Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Vol. 5: Chapter 16.2 - What Could Be Done

Everything seemed slow and silent. The sight of Sudou pulling back his arms for a punch tightened the hearts of those watching. Students from Class 1-A ran up to them, but they were too far away. In a blink of an eye, the second-long incident happened.

*Thud*

"Miyake-kun!" 

"Miyake!"

The voice of his classmates rang inside Sudou's ears as the sight in front of him became clear. Miyake shoved the smiling Ryuuen away and took the punch instead. 

"Oh, Miyake. Why did you have to ruin the fun?" asked Ryuuen.

"Shut the hell up, Ryuuen..."

"Miyake-kun, are you alright?!" Hirata rushed to check on him, but his help was gently rejected.

"I'll be alright, Hirata... You can stay out of this. I'll... handle it."

The strength of Sudou's punch wasn't a joke. Miyake tried his best to hold on, but his head got really shaken from the impact. He could barely stand while staying conscious.

"Akito...?"

Sudou's head suddenly became lucid. His rage dissipated the moment he saw the injured face of his friend.

"What is going on here?" Sakagami-sensei briskly walked toward the commotion.

"Well, well, well. You came at the right time, Sakagami-sensei."

"I've heard from Nomura-kun that you were looking for me, Ryuuen."

"Ahh, right!" he replied, before giving Miyake and Sudou a side glance. "But that can wait for later. We have more important things at hand. Isn't that right, Miyake?" 

He seemed a little dubious about Ryuuen's way of talking, but he also knew that he was right.

"I guess so." Sakagami-sensei inched forward in front of the two Class A boys in question. "What is this about, Miyake-kun, Sudou-kun? You know that violence is strictly prohibited, correct?"

"Sakagami-sensei-" Hirata tried to say something, but he stopped. He'll let Miyake do the talking and only provide support when needed. 

"Ken... wasn't being violent, Sakagami-sensei... He just... hit me by accident."

Miyake's words earned some gasps from the confused spectators. He was bold enough to say an obvious lie to protect his classmate. Sudou clicked his tongue with a pained look.

"I clearly saw what happened."

"Nothing happened, Sensei..." Miyake's response was paired with a sharp glare.

"Sudou-kun may have hit you on accident, but it's also a fact that he was intent on hitting and harming someone." Sakagami gave Ryuuen a side-eye.

"But he wasn't hit, right...? So... there's no need for you to take action..."

"Miyake-kun, I understand that you don't want your friend or your class to be in trouble, but there were a lot of witnesses. What happened here cannot be denied."

His vision was getting blurry and his legs were starting to give out, but Miyake mustered up all of his remaining strength to give a final reply.

"In... the narrative that you're trying to push, I would be identified as the victim... My words hold more weight... So I'll keep pushing the fact that it was just... an accident. Ken did nothing wrong."

Sakagami-sensei's eyes narrowed looking at Miyake's condition. His cheek was red and will obviously start swelling. And his gums were clearly torn up as seen from the blood flowing from his mouth.