A bell eventually rang throughout the school, signaling the end of the school day.
As the rest of the students prepared to leave for the day, Adrian still had one final matter to take care of.
The disciplinary hearing.
Soon, he was summoned to the council room.
When he arrived, Natsuha was already waiting outside the council room. Though she tried to appear calm, there was a faint tension in her expression.
The moment she spotted him, her eyes widened slightly.
It was the first time they had seen each other since Thursday.
"Adrian…" she said quietly, stepping closer. There was a trace of worry in her eyes. "Are you sure you should be back at school already? Your injury only happened a few days ago."
Adrian stopped in front of her. A small, reassuring smile appeared on his face.
"I'm fine." He replied softly. "It's healing faster than expected and honestly, I feel perfectly normal already."
Natsuha visibly relaxed a little, though the concern in her eyes didn't disappear completely.
After a brief pause, she spoke again. "And... about the rumors." She lowered her voice slightly. "I tried telling people what actually happened, but no one seemed to care."
Adrian let out a breath. "Don't worry about them." He said calmly. "Once we sort out this mess, things will settle down again."
Natsuha studied his face for a moment.
"You sound awfully confident about that." She said softly.
Adrian smiled faintly.
"I am." The answer came so quickly and firmly that she blinked.
Before Natsuha could ask what he meant, the door to the council room opened.
A teacher stepped out and looked between the two of them.
"Adrian Cross. Natsuha Shinomiya." He called. "They're ready for you."
Whatever question Natsuha is about to ask, was left hanging as the two exchanged a brief glance before stepping inside.
As they walked in, Adrian leaned slightly toward Natsuha and lowered his voice.
"Just leave everything to me. You don't need to say anything."
Natsuha hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod.
The council room had a formal atmosphere. A long table sat at the center, with several sofas arranged around it for the hearing.
Daichi was already seated on one of the sofas, his arms crossed and his eyes lowered.
Across from him sat the five faculty members overseeing the hearing: the principal, the vice-principal, two senior teachers, and the head of student affairs.
Natsuha quietly took a seat beside Adrian.
Daichi's gaze drifted toward them for a brief moment, but the instant his eyes met Adrian's, he looked away.
Once everyone had taken their seats and only when the room had settled into silence did the disciplinary hearing began.
The principal folded his hands on the table and began speaking in a practiced, authoritative tone.
"Let us begin. Adrian, we are here because of a serious incident involving several soccer club members. There have been multiple reports of violence and we expect your full cooperation in clearing this matter up."
The questioning began formally enough, but it didn't take long for the tone to shift.
At first, Adrian tried to defend himself calmly, explaining how he had been surrounded and attacked by eleven students. He kept his answers clear and factual, pointing out that he had only acted in self-defense.
However, it quickly became obvious that logic and evidence weren't what they were looking for.
Much of the discussion centered on Adrian's "supposed aggression" and the claim that he had escalated the confrontation.
Whenever he tried to clarify the sequence of events, the questions twisted back toward his aggressive actions. From time to time, Daichi chimed in and subtly framed the story in a way that painted Adrian as the clear instigator.
Adrian eventually fell silent and just watched them put up an act.
He leaned back in his seat, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Watching them trying so hard to twist the situation until he became the sole villain of this charade was amusing enough that he had to stop himself from laughing.
'It seems everyone's in on it.' Adrian thought, a trace of amusement stirring within him. 'Honestly, they'd be better off acting as clowns than educators.'
Seeing the futility of arguing with people who are clearly paid off, Adrian simply stopped wasting his breath. Instead, he crossed his arms and observed the farce with amusement.
The principal seemed to take his silence as submission and pressed forward with more confidence.
"Miss Shinomiya, could you please step out for a moment and bring Coach Tougou from his office? We need his testimony to clarify the events."
Natsuha started to rise from her seat, only to pause. She glanced at Adrian, uncertainty flashing across her face.
Whatever she saw in his expression seemed to reassure her. Taking a quiet breath, she settled back into her seat and placed her trust in him.
With that settled, Adrian decided it was time to put an end to this tedious hearing. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long, bored sigh.
"Here we go again." He said it loud enough for everyone to hear. "Tougo's strategy really never changes. Always trying to isolate the women he likes to target. Anyways, let's end this farce."
The principal's gaze sharpened, trying to reassert his authority.
