Chapter 22 Start of the War
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The recruitment poster before her eyes was not only the size of three A4 papers put together, but also every aspect of it—the background image, the fonts, and the layout—was exceptionally pleasing to the eye, far exceeding what one would expect from a student effort. It was placed in the most conspicuous location.
Almost every student who passed by couldn't help but be drawn to it, and Kagura Hikaru had already seen two or three students stopping in front of the poster to discuss it.
It seemed that Ayakoji Chiyoko's 'News Department' wouldn't be lacking members.
The orthodox News Department of Yuqiu High School was heavily tinged with an official vibe, with a school newspaper issued weekly mostly about studies, politics, university selection, school interaction—old and stodgy and clearly at odds with the interests of contemporary youth.
No wonder those newspapers, even when distributed freely, attracted no takers.
Ayakoji Chiyoko's Society Discussion Meeting, by contrast, was clearly taking a different route, one that the gossip tabloids, desperate for traffic, would use every tool at their disposal to follow.
This was indeed a more realistic choice and one likely to quickly attract attention and gain influence.
Yet, last night, he had already informed Hina about the existence and true intentions of the Society Discussion Meeting. It probably wouldn't be long before it caused trouble for the Student Council and then get shut down.
Kagura Hikaru was ultimately a person from Kiryu Hina's camp. Even if she had become an ally of Ayakoji Chiyoko, at this point in time, she wouldn't stand by her side, both emotionally and logically.
Then, three days passed.
The Society Discussion Meeting posters had become even more prevalent within the school, and the first edition of their news daily had been printed—50 copies that were snapped up by mid-morning. Word was they were already rushing to print more.
Not only did they feature topics of interest to girls, like zodiac divination, fashion trends, celebrity gossip, TV dramas, and addresses of boutique stores, but also topics appealing to boys, such as the situation of wars, game information and strategies from major global manufacturers.
It even touched lightly on otaku culture, dedicating a section to discuss several hit animations of the season and predicting which original series would become a dark horse.
It was as if all the topics that currently interested young people were gathered together—not being popular would've been strange.
The Society Discussion Meeting was bustling with activity.
And the Student Council... made no move at all, as if completely unaware of what was going on, letting their expansion go unchecked.
This was entirely beyond Kagura Hikaru's expectations. He didn't understand why Kiryu Hina was doing nothing. Could it be that she didn't receive his text message that night?
Could it be that Hina was deliberately ignoring the information to cooperate with him, to prevent this spy from being exposed?
No, that couldn't be the case. Even if he hadn't said anything, with Hina's own intelligence, she should have been aware of the potential danger, yet up to this point, the Society Discussion Meeting hadn't encountered any hindrance.
This was indeed a bizarre occurrence.
After much thought, Kagura Hikaru decided to let it be. Hina was no fool; if the situation continued to develop, it was probably within her plans.
So he decided not to add to the chaos, and to just be an observer.
Several more days passed.
The Society Discussion Meeting's daily paper was now in such demand that Kagura Hikaru saw students holding the newspaper every day, gathering in groups to chuckle and chatter.
Girls discussed the cake shop featured in the paper, excitedly waiting to visit after school.
Boys debated in the sports section about which high school teams would make it to Koshien this year.
The daily paper from the Society Discussion Meeting spread through the school like a virus.
In the face of the enemy's rapid offensive, both the Student Council and the News Department remained inactive, contentedly sitting back and waiting, as if for the right moment.
Today was the turning point.
Kagura Hikaru spread out the daily newspaper he had borrowed from a female classmate. At the bottom section, the Society Discussion Meeting touched on campus news for the first time, discussing the recent rumor that had been circulating about Student Council President Kiryu Hina bullying a student.
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[.....For this reason, our magazine took the initiative to interview Miss Ayakoji Chiyoko, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee.]
[Reporter: "President Ayakoji, what is your view on this matter?"]
[Ayakoji Chiyoko: "If this is true, then the Disciplinary Committee will not tolerate it, even if she is the Student Council President."]
[Reporter: "But so far, there has been no evidence found for this matter, could it really just be a rumor?"]
[Ayakoji Chiyoko: "As long as there is this possibility, we cannot ignore it. If anyone has relevant information, please come forward to the Disciplinary Committee, and we will fully protect your rights and demands."]
Kagura Hikaru believed there was no need to read the rest after seeing this part.
He closed the daily paper, returned it to his classmate, and knew in his heart that Ayakoji Chiyoko had already started to act.
With several days of fermenting, the Society Discussion Meeting daily paper had already attained enough influence and trust among the students, which is why they chose this moment to touch upon the topic of campus gossip.
Regarding the previous rumors about Kiryu Hina bullying a student, actually, few people are discussing it now, after all, no evidence has been found and no one has come forward to report, naturally it would blow over, with most just murmuring about it in their hearts.
However, today's Society Discussion Meeting daily paper directly published this matter as news, an act akin to throwing a torch into the woods. A forest fire seems unavoidable.
As for the extent of the fire, that depends on the response of the Student Council next.
A rumor that was about to fade away; why did it turn into a 'forest fire'? The answer is quite simple.
It's not that it would turn into a forest fire, but rather that Ayakoji Chiyoko believed it should become a forest fire, a spark to start a war.
The truth no longer matters, what's important is the stance of the Disciplinary Committee, and that of the Society Discussion Meeting.
Having control of the narrative and means of public opinion implies that such things—smearing others—become exceedingly easy.
Kagura Hikaru's worries eventually became reality.
The following day, the content on the Society Discussion Meeting daily paper was about interviewing a sophomore girl who 'allegedly witnessed the Student Council President bullying at the scene'].
[Reporter: "Student Ai Cheng, I heard you witnessed the Student Council President pouring milk on a freshman's head, is this true?"]
[Student Ai Cheng: "False, it's false! I never said such a thing!"]
[Reporter: "Are you sure? Are you not speaking the truth because you fear the authority of the Student Council President?"]
[Student Ai Cheng: ".....No such thing!"]
[Reporter: "Then may I ask if you are acquainted with that freshman?"]
[Student Ai Cheng: "I don't know, I don't recognize.....no, I don't understand what you're saying!"]
[Our reporter noticed that during the interview, the interviewee's gaze flickered and seemingly deliberately avoided certain key questions. There might be more to the story here.]
[For further details, please wait for follow-up reports.]
It's over.
Kagura Hikaru felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
It looked like Ayakoji Chiyoko had no intention of concocting false testimony, but merely casting doubts on this suspicious atmosphere was enough to drag down Kiryu Hina's credibility.
Isn't the Student Council going to do anything yet?
During the lunch break, when he saw several unfamiliar students blocking his path at the classroom door under the pretense of conducting a Society Discussion Meeting interview, Kagura Hikaru realized he could not remain untouched by this matter.