Volume 11.5, Chapter 1: Graduation Ceremony Part 4

That was the conclusion of my little talk with Chairman Sakayanagi yesterday.

And now, Im headed towards the arranged reception room by myself.

I reached the door of the reception room. Had anyone arrived already, or was I the first?

Excuse me.

After knocking, I entered the room and was greeted by Chabashira-sensei.

She stood by the window and looked at me.

Youre early, Ayanokouji. Theres still 10 minutes before the designated time.

It doesnt make a difference. Youre early as well.

Chabashira stared at me, contemplating how she should reply.

I could more or less guess what was going on in her mind when Chairman Sakayanagi told her about the situation.

The sofa was unoccupied, but neither of us sat down.

Wheres Mashima-sensei?

Ive already met up with him, but it wasnt suitable for him to come with me. This is a bold move, Ayanokouji. Didnt you want to live a peaceful school life?

Before Mashima-sensei arrives, Ill play along with Chabashira-sensei.

You say that, but you were the one that initially disrupted that peaceful school life.

No matter what, that isnt how you should speak to a teacher. You might want to correct your attitude.

Id say my attitude is appropriate considering that what youve done back then wasnt something a teacher should have done.

Chabashira-sensei, who wanted Class D to rise to Class A, even resorted to threatening me, a student, to accomplish what she wanted. Ever since, Ive always had a sense of distrustNo, disgust, for her.

Chabashira-sensei looked away, seemingly ashamed.

I cant deny that.

Her desire for reaching Class A was too strong.

Because Chairman Sakayanagi trusted her, she couldnt blatantly use me, but she could have handled it more smoothly.

No. No matter what she did, the result would have been the same.

Even if Chabashira tried to talk me over, my stance wouldnt have changed.

But then again, my situation had changed a lot since the beginning.

Since you hate me, why call me here, Ayanokouji?

It seemed that she was surprised that I called her over in this situation.

Although her purpose was to just get Mashima-sensei involved, I still could have chosen to exclude her.

It wasnt hard to find out why I didnt do that.

At the very least, its true that I dont like you.

It seems so.

No matter what my feelings were, I must use whatever I could.

Like and dislike was a separate matter than loss and gain.

Thats because I judged that the presence of Chabashira would increase the chance of bringing Mashima-sensei to our side, even by a millimetre.

I had judged that the presence of Chabashira would increase the chance of bringing Mashima-sensei over, and so I had chosen to involve her.

How much did he tell you?

He asked me to prepare the meeting by contacting Mashima-sensei. He also said you had something important to talk about, and asked me to help you, but

Did she know anything about the situation with Tsukishiro?

It seems like the Chairman intended for me to have all the power in this situation.

Whats the reason you wanted to talk to us then?

Ill say it once Mashima-sensei comes. I dont want to say it twice.

Although I dont know what you got yourself into, if you want my help, shouldnt you use a more suitable tone?

She was defiant, and that was perhaps because she was on the defensive in this situation.

As a teacher, I will obey the instructions of Chairman Sakayanagi, but his word isnt absolute. Do you know what I mean by that?

Do you dislike my attitude that much?

Heh, I hate it. Although you are an excellent student to an extent, Youre still only a 1st-year high school student, arent you? And although it was a confrontation between classes, you were defeated by Sakayanagi at the end of year exam. Looks like you dont actually have the extraordinary strength I expected of you.

So she was disappointed that I didnt have the power she thought I had.

If you have the necessary ability, I will tolerate what you say and what you do. However, if what youve displayed up to now was the extent of your power, its a different story.

If I couldnt defeat Sakayanagi of Class A, then what Chabashira wanted couldnt be achieved.

It seemed like she could no longer hold in what she wanted to say to me in this situation where I held the advantage.

Although Chabashira was a teacher, what she was doing right now was already beyond the scope of a teachers duties.

Depending on the content of the conversation, she could, of course, refuse to help.

Depending on the situation, she might even choose to go over to Tsukishiros side.

If I kept mentioning the fact that I wasnt in her control any longer, it would only be counterproductive.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, seeing that she had some kind of knowledge about me and my situation.

I understand, my attitude will change, Chabashira-sensei.

What?

Chabashira was surprised by my outspoken agreement.

I guess she didnt expect that her defiance on that level would make me yield to her.

Although it seemed like I wanted to change the topic, it was mainly because I wanted to leave her with the possibility that I could be tamed.

