Ten minutes earlier.
After being unable to participate in the three-legged race and after Kikyō's event finished, Suzune chose to withdraw.
Continuing with Kayano would only drag her partner down to last place, since Suzune couldn't run properly. At least Kayano could still request a different partner from the referee.
After her own three-legged race ended, Kikyō accompanied Suzune to the cafeteria.
"Rest here for now. Your leg isn't good for moving around." She said, appearing to seek approval, "I'll go get food."
With that, she got Suzune settled.
Suzune acknowledged the truth — she didn't like Kikyō, and she wasn't naive enough to think the feeling wasn't mutual. This show of kindness must feel just as awkward for Kikyō.
Still, she had to admit that Kikyō treated all her friends fairly. No one seemed to have anything negative to say about her — everyone likely considered her a good person.
Having been arranged this way, Suzune had no choice but to sit in the booth.
The boys' events had finished by now, so the cafeteria was filled mostly with male students. Glancing around, she felt disappointed — while she spotted Hayato from Houtarou's class, Houtarou himself was nowhere to be seen.
Before the food was ready, Suzune noticed Kikyō, who had been waiting in line, rushing over from the front.
"Horikita-san, this is bad." Kikyō said urgently, "I got a message from Chabashira-sensei. We need to go to the infirmary right away — you've been reported by Kinoshita from Class D."
"...???"
What was this about? Reported?
"It seems Kinoshita-san was seriously injured and believes you did it on purpose. She says if we can settle this privately now, she won't report it to the Student Council."
Suzune: "..."
Now she understood. What she'd thought was a false accusation was actually a trap.
Houtarou had predicted this injury correctly — Kakeru wasn't just targeting the sacrificed Ken, but had marked her as a target too.
The standard procedure for an intentional injury would be reporting directly to the referee or Student Council. There shouldn't be room for private settlement.
This could only mean one thing: Kakeru wanted to extract Points from her first.
She indeed had 5 million Points, while Kakeru's class retained only 9 million after Houtarou had depleted their funds. Now they were eyeing Class C's Points as well.
As the wealthiest student in Class C, she was a logical target.
And at that moment…
[Remember, other students see you as a wealthy heiress now, and Kakeru needs money. Since Class C students already gave up 4 million Points to avoid the bottom rankings, his extortion options are limited. That's why I suspect he'll try to scam Points from you first. Keep the voice recorder with you—it'll protect you.]
Houtarou's warnings echoed in her mind.
She had been careful to place the voice recorder in her pocket after parting with him.
Clearly, Kakeru was proving himself to be quite unscrupulous, treating her as an easy mark. But even if he attempted extortion now, the voice recorder would capture everything.
She was prepared for this.
With that confidence, Suzune followed Kikyō to the infirmary.
She wanted to prove to her brother and Houtarou how much she had grown.
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At the infirmary.
Earlier, when she was first injured, Kikyō had brought the school nurse, who bandaged her injured leg. The nurse had advised her to withdraw and rest in the infirmary.
But determined to continue, she had refused, wanting to participate in the cavalry battle.
During the 200-meter race, while Suzune had managed to finish despite her fall and injury, Minori Kinoshita, who had fallen with her, never got back up.
Now certain that Kakeru intended to extort her, Suzune could anticipate Minori providing false testimony. The more mature version of herself wanted to see what other tricks he had planned.
Upon entering the infirmary, she found their homeroom teacher Sae present. Minori from Class D lay on a bed covered with blankets, occasionally emitting pained groans.
Sae addressed her directly, "Horikita. I think you need to explain the situation. Kinoshita says you knocked her down. And before that, you were saying things like you absolutely wouldn't let her win."
"..."
So this was their scheme — framing her as the perpetrator to extort compensation, trying to drain her 5 million Points.
"Is that really what she said?" Suzune asked, maintaining remarkable composure.
"Yes." Noticing her unusual calmness, Sae continued, "The video footage shows you turning around three times during the race to check her position. According to the accusation, you were confirming her location to deliberately knock her down. They claim your leg delivered a hard kick."
Sae harbored doubts about her own statement, particularly regarding Minori's claim about Suzune kicking her.
Would this composed girl really do something like that?
Obviously not. Sae wouldn't have envisioned Suzune leading Class D up to Class B if that were the case. She could vouch for her character.
