Fuuka Ikiyo's Melancholy (2)
Anyway, Makoto is on the side of the Supply Club.
Gehenna Academy is second to none, and Fuuka is clearly its savior.
“Ugh… ugh…! Yeah, I’ll admit it. When the hygiene management evaluation came, I did have a personal grudge against the Supply Club… I was wrong, and I’ll confess it cleanly.”
Shiromi Iori admitted her mistake without hesitation. This was the decisive testimony.
With this, the tarnished honor of the Supply Club could finally be restored cleanly…
“But it’s also a clear fact that Iori suffered food poisoning after drinking the beverage provided by the Supply Club.”
The honor could not yet be restored. The bespectacled girl sitting beside her had just presented a new point of contention.
“Hmm. Your name is clearly—”
“Prefect Team member, Hinomiya Chinatsu. I handle sanitation duties in the medical department under the Prefect Team, and I am the one who diagnosed Iori’s food poisoning.”
“Understood.”
Chinatsu, the troublemaker who had jumped in just before Iori could be refuted.
Makoto now had another opponent in the debate.
‘I thought this would end smoothly. Another rival has appeared…’
Fuuka pressed her hand to her forehead with a pained expression.
The food poisoning incident was indeed the Supply Club’s fault. As the head, Fuuka had no excuse to make.
“Evaluations are inevitably subjective judgments. Some margin of error is inevitable for each individual. In comparison, the phenomenon itself is objective. Anyone can see it clearly and unmistakably.”
Chinatsu, stepping up as Iori’s advocate, continued with momentum.
“Since the food poisoning incident occurred, the Supply Club cannot escape responsibility for it.”
Chinatsu pushed up her glasses with her index finger.
Behind the lenses, her eyes burned with hostility toward Makoto.
Chinatsu twisted the issue at hand.
It was greater the fault of the Supply Club that caused the food poisoning than Iori who distorted the evaluation with excessive subjectivity. That was the gist.
The weighing of the subjective evaluation that could not help but be subjective, and the objective phenomenon of food poisoning that occurred.
“If the difference in interpretation of this hygiene management evaluation is attributed to Iori’s fault by the Student Council, the Prefect Team will not stand idly by.”
Chinatsu expressed her intention to retaliate if the Student Council took the hit.
“For the thorough investigation of the truth of the food poisoning incident, the Prefect Team will investigate the Supply Club thoroughly.”
If the Student Council supported the Supply Club, the Prefect Team would retaliate. Cause and effect.
The light of hope had descended, but it was not. Fuuka fell into despair once more.
“This is the position of our Prefect Team, President Makoto.”
Finally, Chinatsu’s statement ended.
“So that’s how it is.”
Makoto responded flatly.
“Indeed, Iori’s collapse due to food poisoning is an objective fact. The fact that the cause is the orange juice provided by the Supply Club is also undeniable. However—”
After reflecting on the situation, Makoto presented another perspective.
“This incident has not been verified to have universality.”
“What do you mean by that!? Such a thing… is a natural cause that must exist. No matter who the target was, the result would have been the same!”
Chinatsu reacted as if she had heard an absurd statement.
Universality. That is, the question of ‘If anyone drank that beverage, even if not Iori, would anyone have collapsed from food poisoning?’
This point was the crux of the matter for the Student Council.
Fuuka, a party to the incident, could assert it.
‘There won’t be many people who can eat Juri’s cooking and have their stomach fine.’
There were exceptional gourmets who enjoyed Juri’s food deliciously, but it was not universal.
Therefore, Makoto’s statement was sophistry.
“Unfortunately, the beverage in question… the orange juice cannot be adopted as evidence. It was discarded by the Supply Club right after the incident occurred.”
“…Ugh!”
Chinatsu’s face paled at the absence of physical evidence.
Even if Makoto’s sophistry continued, perfect refutation was impossible.
But Chinatsu did not back down.
Makoto’s sophistry was flimsy. It could not sway the minds of the other review committee members to this extent. The persuasiveness was weak.
“So, I will present one possibility. However, before that, there is a fact I want to confirm clearly.”
