Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

Makoto Kyushu sat down at the opposite end of the table and eagerly began to speak:

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm truly flattered that the Minister of Information has personally come to visit me."

For some reason, Makoto Kyushu felt that the layout of this room was somewhat oppressive, like an interrogation room.

Senior Karasu nodded to Classmate Koizumi, signaling her to leave and closing the door behind her.

Soon, only three people remained in the room.

"So, what do you want to ask me, Karasukawa-senpai?" To ease the awkward atmosphere, Kyushu Makoto took the initiative to ask.

"We're looking to do a report on negative trends on campus, so we contacted you." Karakawa Sakifumi asked the question with a professional smile and practiced ease.

"I heard you were a victim of school bullying, but you changed a lot before and after the Golden Week holiday. You went from being a troublemaker to a tough character who could handle the 'three troublemakers' and even curb the bad atmosphere in the class..."

"What did you experience during your holiday?"

Kyushu Makoto was slightly startled. As expected of the newspaper club, they actually possessed so much information about him. It must have been Koizumi who leaked it, right?

"Would you believe me if I said I was possessed by an evil spirit?" Kyushu Makoto smiled slightly and asked in a teasing tone.

"How humorous, Kyushu-kun~" Karasukawa Sakifumi gave a polite smile: "But I also want to finish this quickly, so please stop joking around."

"Sorry, I got a little carried away." Kyushu Makoto bowed his head in apology, then made up a seemingly plausible excuse:

"During the Golden Week holiday, I met a kind martial artist who taught me some self-defense techniques and some principles of life, which benefited me greatly and also helped me understand how to deal with these kinds of campus problems."

"Kyushu Makoto received guidance from a violent individual during the holidays and overcame school bullying," Karasukawa Sakifumi nodded slightly and instructed the recorder beside her.

The recorder picked up his notebook and began writing furiously.

Kyushu Makoto frowned immediately: "What do you mean?"

"Then the next question—" Minister Yagawa, clearly unconcerned by his protest, continued:

"I heard you're getting quite close to 'Bad Guy Three' now. Is there some special reason for that?"

"He's not a violent individual, he's a martial artist!"

What's the reason you're hanging out with "Delinquent Three"?

"Can't you understand human speech?"

"Martial artists and social violence perpetrators are the same thing, right? So what's your relationship with 'Bad Guy Three'?"

"Heh..." Although he didn't know if all reporters in the world were as unreasonable as her, Kyushu Makoto didn't want to continue arguing with her, so he replied:

“We are friends now. I want to guide them to repent and start anew, to become good students with good character.”

"Become their leader and establish 'Bad Four'," Minister Karakawa instructed, raising his chin and turning his head to the side.

Kyushu Seiichi slammed his hand on the table, his face displeased: "Are you deliberately picking a fight?"

"One last question," Minister Yagawa asked, ignoring everyone else.

"I heard that Ms. Jiangiao publicly repented and apologized in your class, admitting her negligence and sincerely begging for your forgiveness... Ms. Jiangiao is excellent, but she is definitely not the type to bow down and admit her mistakes to students. Is this big change in her related to Kyushu?"

"It's none of my business, I don't want to answer anymore." Kyushu Makoto snorted coldly, crossing his arms.

"I see. Kyushu Makoto doesn't acknowledge his relationship with Etori-sensei~" Minister Karakawa nodded in satisfaction: "In that case, let's just give a few 'guesses' in the report and let the readers use their imaginations."

"What do you mean by 'guess'?" Kyushu Makoto immediately became alert and questioned, "Do you mean you're going to make things up?"

"Watch your words, Kyushu-kun~" Department Head Karasawa's tone was calm, yet infuriating: "We've only offered a few 'guesses,' we haven't asserted any 'facts'~"

Kyushu Makoto retorted in a deep voice, "News should be based on facts, not on stirring up trouble or manipulating public opinion. Don't you understand that?"

"But we also have the right to report freely. Haven't you heard of 'freedom of speech', Kyushu student?" Minister Karakawa asked with a smile.

"Hmph..." Upon hearing this, Kyushu Makoto sighed.

He took his phone out of his pocket and tapped "Stop Recording".

“In that case, I’ll share the recording of our conversation. That would be considered ‘freedom of speech,’ right?” Kyushu Makoto showed them his phone screen.

“Eh…” Minister Yagawa swayed back in disbelief, his chair creaking, clearly surprised.

But she quickly burst into laughter, a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Hehehe~ You've turned the tables on me... When did you start recording?"

"You're free to 'guess' what you want." Kyushu Makoto stood up, no longer wanting to stay.

"I never expected the renowned news department to use such a nonsensical method to interview me... I don't want to answer any more questions, please allow me to take my leave!"

Actually, starting from the second interview question, Makoto Kyushu sensed something was wrong and secretly turned on his phone to record the conversation. It was precisely because of this that he was able to remain defiant throughout.

“Interesting, what a clever junior~” Karasukawa Sakifumi rested her chin on the back of her hand, staring curiously into his eyes for a moment.

