Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

In the afternoon, a senior student council member came to find Kyushu Makoto and asked with a stern face, "Kyushu, could you come to the meeting room in the academic affairs office after school?"

Kyushu's heart tightened; he knew the most crucial moment was approaching.

After school, Kyushu Makoto arrived as promised.

There weren't many people in the meeting room, but they were all important figures in the school—their grade director, several veteran teachers, and the chairman of the board with hawk-like eyes.

Teacher Jiangniao was also in the conference room. Everyone's expression was extremely serious, and Kyushu Makoto was the prisoner they were about to interrogate.

But it is precisely in such situations that Makoto Kyushu must remain calm.

"Kyushu, you should be well aware of the topics circulating in the school recently, right?" The first to speak was an elderly teacher.

Kyushu Makoto nodded and replied calmly, "I know, but I maintain that this is a fabrication and slander against me. I have never worked for ***."

He was halfway through his sentence when another teacher made a "stop" gesture and said, "We don't intend to listen to your explanation today; we just want to inform you of the results of our discussion."

"..." Kyushu Makoto frowned nervously, his nails involuntarily digging into his palms: "I have offended you, please speak."

"At yesterday's meeting, your homeroom teacher vehemently defended you, insisting that you are an excellent student in both character and academics." The speaker was a stern, middle-aged woman; her voice was somewhat harsh.

"But those photos aren't fake either; you did indeed walk into a brothel with a male escort. Regardless of the truth, you've had a negative impact on our school."

Hearing this, Kyushu Makoto couldn't hold back any longer and retorted, "I maintain that this is a fabrication against me by the journalism department without knowing the truth! Even if it has a negative impact on the school, the journalism department should be blamed!"

Before Kyushu Makoto could say more than a few words, he was interrupted by a rather kind-looking teacher:

"We also feel that the truth of the matter is debatable. After all, we cannot ruin a good student's future because of a few photos."

“If you want to verify this, you can go directly to that shop to investigate,” Kyushu Makoto quickly suggested. “If I were a male escort, you would definitely be able to find evidence in the shop.”

Anyway, he's not a male escort, just an ordinary waiter. There's no promotional photo of him on the "male escort photo wall" outside the store, and his name isn't on the "male escort roster" inside the store either.

Moreover, even if the teachers went to the store to inspect, the store manager and his colleagues would not admit that Kyushu Makoto was working there, otherwise the store would get into trouble for "employing students to work in the sex industry".

"No, the teacher can't go to that store to investigate your work situation," the teacher said regretfully, frowning.

"As you can see, we teachers are not allowed to enter the red-light district at will. If we are caught by reporters with ulterior motives, it could cause a public outcry."

The teacher's words make sense. Wano Country places great importance on "teacher ethics," and there is even a strict saying that "teachers cannot dress too beautifully, otherwise they are tempting students."

In such a strict social environment, if a teacher is spotted in a red-light district and is discovered by an unscrupulous reporter—even if he tries his best to explain that he is only investigating the students working there—he may be taken out of context and written into a news report, then labeled as a "morally corrupt teacher," triggering a "big news" story.

Moreover, the teachers should also be able to think of the possibility that "the statements were coordinated in advance at the Kyushu Seikan store," and even if they went to investigate, they wouldn't get any clear answers.

Just then, another teacher said:

"Logically speaking, a student like you should be suspended or even expelled. However, your homeroom teacher has been trying his best to defend you and begs us to believe you, so the school has decided to give you a chance. In a week, we will hold a class-level refereeing session for you."

"Class referee...?" Kyushu Makoto looked puzzled. He was well-versed in the rules of Shujin Academy, but he had never heard of this term before.

"These are the school rules of a private elite high school called 'Takamagaharamine' in Tokyo." The chairman of the board, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up:

"A class-based trial is a mock trial convened when a student is dissatisfied with the school's punishment after making a mistake and believes that they have been framed."

"Students have a week to prepare their materials. On the day of the class trial, students will defend themselves in a mock trial open to the entire school, and a 'faculty and student jury' will make the final judgment on them."

