Standing at the Top

Part 10 (Volume 2)

Kanzaki POV

Ishizaki and the others have arrived. Irritation appeared on their faces when they realized that Kushida-san wasn't here.

"What's going on here? What are you doing here?"

It seems that they remembered her from the trial.

"I told Kushida-san to bring you to me."

"What are you doing this for?"

"The truth is going to show itself no matter what. Sudou-kun would be proven innocent."

Ishizaki was definitely affected by the heat. He was using his shirt to fan himself. It's all going according to plan.

"What we said was the truth. Sudou called us here only to beat us up. Just let him accept his punishment."

Looks like it's time for my line.

"On the contrary, you three should consider giving up."

"W-Why's a Class B student like you doing here? You shouldn't get involved right?"

"Unfortunately for you, you're just having more people involved in your lies." I said.

"We're not lying. We're the victims. Sudou called us to beat us up."

"What a foolish facade. Everyone can see right through you. If you don't want the real truth to come out, then I think you should consider withdrawing your complaint." I exclaimed.

"Huh? Withdraw? Are you half asleep or something? All of us know that Sudou started it. Right?" He said as he turned to his accomplices for confirmation.

"You know this school is a government-sanctioned institution right? Then don't you think the school responded rather strangely?" Horikita-san stated.

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"

"The school knows you're lying Ishizaki."

"Nice try, but I can tell you're bluffing."

"Then let us give you the evidence." I claimed.

"Evidence? Then let's actually see it."

"You know that there are security cameras everywhere in this school right. Then you should have set a trap at a place without any." I declared as I gazed at a camera that hung from the ceiling further down the hall.

"Huh?"

The three of them were perplexed.

"What the hell?! You're lying! But there weren't any cameras in the other hallways! Isn't it weird that there's only one here?!" His accomplice agreed with him which gave him some sort of calm.

"You installed the cameras yourselves didn't you?!"

"Certainly there's only one in this hallway but isn't that natural. The science lab is on this level after all. Surely, it would contain valuables. So why wouldn't it be monitored?"

Ishizaki was clearly panicking. He had nothing to say.

"Additionally, there's one behind you, over there."

The three of them looked as they were sweating intensely.

"Even if we had installed a camera, would we have one on that side as well? How would even install a camera in the first place? This school prohibits us from exiting the campus."

"...No...it couldn't be...but..we checked back then..."

"You do realize that you just set yourselves up, right? Why would you a normal person even check for cameras? You're just admitting it at this point." Horikita-san took over the conversation.