Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"Class referees...you juniors are really interesting~"

"This is the first time in the school's history that a 'class-level referee' has been held. I intend to use this opportunity to expose the true colors of the journalism club and bring them down from their pedestal," Kyushu Makoto said with a determined look in his eyes.

"I heard that Nishio-senpai was blackmailed by the newspaper club before. Could you tell me the details?"

Senior Nishio stared at him with interest for a while, then suddenly laughed: "Just as Junior Genji said, you're an incredibly audacious guy! You actually said you'd bring them down from their pedestals..."

As he spoke, Nishio-senpai, who had been prepared all along, took a USB drive out of his pocket and placed it on the table:

"But it's alright, anyway I've graduated, so I'm not afraid of getting into any more trouble. This USB drive contains my old chat logs with the news department, as well as some transfer records. Although it's not exactly solid evidence, it might be of some help to you, right?"

"Transfer records... Were you extorted by the news department?" Kyushu Makoto reached out and touched the USB drive, his expression serious.

"Some people are extorted for money, and some are forced to do menial labor for the newspaper club. Basically, once the newspaper club catches you doing something wrong, you can forget about escaping their clutches before graduating high school," Nishio sighed unhappily.

"The news department has been doing this kind of outrageous thing for the past few years, and I didn't expect your class to be the same."

"Is that so? I guess this is a kind of cultural heritage~" Kyushu Makoto shrugged and smiled, "I am truly grateful for your generous help, senior!"

"After all, I also had a grudge against the news department. I just went to visit a brothel with a few friends out of curiosity, but I didn't expect that the bastards in the news department would find out about it in advance, deliberately follow us and take pictures of us, and then bring the photos to me and say that if I didn't listen to them, I would be expelled from the baseball team. I was blackmailed by them until I graduated."

Nishio-senpai waved his hand and said helplessly:

"I heard from Takatsuki that your situation is similar to mine. This is the first time I've heard of someone daring to confront the news department head-on. I'm actually starting to have high expectations for you..."

"I was originally going to keep this to myself, but I still can't swallow this, so I'll help you out this time for free."

After saying that, Nishio-senpai got up and left.

After examining the USB drive for a moment, Kyushu Makoto put it in his pocket, clenched his fist, and excitedly walked out of the cafe.

36. Court is in session!

Over the next few days, Kyushu Makoto continued his routine of going to school, working, and returning home, while also using his spare time to prepare court documents.

According to Ms. Jiangniao, the Karakawa couple called her again afterward. Unsurprisingly, their communication with their daughter failed; she refused to tell them anything.

The day before the class trial, after finishing his part-time job, Makoto Kyushu approached Manager Saito, explained his current situation, and asked him to attend.

"You want me to give false testimony to prove you don't work in our store?" Manager Saito picked at his ear after hearing this, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"What's a class referee? Your school is such a mess... Fine, I'll go with you, just for the sake of you chasing away those hooligans earlier."

"Do you want us to testify for you too?" Several male escorts looked at Kyushu Makoto with concern after hearing about his situation.

"Don't show your faces at my school, lest you cause a bigger commotion," Kyushu Makoto politely declined their help.

After finishing work, Makoto Kyushu felt hungry and headed to "Kyushu Ichibanboshi" for ramen.

"Oh, so Harukawa really likes this place!" He had just sat down when he heard a woman's giggling voice behind him.

Wearing a black dress, Suzumiya Momiji leaned back in the seat next to him, smiling as she looked at him: "I just got off work too, let's have dinner together?"

"Hmm, no problem." Kyushu nodded absentmindedly.

Tomorrow is the class referee's day, and Kyushu Makoto is under a lot of pressure. His eyes aren't as bright as usual, and he looks a little tired.

Suzumiya Kame seemed to sense his worries, so she leaned closer and asked, "Harukawa, have you encountered any difficulties lately?"

"Well, my classmates found out I was working part-time, and they're trying to blackmail me." Kyushu Makoto sighed and casually recounted the recent events to her.

"Eh?!?!" Upon hearing this, Suzumiya Kame covered her mouth in surprise and asked worriedly, "In that case... will Harukawa be expelled from school? Will he still be able to go to university?"

"Don't worry about the Western Route; such difficulties are no match for me." Kyushu Makoto smiled slightly, his tone becoming much more resolute.

"I won't let this go...until they pay the price!"

"Wow, that was a really cool statement!" Suzumiya Kame rested her chin on her hand and smiled with satisfaction.

"As expected of Chunchuan, you're a great fighter, smart, and have a long-term vision. You can't give up here; I want to see you get into university!"

As she spoke, Suzumiya Momiji suddenly extended her long index finger and drew a circle on Kyushu Makoto's forehead, while whispering a spell like "bad luck be gone."

"Hey...your hand..." Startled by the woman's sudden touch on his forehead, Kyushu Makoto leaned back in surprise.

"I learned this at a maid café. You just need to chant a spell while patting the customer's head to make them lucky and grant their wishes~" Suzumiya Kame joked with a smile.

"This method is quite effective! About 30% of my customers have experienced good luck after I blessed them!"

"So the two-thirds chance is invalid?" Kyushu Makoto couldn't help but complain, "This kind of superstitious blessing method is completely unreliable!"

"Oh, I just wanted to comfort you~" Suzumiya Momiji pouted, feeling wronged, and picked up her bowl and chopsticks to start eating: "Never mind, let's eat noodles."

After silently finishing his ramen, Makoto Kyushu leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, Momiji. Your life is also very hard, but I kept complaining about my own problems."

