Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"Wait a minute, I heard that the newspaper club was exposed for extorting students during last Saturday's 'Class Trial,' could it be...?"

"Hey, hey, is that true? That's our school's number one beauty, Karasu! And the journalism club is full of top students, how could she possibly extort a classmate? She must be framed, right?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Karasukawa Saki is clearly ranked third, okay? The first two are..."

As a student who excels in both academics and conduct, including being the head of the news department and a beautiful young lady, Karasukawa Sakifumi is extremely popular at school; calling her an "idol" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Just by standing on the stage, she can spark endless speculation and discussion.

"Ahem~ Please be quiet for a moment." Seemingly a little impatient, Karasu Saki cleared her throat and said.

The chatter from the audience gradually subsided as they awaited her speech. Her fans also looked at her expectantly, hoping she would confidently declare, "Those rumors are false; the news department did nothing wrong!"

"Good morning, teachers and students. I'm very sorry to have taken up your precious time..." Karasukawa Sakifumi said with a blank expression, trying her best to speak calmly.

"I've gathered everyone here today to apologize to all the students on behalf of the entire News Department!"

"Our news department has been going astray for a long time. In order to report sensational news, we have repeatedly taken things out of context and distorted the facts. We have also seized on students' misdeeds to blackmail and exploit them..."

The Minister of Information practically gritted his teeth, coaxing each word out of his mouth until his lips bled.

Her gaze swept across the crowd below the stage, including many students who had once considered her their idol and object of affection. But at this moment, these students looked utterly bewildered and shocked, as if they were about to run to the rooftop for some fresh air.

She then saw Kyushu Makoto standing in the back row, and her eyes gradually turned resentful and malicious.

But the thought that the devilish boy held her most important secret, a secret that absolutely could not be revealed to her other classmates, a secret that would plunge her into the abyss...

"Regarding the 'host student incident' that caused such a stir at school a few days ago, it was our News Department that guided public opinion. Kyushu Makoto from Class 2-2 has never worked in the sex industry. It was a rumor spread by our News Department without knowing the truth! All members of the News Department sincerely apologize to Kyushu Makoto, and we ask that students no longer misunderstand him. He is a diligent and conscientious student!"

Karasukawa Saki confessed to all the crimes she and the newspaper club committed in one go, while most of the newspaper club members standing on the stage looked ashamed, their faces pale like criminals, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

The students below the stage were speechless with astonishment, and the atmosphere was so deathly silent it was suffocating.

After Karasuka Saki finished speaking, a staff member in charge of club supervision walked up to the podium, took the microphone, and announced:

"The News Department has repeatedly extorted and spread rumors about students, and has committed other serious disciplinary violations. All members of the News Department have confessed to these crimes. From now on, the News Department is downgraded to an ordinary club, and its members will be re-selected. All future club activities and reporting activities will be strictly supervised by the club's advisor. At the same time, the school has decided to revoke the News Department's management rights over the campus online forum, which will be temporarily managed jointly by the Student Union and the school."

The faculty member's words were like a death sentence for the news department, igniting the discussion in the auditorium.

"How could this be... The news department actually did something so outrageous!"

"Since the teacher says so, the news department must have done something wrong, right?"

"Luckily, I wasn't targeted by the news department before, otherwise I would have been in a terrible situation."

"This is terrifying. I used to really like the news club..."

"I heard that Karakawa used to be a delinquent girl, and she actually kept it from us for three years. She must be a super landmine!"

"The thought that there are members of the news department in our class makes me very scared."

"Damn it, I've really misjudged her! As the creator of the 'Showdown Super Popular Beautiful Girl Ranking,' I'm going to immediately remove Karasu Saki from the list!"

At this moment, the noisy discussions among the students below the stage were a further blow to the corpse, leaving the members of the news department with their eyes wide open in dismay.

After the apology meeting, the students were dismissed and went back to class.

As Kyushu Makoto left, he clearly felt the vicious gaze emanating from Karasukawa Sakifumi on the stage.

The former "Queen of News" stared at him with intense resentment, as if to say, "Are you satisfied now?"

Kyushu Makoto smiled slightly and mouthed a message to her: "You asked for it~"

The news that "the News Department has fallen from grace" quickly spread throughout the school, which also meant the end of the era when the "Student Union," "Discipline Committee," and "News Department" stood as the three pillars of the university.

During breaks, the news department was being discussed in almost every corner of the school. The news department had clearly gone from being an "elite student group" to a pariah.

Even so, Makoto Kyushu's situation at school did not improve much.

The disciplinary committee members patrolling between classes still sized him up with hostility, deliberately checking his clothes a few more times. Walking down the school corridors, the students on the side of the road continued to look at him with cold eyes, as if they didn't welcome his presence.

After all, not long ago, most students believed the rumors spread by the newspaper club and firmly believed that Kyushu Makoto was a host student with bad character, so they spared no effort in mocking and ostracizing him.

But now, suddenly telling them that Kyushu Makoto was framed is tantamount to slapping everyone in the face, telling them: "You are all a bunch of incredibly stupid pigs who have been completely fooled by the news department!"

The impact of rumors on a person cannot be resolved simply by issuing a few "clarifications." The students won't immediately feel guilty towards Kyushu Makoto just because the news club apologized, nor will they immediately undergo a complete 180-degree change in their attitude towards him.

