Court Martial

STUDENT COUNCIL: HALL OF JUDGEMENT

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Tetsuya was currently in a position no one would want to be in. ...Ehh, probably no one. In front of him, 3 members of the Student Council, vaguely uncomfortable, were trying to stare through him instead of at him.

Shu Jinkō, President.
Yae Zennami, Vice President.
Kaoru Nagamine, Treasurer.

And, with faith that one could say was unshakable, they all could rely on one thing to be certain:
Tetsuya was at least a little mildly problematic.

Shu spoke first. His voice sounded uncertain as to what it wanted to appear as: trying to hold authority but also an air of friendliness and trust. It just came off as awkward.

"So, Tetsuya... mind telling us about what happened to, uh... Other Tetsuya?"

Tetsuya spoke next. Ah, small correction- he mumbled.

"...I dunno what you're talking about."

Yae backed up her President, mild disgust hidden deep in her tone. She was doing her best to act professional.

"Your Idolon, Tetsuya. A few days ago, it dragged itself back to its usual location outside the Door. The damage done to it was concerning. Did you pilot it into the Idea World without properly notifying the Student Council for safety?"

Tetsuya thought for a moment.

"Nothing comes to mind... nope."

Shu was trying to keep a straight face, but it broke a little, evolving into barely contained disbelief.

"T-Tetsuya, you left a trail of oil! Your body was chipped and shattered! You had... holes! In many places!"
"...Still...?"

Tetsuya was quiet as a mouse, but that didn't stop him from being heard.
Shu was just about to blurt out an objection relating to a disturbing hole in his eyeball area, but Yae interjected.

"Still'? So, you knew about the injuries?"
"...Meh..."

Yae's demeanor faltered just a smidge from that response.
"M-Meh? That's not an answer. Please, did you or did you not know about the injuries?"

"...I had no idea."

Shu focused his gaze.

"But didn't you just say something about how they were still there? And didn't you feel anything? They looked pretty painful."

"...I didn't say anything... didn't feel anything either..."

Silence for a moment. Kaoru, quiet until now, revealed a small device as she brought her hands to the table. She clicked a button on its side, and a quiet voice came out:

"...Still...?"

Again, silence for a moment. Victorious silence.
Tetsuya broke it.

"...Bitch."

The eyes of the Vice President narrowed a tad, and if one could see behind the Treasurer's thick glasses, a similar sight would be apparent.
Shu followed up.

"Tetsuya, please. As Student Council President, I promise that you aren't in any trouble. This is about a matter of your safety. There's no reason to be uncooperative."

Shu obviously noticed the rising irritation surrounding him.

"Or rude."
"...Yeah... yeah... I understand... ...holes... ...umb... ...itches...

Even quieter, to better hide anything Tetsuya wanted to sneak in at the end. Of course, 'end' was equivalent to 'half the sentence' in this case. The Council members obviously took notice.

Yae pursued the line of questioning.

"Tetsuya, careful observation implies tgat your Idolon typically only moves when controlled by you. So, do you mind telling us where you went?"
"...Yes."

Shu interjected, a bit of excitement.

"You'll tell us!?"
"...I mind."

That's one way to kill someone's mood.

Yae sighed. Clearly, this was going on for much too long.

"I believe I can make an educated guess. Our intel suggests that the Flooded Zone that we declared off limits due to the amount of danger it poses to those inside of it compared to the little danger it poses to those outside of it, has seen an increase in agitation and alertness of the creatures within."

Kaoru had something to add, and this time verbally.
"Testimony suggests that they seemed panicked. Moreover, less of them were seen than usual, as if they were defensively concentrated. No damage to the infrastructure was noticed, but it was hypothesized that damage could have been inflicted to the Flooded Zone's inner area due to an increase of smog seen further away from the borders."

Tetsuya shifted an inch in his chair. Yae continued.

"This increase was monitored after school hours. Specifically, a day in which you were absent."
"...Like that narrows it down..."

Shu had something to actually say about that.

"That reminds me- your absence problem really should be addressed! Don't you care about your grades?"

Tetsuya just looked through him.

"...That's obviously not important right now... ...umb...uck..."

Yae snapped. Just a little. Kaoru looked like she wanted to snap, just a little.

"Refrain from insulting the President!"
"I didn't say anything..."

A small 'tch' or 'ugh' almost escaped Yae's lips. Almost.
"As I was saying, we have reason to believe you entered the Flooded Zone without notice. Testimony from an associate of yours, when inquired, suggests that you supposedly had plans for the day the increased agitation was noticed."

"...Snitch..."
("Fucking Russians.")

The Student Council Members just looked through Tetsuya, once again.

For once, Tetsuya actually continued the conversation. He spoke up a little. His gaze hardened.

"...What's the point? Who gives a fuck? What are you gonna do? We all know you can't keep me from entering the dumb Idea World or whatever you call it. I'm special."

Tetsuya felt untouchable.
Shu cleared his throat. It was time to finish this.

"The point is that, if you do not cooperate with the rules we have in place, we will deny you access to the intel we have on Bleeding and Flooding Zones..."

Tetsuya still felt untouchable.
("Stupid assholes. Like I give a fuck about how irritable the fodder is.")

Shu wasn't finished. This next part hurt him a little to say; mainly because it was acknowledgement of an unfortunate agreement held in place, and where Tetsuya's priorities lie.

"...And also restrict access to any resources that you would otherwise have access to via cooperation with the Student Council."

Tetsuya felt far more touchable.

("FUCK!")

He was quiet for a moment, and a frown was more apparent on his face. And a little bit of underlying fuming.

"...Fine. I'm sorry. I will let you know when I do something dangerous ahead of time."
"Thank you, Tetsuya."

Shu nodded. Tetsuya didn't nod back.

"...Alright. Are we finished? Can I go now?"

Shu sighed. This was an uphill battle, that wasn't even really finished. What actually transpired would be nice to know...

"Could you tell us a little about what happened in the Flooded Zone?"
"No."
"...Then I guess you're free to go."

Without another word, Tetsuya shuffled out the door.

The Student Council Members shared uneasy glances.

"That could have gone better."
"Could it?"