(Noa POV)
***
Noa read the post on Nozomi's phone with an indifferent expression, and her slightly trembling eyes were the only indication that she had any thoughts about the slanderous contents.
Tadano was also reading it, peering over her shoulder with a deep frown on his face.
"...This is troublesome," he muttered.
"Mm."
Noa scrolled down further after understanding the overall situation, opening up the comments under the post.
***
[Comments]
teriyaki_man: No way! My Goddess would never do such a thing! .....Right?
saltyfish99: I knew there was something off about how Yagami got off scot-free every time!
ineedsomemoney: If this is real, then I've lost all respect for her. Such corruption should not be allowed unless I'm involved
kogikogi1: Idk, i need some more proof and context before believing anything
thedragonking: the school management needs to launch an investigation. this is fucked up
canigetinyopants: my proposal still stands! through wind and through rain, i'll marry her!
→ judomaster_512: Suda, give it up man...even plastic surgery won't help you
→ canigetinyopants: Fuck you, i'm beautiful!!!!! ಠ╭╮ಠ
thesingingcanary: are people not reading the part that said she might've been forced? this is all just yagami's fault!! down with the yakuza!
→ iliketrains: bold of you to assume that the yakuza can't track you from the internet
→ thesingingcanary: i retract my statement, yagami-sama is an inspiration to us all.
cactusinthesnow: such corruption in a school like Souhei High is pathetic
mrgreeny: Reiji-kun is innocent! the cheating accusation was false!!
→ ineedsomemoney: how much did he pay you? let me in on the action, i need some money!!
***
Noa sighed as she saw the polarizing comments.
Some defended her, some blamed Yagami, and some were just there for the fun. But the general consensus seemed to tilt towards believing the poster and the accusation that she had been bribed or blackmailed.
'How ridiculous. Who would even waste time on such nonsense?'
She handed the phone back to Nozomi and sat back down in her seat, rubbing her temples slowly as she tried to think of a solution.
The problem here wasn't proving her innocence; it was the fact that this seemed like a targeted post.
It wasn't clear who the poster was going after between her and Yagami, but when she thought about it, there were plenty of ways to target the latter without involving her.
In fact, bringing her into the mix would simply dilute the heat Yagami might face and also lessen the chances of him getting into trouble because it would include two powerful families with backing instead of one.
On the other hand, Noa herself didn't provide many options for a scandal aside from this vague and complicated issue regarding the leniency towards Yagami.
Aside from that, she had good relations with other students and the school's management, did well in her academics, and had done a good job with the Student Council for the most part.
Which is why she was quite sure that the poster was targeting either both of them or just her.
'But...Who have I offended for them to take such a drastic step?'
Instinctively, she glanced at Tadano from the corner of her eye, who was still reading through the comments.
His expression didn't give much away, since he still had that same frown, as if he was genuinely thinking about how to resolve the situation.
Then, he looked up and met her gaze.
"We need to do something. The prestige and authority of the Student Council will take a massive dip if this isn't resolved properly," he stated with a click of his tongue.
"How about we send an official email through the Council's account to represent our stance?" Nozomi suggested.
Tadano tilted his head and then shook it after a moment's hesitation.
"No, I believe we should first collect evidence that this post is false before making any statement, otherwise it will just ignite the fire that has already been set."
Noa rejected this idea. ".....Maybe so, but how exactly would we do that? It's not like we have concrete proof that we conducted business according to the rules, and simply showing paperwork or things of that nature would always have the illusion of bias."
"What about that photo? Why were you bowing to Yagami?"
Noa raised an eyebrow because there was a faint accusatory tone in his voice.
But she shrugged it off and responded calmly.
"He did a huge favor for me, and I was simply thanking him for it. That's all."
She didn't want to clarify further because that would require Sora's involvement in some shape or form, such as showing his injury, obtaining a hospital record, or talking to him, all of which would need to be shown to the students if they wanted to believe it.
There was zero chance she would put him in that position.
This was also after taking into account the fact that there was no evidence of Reiji's involvement in the matter aside from their own word, and few people would believe the words of a child, who they might even think was coerced into it.
There was simply no merit in revealing it.
However, Tadano wouldn't let it go.
"Favor? What favor could someone from the Yakuza possibly do for you?" he asked, his voice getting deeper.
