We arrived at school. As me and Yukina walked to class, an orange haired upperclassmen stopped me. Hanging around his neck was a white tie and a digital camera.

"Hey there. I'm Isen Tougou, 3rd Year A Class, of the newspaper club."

I've heard of the name Isen before. He was in the same class as Kaido. Did come here by his orders, or by his own admission?

For an A Class student, he looked pretty friendly. I wondered what he wanted from me.

"Takanori Yuuto, 1st Year E Class."

"I'm Kazuraba Yukina. Yuu's classmate."

We introduced ourselves to him. Isen smiled with a nod.

"It's nice to meet both of you, but I'm only interested in Takanori-san. The newspaper club wants to run a story about what happened between you and Shimizu Hoshimi-san of 1-D, so is it okay if I interview you before homeroom starts?"

It seems like the newspaper club had some reporting integrity at least. It would've been much easier to run with the current narrative, but Isen wanted to talk to me about my side of the story. That much I could appreciate.

I quickly checked my phone. It wasn't long before the designated time me and Yogen chose to put these rumours to rest.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Can I come too?" Yukina asked.

"Sorry, but no can do I'm afraid. It's a confidential matter."

"Oh, I see..."

For insurance purposes, it'd be better if Yukina was present. That way, Isen wouldn't be able to pull something sneaky on me.

"Actually, I'd prefer if she was there with me. It would be a bit surreptitious if it was just us the two of us, don't you think?"

Isen put a pen to his chin, smiling lightly, before shaking his head.

"If you're worried about me twisting the story or something, don't worry. You're not the only 1st Year we're interviewing before homeroom."

It seemed multiple interviews would be happening at once, so there would be lots of witnesses from both the other 1st Years and the other club members. Considering what I was going to use to answer Isen's questions with, I determined it was probably fine to let the situation continue as it is.

"Fair enough. Yukina, you go on ahead. This shouldn't last long anyways. When you get to E Class, keep an eye on the school app for me."

I left her with those instructions. Yukina looked uneasy, but followed what I said. She headed to class, leaving me and Isen alone.

"Well, let's go to our clubroom. It's just down the hall."

Isen lead the way while I slyly checked the school app for information about him. He might have appeared as friendly on the outside, but being a reporter meant that he probably has connections everywhere, including some with less than reputable people.

Not only that, but I was wary of the fact that he was probably privy to many secrets of the students in the school. He must have a way with words like Yogen in order to collect information for all these stories. I can't let myself get caught in a trap by him.

This newspaper story could either be used to my advantage or be used against me to bury me even further. Depending on which side Isen was on, the narrative could flip between either painting me as an innocent bystander whose name was dragged through the mud, or a ruthless monster who unleashes violence on the weak when things don't happen my way.

That was the scary part. The amount of influence someone like him could simply have, just from publishing a report of what happened.

"Isen-senpai. Is the newspaper club also going to report about what happened in the cardfight room yesterday?"

While we were walking, I asked him a vague question to glean some information and distract him, so I could discreetly type his name into the app's search function to find his account. Isen put a pen to his chin again, humming.

"Well, someone in the club did approach me yesterday asking if they could write an article about it, but I thought it wasn't really newsworthy. I mean, two boys getting into a fight is pretty common, isn't it?"

It seems he knew the gist of what happened, but not who was involved. That was good for me.

"That's true."

"Do you perhaps any information about it?"

"No, I was just curious, that's all."

I lied in order to end the conversation. He didn't need to know about me punching Ritaka.

Checking his account, the public information he displayed surprised me. Not only was Isen the head of the newspaper club, but he was also part of the student council as their personal reporter. No wonder I've heard of his name before.

Isen's unassuming presence transformed into a powerful pressure that consumed the hallway.

Was I being lead straight to the jaws of death?

"Here we are."

Hearing Isen's voice brought me back to my senses. I have to be cautious around him.

"Excuse the intrusion."

I entered the room, Isen following me. Inside, I noticed three familiar faces were present as well: Zyriot, Shimizu, and Ginga Meguko, a girl from C Class. Since she wasn't involved in this incident, I surmised she was a member of the newspaper club.

