"Saying goodbye is always hard, I get it, but don't we only have that one point to spare?"
Karuizawa's voice shut down those who were about to offer words of encouragement to Sakura.
Currently, Ichihashi Ruri had more support, holding an undeniable overwhelming advantage.
Offending Ichihashi Ruri, and by extension, the influential Kushida Kikyo behind her, for the sake of someone about to be expelled, seemed incredibly unwise.
Thus, Class D fell back into a deathly silence.
A sense of despair began to spread.
Nearly everyone had tacitly accepted that Sakura Airi would be expelled.
If nothing unexpected happened.
"Since no one has anything else to say, shall we count the votes of support? That would put an end to this agonizing discussion, wouldn't it?"
Amane's words caught Ichihashi and Kushida off guard. Even Horikita and Hirata couldn't figure out what Amane was planning.
From Amane's earlier stance supporting Sakura, Ichihashi assumed Amane must be on good terms with her privately, hence choosing to back her.
But for Amane to suggest counting the votes now?
This move left most people bewildered.
Judging from the reactions during the earlier discussions, Ichihashi Ruri's support far exceeded Sakura Airi's.
If Sakura didn't say anything more, and they tallied the votes now, Sakura should undoubtedly lose...
Was she plotting something?
Even Horikita couldn't see through Amane's actions.
"What do you think, Sakura-san?"
Hirata looked towards Sakura.
Even facing a classmate on the verge of expulsion, Hirata still offered his full respect.
"I'm okay... This is fine. It's the first time... the first time I've been able to say what I wanted to say. That's already enough for me."
Sakura Airi offered a smile.
Her gaze cut through the crowd and found Amane, who wore an expression of casual indifference.
If...
If she got the chance, she absolutely had to properly thank Miyako-san for her encouragement. No matter what happened next... Airi absolutely must not cry anymore.
Hirata nodded silently.
"Then, please come up as well, Ichihashi-san."
Ichihashi Ruri, looking nervous, hurried up to the podium and stood beside Sakura Airi.
"Those who support Ichihashi-san staying, please raise your hands."
No sooner had Hirata finished speaking than Kushida Kikyo impatiently raised her hand.
But the situation, which seemed like a sure thing, took a turn.
Sato and Shinohara followed suit and raised their hands. Even Karuizawa, after a moment's hesitation, raised hers. Then, a few others successively raised their hands.
But that was it.
More people were watching and waiting.
Some who thought about raising their hands glanced towards Amane at the back of the room.
Amane stood with her arms crossed, clearly not intending to raise her hand.
Seeing Amane's stance, some who were about to raise their hands quietly lowered them again.
Kushida Kikyo keenly noticed this.
She couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration.
They had all agreed to support Ichihashi-san, yet now they were changing their minds one by one.
Amane and Ichihashi were on decent terms too, so why was she insisting on supporting Sakura Airi this time?
Kushida couldn't understand it.
Even if she was close with Sakura Airi, it shouldn't surpass the bond they'd all shared since the start of school, right?
Kushida glanced back, her pupils contracting slightly.
Wang Mei Yu, who was usually compliant, had her head down now and showed no intention of raising her hand.
Similarly, key female figures in the class like Matsushita, Inogashira, and Mori weren't raising their hands either.
Compared to so-called friendship, they preferred not to provoke someone with 'power'.
Whether it was through force or personal points, Amane had fully demonstrated her importance to the entire class.
This resulted in her maintaining a certain level of influence even without participating in any activities or class gatherings.
One could say, if Amane willed it, what did it matter if the whole class raised their hands? If Amane refused to contribute points, to put it bluntly, even if those who raised their hands now used both hands and feet, they still couldn't save Ichihashi.
Those who chose not to raise their hands had seen through the essence of the matter, which is why they openly aligned themselves with Amane. This discussion was never some social game of make-believe.
It was a real contest of interests, centered on personal points.
Amane picked up her phone and sent a message to someone.
Then, right before everyone's eyes, Karuizawa Kei actually lowered her hand.
This was undeniably a humiliation for Ichihashi.
Ichihashi Ruri's face instantly flushed bright red, but she couldn't lash out with Hirata and the whole class present.
Kushida Kikyo frowned deeply; she sensed something bad.
If she could, she'd lower her hand too, but having stated her position so distinctly, she was already in too deep to back out.
"Ichihashi Ruri, eight supporters. Next, those who agree that Sakura-san should stay, please raise your hands."
After Hirata spoke, those who had grown wiser immediately looked at Amane.
But to their surprise, Amane still stood with her arms crossed, showing no intention of participating.
Even Hirata didn't know what Amane was planning.
He wasn't raising his hand because he'd promised Amane to remain strictly neutral.
So why wasn't Amane raising her hand either time?
This time, Horikita Suzune was the first to raise her hand.
Ayanokouji, seeing Horikita raise her hand, followed suit.
Then came Wang Mei Yu, Matsushita Chiaki, Mori Nene, Karuizawa Kei...
"Sakura Airi, eight supporters."
Excluding those already expelled and the ones who had left early, there were twenty people present.
Excluding Hirata, Amane, and the two involved parties, Sakura and Ichihashi, the remaining voters had actually ended up in a tie.
This surpassed everyone's expectations.
"Hirata-kun, who do you support?"
Seeing the situation turning sour, Kushida looked directly at Hirata, who hadn't stated his position, pinning her last hopes on him.
Even if Karuizawa had defected, if Hirata chose to support Ichihashi, he might sway some people to change their minds back to supporting Ichihashi.
Unfortunately, Kushida's idea was beautiful but lacked the ground to make it reality.
"I want both of them to stay. But clearly, that's just me talking nonsense. Since I can't make everyone stay, the only thing I can do is be fair to everyone."
Hirata's righteous words directly blocked any further persuasion from Kushida.
Now, the only one left who hadn't declared a stance was Amane.
But Kushida didn't have the courage to ask Amane. She was terrified Amane would say something like 'I support Sakura-san.'
That would instantly change the situation, tilting the vertical scale decisively towards Sakura Airi's side.
It was better to maintain the current stalemate.
And push the problem to Hirata to solve.
That way, neither she, Kushida Kikyo, nor Ichihashi Ruri would have to face Amane directly.
"But staying in a stalemate like this isn't helpful either. How about you make the choice, Hirata-kun? Whatever you decide, everyone will respect it."
Kushida Kikyo's voice was gentle.
Handing the decision to Hirata was clearly more reliable than handing it to Amane. Hirata didn't speak, his gaze shifting to Amane.
"Since the support is equal, how about we play a game?"
Amane said, pulling a coin from her pocket.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.