However, despite this possibility, Chabashira still couldnt trust me entirely.

She could also be thinking that I was laughing at her in secret while I said that.

I intended to express the fact that I was a positive presence for the whole of Class D.

My way of thinking has changed. After April, I plan to seriously target Class A.

Whats the joke here? Preparing this meeting as well, what are you thinking?

Im completely serious. I plan to break away from being labelled as Class D or Class C. However, because of the differences in Class Points, theres no guarantee to be promoted to Class A at the end of the next year. But Im confident that well be able to rise to Class B.

For Chabashira, this was the thing she desired the most.

Rising from Class D to Class A.

That was something that had never happened in this school before.

It seems like youve finally come to realisebut anything coming out of your mouth would mean nothing if you dont actually intend to do anything.

Thats true. But dont you want to keep your ticket to Class A?

Regardless if this ticket was real or fake, it was better than having nothing.

Ive already said this, but you lost against Class A at the end of year exam. Although you held an admirable record of 3 wins and 4 losses, a loss is still a loss. Although the exam required a certain amount of luck, I cant let you use that as an excuse.

She re-emphasized what was said before.

No matter who the opponent is, and no matter what the exam is, even if you win, it seemed like I had been expecting a little too much out of you.

It seems like she had some sort of fantasy about me.

Youll learn the truth later in the meeting.

Learn the truth..?

Listen to me until the end, and if you still cant trust my strength, you can do whatever you want.

What is this-

Although Chabashira wanted an answer, a loud knocking sound blocked out her voice.

Please come in.

As soon as Chabashira replied, Mashima-sensei entered the reception room.

It seems like you were already here.

And immediately after-

Hello.

A student of Class A, Sayakanagi Arisu.

She came in with Mashima-sensei. An unexpected guest.

I didnt remember calling her, and I didnt think Mashima-sensei would bring her here himself.

Im a student of Class A, so even if others see me walking with Mashima-sensei, theres isnt a problem.

Needless to say, Sakayanagi must have followed Mashima-sensei here.

I received a notification from Chabashira-sensei. But Sakayanagi here said she was related to this incident, so I brought her

Chairman Sakayanagi probably told his daughter about the phone call to confirm that I had contacted him through his daughter.

But was that really related to why Sakayanagi was here?

Was she following orders, or was this just mere curiosity?

9 times out of 10, its the latter.

No problem, its within the realms of my expectations.

I accepted this visitor as someone I should welcome and responded accordingly.

Sakayanagi nodded slightly with a smile.

Then, without even looking at Chabashiras direction, Mashima-sensei closed the door to the reception room.

It seems like Chabashira couldnt understand why Sakayanagi was here.

Mashima-sensei was the same.

Regardless of that, all the necessary people were in place.

This limited amount of time must be used meaningfully.

You seem to have something to say to us, Ayanokouji. Making a special announcement through Chairman Sakayanagi, allowing us to skip the closing ceremony to have a secret meeting Whats the big deal? Whats going on?

I will explain that now.

I first urged the two teachers to sit down.

But Mashima-sensei told Sakayanagi to sit down first.

Ah, thank you.

Mashima-sensei stood, letting the crippled Sakayanagi sit, crossing his arms.

It seemed that whether he would sit depended on the contents of the conversation. Chabashira seemed to do the same as him.

The three other people in the room all looked towards me.

20-30 minutes was the maximum amount of time they could slip out of the closing ceremony, so time was minimal.

Although I wanted to get straight to the point, I didnt know how long it would take for them to understand.

Because the current situation wasnt something that could be easily understood with just one explanation.

Time was precious, so I started with the matter of Acting Director Tsukishiro.

You might be wondering why were meeting at such a busy time, and thats because of important matters relating to Acting Director Tsukishiro.

Important matters relating to Acting Director Tsukishiro? What are you talking about?

Mashima-senseis face had a perplexed expression, due to my unexpected statement right from the start.

Hearing a student saying such a thing, the expression that he had was understandable.

Chabashira also seemed unable to keep up with this, and instead turned her attention to the unexpected turn up. Sakayanagi, who confronted the attention head first, flashed an innocent smile.

An expression which seemed to express her superior knowledge of the situation.

This cheerful expression that was on her face, thats the classic manner of Sakayanagi.

