Inside the student council's conference room, the atmosphere had become even more tense than before. Perhaps it was because six students had already been summoned, making even the air feel suffocating, as if everyone was fighting for each breath.
"Now then, Yamauchi-kun from Class 1-D, please repeat what you just said. What exactly did you and Ike Kanji see and hear when you arrived at the infirmary?"
Student Council President Horikita Manabu gave a slight nod as he prompted the question.
"At that time, when Ike and I arrived at the infirmary, we clearly heard the voice of Kouenji from Class 1-A. There was also another girl whose name I didn't recognize. The two of them were talking about some sort of… transaction."
Yamauchi Haruki stammered under the heavy pressure, sweating profusely as he explained.
"And Ike even saw the back of Kouenji at that time."
Ike Kanji nodded in agreement.
"There aren't many students with blonde hair in our school. Although Hashimoto from Class A also has blonde hair, his build is completely different from Kouenji. There's no way I mistook him."
He had indeed seen a tall blond figure through the infirmary window.
"Then, because we discovered this suspicious transaction, Kouenji Rokusuke knocked us unconscious."
Logically speaking, Ike and Yamauchi's testimony wasn't flawed—though it certainly gave off a "Detective Conan" vibe.
"Kouenji-san."
"Do you have anything to refute? Were you actually at the infirmary, as they claim?"
Horikita Manabu shifted his gaze toward Kouenji, who looked indifferent despite the scrutiny from all four homeroom teachers. He shrugged nonchalantly and snorted.
"Absolutely not. My magnificent body is far too strong to require a place like the infirmary."
"I was simply enjoying coffee and sweets at a café on the second floor of Keyaki Mall. You must have already confirmed this."
Horikita Manabu nodded and responded while Yamauchi and Ike stared in disbelief:
"Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, we confirmed that Kouenji Rokusuke was indeed at a café on the second floor of Keyaki Mall from noon until evening on 16th. He never approached the infirmary."
"No way! I swear I saw him and heard his voice!"
Yamauchi shouted in protest but quickly shut his mouth under Horikita's intimidating glare.
[He must be lying...]
Even Mashima Tomonari, Class 1-D's homeroom teacher, made the same judgment. In the interview notes from Yamauchi's entrance file, the examiners had clearly written comments like "his responses differ from the objective investigation," "has a habit of lying to faculty," and "tends to exaggerate."
And over the past few weeks, Yamauchi and Ike had indeed been the most troublesome students in his class.
"Based on the objective facts, Kouenji Rokusuke was not at the infirmary that day. Therefore, Yamauchi and Ike, your statements are false and constitute lies."
"If all you heard was a voice, it could possibly have been a recording. But you insisted you saw Kouenji Rokusuke with your own eyes."
Horikita shook his head.
"That's simply not possible."
Having settled the matter of Class D's testimony, Horikita turned to Katsuragi Kohei. He recalled that this bald-headed student had once participated in the student council's recruitment but was eliminated during the interview.
"Katsuragi-kun, according to your account, Yamauchi and Ike fabricated their injuries and falsely accused Kouenji Rokusuke to extort you. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
Katsuragi Kohei stepped forward. From their earlier statements, he had instantly realized that what they saw must have been him wearing a wig. But saying so wouldn't benefit Class A, so he chose to keep it to himself.
"I received an anonymous text message saying that Kouenji had gotten into a fight with Class D students and I should hurry to the infirmary. When I arrived, I found Yamauchi and Ike accusing Kouenji. They threatened to have him expelled unless I paid them. To protect my classmate, I offered to pay one million private points."
"At the time, I didn't think too much about it. As the leader of Class 1-A, I just couldn't sit back and watch one of my classmates get expelled."
Katsuragi's firm gaze and powerful voice bathed the room in the aura of righteousness. Chabashira Sae, Class A's homeroom teacher, nodded approvingly, her eyes filled with pride.
"Yamauchi and Ike, do you have anything to refute?"
"The injuries weren't fake! Sure, we did end up asking Katsuragi-kun for points later, but we were already bandaged up when we woke up!"
Ike hastily denied, realizing this misunderstanding wasn't entirely their fault.
The panic before they lost consciousness, the smell of disinfectant and dull pain when they awoke—all of it made them instantly accept the reality that they were injured. And just then, someone walked in and apologized, offering compensation...
Not even Kouenji had time to think it through, let alone Yamauchi and Ike.
"Heh, maybe you two are just trying to protect your accomplice."
Katsuragi folded his arms confidently.
"I heard from classmates that you two had posted negative comments about Kouenji in your group chat before, especially after seeing that photo of him surrounded by girls."
"Because of that, you grew resentful. You learned Kouenji was a loner in Class A, eccentric and often alone. But since I was always around him lately, you couldn't act."
Katsuragi continued:
"So you decided to target me first. Knowing that I was close to Kouenji, you used his name to stage the extortion, hoping I'd break ties with him afterward. Then you'd go after him directly."
"How about it? Am I wrong?"
Yamauchi and Ike looked stunned. They had no idea their plan was so complex and psychologically detailed. It made them almost wonder if they had subconsciously planned it that way.
"No way! We barely even know you or Kouenji! If you hadn't walked in and apologized, we wouldn't have asked you for points at all."
Ike explained desperately.
"The only person we know from Class A is Kushida-san!"
Yamauchi quickly added.
Kushida Kikyou gave a polite yet awkward smile. She had no idea why she was summoned here either.
