Chapter 10 Mind Your Own Business, the Show Has Only Just Begun, Here's Another One...
The afternoon sun shone through the blinds, casting dappled light and shadow on the library's wooden floor.
Risa curled up on the sofa in the corner of the reading room, the cold light from the tablet computer reflecting on her face. As her fingertips lightly glided across the pages of the e-book "Crisis Public Relations and Public Opinion Management," her eyes swept over them one by one.
Yes, you can refer to the approach taken in this case. Although the opponent was less skilled, the basic logic is the same.
It seems that the leisurely high school life she desires will require her to overcome a small hurdle first.
Looking back now, the turning point seems ridiculously absurd. If she hadn't meddled in things in the courtyard that day, if she hadn't pinched that handsome boy's face in front of everyone after school...
[The transfer student flirted with the tennis club president in public on his first day]
This explosive topic has spread like wildfire, and with countless embellishments, it has evolved into all sorts of absurd and bizarre versions on campus.
Some say she made advances on Yukimura after her confession failed; others say she stalked him outside the tennis court every day; still others claim to have witnessed her forcibly kissing the tennis club's ace.
Rumors grow like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
After a week of fermentation, it has evolved into a campus legend.
It's ironic. All she wanted to do was stop the upperclassmen from bullying the freshmen, but she never expected to provoke a troublemaker who was even more persistent than a sasaeng fan.
If only I had known...
No, she shook her head gently. Even so, she did not regret her decision to stand up for him.
"Crisis public relations and public opinion management?" A cool, youthful voice came from above. "What an unexpected piece of reading."
Risa abruptly flipped the tablet over. Why did he always seem to catch her like this?
Before my eyes were a pair of gleaming brown leather shoes. Above that were the perfectly pressed creases of his uniform trousers, the impeccably tailored striped tie, and finally, Yagyu Hiroshi's calm and composed face.
Backlit, his glasses reflected a cold light, obscuring his expression.
“Yagyu-kun, peeping is not the behavior of a gentleman.” She stood up, and the notebook on her lap slipped and fell to the ground, revealing dense Chinese notes.
Just as Risa was about to bend down to pick it up, Yagyu beat her to it.
His fingertips lingered on the page for a second, and his eyes behind his glasses flickered: "Matsuno seems to prefer Chinese books, and his Chinese characters are written quite beautifully."
"I'm learning Chinese so I can work in Hengdian in the future."
Liu Sheng remained noncommittal, his gaze still fixed on the notebook. He seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to turn the page but hesitated due to his gentlemanly manners and etiquette.
Risa wasn't worried about him reading it; after all, with her Chinese handwriting and messy cursive script, he might not be able to understand it all. But if he flipped to the later cartoonish doodles, things would really be bad.
"Thank you, Yagyu-kun. Please give it back to me." Risa reached out her hand.
Yagyu adjusted his glasses and handed over the notebook. But just as Risa was about to take it, he suddenly raised his hand.
Risa blinked.
...Were we tricked?
Was she seeing things, or did his public image collapse?
"Hey, that's a bit too much." Fearing he might do something even more outrageous, Risa reached out to snatch it. He held the notebook above his head, stopping it at a height she just couldn't reach.
Risa jumped a few times on tiptoe, frustrated by the height difference. Just as she gathered her strength in her dantian, preparing to punch him, he suddenly leaned down.
Do you need me to help you with your online problems?
Risa shivered involuntarily. Yagyu's voice was deep as he spoke, his warm breath brushing against her ear. To be honest, in the sacred and silent library, there was a hint of ambiguity.
She took a half step back and narrowed her eyes: "Now everyone thinks I orchestrated this whole thing. What, doesn't Yagyu-kun think so?"
"The clumsy tactic of 'hurting the enemy eight hundred while losing a thousand of your own' is simply not in line with the style of a smart person."
"Oh? Then why did Yagyu-kun offer help in your time of need?" Risa looked at him with her arms crossed.
Yagyu straightened up and handed the notebook back to her: "Because I admire you. After all, it's rare to find someone who can make Yukimura suffer."
"Yagyu-kun's kindness came so suddenly." She looked up. "Could it be... that a certain minister has finally become too bothered by the rumors?"
Liu Sheng paused for a moment after withdrawing his hand.