"Oh, Yuuto-san, good morning. Were you brought here to be interviewed too?" Zyriot greeted me with a handshake.

"Yeah. Isen-senpai contacted me."

"I see. Me and Hoshimi-san were brought here by Ginga-san."

Upon seeing me, Shimizu looked down in shame. She must've been feeling guilty over this.

"M-morning, Takanori-san..."

She greeted me with reluctance. Seeing her like this made me feel bad, so I offered some supportive words.

"Hey. I know this isn't your fault, so you don't worry about it."

"I-it feels like it is though... if you and Matsushita-san didn't see me and Hashimoto-senpai together, then... this could've all been avoided... couldn't it?"

Her voice was nothing more than a soft, broken whisper. Zyriot reached out his hand and patted her head reassuringly.

"This also could've been avoided if I was in class when Yuuto-san came to visit. We're both just as equally guilty for ruining his reputation."

Without falter, Zyriot took partial responsibility to make her feel better. Shimizu smiled faintly with warm cheeks.

"Sorry about the messy layout here. The paper publishes on Friday, so we're on a real time crunch to get this story done."

Isen apologised as he cleaned up the scattered desks.

"It's fine. You're waiting for one more person, right?" Zyriot said.

"Yep. Though, I trust Maki-chan to hunt that guy down and bring him here, even if he doesn't want to."

"You'd be surprised. He's a lot more willing than you'd expect."

It seems like Zyriot knew who Isen was referring to. I took a seat next to them while Isen entered a small office connected to the clubroom in order to prepare for the interviews.

"Zyriot-san, Shimizu-san, do you guys know what actually happened?"

"Sort of? While it's not solid, me and Kanon-san think Hashimoto-senpai started this rumour. We would've liked to show everyone that Hoshimi-san had no bruises on her, but obviously it would be uncomfortable for Hoshimi-san to show her body to everyone."

Seeing Shimizu's naked body would definitely gratify Hashimoto. Maybe that's what he wanted all along.

"I-I did let Kanon-san and the other girls look... t-they can confirm there's no bruises or marks..."

I envied D Class's camaraderie. When situations like this occurred, their teamwork and communication was an invaluable tool. I can only imagine what their coordination would be like in the war.

"Of course, the words of a few people won't be enough to overpower the masses hollering. Those guys... I get that they mean well, but they've only made this mess a thousand times more difficult to clean up."

Zyriot was referring to the delinquents who perpetuated the lie in order to protect D Class's reputation.

"Have you talked to Mikitaka-san about it?"

"Yeah. He's perfectly fine with taking the blame for it. In fact, he said that if we ever to get interviewed over this by the newspaper club, he wanted us to say his name explicitly so he could have his name printed in the school newspaper. He thinks Mikazuchi-senpai will read it and challenge him to a fight over it."

I was more surprised that Mikitaka accurately predicted that this situation would blow out of proportion to the point the newspaper club would want to cover it. I really doubted Kaido read the school newspaper though.

"That guy really wants to battle Kaido-senpai... using this method sure is creative."

Maybe Mikitaka was smarter than he let on. This situation had become the perfect storm for him to spread his name as a villain.

"Oh, are you close to Kaido-san, Takanori-san?"

Overhearing our conversation, Isen chimed in. I didn't even notice that he exited the office already. This guy was sneaky...

"Not particularly. We fought in the first war last month, that's all."

"I was surprised to hear you call him by his first name, but that guy hates being called Mikazuchi, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. He's his own person... or something."

"You know, this all makes sense now."

Isen put a pen to his chin, humming.

"What does?"

"Yesterday, Kaido-san told me to help you out. I didn't understand why he'd suddenly become interested in this case, but..."

Isen closed his eyes and shook his head. I was more shocked that Kaido was on my side for this.

"Nah, I'm crazy. Seeing you now, I think he's even more insane for telling me that."

I couldn't tell if this was meant to be a compliment or an insult. Regardless, Isen being Kaido's friend made the situation feel a little less stressful.

The door of the newspaper club was kicked open, and the haughty laugh of the delinquent of delinquents echoed throughout the clubroom. Mikitaka, followed by an unknown upperclassman wearing a white tie, made his grand entrance inside the room.