The current events are affecting the schools operations, and it has reached the point in which we cannot ignore it. To smoothly settle this situation, I hope that you two teachers can help me while keeping this case confidential.

I heard that there was something important to tell me Is this a joke? Chabashira-sensei.

While finding it very difficult to believe, Mashima-sensei asked Chabashira sensei for an explanation.

I didnt intend to make fun of you. Did you think Im someone who does meaningless things like Hoshinomiya-sensei?

Thats what you say, but I dont understand the situation at all. Right now, theres also a closing ceremony going on which I should be at.

This was originally going to be a valuable time to interact with the graduates.

He showed no interest in listening to a childs imagination run wild.

What does Ayanokouji want to do?

I dont know, even if I want to explain, I cant. Like I said yesterday, I just prepared this location under Chairman Sakayangis orders. I also need an explanation for me to understand whats going on.

Both teachers cast a doubtful gaze at me, but I continued to explain.

If I said that Im the reason why Tsukishiro replaced Chairman Sakayanagi after being confined for suspected wrongdoing, what would you say, Mashima-sensei?

What?

Even if we get straight into the topic, it wouldnt be easy to progress in this situation.

Not only that, but Mashima-senseis doubts are growing deeper.

This makes no sense. Why is it because of you?

Of course, this would be the natural reaction.

He would never have thought that a student would shape the very structure of the school itself.

Sure enough, we should start with the end of year exam.

Let me explain what happened

When I wanted to bring up the end of year exam, Sakayanagi raised her hand.

Sorry, but is it alright for me to explain?.

Sakayanagi seemed to have anticipated this would happen and suggested to explain it herself.

Sakayanagi, you said you knew about the situation right?

Well, if you may excuse my rudeness, I think I understand the situation a little better than you teachers.

Sakayanagi acted immediately. Maybe she thought that rather than having someone merely involved explain, it would be faster for someone who understood the situation to explain. I nodded slightly, so Sakayanagi turned her attention to Mashima-sensei.

Are you saying that youve already heard about this from the Chairman?

No, its just from what Ive gathered. Ayanokouji-kun and I- How should I say this Simply put, were like childhood friends.

Sakayangi said this happily. Although I wasnt sure how the others would react to this, the teachers seemed surprised, at the very least.

I never expected you two to be childhood friends

Sakayangi explained to Chabashira what she meant.

Its just something similar to that. Anyways, Ill explain the situation to you.

The matter of the childhood friends was glossed over by Sakayanagi, and she began explaining the situation.

Lets review what happened during the confrontation between Ayanokouji-kun and me as the two commander towers at the end of year exam held a few days ago. Back then, my victory during the final chess event determined the outcome of the exam.

This was the result, which was a fact, at least as far as the school knew.

What happened then?

Of course, Mashima-sensei and Chabashira wouldnt have any doubts about what happened.

What if I said during then, someone stepped in to interfere with the match, which changed the outcome, and therefore had a great impact on the test results? Wouldnt that be a serious issue?

Exams are carried out very strictly, and there was, and will be, no problems with how theyre conducted.

Let me ask, on what basis are you to say that the exam was strictly run? Neither of you were present during the exam.

Because they couldnt serve as an invigilator for their own class, Chabashira and Mashima-sensei were in charge of Ichinoses and Ryuuens class. In other words, they did not see our exam take place in person.

I was originally the loser of that chess game, Ayanokouji-kun came out victorious.

Ayanokouji won that match? But I saw the results of the match, and Ive also seen what happened during the match.

The first person to say something about this was not Mashima-sensei, but Chabashira.

It was because of Class Cs defeat in chess that led to her class falling back to Class D, which was why she cared so much about this issue.

You still dont get it?

Sakayanagi used that question to sound out Mashima-sensei and Chabashira.

What are you trying to say? Could it be that acting director Tsukishiro manipulated the results of the chess game? Sakagami-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei met up after the exam, and they didnt find anything irregular had happened.

The thing that has changed wasnt the result, but the process. Its impossible to see the truth if one is bound by common sense. The orders that the commanding tower sends out werent directly sent to the students. Instead, it was passed onto the school to review, and then after that, finally sent through the headphones.

Did they understand now? Just like that, Sakayanagi made them slowly come to an understanding.

For the first time, doubts about Acting Director Tsukishiro and the end of year exam flashed through Mashima-senseis mind.