However, Kyushu Makoto doesn't care about other people's opinions. Although the people of Wano Country are very particular about "being in tune with the atmosphere" and "fitting in," his soul is not that of a Wano Country person, so he won't fawn over that rabble for such a trivial reason as "fitting in."

If the group makes a mistake, he will rebel against the group; his attitude towards life is so positive, sunny, and simple.

Besides, now it seems, who would dare to provoke Kyushu Makoto, this madman who would "single-handedly dismantle a department" at the slightest disagreement?

45. Father's Dogeza (bow)

Around noon, Kyushu Makoto and his friends were having lunch on the rooftop.

"That's so cool, Kyushu-kun!" Takashi Tang exclaimed excitedly. "That Karasawa-senpai actually bowed down and apologized to you in front of the whole school, it's unbelievable!"

"Kyushu-kun has truly created a miracle~" Suzuki Yuujin said with a smile:

"Now you're a legend at our school! Shouldn't we give you a grand title from now on? How about 'The Claw of the Hunting Queen'?"

"This is too cringeworthy. Let's call it 'Conqueror of the News Queen' instead!" suggested Tang Zegui.

"Your comment is so incredibly childish! How dare you criticize me like that?" Suzuki Yuji protested sharply.

Genji Takatsuki stared at Makoto Kyushu for a while, then sighed, "I really underestimated you, Makoto Kyushu."

While the group was chatting animatedly, Mizuhashi Eiji, sitting to the side, remained silent, quietly eating with his head down.

"Eiji, do you think 'Claws of the Hunting Queen' or 'Conqueror of the News Queen' is better?" Suzuki Yuji suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Eiji Mizuhashi paused for a moment, then looked up and chuckled awkwardly, "Well... um, I think they're all great! You guys have excellent taste!"

For some reason, Eiji Mizuhashi seemed restless again today, and it appeared he wasn't in a good mood.

"Is something on your mind?" Kyushu Makoto raised an eyebrow and asked, sensing something was amiss.

"No, no!" Mizuhashi Eiji quickly shook his head in denial. "Maybe it's because we first-year students have monthly exams coming up soon, so we're a little nervous!"

"I see..." Kyushu Makoto patted Mizuhashi's shoulder and comforted him, "We are second-year seniors after all. You can ask us if you don't understand anything."

"Oh! Don't let my usual carefree attitude fool you, I'm actually in the top 100 of the grade!" Tang Zegui proudly raised his chin and boasted, "Those two were able to pass thanks to my relentless tutoring!"

"Is he that good, Tang Ze?" Kyushu Makoto was a little surprised. He hadn't cared about the three's grades; he only knew they had passed.

"Yes, thank you, seniors~" Mizuhashi Eiji was still absent-minded.

......

As the lunch break was about to end, everyone left the rooftop.

On his way to the classroom, Kyushu Makoto happened to run into Etori-sensei, who was on his way to teach Japanese to their class.

“Mr. Jiangniao,” Kyushu Makoto greeted, “I really troubled you the other day, but the matter has been resolved.”

"Oh...oh..." Teacher Jiangniao nodded timidly in response, "I hope it goes smoothly."

To be honest, she was terrified of this troublesome student. She never expected that Kyushu Makoto would actually do what he said, dismantling the entire journalism club without a second thought.

With such a fearsome student, what in this school could possibly stop him?

"Speaking of which, has the school made a decision regarding the punishment of Senior Karasawa and the other students in the journalism club?" Kyushu Makoto asked again.

"Actually, we had an emergency special meeting on Sunday, and I attended as an observer." Teacher Jiangniao thought for a moment, then answered truthfully:

"Members of the news club will be punished with anything from warnings to suspension. As for Karakawa-kun... opinions are split between expulsion and suspension, and nothing has been decided yet."

Kyushu Makoto scratched his head and sighed, "That's true. After all, Karasawa-senpai's performance at school is quite outstanding, so the school must be quite conflicted."

"I heard that Karakawa's parents will be called to the school for a talk after school today," Ms. Etori added. "Whether she can stay in school depends on her family's attitude..."

......

Back in the classroom, Kyushu Makoto was about to return to his seat and wait for class to begin when he saw five or six classmates surrounding a female student's desk, seemingly making things difficult for her.

The girl who was harassed was none other than Koizumi, who was also the only member of the news club in their class.

In the past, Koizumi, as a member of the news club, was extremely popular in her class. Many classmates were eager to curry favor with her and then go around bragging about having a friend in the news club.

But starting today, everything has turned upside down. Being a "member of the news department" is no longer a symbol of honor, but rather a mark of sin.

"Hey, Koizumi! We don't want to have class with the newspaper club members!"

"Yeah, they're all extortionists after all."

"Hey, are you going to take a picture of me without my knowledge? That's scary!"

Several classmates, both male and female, made unkind remarks about Koizumi.

Koizumi could only lower her head and remain silent.

Just then, Kyushu Makoto couldn't stand it anymore. He walked over and asked the students, "Are you bullying her?"

When the group saw Kyushu Makoto arrive, they immediately shrank back and glanced away.

"I told you, I don't want to see any bullying incidents, right?" Kyushu Makoto asked in a deep voice.

"Um... Kyushu-kun..." one of the bullies quickly interjected, "Koizumi is in the newspaper club, we're just helping you teach her a lesson!"

Kyushu Makoto sneered and retorted, "So you can justify bullying your classmates?"

"I...we..." The students were speechless.

"Get out of my way!" Kyushu Makoto waved his hand dismissively. "I'm the victim here. It's not your place to teach her a lesson!"