Continuing from the part after Dalino left the cafeteria.
Manzano and his friends saw Dalino with Ponce.
"I hope they didn't misunderstand us."
The way Manzano looks at us is… different. He's showing an expression unlike the one he had earlier.
Rather than looking away, he looks… relieved? Hmm, that's odd. Maybe there's more to his cold shoulder than I thought.
That was on my mind while walking. And as I was on my way back to the classroom, I ran into someone.
"Oh, Dalino, good timing."
"P-Prez? D-do you need something from me?"
It was Diana Cardano, our class president.
"Yes, there is, but not here first. Let's go somewhere else."
I followed her even though I didn't know what it was about. For some reason, I was getting anxious, unable to think of any reason why she needed to talk to me.
Reaching the end of the hall, we stopped beside the emergency exit.
"It's been… what, how long since we last talked?"
"I-it was October last year."
"It's already been that long? Eh, October, you say… That's when I received a complaint about you."
"It was an accident! I'm innocent! I already told you that, didn't I?"
Why does she bring that up now? That was an unpleasant memory for me.
...
...
......
It was during a school fire drill. At the time, the stairs were crowded with students going down, so I accidentally bumped my hand against one of my female classmates.
Once we had exited the main building, I of course apologized to her as quietly as possible. But it seemed she was still bothered by it and eventually reported it to Cardano.
It was really a mess it became. The complaint wasn't heard only by Cardano and our class, but also by other classes. I was being accused of sexual harassment, with claims that I had groped her butt. Obviously, I defended myself since I was innocent. However, no matter how many times I explained, they sided with the girl and deemed me guilty.
Everyone looked at me as if I were a molester. Not a single person took my side, and I was looked down upon with scorn.
Under their breath, I could hear them calling me a creep, a pervert, and other derogatory words.
It was a hopeless case. They didn't believe what I said, or perhaps they simply didn't trust me at all. It was only a matter of time before I gave up, until Cardano, who had been quietly watching the situation, finally stepped forward.
She handled the predicament impressively, diffusing both the angry complainant and the crowd. Even dealing with the aftermath was easy once the teachers got involved.
She believed me and trusted my words. To support my argument, she gave a scenario that made everyone agree.
"Amidst that situation, anyone could have intentionally or unintentionally bumped into someone. How many of you felt some contact at that time?"
At her inquiry, although reluctant at first, hands slowly rose from the crowd one by one.
"Then, did any of you complain about it aside from her?" At her next question, no one answered. Those who had raised their hands slowly lowered them after hearing the question.
Seeing no response, she continued speaking.
"Look at him. Even if it was just an accident, or perhaps even if it was intentional, he still apologized." Looking at me, she raised her voice so everyone could hear. To continue, she added, "Now, can all of you say the same if you were in his position?"
Again, silence filled the air. One or two looked like they wanted to retort, but they shut their mouths instead. That was because her words outweighed theirs, leaving them ashamed.
After facing the crowd, she turned to the complainant.
"And you, I understand your feelings. However, did you consider how unfair it is for someone who willingly apologized to you to be treated this way? What if he is really telling the truth? Can you still blame him for that?"
The complainant fell silent. She couldn't counter what Cardano had just said. If this were a normal argument, things might have escalated, but it didn't come to that.
Earlier, she was angry; now she was quiet. Did she perhaps understand what Cardano said? I can't read minds, so I don't know.
Staring at Cardano, the complainant then turned around. She faced my direction before walking toward me.
I flinched when she stopped right in front of me. I didn't know what would happen next, but I at least prepared myself to be slapped.
But as I waited for a hand to strike me, it didn't happen. Instead, unexpectedly, she bowed her head to me.
"I'm sorry for accusing you unfairly…" she said, with a hint of reluctance.
I was surprised, since it was technically my fault to begin with. Seeing the victim apologize felt wrong.
"No, no, it's my fault for bumping into you," I said firmly.
Seeing our exchange, Cardano looked satisfied.
Was everything solved? I'm not sure. Instead of giving me peace, it only left me with more questions.
Who was wrong? Who was right? In that moment, perhaps both of us were—at least from her standpoint.
It had only been two months since she became our class president, and in that short time, she had already gained significant influence among the class.
Was it through trust or charisma? I had no idea. I was just glad she was on my side.
......
...
...
"Yeah, I believe you, even to this day."
"Huh?"
Cardano's voice pulled me back from my flashback.
"Your rumors are far too many, and even to this day, more keep appearing."
I only found that out recently. But now that she mentions it again, just how many rumors about me are floating around? Considering what happened back in October, it makes sense why their attitude toward me is like that. Those early rumors probably shaped their impression of me.
I really need to reflect on myself from now on.
