Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

After celebrating her mother's birthday and witnessing her miraculous recovery, Kaoru Hanayama walked through the gates of Advanced Nurturing High School with a very cheerful and satisfied feeling.

Stable clouds floated in the blue sky, and a warm breeze, like that of early summer, blew through the tree-lined path.

(The air outside is indeed quite nice.)

Huashan muttered these words to himself as he slowly walked towards the classroom of Class 1-C.

However, when he placed his hand on the familiar sliding door and suddenly pulled it open, his joyful mood came to an abrupt end.

"..."

The classroom was not filled with the usual noisy and disorderly commotion.

No one spoke loudly; even Ike and Yamauchi were slumped over the table, creating a somber atmosphere.

Because of the large drop, Hanayama loosened the doorknob and slowly walked into the classroom while speaking.

"What's wrong? Everyone looks so worried."

The first person to respond to that voice was Megumi Karuizawa.

"Hanayama-kun! Can't you think of a way to deal with this?!"

It was just like a gang's underling crying and complaining to the gang leader after someone else took their territory; there was a strange sense of urgency there.

"What happened?"

Hanayama asked briefly, and Karuizawa lowered his voice and spoke rapidly.

"The points distribution for this month has been suspended! It's said to be temporary. It's because Sudo-kun got into a fight with someone from Ryuen's class...!"

Sudo Ken reacted to that sentence, and a dull thud echoed from the back of the classroom as he slammed his fist on a desk.

"That's why I've said it several times already! Those guys attacked first! I was just acting in self-defense!"

Normally, it wouldn't be surprising if he went berserk because of this.

But because of the enormous body of Huashan in front of him, his anger was suppressed, and it sounded more like the defense of a child with nowhere to vent.

As if to ease the tense atmosphere, Hirata Yosuke, the class coordinator, intervened with a gentle yet somewhat weary expression.

"Calm down, Sudo-kun. Nobody thinks it's your fault on your own."

After reassuring Sudo in this way, Hirata turned back to Hanayama and began to explain the situation.

"Welcome back, Hanayama-kun. Let me explain the situation. The class across the street reported to the school that they were unilaterally assaulted by Sudo-kun. If this continues, our class points may be significantly reduced. In the worst-case scenario, Sudo-kun may be suspended... or even expelled."

The air in the classroom grew even heavier, as Ike and Yamauchi trembled with anxiety about their scores.

Huashan quietly processed the situation, gently stroking his chin with his thick fingers.

"...I see. In short, Sudo was caught in a trap by those guys."

In the struggles of the Yakuza, setting traps to hand over the other party to the police is not uncommon at all.

Hanayama stared intently at Sudo as if to teach him a lesson.

"They approached you from the beginning with the intention of provoking you into making a move. ... Next time, don't fight in front of security cameras. That's something only an amateur would do."

That was advice that valued practical benefits and hidden dangers more than ethical considerations.

However, Sudo shook his head with a surprised expression.

"I didn't do anything under the security cameras. The back of the old stadium... that's a blind spot for the cameras."

Upon hearing those words, Hirata's expression grew even more gloomy.

"That's the biggest problem. Since there's no CCTV footage, the school can only make a judgment based on the testimonies of those involved. If this continues, Sudo, who is outnumbered, will be at an overwhelming disadvantage."

Hirata's distress deepened, and he continued.

"So we have no choice but to find eyewitnesses ourselves. We must find someone who saw what happened behind the special building during that time, at all costs..."

Hirata's moral values ​​and problem-solving process are exemplary for a typical high school student.

To prove their own people's innocence, they had no choice but to run errands on their own two legs to find evidence.

however--

"Eyewitness?"

Huashan seemed to have heard an incomprehensible foreign language and stopped moving.

Why should we look for eyewitnesses?

It was a deep, yet weighty voice that could reach every corner of the classroom.

"But if we can't prove that Sudo-kun acted in self-defense..."

Hirata answered with a hint of confusion, but Hanayama raised his hand to stop him.

"The logic is reversed."

Kaoru Hanayama is not a police officer or a legal expert, but he is the leader of the Hanayama Group, which is active in the underground society.

Police searches, interrogations, and handling of protests... How Kizaki and his team navigated power struggles and evaded the fangs of the law.

These things were deeply ingrained in him from childhood, and he was constantly immersed in them as a form of knowledge he learned through constant exposure.

That's why he found the high school students' childish self-justification logic utterly ridiculous.

"Listen carefully to me."

Hanayama stared at Sudo and spoke slowly so that the students gathered around could hear him.

"In cases without conclusive evidence, the burden of proof does not fall on the party claiming innocence, but on the party asserting guilt."

"But Komiya and the others are injured..."

Huashan shook his head.

"You can get injured by falling down, or by banging your head against a wall."

Kikyo Kushida, sitting in the corner of the classroom, suddenly twitched her shoulder, but Hanayama pretended not to notice and continued talking.

"Even the police can't issue an arrest warrant if they only have pre-arranged testimonies and no evidence. So why should we go out of our way to help them gather evidence?"

Huashan's voice remains flat and monotonous throughout, filled with a cold realism.

"Just ignore what those guys at Suiryuen are yelling about. The ones who should be worried aren't Sudo, but those guys who went to file a complaint without any evidence."

Hanayama shifted his gaze to Hirata.

"There's no need to frantically search for witnesses everywhere. Let alone fabricate any false evidence. ... Don't do anything foolish like deliberately exposing your fatal weaknesses in front of those who want to expose you."

"Then, what should we do? Should we just stay silent like this?!"

A sound came from Sudo's throat.

"Just deny it. That's all."

Hanayama's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile unique to the Yakuza.

"No matter how much the teacher bangs on the table to scare you, no matter what others say, you just need to answer 'I didn't do it.' Since there's no evidence, as long as they can't get a confession out of you, they can't convict you."

"...I see."

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms and looked at Hanayama with apparent amusement.

She stood up from the table and walked closer to Huashan.

"That's exactly what you said. If a punishment is imposed without sufficient evidence, the school is essentially distorting the rules."

Horikita looked up at Hanayama's face and slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

"Despite his terrible academic performance, he has an unusually deep understanding of the rules and regulations of society."