C44

Chapter 44: Student Guidance Room — Kitayama Kaho's POV

During class, the door at the back of the classroom quietly opened.

Noticing the sound, the students turned around all at once as Takamiya walked in. Behind her was Teacher Yamaoka, and Takamiya returned to her seat with her head bowed.

Without interrupting the class, Teacher Yamaoka walked from the back of the classroom toward Kitayama's desk and stopped in front of it. Kitayama gave a small nod, quietly stood up, and left the classroom through the back door side by side with Teacher Yamaoka.

Once the two of them were out of sight, a small murmur broke out across the classroom. Several students exchanged glances, surprised that Kitayama had been called out.

Even so, the class continued as usual, and the atmosphere in the room gradually returned to normal.

◇

Kitayama Kaho

Kaho was led by Teacher Yamaoka to the student guidance room. Stopping for a moment in front of the door, she swallowed a small lump of saliva and let out a quiet breath. Then, steeling her resolve, she took a step past the door that Teacher Yamaoka opened.

Inside, Grade Head Nishikawa and Student Guidance Teacher Hirano were seated. Yamaoka took a seat next to the two of them, and Hirano directed his gaze to a chair prepared for her.

"Have a seat."

Prompted by the words, Kaho lowered herself into the chair.

"Today, we are going to ask you about the false confession made to Tachibana-kun after school last Monday."

With that opening, Hirano cast his gaze down at the questionnaire resting on the desk.

"The questionnaire states that you knew about this fake confession from the planning stage. Is that correct?"

Kaho gave a small nod.

"……Yes."

Hirano lowered his eyes to the questionnaire and moved on to the next question.

"Now, please tell us the circumstances under which the fake confession was decided upon."

Kaho steadied her breathing for a moment.

"When our friends gathered together, we played a game…… and as the punishment game for that, we ended up doing a fake confession."

"Who was playing the game at that time?"

Kaho recalled the faces of everyone present.

"Me, Suzumura-san, Takamiya-san, Kano-san, Kujo-kun, and Sugisawa-kun. The six of us."

When Kaho answered, Hirano turned his eyes to the documents in hand, confirming the written names one by one.

Lifting his eyes from the documents, Hirano directed his gaze back to her.

"Then, who decided to make the fake confession the punishment game?"

Kaho choked on her words for a split second and lowered her gaze.

"……Takamiya-san."

Hirano glanced down at the documents in his hand once more.

"Now, please tell us the detailed contents of that fake confession."

(I mustn't be vague here, or keep things unsaid. I have to talk about everything I know……)

"The target of the fake confession was ultimately decided by Kujo-kun. And so, Suzumura-san was going to be the one to carry out the fake confession……"

Kaho stopped herself for a brief moment.

"The plan was for her to confess to Tachibana-kun behind the gymnasium after school on Tuesday of the week before last, and if he accepted, to date him for a few days…… and then, after school last Monday, when they were left alone together, she would reveal that it was all a lie."

Kaho lowered her head slightly.

"The plan was for us to hide and watch the whole sequence of events……"

Teacher Nishikawa jotted down the details as they were captured. Hirano stared into Kaho's eyes for a while before quietly asking:

"At that time, was there any plan for someone to film it?"

"No…… we were just going to hide and watch, and nothing about recording it on video ever came up."

"I see."

Hirano glanced down at the documents in his hand.

"Now, what actually took place differed quite a bit from the original plan for the fake confession. Were you notified in advance about that change?"

"No…… I wasn't told."

Hearing Kaho's answer, Hirano dropped his eyes to the materials. After checking the contents for a bit, he shifted his gaze back to Kaho.

"Do you know why it turned out that way?"

(I don't know the exact reason why things turned out like that…… But it contradicted what Kujo-kun told the rest of the class.)

Thinking this, Kaho slowly opened her mouth.

"Kujo-kun said it was for Suzumura-san's sake. But…… I cannot trust those words."

"Why is that?"

"If he had genuinely been thinking of Suzumura-san, there would have been no need to do something like that in front of the classmates. Kujo-kun could have asked Tachibana-kun to talk in private, and they could have told the truth and apologized in private between the two of them; or the six of them could have discussed it and chosen to apologize together."

(It doesn't look like an act to protect Kokone-chan at all. I think he was just using Kokone-chan as a shield to create an excuse to attack Tachibana-kun.)

Hirano listened to Kaho in silence for a while, then gave a small nod.

"……I see."

Jotting down her previous remarks into the documents, Hirano checked them over once before moving to the next question.

"You wrote that Kano-san was filming a video. Could you tell us more about that in detail?"

