Miyako pushed open the conference room door.
Click.
Instantly, every eye in the room was fixed on her.
Miyako stared awkwardly at the doorknob still in her hand, utterly at a loss.
'Please tell me I don't have to pay for this…'
Horikita Manabu gave her a look of pure exasperation.
"No, you don't. The meeting is about to start. Find a seat."
Only when it was clear he wasn't going to pursue the doorknob incident did Miyako finally relax. Seeing the room was packed, she quickly scurried to the last empty seat and dropped into it.
The most dominant feature of the conference room was a massive, round table made of lacquered beechwood, its vibrant red finish taking up a full two-thirds of the available space. Horikita Manabu sat at the head.
Standing behind him was Tachibana Akane, who appeared to be presiding over this meeting to review and determine the fate of those facing expulsion.
The members of Class D in attendance were seated to Horikita's left, arranged in a semi-circle. Including their homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, there were six of them.
The student council members sat to his right.
Surprisingly, Ichinose Honami was also present, though she occupied the last seat on the right side. She offered Miyako a small, friendly nod as Miyako sat down beside her.
"Now that everyone is here," Tachibana announced, "this review and adjudication meeting concerning the potential expulsions from Class D will now commence."
With that, she pressed a button on a remote in her hand.
A projector whirred to life nearby, casting a large data chart onto the whiteboard behind Horikita Manabu.
It listed the names of all the failing students—those on the brink of expulsion—along with their scores for every subject. The failing grades were highlighted in stark red.
"These are the detailed score records of all students who meet the criteria for expulsion," Tachibana stated.
"After an urgent re-evaluation of the exam papers, we've confirmed all scores are accurate and without issue."
Her gaze then shifted to Horikita Manabu.
"Regarding the academic results," Horikita began, "under Secretary Tachibana's coordination, we have verified that these students' performances indeed fall short of the school's stipulated requirements for expulsion."
"However, the school has already rejected this outcome once. This indicates the school's dissatisfaction with Class D presenting such a… disappointing result. Therefore, I would like to hear the thoughts of you, the first-year Class D representatives, on this matter."
His focus settled squarely on the Class D contingent.
Just as Chabashira-sensei opened her mouth to speak, Yamauchi shot to his feet.
"Getting expelled just for failing a few tests? That's totally unfair!"
The moment the words left Yamauchi's mouth, Miyako had to resist the urge to bury her face in her hands.
'Why, of all people, did this idiot have to be here?'
Now their humiliation was being paraded in front of the entire student council.
"Yamauchi! What nonsense are you spouting?" Chabashira-sensei hissed, her face flushing with embarrassment at his naive outburst and his blatant disregard for protocol.
"It's quite alright," Horikita interjected, stopping her reprimand. "I did say I wanted to hear everyone's thoughts. That means anything said here is permissible…" He was about to encourage Yamauchi to continue when he, too, was interrupted.
"President, while that's true in principle," a voice cut in, "if the representatives from Class D are going to raise such foolish questions, it does become rather tedious for us on the student council. Perhaps I could clarify things for this… Yama-something classmate?"
Nagumo Miyabi raised his hand.
"Very well. Nagumo, please address Yamauchi's question," Horikita conceded, ceding the floor.
This was the first time Miyako had really looked at Nagumo Miyabi. He had decently handsome features under his blond hair, and his well-defined physique suggested regular training. By all appearances, he should have given off a sunny, approachable vibe, similar to Hirata.
Yet, for some reason, the impression he gave Miyako was distinctly unpleasant—a mix of frivolity and something darker, more calculating.
Nagumo's gaze swept over Yamauchi, looking down on him from his seated position.
The angry flush on Yamauchi's face began to fade, replaced by a sheen of nervous sweat on his forehead.
"Fair? Are you telling me no one informed you that failing your exams results in expulsion?" Nagumo's question was directed at Yamauchi, but the sidelong glance he threw at Chabashira-sensei was unmistakable.
"Chabashira-sensei did mention it…" Yamauchi mumbled.
"Since you were informed," Nagumo continued smoothly, "I can only assume you were fully aware of the rules governing these examinations. Doesn't that precisely indicate that you and your classmates started on a level playing field? No one was given access to some superior method of passing…"
"How was it a level playing field?!" Yamauchi burst out, his frustration getting the better of him. "Hirata was posting the answers in the class group chat!"
The moment he said it, the other Class D members looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"Are you suggesting… that someone cheated?" Nagumo pounced on the revelation, his interest clearly piqued.
"Exactly! During the later exams, practically the whole class was cheating! How else could they have scored so high? I'm the only one who took the tests honestly, relying on my own ability!"
"So what if I failed? I'm still way better than those cheaters! Expelling someone who followed the rules is what's really unfair!"
His accusation sent a wave of visible dismay through the Class D members. Their faces darkened.
Nagumo, who had seemed bored before, now leaned forward with keen interest.
"Accusations of cheating are serious. They can lead to expulsion themselves. You can't just throw that around without evidence."
He was deliberately leading Yamauchi on.
Completely oblivious to the trap, Yamauchi pulled out his phone, navigated to the class group chat, and pulled up the photos of the test papers that Hirata had shared. "See? Right here!"
"Shimizu? First-Year Class B? I don't recall a second-year by that name. President…" Nagumo turned to Horikita Manabu, a look of feigned curiosity on his face, as if settling in to watch a good show.
"Shimizu is a male student in the current third-year Class D," Horikita stated flatly.
"It appears he is the one who leaked the exam contents. Furthermore, he has violated school regulations that explicitly prohibit the buying and selling of test papers."
Under these circumstances, Horikita Manabu had no choice but to rule it as a violation of school policy.
The underground trade of test papers was something the school often turned a blind eye to, sometimes even tacitly encouraging it as one potential 'correct answer' for first-years to navigate their first midterms—a test of their resourcefulness.
But it was a practice that could never, ever be acknowledged publicly, because the school rules explicitly forbade it.
Incredibly, Yamauchi might have just stumbled upon a way out. If this was officially recognized as cheating, the entire exam's results could be invalidated. Their expulsions would no longer be a foregone conclusion.
Miyako narrowed her eyes.
Something's off.
This is all wrong.
The whole situation reeked of manipulation.
Since when was Yamauchi capable of coming up with an argument like this?
It sounded like self-defense on the surface, but it directly implicated Hirata.
Who else would be pulling strings and playing petty games even at a time like this?
Miyako's eyes drifted towards the person she suspected. The other girl met her gaze and flashed a faint smile, as if openly admitting that she was the one who had fed Yamauchi his lines.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.