บท 22: Chapter 22 - Judgment Day

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I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Powerstones are greatly appreciated, and so are reviews and opinions on the story thus far.

We did quite well yesterday. I don't know if it was because we got to the top 100 on the power rankings, but the story reached more people than it ever has, so I appreciate everyone who gave Powerstones. Thank you for supporting my work.

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"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It's simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we've been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back." ~Carl Sagan

Upon entering the student council room, Tachibana was already there, her gaze briefly shifting to Karuizawa. "I was waiting for you," she said. "Is this the girl that was—"

Feeling Karuizawa's grip tighten on me, I quickly interjected, "Tachibana, let's keep this matter confidential, shall we? I assume the three girls have already reported their side of the story?"

Tachibana nodded, her eyes reflecting a touch of sympathy for Karuizawa. "Yes, they were quite restless. The president took over their case when your name was mentioned."

"It seems the situation is escalating," I noted.

"What do you mean?" Tachibana inquired.

With a reassuring smile, I replied, "Inform the president I'll be there shortly," and with a nod, Tachibana departed.

I then turned to Karuizawa, unlocking my office door. "Take a moment to rest on the couch. I'll handle everything; there's no need for concern."

"But I don't want this to cause a commotion," she muttered, looking up at me.

"I'll take care of it; just relax for now," I assured her.

"I'm… not clean," she said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Don't worry about that. Make yourself comfortable, and if you're cold, feel free to use the coffee machine. Stay here until I return," I told her.

With a nod of understanding, she settled in as I closed the door behind me and made my way to the meeting room where the president awaited.

"You've finally made it," Manabu says as I step into the room and make my way to the student council's designated seats.

"I assume you've seen the footage I forwarded to you?" I inquire, maintaining a composed tone while observing the three girls seated before the president.

"Indeed, it was unsettling, to put it mildly. Yet, these three insist they were coerced by someone into harassing their junior," Manabu elaborates as I settle into my chair.

"And how does that change their current dilemma? Their actions remain reprehensible," I comment, my gaze fixed on the trio of second-year students.

"Reprehensible indeed. They'll likely still face expulsion, but there's a glimmer of hope for them. However, Yumekui, the one in the center, alleges that although she typically erased her messages with this so-called puppet master, she had saved their contact in her phone. But upon inspection just now, no such contact exists," Manabu reveals, showing me the girl's phone.

"It was there, I swear!" Yumekui erupts, rising to her feet and slamming her hands down on the desk. "It was definitely there. It must be some glitch—yes, a glitch! You must believe me! We would never willingly bully anyone; we were forced, it's the truth!"

Yumekui's desperation is evident as her classmates dissolve into tears, paralyzed in their seats. It appears they're less involved than Yumekui or perhaps less informed about her dealings. It's possible she pocketed the majority of the funds I provided, considering the dire point situation in the second-year Class D—a situation I've witnessed firsthand through my work on the student council.

Nonetheless, Yumekui won't wiggle her way out of this. She'll never be able to substantiate any collaboration with anyone else; I made sure to erase all traces of our communication from her phone. When I had her phone to remove the video of Karuizawa, I also deleted Morofuji's number from her contacts and any remaining messages. I even checked for any screenshots, though I doubted someone of Yumekui's caliber would think that far ahead.

There's no evidence left of any mastermind on her phone. At this moment, Yumekui is only further entrenching herself and her friends, digging their graves deeper with each passing second, soon to reach the sixth foot.

"Really, you'd never bully anyone? Tachibana, did you manage to gather the documents I requested and follow up on my earlier inquiry?" Manabu questions, receiving an affirmative nod from Tachibana as she places several papers before him. "Here's a report I retrieved from the student submission box some time ago. It comes from a first-year bringing to light allegations against you three—Misa Yumekui, Fumiko Miyo, and Aoi Suzuki—accusing you of bullying and point extortion."

"That's a lie! None of that is true!" Yumekui objects aggressively.

"Really! Yumekui is telling the truth; we've done nothing like that!" the other two girls finally assert, speaking up in their defense.

Manabu gives a slight nod, "Indeed, I initially didn't pursue the matter. An anonymous tip without solid proof isn't worth our time. But with concrete evidence of your bullying surfacing, it warranted a closer look. Tachibana had just been instructed to acquire your transaction records from the school for me. Now, explain why for the past few weeks you've been receiving payments from Rika Morofuji, the same student who filed the report," he says, his voice even, as he flips the documents in his hand for them to see.

Rising from my seat, I feign surprise, "Rika Morofuji? From Class C?"

"Do you know anything about this?" Manabu inquires, his gaze piercing.

"No, I... Rika has been visiting my office frequently, claiming she preferred it over the cafeteria. She had also asked for a return on part of the class tax she had paid to me, saying she needed the money for personal expenses…" I trailed off, my voice quivering with false uncertainty. "I had no idea..."

Tachibana gently touches my shoulder, "It's alright, Yagami. We can't always be aware of everything."

