The inquiry is finally done, now Kurose-kun and I are walking towards our class. The man walked in silence and I could not make out what was going on in his head. During the examination earlier, he only gave short answers. Usually in situations like this, even if innocent, people will usually be nervous and try to give as many explanations as possible even to the point of swearing that they are innocent. Kurose-kun wasn't like that, he remained calm during the examination and answered all the questions calmly too. I don't know if Kurose-kun is really involved with this case but he has definitely prepared himself for today.
I glanced at the man next to me. This time his expression was more obvious. His face was like that of someone who had a lot on his mind, and increasingly he also started to get restless. Is there anything he's afraid of? Was it possible that he was worried about his cell phone which was currently being inspected? To be honest, I was a bit suspicious of him but on the other hand, it's hard to imagine that Kurose-kun would do something like that. Maybe he was framed for real? The longer it goes on, the more confused I become.
Actually, this examination was nothing more than a desperate attempt from the President to save his classmates. In order to prove that they were framed, President must be able to find the real culprit. We all thought, even if Kurose-kun wasn't the culprit, he could at least give us a hint. From what I've seen from the inquiry just now, we got nothing, now everything is depending on that phone of his.
However, if Kurose-kun is guilty, then our class will lose points... Ah...I swear, I'm really confused now. Why did I even suspect my own classmate? Especially after Kurose-kun helped us by saving low-grade students. Maybe he was disappointed in me for treating him coldly just because of an unconfirmed accusation. Even so, I still feel too doubtful to believe it.
"Kurose-kun..." I decided to call his name and break the awkward silence. At the very least, I should try to talk to him.
"Yes?" Kurose-kun shuddered slightly. Perhaps my words had interrupted his reverie.
"You've helped me before, and I want to believe you...you really have nothing to do with this, right?"
Kurose-kun was silent for a moment before finally answering. "The expulsion of eight people...and those photos, I swear I didn't do any of it. I know you may still have doubts but—"
"No, I believe you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I decided to trust you for now. It's unlikely you would do something that could harm our class." Besides, if you think about it Kurose-kun didn't have a clear motive. He didn't look like a pervert who liked to stare at girls.
"I see...thank you Satonaka, that helped," he answered with a smile. It was the first time I saw him smile. It was only a faint smile but it was enough to startle me. It seemed my words meant a lot to him.
Without realizing we had arrived in front of the class. We both entered and many pairs of eyes immediately looked at us. Kurose-kun immediately returned to his seat regardless of all the stares thrown at him. He was immediately surrounded by his friends who asked various questions and so am I. I haven't even had time to sit down yet and my friends have already started questioning me.
"Ayase-chan, you're from the student council room right?" asked Kashiwagi Kirino-chan.
"Yes,"
"That means you're participating in Kurose-kun's examination?"
"Um...yes. We just finished."
"So how is it?" this time it was Tsukimi Tsuyu-chan who asked. "Is Kurose-kun really involved in something suspicious?"
"Hm...it's too early to tell, but so far I don't think there's any problem with him."
"Really? Thank goodness, it would be a shame if Kurose-kun were expelled."
"Right," Kirino-chan agreed. "It's hard to believe that someone like Kurose-kun would do something like that."
"Don't you guys trust him too much?" Nakatani-san chimed in. "Who knows what he does when he's alone, not everyone is as good as they seem, you know."
"Well, you have a point but..." said Kirino-chan who was starting to look doubtful.
"What are you talking about?" suddenly Miwa Mitsuki-san came out of nowhere and sit with us. The real owner of the bench she was sitting on seemed to be playing with a friend on the other side of the class so Miwa sat down without any objections.
"Mitsuki, we were talking about Kurose-kun," Tsuyu-chan replied.
"Ah, of course. Everyone is talking about it right now." Miwa-san looked at Kurose-kun who was currently chatting with Minami-kun. Poor guy, he must be feeling really awkward being in class right now.
