"So... where was it originally placed?"

Arashi Manami asked again.

"It was put in an envelope and kept in my bag yesterday, according to the school's request. It was still there when I arrived at school this morning, but when I opened it at noon, it was gone."

"Because you suspected someone took it, you had all the classmates check their drawers?"

"No, it was only a suggestion from the classmates to search the classroom. I didn't suspect anyone myself."

"And you found it in Setsuko's drawer?"

"Yes."

Arashi Manami confirmed the crucial point once again.

"But when it was found, only the envelope was there. The money inside was missing."

"..."

Touyama Rine fell silent and lowered her head.

At this moment, Inoue Hattori, who had been silent from the beginning, spoke up. As the second-place student in the entrance examination, he joined the safety committee, which is responsible for maintaining order in the school and preventing violence incidents. It seemed astonishingly similar to the Special Order Department; there was no need for it. By the way, he sat next to the head disciplinarian.

"The fact is, Setsuko took the envelope at some point, took out the money inside, and we don't know where she used it."

Inoue Hattori concluded, and the disciplinarian agreed.

"According to the teachers, Setsuko doesn't pay much attention in class."

"Those two things aren't related, are they?"

Finally, Fujisawa Hayashi, the homeroom teacher of Class D, spoke up. Perhaps he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"How are they not related? Not paying attention in class shows that the student's attitude towards learning is not right. In that case, it's not surprising for her to do something like this."

The disciplinarian said firmly, and Fujisawa Hayashi didn't say anything further.

Hey, hey, this is ridiculous. Well, the homeroom teacher can't possibly argue with the disciplinarian, after all, a chopstick cannot compete with a thigh.

"So when did Setsuko take it? There are so many classmates in the class, and if she took it, someone must have seen it."

"It must have been when the rest of the class was doing morning exercises. She was the only one who didn't go, so it must have been at that time."

"But in the end, the money wasn't found on Setsuko, right?"

"She definitely hid it somewhere at that time. After all, if the money was found on her, it would be exposed. But it seems like she forgot to deal with the envelope properly. Seems like she was careless."

Facing Arashi Manami's question, the disciplinarian answered fluently, as if he had personally witnessed the whole thing. Truly a deduction genius.

"Well then, Setsuko, as the person involved, do you have anything to say?"

"I can only say that I didn't do it."

When faced with Arashi Manami's question, Setsuko, the focal point of the incident, responded coldly. There was no change in her expression, remaining calm and composed. She truly was a model of composure; I admire her...

"How can we believe such words? It's clearly a lie. For them, telling lies like this is nothing new; it's not convincing at all. Besides, what criminal would willingly admit to being a criminal?"

The disciplinarian declared with some excitement. Well, I wonder who he means by "them"?

"So, how should we handle this matter?"

"There's no need to say. Keeping a student like this in school will only ruin the school's atmosphere and possibly influence other students. The best solution is to expel her, it's for the benefit of both parties and for the sake of the students. After all, she's not serious about school anyway."

"You're right, there's no other way."

Upon hearing the disciplinarian's opinion, Inoue Hattori nodded in agreement, with a hint of regret, as if he had received support. The morale on the disciplinarian's side soared.

"Now, let's go with this plan..."