Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

"Brother, older brother..."

With a mixture of fear and unease on her face, Horikita Suzune rushed to her fallen brother's side.

Her trembling fingertips gently approached his nose, and only after feeling his faint but certain breath did her tense shoulders relax abruptly.

"Tsk..."

In the dim light, Kaoru Hanayama looked down at her fist and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

He believed he had already shown mercy, and that the impact of his attack should have been controlled to a few percent.

However, no matter how skilled his opponent was in martial arts, he was ultimately just an ordinary high school student. It seems he hadn't held back enough.

Hanayama grabbed the unconscious Horikita Manabu with one hand and easily hoisted him onto his broad shoulders.

"...Sorry. I used a little too much force."

He gave Lingyin a brief apology in a low, hoarse voice.

Lingyin shook her head slowly, panting.

Although wavering remained, she did not lose her rationality.

"Please don't apologize. Although I respect my brother, I don't think the current situation is your fault. You were just acting in self-defense."

She stood up, brushed the sand off her skirt, and then looked at Horikita Manabu, who was swaying weakly on Hanayama Kaoru's shoulder.

"But if the school finds out about this injury, you could be expelled for violence against your classmates."

Lingyin bit her lip tightly, and in her red eyes resided an awkward sense of justice.

"This is a blind spot for the security cameras, so it's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. If things escalate, I will testify that my brother started it."

Huashan glanced at her with some surprise, but said nothing and started walking.

After passing through the special building at night, the two arrived at the infirmary.

With a whoosh, the sliding door was pulled open, and air mixed with the smells of disinfectant and alcohol flowed out.

"Oh dear? Who could it be so late...?"

Sitting in a folding chair, with her legs crossed and reading a magazine, Hoshinomiya Chie looked over with a slightly lazy gaze.

However, when she saw Horikita Manabu being carried on Hanayama's shoulders like a lump of mud, the drunkenness in her eyes vanished instantly.

"Student council president!? Wait a minute, what's going on!?"

Hoshinomiya's voice changed from that of an approachable teacher to that of an adult dealing with troublesome matters.

Lingyin took a deep breath, and was about to speak as she had just decided, when at that very moment...

"……Well."

A muffled groan escaped from Huashan's shoulder.

Horikita has woken up.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain, and managed to get down from Huashan's shoulder on his own. Although he staggered, he managed to land on his feet.

"Horikita-kun, your arm..."

Hoshinomiya pointed it out astutely. Horikita Manabu's right arm was hanging limply at his side at a noticeably unnatural angle.

"I just accidentally tripped on the dimly lit stairs, Hoshinomiya-sensei. It's just that I bumped into the wrong place."

Although Horikita was sweating profusely, he forced down the trembling in his voice and casually uttered those words.

"...From the stairs?"

Hoshinomiya narrowed his eyes slightly, looking back and forth between Horikita Manabu and Hanayama standing behind him.

The question of whether falling down the stairs could cause such injuries is obvious.

But since the student council president had verbally declared it, she judged that continuing to investigate would only escalate the trouble.

"...Is that so? In that case, let's sit on the bed first. I'll take care of it for you."

Hoshinomiya sighed softly and quickly began preparing the medical kit.

After processing and a simple check are completed.

"You have a fractured bone in your right arm and a mild concussion. You absolutely need to rest today."

As Hoshinomiya wrote on the medical record, he explained the situation.

"I see."

Horikita Manabu sat on the hospital bed, looking down at his right arm, which was in a sling, and quietly nodded.

He then turned his gaze to Horikita Suzune, who was standing by the bed with a worried expression.

"Lingyin, you go back to the dorm first. I can manage on my own here."

"But……"

"Go back. Don't make me say the same thing twice."

Hearing that deep, cold voice, Lingyin's shoulders trembled in fright, and she could no longer say anything. She turned and walked out of the infirmary.

Hoshinomiya perhaps sensed the tense atmosphere, and left the infirmary with only the words, "Well then, I'll go to the staff room to leave some documents. You need to rest."

In the now quiet space, only Hanayama, sitting in a folding chair, and Horikita, sitting on his hospital bed, remained.

After a long silence, Horikita Manabu spoke first.

"...Please allow me to apologize. I did lose my temper just now."

Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses with his uninjured left hand and continued calmly.

"No, that's not right. I didn't lose my mind. It's just... I felt fear. I thought I wouldn't waver no matter what happened. But when facing you, I actually followed my instincts and attacked you. My training is still not up to par."

Those were words that acknowledged his own powerlessness, words that seemed to shatter his self-esteem. Yet, there was no humiliation in his eyes, only a calm acceptance of the truth.

"I won't pursue the matter of the injury. I will also erase the surveillance footage along the way. And as an apology for initiating the attack, I will later transfer 50 personal points to you as compensation."

A series of actions and loss mitigation. That was perfect conduct for a student council president.

Upon hearing this, Huashan gave a short, sniffy laugh.

"I don't need any points as compensation."

Hanayama stood up from his chair, put his hands in his pockets, and looked down at Horikita Manabu on the hospital bed.

"However, let me say something."

There was an incredible weight in that deep voice.

"You said you felt fear. But when facing me, you never ran away or gave up from the very beginning; you just threw a punch. That wasn't some kind of irrational rampage. ...Since you had the courage to throw a punch at me, you are undoubtedly a brave person."

That was an acknowledgment from the pinnacle of the ultimate path, from the absolute strongest.

Horikita Manabu's eyes widened slightly.

That was completely different from the praise he had received so far; it was a savage yet pure admiration.

After a few seconds of silence.

"……Yeah."

A rare, genuine smile, not self-deprecating, appeared on Horikita Manabu's lips.

"Then I'll frankly express my gratitude for your recognition."