"Talk about a pain in the ass..." The upperclassman groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Good job getting Takenaka-san here, Maki-chan!" Isen praised the upperclassman.

I checked the app and found her account. She was Sakuraba Maki, a 2nd Year A Class student, and member of the newspaper club.

"Yare yare, Takanori-san, it seems we meet again, ya ha ha ha!"

Me and Mikitaka locked eyes while standing across from each other.

"You really messed things up for me, Mikitaka-san."

"Yea, I know. Does it look like I care?"

Mikitaka sneered, shoving his large hands into his pockets.

"I mean... I assume you're here to set things straight, like Zyriot-san and Shimizu-san."

"But not for yer sake, aight? I couldn't care less about a dude who spits in the face of Mikazuchi-sama so nonchalantly."

Mikitaka imitated spitting on my shoes. Seeing as making an enemy out of him would be a bad idea in the long run, I put my guard down and tried talking to him as equals.

"I wasn't trying to be rude. I honestly do respect Kaido-senpai. My first goal at this school is to beat him."

"You wanna beat Mikazuchi-sama? Ya ha ha ha ha ha!"

Mikitaka carelessly laughed in my face. However, seeing that I was serious about it, Mikitaka stopped with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh. Maybe ya do have a backbone after all. Too bad yer gonna lose."

"I'll do my best to try and overcome him."

"Bet. Tho, if yer only sayin' that to dodge my fists again, I'll never forgive ya, aight?"

Even though Mikitaka raised his fist and got closer to me, I continued to look him sternly in the eyes to show my resolve.

"I'm completely serious."

"Yare yare. I've never seen that kinda face on a man before. It's kinda ugly, sorta dumb lookin', but I can tell ya got spirit, brother."

Mikitaka walked pass me, patting me on the shoulder like it was a consolation prize. Strangely, he called me "brother" in English. It was the first time he had ever addressed me like that.

"Tho, don't get the wrong idea, bucko. I don't feel any remorse for lynchin' ya. If I did, I wouldn't be the ultimate villain! Don't ya agree?"

Mikitaka extended his question to everyone else in the room by sweeping his arms out. Sakuraba, who was growing increasingly more impatient by Mikitaka's behaviour, finally decided to deal with him.

"I'm getting sick of your shtick, schmuck. Save the theatrics for later."

With absolutely zero fear in her eyes, Sakuraba kicked Mikitaka in the ankle to make him fall onto the couch Zyriot and Shimizu was sitting on.

"Yare yare, woman! Didn't ya hear me? I'm the ultimate villain!"

Mikitaka's reflexes caught him, keeping him up. He spun round in an instant, grabbing Sakuraba by the collar and ferociously head-butting her. Sakuraba responded by head-butting him back with equal intensity.

"Don't get feisty wiz me! I'll personally make sure you'll regret turnin' yer fangs on me!"

"Pudgy 1st Years like you don't scare me."

Sakuraba grabbed onto his tie and peanut it, closing up Mikitaka's open collar. It was kind of scary, seeing Sakuraba act so ballsy against the biggest delinquent in our school. I would've never expected her to be in the newspaper club.

"Maki-chan, please calm down!" Isen pleaded from behind his desk.

"Mikitaka-san, we're here for an interview, not a fist-fight." Zyriot inserted himself between them.

Putting a hand on Mikitaka's balled fist, Zyriot shook his head disapprovingly. At the same time, he shot a dirty look at Sakuraba's way. A silent warning.

"Tch." Both of them clicked their tongues and let go of each other.

"Thank you."

I was really impressed by the way Zyriot had managed to masterfully diffuse the situation. No wonder D Class doesn't devolve into chaos while he's around.

"Ah, please excuse her behaviour. Maki-chan's our field reporter, so she's tough as nails. She just doesn't like it when people act larger than they actually are." Isen quickly explained the reason behind Sakuraba's roughness.

With that sort of rash personality, I wondered how she was in A Class still. I suppose that meant she was excellent in other areas to make up for it. Field reporting can get pretty risky after all.

"You don't get nerves of steel without facing some danger." Sakuraba smirked, fixing the position of her glasses.

"Ya nearly pissed yer pants when ya first saw me, woman." Mikitaka said passive aggressively, redoing his tie.

