"Amane…how could you be like this? Aren't we friends? Hearing you say such things, I…I'm really hurt."
Tears welled up in Kushida's eyes.
She looked utterly pitiful.
"Precisely because we're friends, I went to President Horikita to apply for your wish to drop out. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother."
Amane's words left Kushida speechless, choking on her own retort.
Now she was stuck between advancing and retreating. All she could do was stand there awkwardly, wiping her tears.
"Do you really want your classmate to drop out so badly?"
Just as Nagumo Miyabi reached out to place a hand on Amane's shoulder, she sidestepped him in an instant.
Amane even looked at him with an expression of pure disgust, as if he were some repulsive worm.
It was the first time he had ever been looked at with such contempt. For a moment, Nagumo too was frozen in place, embarrassed.
His hovering hand, with nowhere to go, dropped awkwardly to his side.
"Use your words, not your hands. As for expulsions… I don't like seeing anyone leave either. But those are the school's rules. As much as it pains me, I choose to respect them. However, expulsions like Hirata's, labeled as cheating—that's something I can't accept."
Amane brushed off some nonexistent dust from her shoulder, her gaze passing straight through Nagumo to lock onto Horikita Manabu.
The silent Horikita finally spoke.
"No need to pressure me. I understand your meaning. So, let's hear your conditions."
The moment Horikita's near-surrender words were spoken, Nagumo's brow furrowed.
"President Horikita, the school entrusted this matter entirely to us. That means the student council has the final say. How can we change things because of one person?"
No sooner had Nagumo finished than Amane made a 'tsk tsk tsk' sound.
"Well now, I distinctly recall President Horikita declaring Hirata-kun's actions as cheating, didn't he? Yet now the student council can't produce any evidence proving Hirata-kun cheated. If word got out about such an irresponsible ruling…"
Amane's words made a flash of understanding cross Nagumo's face.
He finally understood why Amane had remained silent before the student council's decision, only to suddenly jump to Hirata's defense after he was confirmed as a cheater.
The reason was to seize the student council's "leverage."
To irresponsibly declare Hirata a cheater without investigation or evidence—if such a thing got out, even Horikita Manabu would face criticism and blame.
That's why, after Horikita abandoned the argument about cheating with Nagumo and Kiriyama, he directly asked for Amane's thoughts, attempting to compromise with her.
This kind of exchange…
Is that girl really a first-year?
Fine beads of sweat formed on Nagumo's forehead.
The restless agitation within made him want to loosen his collar, to let the cool evening breeze soothe his emotions.
Wait.
If that's the case…
Doesn't that mean Horikita Manabu has also been backed into a corner?
But when he looked at Horikita, his face remained stern and composed, utterly unaffected by the unfavorable situation.
"You're being too obvious."
Horikita looked toward Ayanokōji.
"Is there a problem?"
Ayanokōji asked, feigning confusion.
"Your control over your expressions is impressive, but unfortunately, your coordination is still too clumsy. You, who hadn't reacted at all, deliberately stepped forward upon hearing Amane's words. If I'm not mistaken… you can take out your phone now and turn off the recording."
Horikita's statement sent a wave of shock through the meeting room.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Even after his actions were exposed, Ayanokōji remained expressionless, intending to brazen it out.
"Petty tricks are useless against me. If I'm right, Amane looking down at her phone earlier was actually sending you a warning message, correct?"
Nagumo fell into thought.
It seemed when Tachibana went to fetch Ayanokōji, Amane did pick up her phone with one hand and swipe a couple of times before putting it down.
Such a short time shouldn't have been enough to send a warning message. Just as Nagumo prepared to refute, Kiriyama voiced his confusion for him.
Seeing Kiriyama still charging ahead stubbornly, Nagumo felt slightly relieved. Right now, he was terrified of being publicly humiliated by Amane's rebuttals.
"Simple. She swiped the screen twice—that action took her from the chat room to her friends list. Then she held down the function key."
"When I ordered Tachibana to fetch Ayanokōji, she used voice search to find Ayanokōji's chatbox. After Tachibana left, she pretended to check the time but actually quickly typed a single word to warn Ayanokōji."
Horikita felt a bit thirsty.
He reached for his water bottle, but Tachibana, completely engrossed, immediately handed him hers instead.
Horikita glanced at Tachibana, opened it, and took a few sips to moisten his throat.
"But how could a single word convey a warning? And judging by their coordination here, it's as if they came prepared."
Kiriyama shook his head, finding it impossible for Amane to manage so much with just one word.
"If I'm not mistaken, that word was probably 'record,' wasn't it?"
A smile of certain victory spread across Horikita's face.
If anyone else had worn such an expression, Amane would have told them it was too early to celebrate. But when Horikita smiled like that, even though it was a smile, it placed immense pressure on both Ayanokōji and Amane.
Helpless, Ayanokōji took out his phone, opened his chat with Amane, and showed the screen—it indeed read 'record.'
"I don't understand. How could just the word 'record' explain everything that happened here to Amane and Ayanokōji-kun?"
Kushida asked, unable to comprehend.
It was Nagumo who answered.
"Simple. Under what circumstances would you need to record?"
"Usually, it's when you need to gather evidence. Combined with the student council holding a meeting about expulsions today, it's easy to imagine the general situation. Plus, Ayanokōji himself was a buyer of the test papers, so he'd naturally be more vigilant."
Nagumo didn't want to admit that a first-year could pull off something like this.
But with the reality right in front of him, he couldn't help but feel admiration for Amane's every move.
If Horikita hadn't exposed their little tricks, no one would have known Ayanokōji was recording during the meeting.
"As expected of President Horikita. But what does it matter if we're discovered? We already have the recording. I have enough evidence to force a change in the student council's personnel… How do you plan to turn this around, President Horikita?"
Amane's face bloomed into a radiant smile, looking as if she had Horikita completely cornered.
"Amane, don't you think this leverage came a little too easily?"
The corners of Horikita's mouth lifted slightly.
--+--
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.