Saki smiled strangely suddenly, taking all the students by surprise, including the waiter who was Tanaka.
It was a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Ara, ara~" She said, tapping the Holo-cane against her palm thoughtfully. "What an interesting testimony, Tanaka-kun. Class, this is actually a perfect example of what we'll be covering in Critical Thinking 101."
She gestured broadly to the entire classroom.
"How to identify planted witnesses and information warfare tactics commonly used by nobles to destroy their enemies' reputations."
The class went silent and the murmuring stopping immediately.
Tanaka's face paled slightly, but he maintained his composure with visible effort.
"Sensei, I don't understand what you're implying—"
"I'm not implying anything yet, Tanaka-kun," Saki interrupted sweetly, her voice was light and airy. "I'm simply using your testimony as a teaching tool. After all, if we're going to discuss it, we should discuss it properly, ne?"
She walked closer to him, her lab coat swishing with each step and the sound was very ominous in the silent classroom.
"Tell me, Tanaka-kun... when exactly did this alleged assault take place?"
"Four days ago, Sensei," Tanaka said confidently, his voice steady. "At the Kumo Terrace, in the VIP section."
"Sou ka, sou ka~" Saki nodded, as if considering his words carefully. "And you said Amagi-kun beat you up when you tried to intervene in him attempting to assault Akari-chan, right?"
"Hai, Sensei."
"Interesting..." Saki tapped on her phone with deliberate slowness, and suddenly a display appeared right on the Holo-board behind her.
"Because according to the medical records I just pulled up from the Academy clinic database… which has access to all major medical facilities in Keropolis, you checked into the Kumo Terrace medical wing yesterday, not four days ago."
The hologram showed a clear medical admission form with Tanaka's name, photo, and timestamp in bold letters.
The class collectively gasped, a wave of shock rippling through the room. Tanaka's face went white as a sheet with all color draining from his features.
"That's... that's a mistake in the system, Sensei! The dates must be wrong—"
"Ara~ A mistake?" Saki's smile grew wider and more predatory, like a cat that had just cornered a mouse. "The Kumo Terrace uses the same medical database as ALI. It's linked to the city's central registry. Are you saying that the entire city's medical infrastructure is wrong?"
She zoomed in on specific details with a flick of her finger.
"Moreover, according to the injury report filed by the attending physician, your injuries were consistent with 'blunt force trauma from a training accident,' not an assault. In fact, the report specifically notes that you requested the physician not to file a police report."
'I thought Akari-sama took care of it…' Tanaka thought, shock practically written all over his face.
She had promised him she'd handle everything, that the records would be clean.
Saki turned to face the class with a theatrical spin.
"Now, class, why would someone who was allegedly assaulted by a dangerous delinquent request that no police report be filed?"
No one answered, but the whispers started again… this time directed at Tanaka instead of Kōya.
The tide was turning.
"Furthermore—" Saki wasn't done yet, her voice gaining momentum.
She pulled up another hologram with another casual gesture. "If you were truly beaten up by Amagi-kun, shouldn't your injuries match the fight timeline? But you checked in yesterday while Amagi-kun's alleged incident with Akari-sama happened four days ago."
She paused for emphasis, letting the numbers sink in.
"That's a three-day or so discrepancy, Tanaka-kun. Unless Amagi-kun has developed time travel abilities, I don't see how he could have assaulted you three days after the incident supposedly occurred."
The logic was undeniable and laid bare for everyone to see. Tanaka stammered as his carefully constructed story was crumbling.
"I... I misspoke about the dates, Sensei! It was five days ago, not four—"
"Ah, but that's impossible too," Saki said cheerfully, as if discussing the weather. "Because five days ago, Amagi-kun was registered at the KCAC for a morning raid in the Outer Zone. There are timestamped logs of him entering and exiting through the barrier gates early on the next day."
She pulled up yet another hologram showing gate entry records with official KCAC stamps.
"He was in the Outer Zone from 6 AM to 9 AM that day and your medical check-in was at 11 AM. So unless Amagi-kun can be in two places at once..."
She let the implication hang in the air.
The class was completely silent now, watching the systematic destruction of Tanaka's testimony with morbid fascination.
Even Kōya was impressed, though he kept his expression neutral and detached.
'She did her homework,' he thought with genuine respect.
This woman had come prepared with receipts.
"Now, Tanaka-kun," Saki's voice became colder, dropping several degrees in temperature. "I'll ask you one more time. Were you actually assaulted by Amagi-kun?"
Tanaka's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, desperately searching for words that wouldn't come.
"I... Sensei, I was just... Akari-sama said that—"
"Ah, so Akari-sama told you to say this?" Saki's eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "Interesting. So you're admitting to spreading false testimony based on the orders of a noble?"
Tanaka realized his mistake immediately, his eyes going wide with panic as the words he'd just spoken registered.
"No! I mean, yes! I mean—"
"Tanaka-kun," Saki interrupted, her smile now completely gone, replaced by cold professionalism. "Spreading unverified rumors, disrupting class proceedings with false testimony, and attempting to defame a fellow student?"
She tapped on her phone with deliberate slowness, each tap echoing like a judge's gavel.
"That's -10,000 Individual Points for false testimony, -3,000 IP for disrupting class, and -2,000 IP for attempting to manipulate your professor."
His phone pinged uncontrollably, notification after notification as his Individual Points plummeted in real-time.