"Oh dear, I guessed right?" Risa picked up her laptop and tablet, her hair brushing against the back of his hand as she passed by. "The tennis club's daily training has been affected, hasn't it? What a shame, they're only now thinking about cleaning up the mess."
Reaching the door, Risa stopped, turned back, and smiled. "I appreciate Yagyu-kun's kindness. However, sometimes the effect is diminished if the best time to intervene is missed. Besides, this play has only just begun; it would be pointless to end it now. We need to let the director finish the show before everyone knows how to applaud."
"So, please tell your minister for me that he shouldn't do anything unnecessary before this matter is over." She smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling, but her gaze was icy cold.
Yagyu stood rooted to the spot, his eyes behind his glasses trembling slightly. Dust swirled in the beam of light, and in a daze, he vaguely heard Niou's mocking words:
"Hey partner, the delicate little white flower sitting next to you is actually a wild rose with thorns, piyo~"
-
After lunch break that day, Risa returned to the classroom.
The moment she pushed open the door, the noisy chatter ceased abruptly. Countless gazes, sharp as needles, shot towards her, only to hastily avert their eyes when they met.
The girl in the front row, Yuzuki Iwai, turned her phone screen towards her, looking worried: "Matsuno-san... you're trending again."
Risa lowered her eyes and saw the trending search list for the Kanagawa region right there in front of her:
#Rikkaidai Scandal#
#Matsuno Risa is a perpetrator of school violence#
The popular tweet was accompanied by a blurry image of a disciplinary notice.
Risa clicked on the larger image, zoomed in for a closer look, and a smile crept onto her face: The photo editing skills are slightly better than the chat log image, but the details of the school's official seal are still wrong. You didn't find the right source material, classmate.
She browsed through the comments below with great interest.
Popular comments:
@Rikkai Justice League: This kind of scum doesn't deserve to be in Rikkai University? Tokyo trash, go back home!
@YukimuraSupportClub: Yukimura-sama being harassed by this kind of person... It's disgusting!! (Angry)
@CampusTruthBot: According to a classmate who knows the truth, she bullied others at her previous school because she was jealous of their appearance (see picture 3 for concrete evidence).
@Human Search Team: I suggest digging deep into their home address and parents' workplaces. This kind of scum, raised with such bad upbringing, deserves social death!
Risa clicked her tongue softly.
This time they actually knew to hire online trolls; at least they've improved a bit.
Unfortunately, the rhetoric used to control the comments was too simplistic, which is a bad thing.
She rested her chin on her hand, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. Since that's the case, she might as well add fuel to the fire.
-
"Have you heard? That transfer student from the next class used to bully classmates back in Tokyo..."
"You really can't judge a book by its cover. She looks so innocent, but she's so dirty inside!"
"You shouldn't say that, what if things take a turn for the better..."
"That can't be right. Even several well-known local media outlets have reposted it, saying that this person has character issues..."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Risa emerged from the innermost stall. Just as she was about to wash her hands, she heard several girls outside, their voices hushed but barely concealed with excitement.
Judging from the voices, it's Morita and his group.
Her eyes sharpened, and she quickly slipped into the nearest cubicle, turned on her phone screen, and pressed the record button.
Morita's smug voice came from outside the crack in the door: "Even several local media outlets have reposted it! Let's see how she tries to deny it now!"
Suzuki chuckled and chimed in, "Let's go see what kind of expression our little princess has right now~"
Kijima timidly interjected, "Senior... is this really okay? That disciplinary notice was clearly fake..."
"Shut up!" Morita interrupted sharply. "If you dare to tell anyone... you know the consequences."
"Speaking of which, Morita, this time submitting articles to the media was really clever, it must have cost a lot of money, right?"
"It wasn't me. I thought it was you, Suzuki, who arranged it?"
"I didn't do it either..."
"Forget it, it was probably done by someone who didn't like her. Anyway—she's completely finished this time."
After the others left, Risa slowly walked out of the cubicle. Looking at the clearly recorded video on her phone, a slight smile appeared on her lips.
It's like someone just handed you a pillow when you're sleepy. Evidence +1.
While taking photos without consent is dishonorable, it changes the nature of the situation if you also appear in the photo.
She didn't react immediately; instead, she uploaded the video to the cloud.
Now is not the time. The more they act and climb higher, the more painful their fall will be.
She logged onto Twitter and issued another concise and powerful statement, emphasizing that if the rumor-mongers do not stop their slander and issue a public apology, she will pursue all legal responsibilities in accordance with the law.