"In any case, it's a pleasure to finally meet GEN's infamous delinquent of delinquents in the flesh."

Isen cut in, greeting Mikitaka. I guess even the 3rd Years were aware of his incredulous reputation.

"Heh, for flatterin' me, I'll show ya some mercy. Answer me this."

Slamming his hands on Isen's desk, Mikitaka pointed a finger gun to Isen's forehead. Surprisingly, Isen didn't even flinch, instead narrowing his eyes as he patiently waited for the question.

"What kind of woman is your type?"

Isen's serious face dropped in an instant when he heard that. Sakuraba burst out laughing while Zyriot facepalmed quietly in the corner.

"Is this... some kind of comedy routine?"

"Ya think I'm jokin', senpai? I'm totally serious. Whenever I meet a new guy, I hafta ask them what their preference in a woman is. A person's fetishes reflect everythin' 'bout 'em. People wiz borin' taste in women are borin' people themselves."

Mikitaka pushed his finger deeper into Isen's forehead. Isen grimaced, wondering whether he should even answer or not.

"And I hate boring men. By the way, my type is a tall woman with big boobs and a ponytail!"

A dangerous combination. However, I noticed an inconsistency in his explaination and foolishly asked about it.

"Hang on. You never asked me that when you first met me though?"

"Use yer head. I didn't ask ya cuz I could tell from first sight you weren't even worth askin'."

"Seriously...?"

"Ya woulda given me a safe, soulless, half-assed answer, right? I hate wish-washy men like that the most of all!"

Well, Mikitaka wasn't exactly wrong. In some ways, I'm glad I was able to dodge the question. I would've answered something along the lines of "I don't really care, as long as they have unshakeable character", probably.

I felt pretty bad for Isen, who was being subjected to this while two of his female kouhai club members were present as witnesses. Depending on his answer, things could end up pretty bad.

"To tell you the truth, Takenaka-san, I already have a girlfriend."

"Ho? Who's ya wiz?"

"A former student at this school. She graduated last year."

No wonder he could keep his cool, Isen was dating someone a year older than him. Mikitaka looked at Isen blankly, dropping the finger gun. Then, tears started to leak from Mikitaka's eyes...?

"I knew it... I knew from first glance that ya were a borin' guy as well... butcha shouldn't judge a person by their looks, right? So I went outta my way to ask ya, butcha just trampled on my kindness instead."

Wait, Isen was worthy of a second chance but I wasn't...? Mikitaka wiped the tears rolling down his cheeks, looking down at Isen with disgust.

"Why are all the men at this school so half-baked?! Hurry up and interview us, ya borin' scrub!

"O-of course... though we're one member short to do four interviews. I asked Yokoi-san to come in this morning, but he's still not here yet..."

I searched on the app for a "Yokoi". It led me to another newspaper club member, Yokoi Umanosuke, also from 2nd Year A Class.

"Damn flaker. Why do we keep him on the club if he doesn't show up?" Sakuraba openly voiced her complaints.

"He's good at writing articles, duh." Isen laughed.

"What are we gonna do then?"

"Uh, can't we just do a group interview with them?"

Ginga, who had been quiet up until now, suggested something to the two upperclassmen.

"One on one is more efficient though. Time's not on our side."

Isen was right. Homeroom would begin in about twenty minutes. A group interview would force us all to stay here, rather than have people leave once their personal interviews were done.

"Watchin' y'all strugglin' makes me sad."

"Mikitaka-san, lets not be disrespectful."

"Tch, how hard is it to hold an interview? In fact, lemme make things easy for y'all idiots. I'll get my part done in a flash."

Mikitaka stood up, moving a table to the centre of the room. Jumping onto the table and crouching on it, he crossed his arms into an X shape while making gun signs.

"Take out yer phones and start recordin' this! I'll only say it once, so ya better listen, twerps!"

For some reason, Mikitaka instructed the newspaper club to take a video of him. Isen shrugged, going with the flow. Sakuraba and Ginga used their phones while Isen used the camera hanging around his neck.