"If a student can convince a majority of the jurors and be found 'not guilty,' the school will rescind his punishment. As compensation, the school will also unconditionally grant him one of his reasonable wishes."

"But if the student is unable to convince the jury and is still found guilty, the school will increase his punishment and require him to pay the full cost of the class trial."

Making students of this age stand on the school's mock court to defend themselves, with rewards for "innocent" and punishments for "guilty"—what a radical rule… Kyushu Makoto gasped.

“I understand that being found ‘not guilty’ is rewarded, but why is being found ‘guilty’ subject to harsher punishment?” Kyushu Makoto asked cautiously.

"The court is like a gambling den; the loser is no different from a gambler who loses everything. One must approach it with the mindset of 'one step to heaven, one step to abyss'... This school rule aims to encourage students to speak up for themselves, but also to understand the consequences of a failed appeal and make the most rational decision." The chairman interlaced his fingers, his eyes sharply fixed on Kyushu Makoto.

“Our school has been reorganizing its policies and improving its rules in recent years. I would like to try to include “class adjudication” in the rules so that students have a voice when they are wronged.”

"So... this class referee will be my last chance?" Kyushu Makoto swallowed hard and asked.

"This will be a bold attempt for the school," the chairman calmly responded.

"It was precisely because Professor Jiangniao insisted at the discussion that I was given a chance to prove my innocence that I came up with this proposal."

Upon hearing this, Kyushu Makoto turned to look at Professor Etori in the corner of the conference room. The professor smiled awkwardly and nodded slightly.

"If I may ask, who are you referring to as the 'teacher-student jury'?" Kyushu Makoto seized the opportunity to ask one last question.

“The jury will be selected from respected teachers and students with excellent academic performance and conduct, such as members of the student council and disciplinary bodies,” a teacher explained.

"You mean... students from the journalism club will also be on the jury?" Kyushu asked, still uneasy.

If we're talking about "excellent character and academic performance," the news department has no shortage of such people. If the jury only uses "excellent character and academic performance" as the selection criterion, then it's highly likely that a large number of news department members will be infiltrated.

If things develop this way, Makoto Kyushu will be essentially going against the jury in court.

"Who here is accusing our jury!" He absolutely did not want to hear that in the mock trial.

One teacher shook his head and said, "Although you claim that the news department framed you, you do not have any solid evidence, so we cannot prohibit members of the news department from participating in the jury trial because of this."

"However, considering the fairness of class-level judging, besides the student council and the disciplinary committee, each student organization can only send a maximum of two students, which is ten percent of the jury," the chairman interrupted, explaining calmly.

"If you can convince more than 60% of the jury members, you'll be acquitted. That's a very lenient rule for you, isn't it?"

Kyushu Makoto frowned, trying to process this information.

Holding a mock trial for a student who has seriously violated school rules... This is an unprecedented attempt for Shujin Academy, and it makes Makoto Kyushu feel like he is walking on thin ice.

However, this was precisely his chance to turn things around.

Martial artists of "Unrestricted Fighting Techniques" are all ruthless individuals who cultivate criminal law as a mental discipline, determined to be acquitted even if it means committing murder. Therefore, Kyushu Cheng has never been afraid of the "courtroom."

"I understand. Thank you for your trust, Chairman and all the teachers." Kyushu Makoto took a deep breath and bowed politely.

"I will be prepared to prove my innocence and obtain a 'not guilty' verdict at the class trial in seven days!"

30. The Retaliatory Methods of Refined Individuals

When he came out of the conference room, Kyushu Makoto's back was covered in sweat.

A gentle breeze from late spring blew in through the window, its cool touch making him sniffle.

Although he appeared calm in the meeting room, he was actually somewhat flustered.

Especially when Kyushu Makoto saw that the chairman with sharp, piercing eyes was also there, he almost thought he was going to be expelled on the spot.

