Chapter 8 It doesn't matter; if necessary, the Bodhisattva will protect me.
"Have you heard? The new transfer student molested Yukimura-kun on his very first day!"
"They're supposedly spies sent by a Tokyo yakuza gang..."
"Although she is quite pretty, I heard that she extorted 35,000 yen from Morita-senpai."
Risa sat on the toilet, listening to the discussions outside the stall, her heart completely unmoved, and she even felt a little amused.
That's it? The level of fabricating negative rumors is incredibly amateurish.
The storyline is chaotic, the characters are contradictory, and there's not even a single solid piece of evidence. If this were in the Chinese entertainment industry, it wouldn't even make it to the top of the trending topics list.
She had sensed something was wrong long ago. From the moment she entered the school gate that morning, there had been subtle glances following her back. As she walked down the corridor, someone would pretend to tie their shoelaces, their eyes casually sweeping over her.
The onlookers' acting was also overly exaggerated; they practically had "Look! It's her!" written all over their faces.
Risa returned from the restroom and entered the classroom. Students from other classes kept flashing past the window.
"Tsk, is this never going to end? Are you trying to make a fool of me?" She shrugged and rolled her eyes.
"Risa-nee, high school students hate chuunibyou the most. Please remember not to say anything weird at school."
Before she enrolled, Kirihara's repeated instructions flashed through her mind.
After his dark eyes darted around, he suddenly hatched a wicked plan.
Okay, I'll play along with your performance.
In the blink of an eye, Risa made a dramatic turn, her expression as gloomy as Sadako's, and shouted down the corridor in an exaggerated anime voice, "Um... I'm just a transfer student... Why is everyone looking at me like that?"
The corridor fell silent.
The boys and girls who were watching, whether intentionally or unintentionally, were all stunned by this sudden display of adolescent angst, silently averting their gaze and turning away.
Genichiro Sanada had just returned from his duty and was walking around the corner of the corridor when he saw Risa making her chuunibyou speech. The folder in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
-
At noon, the cafeteria was bustling with noise.
Kirihara's mother left early today and didn't have time to make lunchboxes for the two of them, so they had to make do at the cafeteria for the day.
Kirihara was enthusiastically recounting the glorious achievements of Rikkai University's tennis club when his gaze swept over a certain spot, and his words abruptly stopped.
Risa followed his gaze—
Yukimura Seiichi, carrying a tray, walked towards their table and stopped beside it: "Is this seat taken?"
Kirihara stammered, "Minister...Minister! Please sit down!"
Risa's chopsticks froze in mid-air. Her inner monologue: An NPC is approaching me? A side quest is about to trigger. Stay calm, don't panic.
Upon closer inspection, her face is even more exquisitely beautiful. Even after years in the entertainment industry, Risa has rarely seen such a stunningly beautiful face. With those facial features, she could easily debut as a center in the Chinese entertainment industry.
Yukimura sat down opposite her naturally, his gaze falling on her face: "We meet again, Matsuno-kun."
"Mmm." Risa lowered her head and ate her rice, avoiding his gaze.
When faced with beauty, it's easy to lose your judgment; just focus on your food and stay safe.
After all, humans are a vulgar species that judge by appearance. Even award-winning actresses are no exception.
"I heard you transferred from Tokyo?" Yukimura's voice was gentle. "I think I saw you when I went to Tokyo for a competition."
Risa's heart skipped a beat.
—What does he mean? Is he testing her?
She looked up, feigning composure. "Really? I don't remember." Then she added, with a hint of a joke, "Logically speaking, someone as... memorable as Yukimura-kun, if I had met him, I certainly wouldn't forget him."
Yukimura chuckled: "Perhaps I remembered it wrong."
He rested his chin on his hand, watching her, his fingertips lightly tapping the table. The rhythm was subtle, like playing Morse code.
Da, da da, da.
Risa pinched his face first, and knowing she was in the wrong, she just kept her head down and ate.