It was rare to have an exam that made use of such large scale equipment and the teachers knew that, but the fact of the matter is that Acting Director Tsukishiro prepared that in order to illegally intervene with the exam.

Sakayanagi subtly intertwined lies, mysteries, as well as the truth together.

Because of how much Tsukishiro had planned out, only he would know the situation completely.

Instead of confirming the facts, it was an appropriate explanation based on her conjectures, and she acted as if it were the truth.

Such words will be accepted by the teachers.

Mashima-sensei and Chabashira wouldnt be able to understand it entirely due to the sheer volume of information just revealed to them. As Sakayanagi was still explaining the topic, in order to keep up with her, their minds will have to treat what she said as a fact.

That is to say that the information Ayanokouji-kun inputted and the information Horikita-san heard- that is, the content read by the machine, was different. If she had followed Ayanokouji-kuns real instructions, I would have lost instead. Do you understand what that means?

Sakayanagi smiled, testing their ability to understand.

Could they understand with just that? This restricted the answer of the other party to only one possibility.

You mean that Acting Director Tsukishiro-manipulated the results from behind the scenes?

Because for him, the protection points Ayanokouji-kun holds was in the way of his true objective, to get Ayanokouji-kun expelled.

The two teachers did not speak.

But before long, Mashima-sensei asked something.

Was what Sakayanagi said true, Ayanokouji?

Yes, its as she said.

Ill admit that what you both said made some sense. As Ive been Sakayanagis teacher for a year, I have a certain understanding of her personality and how she thinks. If she really wanted to lose against Ayanokouji deliberately, she just needed to choose different examination events carefully to manipulate the results to what she wanted, including the chess event. You couldnt gain anything by lowering yourself in order to elevate Ayanokouji.

As the leader of Class A, even if Sakayanagi was lying, admitting her defeat would have no benefits.

Its as Mashima-sensei said. If she wanted me to win due to personal reasons, there were many ways to concede victory, either by exceeding the time limit or some other method.

There was no need to deliberately set up something while also saying something of doubtful reliability.

But even if you do know the whole sequence of events, there isnt a way for a third party to confirm its authenticity, right?

Chabashira replied to Sakayanagis unfounded argument.

This was hard to believe at the start.what do you think?

Chabashira asked the opinion of Mashima-sensei, who was intently listening to what was said.

Never mind what I think, the current situation is hard for anyone to accept.

Just when Mashima-sensei wanted to step back for a bit, Chabashira stopped him.

My personal opinion is that what these two said has some kind of truth in it. Ever since Acting Director Tsukishiro came to this school, the whole school feels a bit abnormal.

If you believe that only because of your personal feelings towards Tsukihiro, then I dont need to consider what you think. Its the same as thinking your class can win.

Mashima-sensei spoke sternly towards Chabashira in front of us.

And then immediately talked to us students.

Do you two have any evidence?

If we said we heard about the improper behaviour directly from Tsukishiro himself, would you believe us?

Of course not.

A person who engaged in improper conduct behind the scenes would not reveal their behaviour.

Even if the matter came up, that person wouldnt respond to anything. That was something which everyone understood.

Its hard to believe that there is a child that wants something similar to what Acting Director Tsukishiro wants. To get rid of each other. That is what I truly think.

Its the truth.

I dont want to doubt what you students say. I also dont think that youre stupid enough to realize that lying right now wont do you any good. But this lacks any basis, as well as evidence.

Even though he really wanted to believe it, if there were no reliable evidence, Mashima-sensei would not accept it.

What kind of person are you, Ayanokouji? Please tell me.

It was only a matter of time before Mashima-sensei asked that question.

Chairman Sakayanagi was confined for suspected wrongdoing, so a man named Tsukishiro was sent to this school.

Tsukishiro started acting for me to drop out of school. Even if it meant interfering with a special exam, he had to carry out his order. So it was inevitable that questions would arise about myself.

Should I explain it myself, or leave it to someone else.

Seeing that there was no response from me, Mashima-sensei turned to Chabashira.

Do you know anything about Ayanokouji?

Mashima-sensei asked Chabashira, who believed what we said to a certain extent.

To be honest From my past experiences, I only know a little.

She glanced at me. I coldly ignored her.

There was no harm in Chabashira-sensei exposing some superficial information about me.

I looked at Ayanokoujis entrance exam results, and he scored 50 on all subjects, which I thought was extremely peculiar.