"Watch your tone, young man! This is a formal disciplinary hearing–"
Adrian cut him off smoothly.
"And this is exactly why I brought evidence."
His words brought silence to the room.
Adrian calmly unlocked his phone and placed it on the table, turning the screen toward the council members.
"Before we waste any more time with this scripted performance." He said, voice steady and cold. "You should see what actually happened that day."
He pressed play.
The footage from the hidden camera in his pen began playing. Though slightly shaky, it clearly showed what had happened.
Eleven soccer club members had surrounded Adrian, cutting off any chance of retreat. Their hostile postures, starting the fight, and coordinated attempts to overwhelm him through sheer numbers were all laid bare for everyone in the room to see.
The council members watched in stunned silence. Gasps and murmurs spread as Adrian took them down one after another despite being heavily outnumbered. His superior strength despite being unskilled was undeniable.
When the video ended, the room was deathly quiet.
The principal's expression darkened slightly. Across the room, Daichi sat rigidly in his seat, glaring at Adrian through clenched teeth.
"Well…" The principal forced out an awkward laugh, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"If you had this evidence from the beginning, why didn't you present it sooner? It would have saved everyone a lot of time and misunderstanding."
Adrian leaned back in his seat, eyes cold.
"Because I wanted to see where everyone stood first," he replied calmly. "And it looks like quite a few of you were already prepared to throw me under the bus without checking the facts."
Several council members shifted uncomfortably. The principal's expression darkened with anger.
"You are getting ahead of yourself, Mr. Cross!" He warned. "We will not tolerate–!"
"Before you talk about probation or any punishment you've already prepared," Adrian interrupted smoothly, "let me show you my real card."
He swiped to the second video on his phone.
"You see, during the scuffle I dropped my phone that's still recording. I didn't notice it at the time. But I'm very glad I didn't."
Natsuha's eyes widened slightly beside him. She clearly remembered that the only thing Adrian had dropped that day was a pen.
For a brief moment, confusion flickered across her face. Then, realizing he was deliberately hiding something, she quietly closed her mouth and remained silent, allowing him to continue.
Adrian pressed play.
The view was partly blocked by a wooden bench, leaving much of the scene obscured. The people in the footage were only partially visible, but there was no mistaking the voices.
The audio came through with perfect clarity as Tougou and Daichi's heated argument filled the room.
"You promised me you'd handle the mess, what do you mean you can't!" Daichi's voice hissed.
"I told you I would," Tougou snapped back. "Just keep your mouth shut and do what I say. It's not my problem, this mess turned out bigger than expected."
"You have 11 people… 11 people! How the fuck did you guys lose?!" Coach Tougou's voice exploded through the phone's speaker, laced with frustration and disbelief.
"It's not my fault! That bastard is a monster! He took all of them down like it was nothing!" Daichi shouted back.
Tougou stared at him for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh.
"Fine. I'll clean up the mess." He said. "But it's going to cost you."
He held up a finger.
"One hundred thousand yen. In cash. Tonight."
"One hundred thousand?!" Daichi's voice rose again. "Are you insane?"
Tougou's expression didn't change.
"Then handle it yourself."
A heavy silence followed.
"Or…" he continued calmly, "I can make sure the school sees things our way. Expulsion isn't impossible. Depending on how things develop, it could be even worse."
Another heavy silence followed.
When Daichi finally spoke again, his voice was strained. "…Fine. I'll get the money. Just make sure he's gone."
"Good. And while we're at it… that girl who was with him. Natsuha was it?" Tougou's tone suddenly turned lecherous.
"Fuck, what a body. Those tits, that ass… I've been hard just thinking about her. After I crush Adrian, you're going to help me get her."
"You're serious?" Daichi looked at him bewildered.
"I'm serious. Just do your part when the time comes…" He let out a low, disgusting laugh, the kind that made skin crawl. "Who knows? If you do well, I might even let you have a taste of her too. That erotic busty body… fuck, just thinking about it gets me hard."
He cleared his throat, voice still dripping with lust.
"Anyway, I'll call in a favor with a friend of mine. He'll take care of things on the administrative side."
"What friend?" Daichi asked.
Tougou let out a chuckle. "Who do you think?" He folded his arms with a smug grin.
"The principal, of course. That horny old fuck owes me big time. Without me, he wouldn't be able to get his dick wet with any woman in this school."
