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ArabicClassroom of the Elite: Standing Firm in Class A — Chapter 16
Chapter 16: The Forged Truth
The afternoon dismissal bell echoed through the corridors, signaling the end of the day’s classes.
Kamuro Masumi stood from her desk. Ignoring the lingering, inquisitive stares from her classmates, she walked straight out of the classroom, her expression closed off.
A few minutes later, Kaedehara Tetsu leisurely packed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and followed her trail at a measured pace.
The heavy oak door to the Student Council office felt far more imposing than Kamuro had anticipated. Pushing it open, she was met with the austere atmosphere of the room. In front of the expansive floor-to-ceiling window, Horikita Manabu sat perfectly upright behind a polished mahogany desk. Beside him, his secretary, Tachibana Akane, kept her eyes lowered, her pen scratching quietly against a notebook.
To their left sat Yamauchi Haruki.
His face was twisted into a mask of undisguised smugness. Upon seeing Kamuro enter, the sickening curve of his mouth widened. His expression practically screamed that she was already finished. He even had the audacity to tilt his chin up in provocation.
Kamuro ignored the pathetic display, pulling out the chair opposite him and sitting down in silence.
“Everyone is present.”
Manabu’s voice cut through the quiet, cold and authoritative. He glanced at his wristwatch. “Regarding the matter of Class D’s Yamauchi Haruki reporting Class A’s Kamuro Masumi for theft at the campus convenience store, we will now begin the final confirmation.”
He shifted his sharp gaze to the boy. “Yamauchi, please state your accusation again and present your evidence.”
“Yes, President!”
Yamauchi practically sprang out of his seat. He puffed out his chest, desperately trying to project the righteous aura of a hero dispensing justice.
“I, Yamauchi Haruki of Class D, swear on my honor! I saw with my own two eyes that Kamuro Masumi of Class A was stealing items from the convenience store! She thought no one was watching and moved fast, but I caught her red-handed! To make sure she couldn’t deny it later, I used my phone to record a video. All the incriminating evidence is right here!”
He pulled the device from his pocket and offered it to Manabu with both hands. Yamauchi was completely lost in his own fantasy, acting as though Kamuro’s expulsion was already finalized and his grand reward was just moments away.
Manabu’s expression didn’t shift a millimeter. He seemed to have fully anticipated this exact theatrical display. Giving a slight nod to indicate he had heard enough, the Student Council President turned his attention to the silent girl.
“Kamuro, do you have any defense regarding this accusation?”
Kamuro’s shoulders trembled.
A defense? She couldn’t utter a single word. To speak now was to lose everything. She could only sit there, suffocating under the pressure, waiting for the one person who could possibly shatter this deadlock.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as the air in the office threatened to freeze over completely, a gentle, rhythmic rapping at the door broke the tension.
“Come in,” Manabu commanded, his tone unyielding.
The door swung open. Kaedehara Tetsu stood in the threshold, wearing a perfectly crafted, apologetic smile—looking for all the world like a lost student who had wandered into the wrong room.
“Apologies, President. I seem to be late. I was held up by some personal matters. As another witness to this incident, I hope I haven’t delayed the proceedings?”
Seeing Tetsu, Yamauchi’s grin nearly split his face in half. Reinforcements had arrived. He straightened his posture, shooting Kamuro a gloating look that practically dared her to try and argue her way out now.
“Kaedehara, is it?” Manabu’s piercing gaze lingered on the newcomer.
During the lunch break, Tachibana had informed him of a secondary witness willing to give a statement. He hadn’t refused; extra testimony would only expedite the judgment, so he allowed the boy to attend.
“Take a seat.” He gestured to the empty chair beside Kamuro. “You arrived at the right time. We have just begun the inquiry.”
Tetsu took his seat, casually turning his head to offer a reassuring, polite nod to the rigidly tense Kamuro beside him.
To Yamauchi, this friendly gesture was just the final nail in the coffin—the prelude to Kamuro’s utter destruction.
Manabu tapped his index finger lightly against the desktop, drawing the room’s focus back to the matter at hand.
“Kaedehara, since you are present as a witness, Yamauchi claims that you have also viewed the video he submitted as evidence. Is this correct?”
Yamauchi stared at Tetsu with bated breath, practically vibrating with anticipation to hear the affirmative answer that would finally break the thief from Class A.
“Yes, President.”
Tetsu nodded, his voice smooth and even. “I had the fortune of viewing the video on Yamauchi’s phone during the lunch break at the Keyaki Mall cafe. The contents of the footage are exactly as he described.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Kamuro’s shoulders jerked violently.
Beside her, Yamauchi had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud.
“However…”
Tetsu let the word hang in the air. The pleasant smile vanished from his lips, replaced by a chilling, clinical sharpness. “It is precisely because I examined this video so carefully that I discovered a glaring issue. This so-called ‘evidence’ submitted by Yamauchi contains extremely serious elements of forgery. To put it simply, he is using a carefully edited, fake video to frame Kamuro.”
“Wh—what?!”
The smugness wiped cleanly off Yamauchi’s face, replaced by a volatile mix of shock and fury. He vaulted out of his chair, jabbing a finger furiously in Tetsu’s direction, his voice cracking an octave higher. “Kaedehara! What the hell are you talking about?! You clearly… you agreed with me!”
“Quiet.”
Manabu’s glare snapped toward the frantic boy.
Yamauchi choked on his own words, snapping his mouth shut like a duck grabbed by the throat. His face, previously flushed with excitement, darkened to an ugly, mottled purple. He stood there panting heavily, glaring at Tetsu with the raw, burning rage of betrayal.
Manabu shifted his attention back to the calm boy seated across from him. “Kaedehara, you claim he is framing her, and that the video is forged. That is a very serious accusation to make in this office. Do you have proof?”
“Naturally.”
Tetsu didn’t look the least bit rushed. He even offered a dry, mocking smirk in response to Yamauchi’s murderous glare. Standing up, he approached the mahogany desk. “President, to explain the discrepancies clearly, may I borrow Yamauchi’s phone?”
Manabu weighed the request, glanced at the seething Yamauchi, and silently extended a hand in a gesture of permission.
Tetsu picked up the device, smoothly unlocked the screen, and tapped play. Every eye in the office locked onto the small display.
“President, please look right here.” Tetsu paused the playback at the exact fraction of a second Kamuro’s hand reached out. “Pay close attention to this detail. At the moment her hand moves, the reflection on the potato chip packaging on the shelf behind her warps in a way that completely defies the laws of physics.”
He pinched the screen, zooming in and scrubbing the footage backward at a crawl, laying the subtle digital artifact bare for everyone to see.
“Then there is the background audio. The ambient noise cuts out right here—a textbook trace of audio splicing. Finally, observe the camera angle. The lens had a clear, unobstructed view of her full face, yet it abruptly cuts to a tight crop of only her lower jaw…”
Tetsu tossed the phone back onto the desk, his voice dripping with quiet disdain. “All these signs point to one obvious conclusion. This video is nothing more than a patchwork ‘masterpiece’ maliciously edited to frame her.”