COTE: Bag And Love System

A soft female voice came from inside the door. Hashima Hikaru and Ibuki looked at each other and opened the door together.

　　 After entering the student center, the scene inside was not as serious as the boy had imagined. The furnishings of the spacious classroom were not complicated. Several red beech tables and chairs were placed in the center. Many students were working on something with their heads down, and there were many colorful folders stacked on the desks.

　　 At the back of the student union classroom was a completely different set of black wooden tables. Sitting on a chair was a man who had met Hashima Hikaru once before, Horikita Manabu, who was looking this way.

　　 "You guys are first-year students, right? What can I do for you in the student center?"

　　 At this moment, the female voice that had just said "please come in" reached Hashima Hikaru's ears. He turned around and saw a purple-haired girl standing beside him. She had a beautiful face, a petite figure, and two buns on her head.

　　 Judging from her attire, she should be a senior, and she was holding a brown notebook in her hand.

　　 "Hello, we are…"

　　Just as Hashima Hikaru was about to greet her and explain her purpose, she discovered that after seeing her face, the other party suddenly became excited and immediately shouted, "It's Hashima-san!"

　　 "Senior, do you know me?"

　　 The boy seemed particularly surprised by this reaction. In his opinion, this must be the first time he had met the other party.

　　 Ibuki beside her immediately frowned. She looked at Hashima Hikaru who was standing next to her and her mind began to rapidly think about what was happening.

　　 "President, the one here is Hashima-san."

　　 The purple-haired upperclassman was greatly surprised when she saw Hashima. She quickly walked to the table and chair at the back and said to Horikita Manabu, "He should be here to join the student council, right?"

　　 "uncertain."

　　 Horikita Manabu looked at Hashima Hikaru and the short-haired girl beside her. Although she didn't know what had happened, judging from the only contact she had with the boy before, things shouldn't be that simple.

　　 "Eh… Horikita-senpai?"

　　 Hashima Hikaru decided to take the initiative and walked straight to Horikita Manabu with Ibuki.

　　 "Hashima-kun, what brings you to the student council room today?"

　　 Horikita Manabu adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose and her sharp eyes fell on Hashima Hikaru again.

　　 "It's none of my business. I just came here to accompany this classmate."

　　 Naturally, Hashima stepped back, introduced Ibuki to Horikita, and slowly explained, "This is Ibuki from Class C of the first year. She came to the student council to file a complaint."

　　 As soon as these words came out, the purple-haired senior standing next to her suddenly changed her expression, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she immediately looked at Horikita Manabu who was sitting there.

　　 "Accusations? What accusations?"

　　 Horikita Manabu turned his gaze to Ibuki who was standing next to him, looked her up and down and said, "Can you tell me more about that?"

"OK."

　　 Facing Horikita Manabu's powerful aura, Ibuki couldn't help but feel a little nervous, but since she had come this far, she wasn't willing to give up halfway.

　　 "I want to accuse my classmate Ryuen of attempting to use violence against me this afternoon to achieve his goal."

　　 The girl made her accusation softly and then calmly waited for the response from the man sitting upright in his seat.

　　 "Accusations of violence?"

　　 Horikita Manabu's expression didn't change after hearing her words. She looked at Hashima Hikaru, who remained silent and continued to tell Ibuki, "If it's an accusation of violence, witnesses and testimonies are needed."

　　 "Do you have all of these?"

　　 "Of course."

　　Ibuki nodded and then gestured to Hashima Hikaru, who was standing beside her, to hand over the phone.

　　 "Oh."

　　 Seeing the expressions of the two, Horikita Manabu curled the corners of her mouth and reached out to take the phone the boy handed her.

　　 "President, what happened?"

　　 Akane Tachibana, who was standing, looked anxious as she watched Horikita Manabu checking her phone. After all, accusations of violence didn't happen often and all of the upperclassmen knew the school rules and wouldn't cross the line so blatantly.

　　 "It really is an act of violence."

　　 After watching the video filmed by Hashima Hikaru, Horikita Manabu nodded slightly.

　　 The image displayed on the phone was very clear. A long-haired man was swinging his fists to assault the girl in front of him, while the girl kept dodging and almost hit her several times.

　　 To further reinforce the impression of violence, Hikaru Hashima cut out more than half of the video, leaving only more than ten seconds, which seems quite shocking.

　　 Although it wasn't much, it was enough.

　　 Violent conduct is not judged only after it is successfully committed. As long as action is taken, it should be punished, regardless of whether it hurts anyone in the end.

　　 "Tachibana-san, come and take a look."