Makoto shifted his gaze to Iori.
“Shiromi Iori. You are an incurable mint lover.”
The hall was abuzz at Makoto’s statement.
Then, Iori, who was the focus of everyone’s attention.
“W-what is it! Is there a problem!? What’s wrong with mint-!!! Mint is not toothpaste flavor! Those who sell toothpaste-flavored water as mint juice are not in their right minds!”
Iori’s face turned bright red as she vehemently protested against mint hatred.
“From a compositional standpoint, it ends up similar to toothpaste. The similarity is established.”
“Don’t insult mint! I’ll kill you-!!!”
Iori, in a frenzy, pointed her gun at Makoto.
“Iori, please calm down!”
Chinatsu hurriedly stopped Iori.
If Iori went on a rampage, the Prefect Team would be at a disadvantage in the public opinion war.
The mood reversed.
Mint, which had a strong like/dislike, was a minority preference. Because it was an extremely special food preference, Iori’s universality was being questioned.
‘Did they aim for this from the beginning?’
Fuuka looked at Makoto with a surprised face.
Public opinion was tilting in Makoto’s favor.
“President Makoto! Y-you are attacking the messenger, not the message! Stop talking about things unrelated to the incident!”
Chinatsu was desperately trying to handle the chaotic situation.
“If it might be related, what then?”
Makoto pulled out another pile of documents for Chinatsu.
“This is a paper published in the academic journal of Millennium Science School. The title is ‘Analysis Research on the Addiction Phenomenon Caused by Orange Juice Consumption After Brushing Teeth’.”
Ironically, the orange juice that Iori, a mint lover, drank at the Supply Club.
Foods containing mint were compositionally similar to toothpaste.
“Iori’s collapse due to food poisoning is an objective fact. The fact that the cause is the orange juice provided by the Supply Club is also undeniable. However—”
Finally, Makoto expounded the sophistry originating from Iori to the audience.
“If that combines with Iori’s eating habits, the mint love, and results in a tragedy, can universality be guaranteed?”
Just as chocolate could act as poison to a dog,
orange juice could act as poison to a mint lover.
“…Cough!!”
Chinatsu, who sank due to the absurd sophistry.
Chinatsu had read countless philosophy books, but she was powerless in the face of the broken sophistry.
With this, the food poisoning incident involving Iori entered a new phase.
In some cases, the perfect innocence of the Supply Club could be established.
‘No, wait. Is this even allowed?’
Fuuka was engulfed in inner conflict.
To honestly confess, the food poisoning was the Supply Club’s fault. She was the culprit of the incident.
‘But…’
Did Fuuka really have to make an honest confession?
Perhaps Makoto’s defense might be justified.
After all, Juri might have served healthy juice.
The real culprit might be Iori’s mint love.
‘I’ll stay quiet until the hearing ends. I don’t need to intervene unnecessarily.’
Fuuka’s judgment was calculated.
And the hearing ended like a reversal of fortune.
Iori, who lost her reason, and Chinatsu, who lost her judgment, self-destructed.
All the review committee members sided with Makoto. Except for the two executives of the Prefect Team, it was a landslide.
The result was a not-guilty verdict. The previously cut budget was refunded. A great victory for the Supply Club.
‘Thanks to President Makoto.’
The Supply Club received an immeasurable blessing from Makoto.
After the hearing ended, Fuuka and Juri expressed gratitude to Makoto.
“It was only a natural thing to do. The Supply Club is always working to the bone for the meals of Gehenna Academy. Rather, I want to express my gratitude as the president of the Student Council.”
Fuuka was moved by Makoto’s words.
The high-ranking member of the Student Council recognized the efforts of the Supply Club. It was heart-wrenching.
‘If I can get the budget back…’
Fuuka’s long-held wish, which had been postponed every time due to budget issues.
Fuuka pulled out the abandoned vehicle catalog like a hero’s trophy.
‘This time, I’ll definitely get the Supply Club truck!’
And due to the butterfly effect brought by the Supply Club truck,
Fuuka Ikiyo’s melancholy continues.