This girl was the external student Ikoma-san who was in my class our sophomore year. She was the one vandalizing Wakaba-chan!?

"Reika-sama..." Ikoma-san looked stunned as I appeared from behind Fellow Stalking Horse. "Why is Reika-sama..."

Yes, I guess that it would normally be impossible for the student council president and I arrive together in this class so early in the morning. I just happened to be walking by is too unbelievable, so I pretend that I didn't hear her.

"Did you do this?" asked Fellow Stalking Horse pointed at the chair marked by chalk. Ikoma-san paled.

We caught her in the act when she dropped the chalk on the ground in surprise, so she can't get out of this. What she can do is admit to everything or remain silent as she is now.

"Why did you do this?"

"..."

Ikoma down and stays silent to Fellow Stalking Horse's questioning... I guess it's my turn.

"Ikoma-san." She flinches. I approach and place my hand on her back. "Ikoma-san, if it's too difficult to tell Mizusaki-kun about why you did this, could you tell me? I'm sure that you had your reasons."

The common scene from a cop show where the aggressive detective questions the suspect hard, until the veteran detective comes in to smooth things over and has him talk. Classic good cop, bad cop.

"Ikoma-san...?" I call out again rubbing her back. Then...

"...ay..."

"Eh?" I couldn't hear her whisper. Her head jumped up suddenly.

"Because Takamichi-san got in Reika-sama and Kaburagi-sama's way!"

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

My voice synced with Fellow Stalking Horse. Wakaba-chan was in my way to Kaburagi?

"Um, what does that mean?"

"Because, because, the Emperor of Zuiran is worthy of being beside Reika-sama... but Takamichi-san hangs around Kaburagi-sama and gets in your way... so..."

Isn't that backwards? The one hanging around Wakaba-chan is definitely Kaburagi. Like a stalker.

"I can forgive her for causing you pain!"

"Huh!?"

Fellow Stalking Horse and I looked at each other due to Ikoma-san's unexpected monologue. Another words, her motive was not due to jealousy over her love of the Emperor, but for my love (a complete misunderstanding) of the Emperor.

"Kisshouin..." I can tell from his gaze that he's saying 'it's all your fault.' Umm...

"Um, Ikoma-san. I believe there's been a misunderstanding. I don't have feelings for Kaburagi-sama." She doesn't look like she believes me. I'm denying it, so why doesn't she believe...? "It's true. Since I first entered elementary school to the present, I have never been in love with Kaburagi-sama." I deny it completely so that there's no doubt. "Of course, I respect him, but I harbor no romantic feelings." I don't forget to prop up the Emperor for my own safety.

"..." Her expression gradually changes to that of confusion. "...Really?"

"It's true."

"Then, what I was doing was..."

"Completely misdirected," cut in Fellow Stalking Horse.

"...But..." Ikoma-san looked stunned. We pressed her to speak of everything until now. And she confessed. It began with Wakaba-chan's locker and shoe locker, and her desk. She also confessed to making her shoes and uniform dirty. Hey, you've done a lot... And the locker incident that I became a suspect for was her! You did it!?

"I didn't think that Reika-sama would be suspected... I'm truly sorry." Uh, yeah... I'm not sure of what to say...

"Why Kisshouin? Were you two close?" I also wanted to know that. We were only in class during our sophomore year, and we weren't in the same clique. We barely saw one another after that.

"Reika-sama may not remember, but we were in the same class our sophomore year..."

"Yes, I remember that." Joy returned to her eyes.

"I admired Zuiran and worked so hard to get in, but it was so different that I didn't know what to do when I started. That's when Reika-sama lent me her hand and even helping us prepare the entertainment for the field trip."

"Ah..." There was something like that.

"A member of the Pivoine, someone far above us, was so friendly, so kind to us, I was so deeply moved! What a wonderful person you were. I couldn't believe that I was in the same high school with you. You were a being I could never have met outside."

"Well, definitely not in a public school..." muttered Fellow Stalking Horse.

"I didn't think that someone like a French doll I saw as a child could really exist!"

"If a French doll was at a public school, there would be a huge tremor felt..."

"Ever since then, I always admired Reika-sama. Oh, this is Zuiran. I have happy just to watch, even if I couldn't approach."

"Everyone at a public school would have to do a double-take..."

Will you shut up, Fellow Stalking Horse!

"To me, the symbol of Zuiran was the Pivoine, the Emperor, and Reika-sama!"

"..."

"..."

This is too much... I'm being crushed by the weight of Ikoma-san's worship...

Fellow Stalking Horse cleared his throat and took over again.

"I understand your motives. But what you did ultimately pushed Kisshouin into a corner, and temporarily damaged her reputation."

Ikoma-san inhaled and bit her lips. "...I'm sorry," she bowed, tears welling up.

But Fellow Stalking Horse cut her down. "Aren't you apologizing to the wrong person?" Yup, from his perspective, Wakaba-chan was the one being hurt, so he'd like Ikoma-san to apologize to her, first. Even so, his chilling persona's uncomfortably scary...

"Ikoma-san, do you understand what you did was wrong?"

"Yes..."

"And against Takamichi-san?"

