2 Chapter 3.4: The unexpected witness Part 4

It was hot and humid after school. I made my way towards the club building where the incident happened a few days ago. The area didnt look any different; after all, it wasnt like it had to be taped off because there was a murder case. Now that classes were over, I couldnt see anyone around since the home economics and the audiovisual rooms were rarely used in the first place. This would be one of the most ideal places in the school to call out Sudou.

Man, its hot&

This weather is pretty abnormal. I guess this is how summer should usually feel, but I didnt think itd be this hot and humid inside the building. Well, this is the effect of getting used to air conditioning every day. It felt even hotter because I was so used to the cold air of the A/C.

The air conditioning was probably on during classes, but I couldnt tell from how hot it was.

Sorry for bringing you over here.

Horikita, who was standing next to me, didnt look like she was feeling the heat as she looked down the hallway.

How strange of you to stick out your own neck for this case. Since weve already found the witness, theres nothing that can be done anymore. What more are you trying to do?

Sudous the first friend I made. I want to help him out a bit.

Do you think theres a way to prove hes innocent then?

Hmm, I dont know. I cant really say anything yet. Im just acting by myself because Im not very good at interacting with a larger group of people. It seemed like some responsibilities would be pushed onto me if I stayed, so I ran instead. After all, I like to avoid trouble.

Yeah, clearly. But even then, its contradictory for you to say that you want to help because hes a friend.

Well, human beings are mutually interdependent creatures.

Ive talked about this subject to Horikita before, but she seems pretty open-minded about my way of thinking.

Horikita usually acts by herself, so as long as it doesnt affect her negatively, shes fine with it.

Well, your way of thinking doesnt really matter to me, so youre free to do whatever you want. Also, I think its fine to avoid those two.

I mean, thats just because you hate them.

Having common enemies leads to cooperation after all.

No, just because Im bad at dealing with them doesnt mean I hate them. Im not like you.

By all means, I do want to get closer to Kushida and Hirata.

But Horikita has a broad interpretation of my thoughts and is trying to say that we are similar.

I walked down the hallway, scanning the corner between the wall and the ceiling.

Horikita suddenly noticed something and started looking around.

Hmm, there arent any here. Thats too bad.

Huh? What isnt here?

Cameras like the ones in the classroom. We would have solid evidence if those cameras were in the hallways, but there arent any.

Oh, right. Those cameras. The case would be solved instantly if they were here.

There were outlets near the ceiling, but werent being used.

The hallway doesnt have any obstacles, so if there was a camera, it wouldve been able to record the whole incident.

In the first place, does the school usually have cameras in the hallways?

The other buildings probably dont have cameras in the hallways as well.

I mean, they probably wouldnt be in the bathrooms or the changing rooms, right?

Yeah, probably not.

&Its not something to be sad about now though. If there were cameras, the school wouldve checked them first and this wouldnt be a problem.

I shook my head, feeling ashamed that I got my hopes up for a split second.

For a short while, we wandered around aimlessly without getting anything done.

Did you think of a plan to save Sudou-kun?

Of course not. Its your job to come up with a plan. I wont ask you to save Sudou, but it would be nice if you could put us in the right direction.

Horikita shrugged her shoulders in exasperation. Shes probably trying to find a way to respond to that. However, she found the witness, so at least shes considering helping out.

You want me to help? Right now?

The witness doesnt really help the situation because shes in class D. I think its better to go look for something else.

Horikita probably told the others even though it wouldnt help much. If she didnt want to tell them at all, she probably wouldnt have listened nor replied to their request.

However, she was calmly wandering around as if she didnt have a care in the world.

There are a lot of unpleasant things about Sudou. However, I want him to take less responsibility for the incident. Having a few points left over is the best possible outcome, even though its a loss if the impression of class D gets worse.

I think shes saying her honest feelings, even though shes not usually upfront.

Thats not a bad thing. However, most people are weak to loneliness. Thats why some people hypocritically act to stick together. That isnt the case for Horikita, though.

And unlike Kushida and the others, she definitely gave up on trying to prove Sudous innocence.

Like I said earlier, unless a perfect witness shows up, it will be impossible to prove that Sudou-kun is innocent. Well, it might happen if class C admits that they lied. Do you think thatll happen?