The meal was incredibly unpleasant; even the delicious pork cutlet rice bowl tasted bland. After finishing, Risa went to buy a bottle of juice to replenish her energy.
Back in the classroom, Risa was taking a nap on her desk, but she felt a sharp gaze fixed on her.
By the window, Genichiro Sanada was staring intently at her, his scrutinizing gaze unmistakable even in the shadow of his hat.
Risa suddenly looked up, her deadpan eyes meeting his gaze directly: "Sanada-kun, is there something wrong with you staring at me like that?"
Sanada froze for a moment, then lowered the brim of his hat, stood up, and strode out of the classroom, his back view revealing his anger.
Risa: ? ? ?
What's going on? All she did was pinch Yukimura's cheek. Why are the tennis club members staring at her like she's a thief?
-
Risa had just woken up from her afternoon nap when #RikkaiTennisClub# went viral on the local Twitter trending list.
She groggily looked at her phone, and a pop-up window displayed a post titled "[Hot] The Untold Story of a Second-Year Transfer Student and the Tennis Club."
[Image] Shocking! Line chat logs between transfer student and "Child of God" exposed?!
Yukimura: Shall we walk together after club activities end? Sister.
Yukimura: You're cute today too.
(Read status indicated - 16:23)
3.2k shares, 5.8k likes, 1.4k comments
The post was instantly flooded with comments:
1L: ? ? ? Am I seeing things?
2L: This transfer student is so shameless! Did they stage this themselves?
7L: But some people did see the transfer student in the square...
15L: Please, original poster, release the complete record!
16L: Club Activities Room Breaking News! Vice-Captain Sanada's face looks terrifying!
23L: How could Yukimura-sama say such a thing? There's a limit to how much you can photoshop a student girl!
28L: I saw her having dinner with Yukimura-sama, and it didn't seem like she was forced...
Popular reposts:
@Rikkai News Bot: An eyewitness claims that a transfer student was confronting Captain Yukimura on the basketball court... (See Figure 2 for details) (★ω★)
@TennisClubSupportGroup: It's fake! It's definitely photoshopped! How could Yukimura-sama possibly... (crying)
@PasserbyA: Is the widely circulated "molestation incident" true?!
Risa stared at her phone screen, her lips twitching as she looked at the chat history, which clearly showed signs of being photoshopped.
"This Photoshop work... the background is crooked, and the font is wrong. Amateurish, so amateurish."
"At least we need to hire some online trolls. This is too basic."
During the years when she was both famous and infamous, she witnessed all sorts of cyberbullying and rumors. Compared to that, she hadn't even reached the beginner level.
When faced with this situation, I'm quite adept at handling it: First, stay calm. Second, take screenshots and record the screen to preserve evidence.
After completing these two steps, Risa registered a Twitter account under her real name and posted a carefully worded, neither humble nor arrogant, statement:
[Risa Matsuno: Recent false rumors about me constitute defamation. Relevant evidence has been preserved, and I reserve the right to pursue legal action. Please do not believe or spread these rumors.]
The post, naturally, drew both insults and support. Risa glanced at it, then locked the screen and stuffed it into her pocket.
Public opinion needs time to develop; let the dust settle.
After school, she quickly packed her bag, hoping to go home early to avoid trouble and prevent any students from becoming agitated and physically attacking her.
As soon as I reached the classroom door, I saw Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi Renji, and Niou Masaharu walking towards Class 2-A.
Yukimura's gaze met hers, and the corners of his lips curved slightly.
Risa's heart skipped a beat.
This is really... even jumping into Tokyo Bay won't clear my name.
That's enough.
When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it.
When necessary, the Bodhisattva will protect me.
Even if we take a step back and assume the stage is bigger, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for her.
She took a deep breath and silently counted to three.
III.2
"Matsuno-kun," a clear, gentle voice rang out, "Would it be convenient for us to talk in private?"
A note from the author:
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Minor edits [heart emoji]
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