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

Class D?

Or perhaps other forces lurking in the shadows?

No matter who his opponent is, he must fight back.

The fastest and safest way is...

It's about using the rules themselves.

The next morning,

Without informing Ichinose, Ryuji Kanzaki

She went to her homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie's, office alone.

He recounted the conflict that occurred in the corridor yesterday.

And the malicious rumors that have been widely circulated in the grade recently, especially targeting Class C and Ichinose.

The report was presented in a complete and objective manner.

He emphasized the provocative behavior of Takeru Sudo from Class D, who nearly resorted to violence.

And clues suggesting that the source of the rumors might be Class D.

He requested that the school intervene in the investigation.

To clarify the facts and uphold the reputation of Class C

And it will deal with any attempts to provoke conflict or spread rumors.

Teacher Hoshinomiya listened to the report.

The usual lazy smile on his face faded slightly.

He showed a rare hint of seriousness.

"Hmm... I understand. Kanzaki-san, you can go back now. The school will handle this."

Her efficiency was unexpectedly high.

Before the first class in the morning,

The homeroom teachers of all first-grade classes simultaneously announced the school's preliminary decision regarding the matter:

"Given the numerous unverified and malicious rumors circulating among first-grade students recently, which have negatively impacted the relevant classes and students, the school hereby issues this official clarification. All related anonymous posts have been temporarily blocked. Furthermore, regarding yesterday's incident that nearly escalated into a physical altercation, the school has initiated an investigation and requests the relevant classes and students with relevant information to actively cooperate and provide clues. Until the incident is fully investigated, we urge all students to remain rational and refrain from spreading false information."

The announcement caused an uproar in the grade.

The speed at which the authorities refuted the rumors and launched an investigation was remarkable.

This exceeded many people's expectations.

Inside Class D,

After announcing the notice with a blank expression, Chabashira Sae finished speaking.

His gaze swept over Sudo Ken as if he were not paying attention.

Sudo's expression was somewhat unnatural, and he muttered something under his breath:

"We didn't start anything..."

Kushida, on the other hand, wore an expression of both worry and cooperation:

"Great! The school has finally stepped in! We will definitely cooperate fully with the investigation!"

Yosuke Hirata also gently appealed to everyone to remain calm.

Awaiting investigation results.

Over at Class C

Teacher Hoshinomiya encouraged them in a slightly exaggerated tone:

"Did you all see that? The school is on the side of justice! Those malicious rumors will soon disappear! Ichinose-san, cheer up!"

Ichinose looked at the teacher with some surprise.

He glanced again at Kanzaki beside him, whose eyes were filled with determination.

Seemingly understanding something, she took a deep breath and nodded vigorously:

Yes! Thank you, teacher! Thank you everyone!

However, beneath the surface calm,

The undercurrents have not stopped.

The school's intervention

The struggle has simply shifted from the open spread of rumors to more covert evidence gathering and maneuvering.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji quietly observed all of this.

Although he was not involved in the part about the rumors at all.

However, he already had a clear understanding of the general outline of the event and a well-defined purpose—

Create chaos and deplete Class C and Class D.

right now,

The key to the problem lies in two points:

First, find the exact source of the rumor.

Secondly, to find conclusive evidence or eyewitnesses regarding yesterday's conflict.

During lunch break,

Horikita Suzune unusually took the initiative to find Ayanokoji.

"Ayanokouji, what's your opinion on this incident?"

She clearly sensed that something was amiss.

"It's obvious that this was planned. The target was Class C, and Class D was used as a pawn."

Ayanokoji answered calmly.

"Inside Class D..."

Horikita pondered for a moment,

"Those rumors did indeed originate from our class's anonymous forum. Although the content was absurd, it spread very quickly."

"Yes. Someone is working on it from the inside."

Ayanokoji added.

Horikita glanced at him but didn't press him for the identity of the "insider," seemingly already having a guess in mind.

"We must find evidence. Otherwise, Class D will be in a very passive position."

at the same time,

Honami Ichinose from Class C also began her operation.

She broke her silence.

Instead, he took the initiative to be with Ryuji Kanzaki.

The investigation began.

They tried to find more details about the chain of rumor spread and the conflict from familiar classmates.

Her attitude gradually calmed the uneasy emotions in the class.

however,

The investigation is not progressing smoothly.

Tracing the origins of anonymous forums is extremely difficult.

Regarding yesterday's conflict,

Besides Sudo, Kanzaki, and Shiranami, who were involved, there were also the two B-class students who had already slipped away, and Sakamoto who only intervened when the conflict occurred.

There appear to be no other direct witnesses.

The two students from Class B naturally denied it, saying they had left the scene long before the conflict broke out.

They claimed it was just a "passing-by discussion".

The situation reached a stalemate for a time.

at this time,

Kikyo Kushida "coincidentally" joined Horikita and Ayanokoji's discussion.

"Horikita-san, Ayanokouji-san, are you also discussing yesterday's events?"

Her face held just the right amount of worry.

"I'm really worried... How did Sudo get into a conflict with the people in Class C? And what about those rumors... Who is so malicious?"

“Sudo-kun,”

Kushida turned to Sudo, who was deep in thought, and asked with concern,

"What exactly happened yesterday? Did the people from Class C really provoke us first?"

Takeru Sudo frowned and said irritably:

"Who knows what got into them! Suddenly they accused us of spreading rumors and even threatened to attack! If it weren't for... humph!"

He seemed to recall the scene where Sakamoto stopped him, and swallowed back what he was about to say.

"That's it..."

Kushida showed an expression of sympathy and understanding.

"It seems that Class C has a deep misunderstanding about us... If only someone else had seen it, they could have proven your innocence."

Horikita listened in silence, glancing at Kushida but saying nothing.

Ayanokouji remained expressionless, as if nothing concerned him.

Long Yuanxiang, who was in Class B, also learned about the school's announcement and the current stalemate.

Everything is expected.

The school's intervention will only muddy the waters.

This made Class C and Class D even more suspicious of each other.

He has partially achieved his goal.

Now, let's see what outcome the arbitration conference will produce.

There was another "pawn" among his subordinates at the arbitration meeting.

That afternoon,

The arbitration meeting was held in the student union room.

The representatives of Class C are Ryuji Kanzaki and Chihiro Shiranami, and their homeroom teacher is Chie Hoshinomiya.

The representatives of Class D are Suzune Horikita, Ken Sudo, and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, with their homeroom teacher being Sae Chahashi.

Student Union Vice President Nan Yunya served as the host.

The atmosphere at the meeting was somewhat somber from the start.

Nan Yunya sat in the main seat.

"Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting."

He spoke lazily.

"I am Nan Yunya from Class 2-A, and the vice president of the student council. Horikita-senpai has been very busy lately, so I will be presiding over this arbitration on his behalf."

His gaze lingered on Horikita Suzune's face for a moment.

Then, he pointed to the figure sitting upright beside him, quietly organizing papers.

"This is Sakamoto, the student council secretary from Class 1-A. He will be in charge of taking notes at this meeting."