Manabu adds, "Exactly. We learn from the past and strive to do better." His words are firm, yet not kind.

I return to my seat, casting a glance at the three girls before me.

Ryuk's voice breaks the silence, and a hint of laughter comes from his mouth, "Ah, now I see. That report you slipped in... it's the same one being discussed now, isn't it? Morofuji didn't write it. You did."

He's not wrong, but it's unimportant. Rika won't be summoned for this, and even if she were, she knows her lines. I've made sure of that.

Yumekui's voice cuts through the tension, "Wait, this... something's off," her panic rising, "This can't be right!"

The end was near, and Yumekui's fate was sealed. She couldn't reveal the transactions as bribes for bullying Karuizawa without incriminating herself and ensuring her expulsion. Even if she tried to argue out of desperation, it would only raise more questions. Why target Karuizawa, and why would Morofuji want her expelled? Only I held the answers to these questions.

I had entertained the thought of Nagumo stepping in, as we've never met. I once inquired about his absence from the student council to Manabu, who simply questioned why one would go where they're unwelcome. Despite this, I remained curious about Miyabi Nagumo's character.

But it seemed Nagumo was either unaware or indifferent to the current situation. The second years, especially those from Class 2-D, were struggling, barely scraping together 10,000 private points a month each. Their expulsion wouldn't even dent Nagumo's vast accumulation of points.

To Nagumo, these three were insignificant and hardly worth using as pawns in his games. But to me, they were just the right pieces to move.

Manabu finally declared the conclusion of the matter. "Our business here is concluded," he stated, gathering his documents. "You three are expelled, effective immediately. Hand over your phones."

The trio's reactions were telling. Yumekui, confused and gloomy, relinquished her phone. Miyo, still in shock, her face completely blank. And Suzuki, tears streaming down her face, both submitted without resistance.

Before everything came to an end, I interrupted with a request. "Before you expel them, I have a request," I addressed Manabu, who gave a short nod. "Rather than for bullying Karuizawa, expel them for extorting points from Rika Morofuji."

Manabu's inquiry was direct. "Why?"

"Karuizawa wishes to move past the bullying, to keep it buried and live a normal life; the extortion of points is the smallest infraction they can be expelled for keeping everyone safe from any commotion," I explained, my voice steady.

Manabu conceded to my suggestion. "Agreed. Tachibana will accompany you to finalize the paperwork," he said, passing the documents to Tachibana. "Their expulsion is immediate."

Tachibana led the three girls out, leaving a heavy silence in their wake. Manabu exhaled deeply shortly after Tachibana exited.

"What's bothering you?" I asked.

"Expelling students is a last resort, one that affects their futures. Yet, before summer's arrival, I've already signed off on an alarming number of expulsions," he confessed, his voice showing a hint of regret.

"Nagumo's been on a spree, expelling anyone who dares to oppose him," he added.

"I understand. It's unfortunate for those who were unjustly expelled, but these three... they brought it upon themselves," I reasoned with him.

"You're correct," he conceded. "I should be leaving; it's getting late. You should head out as well," he suggested.

Acknowledging his advice, I bid him farewell and made my exit. The deed was done; the three students were expelled, and Karuizawa's secret remained safe. Even Nagumo would find nothing in the expulsion records to use against us now, no matter how hard he looked.

Content with the outcome, I returned to my office. Upon entering, I found Karuizawa waking from her sleep on the couch.

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As she saw me, embarrassment colored her cheeks red, "I'm sorry; I was tired," she mumbled, composing herself.

"It's fine. You needed the rest. Besides, I have good news—the trio responsible for bullying you has been expelled," I informed her, watching as she processed the information.

"Really?" she whispered, disbelief written across her face.

"Yes, and the best part is, no one will ever know what happened, just like you wanted," I assured her.

Her reaction was immediate and emotional. She lunged forward, embracing me tightly, causing us to fall onto the neighboring couch. "Thank you, Light. You can't imagine how much this means to me... I owe you everything," she sobbed, her tears a sign of her gratitude.

I returned her embrace, a smile playing on my lips.

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I try to make these scenarios as plausible as possible while also making their "solutions" something that anyone can think of before the protagonist explains what they did without hiding anything or introducing a bunch of things behind the scenes at the last second, I even try to leave little hints sometimes you guys even catch on.

One of the best parts of reading COTE is wondering how Ayanokoji or some other characters will deal with certain scenarios. So, I try to make the scenarios I come up with as intriguing as possible, even if some may consider this a filler chapter or if I could've ended this by putting way less thought into it. I didn't because I think a scenario like this, where you hear and see how deep a character's strategy goes, is way more entertaining and the reason people like COTE.

Some of these chapters may be short, but keep in mind I try my best to ensure they are of good quality. This is something I struggled with more in my other fanfic. I don't know if I'm wrong, but I feel like my writing has improved a lot.

Anyways, I'm done with my little rant. Please give me your thoughts on the story and the scenario for this chapter.

And your powerstones, of course, I'll take power stones.