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

Page 88

"Upon my arrival, Sudo and Kanzaki were in a highly emotional state, on the verge of a physical altercation. I intervened only as much as necessary and to the minimum to prevent the situation from escalating."

"As for the specific cause of the conflict, the preceding events, and the so-called rumors,"

Sakamoto pushed up his glasses again.

"I did not witness it, nor do I know the details."

P.S.: I'll only post two chapters today. Tomorrow's the weekend, so I'll write more.

Tomorrow I'll finish this somewhat forced chapter and then prepare to write the deserted island chapter.

First Year Transition (Not very well written, you can skip this): Chapter 088: Sakamoto Debunks the Rumors

Nagumo Masaru listened to Sakamoto's explanation about "observing birds in flight,"

A malicious smile crept across his lips.

He looked sharply at Sakamoto:

"Observing birds? The distance from the dormitory balcony to the corridor where the incident occurred is not short, Secretary Sakamoto. Moreover, from the time you 'spotted the anomaly' to 'arriving at the scene' and stopping the conflict, your reaction speed and mobility are rather...extraordinary, aren't they?"

He deliberately dragged out his words, trying to sow seeds of doubt in his speech.

however,

The voice just fell,

Nan Yun chuckled inwardly.

Questioning Sakamoto?

This guy can even provide inhuman services like a "job interview period".

She quickly went downstairs to stop the conflict...

It seems like nothing is truly impossible.

I asked that question, which was completely unnecessary.

really,

Before Sakamoto could answer,

The expressions of the other people in the conference room also became somewhat subtle.

The students' faces all showed a hint of "what's so strange about this?"

After all, regarding Sakamoto's many incredible actions,

It was no secret in the first grade.

Ryuji Kanzaki found Vice President Nagumo's question rather strange.

Horikita Suzune frowned slightly.

She felt that Nagumo seemed to be deliberately targeting her.

Seeing this, Nagumo immediately changed the subject.

He cleared his throat, then abruptly changed the subject.

With a clear leading question, another, more pointed one was posed:

"Alright, let's put the movement speed issue aside for now."

"So, what's your opinion on those rumors themselves, Secretary Sakamoto?"

“I skimmed through those anonymous posts, and the content was indeed absurd. But what’s interesting is…”

Nan Yun's gaze swept over everyone present.

Finally, they locked onto Sakamoto again.

Compared to the vicious speculations that bordered on personal attacks suffered by other students... the rumor about you seems much "mild"? In some ways, it's even quite "realistic"?

"Class A is actually under Sakamoto's control..."

Nagumo slowly read the rumor aloud.

Observing Sakamoto's reaction,

"That doesn't sound like pure slander. After all, aren't you currently sitting in the position of student council secretary, participating in and even 'adjudicating' disputes among first-year students to some extent?"

He was implying that Sakamoto might have some potential connection to the generation or spread of rumors.

Since I am currently on the same side as him, making reasonable guesses is not abnormal behavior.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became even more tense.

Some people understood the subtext in Nagumo's words—

He suspected that the farce was orchestrated by Sakamoto.

Faced with this direct provocation,

Sakamoto slowly raised his head.

He didn't look at Nagumo.

Instead, he elegantly pushed up his glasses with his middle finger.

The lens reflected a cold light.

The gaze behind it is impossible to see what lies there.

"The reason why a rumor is a rumor is because of its false nature."

"The content may be malicious, absurd, or seemingly 'mild,' but it is all baseless and baseless. To infer its authenticity based on the 'relevance' of the content is tantamount to marking the boat to find the sword, Vice President Nan Yun."

He then turned slightly to the representatives of both sides:

"Regarding this matter, I suggest we return to the incident itself. Both sides have presented their claims; the disagreement lies in determining the cause of the incident and the responsibility. There is no point in dwelling on this."

Nan Yun narrowed his eyes, about to say something more...

Suddenly, Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class C, spoke up.

"Oh dear~ Sakamoto-kun makes a lot of sense. However, I'm more curious about something else."

"Sakamoto-kun, you've only been in the student council for a short time, right? You've already taken on such an important position as secretary, and you're even involved in cross-class arbitration... That's really impressive~ Horikita-senpai must really admire you, right?"

Sakamoto remained calm despite this obvious probing:

"Mr. Hoshinomiya, you flatter me. I am merely fulfilling my duties and have been entrusted by President Horikita to temporarily serve as secretary, handling some paperwork. My attendance today is simply following the vice president's instructions to record the process, and I have no right to 'make decisions.' All decisions must still be made in accordance with school regulations and by the relevant responsible persons."

Sakamoto deftly pushed the "judgment" label back to Nagumo.

Hoshinomiya-sensei smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

Chabashira Sae watched coldly from the sidelines, not intervening in the teacher's conversation.

The representatives from both sides then briefly reiterated their respective views.

But the overall tone has not changed:

Class C insists on holding Class D accountable.

Class D denied malicious intent and called for a rational investigation.

The situation has once again reached a complete stalemate.

Nan Yunya looked at this scene,

He sneered in his heart.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

He adopted a concluding statement posture:

"It seems unlikely that we will reach a consensus at today's meeting."

"Both sides have their own version of events, and neither side has conclusive evidence. As for the exact source of the rumors, there is currently no clue."

He paused,

His gaze swept over the crowd.

"If this stalemate continues, the final result will likely be that both sides are equally punished. I'm sure that's not what you all want to see, is it?"

"In that case,"

Nagumo leaned back in his chair, a seemingly helpless smile on his face.

"I think we should stop here for today. Only one day has passed, and both sides may need more time to gather evidence and information. The arbitration meeting will continue at a later date."

this kind of thing,

The longer it drags on, the muddier the water becomes.

Suspicion and conflict will spontaneously fester.

At that time, regardless of the final outcome,

The relationship between Class C and Class D is bound to break down.

The purpose of Longyuan has been achieved.

and,

He glanced at Sakamoto beside him.

Don't you like to meddle?

Isn't he always able to turn the tide at crucial moments?

I'll see this time.

In this stalemate that requires time and evidence to slowly break through,