Chapter 7 Eyewitness Scene

The wet, viscous liquid slid through his hair, across his cheeks, and over his neck, the cool touch invigorating his spirit.

Kagura Hikaru instinctively touched the dampness on his face, held it to his nose, and smelled a sweetness.

It was yogurt.

Not orange juice, not cola, but yogurt.

The sweetness of yogurt in drinks is comparatively stronger, with a color that is more prominent and easily noticed.

Being seen by others would surely be very conspicuous.

"A scene of rupture could deepen Ayakoji Chiyoko's impression of a hostile relationship with us. Having a common enemy can bridge distance more easily than having a common friend,"

"This is what I specifically went to the vending machine to buy, it cost me 500 yen~"

There wasn't a trace of emotion in Kiryu Hina's smile, "Don't let me down, okay?"

Don't let me down... huh.

That is to say, he hadn't considered my feelings from the start.

Kagura Hikaru's eyes dimmed for a moment as he silently stood up and left.

Next, in full view of everyone, he would parade the traces of 'bullying' on himself for all the classmates to see, and ultimately, the incident would reach Ayakoji Chiyoko's ears.

'Bullying' that took place during the lunch break—she would surely know what this implies.

Kagura Hikaru already knew how to use this to his advantage.

Undoubtedly, Kiryu Hina harbored the same thought.

Kiryu Hina watched with a smile as Kagura Hikaru walked away, then turned and departed in another direction.

This should have been a plan without any solid proof, taking place in darkness behind the scenes.

The only unexpected factor was the appearance of an eyewitness at the scene, who went unnoticed by everyone.

In a corner, a beautiful girl in a volleyball uniform happened to pass by carrying a box of sweat towels and saw the entire ordeal.

The Student Council President pouring milk on a male student's head and the bullied party leaving without a word.

She couldn't help but stop in her tracks, furrowing her brows tightly.

"That person... Mr. Kagura?"

............

Having left the courtyard, Kagura Hikaru, with strange looks from passing students, went to wash his face in the men's restroom, wiped his hair with paper towels, then headed straight home early.

The next day at school, rumors were spread everywhere about the Student Council President bullying a student.

"President Kiriyu? Impossible... She's such a kind person."

"So that's her true character, disgusting!"

"Who is the student that got bullied? It must be a misunderstanding, right?"

"I don't believe President Kiriyu is that kind of person!"

"...."

Walking from the classroom corridor, such voices were incessant.

Everyone looked serious as if the matter truly concerned them.

The spread of the incident was unnaturally fast.

It was unclear whether Kiryu Hina was spreading it herself, or if Ayakoji Chiyoko's side was helping it along, or perhaps there were actions from both sides.

In any case, the atmosphere at school had turned into what both parties had expected.

As a result, Kiryu Hina's reputation was bound to be damaged, but with no evidence, it would most likely end up unresolved.

This didn't mean Kiryu Hina didn't care about her reputation, it simply signified that what she was plotting was far more significant than her own fame.

As for whether Ayakoji Chiyoko would take this opportunity to act, that was certain, but Kagura Hikaru thought there was no need to worry, since Hina must have had a contingency plan.

More pressing than this was that he was about to face a test himself.

When Kagura Hikaru opened the classroom door, he distinctly felt the classroom's noise level drop by two notches.

Boys and girls alike cast their glances his way, whispering in volumes they thought he couldn't hear but that were perfectly clear.

"Hey, do you think the reason Kagura classmate left early yesterday was because..."

"It can't be mistaken, I heard that a senior from the second year saw him with the Student Council President."

"Ah, how could this happen? Kagura doesn't seem like a bad person, does it mean that President Kiriyu really is..."

"You can't judge a book by its cover, who knows what their relationship is."

"Shh, keep it down!"

"..."

In the epicenter of the minor commotion, Kagura Hikaru hung her backpack on the side of her desk without expression, set down her guitar case, and, as always, took out a light novel to immerse herself in her own world.

Clang!

Suddenly, the classroom's back door was forcefully swung open, and a graceful figure strode in, followed by several high school students wearing red 'Disciplinary' armbands.

The newcomer, amidst the astonished gazes of the students, came to the side of Kagura Hikaru's desk and tapped on it, "First-year student Kagura Hikaru, we are from the Disciplinary Committee. There's something we'd like to understand, please come with us."