"The delinquent of delinquents, Takenaka Mikitaka, is here! Ya ha ha ha ha! Do y'all honestly think that Takanori has the balls to hit a woman? Hell nah! Didn'tcha see how me and my guys absolutely trashed that loser?! Ya ha ha ha ha! I'd bet good money that he's so weak, he couldn't even open a pickle jar!"

For the record, I can open a pickle jar with my bare hands.

"Now listen up! All those stupid rumours got it twisted! I'm here to claim my glory back! Cuz it was me that called the shots to lynch him! That's right, bitches! I beat up everyone's favourite big 3 loner, the fat loser Takanori! Ya wanna know why? Ya do, dun ya?! Ya ha ha ha ha!"

Mikitaka pointed at the cameras dramatically, swooshing his pompadour back.

"Fine then, I'll tell ya outta pity cuz y'all never be as good as me! Takanori weren't showin' proper respect to my hero, the legendary Mikazuchi-sama! So I hadda personally discipline him! If ya dun' like it, yer next! Mikazuchi-sama, if ya wanna stop the ruckus of the delinquent of delinquents, come and fight me, the great villain Takenaka Mikitaka, once and for all! Ya ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

He really ramped his villainous act to eleven. I was impressed that he wasn't afraid to play it up for the cameras.

"Bravo, what a spectacular performance!"

Isen was extremely happy with the footage he had captured. The two girls seemed exasperated though.

"Ya think I was actin'? Lemme tell ya summin', I was completely serious!"

Isen tilted his head and blinked.

"Wait... really?"

"Yeah. I got beat up over Kaido-senpai." I interjected.

"Exactly as Takanori-san says, ya ha ha ha! Heh, good thing my beatin' taughtcha a valuable lesson."

Except, I already respected Kaido even before Mikitaka beat me up.

"No wonder he wanted me to help you out... that guy's always causing trouble somehow..."

Isen muttered under his breath, a strained smile clashing against his angry face. I could tell Kaido has used Isen before to clean up his messes.

"Anyways, that's my interview, done and over. I said what I needed to say, so see ya later nerds!"

Just as Mikitaka was about to leave, Isen called out to him.

"Wait, before you go! I still have questions!"

"Huh? What is it? Dun' waste my time, fool."

To show how disinterested he was, Mikitaka shoved a pinky finger up his nose to pick for bogies.

"Why did the reason become Takanori-san hit Shimizu-san then? You even said it was that yourself when the rumours first leaked!"

"Huh? Ya thick in the head or summin'? The answer's obvious why I lied."

Mikitaka put his arms around Zyriot and Shimizu. Zyriot pushed Mikitaka's snot coated finger away from him.

"It's to protect my class, the big D! Nothin' more, nothin' less!"

Isen was taken back by his bold answer. With that, Mikitaka went to make his exit. Stopping abruptly at the door, he looked over his shoulder.

"Oh yea, send the vid over to me, will ya? I wanna show the whole world my resolve!"

"Eh, guess it can't hurt for him to have a souvenir. Ginga-san, since you're in the same year, send him your copy." Isen instructed.

"Y-yessir!"

Ginga sprung into action, messaging Mikitaka over the app with the video she took. After confirming he received it, Mikitaka posted it onto the school forum with his own account.

"Aight, for realsies, that's all I have to say for this dumb matter. Later, ya fat neeks!"

"Am I fat?" Isen looked at his stomach.

"...I don't know who's more stupid, you or Takenaka." Sakuraba sighed.

Seeing as Isen didn't mind that the video with Mikitaka was posted early, I could use it as more evidence as why I didn't hit Shimizu in class. Regardless, my plan was soon about to go off.

"Well, since our numbers are perfect now, we can begin the interviews."

I checked the time on my phone. Perfect.

"Ginga-san, I'd like you to interview Shimizu-san, and Maki-chan, I'd like you to interview Zyriot-san. I'll interview Takanori-san."

We spread throughout the clubroom, sitting at separate tables each to have our interviews. After doing the basic consent routine, such as getting my name, verbal consent, and permission to record this, Isen got into the questions.

"Takanori-san, from your point of view, what happened?"

I pulled out my phone and launched the school app. Opening the trending tab, I clicked on the top post by Yogen Emica.

"This."

I slid my phone to Isen, whose eyes widened as he watched the video.