50 points for each subject does that mean he deliberately tried to score half marks for every subject?

If you investigate deeper yourself, you should see that its true.

Hou? How intriguing.

But this doesnt prove anything. In general, students wont hold back their abilities during the entrance exam, but if you have high academic ability, it is not difficult to attain scores like that. In fact, the method I used to calculate the scores of the entrance exam was actually very simple.

Also, when Ayanokouji enrolled in this school, Chairman Sakayanagi told me that he was a special student.

Chairman Sakayanagi said that? Is that why you are here? Chabashira-sensei?

Chabashira-sensei nodded and began talking about what happened at that time.

He entrusted me, as his class teacher, with the duty of reporting back to him any inconveniences relating to Ayanokouji. As far as I know, Ayanokoujis father is a very authoritative person, and he didnt want him to enter this school in the first place. Chairman Sakayanagi had to use various forceful methods in order to permit him to enter the school in the first place.

So youve enrolled into this school without your guardians permission? Looks like the Chairman is also someone willing to use such forceful means to get what he wants.

If we ignored compulsory education, every ordinary child needed their parents permission in order to enter high school. The world wasnt so naive to let children do as they wish.

Because of the fact my father and Ayanokouji-kun had some sort of relationship, I sympathise with his unfortunate situation and will assist him when needed. But now, various problems have arisen because of this incident. The Acting Director, Tsukishiro, fabricated evidence in order to restrain my father in terms of dishonest behavior, and tried to get Ayanokouji expelled.

That was the most important point for Mashima-sensei.

The father was against his child entering this school, so he sent Acting Director Tsukishiro here

This wasnt something that an ordinary persons authority could achieve.

He didnt need to do all this, he just had to complain to the school itself.

His father had already set up a meeting between him, the chairman, and Ayanokouji himself after he enrolled.

So youre saying that his guardian had already communicated with the school with the wish that he wanted Ayanokouji to withdraw from the school?:

Yes. Its as Chabashira-sensei says. I once talked with Chairman Sakayanagi and my father in this very room. You can check the surveillance cameras out in the corridor to confirm if thats the truth.

And after that, since youre still at the school, does that mean that the Chairman had rejected the withdrawal application?

Yes.

Mashima-sensei wanted to confirm that fact, so Chabashira nodded her head.

Chairman Sakayanagi respected the will of the students. Although this was just a temporary replacementI didnt expect Acting Director Tsukishiro to be sent to the school just to get Ayanokouji expelled.

Sakayanagi jumped on what Chabashira said.

That isnt a surprise, it seems like Chabashira-sensei doesnt actually know anything about the situation.

It seems that youre confident of that.

Yes. I understand Ayanokouji-kun more than you do, Chabashira-sensei.

Sakayanagi always had this unnecessary aura of superiority around her.

Seeing me come here without an invitation without even objecting to my presence, wouldnt it be obvious?

Presenting indisputable facts, Sakayanagi smiled haughtily.

Finally, I get to understand the big picture. At least the part about the father that wanted his child back, I can accept that as a fact.

Mashima-sensei had figured out what was happening in the current situation but still couldnt accept most of it.

Butalthough I dont know the extent of Ayanokojis fathers authority, why did he have to try to get Ayanokouji expelled in this way? This doesnt seem realistic.

Because Ayanokouji-kun possesses means that other ordinary people do not.

Ive taken a look at Ayanokoujis exam results from the past few days. In terms of calculation and processing speed as well as choosing chess moves, hes definitely top tier. But there are other similarly outstanding students, and it shouldnt be enough to label him as an extraordinary specimen.

Mashima-sensei. I wont try to reject the method in how youve attempted to accept this situation. But have you actually thought about whats going on? From the start of school, my father had been paying attention to him, and then Acting Director Tsukishiro tried to use dishonest means to expel him from school. This is a fact, and the only truth.

Mashima folded his arms and closed his eyes.

Mashima-sensei presumably has reached his verdict. You can look for evidence in the future yourself.

After staying silent, he opened his eyes and looked at me, Sakayanagi, and finally, Chabashira.

YeahThe part about how the father was dissatisfied with his childs decision to enrol into the school and tried to get him expelled, I believe. And I dont want to help him with that. Im sure youre clear with why.

Mashima-sensei understood the surface of the situation we were talking about very well.

