The "trial" for Ike and Yamauchi, the two idiots, lasted almost the entire morning. In the end, it was Hirata's patient persuasion that calmed everyone down, finally giving the two some relief.
As soon as the school bell rang in the afternoon, signaling the end of the day, the idiot duo bolted from the classroom like their lives depended on it, as if afraid someone would block their way at the door.
After packing up his things, Hikigaya headed to the student council office. The closer the summer tournament got, the busier he became. Unlike Hirata and Kushida, he didn't have the time to help search for people.
However, before going to the student council office, he made a quick detour to the infirmary.
"Sakura, sorry to bother you."
Horikita suddenly spoke to Sakura and asked her if she had any information about potential witnesses. Sakura froze for a moment, then instinctively started trembling. Her hands clutched the straps of her backpack tightly, pulling it close to her chest, looking incredibly nervous.
Sakura was well aware that Hirata, Kushida, and the others had been running around for days trying to find someone who had witnessed the incident involving Sudou. And by pure coincidence... she had been there that day and had even captured it with her camera.
She had been hoping someone else had seen it too so that she wouldn't have to step forward. But after all these days, Hirata and the others still hadn't found a single witness.
This put Sakura in a dilemma. If the truth never came out because she stayed silent...
Just as she was about to gather her courage, flashes of Yamauchi, Sudou, and others badmouthing and mocking that boy surfaced in her mind. She even remembered how, just last month, he had stepped up to protect her and ended up getting beaten for it.
For some reason, as those scenes replayed in her head, her fists clenched tightly.
"I-I'm sorry! I-I don't know anything!"
Sakura gripped her backpack, blurted out her excuse, then turned and hurried away. But as soon as she spun around, she bumped right into Ayanokouji. Luckily, Horikita reacted fast enough to catch her, preventing her from falling.
However, her backpack fell to the ground with a loud *thud*!
Sakura's expression changed. She quickly picked up her backpack and opened it to check. Panicked, she pulled out her camera and inspected it carefully. After confirming that the body and lens weren't damaged and that it could still turn on, she finally let out a slow sigh of relief.
"Are you okay, Sakura?"
Horikita crouched down and asked. At the same time, she shot a glare at Ayanokouji, who scratched his head with a helpless look before apologizing to Sakura.
Sakura shook her head. After putting her camera back into her backpack, she hurriedly left.
"Horikita, what are you looking at?"
"None of your business!"
Horikita watched Sakura's back as she left, slowly furrowing her brows.
...
It was Hikigaya's turn for student council duty today, originally alongside Tachibana Akane. But when he arrived, he found Horikita Manabu inside, going through paperwork.
Noticing Hikigaya's questioning look, Horikita Manabu briefly glanced up and explained, "With about a month left until summer vacation, there's a lot that needs to be sorted out. Tachibana has been putting too much time into student council work, so she needs some personal time."
That made sense. Hikigaya nodded slightly and took a seat on the other side, beginning to sort through club applications and documents.
At one point, senior Handa dropped by to discuss some related matters with Hikigaya. After Handa left, the office fell back into silence, with only the sound of papers flipping and pens scratching against paper.
Horikita Manabu—the student council president—was widely known as serious and strict. Many students found him intimidating, often feeling uneasy just by passing by him. His presence and natural authority made him seem even more imposing than most teachers.
But Hikigaya didn't find him particularly difficult to deal with. In fact, he felt that working with Horikita Manabu was quite... easy.
After joining the student council, he realized that it wasn't as rigidly structured as he had imagined. There was no clear hierarchy based on grade level, seniority, or class ranking.
What truly mattered here was ability, not status.
That's why, despite being a first-year, Hikigaya had developed an unexpected familiarity with third-years like Tachibana Akane, Handa Seishuu, and even Horikita Manabu himself. No one looked down on others just because they were from Class C or D, nor did anyone act superior for being in Class A.
Even though the school thrived on fierce class competition, that sense of rivalry was surprisingly faint within the student council. This was something Hikigaya hadn't expected.
After about two hours, Hikigaya stretched, rubbing his stiff shoulders and back. Then, as if out of habit, he glanced at Horikita Manabu. The guy was still sitting perfectly straight, just as he had been from the beginning.
When he had first started working with Tachibana Akane, she had tried to maintain that same formal posture, wanting to set a good example as an upperclassman. But over time, as they got more comfortable with each other, she eventually stopped forcing herself.
But Horikita Manabu wasn't just "forcing" himself. This level of discipline had become second nature to him—a part of who he was. Hikigaya had to admit, he respected that.
"Hikigaya, want to grab dinner?"
Horikita Manabu suddenly put down his pen and looked up, extending an invitation.
Hikigaya didn't think too much about it and nodded. His shift had just ended, and he was planning to head to the cafeteria anyway.
When they arrived at the cafeteria, Hikigaya was about to head over to the meal ticket machine when Horikita Manabu said, "Follow me."
Curious, Hikigaya followed him upstairs.
The second floor of the cafeteria also has meal ticket vending machines, but the meal options are slightly different from those on the first floor. There are fewer choices, but the meals are more varied and seem to be of higher quality. As a result, the prices are also noticeably higher. However, Hikigaya noticed something else—the vending machines on the second floor don't offer a free vegetable set, and even the cheapest meal starts at 1,000 private points.
Compared to the open dining hall on the first floor, the second floor has fewer people and is equipped with booth seating, making the dining space more comfortable and private.
Hikigaya had never been to the second floor of the cafeteria before because it was too noticeable. The second floor was primarily used by third-year students from the top classes. Occasionally, some second-year students could be seen there, but almost no first-year students ever showed up. This seemed to be an unspoken rule that everyone just accepted.
As Horikita Manabu walked through the aisle, many third-year students who were eating put down their utensils to greet him. Horikita Manabu only gave them a slight nod, as if he was used to it. Naturally, the sight of Hikigaya following behind him also drew some attention, but no one dared to say anything.
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