Definitely not. Class C wont do that.

Since the other class also doesnt have any evidence, the lie wont go anywhere.

We also dont have anything to believe other than Sudous words. The whole situation is in the dark.

Theres no one here after school.

Obviously, since this building isnt used for anything other than clubs.

One party called out the other to the roof. Afterwards, as if by fate, the two quarreling parties fought. In the end, Sudou injured the other party, and they complained about it.

I wouldnt bother coming to this hot place unless someone else called me out here.

The humidity is oppressing. I feel like Im going insane in this heat.

Is it not hot for you, Horikita?

As my body was suffering from the heat, Horikita was looking around with a cool expression.

Im pretty good against the heat and the cold. You look& not so good.

I was out of it from the heat and moved towards the window in search of some cool air. I opened the window to save myself from the heat& but I immediately shut the window right after.

&That was dangerous.

As soon as I opened the window, the hot wind burst into the room. It would be an even bigger disaster if I kept the window open.

When I think about the fact that itll get even hotter until August, I feel depressed.

However, there were results from coming here today. Its not impossible

What are you thinking about right now?

No, nothing much. Just that its hot& Ive reached my limit already.

It looked like nothing more could be done right now, so the two of us started heading back.

Ah.

Oops.

As I turned the corner of the hallway, I accidentally bumped into another student.

My bad, are you okay?

It wasnt that strong of an impact, so neither of us fell over.

Yes. Sorry, I was careless.

Me too. Oh wait, are you Sakura?

As the girl apologized, I recognized who she was.

&Ah, um&?

From her flustered response, it seems like she doesnt know who I am.

After she looked at my face for a few seconds, she recognized that I was one of her classmates. Then again, its kind of pointless if you can only recognize someone by looking at them carefully.

Sakura was holding her phone tightly in her hand.

Ah, um. My hobby is taking pictures&

She showed me the screen of her phone. I wasnt really planning on asking in the first place.

After all, its not unnatural to use a phone while walking.

Sakura was probably wondering why we were in this building.

What pictures were you taking?

Things like the hallway& and the view out the window.

As she finished her explanation, she saw Horikita nearby and cast down her eyes.

Ah, um&

I have something I want to ask you, Sakura-san.

Sakura looked uncomfortable, but Horikita took a step forward.

She stepped back in fright. I held back Horikita lightly, gesturing for her to back off.

G-Goodbye.

Sakura.

I quickly called out to Sakura, who was already running away.

You dont have to push yourself.

I didnt really have to call out to her, but I did.

Sakura stopped walking but didnt look back.

You dont have to come out as the witness. Theres no meaning to forcing a testimony out of you. However, if theres someone scary trying to threaten you, you can talk to us. I dont know how much I can help, but I will help the best I can.

Are you talking about me?

Lets just ignore the possibility that a scary person exists and let her go.

I didnt see anything. Im the wrong person&

She kept insisting that she wasnt the witness. After all, we are only working off Horikitas insight, and nothing else. There is a possibility that the actual witness may be someone else.

Then thats fine. If someone else tries to press you, though, tell me.

Sakura gave a small reply and headed down the stairs.

That was a once in a lifetime chance right now, you know? She probably walked away because she knew something was going to happen.

Since she denies it herself, theres nothing more we can do. Also, you know that a witness from class D is pretty weak.

Well, I guess.

Shell act based on her thoughts. Then again, I dont know what shes thinking.

Thats why were not really investigating right now.

Hey you guys, what are you doing here?

Both of us turned around, not having expected someone to call out to us. A strawberry-blonde haired girl was looking towards us.

Ive seen her face before. Shes Ichinose from class B, but Ive never talked to her before. Also, Ive heard that shes an amazing student from the rumors floating around.

Sorry to call you out so suddenly. Do you have some time? Oh, but if youre here on a date, please get out quickly.

Its nothing like that.

Horikita immediately denied it. Its only times like these when shes fast to respond.

Ahaha, I see. This place is too hot to be a date spot anyway.

Ichinose and I have never talked before. Im saying this without any proof, but she probably doesnt know my name. After all, Im only one of the many students she sees every day.

