Chapter 7: Lenient Bashing【Part 2】
【言語に関するご注意 / Language Notice】本作はすべて、英語と英語の表現で書かれています。翻訳作品ではなく、オリジナルの英語ライトノベルです。あらかじめご了承の上、作品をお楽しみください。
See chapter one for the main author's note.
Anza
He taps the air with his fork.
“We archive things like past election cycles, major campus events, and how the rules have evolved over the years. You could say we’re kind of just the campus fanboys.”
“Wow, an entire club just for campus history? Is there really that much to file away?”
“Pff, you should come by sometime and see the stacked shelves.” He swallows, dropping his shoulders back into a relaxed slump. “The League is way more relaxed than the sports groups though. Just attend some weekly meetings, follow the rules. Nothing crazy.”
Bzzz.
My phone vibrates against the wood of the table. The screen lights up with a fresh text notification, stacked right on top of a missed call from Asuka.
[Come down ASAP! Toma wants to check out the school building and I need my majority vote back here to stop him, right now! Meet at the Sparrow Park fountain!]
Classic Asuka. The day has barely started and she’s already operating at maximum drama.
“Well,” I say, taking one last bite of toast before standing up. “My not-so-relaxed friend is already bugging me to come.”
I grab my empty plate and scoop up the backpack from the foot of the bed behind me, silently thank my past self for having the foresight to pack everything last night.
“That bad, huh?” he calls out.
“I think she just skipped breakfast, that’s all,” I call out, stepping into the bathroom alcove. I quickly splash water on my face and run a hand through my hair to tame the morning bedhead.
“Well, if you guys end up by the lake later, make sure to introduce me. Preferably after she’s had something to eat.”
“No promises!”
I stride toward the front door while flinging by backpack on. “I’m sorry to leave so quick, but I guess I woke up kind of late. Actually... thanks for helping me wake up. Even if it was with a cooking utensil.”
He blinks, then lets out a soft, relieved laugh, pointing his fork casually in my direction. “Hey, anytime. Just keeping my roommate among the living. Have fun.”
Stepping outside, the bright morning sun blasts my unadjusted eyes. Squinting against the sudden glare, I pull the door shut behind me.
For a guy who treats a rice paddle like a defibrillator, he seems to know quite a lot about this place. Hopefully, the rest of my day features fewer wooden objects hovering over my face.
Shun
Unwrapping a fully loaded baguette is a delicate art.
One wrong pull of the wrapper could send an avalanche of ingredients spilling out.
Finally, the brown paper lies flat on the wooden bench. The sandwich rests perfectly in the middle, parallel to the gallery railing and anchored on the left by a canned iced coffee.
Final check complete. The crew is ready to roll.
Only three other people sit scattered in the gallery today. First-row seats and unlimited legroom are all mine.
School court appeals rarely disappoint as free entertainment, and I made sure to pick a light case: petty theft. It should provide just enough amusement to get me through my breakfast.
Down on the floor, the layout is standard.
On the left side of the room, the defense lawyer stands in front of a table stacked with paperwork, polishing his glasses while his two nervous clients keep shifting beside him.
Directly across the aisle, the prosecutor sits alone. Straight-backed with his legs crossed, he stares down at three sheets of paper, aggressively clicking the cap of a fountain pen. Every few clicks forces a glance from the pair opposite him—classic intimidation.
A wooden door creaks open. The minor chatter dies, replaced by the rustle of paper and shifting feet.
The student judge strides in, her oversized robes billowing behind her. She steps into her bench, ignoring the room as she drops into her high-backed seat and flips through her paperwork. Everyone tracks her movements, waiting for the opening statement, holding their breath until the silence snaps.
“Esteemed, most honorable, transcendent Judge,” the defense lawyer announces. He stands tall, twirling his index finger like a chef tasting soup. “Before we formally commence, a grave administrative error requires immediate correction.”
The rustling stops. A deep sigh echoes from the bench. “Is it so critical that it cannot wait for my opening remarks?”
“Of course it isn’t, Your Honor,” the prosecutor cuts in, leaning back in his seat. “The defense is merely weaponizing excuses to delay the inevitable. Please, let ‘Her Grace’ begin before we all die of boredom.”
I take a big bite of my baguette.
The show is on.
The student judge rubs her temples, already looking exhausted. “Fine. Keep it short. What is it?”
The defense lawyer opens his leather planner with a theatrical flourish. “Thank you, your absolute, most esteemed judiciousness. We are gathered here to appeal a minor case of petty theft. “
He snatches a document from his desk and lifts it high above his head—as if anyone up in the gallery could actually read the print from this distance.
“Yet, the prosecution has attached a completely separate incident of roughhousing!” He waves the paper around. “A different event, at a different time. Preposterous! We cannot try a case based on a surprise syllabus!”
The judge moves a page to the top of her stack. “Right. The prosecution was indeed on the late side submitting the matter, but it was technically still within the—”
“Thank you—but I will take it from here, your unmatched, objective brilliance!” The prosecutor interrupts, throwing out a hand.
He glares across the aisle and continues, “The defense is playing word games. Cause and effect! The theft triggered a pursuit. Good Samaritans intervened to stop it, and they were subsequently beaten for their trouble after. That is the physical altercation! To question the connection is a mockery—I expected nothing less from a rookie lawyer.”
His gaze sharpens into a localized heat ray, aimed at the defense table.
The judge opens her mouth, but the defense lawyer beats her to the punch.
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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 7: Lenient Bashing【Part 3】
Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”
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