Arent you going to tell me everything?

It seems that Mashima-sensei had figured out something that was kept secret during the conversation by organising the contents of the discussion in his head.

But if he couldnt even decipher something on this level, then Ill be troubled.

Yeah. Even if I told you, it wouldnt be of any help no, it would be meaningless.

Even if I talked about the white room from the very start, Im afraid the adults wouldnt be able to understand it.

Even if you relied on only common sense, it was obvious that that man was doing something suspicious.

And, even if I talked about the white room here, it was still difficult to reach the truth.

Because that matter would have been completely covered up by now.

That being the case, there wasnt any point in doing such meaningless things.

What if I refuse to assist you?

Although I dont intend to do nothing, if you refuse, itll be a headache when dealing with Acting Director Tsukisiro. The schools events, whether its a special exam or something else, would be a lot easier for him to intervene illegally. You can see that in the event selection exam, as it had already happened.

Students alone couldnt prevent that from happening.

If we could convey that fact to Mashima-sensei, we could determine if he was a person who would turn a blind eye to that sort of thing.

Are you trying to feel me out, Ayanokouji? Fine. In future special examinations and tests, I will handle it appropriately, and will not allow Acting Director Tsukishiro to engage in illegal participation.

Finally, Mashima-sensei had said that he stood on our side.

Mashima-sensei, you do realise that this isnt such a simple thing to do, right?

Chabashira warned Mashima-sensei, who had accepted all of this.

Even if its true that he did something against the rules, if we arent careful, we could get fired.

I could understand why Chabashira said that.

Resisting against Tsukishiro would undoubtedly threaten their career.

The opponent this time wasnt someone you could fight against with just a strong sense of justice.

Although I dont fully believe this, if what you said was true, then itd be a grave matter. The school should never manipulate the course of the exam and change the results at will. If youre going to do this, youll have to do this thoroughly and carefully.

But, wouldnt it be better if you just paid a blind eye towards these issues? You just got your wages cut this morning for violating the rules during the event selection exam anyway.

Sakayanagi thought that was interesting, so she pounced on the opportunity.

Pay cuts for violating violations? What exactly did you do?

Im not going to tell you that.

Is it because of something that happened during Class B and Ds exam? Well hear about this sooner or later. But if it has something to do with Tsukishiros improper acts, I think its better to speak out now, or problems may occur later.

That has nothing to do with the current situation.

Instead of Mashima-sensei who was not planning to explain, it was Chabashira-sensei that spoke up.

Let me explain. During the selection event of class B and D, one of the selected events of Class D was Judo. The student participating was Albert Yamada. Class Bs Ichinose lost all her fighting spirit during then, which resulted in her failing to select a student to participate.

Because the opponent was Yamada-kun, this was expected. Probably no-one among the first year can beat him in judo.

Of course, Ichinose had already decided on who was going to participate in the judo event. However, if the student was chosen randomly, just like that, what would happen? Something unpredictable would occur. You should be aware of this.

Once the time was up, students who hadnt yet participated in any events would be automatically selected.

Not only the boys, but girls are also no exception too.

Even if they had lost immediately, nothing would have happened as a result. But this was Class B, and they would do anything for the sake of their companions. The selected students will most likely go all out for Ichinose.

No matter who the opponent was, Albert would not hold back in order to bring them down.

In that case, it was likely it would have resulted in a major accident.

As a result, Mashima-sensei decided that Class B was defeated, without even having a fight. This might have caused Acting Director Tsukishiro to become unhappy with him.

Was that why Mashima-sensei wages got cut as a punishment? If I had to say whether this violated the rules or not, it indeed would be considered a violation.

Both these situations are connected. If something is considered dangerous to the students, Ill quickly stop it. If theres improper behaviour, Ill quickly see it corrected. We teach them this, so what would happen if we teachers dont even apply what we teach to ourselves?

And for that reason, even if he got fired, he would not regret anything.

It looks like I cant stop you.

Ive always consciously done my job as a teacher.

The words he said seemed simple, but Mashima-sensei really was an excellent person who was able to do what he said.

Yourno, if Mashima-senseis decision is final, I will have nothing else to say.

Is this a temporary agreement?

Sakayanagi asked me, and I nodded in agreement.

Chabashira backed down, presumably because she realised that trying to persuade Mashima-sensei was pointless.

