think everyone around you is blind?"
Ryuuen glared daggers at Amane.
"Blind? If they weren't blind, how could they just stand by and watch a girl get bullied? And you, redhead, what are you glaring at? Think you've got big eyes?"
Amane widened her own eyes dramatically. Truth be told, Amane's eyes were indeed larger than Ryuuen's.
Ryuuen was instantly left speechless, choking on his retort.
"No personal attacks," Horikita said, shooting a sidelong glance at Amane.
This girl really refused to take a loss lying down.
Well, this just made things more interesting.
"You tripped me, and you have the nerve to say you didn't lay a hand on me? You've got some nerve," Ibuki snapped, seeing Ryuuen lost for words. She couldn't help but accuse Amane.
Even though she was the one in the wrong, there was no rule saying the guilty party couldn't shift the blame.
Ibuki had figured it out.
Only by turning this from a one-sided assault into a mutual fight could she avoid the harsher punishment.
So she was pulling out all the stops to drag Amane down with her.
"I used my foot to trip you. Does that count as using my hands?"
"So using your feet doesn't count as fighting?"
"I'm asking you, did I or did I not use my hands?"
"..."
Is this girl out of her mind?
Ibuki's face flushed red with anger.
But technically, Amane hadn't used her hands, so there wasn't much Ibuki could say.
Even defining it as a fight was a bit of a stretch now.
Nearby, Ishizaki watched this girl, Amane, who seemed a bit simple at first glance, actually manage to outmaneuver both Ryuuen and Ibuki single-handedly.
He couldn't hold back a small, surprised noise. Amane's gaze immediately snapped towards him.
"I didn't say anything!" Ishizaki quickly said, distancing himself from the situation.
It made Ryuuen's eye twitch in irritation.
"Does Class C have anything else to add?" Horikita asked, seeing that Class C had fallen silent, and prepared to announce the disciplinary decision.
"Hold on a second," Ryuuen interjected. "While a large part of this was due to Ibuki's recklessness, wasn't it Class B's Shiranami who bumped into Ibuki in the first place, causing the argument? If she hadn't bumped into her, none of this would've probably happened. So I suggest all three parties share some responsibility."
Seeing that targeting Amane wasn't getting him anywhere, Ryuuen changed tactics and redirected his aim back to Shiranami.
His original plan to go after Amane was because she didn't seem very sharp. In Ryuuen's mind, you always pick the softest persimmon to pinch.
Now, Shiranami had Ichinose by her side, and Ichinose had recently joined the student council. Biting down on that would likely just cost him a tooth, which wasn't worth it.
So he'd planned to drag Amane in to share the blame.
But who knew Amane wasn't a soft persimmon at all?
She was more like a solid, unyielding weight.
Amane had anticipated Ryuuen would target Shiranami. She quietly gave Shiranami's small hand a squeeze.
Immediately, Shiranami slumped to the floor and started crying.
"I... I really didn't bump into Ibuki-san, boo hoo... Sh-she was the one who bumped into me! I... I even apologized to her, but she just wanted to hit me, waaah!"
It had to be said, Shiranami's acting skills were first-class.
Her heart-wrenching sobs even managed to stir a flicker of sympathy in Horikita.
"Don't worry. We are here. The matter will be investigated thoroughly," Horikita said, feeling a headache coming on.
Shiranami's little performance was clearly a counter-attack against Ryuuen.
It meant neither side was willing to back down.
But Horikita couldn't fault Shiranami's method. After all, she was in the right.
You could still find the photo of her being grabbed by the collar on the school forum.
No matter how Ibuki tried to explain it away, she couldn't wriggle out of that one.
"Sigh, Shiranami-san is so pitiful," Amane chimed in, sighing dramatically.
"All she wanted was to buy a drink, and she ends up being deliberately picked on, and then even gets falsely accused. But I believe the student council will definitely deal harshly with acts of school bullying."
Amane glanced at Ibuki.
Ibuki had nearly bitten Amane.
So it wasn't exactly a lie...
And Amane had intentionally escalated 'violent behavior' to 'school bullying.'
If it was classified as school bullying, it would undoubtedly mean expulsion.
Ryuuen immediately refuted her. "Stop spouting nonsense! It was Shiranami who crashed into Ibuki! You're the ones turning the tables here!"
Ryuuen was furious. This damn girl knew how to play dirty, slapping labels on them. If that label stuck, what was there to discuss? Might as well go pack their bags and get ready to leave.
"I'm a witness. I saw with my own eyes Ibuki deliberately bump into Shiranami-san," Amane stated with utter conviction, making Ryuuen's expression freeze.
Could it be that Ibuki's actions hadn't been discreet enough and were spotted?
Ryuuen actually didn't know the exact details of the initial encounter. He wasn't sure if anyone had seen Ibuki's little maneuver.
The only thing he knew for certain was that Ibuki had carried out his order.
Seeing the subtle shift in Ryuuen's expression, Amane felt a secret thrill.
She'd guessed right.
This was indeed a setup by Class C.
In that case...
This was her chance!
"If necessary, we can go check the surveillance footage right now," Amane proposed coolly.
"If it shows Ibuki did it on purpose, that proves you conspired to carry out school bullying against Shiranami-san. I expect the school to expel Ibuki-san."
Amane's words made everyone gasp in shock.
Even Ichinose's expression changed. Amane hadn't mentioned this part to her earlier.
Was she improvising?
"Expulsion? For something this minor?" Ibuki stared at Horikita in disbelief.
Horikita nodded. "If it's proven to be intentional, expulsion is the prescribed consequence."
Internally, Horikita had to admire Amane's checkmate move.
Behind the scenes, you could do almost anything, and as long as you weren't caught, it was treated as if it never happened.
The only way to prove a rule violation was through evidence like surveillance or recordings.
Thinking about it now...could it be that Amane deliberately provoked Ibuki to test for a reaction...?
She... probably hadn't thought that far ahead... right?
Horikita's breathing grew slightly heavier.
"You win. Name your terms," Ryuuen said, laying his cards on the table. "If you're unwilling to settle this, even if Class C falls to Class D, I'll make sure Class B is mired in endless trouble."
He even threatened Class B right in front of Horikita.
The reason for this aggressive stance was simple: Ibuki's impulsiveness had indeed given the other side leverage.
Moreover, Ibuki was the first person he'd beaten into submission who now obeyed him. If he couldn't even protect one of his own key followers, what right did he have to keep climbing?
If Ibuki got expelled, even if it cost Class C all their class points, Ryuuen was determined to shatter Class B completely.
Ichinose was taken aback by Ryuuen's near-feral expression.
After hesitating repeatedly, she decided against confronting Class C head-on and instead opted for the method Amane had suggested to her.
"Then, 500,000 personal points. How does that sound?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.