Immediately, the press secretary snatched the notebook from the recorder and tore the page to shreds: "As you said, this interview was indeed absurd, there was no need to report it, and it only insulted the reputation of the press department."

The notebook's torn pages lay scattered on the ground like swirling snowflakes.

"But I have one last question for you, Kyushu-kun~"

She then pulled out a few more photos from a hidden pocket in her skirt and threw them on the table.

Do these photos look familiar to you?

25. Who taught you to put your foot in someone's face when you talk?

"This is..."

Upon seeing these photos, Makoto Kyushu's mouth agape slightly, and his pupils involuntarily contracted.

These photos show him and ***Milan visiting "Tokyo Gensokyo" a few days ago.

"Were you taking pictures of me without my permission?" Kyushu Makoto's face darkened, and he asked reflexively.

"Don't misunderstand, Kyushu-kun~" Karasukawa Saki chuckled, as if she had regained control of the situation:

"This was just a photo taken by a student from the journalism department who 'happened' to be there."

Looking at these photos, Makoto Kyushu's heart sank.

It turns out that the news department had noticed his unusual behavior long ago, and even went so far as to use "stalking and secret filming" to investigate him and try to expose his personal privacy.

Although Makoto Kyushu did indeed do something that violated school rules, he was still unhappy with the News Club's improper methods.

At that moment, Makoto Kyushu finally understood the purpose of the Minister of Information's private meeting with him.

That nonsensical interview segment earlier was actually just Minister Karakawa's way of putting pressure on himself.

Faced with this irrefutable evidence, Kyushu Makoto neither intended to admit nor refute it. He simply sighed and, feigning calmness, asked in return:

"So you've taken these photos, what's the next step?"

"Eh~ Kyushu-kun is really calm~" Karasukawa Sakifumi revealed a venomous smile: "This is evidence that could get you punished or even expelled from school. Aren't you even a little bit flustered?"

"Are you trying to persuade me to turn over a new leaf, Karasukawa-senpai?" Kyushu Makoto leaned back in his chair, pretending not to care.

"If that's the case, why did you have to give me such a disgusting show of force just now?"

Karasuka Saki held the photograph with her slender, bony fingers, like a gambler elegantly holding a deck of cards: "Perhaps you should ask me how to keep this a secret~?"

"..." Kyushu Makoto remained silent for a moment before realizing what was happening:

"Is Senior Yagawa planning to use these photos to blackmail me, threatening to expose them to the school and defame me for working at a brothel if I don't comply?"

"Slander~?" Karasu Saki narrowed her eyes slightly: "Interesting wording. Do you still want to defend yourself?"

“These few photos are not enough to prove that I work in that kind of shop, so of course you are slandering me.” Kyushu Makoto braced himself on the table with both hands, putting on a serious but bluffing act.

Although the other party has obtained seemingly irrefutable evidence, as long as Makoto Kyushu denies it, these photos can still be interpreted as something like "accidentally going to the wrong store".

But if he were to admit that he worked in such a shop—even if he only admitted to being a waiter—it would be tantamount to him confessing to working in violation of school rules.

“If we publish these photos in the school newspaper, and add a little ‘speculation’ about Kyushu students working at a PR shop, you’ll be called in by the school very quickly, won’t you?” Karasukawa Saki tilted her head and smiled meaningfully.

"Do you think the student council and the school administration are more willing to believe your excuses or our news department's report?"

Minister Karakawa was absolutely right. The News Club has a high reputation in the school, and its members are selected and optimized every year, all of whom are elite students with excellent character and academic performance and high motivation.

In contrast, Kyushu Makoto is just an unknown lone wolf, whose only advantage is his academic performance, which is not enough to compete with the size of the news club.

If both sides have conflicting accounts, the school will definitely side with the news department.

This is why Xiujin's news department dares to take things out of context during interviews or simply "guess" – no matter how much the interviewee protests, it's useless. As long as they don't go too far, the school can't interfere too much, otherwise it would be "depriving student clubs of their freedom".

"So you're threatening me?" Kyushu Makoto asked seriously. "What do you want from me?"

Karasu Saki chuckled softly and crossed one of her long legs over the other.

"Originally, I wanted you to sponsor some club funds for the news department every month, or work as an unpaid laborer for us. However, after getting to know you, I found that you are a calm and outstanding person, so I made an exception and gave you a better option."

She looked down at Kyushu Makoto with arrogance, like a carnivorous bird crawling out of a pile of corpses.

"Be my dog."

Karasu Saki propped her long, smooth legs up on the table, her red and white sneakers landing right three feet in front of Kyushu Makoto's nose.

"Swear allegiance to me, and I'll give you the photo and officially let you join the news department!"

Kyushu Makoto subconsciously moved his chair back a little to avoid being kicked by the other party.

"Be your dog?" Kyushu Makoto frowned, utterly confused. "You mean you want me to be your subordinate? That sounds... like something out of the underworld?"