"Rather than explain it with words, it'd just be easier to show you how I ended up getting blamed for hitting Shimizu-san."

Isen was watching the surveillance footage of that day.

Shimizu was walking down the hallway until Hashimoto stopped her and grabbed her by the arm. Then, me and Matsushita tried to intervene to save her. Next, Yamamoto and Yogen walks by, before Yamamoto humiliates Hashimoto by saving Shimizu and shoving him to the ground. The video ends with Hashimoto running away in panic.

"What the...?"

Isen was shocked. He couldn't believe what he had witnessed.

"The real person who laid their hands on Shimizu-san in this situation is Hashimoto-senpai. Not me."

"This is... there's no words to describe it... it's just, wow! I need to download this video, oh my god!"

Isen took out his phone hurriedly, trying to find the post. After saving it, he jumped from his chair and proudly exclaimed the title of this story.

"Now this is a scoop! Hashimoto Atasuke violently grabs Shimizu Hoshimi, but is foiled by a group of 1st Years!"

Checking the video's ratings, it was blowing up. People were confused, others understood what happened, but most importantly, Hashimoto was getting slammed over it.

Yogen had added a small description to the video. It simply read: "Eww, he likes taking photographs of little girls!". What a Yogen thing to say.

"I can't believe you got this surveillance footage... it must've cost a hefty price, right?"

"Yeah. Yogen-san really came in clutch."

As much as I didn't want to, I had to give credit where credit was due. Without her, this exposé of Hashimoto wouldn't be possible otherwise.

"So, let me get this straight... this video, filmed in the morning on the security cameras, shows Hashimoto-san grabbing Shimizu-san, making him the real abuser in all this?"

"Yes."

"And the reason you were filmed getting beat up by the delinquents is because you offended Takenaka-san for not putting respect on Kaido-san's name?"

"That's right."

"So in order to protect their class's reputation after posting that graphic video on the app, Takenaka-san and his delinquents lied about the reason why they beat you up by saying you hit Shimizu-san, instead of Hashimoto-san?"

"Correct. That's where the confusion lies."

Isen buried his head in the table, unable to comprehend how ridiculously convoluted this situation was.

"Of course this happened in GEN Academy... this is the type of stuff that can only happen in GEN Academy... but that's why GEN Academy is the best!"

Full of energy, Isen shot up, slamming his foot on the table and proudly declaring his love for the school.

"I live for this insanity! Being a reporter is the best! This week's issue is going to be amazing!"

I could feel his passion surge throughout the room. While it was overbearing, it was also genuine.

"Hang on, but if none of the delinquents were present in that situation, how did they learn about it?"

As his excitement for the story calmed down and he regained his level head, Isen pointed out a very important contradiction I wanted to expand upon.

"They didn't, because the delinquents weren't the ones to make up the rumour. All they did was jump on the bandwagon because it was convenient for the sake of their class. You can ask Zyriot-san for more information about that."

"I'll be sure to double-check and cross-reference the interviews, don't worry."

"Rather, someone else made it. If you want my opinion, I think Hashimoto-senpai is the culprit behind the rumour."

I proceeded to explain my reasoning to Isen.

"Fascinating. The evidence you've presented is really strong, but the reasoning feels... hmm, how do I put it?"

Isen tapped his pen against his chin, leaning back in his chair as he hummed.

"Flimsy?"

"For lack of a better term, yes. However, I think I can fill in those gaps very easily."

Isen's upbeat mood subtly shifted. I could feel a drop of darkness leak from him as he put his pen down with an overly serious expression.

"What do you mean?"

I was a bit hesitant to ask, but it seemed Isen knew something I didn't. This was the perfect chance to learn more about the school, seeing as his position in the school hierarchy would make him a reliable information source.

Isen paused the recording.

"I'm going to speak to you, not as an interviewee, but as my kouhai."

Even though the topic of the conversation had turned serious, Isen retained his friendly demeanour.

"You seem like a good kid, so I don't want you to get in trouble like this again. I'd advise you not to trust any 3rd Years from E Class."

Once again, the enigmatic 3rd Year E Class surfaced in my conversations with a 3rd Year A Class student. First it was Kaido, now it was Isen.

"Wouldn't that be difficult? There's seventy two of them."