　　 Horikita didn't jump to conclusions, but instead handed the phone to Akane Tachibana who was beside her. The purple-haired senior's face instantly turned very ugly after watching the video. As a woman, she could understand the situation Ibuki was facing at the moment.

　　 "Ibuki-san, are you okay?"

　　 Akane Tachibana approached Ibuki with concern and asked about her physical condition. Her expression was very gentle, but the short-haired girl simply shook her head and slowly said, "My motor nervous system is better, so I can avoid his violent behavior."

　　 She explained in detail what she had just confessed to the boy, "Hashima was in the science classroom next door. He saw the scene and took a photo with his phone."

　　 "I see."

Horikita Manabu nodded, but soon asked again, "So how did this matter end? Why did Ryuen stop?"

　　 "I sent a message to the other students in our B class and asked them to come here," Hashima Hikaru answered the student council president's question, looking straight into Horikita Manabu's eyes without hesitation, "Because I knew I couldn't beat Ryuuen, so I asked for help."

　　 "After seeing that there were several of us, he gave up on the idea of continuing to use violence against Ibuki-san and eventually left."

　　 "Why would Ryuen be violent towards this Ibuki-san?"

　　 "He wanted to be the class leader, but I didn't agree, so he asked me out to convince me. But once we got there, he tried to use violence to force me to vote for him."

　　 "He also said that if I didn't agree, he would beat me until I agreed."

　　 This was indeed true, so the expression on Ibuki's face was very natural.

　　 After the two of them finished explaining themselves in unison, Akane Tachibana, who was standing at the side, could no longer bear it. She was normally calm, but after hearing about this kind of guy who was abusing a girl and forcing her to do something she didn't want to do, her inner anger was completely ignited.

　　 "President, I think that this kind of heinous violence requires the most severe punishment. It completely goes against the school rules. I request a summons for Ryuen-san."

　　 "Power."

　　 Horikita Manabu nodded, and just as she was instructing the student council cadres downstairs to prepare to carry out the order, a frivolous voice suddenly came from the door.

　　 "Horikita-senpai, I heard that there was an accusation of violence against students here. I also want to help with this very serious matter."

　　 The next second, a blond boy walked into the student center classroom. He was handsome, with an interested smile on his face, looking at everyone there.

　　 "It seems that there are quite a few new students here. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the vice president of the student union, Miyabi Nagumo.

　　"What are you two talking about?" Can I listen in too?"

　　When the man who claimed to be the vice president of the student union entered the student union, Hashima Hikaru noticed that the older purple-haired girl holding notes beside him suddenly became a lot more nervous.

　　Horikita Manabu, who was sitting in her seat, also had a reaction, but it was very subtle. She stared intently at Nagumo, who was walking over, with her piercing eyes.

"Why are you all staring at me like that? As a member of the student union, I must help the lovely juniors and third-year students solve their problems." Nagumo smiled gently and walked towards Ibuki with much enthusiasm and said, "Are you bullying this third-year student?"

　　 "Nagumo-san, this matter has already been accepted by the president, so naturally he should take care of it." The hostility on Tachibana Akane's face was obvious, and she didn't want him to interfere at all.

　　 "How can you say that? Horikita-senpai has too many things to worry about every day. Wouldn't it be better for me to take care of this violent incident involving first-year students?"

　　 "It can also make Horikita-senpai more relaxed."

　　 "But…"

　　Tachibana Akane wanted to continue arguing, but Horikita Manabu stopped her with a look. The bespectacled man paid no attention to Nagumo's behavior, but instead looked at Hashima Hikaru beside him.

　　 "Hashima-kun, this is Nagumo-san, a second-year student and the vice president of the student council."

　　 "Hello, Nagumo-senpai."

　　 Hashima Hikaru had been observing the situation ever since the golden-haired man came in. After hearing Horikita Manabu's introduction, he quickly bowed and greeted Nagumi Miyabi. Her etiquette was very considerate and there was nothing to criticize in it.

　　 Not only that, he also tugged on the sleeve of Ibuki who was next to him, signaling the other party to respond in kind.

　　"Nagumo-senpai… It's okay."

　　 Although the girl was taken aback by his action, she still cooperated and greeted him.

　　 "Hello, hello, you two are really serious young people," Nagumo showed a satisfied look, indicating that he could leave the matter to her, "Since you want to file an accusation, I can handle it as well."

　　 "This…"

　　A hint of hesitation appeared on Hashima Hikaru's face. He certainly wasn't afraid of offending the man in front of him who claimed to be the vice president of the student union, but he wanted to test Horikita Manabu's attitude.

　　 "We've already handed the video over to Horikita-senpai, why don't we let him decide?"

"Well, I also want to know what Horikita-senpai's plan is."

