There was no way the forum posts could escape Amikura Mako notice. As long as someone forwarded or tagged her, the group chats would be flooded with discussion.
After Class B found the post, they tried desperately to explain the situation, but without the most crucial evidence, they only ended up stuck in a mess where they couldn't prove their innocence, and everything descended into chaos.
As the thread kept getting more replies, its popularity never dropped, drawing in even more bystanders. Seeing the main post and some of the off-topic replies, even if these bystanders didn't believe everything, the impression would stick with them, and they'd instinctively start to distance themselves from Amikura Mako and Class 1-B.
After all, people with a bad reputation make others subconsciously feel they're not trustworthy.
It's better to avoid trouble, so most just keep their distance. No matter how you look at it, Amikura Mako was still just a first-year student who had only recently started high school.
Just as Kanzaki Ryuji had predicted, she couldn't handle all the gossip and rumors at all. After only a few minutes, the girl eyes were already red, and she bit her lip stubbornly, forcing herself not to cry.
"I'll find out who's behind all this, don't worry, Mako-chan."
Ichinose Honami gently hugged Amikura Mako, softly stroking her back like she was comforting a child.
"I hate this... "
As soon as Amikura Mako spoke, she realized she was about to cry and desperately tried to hold herself back.
But sometimes, the more you try not to do something, the harder it is to stop.
"They're just being misled for now. I'll clear up these rumors soon, and everything will be fine," Ichinose Honami whispered reassuringly.
"If you say it like that, Honami-chan, it's not fair... I can't help it, uuu... "
By the end, Mako voice was choked with sobs.
"Don't pay attention to them. I'll always be on your side, Mako-chan!"
Kanzaki Ryuji watched as they hugged each other, then turned his gaze to Hoshinomiya Chie beside him.
"Isn't there anything you can do, sensei?"
"Ahaha, even if you say that, it's not really my place to step in."
Hoshinomiya Chie scratched her head.
"Honestly, I'm not happy about it either, but disputes like this are usually handled internally by the students themselves—that's what the student council is for."
"Looks like the student council's power is nothing to sneeze at. It's even greater than I thought."
"But I could help you guys beat up Class C homeroom teacher if you want?"
"... ... "
Kanzaki Ryuji never really expected much from a homeroom teacher who'd lose her composure in front of students. Instead of hoping for Hoshinomiya Chie to do something, it was probably better to just go straight to Ibuki Mio.
"Can you help us check where this student has been today?"
Hoshinomiya Chie looked at the boy in surprise. While Ichinose Honami could only comfort her classmates, he was still able to keep a cool head and think things through.
Tsk, this year's Class B kids aren't bad either.
"This one's a bit tricky. Normally, surveillance footage isn't accessible to students, and there aren't that many cameras in the school building anyway."
"Can I use personal points to buy access?"
"Ahaha, you're really straightforward, aren't you? But hey, I'm still your homeroom teacher, right?"
Hoshinomiya Chie pretended to be angry.
"Don't underestimate your homeroom teacher, you little brat!"
Kanzaki Ryuji fell silent.
Honestly, he really wasn't good at dealing with adults who liked to joke around like this.
After a while, Hoshinomiya Chie received a few more surveillance videos. Kanzaki Ryuji took her phone and watched carefully, his mood growing heavier. Even after tracking Ibuki Mio movements today, there still wasn't a single flaw to be found.
The only suspicious points were just a few. She deliberately waited at a corner for several minutes, had contact with Ryuuen and Manabe Shiho, and kept her fist clenched the whole time, as if she was holding something.
"Besides us, did anyone else access the surveillance footage today?" Kanzaki Ryuji suddenly asked.
"Nope." Hoshinomiya Chie smiled at him.
"Now's your chance to show off in front of the girls, Kanzaki."
Kanzaki Ryuji was at a loss for words. He had no interest in women and couldn't begin to understand what this teacher was thinking.
"Kanzaki-kun, do you have something in mind?"
Ichinose Honami had been paying close attention to their conversation.
"Unless we're absolutely sure, our only option is to try and bluff this student."
Kanzaki Ryuji let out a deep sigh, hoping the other person's nerves weren't too strong. Thinking back to how he had specifically pulled up surveillance footage of the student's movements, Ichinose Honami quickly realized what he meant.
It was obvious that Kanzaki Ryuji planned to look for a breakthrough with Ibuki Mio
....
For Class B, finding Ibuki Mio was a piece of cake. Not long after school ended in the afternoon, Ichinose Honami and Kanzaki Ryuji blocked Ibuki Mio on the path back to the dorms.
Without even glancing at them, Ibuki Mio tried to walk around the two, but Ichinose Honami immediately stepped in front of her.
"We want to have a word with you, Ibuki-san."
Although Ibuki Mio was on the petite side, she wasn't much shorter than Ichinose Honami. Their eyes naturally met.
"I'm not interested in anyone from Class B." Ibuki Mio turned her gaze away, continuing to ignore Ichinose Honami, and got ready to head off in another direction.
"But we're really interested in you right now!" Ichinose Honami called out to her just in time.
"Everything you did has been caught on camera. If you don't want to get in trouble with the school, you'd better apologize to Mako-chan right now!"
Ibuki Mio paused, tilting her head slightly as she looked at her, confused. "You mean the cameras in the hallway?"
"Not just the cameras from then, but also the ones that caught everywhere you went yesterday," Kanzaki Ryuji spoke up.
"That's odd, are you guys actually cops?" Ibuki Mio sounded a little surprised. This kind of thinking was more like a private detective or a police officer.
"Even if you managed to avoid the hallway cameras, you couldn't have hidden the fact that you met with Manabe, right?" Ichinose Honami face was serious.
"She handed you the bracelet before school ended, and you kept it with you all the way to the corner of the hallway. Am I wrong?"
"No matter how perfect you made it look in the moment, as long as we saw the bracelet beforehand, you can't talk your way out of this," Kanzaki Ryuji stared coldly at the girl. But Ibuki Mio's expression didn't change at all. She even held out her hands to the two of them.
"If that's how it is, then go ahead and arrest me now."
Ichinose Honami expression stiffened for a moment, but she went on.
"Perfect, I don't want to stay in this crappy school any longer anyway. If you've got evidence, hurry up and get the school to punish me, kick me out already." Even though she said that, there wasn't a trace of fear or belief on her face. It was more like she was just messing with them.
Crap, they'd run into a real tough nut!
"So you're admitting you did it?" Kanzaki Ryuji said coldly. Ibuki Mio stared at him for a long time, then finally gave him a look that screamed she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Looks like it's not just Class D that's full of idiots—Class B's got their share too!"
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