Five or six minutes later, the council room door opened again. The two members sent on the mission returned, followed by a long-haired man: Kakeru Ryūen.
"Vice President Nagumo, Ryūen-kun is here," one of them announced.
"Good, take him to the meeting room," Nagumo replied with ease. Then, turning to Hikaru and Ibuki, he explained, "Normally, for an accusation of this type, the homeroom teachers of both parties should be present. But since both are from Class 1-C, there's no need to disturb Professor Sakagami. The council will handle it. Follow me."
"Understood," Hikaru replied, as Ibuki and he followed Nagumo to the meeting room.
"President, should we accompany them?" Akane asked, still worried.
"No, Nagumo is competent, and I have no doubt he'll deliver a fair judgment," Horikita replied, watching Hikaru's figure disappear. A glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes. "Besides, this is an excellent opportunity."
"An opportunity?"
"To see how Hashima-kun behaves against Nagumo," Horikita explained, recalling their first meeting, his eyes gleaming with particular intensity.
"I see," Akane nodded, though her gaze toward Hikaru suddenly seemed filled with strange distrust.
In the council's meeting room, a large table stood, surrounded by numerous chairs.
"You, sit there. And you, Ryūen-kun, sit opposite," Nagumo ordered, observing the first-year student. With his long hair and delinquent appearance, Ryūen didn't inspire any sympathy in him.
*'No wonder someone wants to set him up,'* he thought.
"Alright, let's begin the debate. I'll summarize your statements and deliver a verdict according to the rules. Go ahead!"
The first to speak was the accused, Kakeru Ryūen.
"Well, well, Ibuki," he said, slumping in his chair, his icy eyes fixed on her, his voice laced with menace. "I thought you'd finally come to your senses and join my side. But you've really got me, haven't you? Not bad. You want me suspended? Where's your proof?"
"Proof? I have it. And a witness, too," Ibuki retorted, arms crossed, unperturbed by his threatening gaze. She pointed to Hikaru. "You've already met, right? This is Hashima-kun from Class 1-B. He's my witness."
"Oh, you?" Ryūen glanced briefly at Hikaru, whom he had seen earlier but hadn't paid much attention to. "And what's your proof? Show me."
"Hello, Ryūen-kun. Hikaru Hashima, pleased to meet you," Hikaru replied with a friendly smile, ignoring his opponent's hostility. "This afternoon, while fetching something from the science lab, I witnessed your acts of violence against Ibuki-san. I recorded everything. Would you like to see the video?"
At this, Nagumo signaled a council member to project the video onto the room's screen.
Seeing the footage, Ryūen's face darkened. The camera angle was cleverly chosen, concealing the part where Ibuki counterattacked with her leg techniques.
"So, Ryūen-kun, what do you have to say in your defense?" Nagumo asked.
He knew full well it was a setup, but with all eyes from the council on him, he couldn't afford a biased judgment without losing credibility.
"It's staged! I was fighting with her; it wasn't a one-sided attack!" Ryūen protested, pointing at Ibuki. "They ganged up to trap me!"
"Oh? And do you have proof? A witness, perhaps?" Nagumo asked, feigning interest.
"I want my classmates to testify. They know it was a fight, not an assault," Ryūen replied, thinking of Ishizaki and Komiya, whom he had posted in ambush. "Call them in, and everything will be clear!"
"That's your right," Nagumo nodded. "Contact them and tell them to come as soon as possible."
Ryūen shot a murderous glance at Hikaru and Ibuki before grabbing his phone to send a message.
"Hashima-kun, what do we do now?" Ibuki whispered, tugging Hikaru's sleeve, worried that Ryūen's accomplices might reveal she had challenged him to a duel.
"Don't worry. This is exactly what I wanted," Hikaru replied with a sly smile. "By playing this card, Ryūen has already lost."
"How so?"
"Patience, Ibuki-san. You'll see."
A few minutes later, two panting boys burst into the room, their faces still glistening with sweat.
"Ryūen, are you okay?" Ishizaki asked, visibly concerned.
"Relax, the council follows the rules," Ryūen replied before addressing Nagumo, "These are my witnesses. They can confirm that Ibuki provoked me and challenged me to a duel."
"Really?" Nagumo glared at Ishizaki and Komiya. "Can you prove what he's claiming?"
"Yes, absolutely!" they replied in unison. Ishizaki, furious, pointed at Ibuki. "Traitor! Why set up Ryūen? You're not one of us anymore, are you?"
"I was never with you. But I'm not a traitor to Class C either," Ibuki retorted, before turning to Hikaru.
Despite her opinion of this boy she deemed a liar, a strange trust in him was beginning to grow within her, though she didn't understand why.
"Perfect, you're just in time," Hikaru intervened with a smile. "I have one last piece of evidence to submit, and I was waiting for your arrival to share it with Nagumo-senpai."
He turned to Nagumo. "Senpai, please listen to this recording."
He played it.
"I don't know what you're up to, but since I'm here, I'll crush you once and for all!"
"Sorry, Ibuki, but you brought this on yourself by disobeying Ryūen."
"Yeah, I didn't want it to come to this either."
"Our accusation was incomplete," Hikaru explained, placing a hand on Ibuki's shoulder. "Not only was Ibuki-san assaulted by Ryūen, but he then called his accomplices to force her to vote for him. This recording proves it. You recognize their voices, don't you, Nagumo-senpai? The parties involved are right here for comparison."
Nagumo, after listening, changed his expression. He wasn't foolish: at this point, covering for Ryūen would be a fatal mistake for his reputation.
"You three, stay here!" he roared, his eyes flashing with anger. "I'll show you the consequences of using violence in this school!"
"Thank you for your impartiality, Nagumo-senpai. Can we stay for the verdict?" Hikaru asked.
Watching this boy holding his phone, Nagumo felt an idea forming. With a friendly smile, he replied, "Of course, Hashima-kun, Ibuki-san. You're the victims; you have the right to know the result."
"Thank you, Nagumo-senpai."