Since Mashima-sensei agreed, Ill help as well. Is that fine, Ayanokouji?

An additional person on our side is greatly appreciated.

Lets put an end to this discussion now. Ill keep this to myself. Theres no problem with that right?

Of course.

After all, both Mashima-sensei and Chabashira hadnt actually seen Tsukishiros wrongdoings with their own eyes.

And if we increase the number of teachers who are in the know, the chances of a leakage of information increase substantially.

Once Tsukishiro finds out that there are people who are trying to expose his wrongdoings, then he would naturally be more alert.

I also intend to stand at Ayanokoujis side at the time being.

Sakayanagi. Even if you do know Ayanokoujis situation, if people see you giving special treatment to him, it will raise some questions.

What are you talking about? Of course Im going to give him special treatment. Ive got the right to do so.

Sakayanagi rebutted Mashimas words.

What right?

Well, although this schools system revolves around competition between the classes, the students themselves will have various situations among them. Some of them might have friends or lovers in other classes that theyll have to betray, and some might have relationships that revolve money, which can be mutually beneficial or commensal. Sometimes, ones feelings can go beyond the boundaries of classes, forming mutually beneficial relationships with people in other classes. Is the social climate of this school always the same? No, its constantly changing. In that way, its the same as society itself, isnt it?

It didnt matter if Chairman Sakayanagi had someone he wanted to protect, he had no power to do anything.

Even if I only was able to save Ayanokouji-kun and left my classmates in Class A, the teachers wont have any reason to blame me. The only ones who can resent me will be the students I have betrayed.

Mashima-sensei may be dissatisfied with what Sakayanagi said, but he did not retort.

But-he may find special treatment to be unwelcoming.

Why?

Ill wait until the Acting Director is gone, but after that, things will be different. And if Class D obstructs Class A, I will beat them out mercilessly at any time.

Will you? Thats good.

Mashima-sensei accepted that and faced Sakayanagi determinedly.

Lets recap. Right now, you couldnt find any evidence to prove that Acting Director Tsukishiro has committed wrongdoing, is that right?

Evidence has been erased, so it would be meaningless to investigate now.

He would not do something as foolish as deliberately leaving evidence.

Then, it seems that we can only wait for his next move.

The teachers have a better understanding of the exams we will face after we become 2nd years.

As for what Tsukishiro will do, Ill leave that to Mashima-sensei to think about.

Its been more than 30 minutes, and it wont be good to be absent from the closing ceremony for too long. You students head out first, then well leave the room separately.

Got it.

Sakayanagi and I walked out of the reception room and out to the corridor at the same time.

Then the two of us walked side by side together.

Although its a bold move, its very beneficial to have Mashima-sensei on our side. As the person in charge of the first year, hes closer to the acting director than anyone else.

Heh. Even if it doesnt stop Tsukishiro completely, if itll restrain him, then itll be a good result.

But the problem of too strong a sense of righteousness is a little worrying. That should be considered one of Mashima-sensei disadvantages.

Yeah. Although hes beneficial, there are also situations where he cant be used in.

If he gets involved too deeply, Mashima-sensei will get fired. But since hes this sort of person, it will happen sooner or later anyway.

Sakayanagi said. Looking at the side of her face, it seemed like she was happy.

You seem happy.

Im delighted. Arent you happy?

Its hard to say. The situation Im in is a bit troublesome after all. For example, that the reason youre here is that-

Yes, Im here because this seems like fun. Did I bother you?

Sakayanagi immediately admitted all that.

No. Because your appearance improved my chances of persuading Mashima-sense, I thank you for that.

Well, thats great then.

Sakayanagi turned to face my direction and smiled.

I wont allow the school to repeatedly interfere with the outcome of our battles.

Sakayanagi was extremely angry at what Tsukishiro did to her.

Afterwards, she said she would face a complete battle with Tsukishiro, and work towards removing him from the school.

The enemy thats right in front of us is carelessness, and we should resolve that as soon as possible.

In Tsukishiros eyes, were nothing more than a few high school students. No matter how much we try, we cant create a big enough storm to affect him.

If he thought like that, mistakes would occur.

Ayanokouji-kun. At the moment, please let me work towards getting rid of Acting Director Tsukishiro.

Thanks for your help.

Whether she can be trusted wasnt something that needed to be considered as a critical issue.

Because based on our previous interactions, I was already familiar with Sakayanagis personality.