In Wano Country, a college degree is the minimum requirement to find a good job. If he were to enter the workforce now, he would likely only be able to find low-paying odd jobs, and his goals of opening a martial arts school and returning to the country to see his master would remain distant.

However, it seems that Lady Luck is still on his side, although not by much.

Kyushu Makoto held a small booklet in his hand, a guide to "Rules and Regulations for Class Referees" given to him by his teacher. The teachers had instructed him to read it carefully at home and familiarize himself with the procedures for class referees.

Seven days later, he will defend himself in the "class trial." As the chairman said, although this is just an informal campus mock trial, it is also a high-stakes gamble—it's all or nothing.

In this class-level refereeing match, he not only had to prove his innocence but also expose the ugly face of the news department.

Both for his own sake and for his personal reasons, he wanted the news department to be punished. This was both to prevent the news department from continuing to harass him and to make them realize that abusing power comes at a price.

During these seven days, he not only had to collect evidence to prove his innocence, but also had to prepare weapons to target the news department.

Makoto Kyushu arrived at Professor Etori's office, scrolled through his phone, and waited patiently.

Ten minutes later, Teacher Jiangniao seemed to have just finished chatting with the teachers in the conference room and returned to his office, looking exhausted.

"Kyushu-kun?" Seeing Kyushu Makoto sitting in her chair, Ms. Jiang Niao gave a few stiff laughs:

"Well... congratulations! The chairman has decided to give you a chance~ Haha~"

"This is all thanks to Professor Jiangniao for defending me so strongly." Kyushu Makoto stood up and gestured for Professor Jiangniao to sit down.

"No way...you're the one who forced me to do this, stop pretending to praise me." Teacher Jiangniao sighed resentfully, and said in a low, disappointed voice:

"So now? Is there anything else, Kyushu-kun?"

“I will need Mr. Jiangniao’s help in the next few days.” Kyushu Makoto sat down on the table, his eyes serious and deep.

As he spoke, Kyushu Makoto showed his phone, on which was the most popular "host exposing post" on the campus forum.

"I believe this post was written by the news department. They not only followed and secretly photographed me, but also exposed a lot of my personal information in the post, such as my identity information and family situation," Makoto Kyushu said.

"In order to punish me, the news department conducted a thorough investigation into me, even resorting to a series of investigative methods that violated ethics and laws. Since that's the case, I should return the favor."

Teacher Jiang Niao frowned and asked cautiously, "Reciprocity... what does Kyushu mean by..."

“Of course I’m going to open the box…” Kyushu Makoto said halfway, then quickly corrected himself: “What I mean is, I also want to investigate the news department’s private information and dig up their dirty secrets!”

"Investigating...the news department's...dirt?" Teacher Jiangniao became more and more confused as she listened.

"Although there is no evidence at the moment, I suspect that the newspaper club has abused its power more than once, privately threatening and extorting other students. I am just one of their victims," ​​Kyushu Makoto pleaded earnestly, his eyes burning with fervor.

"I suspect that Karasukawa Sakifumi is the mastermind behind everything, and I'll start my investigation with her. So, Professor Etori, please tell me everything you know about her!"

Faced with the boy's burning gaze, after a moment of internal struggle, Ms. Jiang Niao could only rest her chin on her hand and answer in a defiant manner, "I was Karasu-san's homeroom teacher last year, and I have a deep impression of her."

"Karasawa is a capable and decisive girl who volunteered to be the class monitor. She managed the class very well in just one month, and the class's success as a 'super class' is inseparable from her efforts. So when I heard that she became the head of the news department this year, I felt it was only natural."

"Even the teacher is praising Karasukawa-senpai so effusively; she must be really troublesome." After hearing the evaluation, Kyushu Makoto couldn't help but sigh, then asked:

Do you have her student file? I'd like to see her profile.

Teacher Jiangniao was taken aback, and whispered, "Um... disclosing student information privately is against the rules..."

Kyushu Makoto frowned and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Thank you, Etori-san."

“Well… teacher, you really can’t do this…” Teacher Jiangniao looked troubled.