"Senpaku, I am Sakamoto. What brings you here?"

The students gathered in twos and threes.

They were whispering among themselves.

His face showed confusion, curiosity, and even a hint of unease.

The focus of the topic

Originating late last night,

A series of posts suddenly appeared on the class's anonymous forum.

The content is bizarre and outlandish, mostly consisting of outrageous "revelations" and malicious rumors targeting first-grade students in various classes.

Class D was naturally the hardest hit area:

"Haruki Yamauchi is actually gay! He has a crush on Sakamoto from Class A!"

"Kanji Ike secretly does his handicrafts in his dormitory in the middle of the night!"

"Ken Sudo barely passed the exam by cheating!"

There are even more—

"Beneath Kikyo Kushida's perfect exterior lies a hidden hypocrisy!"

These rumors are utterly absurd, yet they are popular due to their sensationalism and targeted nature.

It quickly attracted attention. Moreover,

The post also extended its reach to other classes as well:

"Class A has actually been taken over by Sakamoto!"

"Long Yuanxiang from Class B beat up the entire class!"

And…the most eye-catching one—

"Honami Ichinose's sunny, angelic image in Class C is all a facade! She's a criminal!"

There was a lot of discussion in the classroom.

"What is all this nonsense? This is outrageous!"

"Who's so bored? It must be someone from another class who's up to this!"

"They just want us to fall into internal strife, don't they!"

"But...why are people still talking about Kushida-kun? That's going too far!"

Faced with this sudden chaos,

Kikyo Kushida immediately stepped forward.

Her face held just the right amount of grievance and indignation.

The voice, however, remained gentle and soothing:

"Please don't believe these rumors! Someone must be spreading them on purpose to undermine our class unity and make a fool of us! We must not fall for it!"

Her gaze swept over the negative comments about herself.

A hint of "strength" flashed in his eyes.

"I'm fine! Let's not argue over such trivial things; we should unite instead!"

One of the core leaders of the class, Hirata Yosuke,

They also immediately stepped in to stabilize the situation.

He stated gently but firmly:

"Kushida is right. These rumors are baseless and clearly malicious attempts to sow discord. Let's just laugh them off and not take them to heart. Our focus should be on our studies and class activities."

Under the reassurance of the two "key" figures,

The commotion in Class D seemed to have subsided for the time being.

On the surface, everyone returned to normal.

But those bizarre rumors,

But they are like seeds,

It quietly entered the hearts of some people.

Lunch break,

Kushida made an excuse to leave the classroom.

They contacted Longyuan in a secluded corner.

"Longyuan! What's going on with the rumors on the forum? Why are there still rumors about me? This isn't what we agreed on!"

On the other end of the communication,

Long Yuanxiang's sneer rang out:

"Heh~ It's just a smokescreen, why make such a fuss? This makes it harder for people to pinpoint the source. Don't worry, the one about you is harmless and will actually help cover you up better, won't it?"

He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable sense of control.

"Continue according to plan. The key is to generate discussion among Class D regarding these remarks."

Kushida remained silent for a moment.

Then he responded:

"I understand."

Hang up the communication.

The look of grievance on Kushida's face vanished instantly.

Instead, there is cold calculation.

P.S.: Today's update is a little late, but there will be more soon!

First Year Transition (Not very well written, you can skip this): Chapter 085: Sakamoto mediating the fight

Long Yuanxiang's plan has quietly begun to take shape.

Within Class D, after the initial commotion and the "appeasement" by Hirata and Kushida, the absurd rumors...

It has not truly subsided.

The seeds have been sown.

It quietly took shape under Kushida's covert catalysis.

"Hey, tell me... who posted those posts?"

"They must be from another class! They can't stand to see us doing well!"

"But...why would they slander someone as good as Kushida? That's outrageous!"

"The main focus is on that one in Class C, right? Ichinose-san... a criminal? That sounds terrifying..."

Discussions were whispered during breaks and lunchtime.

Kikyo Kushida perfectly embodies the dual role of victim and mediator.

"Everyone, please stop speculating... I believe the person who posted this was probably just confused for a moment... It would be great if we knew who it was and why they did it..."

"That way, other classes won't keep misunderstanding that there's a problem within our Class D..."

She successfully planted the idea of ​​"finding the rumor-monger" in the minds of some students in Class D.

Meanwhile, she secretly gathered up the focus of discussion and speculation within Class D.

It was handed to Longyuan.

Upon receiving the intelligence, Long Yuan smirked coldly.

Pretty much what he thought.

That's about it for the students in Class D.

The chaos and suspicion in Class D have become a breeding ground for even greater turmoil.

Next, the fire needs to be spread to a wider area.

He took out his phone.

They contacted the pawn that had been prepared long ago—

Masayoshi Hashimoto from Class A.

He is only suitable as a pawn, not as a partner.

The previous brief collaboration has already given Longyuan the answer.

Furthermore, with Sakamoto in Class A, Hashimoto couldn't cause much trouble.

"Hashimoto, have you heard about those ridiculous rumors circulating among the first-year students lately?"

"Oh? Ryuen-san, are you referring to those funny stories about Ichinose-san being a criminal, or Yamauchi-san having a crush on Sakamoto-kun? That's quite creative. What, Ryuen-san, are you interested in those too?"

"Hmph, I'm not that bored. These rumors have dragged our Class B into it quite a bit. But I found something interesting. These rumors actually started and spread within Class D."

He paused deliberately, leaving room for imagination.

"Those useless guys in Class D are already fighting amongst themselves, and now they're trying to muddy the waters and drag everyone down with them. Especially their outrageous comments about Ichinose being a 'criminal'...it's laughable. I think they're targeting Class C, trying to bring them down with these underhanded tactics."

"Oh? Starting from Class D?"

"Just a heads-up, your Class A is a hot target, and Sakamoto is especially so. Be careful not to get attacked by those mad dogs from Class D and affect your standing in the class. After all, you've had a tough time too."

Long Yuan's tone carried a seemingly well-intentioned "reminder".

Hashimoto remained silent for a moment.

Long Yuan's words hit the nail on the head.

As a marginal figure in Class A's "Sakayanagi faction," he yearned for more attention and a greater voice.

Anything that might affect the stability and image of the class

He was always eager to acquire intelligence in order to demonstrate its value.

"Is the information reliable?"

Believe it or not. I'm just doing someone a favor. Class D... ha, hopeless, all they know how to do is resort to these kinds of tactics.

Communication ends.

Ryuuen sneered.

Hashimoto, a guy who craves recognition yet harbors doubts, is the best person to take advantage of.

Simply throw out a piece of information that is half true and half false.

With a little guidance, he will naturally "verify" and spread this "discovery".

Meanwhile, the students in Class B began to "inadvertently" engage in activities in public areas such as the corridors and cafeteria.

They whispered among themselves, discussing the various outrageous rumors they had heard from "Class D".

The story particularly emphasizes the "Ichinose criminal" aspect.

"Have you heard? People in Class D are saying that Ichinose from Class C seems to have a criminal record..."

"Really? It doesn't look like it at all!"

"Who knows... You can only know a person's face, not their heart... And the rumors are so detailed and convincing..."

Rumors spread like a plague, within a single day...

It quickly spread to the first grade.

The focus gradually shifted to Class C and Honami Ichinose.

The atmosphere in Class C classroom had become noticeably different from before.

The once sunny and united atmosphere has been overshadowed by a shadow.

Whispers and inquisitive glances occasionally drifted toward the girl with long pink hair.