However, these kinds of false accusations between classes weren't new — they had faced similar situations when they were students here. While she understood this personally, as a faculty member, she needed to maintain impartiality.
She also recognized that students might face similar unfair accusations in the future. Resolving this independently would provide valuable experience, especially since the real world could be even harsher.
So, Suzune, how will you handle this?
Sae realized that since becoming more reserved, she had grown into her role as a teacher.
She continued, "Furthermore, she claims this has prevented her from participating in all remaining competitions. The nurse's recent diagnosis indicates her leg injury is more severe than initially reported, suggesting intentional harm."
At this point, Sae's expression darkened.
"Suzune, what's your defense?"
Defense? These were clearly false accusations.
Kakeru's class showed no qualms about crossing lines.
"The boys' events have finished by now, right?" Suzune asked, directing her question to Kikyō.
"Hmm." Kikyō unconsciously touched the ends of her hair with her left hand — her typical gesture when deep in thought.
Because. Suzune's reaction was strange.
Wasn't she in trouble right now? Why worry about that? Shouldn't she be defending herself? Shouldn't she be pulling out that voice recorder to prove her innocence?
But then, she understood.
Was Suzune trying to contact Houtarou?
Indeed. Houtarou was a troublesome guy with infinite creativity. Was Suzune seeking his help with her predicament?
Running to a man when things go wrong — so this is who you are, Suzune.
Kikyō revised her understanding of the lone girl.
At the same time, she felt irritated. After all, she had conspired with Kakeru again, keeping it hidden from Houtarou. If he discovered this and tried to intervene, she would certainly be in trouble.
Still, she put on a fake smile and said, "The boys' events are over, so do you want me to contact him now?"
She didn't specify who "him" was, but Kikyō knew Suzune understood.
"No need." Suzune said, "I can handle the current situation. I was just wondering if it would interfere with his schedule, but since the mandatory boys' events are over, there's no need to worry."
Oh. Well, aren't you just so capable.
Thinking this, Kikyō felt relieved — as long as that guy didn't show up, everything would be fine. She knew that if Houtarou appeared, he would likely unravel whatever plan they had constructed.
That would be too painful.
"Horikita — that attitude of yours won't do." A man's voice came from outside the infirmary at that moment. Then he walked right in.
It was Kakeru with his red middle-parted hair.
At the sound of that voice, Kikyō visibly relaxed.
"Are you sure I'm falsely accusing you?" Kakeru strode to Minori's bed and pulled back the covers.
Minori, who had been suppressing her pain with occasional whimpers, burst into tears as everyone saw the severe injury beneath.
Her right lower leg and ankle were wrapped in bandages, with an alarming bruise visible through the wrapping — unmistakably a real injury.
"Horikita, while your class worked hard, choosing such an underhanded method to injure one of our key players is despicable." Kakeru declared, "Unable to match Kinoshita's speed in both the 100 meters and hurdles, you resorted to this one-for-one strategy to eliminate our elite runner. I won't accept this. I'm reporting this to the Student Council for a fair judgment. And on this point..."
He turned to Minori.
"You feel the same way, right?"
"I... um—" Minori struggled through her tears, "Horikita-san deliberately injured me and shows no remorse... uh— I might never be able to run again—"
As a dedicated Track and Field Club member who had trained since middle school, even after recovery, she might never regain her former speed.
The evidence seemed damning — Suzune had turned around multiple times during the race, and after their fall, she had continued running while Minori remained immobile.
All signs pointed to Suzune being at a disadvantage.
Sae: "..."
Watching the scene unfold, she observed Suzune carefully. Though she trusted the girl's character, she had to acknowledge Kakeru's clever argument.
He had established a clear motive — Suzune's inferior performance compared to Minori and her desire for a one-for-one elimination.
The situation looked grim for Suzune. How would she respond?
"Is that all you have to say? First, I did not injure Kinoshita. During the 200-meter race, she was running behind me and repeatedly calling my name. I only turned around because she was calling out to me. And on this point." Suzune turned to Kikyō, "Kushida can testify."
All eyes turned to the little angel.
"Yes." Kikyō nodded, "That's what Horikita-san told me. However, since I was at the finish line, I couldn't hear their conversation. I only saw her turning around several times."
Suzune: "..."
⍟⍟⍟
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