"A camera? But when we checked earlier, there was nothing…"
Ishizaki and the others froze, their minds struggling to process the situation. Horikita and Ichinose took the chance to push further.
"The science lab stores chemicals. Do you really think something that dangerous would be left completely unmonitored?"
As soon as Horikita finished speaking, Ichinose quickly added, "And that's not the only camera. Look over there, and there's another one behind you too!"
Ishizaki and his friends looked at each other, already sweating buckets, but now their faces were even paler. "No way! There were no cameras here before! This has to be fake!"
Seeing that they were still trying to resist, Horikita continued pressing them with her words. "Fake? You're that sure? Fine. Let's go to the school and check the footage right now. But don't say I didn't warn you—if the cameras are real, everything you did will be recorded. The student council president already said yesterday that, in serious cases, expulsion is unavoidable."
Ichinose caught onto something suspicious in Ishizaki's words. "Normal people don't care this much about security cameras. Why were you checking for them in the first place? Doesn't that prove you were planning something from the start?"
Ishizaki's face turned even paler. He wasn't pretending—he was genuinely panicked.
"If… if there really was footage, then… why didn't the school mention it from the beginning?!"
It was like he had found a lifeline, desperately clinging to this one point.
"Because the school was giving you a chance to turn yourselves in. Why else do you think they gave a one-week buffer period? It's also a way to test the students' abilities. This school has always operated like this."
Ichinose countered effortlessly, shutting down every escape route.
Ishizaki felt like his luck had hit rock bottom. At noon, Hikigaya had already threatened him with expulsion, and now, in the afternoon, the D-Class students were doing the same. Could things get any worse?
At that moment, Ayanokouji coughed a few times, signaling Horikita to wrap things up. Taking the hint, she said, "Of course, there's still a way out. If you withdraw your accusation, we won't push this any further. We'll settle this privately, and I believe the school won't pursue the matter either."
Backed into a corner, Horikita had finally revealed her true intentions.
Ishizaki, seeing a way out, immediately turned to Komiya and Kondo. "Ryuen already said to stop here, so there's no need to keep fighting D-Class over this!"
It was clear that Ishizaki had decided to follow Horikita's plan and withdraw the accusation against Sudou. Even if Ryuen found out later, he wouldn't blame him—after all, Ryuen had already reached a deal with Hikigaya at noon. So Ishizaki didn't feel too burdened by the decision.
But he failed to notice the strange expressions on Komiya and Kondo's faces.
At the same time, Horikita also felt like something was off about Ishizaki's words, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was.
"So, you guys don't want to settle this peacefully? Fine, don't blame us then. We'll go to the school right now and confirm the truth. When that happens, you all can prepare to be expelled!"
Horikita knew they were just one step away from victory, so she continued pressuring Ishizaki and his group.
Ishizaki panicked even more after hearing that. Just as he was about to agree, Komiya suddenly stopped him. Instead of looking at Ishizaki, Komiya turned to Horikita and the others.
"Are you really sure these security cameras were always in this spot?"
For some reason, Horikita suddenly felt uneasy. But she forced herself to stay firm and answered with certainty.
Komiya exchanged a look with Kondo, then said, "We're reporting this to the student council."
"You two know this could get you expelled, right?!"
Ichinose, who had thought everything was going smoothly, couldn't help but speak up in alarm.
Horikita also snapped, "That's right! Are you still trying to act tough even now?"
"Komiya, Kondo, what the hell are you two doing?!"
Even Ishizaki finally shouted in frustration.
But Komiya wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he picked up his phone and made a call!
On the other side, Horikita's expression darkened when she saw Komiya dial the number without hesitation. Next to her, Ichinose also looked anxious. As for Ayanokouji, his face remained unreadable, but there was a faint crease between his brows, as if he was thinking about something.
"Hey, you two… what exactly are you—"
Even someone as slow as Ishizaki finally realized that something was off with Komiya and Kondo.
"Eh? What are so many people doing here?"
A sudden female voice came from the staircase.
Horikita frowned the moment she saw who it was.
Yukinoshita Haruno from Class A!
And standing beside her was Kushida, the so-called "angel" of Class D.
"Yukinoshita, you're a student council member, right?"
Komiya suddenly spoke up.
Horikita, Ichinose, and the others instantly froze.
"Of course. So, what's going on here?"
Haruno scanned the group with a playful smile.
"Hey, Komiya! Are you guys trying to get yourselves expelled—"
Horikita yelled, trying to stop him.
But Komiya ignored her completely and pointed at the security cameras in the hallway.
"Someone installed these cameras without permission!"
"Oh?"
Haruno's smile deepened as she looked around at everyone.
"I see. Putting aside the fact that this is already an invasion of privacy, installing surveillance cameras without the school's approval—no matter the reason—is a blatant challenge to the school's authority. You do understand how serious the consequences will be, don't you?"
As she spoke, the smile disappeared from her face.
Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
"This school does encourage competition between students and classes, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. There are lines that shouldn't be crossed, and once you do, it's not something you can just talk your way out of. Your homeroom teachers should have reminded you about this when school started, right? Right now, you're playing with fire. This isn't just some petty student quarrel anymore."
Horikita, Ichinose, and the others turned pale.
Horikita, in particular, clenched her fists tightly, filled with frustration.
They had been so close!
At that moment, Hikigaya's words from earlier that morning echoed in her mind.
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