Is she Horikitas acquaintance or friend? &Nah.

If they suddenly went, Hey, long time no see~ How are you doing~? Im doing well~!, Im sure I would collapse while foaming at the mouth.

Do you have some business with us?

Of course it probably wasnt something like that, but Horikita became immediately wary of Ichinose, who had just appeared. She probably thinks that this isnt coincidence.

Business& well, something like what are you doing here?

Nothing much. Were somewhat wandering around.

It wouldve been fine to answer honestly, but the pressure from Horikitas gaze made me answer differently.

Somewhat, huh? You two are in class D, right?

&You know us?

Ive met you two times before, even though we havent talked. Also, I remember seeing him in the library before.

Somehow, it seems that she remembered my figure (guess I look pretty cool).

I have a good memory, after all.

Are you trying to say that you wouldnt have remembered me if your memory wasnt good?

I was a bit happy, but my good mood disappeared from that jab.

I thought that there would be something here that would be related to the fight. When I wasnt at school yesterday, it seems like some information about the witness had reached class B. I only heard later that the students of class D were trying to prove him innocent.

If were doing investigating here because of the incident, then how does that affect you?

Hmm, how does it affect me? &well, it doesnt. But, I had a few doubts when I heard about the story, and so I decided to come here to check things out. If its fine with you, would you tell me about the circumstances?

Is it fine to chalk it up as curiosity then?

After a few moments of silence, Ichinose spoke apologetically.

Does that mean no? If other classes were interested&

No, its nothing like that, but&

I can only think theres something else to this.

I tried to go about things peacefully, but Horikita immediately shot down that plan.

Ichinose tilted her neck and smiled, interpreting the meaning behind Horikitas words.

Something else? Do you feel like were going to make a secret move to interfere with class C and D?

She looked like she wanted to say, Oh, thats disappointing.

I dont think you have to be that wary, though. Im really just curious.

I dont want to answer someone whos just curious. Just do as you please.

Horikita answered, trying to get her to back off, and looked out the window.

Please tell me something. All I heard from my friends and the teachers were that there was a fight.

Although I hesitated for a bit, I knew that there wasnt much information out there and decided to explain how the three class C students called out Sudou, got beat up, turned it around on him, and how two versions of the story were reported to the school. Ichinose listened to the whole store seriously.

I see, so thats what happened. That news hasnt come to class B yet. I see, I see& Hey, isnt this a huge problem? It doesnt matter who lied, since its a case of violence anyway. Shouldnt you discover the truth?

Thats why were here in the first place, but we havent discovered much.

Its not a murder scene, so I didnt think there were any hints left over, but we did get some results, contrary to our expectations.

So, youre believing Sudou-kun because hes your friend and your classmate. And therefore this case has become a case of false accusation to class D.

It would be hard for Ichinose, a third party, to understand that it wasnt because he was our friend or because he was our classmate. But Im not going to explain that much.

What would you do if Sudou-kun was the one lying? For example, what if there was evidence that clearly proved he was guilty?

I would honestly report it. After all, such a lie would only bite us in the back later.

Yea, I agree.

Its not like Ichinose would be affected anyway.

Then were good, right? Since you got what you wanted.

She spoke quickly, as if she wanted to turn her away as fast as possible.

Mmm. Hey, is it fine if I help? I can help look for the witness. Its faster if theres more people, right?

Obviously, the more people the better. Thats true. But its not like were saying, Please listen to our story, its a disaster!.

I wonder why a class B student is offering to help.

Are class B and class D completely unrelated? We dont know when and where these kind of cases will pop up. Since the classes are competing against each other, theres always of a risk that these troubles appear. This time was just the first such case. Itll also be a huge issue if the party that lied wins. Also, I personally cant overlook this after hearing what happened.

I couldnt tell if she was being serious or if she was joking.

If class B helps in finding a witness, dont you guys have more credibility? Well, its possible that class D is the one that suffers damage after the truth is revealed&

If Sudous words are proven to be a lie, that means class Cs claim is the correct one. Sudou would be suspended, and class D would take some heavy damage, perhaps fatal.

What do you think? I think its a pretty good proposal.