From 50,000 to 35,000 in an instant.
The digital display was merciless.
"That's 15,000 IP total, Tanaka-kun. I do hope Akari-sama compensates you well for your... service."
The word "service" dripped with contempt.
Tanaka collapsed back into his seat, completely defeated and now significantly poorer.
The class stared at him with a mixture of shock, disgust, and wariness, but the damage went beyond just Tanaka.
"Now, class~" Saki said, her cheerful demeanor returning as if nothing had happened. "Let this be a lesson. In ALI, we value truth and evidence over hearsay and noble influence. Anyone who attempts to use rumors or false testimony in my class will face similar consequences."
She looked around the room meaningfully, making eye contact with several students who had been nodding along earlier.
"And for those of you who believed Tanaka-kun's story without question... perhaps you should reflect on why you were so quick to believe rumors about a fellow classmate."
They all stiffened up under her gaze, uncomfortable and exposed.
Then Saki smiled brightly, as if a switch had been flipped.
"Now back to business… we won't be starting the day with simple subjects. I believe that's too boring." Saki said and hit the Holo-cane against her palm with a sharp crack. "We will start with a physical sparring class, without weapons of course… you just have to use your hands and fighting styles. If you can impress me with your fighting style, then I will gift you the 15,000 IP I confiscated from Tanaka-kun."
The announcement caused immediate interest, heads perking up throughout the classroom.
15,000 IP was nothing to sneeze at.
She then dropped the cane onto her desk and walked to the door with purpose.
"Follow me!"
Her voice carried the tone of someone who expected to be obeyed immediately.
…
They were in the Academy training hall now, and the Professor had been right about the facilities.
There were several arenas spread throughout the massive space, each one designed for different types of combat training.
The place was state-of-the-art, with reinforced floors and barriers to contain errant attacks.
The students had switched to the girl and boy changing rooms just to put on their sparring clothes, and they had lined up now in neat rows.
Renji looked to the side and saw that Kōya was standing next to him in the line.
Now that he was out of that uniform and wearing a skin-tight tracksuit, it showed how defined his muscles actually were.
The fabric clung to every contour, revealing a physique that spoke of practical strength rather than gym vanity.
"Kōya-kun… you're really fit," Renji said with genuine admiration.
Kōya ignored him, apparently absorbed in looking forward again, doing whatever mental preparation he needed.
Renji also noticed that the girls who were standing in an adjacent line were looking at Kōya now, though without the disgust from earlier.
They were obviously ogling his well-built figure, their eyes tracking the lines of his shoulders and arms.
'Women are complicated creatures,' Renji thought with mild exasperation.
One moment they were looking at him with disgust, and the next they were ogling his well-built figure like he was some kind of model.
"Right…" Saki clapped her hands together as her breasts shook from the motion.
She was wearing one of the female training outfits now… form-fitting and designed for mobility.
"So now, I'll choose the people to go on spars… and if you can completely impress me, then I will allow you to take the 15,000 IP."
She looked around the assembled students with a critical eye.
"First match, Amagi-kun and Tanaka-kun… please make your way onto the grounds."
The announcement caused immediate murmuring throughout the crowd.
This was going to be interesting.
Kōya stepped out without hesitation, and Tanaka followed reluctantly, his earlier confidence completely shattered.
They got onto the fighting field, taking positions on opposite sides of the arena.
'He comes from an orphan family where his parents are MIA,' Tanaka thought as he assumed a stance with elegant footwork.
His two fists were cocked right at his face in a proper defensive stance, the kind taught at expensive martial arts academies.
'They can't have taught him any techniques…'
However, contrary to Tanaka's expectations, Kōya immediately got into a stance that he hadn't seen before.
It was fluid, almost serpentine, with weight distributed in a way that suggested explosive movement potential.
「Dragon Flowing Fighting Style has been used」
It was a skill that he had immediately bought from the System store after receiving HeroGod's generous gift… a proper fighting style that cost him 1500 FP.
The knowledge flowed into his body like water and muscle memory that wasn't his own was suddenly becoming available.
Saki raised up her hand.
"And fight!"
Tanaka immediately shifted to the right to move into a defensive position, planning to read Kōya's movements first.
However, in a burst of speed that shocked everyone watching, Kōya was already in front of his face.
The distance closed in less than a heartbeat.
With a powerful punch aimed directly at Tanaka's face, the young man was sent flying out of the ring like he'd been hit by a car.
He smashed into the gym wall with a sickening crunch, leaving a small crater in the reinforced surface as he fell to the ground.
He was completely unconscious with blood trickling from his mouth. The entire training hall went silent, stunned by the brutal efficiency of the attack.
Kōya looked at his hand with mild surprise, flexing his fingers experimentally.
'That was a good punch,' he thought, feeling the experience of the fighting style flowing through him.
It was quite weird, having knowledge and muscle memory that wasn't originally his but the System had literally downloaded martial arts expertise directly into his brain and body.
"And Amagi-kun wins with a flawless victory!" Saki announced, her eyes shining like saucers with undisguised interest.
Her expression was one of pure fascination, like a scientist who had just discovered something remarkable.
'He did something with his mana…' Saki thought, replaying the movement in her mind. 'His leg muscles twitched and he manipulated the mana flow to close the distance in an instant. That's not something a beginner should be able to do.'
He was very interesting indeed.
She was glad she had defended him earlier.