"You think he's innocent?" Nakatani-san asked her. Miwa who is in the same study group as Kurose-kun must know him a little better than us.
"Hm...Kuro-chan doesn't look like a pervert..."
"Could he be hiding his true nature? A lot of bad people look like decent man on the outside."
"But it still feels impossible to me. I mean the victims are the seniors, right? Why does he have to peek at the senpais—"
"Wait a minute," I interrupted. "How did you know that Kurose-kun's examination had something to do with that? I thought Shionome-sensei wouldn't mention anything."
Nakatani started resting her chin on her hands. "Well, were there any other cases besides that?"
That is true. Yesterday the entire school was shocked by the expulsion of seniors for possessing indecent photos of female students, and the next day Kurose-kun was summoned for questioning. Of course, everyone will associate it with yesterday's case. Kurose-kun's reputation is currently at stake.
"Back to the topic," Miwa-san interjected. "I'm sure Kurose-kun is innocent..."
"Why?" Nakatani-san asked.
"Because why does he have to target the senior girls, when he has a lot of targets that are closer to him?"
Nakatani-san's eyes widened and mine as well. We were all shocked by what she said. What exactly does she mean by saying that?
"Mitsuki you..." Kirino didn't know what to say.
"Miwa-san...you want to be peeked on?"
"No! It is not like that! Don't jump to conclusions like that," Miwa-san immediately rectified her words with a slight blush on her face. "I mean, perverts will usually start with the people around them, people they see a lot. Why does he have to look far away when there are many beautiful girls like us nearby?"
This girl started praising herself. I felt a bit amused looking at it but that's how Miwa-san is. What she said made sense but it's also a bit creepy. I don't want to imagine myself being a target of perverts.
"Perhaps he has been doing it secretly?" said Nakatani, and I shuddered. "Or maybe he prefers older girls?"
"No way, if he's lustful, then there must be signs, and Kuro-chan has never shown those signs."
"Uwaah, Mitsuki..." Tsuyu said with a horrified look. "You seem to know a lot about this?"
"Oi, what do you mean by that question? Are you saying that I'm a pervert?"
"Well, you seem to understand very well the mindset of perverts, so..."
"A scientist can know everything about dolphins but that doesn't mean the scientist is also a dolphin."
"They know a lot since they've spent their time observing dolphins...doesn't that mean you've been observing a lot of perverts yourself?"
"Ah, whatever...the point is that it's too early to treat Kuro-chan like a criminal," Whatever she said she's just gonna end up getting teased even more. Realizing that Miwa-san started to change the topic. "When will they make a decision?"
"Right now Shionome-sensei is bringing Kurose-kun's cellphone for the staff to check. A final decision will be issued based on the results of the check-up."
"Then we'll have to wait for the results. It's not fair if we judge someone without proof."
It felt strange that all those words came out of a girl like her. Miwa-san seems to be able to say wise things sometimes. My impression of her has changed a little.
"But...uh...Mitsuki-chan I have a question." Kirino-chan said.
"What's that?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you and Kurose-kun didn't come from the same middle school right?"
"True, what about it?"
"Well, since you called him 'Kuro-chan', I thought you two were old friends or something."
Ah, that's right. Miwa-san somehow refers to Kurose-kun as Kuro-chan ever since we went to karaoke with him. She kept using that nickname when talking to Kurose-kun so it sounded like they were close even though in reality they weren't.
"I just remembered as well, why do you call her Kuro-chan?" I also asked out of curiosity. It could be a nickname just for fun, but only Kurose-kun is given a nickname so it's no wonder if we become curious.
"Oh, Kuro-chan is actually my cat's name."
"Huh?...a cat?"
"Yes, I have a black cat named Kuro-chan. I took care of him since he was little but sadly he died two years ago. Kurose's name reminds me of him so I just use it without a second thought."
So it's true that she used that name on her whim. I see my friends look disappointed. I don't know why, but maybe they expected a different answer.
"I see," said Nakatani-san. "I thought you had a crush on him or something."
