COTE: A Mute Guy

Vol. 2 Chp. 6: Sudou's Trial

'Italic': Notebook
'AI voice': Phone

Today, we had to prove that Sudou was innocent.

I was waiting in the dorm lobby when I spotted Sakura. She looked gloomier than usual.

She noticed me as her eyes widened, "K-Kagurazaka-kun...!"

'How are you feeling?'

"I'm fine," she quietly said.

Even though she looked gloomy, she seemed composed and calm.

We walked together to school.

'Testify for your sake.'

She nodded.

"K-Kagurazaka-kun, did you know about my idol identity?"

'Not until yesterday.'

She seemed surprised.

'I ran into you. I thought you were more attractive without the fake glasses and with your hand down.'

Sakura cupped her face as she seemed flustered and embarrassed by my honesty. There was a slight smile on her face.

~Timeskip~

As the bell rang for the end of class, Horikita and I stood.

"Have you prepared for this, Sudou-kun?"

Sudou nodded, "I'm good. I was born ready."

Sudou was mentally preparing himself as he closed his eyes, folded his arms, and opened his eyes.

"You might call me a complete idiot and make fun of me, but I'm me. If you have something you want to say, say it now."

"Don't do anything selfish," Horikita said.

She stopped herself from saying anything insulting to Sudou, and I was slightly surprised.

'Sudou, listen to me. Whatever you say can be used against you, so please be careful what you say.'

"Uh, yeah... I'll keep your words in mind."

"Do your best, Horikita-san, Sudou-kun, and Kagurazaka-kun."

Horikita didn't respond, but Sudou pumped his fist to show his resolve. I checked on Sakura, who was still sitting down, her body rigid. She stood, her lips trembling tightly.

"I'm okay... Thank you..."

The discussion was at 4 PM, but it was already 3:50 PM. When the four of us got to the faculty room, a teacher waved at us to come inside.

"Yahoo! Hello, Class D students!" Hoshinomiya-sensei, the homeroom teacher of Class B, greeted us with a happy-go-lucky tone.

"It seems like something rather interesting happened. Do you want to tell me about it?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei was sticking her nose into our business. Chabashira-sensei won't be happy about that.

"What are you doing?" Chabashira-sensei asked.

"Oh, no, I've been found out," Hoshinomiya-sensei smiled.

Chabashira-sensei glared at Hoshinomiya-sensei as she exited the faculty room, "Whenever you sneak out, that's around when I start to feel suspicious."

Hoshinomiya-sensei winked, "Teehee, you got me! So, I can't join it, huh?"

"Outsiders can't participate."

"That's too bad. Well, that's all right. The results should be out within an hour, I guess."

Chabashira-sensei forcefully pushed Hoshinomiya-sensei back into the faculty room.