"Despite those rumors, I didn't believe them. I trusted my intuition about you. Since that day, I've been keeping an eye on you. And after observing you for a long time, I came to realize that you're just a weird, misunderstood person."
I was astonished by Cardano's view of me. Since I had already accepted my bad reputation, I never expected anyone to sympathize with me. Even Escuro, despite finally getting to know me, never showed that at all.
"But then, you started hanging out with Escuro, and even more rumors started spreading. Then, before I knew it, her group had fallen apart. Now I'm starting to think those recent rumors might actually be true."
The only person I believed understood me had suddenly done a complete one-eighty.
"Eh? What rumors?"
"I heard you've been bothering Escuro and her group."
"What?! I'm not!"
"I also heard you've been taking Escuro to secluded places and molesting her."
"Huh?!?! That's a baseless rumor—a slander!"
Although we do hang out in a secluded place, that doesn't mean I'm doing anything perverted to Escuro. And they say I'm bothering her? No, it's the other way around. She's the one bothering me.
I sighed at my classmates' wild imaginations. Where are they even getting these ideas from? Is it because Escuro and I keep meeting up often, or perhaps it's simply because I'm involved? Whenever I'm part of something, a rumor is bound to follow.
"I still want to believe your words, but because of the current situation, I need to judge you seriously this time."
"None of it is true. It's all a misunderstanding, trust me."
"Hmm… Escuro is depressed, Manzano is indifferent, and you only recently became part of their group. So, speak."
"...you really think I had something to do with it?"
"No, but there's a possibility that you are involved."
"Then you're just like the rest."
I said that, but I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eyes. Meanwhile, she kept her gaze fixed on me.
"It's normal to have doubts. That's why I'm asking you. I'm the president of our class, and as long as it concerns our classroom, I want to help Escuro and Manzano."
Her eyes didn't waver as she said that. As always, she was sincere in helping her classmates. She didn't choose sides; she listened and judged fairly, just like on that day.
I suddenly remembered the day of our class election. Cardano had run for president and delivered a strong speech that captivated our classmates, leading her to victory.
"Including you. I want to help you, too."
At those words, I felt my heart throb slightly. I don't want to get the wrong idea, but this strange feeling is probably the same emotion the others felt when they were captivated by her.
And perhaps that was also the reason why Manzano fell in love with her.
"I'm not the one who caused the problem. It's Escuro and Manzano who have issues."
"Why?"
"I can't tell you. It's personal to them."
"Even you don't want to tell me? Am I really that untrustworthy?"
"Wait, what do you mean by 'even you'?"
That thought had never crossed my mind. Just how much does she know about the situation? The reason I'm reluctant to tell her is that she's one of the reasons things ended up like this.
But I can't directly blame her, per se. She's merely one of the factors behind the problem. Escuro likes Manzano, but Manzano likes Cardano.
So if I had to blame someone, it would be Manzano.
"I already asked Escuro and Ponce, and they didn't spill a thing. With little to no information, I came to you, thinking that you, at least, would be different."
A disappointed sigh escaped her lips. Since the place was dead silent, it was clearly audible.
Her sigh shook me. It made my mind race with overthinking. Was she sighing because she gained no useful information, or perhaps because of my own uselessness?
As if noticing my discomfort, she spoke firmly.
"I'm not blaming you. Actually, I didn't bring you here just to accuse you randomly. I genuinely want to help you guys. But… if none of you want to rely on me, that's fine. And if I'm nothing but a nuisance, then I won't force myself into your problems."
After saying that, she walked past me.
"Wait."
My voice made Cardano stop in her tracks.
Despite stopping completely, she didn't turn around. I didn't wait for her to do so either. So, staring at her back, I continued.
"Sorry, I can't tell you the full story yet. Still, I consider—no, I need your help."
Upon hearing my words, she slowly turned around.
"You need my help? But didn't I already get turned down? Both Escuro and Ponce…"
"I'm the one making this request. If they have any complaints, I'll deal with them. So, can you help me?"
Cardano thought carefully. On one hand, she wanted to help, but on the other, she didn't want to create further conflict.
Is it really okay to interfere?
That was likely what she was thinking.
The ratio of those who rejected her help to those who accepted it was two to one. Under normal circumstances, the majority would win.
Now feeling hesitant, she glanced at me.
"Do it for me," I said, giving her the final push to decide.
"Okay. Let me help."
I stretched out my hand and offered her a handshake. She accepted it and shook my hand. This marked the beginning of our cooperation in resolving the current situation.
At first, I was hesitant to involve her because she was Manzano's crush. And Escuro would definitely become frantic if she saw them together, which would only create more problems.
However, seeing how sincerely she wanted to help, my mind started working, and a thought came to me.
Maybe she is the answer to this problem.
Believing that, I decided to make use of her status as class president—No, more than that.
I would put both her name and her as a person, Diana Cardano, to good use.