The opportunity has already been given. Whether they can seize it or not is up to fate.
Looking in the mirror, she tidied her stray hairs and put on an impeccable sweet smile.
This face is completely different from her aloofness in her previous life; she was born to smile.
The title "a smile worth a billion dollars" is truly fitting for this face.
-
After school, Kirihara Akaya finished his club activities and ran to the bench under the cherry tree outside the field to find Risa.
"Sister Risa, I heard... you were cyberbullied?" He frowned, his forehead damp with sweat.
"Who told you that?" Risa feigned surprise.
"Everyone in my class is saying those bastards..."
“Akaya.” Risa interrupted him, reaching out to straighten his sweat-soaked collar. “Don’t worry about those trivial things. They’re all minor matters.”
"How can this be boring?! They're bullying you!" Kirihara grabbed her wrist, his eyes full of seriousness.
Seeing his anxious expression, Risa felt a warmth in her heart. She patted his head and said, "Don't worry, I've seen plenty of little troubles like this. They won't be able to cause trouble for long."
"Damn it!" Kirihara kicked a pebble away. "If I find out who did this, I'll make them—"
“Akaya,” Risa reached out and pressed his shoulder, her voice soft, yet it made him involuntarily quiet down.
"I'll handle this myself."
Kirihara's eyes widened: "But..."
“Trust me,” Risa said with a smile, “a 25-year-old Best Actress… no, I mean, I’m your older sister. I’m experienced in dealing with these kinds of things.”
I almost let it slip. But this feeling of being protected by my innocent younger brother... isn't bad at all.
Kirihara paused for a moment.
Risa's straight back and confident, composed expression made him hallucinate his own department head for a moment.
...Is it just my imagination?
-
On the opposite side of the stands, the three giants of Rikkai University were browsing posts on the regional Twitter rankings.
The first three items on the homepage are each marked with a "HOT" label.
Liu Lianji closed his eyes and took notes in his notebook.
“The bullied become the bullies. Once these people put on the cloak of the internet, they really dare to do anything and say anything.”
Sanada stood to the side, his face dark: "This is too lax! This kind of unhealthy trend must be stopped..."
“Sanada,” Yukimura said, crossing his arms and tapping his forearm with his index finger, “We don’t interfere in matters outside the tennis club. As long as it doesn’t affect the tennis club, let her handle it herself. As for whether she goes to the school administration or seeks help from others…”
His gaze passed over the court netting and landed on the figure talking to Kirihara. The words she had asked Yagyu to convey a few days earlier involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Tell him not to do anything unnecessary?
Interesting. She's the first person to remain so calm and composed in the face of a barrage of rumors and slander, even turning around to remind him not to meddle.
This only made him more curious—
What exactly is she up to?
Liu's pen paused at the "Analysis of Public Opinion Response Models" section.
Yukimura, you...
Is she still holding a grudge about being pinched in the face?
“Liu,” Yukimura suddenly spoke up, “do you think a butterfly can escape a spider web?”
Liu Lian'er: "......"
I inexplicably felt a guilty feeling, as if I'd been caught red-handed.
He slightly opened his eyes and looked at the minister beside him.
Yukimura stared at the perimeter of the court, a gentle smile on his lips, but the rhythm of his fingertips tapping the strings was somewhat disordered.
—It's obvious that I care a lot.
"Sanada, make sure the tennis club members don't participate in spreading rumors."
After saying that, Yukimura left the tennis court.
-
Risa's name trended on the regional charts for two days, and the public opinion continued to ferment.
The person involved, however, remained indifferent and unperturbed, offering no further response beyond that airtight statement.
She skillfully deftly deflected the whispers and strange looks on campus. When someone tried to trip her up, she always managed to avoid it without leaving a trace. When someone provoked her to her face, she only responded with a polite but distant smile.
This composed demeanor only fueled the anxiety of those who were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
"This is infuriating..." Misaki Morita gripped the stair railing tightly.
She stared at the slender figure downstairs, her eyes swirling with twisted resentment. "Since online opinions can't hurt you, then let you taste the real world."
A note from the author:
----------------------
I meticulously revised Yukimura's character design on July 22nd to ensure it's not out of character (OOC). If no update was detected, long-press the novel in your bookmarks and select "Delete Download File" to see the revised version. [Heart emoji]
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Bug fix_2025/8/14
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