7.1

After only a few minutes of listening to Ayanokōji-kun's story, the people around her have made a 180 degree change in their opinion of Kushida-san.

Her friends used to be as strong and united as Ayanokōji-kun's group. But now, for some reason, they seem to have a very fragile relationship.

Even I, who knew Kushida-san's background before anyone else, would have recommended Kushida-san if I had been asked to nominate someone in favour of expulsion.

I may have seen the power of Ayanokōji-kun before anyone else in the school, and I'm not sure I'll ever forget it.

The class was like a picture of hell. At the end of the interval, the voting begins for Kushida-san, who will have the votes of the majority.

That's probably the end of this special exam. Our class will get 100 class points while making sacrifices. This will be a valuable asset for us in our quest for Class A.

But... Yes, I need to sort out my situation first.

I am sure that I am in the same flow of time as everyone else, but for me, every second ticks by slowly but surely. The second hand of the analogue clock, which doesn't look like a classroom clock, is slowing down, as if it is about to stop.

On the contrary, my senses were getting sharper and sharper.

What is my purpose? I asked myself.

The answer, of course, is to graduate as Class A. So class points are very important. It's obvious. So how much is Kushida-san worth?

It is difficult to assign a clear value to each student.

But if you ask me whether it would be worth at least 100 class points to expel her, I would say no.

Then I'll change my thinking. If you fail the special test, you will lose 350 class points. If I were to save Kushida-san instead, could I be sure that she would be powerful enough to be worth it? I don't think it's absolutely impossible, but it's difficult.

It's not just about her, it's about me too.

We expel Kushida-san because she is not worth 350 points. This is a normal thought.

Then what will happen to me, Horikita Suzune? What will happen to the student known as Kushida Kikyō? Do you just want to help? Or do you just want to cut them down?

By concentrating my attention, I transcended time and erased any notion of extraneous sound.

Can I just leave it all to Ayanokōji-kun? No. Then think about it. What is right, what is wrong, and is there anything that only I can do?

I recognise, respect and think again about Ayanokōji-kun's abilities.

A ray of light shone through the darkness behind my eyelids.

Oh, yes, I see.

Eventually, I arrived at one definite answer. That Kushida-san will be expelled from school here and now...

It is not the right answer.

And that I am the only person who could save her now.

The frozen clock thawed, and the second hand started to move once more.