Miwa-san neither confirmed nor denied. She instead looked the other way with a smile. It was just a faint smile, and only for a moment, but it caught my eye. My other three friends were not aware and instead got sidetracked for a moment because Kirino accidentally nudged her pencil case causing it to fall.
I've been aware of this for a while. I know she deliberately joined our conversation out of curiosity about what happened to Kurose-kun. What I don't understand is, why didn't she ask the person directly? It seems there are still many things I don't understand about this girl.
Due to the position of my bench near the entrance, sometimes I could hear footsteps in the corridor. Just then I heard the echoing sound of heels. Since female students weren't allowed to wear shoes with heels, it must have been the teacher. I told my friends to return to their seats. Not long after, Shionome-sensei entered the classroom.
Everyone stared at Sensei and waited a news from her. Unlike them, I already know what happened. Her appearance in class meant that the news she brought was good.
"Kurose-kun, come here," sensei ordered and Kurose-kun stood up from his chair with a relieved face. He seemed to understand the situation too. The moment he got to the front, sensei immediately took out a cell phone from her pocket and returned it to Kurose-kun. "Thank you for being willing to cooperate, there's nothing strange about your phone."
"Am I no longer under suspicion?" asked Kurose-kun to make sure.
"No, the school has found you not guilty. Go back to your seat."
This ended this case. The President may be disappointed not to be able to find the mastermind who ensnared his friends, but we all did what we could. I don't know who's behind all this, but I hope they won't disturb my class more than this.
***
After the school bell rang, my friends invited me to stop at Keyaki Mall. I told them that I would catch up because I still had work to do at the Student Council. When I got there, there was only Karasawa-senpai who was working on some funding proposal documents from several clubs.
"Satonaka," he raised his face as I entered. "There are only a few documents left, you can go home if you want."
"No, senpai. Today is my shift so I'll have to do it anyway."
"Okay, then take care of that one..." Karasawa-senpai pointed at a thin pile not far from him. I immediately took all the paper and looked at it. It was the rest of the complaint documents about the allocation of club funds that had not been taken care of yesterday. I took it and started reading it before choosing which one was appropriate for the President to consider.
I finished everything in thirty minutes and during that time Karasawa-senpai didn't say a word. He didn't even mention anything about the inquiry. I said goodbye to him and immediately went to Keyaki Mall to meet my friends. On the way, I saw Ryou-chan talking to some students from other classes in the garden. The closer I got, the more I realized that they were having a fight. I immediately approached them out of concern.
"I told you, this is our place! Get lost!"
"Hah!? What the hell? I was here first damn it!"
Oh no. I can hear them snapping at each other. Ryou-chan is short-fused so I'm afraid he'll hit the students if I don't stop him. That's why I hastened my steps.
"Ryou-chan," I shouted.
"Huh? Aya?" Ryou-chan looked confused and upset when he saw me. Maybe he thought I was going to scold him or something. Well, that's exactly what I would do if it turns out to be his fault.
"What happened?"
"I swear I didn't start it," said Ryou-chan. "I was sleeping under that tree and all of a sudden these bastards woke me up and told me to scram."
"He sleeps in our hangout spot," said one of the three students. "We've asked him to leave nicely but he just snapped at us."
"Why should I be the one who leave, huh!? Find another place."
"Why are you sleeping outside instead of going straight to the dorms?" I asked Ryou-chan.
"Well, you see, it's right in the shade of a tree, and I didn't want to go back yet because my neighbors are so loud at this time. Aya...please just went along with me for this once," he started to beg. He wasn't usually like this so I started to feel a bit sorry for him. It seemed he really didn't want to argue with me right now.
"Wow, look at this, hiding behind your girlfriend's skirt?" I was stunned to hear their mockery. Girlfriend? M-me and Ryou-chan? Do we look like that?
"Shut up! You are lucky that she is here, or else I would have smashed your faces." Ryou-chan didn't deny it. What does this mean? He considers me his girlfriend? No-no way he was just too angry to pay attention to what they were saying.