The recording continued for several more seconds, revealing more details of their plans and a lot of inappropriate remarks toward Natsuha, before Adrian finally paused the video.
The council room was dead silent.
Daichi's face had gone completely pale. His hands trembled in his lap as he stared at the screen in disbelief.
Across the room, the principal's composure cracked for the first time. The confident authority he had maintained throughout the hearing vanished, replaced by naked disbelief.
The three other council members sat speechless, while the vice-principal stared at the phone with a stunned expression.
Natsuha sat frozen beside Adrian, her eyes wide with a mixture of disgust and shock. Her hands clenched tightly in her lap.
Adrian calmly locked his phone and placed it back in his pocket. He swept his gaze across every face at the table, his expression cold and composed.
"So," he said softly, "shall we continue our little discussion?"
No one said a word. The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Finally, the principal slammed his hand on the table, though his voice shook.
"This… this recording is clearly manipulated! You can't just–"
"Manipulated?" Adrian's voice cut through like ice. "The voices are unmistakable. And while the footage isn't perfect, their faces are clearly visible."
He stood up slowly, towering over the seated council.
"You were perfectly willing to make me the scapegoat to protect your own interests." Adrian's gaze swept across the room. "Now tell me, what do you think happens if this recording finds its way into the hands of everyone at this school?"
The principal's mouth opened and closed several times before any sound came out.
"This... this is out of line," he finally managed, his voice strained. "You cannot threaten the council like this–"
"Threaten?" Adrian's tone was calm, almost polite. "I'm simply asking a question. You were ready to expel me based on rumors and one-sided testimony. But the second real evidence appears, suddenly the rules changed?"
He tapped his phone lightly on the table.
"I have the full recording backed up," Adrian said plainly. "So even if any of you try to destroy this phone, it won't matter."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"So I'll ask again… do we continue this farce, or are we finally going to have an honest conversation?"
The principal's hands trembled as he clasped them together, trying to regain control.
"Mr. Cross… we understand. What do you want from us?" His voice was careful now, restrained.
Adrian let out a short, cold laugh. "It seems like you're up here for a reason… even with all these skeletons in your closet."
He leaned forward, placing both hands on the table looking straight into the principal's eyes.
"Here's what's going to happen. You'll drop all actions against me, and you'll dismiss Tougou Tsuyoshi. As for Daichi…" Adrian's gaze shifted to the trembling boy on the sofa.
"He will be suspended for the rest of the semester. Effective immediately."
Daichi's face turned deathly pale. "Y-you can't–!"
"I can and I will." Adrian cut him off coldly. "Or would you prefer I send this recording to every parent group chat, the local news, and the school board? Choose." After saying that, Adrian turned his attention back to the principal.
"So have you decided?"
After a long, painful silence, the principal finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
"...Very well." The principal exhaled slowly. "Coach Tougou will be suspended immediately and disciplinary proceedings regarding his dismissal will begin at once. Daichi will receive a long-term suspension for his role in the incident."
His gaze finally looked Adrian at the eye.
"As for you, Mr. Cross, no disciplinary action will be taken. As far as the school is concerned, this matter is closed."
Adrian smiled. A small, satisfied smile that quite didn't reach his eyes.
"Good. I'm glad we could reach an understanding."
He turned to Natsuha and held out a hand.
She took it without hesitation and rose to her feet beside him.
The two made their way toward the door, but just before leaving, Adrian stopped and glanced back over his shoulder.
"Oh, and one more thing." He said casually.
Every eye in the room turned toward him.
"If I hear any more attempts to paint me as the aggressor, or if any new rumors start targeting Natsuha..." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Let's just say I won't be this polite next time."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out of the room with Natsuha at his side.
The door closed behind them with a soft click.
In the hallway, Natsuha finally let out a shaky breath. She looked up at him, eyes wide with a mixture of awe, relief, and shock.
"You... you really just did that." Natsuha whispered, still trying to process what had happened. "You actually got the school administration to back down."
Adrian squeezed her hand lightly, his usual confident smirk returning.
"I told you to leave it to me."
Natsuha shook her head slowly, still processing everything that had just happened. "You're really scary when you want to be… you know that?"
Adrian only smiled.
They walked down the hallway together.
For the first time that day, the tension that had been hanging over everything seemed to ease. Without a word, Adrian took Natsuha's hand as they continued toward the exit.
He had shown his cards at exactly the right moment.
And the real game was only just beginning.