SWNOVELXO Chapter 111
Chapter 111: Additional Punishment
Before entering the room, Sudo, who had appeared defiant and impatient, immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere when he saw the situation inside the student council office.
Particularly, the presence of Horikita and Sakagami-sensei made him feel an invisible pressure. As their gazes fell on him, he instinctively took his hands out of his pockets, clearly showing that, after nearly facing expulsion previously, the red-haired boy had somewhat reined in his temper.
It was also possible that, after seeing Ishizaki, Ikeda, and others, Sudo realized that the situation wasn’t looking good and had no choice but to “lower his head” and adopt a more subdued attitude.
The hearing that followed consisted of listening to the testimonies from both parties involved. Ishizaki, Ikeda, and the others testified exactly as they had the previous day, accusing Sudo from Class D of using violent means and severely assaulting them. The injuries on their bodies served as proof.
“Hey! What are you three idiots talking about? It was you who called me out and provoked me!” Sudo suddenly stood up and refuted their testimony.
“Class D, please do not interrupt the other party’s statement. If you have any doubts, you may raise them after they have finished speaking,” Horikita said coldly, glaring at Sudo as a warning.
“What?! It was clearly you guys who asked me to leave the basketball club, and when I refused, you started pushing me! I only acted in self-defense!”
Sudo was furious about the testimony from Ishizaki and the others and didn’t even care about Horikita’s warning.
“President, look! This guy was just like this! As soon as there was a little argument, he exploded in rage, then raised his fist and started hitting us. The injuries on all three of us are caused by him!”
Ishizaki, wisely avoiding a direct confrontation with Sudo, turned to Horikita to report.
“Bastards! It was clearly you who provoked me first!”
Sudo, in a fit of rage, kicked a nearby chair aside, looking as though he was about to charge at them and hit them again.
“Sudo, sit down!”
At this moment, Chabashira-sensei, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, her voice icy.
Sudo wanted to retort, but Horikita cut in, “It seems this hearing is close to reaching a conclusion.”
“But…but I haven’t—”
Sudo hastily began, but Horikita raised his hand to interrupt him and coldly looked at him, “Initially, there were doubts about the accusation from Class C students. After all, it was three against one. However, based on the violent behavior and extreme actions you just displayed, it’s hard to argue that this was ‘self-defense,’ rather than an act of ‘venting anger.’”
Upon hearing Horikita’s words, Chabashira-sensei remained expressionless, but the coldness emanating from her made it clear how she felt about the situation.
“Additionally, since the scene of the violence lacked surveillance equipment, we cannot determine the specifics of what happened or who made the first move. Given the circumstances, the student council will give you one week to provide evidence to prove your innocence. Otherwise, based on the complaint from Class C, we will impose a serious punishment, which could include suspension.”
Horikita’s statement left the room in complete silence.
“Suspension?!”
Sudo’s eyes widened, and then, as if remembering something, he frantically asked, “If I get suspended, what happens to basketball training and the upcoming matches?”
“At this point, Hikigaya should be quite familiar with this,” Horikita suddenly mentioned Hikigaya, since he had been handling matters related to this recently.
Hikigaya had no choice but to step forward and explain, “According to the rules, during a suspension, students are not allowed to participate in any school activities, including club activities and competitions.”
“Huh?!”
Sudo seemed to be enraged, shouting, “Basketball is everything to me!! I… I can’t accept this!”
But no one in the room paid any attention to Sudo’s outburst.
“President, how long would the suspension last?”
At this point, Hikigaya suddenly spoke up. His words caught everyone’s attention, and Chabashira-sensei also realized the intention behind Hikigaya’s question.
Horikita coldly surveyed everyone in the room before finally fixing his gaze on the still “unreconciled” Sudo. “According to the rules, the suspension would last for three weeks.”
Upon hearing “three weeks,” Chabashira-sensei visibly relaxed, but Horikita continued, “However, due to your inappropriate attitude towards the student council and teachers, the loud disturbance you caused in the office, the destruction of property, and the fact that you did not show any remorse afterward, additional punishment will be added. The original three-week suspension will be extended until the summer break of the first semester.”
Chabashira-sensei, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, immediately looked very displeased. On the other hand, Sakagami-sensei, who had been silent the whole time, showed a satisfied smile, while Ishizaki, Kendo, and others also wore victorious expressions.
Similarly, Hikigaya furrowed his brow when he heard “extended until the summer break,” and cast a puzzled glance at Horikita.
As for Sudo, he was still in a state of “denial” and didn’t care much. To him, it seemed that it didn’t matter how long the suspension lasted; it was the same either way.
After the students from Class C and Class D had left, the student council office was left with only Horikita, Tachibana, and Hikigaya.
“Do you have any questions?”
Horikita seemed to notice Hikigaya’s confusion and asked.
Hikigaya thought for a moment and then nodded. “Putting my position aside, as an ordinary student council member, I do find some doubts about this matter.”
Ishizaki and the others had been severely injured by Sudo’s unilateral assault. From the perspective of the numbers, this situation was quite ridiculous, especially since Ishizaki and Ikeda were not weak enough to be easily knocked out by a single punch. It was absurd but not impossible. Though, from a conspiracy-theory standpoint, Class C was highly suspicious, these were not the aspects Hikigaya was concerned with or felt uncertain about.
“If we follow the normal procedure, shouldn’t it be ‘the one who claims must provide evidence’? As the plaintiffs, Class C’s accusation is that ‘Sudo used violence to severely injure all three of them,’ and the injuries on their bodies are indeed persuasive. However, due to the lack of surveillance at the scene, this is not sufficient as conclusive evidence.”
Hikigaya looked at Horikita, which was the part that confused him. Since Class C was the accusing party, logically, shouldn’t they be the ones to provide the evidence first, given that the existing evidence was not yet enough to be decisive?
Why, then, was it Sudo, the defendant, who was asked to find evidence to “prove his innocence”?
He felt that with Horikita’s abilities, he wouldn’t have made such a mistake.