Chapter 112 Classmates...

Classmates…

Murata Ritsu’s PoV

Today’s classes are finally over. I look at a news site on my phone. It’s all about the article about Kondo-senpai’s father.

[Crying and Fleeing Press Conference! Councilor Kondo Arrested Immediately.]

[Shut Up! Arrogance Councilor Silencing Reporters. Instead, He Was the One Who Was Silenced.]

[Savage Councilor! Not Only Blackmail but Also Illegal Funds?]

[Arrested with the Words “I’m a Great Guy!” End of Councilor Kondo’s Arrogance.]

[Unprecedented Press Conference. Councilor Kondo Is a Self-Proclaimed High-Ranking Citizen!!!]

[Bullying and Power Harassment! Employees Talk about the Daily Life of Councilor Kondo.]

[Counter-Preach to the Arrogance Councilor. Kudo and Principal Reject Threats.]

[Victims’ Families Speak Out: Thanks to the Teachers. I Hope Councilor Kondo Goes to Hell!!!]

Sensational headlines lined the pages. I was afraid when I read them.

The news also included allegations that Kondo-senpai had bullied Aono-kun, and although the names of both parties were withheld, the details of the bullying were reported in an online article in the weekly magazine. The school’s comments were also recorded there.

[The bullying is currently under investigation, and we are considering strict disciplinary action against the student who caused the problem. Bullying is a crime, and we are working with the police to confirm the facts.]

After this comment, a professor in the education department of a university said,

[I think the school’s response to this case, as far as the media coverage goes, is excellent. As bullying continues to be recognized as a crime, bullying will decrease. The environment in this case was a model for the field.]

My own conscience is shaken. Why did I cooperate with the soccer club without checking anything first?

At the end of the lunch break, Takayanagi-sensei came to the classroom and told several students, including me, to come to the teachers’ room after school. When I saw the faces of those members, I immediately knew what it meant. They were students outside the soccer club who had helped b🬀lly Aono-kun. The two soccer club members from the same class were suspended from school today. I also heard a rumor that they would be severely punished.

We are finished. The atmosphere in the classroom was like a funeral wake. I wasn’t in a good mood. I couldn’t think of anything during the afternoon class.

And then it was after school.

We walked silently to the teachers’ room.

In the teachers’ room, we were separated and led one by one to an empty classroom where several teachers asked us what was going on. My counterpart was my homeroom teacher, Takayanagi-sensei.

Sensei slowly asked me the following questions,

“We called you in because of the bullying of Aono case. We have completed our investigation. I want you to tell me your own story without any further deception.”

The look on Sensei’s face warns me that there is no escape.

My blood flows quickly.

“…”

I’m too scared to say anything. I remember the faces of my parents. The faces of the two people who were so happy to see me when I enrolled in this school. …

“I’m going to be harsh, but this one also had a due date at the school assembly yesterday. I think we have to be strict with Murata and the others who ignored it. Do you have anything to say?”

It was an adult’s voice. Frighteningly cold.

“We were deceived. We were told that Aono-kun was violent with Miyuki-san, so …”

“Yes, that may be true. But, Murata. That doesn’t absolve you of what you did to Aono. Only justice can judge people, and no one else should judge others. A private lynching is a grave crime.”

I shudder as Sensei tries to convince me intelligently.

“I didn’t know.”

“Yes, I know. I can sympathize with Murata and the others who were told a lie. But in this case, Aono was innocent. You gave Aono, an innocent man, a twisted sense of justice that will scar him for the rest of his life. I think you should take responsibility for that. Even Murata can only imagine how she would feel if she was suddenly forced to take the blame for a crime she didn’t commit and was subjected to violence and harassment, can’t you?”

“Ah…”

Please don’t tell my parents. Please forgive me. That’s how I felt, and I was about to explode with the desire to cry and scream.

I had good grades. Maybe I could’ve been recommended for admission to a university next year. But if my career was damaged here, I wouldn’t be able to do that.

I was scared, scared, scared.

But there was an even greater emotion that overwhelmed my fear.

I imagined what would happen if I were in Aono-kun’s position. Through no fault of his own, he was made to look bad, and we even blocked him from SNS without giving him a chance to explain himself. We even helped spread false rumors. We actively participated in writing curses on his desk and other forms of bullying. And we even ignored the counseling room provided by the teachers.

It’s disgusting. Yes, I may have been deceived. But this is unforgivable. If I were in the same situation, I wouldn’t come to school. No, I would probably want to die. And then I might not be able to go out and lose the rest of my life. Why didn’t I understand that?

“Sensei…”

“Yes.”

Sensei, who seemed to understand that I had made up my mind, nodded.

“I was a part of Aono’s bullying. I also said terrible abusive things to him on SNS. I spread false rumors. I participated in the harassment. I will tell my parents about it. I accept the school’s punishment. So, … can’t I apologize to Aono-kun? I don’t think it’ll make me feel any less guilty. But I think I’ve to apologize.”