Kagura Hikaru lifted her head and, as expected, saw Ayakoji Chiyoko with an emotionless face, flanked by several Discipline Committee members.

It seemed that she had visited today in her capacity as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee.

He nodded, closed his book, stood up, and followed Ayakoji Chiyoko out of the classroom.

Whispers from behind instantly grew louder.

They left the main teaching building and headed toward the old schoolhouse on the campus.

This place was specially designated by the school for student group activities, and most rooms were under the jurisdiction of student clubs.

The third floor here had been occupied by the Disciplinary Committee, where Ayakoji Chiyoko had established an office.

An interesting bit of trivia: before Ayakoji Chiyoko enrolled, Haneoka Private High School actually didn't have a 'Discipline Committee'—maintaining discipline was by default the responsibility of the Student Council members.

This was actually a tiring job, not a cushy one.

If someone volunteered to take over this duty, the Student Council was naturally happy to see it happen, since nobody liked getting up early to stand in the cold at the school gate every day.

Where there's a will, there's a way, and thus the Disciplinary Committee was established with great fanfare by Ayakoji Chiyoko, and the Discipline Committee members running around wearing red armbands became a new sight on campus.

Probably because the Disciplinary Committee had never existed since the school was founded, neither the school authorities nor the Student Council had a firm grasp on the specifics of its jurisdiction, allowing Ayakoji Chiyoko to exploit the loophole and expand quickly.

Today, the membership of the Disciplinary Committee alone had reached sixty, with a fifty-fifty ratio of males to females, including students from all grade levels.

The majority joined because of Chiyoko's personal charm. The abundantly ethical Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee charmed both men and women alike.

The Disciplinary Committee, which had started in a single old classroom, quickly became overcrowded. So they simply took over the entire floor of old classrooms, and even cleared out the largest one to use as a regular practice space, primarily focused on Grappling Technique and Sword Dao.

Discipline Committee members who could manage the students' behavior had to be stronger than the average student; that was Ayakoji Chiyoko's consistent stance.

Today, the Disciplinary Committee existed as a club with a campus influence that could rival that of the Student Council, and most students didn't dare cross them. Even teachers took them seriously.

Because as a quasi-violent authority, the image of the Discipline Committee members was anything but mild-mannered.

When Kagura Hikaru stepped onto the hallway where the Disciplinary Committee was located, he nearly jumped at the sight of a bunch of fierce-looking Discipline Committee members rushing by, some even carrying bamboo swords as their hastened to their destination.

It was almost time for morning classes, they were probably off to class... right?

"Hey, Ishida, Murakami! Drag this guy in!"

"Yes, sir!"

Shouts came from behind, and three more Discipline Committee members rushed past, energetically greeting the very spirited Ayakoji Chiyoko with a "Good morning, President!"

Silently, Kagura Hikaru witnessed the three Discipline Committee members dragging a golden-haired unfortunate delinquent upstairs. The guy, who was as pale as a ghost, was listlessly dragged into a classroom with closed curtains. As the door shut behind them, the pleas for mercy and screams from within could no longer be heard.

...This was definitely a den of evil.

Kagura Hikaru looked towards Ayakoji Chiyoko's retreating figure with a strange gleam in his eyes.

To keep such a large group of dangerous elements on campus, she couldn't possibly be planning a coup by force, could she?!

In comparison, Hina's bookish Student Council... indeed seemed far too weak.

"This is the place, go in."

Ayakoji Chiyoko stopped and pointed to a classroom ahead.

Immediately, a Discipline Committee member pushed Kagura Hikaru through the door.

He was initially annoyed by their rough manners until he saw Ayakoji Chiyoko wave her hand, prompting several people to briskly arrange tables and chairs, quickly wipe them down with cloths, and even considerately place a small vase with flowers on the side for decoration. Then, all his emotions dissipated.

Quarreling with bootlickers was as meaningless as giving your ex-girlfriend a cucumber.

The two sat opposite each other, separated by a desk, looking into each other's eyes.

"You guys, get out."

Ayakoji Chiyoko said, tilting her head to the side.

The generic-faced Discipline Committee members standing to the side obeyed without hesitation, leaving the classroom in an orderly fashion and even thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

Soon, only Ayakoji Chiyoko and Kagura Hikaru remained in the Disciplinary Committee's office.

Ayakoji Chiyoko crossed her legs, folded her arms across her chest, and propped up her enormous breasts, "Tell me, what exactly is going on between you and Kiryu Hina."