Chapter 27: The Student Council’s Judgment

"What exactly happened, President?"

Tachibana Akane, standing beside Horikita Manabu, watched as he checked his phone, her expression slightly tense. Cases of violent misconduct weren't common at Advanced Nurturing High School. Upperclassmen were well aware of the school rules and wouldn't normally risk violating such a serious regulation so blatantly.

"It's definitely an act of violence."

After watching the video recorded by Hikaru, Manabu nodded slightly.

The footage on the phone clearly depicted a long-haired male student aggressively throwing punches at a girl, who was narrowly dodging each strike. Several times, his fists came dangerously close to landing on her.

To enhance the impact of the evidence, Hikaru had trimmed the video significantly on the way to the Student Council office, leaving only the most incriminating ten seconds. The shorter duration made the aggression even more striking.

The length of the video didn't matter—violence wasn't judged based on whether the victim was actually harmed. The mere act of raising a hand against another student warranted punishment.

"Tachibana, take a look at this."

Instead of making an immediate decision, Manabu handed the phone to Tachibana. The purple-haired upperclassman's expression darkened the moment she finished watching. As a fellow female student, she could vividly imagine the distress Ibuki must have felt in that moment.

"Ibuki-san, are you alright?"

Tachibana approached Ibuki with concern, her tone gentle. The short-haired girl, however, simply shook her head and answered calmly, "I have good reflexes, so I managed to avoid getting hit."

She then explained, sticking to the agreed-upon script she and Hikaru had rehearsed.

"Hikaru was nearby, inside the science classroom. He witnessed what was happening and recorded it on his phone."

"I see."

Manabu nodded in understanding but quickly followed up with another question.

"So how did this incident end? Why did Ryuen suddenly stop?"

"I sent a message to my classmates in Class B and asked them to come over," Hikaru answered without hesitation, meeting Manabu's gaze head-on. "I knew I couldn't fight Ryuen head-on, so I called for backup."

"When he saw we had more people, he gave up on attacking Ibuki and left."

"What was Ryuen's motive for attacking Ibuki?"

"He wants to be Class C's representative, but I refused to acknowledge him," Ibuki responded matter-of-factly. "He invited me out under the pretense of persuasion, but as soon as I arrived, he tried to use force to make me vote for him."

"He even said if I didn't agree, he'd keep hitting me until I did."

This part was entirely true, so Ibuki's expression remained natural as she spoke.

Hearing their combined explanation, Tachibana could no longer contain herself. Normally calm and composed, she was visibly angered after hearing about a male student using violence to force a female classmate into submission.

"President, I believe this kind of egregious behavior warrants the strictest punishment. This is a blatant violation of school regulations. I formally request that Ryuen Kakeru be summoned immediately."

"Understood."

Manabu nodded. Just as he was about to instruct the Student Council officers to proceed, a voice filled with amusement interrupted from the doorway.

"Horikita-senpai, I heard there was an accusation of student violence here. That sounds like a serious situation—I'd love to help out."

The next moment, a blond-haired male student stepped into the Student Council office. He was undeniably good-looking, his lips curved into an interested smile as he scanned the group.

"It seems there are quite a few first-years here." His gaze briefly swept over Hikaru and Ibuki before he casually introduced himself.

"I'm Nagumo Miyabi, the Vice President of the Student Council."

Then, still smiling, he looked towards Manabu.

"So, what are we discussing? Mind letting me in on it?"