Beckett.
The apology from the student council officer was as precise and immaculate as one could hope for.
Her reasons for being wary of me, her feelings toward Iris, and various other truths—she summarized all of it in under three minutes.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but think, “As expected of a student council officer.”
But receiving an apology wasn’t my priority.
“I already know. What you need now is swift action, right?”
Beckett was well aware of that as well.
“Exactly.”
“You don’t need to worry about the announcement’s enforcement. As long as you, Ian, have met the conditions, the execution will be postponed indefinitely until a temporary committee is convened.”
“A temporary committee?”
“Yes. A committee will be assembled to evaluate the appropriateness of the announcement. Its members will include professors, student affairs staff, the student council, and you, Ian, as the initiator.”
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind.
If the person who turned Danya into a cat was someone within the Academy, they might be connected in some way to the individuals involved with the announcement.
‘If that’s the case, they must be watching from somewhere.’
If I could convene the meeting immediately, perhaps I could root out the person responsible.
“Can we hold it right now? There must be qualified people on duty or otherwise available.”
“Yes. Since it’s an emergency meeting, everyone is already being contacted.”
“Perfect.”
Beckett nodded and gazed at me silently.
“But… can I ask you one question?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you going to such lengths? Is there a cat in the academy that you’re particularly fond of?”
I calculated quickly.
Would it be wise to reveal that Danya had gone missing?
‘No.’
I had no idea who had turned Danya into a cat.
It could be someone from the student council, the administrative office, or even among the professors.
I decided to withhold as much information as possible while pursuing the truth in reverse.
No matter who the perpetrator was, caution was essential.
‘If this is some sort of terrorist act…’
The main scenario, “The Witch Hunt”, had already begun.
The person who did this to Danya would surely also be the culprit of the main scenario.
◆
——————
【Emergency Meeting Convened】
A meeting regarding the following announcement has been called.
Relevant professors and staff are requested to assemble immediately at the designated location.
——————
Faculty building of the Knight Department.
“…Hah.”
A quiet sigh escaped from a lit research room.
“Things aren’t going as planned.”
The professor drummed his fingers anxiously on the desk.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Various thoughts raced through his mind.
Still, he tried to steer his thinking in a direction most advantageous to him.
‘My role was only to push for the cat disposal announcement.’
‘There’s nothing more I need to involve myself in. That was the extent of the contract.’
But uneasy thoughts often tend to align with reality.
As he pressed his fingers against his eyelids in frustration, there was a knock at the door.
-Knock, knock-knock, knock!
A distinct rhythm.
Soon, as always, a small note slid in through the gap under the door.
A printed note with no identifiable handwriting.
The professor picked it up.
[Ensure the announcement is enforced. All cats must be disposed of and gathered in one place.]
As expected.
Anxious thoughts are never wrong.
“…What do they think the committee is for?”
The conditions for convening a committee to annul an announcement were notoriously strict. In other words, once convened, it was hard to stop.
Still, the professor had no choice but to go through the motions.
Especially after receiving that note.
“Damn it.”
He cursed under his breath, throwing on his coat.
If there was a silver lining, it was that the meeting hall wasn’t far from his research lab.
◆
Emergency Temporary Committee
The members gathered for the emergency meeting looked weary.
In a room with one prominent seat at the head and seven chairs arranged in a semicircle below it, the atmosphere resembled a courtroom.
One of the seven seated participants spoke up.
“Was it really necessary to summon us so urgently?”
The voice was oily, laced with irritation.
The speaker was a professor, stout to the point of being rotund.
Beside him, a sharp-featured individual nodded in agreement.
“It’s not as though the announcement would harm anyone. At most, if there were to be unjust damage, it would affect stray cats. And those are classified as pests, after all.”
Grumbles of dissatisfaction filled the late-night meeting, hastily convened.
— Bang! Bang!
The gavel’s sharp sound from the head seat silenced the murmurs.
The chairman of the committee was an elderly professor with striking white hair, once the vice-dean of the academy and now a senior advisor.
Respected by all, he was the natural choice to oversee this emergency session.
“I understand your frustration. But this matter pertains to the academy’s regulations. It won’t take long, so please, compose yourselves.”