I looked over at Horikita. However, she was still facing out the window with her back turned to me. I wonder what she thinks about her proposal.

Naturally, we were most worried about our merit. If the students of class D tried to prove Sudous innocence by ourselves, the credibility of our proof would be low unless the evidence completely solved the case.

If an unrelated class B student got involved, the situation would be completely different.

You may think Im being a hypocrite, but I also dont intend to carry such a heavy responsibility.

I weighed the positives and the negatives of her proposal. Obviously, we still couldnt trust Ichinose yet. After all, shes a student from class B, and theres no clear benefit for her in choosing to help. If helping other people repeatedly was related to the class and private points, then her actions are understandable. She probably wont give up such valuable information so easily& but theres no other way but to ask.

Lets accept the help, Ayanokouji-kun.

Horikita must have determined that the merits were greater than the risks.

I was thankful that she came to a decision quickly.

In the first place, I didnt really have any power to decide; it was all up to Horikita.

Ichinose smiled, showing her white teeth.

Then its decided. Um&

Horikita.

Horikita readily gave her name; it looks like she approves of this cooperative relationship.

Nice to meet you, Horikita-san. And Ayanokouji-kun as well.

By an unexpected turn of events, we became acquainted with Ichinose and formed a cooperative relationship, but its still up to chance whether or not this is a good thing. Either way, itll bring change.

We already found the witness, but sadly, theyre in class D.

Ichinose let out a sigh, facepalming.

Well, that means a witness isnt in any other class, right? At least, the probability would be low.

A very low chance, but a chance is a chance.

Even then, your friend is being considered as a regular, right? Thats awesome! Even if hes holding you guys back right now, hell be a great asset later on. If he goes out and does great, hell get points and so will the class. Wait& did you not know? Did your teacher not tell you?

We were only told that our private points were affected.

Its my first time hearing that it affects our class points& Ill have to bring up a complaint with Chiyabashira-sensei later on.

Horikita mumbled in dissatisfaction.

Either way, Sensei omitted something once again. I wonder if it was their teacher that told class B about the class points&

As usual, Sensei doesnt even try to pretend that were all equal. Im feeling the extreme discrimination.

Theres something strange about your homeroom teacher.

In the first place, she just doesnt have any motivation to tell us and is apathetic to the students. There are those kind of teachers.

I didnt think it was something to be surprised about, but Ichinose took a step back.

Did you know that the homeroom teachers are evaluated when their class graduates?

No, first time hearing it. Are you sure?

I wasnt interested; rather, I had to be interested. An important distinction to make.

My homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya-sensei, says it like its her favorite phrase. She always says that she has to do her best because the teacher in charge of class A will get a bonus at the end. It seems like its different for you guys.

Im envious of your homeroom teacher and your class.

It feels like our homeroom teacher has no sense of ambition and no desire for money.

Rather, it feels like she would say, You guys are failinggreat!.

I think it would be great to meet up and discuss things sometime.

I wasnt expecting to be helped by the enemy.

I mean, it feels like this is a problem before we can compete. After all, were not on even playing ground.

We were being pitied, even by the other classes.

It shows the lack of enthusiasm Chiyabashira-sensei has for her students.

I wish we could switch teachers.

No, I think there are a other problems with that.

I thought back on the time I met Hoshinomiya-sensei. She seems like a whole different set of troubles.

Ah, its so hot here.

Ichinose took out a handkerchief with a cute panda on it and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Our thick uniforms trap the heat well.

A school that turns on the air conditioning 24/7 even when the whole building is empty is bad for the environment and is detestable.

Ahahaha, I guess. Youre an interesting one.

Ichinose laughed even though the line wasnt meant to be funny.

I dont think there was anything to laugh at&

How about we exchange contact addresses to make sure things go smoothly in the future?

Horikita sent me a look of, I dont want to, so you give her yours.

If youre fine with mine. Ill reply when you contact me.

Okay, I got it.

I only realized after we exchanged addresses, but wow, I have a lot of girls contact addresses.

Granted, I only have seven addresses (three of which are girls), even though its the beginning of July.

Somehow& I may have been enjoying my youth without even knowing it.

This is unrelated, but Ichinoses first name is Honami.