"And you don't find that reason enough not to trust them? In the first place, seventy two dropouts are-"

Isen stopped himself and shook his head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to say that... I hope you're not offended."

It seems even Isen had his own set of moral codes he tried to abide by.

"Not at all."

"Regardless, without getting into specifics, you should keep your guard up around them. It's better if you don't know what's going on in our year anyways, Takanori-san."

Even though he worded it like advice, this was actually a warning from Isen. Even though I'd like to continue discussing this topic in more depth, he resumed the recording of the interview. I was asked a few more questions before we were finished.

"This was perfect! Thanks for your time today, Takanori-san."

"No, I should be the one thanking you. I can finally put these false rumours to rest."

"Finding the truth is a reporter's job. If it helps someone along the way, that's a sweet bonus."

Even though he was a powerful person in the school, Isen was very approachable and a good listener. My suspicions towards him had disappeared a little. He was an honest journalist, which was rare to see these days.

"You should probably head back to class now. You've got ten minutes until homeroom starts."

"Yeah... I'm kind of surprised you'd go so far for one story."

"Well, if you don't pour through a story extensively in detail, consider all the angles, and frame it fairly, you'll end up spreading misinformation to everyone. That's why as long as the newspaper club's in my hands, I won't let a single false article go through."

The way Isen worded that made me feel like there used to be corruption in this club before. In his hands, huh? This must be a hotly contested club people want a position in.

"Isen-senpai, if I can ask, how many people are in the newspaper club?"

"Twelve right now. Why do you ask?"

That's lower than I expected.

"Oh... I was thinking of maybe joining."

Isen raised his eyebrows and laughed. Picking up his pen, he put it against his chin.

"Interesting."

"Is there something funny about it?"

"No, no. It's not easy to get in, I'll say that much. After all..."

A shadow was cast upon Isen's eyes.

"Satsubatsu-sama, the headmaster, is our club's supervisor."

I took a step back. The headmaster was personally involved in this club?

"Don't look so surprised. It is the school paper after all. Of course he'd be interested in overseeing it."

Isen started to tap the pen against his chin.

"It's just... some troublesome students exerted their influence a bit too much and were removed. As a result, the difficulty to join this club was increased."

So my hunch was correct. There was some corruption in the club prior to Isen's leadership.

"Well, that's all in the past now."

"Which students were they?"

"Oh, just some former A Class 3rd Years. Getting sent to E Class over it was a rightful punishment if you ask me."

Isen said that so nonchalantly, it was almost scary. Is this why he warned me not to trust them earlier?

"Do you know their names?"

"Sure I do. Are you gonna try and dig up the past?"

"Not really... I'm just curious."

Isen nodded, tapping the pen against his chin quicker than before.

"Well, that curiosity is essential to being a good reporter. If you do want to join, I don't mind putting in a good word for you with Satsubatsu-sama. Like I said before, you seem like a good kid."

He kept dodging my question. Was the business between the 3rd Years that confidential? Well, I at least knew they were in 3rd Year E Class, so I could probably ask Kuwahara about it if I run into him again.

"Just don't forget what I said. Alright? I don't want you to regret it later."

"Right..."

It seems Isen, much like Kaido, took a firm stance regarding getting us 1st Years involved in the 3rd Years business. He wanted us out. I guess it can't be helped.

"Yuuto-san, are you coming?"

Zyriot and Shimizu were waiting for me at the door. I didn't expect that they wanted to walk to class with me.

"Oh, sorry. See you, Isen-senpai."

"See you around, Takanori-san!"

Me and Isen shook hands as we parted ways.

Even though I came here to clean up the rumour, I left wanting more answers for what was going on in the 3rd Year's intra-class battle instead.

I left the newspaper club room with Zyriot and Shimizu. As we walked back to class, we made light conversation.

"By the way, Zyriot-san. Did Mikitaka-san ask you that strange question too?"

"Yeah. I answered "dumb blondes" as a joke, but he took it seriously. Now Mikitaka-san and Zenkichi-san won't stop sending me pictures of blonde anime girls in my DMs."

Somehow, D Class's camaraderie transcended beyond common sense... Shimizu looked grossed out by the topic, so I dropped it immediately.