"You don't need to know since it involves my personal life. That photo was just me thanking him, nothing more, nothing less.
"President," Tadano bit out. "You being evasive about this is honestly quite suspicious."
"Vice-President! How could you!" Nozomi yelled, finally cutting into the conversation with disbelief all over her face.
"I'm not saying the post is accurate, I'm just not understanding why you're keeping secrets at this juncture!"
Noa pursed her lips, feeling a trace of disappointment at the lack of trust.
"Vice-President, since you seem to be a little hot-headed about things right now, go home for today and cool off," she exhaled with a shake of her head.
To this, Tadano's scowl deepened even further.
"...The innocent wouldn't shy away from the truth," he scoffed lightly and walked out, slamming the office door behind him.
Nozomi glared at the door for a second with indignation before turning back to Noa.
"President, ignore him for now. What should we do? Should we send an email as I suggested?"
"Hmmm...Maybe. But first, I need to talk to him."
"Him? Who?"
"The other party affected by this idiotic post. Please call Yagami Reiji for me, he should be at the Cooking Club right now," Noa directed, tapping her finger on the desk repeatedly.
Nozomi's eyes widened, but she nodded right after, leaving the office in a hurry.
When the door closed once again, leaving her alone in the large room, it gave Noa the peace and quiet she desperately needed to dissect the current predicament.
'Would Tadano Senpai really do such a thing? But why?'
Was it for power? To take over her position if she really was deemed to have been bribed?
Becoming the President would give him a major boost in his college applications and also pave a path to other benefits.
Or was it revenge for their rising conflict?
It could also be a completely different party doing this for other malicious reasons, one that she just might not be aware of.
"Such a headache," she sighed.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
'Huh? Is she back with him already?'
"Come in," she called out, straightening up in her chair.
But when the door opened, it wasn't Yagami as she had been expecting.
Instead, Kazama Riku walked in with a contorted expression, one that mixed both worry and anticipation.
There was confidence in his steps, and his head was held high as he looked at her with a faint smile.
"What is it? I thought I said you could leave?" Noa questioned, not wanting to waste much time with him due to the other issue at hand.
"I apologize for the sudden return, but I accidentally found out about the....unfortunate claims that are going around online."
"What does that have to do with you?"
Kazama puffed himself up even further, somewhat resembling a penguin.
"I think you'll find that I can be of great help to you! With me, it won't be too hard to wash away these accusations and shut the haters up! I know you're innocent and would love the chance to prove it to the others."
Noa blinked indifferently, scanning him up and down to see if he was joking.
Maybe he realized that she didn't seem to be interested, because Kazama continued on to explain his plan before she rejected him.
"I have a 3-step process that is guaranteed to work! Allow me to present it to you! Step 1: Divert the Attention. This essentially is me using my connections and network to put more of the focus on Yagami instead of you, by bringing up his past misdeeds and emphasizing his role in this situation. Don't worry, I will only stick to the facts and won't make up anything. Once this is done, we move on to Step 2: Make a Statement. The Student Council can make an announcement or send an email saying that they didn't show any favoritism at all, and more people will believe you than before, because they will be more inclined to slander Yagami. Once this happens, Yagami is sure to lose his mind and start causing trouble again. Maybe he'll get into fights with people who are talking about him or causing a ruckus in public. And that brings us to Step 3: The Hammer of Justice! This will be your chance to properly punish Yagami this time, preferably an expulsion. People will then realize you had nothing to do with the previous leniency, which will 100% ensure that you will regain your honor and respect! How is it? Isn't it foolproof?"
Kazama started panting lightly, the long spiel of his grand plan taking the breath out of him.
But his eyes were shining, obviously confident about its feasibility.
And honestly?
Noa could tell it would've had a good chance of working, despite how crude it seemed.
Well, only if Yagami hadn't drastically changed.
Before she could share her thoughts about this 'plan', the door knocked again behind them, this time with more urgency.
Kazama clenched his fists in irritation at the interruption, but Noa ignored him.
".....Come in."
The doors swiveled on their hinges for what seemed like the hundredth time today, and two people walked into the office.
Nozomi, and behind her, a tall black-haired student with piercing blue eyes that were narrowed with confusion, worry, and most prevalently, anger.
Yagami Reiji had entered the room.