"You still haven't let go, Ichinose?"
Amane twisted slightly, only to find Ichinose's hold surprisingly firm.
She turned her head to ask just how long Ichinose planned on clinging to her like this. Ichinose's face was tinged with a faint blush.
The way Amane said it made it sound like she was the one who wanted to keep holding on.
But then again, Amane's body did feel really nice to hug.
It wasn't just the typical softness of a girl's midsection.
Amane's stomach, though not visibly defined, had a firmness to it that you could feel—well-toned muscles beneath the surface.
It was the first time she'd ever felt something like this from another girl, a strange and unfamiliar sensation.
For a moment, Ichinose hesitated.
"Amane-san, are you really calm now?" she asked softly, her face still flushed, while subtly letting her hand rest over Amane's abdominal muscles.
"I was perfectly calm to begin with," Amane replied, scratching her head.
All she'd intended to do was come over and reason with Kiriyama.
She really hadn't planned on punching him in the face or anything.
"Liar! Just now, Amane-san, you were clearly about to—"
Ichinose stared at her with a look that said, 'As if I'd believe that.'
"I only came to have a rational discussion with Committee Member Kiriyama. I promise I won't throw a punch, alright?" Amane raised her hand as if taking a pledge.
"...Really?" Ichinose looked up at her, still half-doubting.
"Of course it's true. With so many people watching, if I actually hit someone, I'd definitely get expelled."
Ichinose thought it over and realized that did make sense.
With no further excuse to keep touching her—ahem, with no further excuse to restrain Amane—Ichinose reluctantly withdrew her hand, a hint of disappointment in her movement.
Amane rubbed her own waist.
"Geez, if you wanted to touch, you could've just said so."
Overhearing Amane's muttered remark, Ichinose's face turned bright red. She immediately lowered her head and fell silent as soon as she returned to her seat.
Amane, meanwhile, fixed her gaze squarely on Kiriyama.
This guy was seriously trying to equate buying study materials with cheating? Amane found it downright laughable.
"Common sense? Committee Member Kiriyama, is it 'common sense' to you that every test paper is the same? Did your middle school provide all your study materials, with no need to buy anything? And did every study guide you ever bought perfectly match the exam content?"
"Answer me, Committee Member Kiriyama."
Amane stared Kiriyama down at close range.
Her expressionless face bore down on him with immense pressure; her sharp, peregrine-like eyes seemed capable of piercing straight through a person's weaknesses.
Gulp.
Kiriyama grew nervous for no clear reason.
It wasn't just that he was being out-argued.
The difference in their presence was obvious at a glance.
Despite being noticeably taller than Amane, Kiriyama was completely overwhelmed by her intensity, cornered to the point where he couldn't even muster a word of resistance.
Nearby, Nagumo smiled.
"That's enough, Kiriyama."
"Nagumo? But she—"
Kiriyama tried to protest but was cut off by Nagumo's cold snort.
"Was she wrong?"
Kiriyama fell silent.
He had to admit Amane's points were mostly valid. First-years generally wouldn't know about the option to buy past exam papers.
Even if they did buy them, they'd likely be skeptical, worried about potential risks.
Only those bold enough to assume midterms would mirror the quizzes—and act decisively on that assumption—could uncover the school's system, the method that allowed anyone to guarantee a perfect score.
And thereby lead their class to victory.
In fact, Class D had successfully discovered and utilized this method. Their only failure lay in having too many underachievers, resulting in fifteen students facing expulsion.
If they were to seriously debate whether past exams counted as cheating tools…
Even Kiriyama found that a stretch.
The only reason he'd persisted this long was his own bruised pride.
Seeing Kiriyama rendered speechless, Nagumo took over and turned to Amane.
"I know you want to clear Hirata's name. From my personal perspective, I also believe he's innocent. But, Miyako-san, you need to understand something: unless an incident affects a majority of students, even the student council isn't authorized to initiate a retest. Do you understand that?"
From the start, Kiriyama's argument had revolved around cheating. But what was the underlying reason for accusing Hirata of cheating?
It was to facilitate the student council's retest procedure.
Then Class D could retake the exam, ensuring most would pass and avoiding a mass expulsion of over half the class.
It was also to save face for the school, preventing backlash from the unusually high number of expulsions compared to previous years.
Amane understood all of that.
But still…
"Why bother with those failures? Are the idiots who can't even pass with the answers right in front of them really worth saving?"
Amane's words threw the room into chaos again. Even Yamauchi, who had kept quiet until now, started shouting.
"Why should we be expelled? You bastard, Miyako! We're classmates! How can you just stand by and watch us get expelled without doing anything?"
As soon as Yamauchi finished, Kushida looked at Amane with a pained expression.
"I don't really understand what you're all discussing, but I know this much, Amane—you plan to abandon Yamauchi and the others. Why would you do that? Aren't we all classmates, and even close friends?"
"Don't you think talking so casually about throwing everyone away is just… cold-hearted? If you really intend to abandon them, then I'd rather be expelled too. I can't bear to see familiar faces disappear one after another. At the start of the school year, I promised I'd become friends with everyone…"
Kushida covered her face as if heartbroken, sobbing.
The usual Amane might have flustered, rushing to comfort her.
But the Amane now, thinking clearly, completely ignored her insincere performance.
"Pinching your arm must hurt, huh? There's a limit to faking tears for sympathy. Can someone truly crying still sneak glances at my expression? How ridiculous. But Kushida, your moving speech has truly touched me. So, as you wish, please add Kushida to the list—making it sixteen expulsions in total."
Amane's words left the still-sobbing Kushida frozen in disbelief.
She never expected Amane to be so ruthless as to include her in the expulsion.
Whether trash like Yamauchi got expelled or not meant nothing to her. She'd only taken their side to win friendship and approval by championing the underdogs.
Kushida loved that feeling.
But she overlooked one thing.
The current Amane had no patience for her social games of make-believe.
--+--
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.