(Meiko-chan said she deleted the video, but no one confirmed it right there on the spot. Even back then, her response was so casual…… Considering how they attacked Tachibana-kun like that, wouldn't the video still exist……?)

"While Kujo-kun was cornering Tachibana-kun, Kano-san filmed a video…… And then…… Takamiya-san said that we could look back at it and laugh later……"

Kaho lowered her head a little.

"Kujo-kun told her to delete the video…… But no one in that place checked if she really deleted it."

Hirano nodded once.

"Aside from Kano-san, were there any other students filming?"

Kaho thought for a brief moment, as if recalling that time.

"I didn't check properly, but…… I don't think anyone else had their smartphone pointed at them."

"I see."

Recording the note in his papers, Hirano turned his attention back to the questionnaire.

"The questionnaire says, 'I think if I had acted more, I could have stopped it.' Can you let me know why you felt that way?"

Kaho stayed silent for a while.

"Right from the start…… I knew it was a bad thing. But I…… couldn't strongly deny it."

Hearing Kaho's words, Hirano nodded once.

"Earlier, Takamiya-san told us that Kitayama-san tried to stop it."

Kaho bowed her head for a moment, then slowly lifted it and looked straight ahead.

"At that time, I did say, 'You shouldn't do it.' But…… it was just a vague, muted warning, saying it would be pitiful if the other person took it seriously."

Kaho paused for a second.

"The truth is, I knew that the fake confession itself was a cruel thing that toyed with people's feelings…… but I didn't have the courage to say it clearly."

"Even if I was rejected, I should have pushed harder to get through to them. I didn't have the resolve to stop it, regardless of whether I was hated or what they thought of me."

Perhaps letting her emotions take over, tears welled up in Kaho's eyes.

"If I had done that…… I don't think Tachibana-kun would have…… been hurt."

Those words carried a painful resonance, as if she were forcibly suppressing the emotions swelling deep within her chest.

Hirano gazed intently into Kaho's eyes for a while.

"Is there anything you would like to convey to Tachibana-kun regarding this matter?"

Kaho lowered her head once, then slowly raised it and looked straight ahead.

"I want to convey my feelings of apology. I want to properly apologize to Tachibana-kun for what I did. I want to clearly communicate that I was in the wrong and apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Hirano gave a small nod.

"I understand."

"Regarding the details confirmed today, the school will organize them and consider our future response."

After a brief pause, Hirano continued:

"That being said, the school will also be contacting your parents regarding this matter, Kitayama-san."

"……Yes."

(I'm going to cause trouble for my mom and dad too……)

Watching Kaho's reaction, Hirano added one final instruction.

"Also, please make sure not to talk about or share what we've confirmed here today with other students."

"Understood."

Kaho gave a small nod, stood up from her chair, and left the room alongside Teacher Yamaoka.

Confirmation Regarding the Events of Last Monday After School

Name: Kitayama Kaho

① Were you inside the classroom last Monday after school?

• Yes / No

• A: Yes

(If you answered "No," please finish here.)

② Please write down, to the best of your memory, what happened inside the classroom at that time.

• A: Suzumura-san confessed to Tachibana-kun, and Kujo-kun revealed in front of everyone in the classroom that it was a fake confession. Afterwards, Kujo-kun and Kano-san made remarks attacking Tachibana-kun, and Tachibana-kun asked Suzumura-san if it was true. When Suzumura-san admitted it was a fake and apologized, Tachibana-kun walked straight out of the classroom.

③ Among the things you saw or heard at the time, please write down anything that left a strong impression on you.

• A: Kujo-kun and Kano-san unilaterally cornered Tachibana-kun, ignoring Suzumura-san's attempts to stop them, and kept attacking him. Kano-san filmed a video. She says she deleted it, but I don't know if it was really deleted.

④ If there is anything you yourself did or said on the spot, please write it down.

• A: I couldn't do anything.

⑤ How do you personally feel about what happened this time?

• A: I think we've done something irreversible, leaving an unhealable wound on Tachibana-kun.

⑥ Did you ever think about consulting or reporting the events of last Monday after school to the school or a teacher?

• Yes / No

• A: No

• Please write the reason you felt that way:

• A: I prioritized my friend Suzumura-san over Tachibana-kun, who was the victim. I couldn't consult a teacher about Tachibana-kun's situation, and in the end, I couldn't do anything. I think I prioritized the wrong side back then.

⑦ If there is anything else you would like to convey to the school, please write it down.

• A: I am an offender who knew about the fake confession from the time it was planned. I think if I had acted more myself, I could have stopped it.

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(I've posted a "What if Reo was..." series on my recent notes. Please check it out if you're curious!)