"Then you have to promise me you'll absolutely beat that class referee!" Suzumiya Kame slurped down the last noodle, extending her pinky finger with its crystal-studded nail polish:

"Let's make a pinky promise~ After you've sorted things out, I'll take you to that Cantonese restaurant I mentioned last time."

"I have very high standards for Yanhuang cuisine, so don't disappoint me~" Kyushu Makoto smiled and hooked his finger with hers.

Suzumiya Kaori has a somewhat carefree and outgoing personality, and is also quite kind; such a girl is probably rare even in the entire Kamurocho area. Even though she's a hostess, Kyushu Makoto can't bring himself to dislike her at all.

After leaving the ramen shop, Makoto Kyushu went home and organized the materials for tomorrow.

"Ring ring~" His phone suddenly rang, and the caller was Suzuki Yujin.

"Moshi moshi, Kyushu-kun! Are you all ready here?" Suzuki Yuujin asked.

"We'll be there to sit in on the class tomorrow, and Mizuhashi wants to come too, so don't you dare lose!"

"Eh? Mizuhashi-kun is coming too?" Kyushu Makoto was a little surprised.

“He’s been very worried about you these past few days, and he’s even lost interest in doing his ‘real man training’. He said he’ll pray for you and help you beat the news department.”

"Does he care about me that much?" Kyushu Makoto leaned against the windowsill and nodded. "Then I will work hard for him too."

"Well... good luck anyway. Although there are many difficulties, if you can successfully take down the newspaper club, you will be a legend of Xiujin Academy."

After ending the call, Kyushu Makoto finished organizing the materials and then rested.

......

The next day was Saturday. School only had half a day of classes, and students were dismissed at noon. However, many students showed no intention of leaving the school.

Today after school, the school's first-ever "class trial" will be held to adjudicate the "gigolo special admissions" incident that has been making headlines in the school recently—this news has already spread like wildfire throughout the school.

Adhering to the principles of "fairness, openness, and impartiality," all students are welcome to attend this class-level refereeing session. Of course, off-campus reporters are not allowed to conduct interviews, and students are strictly prohibited from secretly filming or recording, to prevent anyone from spreading rumors about the school and damaging its reputation.

Before the class-level refereeing even started, a large group of students eager to watch the spectacle had already gathered in the audience, and several student council members wearing armbands were impatiently trying to maintain order.

"Strange, hasn't Mizuhashi arrived yet?" Tang Zegui asked casually as he squeezed through the crowd.

"Who knew he was so slow!" Suzuki Yuujin squeezed into the crowd, trying to grab a seat near the front.

"Let's help him grab a good spot first!"

Genji Takatsuki, with his hands in his pockets, used his 1.8-meter-tall, muscular physique to push past others and force his way into the crowd like a tank, leading two other people to the front row.

The mock trial was held in a multimedia classroom, where dozens of desks were arranged in the manner of a regular court, serving as the defendant's seat, witness's seat, prosecutor's seat, judge's seat, and jury seat.

Before long, all the main figures in this courtroom had arrived: the prosecutor's seat was occupied by a calm young man wearing glasses, whose armband suggested he was a member of the disciplinary committee; the judge's seat was occupied by an elderly male teacher; and the jury consisted of a mixed group of twenty people, including two members of the news department.

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, Makoto Kyushu emerged from the main entrance of the classroom, carrying a stack of documents, and walked to the defendant's dock.

"Intentionally coming out last, really making yourself look like the main character~" Suzuki Yujin said with a laugh, leaning on the railing of the audience section.

"Hey! Go for it, Kyushu!" Tang Zegui shouted excitedly, only to be met with a glare from the students next to him.

Kyushu Seicho nodded to "Rogue Three," then said to the "Judge":

"I am Makoto Kyushu, the defendant and my own defense attorney in this case, and I am ready."

The bespectacled young man from the prosecution also adjusted his glasses and introduced himself calmly:

"I am Suo Takefumi, Secretary-General of the Disciplinary Committee, and I am ready to serve as the 'Prosecutor' this time."

“The jury is ready,” a teacher representative on the jury announced, raising his hand. Their gazes toward Kyushu Makoto were icy, as if they were staring at scum and degenerate.

"Quiet... This is the first time the school has organized an event like this, and it's also my first time acting as a judge." The teacher on the judge's bench scanned the classroom and said calmly:

"Please maintain order and conduct the debate with respect for each other..."

The judge struck the gavel in his hand, making a clear sound.

"Alright, let's begin the class refereeing."

37. Courtroom Files, Part 1

"First, please have the prosecution present the case," the judge instructed, looking at Suo Takefumi.

Suoh Takefumi picked up a stack of documents from the table and began to read them aloud:

"Makoto Kyushu is currently a second-year student at our school. He was a specially recruited student last year on a full scholarship. About a week ago, a student from our school took a photo of Makoto Kyushu entering a hostess club in Shinjuku-Kamurocho."

"Based on the testimony of the photographer and the prosecution's inferences based on the existing facts, it can be concluded that Kyushu Makoto is currently engaged in prostitution work at a public relations club. Such behavior has seriously violated the relevant guidelines on work-study programs in our school regulations, including the prohibition of working in prostitution venues or casinos, and the prohibition of working without registering with the school."

Suoh Takefumi confidently adjusted his glasses and smiled at the defendant's dock:

"Therefore, the prosecution, representing the collective opinion of the Disciplinary Committee, demands that the school severely punish this student and prevent him from becoming a black sheep that undermines the school's atmosphere! That's all!"

After the prosecution finished speaking, the judge turned to look at Makoto Kyushu and asked, "Do you have any objections to the prosecution's statement?"