"And if we really wanted to frame Kouenji, why not use real injuries instead of easily-exposed fakes?"
"Because you two are cowards. Minor injuries wouldn't have been threatening enough, and you couldn't bring yourselves to go too far."
Katsuragi scoffed.
"I'm telling you, Yamauchi and I had nothing to do with the fake injuries! We don't even know how to fake wounds like that!"
Ike stomped his foot in frustration.
"Due to a malfunction, the infirmary's camera wasn't working. So we can't confirm who was present."
Horikita rubbed his chin and turned to Yamauchi and Ike:
"Assuming your story is true, that means there's at least one mystery person involved."
"Let's call the person who knocked you out X, and the one who disguised your injuries Y."
"X and Y could be the same person, but we can't say for sure."
Chabashira Sae didn't care for Horikita's deduction. She tapped the table and said:
"Regardless, Yamauchi and Ike extorted a million private points using fake injuries. Yamauchi already spent over 110,000 points. That clearly constitutes fraud."
"These minor details don't matter. The student council just needs to issue a fair judgment."
She simply wanted Class A out of this storm as quickly as possible.
"No, we must uncover the truth."
Horikita tapped the screen, displaying a movement chart centered on the infirmary, with hundreds of trajectory lines.
"Although the infirmary's camera failed, others were working. The student council compiled a list of students loitering nearby at the time. Excluding Ryuuen, Yamada, Tokito, Yamauchi, Ike, Katsuragi, and nurse Hoshinomiya Chie, there are two others who likely visited the infirmary."
"First is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class 1-A."
Ayanokouji, who had remained quiet and nearly invisible, lazily looked up, still looking drowsy.
"I wasn't feeling well and thought of visiting the infirmary. But I changed my mind and went back."
"Understood."
Horikita didn't press him further. Instead, he turned to Tachibana:
"Summon Yagami Takuya from Class 1-B."
Ayanokouji's pupils shrank slightly, though his expression remained unreadable.
"Yagami-kun, why did you visit the infirmary that day?"
"I just helped Hoshinomiya-sensei with some cleaning."
Yagami entered calmly, even greeting the teachers and council members with a graceful smile.
"I can confirm that. Yagami often helps me with chores."
Hoshinomiya Chie raised her hand.
Horikita paused, then asked:
"But as the school nurse, weren't you absent from the infirmary that afternoon?"
"Ahaha, yes, I was slacking off a bit."
She quickly added:
"Don't worry. Even if I'm not always inside, I check every hour. If no one's there, I leave."
"So..."
"That afternoon was normal class time. The door was shut and quiet, so I just peeked and left."
Horikita examined her erratic movement path on the map and nodded reluctantly.
In reality, infirmaries in high schools were awkward places—not quite useful for serious conditions, and unnecessary for minor ones. If something serious happened, the school would call an ambulance. For minor issues like colds, students usually went to the pharmacy after class.
Hence, the school nurse's job was fairly relaxed. Especially at Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, where the student population was small. That's why Hoshinomiya could also serve as Class B's homeroom teacher.
Still, there was a sense that something was being hidden.
As Horikita pondered this, Yamauchi suddenly cried out:
"I... I finally understand it all!"
-------------------------------------
"Faking injuries means they wanted to blow things up. In fact, if Ryuuen hadn't interfered, Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji would've almost succeeded. They were this close to swindling a million private points from Class A."
"Wasn't Ryuuen part of your plan, Ryo...?"
Horikita Suzune sighed with exasperation.
"I'm just trying to see things from their perspective," Kitagawa Ryo replied with a calm gaze, his eyes focused on the two who had entered the meeting room, as if he could peer into their thoughts.
"The school will narrow the suspect list for these two. After all, the student council president is Manabu."
"You mean my brother will help?"
"No need for his help. Rather, Manabu is the most likely to deduce the truth."
Kitagawa smiled faintly as he idly played with a strand of Suzune's hair, which had drooped near her feet from squatting.
"Your hair grows fast, Suzune."
"But it's a hassle to manage every day," she murmured, her voice soft and slightly listless.
"But it's beautiful. When you brush your hair each morning, you should say to yourself—"
"Mirror, mirror, who's the fairest of them all?"
"Don't interrupt."
Kitagawa lightly patted Suzune's shoulder, his tone suddenly serious.
"A woman dresses up for those she wants to please. That can include someone she likes or someone who likes her. But ultimately, it's about pleasing yourself. Being happy with yourself is most important."
"So it's a mutual emotional exchange. In the past, when you kept your hair long just because of your brother's words, that was a one-sided emotional investment."
Suzune understood all of this—she had experienced it twice before. But now, she didn't interrupt or protest. She simply listened to Kitagawa's quiet words by her side.
As Yagami Takuya was summoned into the meeting room, Kitagawa shifted the topic.
"Manabu will likely deduce half of the truth, and then Yamauchi and Ike will fill in the other half without hesitation. Like how Mouri Kogorou reacts after hearing half of Conan's explanation."
"Your analogy is disturbingly accurate," Suzune murmured.
Kitagawa propped his chin on his hand and mused aloud:
"So, who could've done it?"
"Who was it... really?"
-------------------------------------
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka! This is all your doing! I've seen through everything!"
With spit flying, Yamauchi Haruki charged forward and shouted. Instantly, every pair of eyes in the meeting room turned toward Ayanokouji.
Yamauchi dramatically pointed at him, nearly cracking his voice:
"It was all Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's doing!"
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