COTE: The Quiet One Can Be Dangerous

Vol. 2 Chp. 3: Bonding With Other Students

'...': Writing
'...': Sign language

After homeroom ended, I got up from my seat and started walking toward the exit.

"Sakura-san," Kushida called out to her.

"W-What...?" Sakura hunched back and looked up listlessly.

She was panicking, and it wasn't a good sign at all.

"Do you have time, Sakura-san? I want to ask you something about Sudou-kun's case..."

"S-Sorry, I... have plans, so..."

She averted her eyes, and it landed on me momentarily before she quickly looked away. That's right... I was going to help her out with her photos.

"Can you make some time? I want to talk because this is important. During Sudou-kun's incident, were you nearby by any chance?"

"I don't know... I already said this to Horikita-san, but I don't know anything..." Her words were frail, but she denied it.

I don't think Kushida isn't going to drop it.

Despite her discomfort, Sakura avoided looking at Kushida's face. If it were me, then it would be a completely different outcome. Interacting with Kushida was a completely different experience.

"Can't you give me a few minutes?"

"W-Why? I don't know anything..."

The awkward conversation was gathering more attention as it dragged on and on. It looks like I would have to step in. A sigh escaped my lips as I made my way over.

'She doesn't know anything.'

Underneath those words, I wrote down something else entirely different.

It seemed Kushida understood, nodding her head with a smile, "I'm sorry, Sakura-san. It looks like I got the wrong person."

Ayanokouji's POV

Hmm, that was interesting. I wonder what Kagurazaka wrote down to make Kushida back down. Sakura grabbed her stuff and quickly exited the classroom.

However, she bumped shoulders with Hondou, who wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as he texted his friend on his phone.

"Ah!"

She was holding a digital camera that escaped her grip, clanging onto the floor. Kagurazaka buried his face into his hands in disappointment. It seems that Sakura's camera holds some evidence.

Sakura picked up her camera in a panic, "No... It won't turn on..."

Sakura gasped and covered her mouth. The camera appeared broken from the impact. She repeatedly pressed the power button and attempted to remove and reinsert the batteries, but it remained off.

Sakura quickly left as a sigh escaped Kagurazaka's lips as he left the classroom.

"Why is a gloomy girl like her the witness? How unlucky. She doesn't even want to help," Sudou leaned against the chair and crossed his legs as he sighed in resignation.

"Don't worry; Kagurazaka-kun will talk to her about it," Kushida reassured Sudou.

"What if he doesn't talk to her about it, though? He could've been lying about it," Sudou suggested.

"I think Kagurazaka-kun will talk to Sakura-san," Horikita said, "She should be the witness."

"How do you know?" Sudou asked.

"It's better for her to talk to someone that she is familiar with. It will make it easier for him to convince her," Horikita explained.

Horikita continued, "To answer your second question... She won't testify as your witness. The case will still be your fault. Class D won't escape consequences, but we're fortunate only to lose 87 points, not 100 or 200. You claimed innocence, so the school can't expel you, but we'll be affected more than class C."