"I feel badly for Takamichi-san. That my assumptions led me to do some terrible things. I'm sorry..." Tears streamed down her face as she repeated, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

I'm in a bind... Though she repents her actions and apologizes crying, I'm not sure what to say since I'm not the victim... I feel awkward. I don't know what to do, so I keep on rubbing her back.

"So, what do we do now..." wonders Fellow Stalking Horse as he glances down at the still apologizing Ikoma-san.

What do we do? About raising the charge against her crimes?

Ikoma-san's an external student, so the school would issue punishment. House arrest or suspension... If she's suspended, she'd probably lose her path of internal admission to the university, even after succeeding in the entrance exam to high school and paying the expensive tuition. That would be a great loss. She began trembling, finally understanding what it meant.

"What..."

Will happen to me...? is what she couldn't say, so I silently kept my hand on her trembling back. But the problem bigger than being suspended or having the internal admission into the university revoked would be...

And then, as if reading my mind, Fellow Stalking Horse said, "If Kaburagi Masaya finds out, you won't get away unscathed."

That.

Kaburagi was angry at the harassment of Wakaba-chan, and even looking for the culprit. If he found out, what would he do? I'm frightened just imagining. There's no future for anyone who got on the bad side of the Emperor. They'd have no place in Zuiran, worse than a bed of nails. Ikoma-san began trembling more.

Fellow Stalking Horse who watched her without expression looked at his watch. "Other students will be arriving soon. We'll set this aside for now. And meet at lunch, no let's make that after school. Kisshouin, will you join us?"

"Me, too?"

"Please."

"But if other students are around, I..." I don't want anybody to know of my involvement.

"I'll keep this secret from the other council members. This will only involve us."

I really don't like it, but I can't abandon Ikoma-san in her state. I reluctantly agree to meet in the student council chamber after school. I quickly clean off Wakaba-chan's chair with the magic cloth, pick up the piece of chalk, and disband for now.

I see off Ikoma-san as she weakly stumbles away.

Fellow Stalking Horse covers his face with his hands, and sighs deeply. "If only the culprit were Pivoine..."

"That again?" He really wanted the Pivoine as the bad guy.

"Not that... If it were the Pivoine, the school wouldn't want to make a big deal out of this, and it would have ended with a simple reprimand."

"Oh, I guess so..." The Pivoine wouldn't be punished over bullying an external student a little (?). They might not even be punished. "So will Ikoma-san be suspended for this?"

"Suspension. Or considering the school's policy of maintaining its reputation, they may force her to drop out of school 'voluntarily'.

"Eh? Voluntary expulsion?!" Isn't expulsion during your senior year is like a death sentence?! She won't even be able to take entrance exams anywhere...

Seeing my shock, Fellow Stalking Horse motioned, "After school," with an expression I couldn't read.

Though it was her own doing, I feel uncomfortable to have to attend the sentencing of someone who cared for me. But a possibility of suspension and even expulsion...? I spent the rest of the day gloomy.

It's after school, so I have to head to the student council chamber. Oh, I don't want to go... Oh, this is depressing...

"Reika-sama, are you headed to the Pivoine Salon?" called Fuyuko-sama as I dragged my feet to my destination.

"No, I have errands today..."

She looked disappointed. "I see. I wished to speak with you about zazen, but..."

I had contacted Sakura-chan about making arrangements with her temple, and Fuyuko-sama had been looking forward to it ever since. As I had introduced her, I would be attending also. "Is something wrong?"

"I researched the temple's training regimen, and I found that they also perform takigyou (meditation under a waterfall). I was very interested in that, also."

...So she did become interested... I saw it when I went with Sakura-chan, but it looked cold and harsh, and I didn't want my hair to get wet, so I chose not to do it. And there were lots of onlookers, watching from above... I'd feel embarrassed.

"Let's do takigyou, Reika-sama!"

"That's... I'll perform zazen, but takigyou is..." Sorry, Fuyuko-sama. I don't want to mess up my curls. Oh, don't look so disappointed! "I'll watch as you perform takigyou nearby." She reluctantly agrees as I continued to convince her. Phew, good.

Fuyuko-sama's usual other-worldly state snapped me out of my melancholy, and I stride towards the student council chamber. Once I approached, I stood by without entering. I just saw Ikoma-san still in her classroom, so I decided to wait. A short while later, Ikoma-san came with an agonized look.

"Ikoma-san."

"Reika-sama...!" She looked at me in surprise. "What are you doing here?" She haggard in just half a day. I heard that she was taken to the infirmary during class. I understand the feeling, having been put through so much stress daily by a certain someone. It must have been hell today.

"I was waiting for you. Shall we go in together?"

"Eh?"

It must be terrifying to walk into your sentencing alone. Being a coward, I would probably beg somebody to go with me. That's why I waited.

...Or so I acted, but half of the reason was because I was nervous entering the courtroom (student council chamber) by myself. Yes, I go to the restroom with my friends. Because I don't want to run into someone I don't like when alone. What if they laugh at me while I wash my hands? I couldn't handle it! The girls' restroom is a dungeon. You have to take your party with you!

"Reika-sama... Thank you..." Her lips trembled.

I tapped her shoulder and said, "Shall we enter?"

"Yes."

I knocked on the door to the student council chamber.