　　 Nagumo Ya didn't care about Hashima Hikaru throwing the ball. He was just a first-year boy and had no intention of taking it seriously.

　　 "Since Nagumo-san wants to help me so much, I'll give you this chance to review the case." Horikita Manabu's expression was still calm. He said to the two student council members who had just been called, "Go to the first-year Class C and bring Ryuen-san here."

　　 After arranging the tasks, the student council president looked at Nagumo, who still had a smile on his face, and said generously, "However, as the vice president of the student council, I think Nagumo should have a very clear understanding of the school rules. Don't make any errors in judgment during the review, otherwise it will affect the authority of the student council."

　　"Rest assured, Horikita-senpai, I will definitely make a fair and impartial judgment and will not disappoint your expectations."

　　 After agreeing to this suggestion, Nagumo immediately turned his attention to Hashima Hikaru and Ibuki beside him, as if he wanted to check the mobile phones in their hands.

　　"Nagumo-senpai, this is the video we filmed of Ryuuen-san beating up Ibuki-san."

　　After Hashima Hikaru handed over the phone at the right time, his tone suddenly became indignant.

　　"Ibuki-san obviously didn't do anything. She just didn't want to vote for Ryuen-san. But I didn't expect him to dare to do that. And as a guy, bullying a girl is a very despicable act. I beg Senior Nagumo to seek justice for us!"

　　 "…Don't worry, I'll make the fairest judgment."

　　 After taking the phone from Hashima Hikaru, Nagumo carefully watched the entire contents of the video, and then a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes.

　　 Although it seems like the man in the picture is abusing the woman, judging from the woman's expression and the specific trajectory of the movement, she seems to be so at ease, as if she's not at all afraid of the other person's fist hitting her.

　　 No, this is fake, there must be something wrong with the contents of this video!

　　 This was a premeditated trap.

　　 Nagumo Miyabi had made up his mind, so he looked back at Horikita Manabu, who was sitting upright in the chair. The other party was looking at the documents on the desk, as if all of this didn't matter to him at all.

　　I see. You want me to take the blame.

　　 The blond man's face darkened, but he didn't react. Instead, he kept everything silent in his mind.

"What's wrong, Nagumo-san? Are you incapable of accomplishing this task?" Horikita Manabu raised her head and cast a sharp glance at Nagumo Miyabi. "If you have something more important to do, you can let me do it now."

　　 As soon as these words came out, the student council members that Nagumo had conquered earlier immediately turned to look at him. They all looked at Nagumo, wanting to see what decision he would make when facing Horikita Manabu.

　　 "Of course not. Since this is a task given to me by Horikita-senpai, I must complete it beautifully, otherwise I will be unworthy of the title of vice president of the student union."

　　 Nagumo immediately showed a confident look on his face. He looked at Hashima Hikaru and Ibuki who were standing there and said solemnly, "Don't worry, since this student actually dares to do such a violent act at school, I promise that he will receive the punishment he deserves."

　　 "Then we would like to thank Senior Nagumo. I believe that you can make the most correct decision."

　　 Hashima Hikaru quickly bowed to him and thanked him with a humble demeanor, and even Ibuki beside him was a little dumbfounded.

　　 In her mind, this handsome boy named Hashima-san is a liar who is full of lies. Ever since she met him yesterday, until now, the girl has not heard a word of truth from his mouth.

　　 "Don't worry, I will make the most fair judgment." Nagumo looked at Hashima Hikaru's face with an arrogant look. "However, when the time comes for review, for the sake of justice, I will also let this Ryuen-san explain, and then you will have to debate with him."

　　 "Otherwise, if I wrongly accuse a good person, I will be guilty of a great sin."

　　 The blond man looked at the first-year boy in front of him. The boy had an extremely striking face. Although he looked harmless, it was obvious that he was the mastermind behind this false accusation.

　　 Wow, this year's first-year students are really extraordinary. They brought me a huge surprise just a few days after school started.

　　 "Understood. We will tell you all the information and make sure that Senior Nagumo does not make a wrong decision." Hashima Hikaru's expression was still respectful, as if he had great respect for the second-year vice president of the Student Union in front of him.

　　"Oh."

　　 Horikita Manabu, who was sitting next to him, looked at Hashima Hikaru's performance and had a deeper opinion of him.

　　 He is extremely intelligent, but also very insensitive, so he must be treated with caution.

　　 After Hashima Hikaru and Ibuki waited in the student center for five or six minutes, the door of the student center opened again. The two upperclassmen of the student center who were on a mission walked to the front, followed by a long-haired man, who was Ryuen.

　　"Vice President Nagumo, Ryuen-san is here."