The grumbling died down, as the chairman’s authority carried weight.
“We all agree that the announcement was issued far too hastily, almost as if it had been inserted into the system without due process.”
He continued, glancing at a document summarizing the situation.
His gaze suggested that the conclusion of this meeting was already forming in his mind.
“Bring him in.”
At his command, a young man entered the chamber.
Though he looked somewhat haggard, his posture was steady and composed.
Standing at the center of the room, he briefly scanned his surroundings before bowing politely to the chairman.
“I am Ian Blackangers.”
Though rebellious in demeanor, he carried himself with respect.
The chairman gave a small nod, deeming Ian’s first impression satisfactory.
“Very well. Why have you called for this assembly?”
The chairman deliberately cut to the chase, testing whether Ian’s calm was genuine.
Ian responded confidently.
“I could not agree with the academy’s announcement advocating for the indiscriminate disposal of cats.”
“You consider their lives significant?”
“Yes, I do.”
The chairman paused, studying Ian.
To him, Ian didn’t seem like the sentimental type to be moved by the plight of animals.
“Even if they’re just wild animals?”
Ian’s mind raced.
Their lives are precious, too.
That would be the expected response.
But it wasn’t the truth for Ian.
Only one cat mattered to him—Danya.
The chairman’s sharp gaze seemed to pierce through to the truth.
Ian chose his words carefully, offering a response that would justify his actions and compel the chair to nullify the announcement.
“With all due respect, Chairman, you shouldn’t use the word ‘just’ in this context.”
His reply stirred murmurs in the room.
A student, correcting a senior professor—one of the Academy’s most esteemed figures?
“How dare he…!”
A staff member began to protest, but the chair raised a hand to silence him, signaling for Ian to continue.
“Why do you think the word ‘just’ is wrong? Is it anger at describing the lives of wild animals as ‘just’?”
“No, sir.”
“Then what is it?”
“A student of the academy has, for the first time, challenged the validity of an announcement. Overcoming several complex and seemingly impossible conditions in the process.”
The chairman’s eyes glimmered with interest at Ian’s response.
“Are you talking about public sentiment?”
“Exactly. If the academy administration wishes to continue using the term ‘student autonomy,’ then it should at least consider my perspective.”
“A threat, is it?”
“Let’s call it politics.”
Tremble.
The chairman’s hand trembled slightly, visibly agitated.
Is he angry?
The staff and faculty seated around the room subtly distanced themselves.
“Ha! Hahahaha!”
Suddenly, the chairman burst into loud laughter.
“What an amusing young man.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“That’s an excellent reason. Whatever your argument may be, it’s not our concern. The real question is this: What should we focus on?”
“The strength behind the argument, of course.”
“Precisely! That’s it. Most students don’t grasp that. You, however, are quite sharp.”
“You’re too kind, sir.”
The chairman nodded in satisfaction and surveyed the professors and staff gathered around him.
“So, does anyone have a differing opinion?”
Silence.
The chairman’s declaration that the content of Ian’s argument wasn’t the focus left no room for nitpicking.
Finally, the stout professor, hesitant but compelled to speak, said.
“Having heard this, there seems little to refute. Adjusting the announcement is a manageable matter.”
“Indeed. There’s no need to complicate things unnecessarily. However…”
The chairman’s gaze fell on another professor, whose discomfort was palpable.
“Professor Engelgard, do you have something to say?”
Engelgard, a professor from the Knight Department, sat with dark circles under his eyes, his expression clouded with unease.
His lips twitched slightly before he finally spoke.
“I find it difficult to agree.”
“In what respect?”
“The very notion of students influencing the Academy’s announcements at their discretion—”
The chairman cut him off.
“Professor Engelgard.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“Three hundred students gathered to hold this assembly. Not randomly, I assume?”
“…”
Engelgard’s gaze lowered slightly.
“Could you, professor, rally the agreement of 300 individuals for this matter?”
“…No, I could not.”
With that, Engelgard fell silent, though his dark eyes bore into Ian.
“Then we’ll conclude this temporary committee meeting. The announcement is hereby nullified.”
Bang, bang, bang!
The resounding strike of the gavel echoed throughout the hall.