"Heh, ramble all you want. Why don't you just go and accompany your girlfriend?"
"I told you many times, I was here first." Both parties did not want to budge. Like it or not, I'd better take Ryou-chan away from here.
"Ryou-chan, it's better to just give in, you can sleep all you want in your room later, or just go hang out in your friend's room."
Ryo-chan frowned. "But Aya..."
"See? Even she supports us."
"Shut up! Who said that this place is yours? This is a public place for heaven's sake!"
"This place belongs to the school," the three of them started smiling smugly. "And we are from class A. We are the best class in this school. Don't you think it's our privilege to use the school's facilities?"
"Hah? What the hell was that? We are also students of this school."
"Which class are you?"
"...Class C."
"Class C? Heh, I heard that your average score was the lowest during the midterms. You guys are even lower than class D. You should just step down."
Ryou-chan's face turned red with anger. I immediately held his arm so he wouldn't attack the three people in front of him. Even so, I understand his feelings, I also feel greatly annoyed at the bottom of my heart. Ryou-chan can't say anything because our grades were deliberately lowered for his sake. Maybe I should end this now. I was about to drag Ryou-chan out of there when another student suddenly appear before us.
"What is this?" a man with blond hair came up to us. Wait...I know him. He is a fairly popular student in Class A. My friends often talk about him because he is half foreigner.
"Seiji?" the three people don't look so happy when they see their classmate.
"What happened?" Seiji-kun asked again. I forgot his family name so I just have to refer him with that. "Why are you guys pick a fight with these two people?"
"Nothing," they answered hesitantly. "This person fell asleep in our favorite hangout spot so we told him to move elsewhere."
"Your hangout spot?" he looked at me and Ryou-chan then at our surroundings. "This park is a public place, if they are here first, what right do you have to kick them out?"
"But Seiji, this is indeed where we usually spend our time. They're from class C after all—"
"There's no rule that says Class C can't use this place. This school doesn't belong to you just because you are Class A. Don't forget that the rank of Class A isn't permanent."
"Yes, but you saw their exam score yourself right? You think they can catch us? As Sensei said, they were placed in class C because they are flawed—"
"Enough! If you think you are the best student, you should reflect that with your attitude as well. You shouldn't look down on other class students. If you guys still have reservations, why don't you call Takada-sensei right now and ask her opinion? I'm sure she doesn't like seeing her students behaving like thugs."
"tch..." Knowing that they couldn't argue with him, they walked away with a sneer. After they left Seiji-kun bowed to us.
"I apologize for the behavior of my classmates, they are not bad people but sometimes they can get carried away."
"Ah, it's okay. We were also at fault for being too rough." I responded to his politeness with similar manners but Ryou-chan wasn't happy with that.
"Hah? What do you mean too rough?"
"Ryou-chan..." I wanted to admonish him but Seiji-kun interrupted.
"No, he's right. You do have a right to be angry. I'll make sure to talk to them later," Seiji-kun looked at the time on his cellphone. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now. If they bother you again don't be afraid to report it to our homeroom teacher, Takada-sensei. See you."
Seiji-kun walked away leaving me and Ryou-chan. The man next to me looked at the blonde curiously. "I didn't know there were gaijin (foreigners) in our school?"
"What are you saying Ryo-chan? There is Gilang in our class, remember?"
"Ah, you're right, I almost forgot about him."
Ryou-chan should learn to pay more attention to his classmates. Besides, now I know that even Class A seems to have problems of their own. Looks like their status as Class A really boosted their egos. Some of them might start to think that they are much better than the other students in this school. Of course, there are good people like Seiji-kun and Higashi-kun. I hope they do something with their classmates because if they don't, their class might get derailed.
***
We finally meet Seiji Evans. His name was already mentioned in chapter 2 but he only make his debut 20 chapters later. This arc will introduce several new characters from other classes. I hope you look forward to it. See you next chapter.