There was complete silence in the assembly hall.
Not that this was weird, since it was always quiet during official events.
But the ambience was what stood out.
The silence was awkward, and Reiji could see the uncomfortable faces around him as the Principal studied them with cold eyes.
And when she continued her speech, the discomfort grew severalfold.
"Of course, the person behind the post isn't the only one I'm referring to. I'm asking that question to every one of you who participated in this farce, whether that is through blindly believing such nonsense, leaving hate comments towards students that don't deserve such criticism, or by perpetuating these rumors for mere gossip."
Her words cut through and landed directly on the people that had done the things she had mentioned, with some squirming in their seats when they noticed their friends and peers looking at them either teasingly or with disdain.
Reiji himself was on the receiving end of a lot of strange looks.
"But it is also true that I need to make a few clarifications," the Principal stated, catching everyone's attention once more.
She raised her hand and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, pursing her lips tightly.
"I will first talk about the Student Council President, Fujikawa Noa. Everyone here has seen how hard she has worked to get to her position, and they have also seen just how much she cares. Becoming the President as a second-year student is a feat that could almost be called unprecedented in the country, let alone our school, and the people here are very clear on how she managed to secure so many votes in the first place. It's because she showed honesty, integrity, and discipline in everything she does and how she conducts herself. So, to make such accusatory claims with no actual basis beyond imagination is doing nothing more than spitting on everything she has done for this school and the students within."
As soon as her praise ended, a loud whistle echoed through the hall from the second-year row of seats.
"*PFWEET*, WOOHOO PRESIDENT!"
"We believe you!"
A couple more shouts of encouragement piped up, and Reiji couldn't help but chuckle at her popularity despite her usual frigid nature.
Even the Principal smiled slightly, but coughed loudly into her microphone to dispel the noise right after.
"Alright, everyone, stop chattering."
Once the noise died down, she changed the subject of the speech to him.
"As for the other party affected by that post..." she sighed. "There's no denying that the student had crossed some lines early on in the school year. Getting into trouble was a commonality, and a few other students were directly impacted by the more than unsatisfactory behavior. Some students do have the right to be mad about how things were handled, and that responsibility falls solely on me, not the Student Council President."
Reiji's eye twitched.
'.....Is this woman selling me out?'
He clicked his tongue when he realized most of the hall was now looking in his direction, and even his friends next to him were frowning with worry.
He couldn't understand what her purpose was, because even though she was deliberately avoiding his name, everyone here knew who she was talking about.
Luckily, he didn't have to wait long.
"But there is always a reason for everything, and naturally, there was a reason behind why he was not expelled. If anyone even bothered to read the Student Guide that was provided to each and every one of you, you would know how the school's punishment system works. They are split into demerits and strikes, both of which can be noted down depending on the severity. 3 demerits is one strike, and 3 strikes result in expulsion. You should all know this."
Some of the students already realized her point, but those who hadn't been aware of such a system were in the dark.
"To date, that student has earned one strike and 4 demerits, which brings them just two demerits or another strike away from expulsion. Besides these, there are also merit points that can counteract the listed demerits when the school deems them to have been earned. The student has also earned 3 merit points, cutting that total down to 1 strike and 1 demerit. Does everyone now understand why he hasn't been expelled?"
Reiji blinked blankly at her explanation.
He was well aware of the punishment system, but he was more focused on the fact that OG Reiji had managed to rack up so many demerits in just a month of school time.
It was honestly vexing.
"Wait, how did he earn merit points?" a voice asked loudly.
He couldn't see who among the many students had posed the question, but there didn't seem to be ill intent behind it, just confusion.
"Good question," the Principal nodded. "Achieving a Top 10 spot in any set of exams earns you one merit point, and he managed to do that twice. Once in the Entrance Exams, and once during the Midterms. As for the third Merit point, he tutored one of the other students and helped bring their rank into the Top 10, a good deed that needs to be acknowledged. And I'll say this because I know some of you are already thinking about it. No cheating was involved whatsoever. The student complied with an on-the-spot test after he was accused, and completed the paper filled with brand new questions perfectly."
Now the whispers within the audience were getting louder and louder.
Even though Reiji could hear some conversations that dictated their dissatisfaction, there were more people who were fine with how things had been handled.
"Now! it's obvious that just because he hasn't compiled enough demerit points, it doesn't wash away the bad deeds in the past. However, there is one key detail that needs to be highlighted. The last demerit point he incurred was over a month ago, which means that the student has stayed out of trouble for that long and has shown consistent improvement in behavior, conduct, and diligence. This is after he was impartially evaluated by the Student Council President and his teachers. Therefore, the post holds no merit when this is accounted for. In the future, it's a good habit to be sure about something when you choose to say or do things that have an impact on others."
This was the final nail in the coffin, the killing blow that almost completely decimated every claim made by the post.
Of course, not everyone would be appeased.
But this only included those that OG Reiji personally had problems with before the transmigration, and the people who simply enjoyed hating on something for the sake of it.
The hostility directed towards Reiji had dissipated by a significant margin, and he felt like he could finally breathe properly without feeling stifled.
Everyone thought the speech would end here, but surprisingly, the Principal looked towards Noa.
"This is all that I wanted to say, but someone else would like to speak to you all personally."
She stepped back and handed over the spot on the podium to Noa, who adjusted the microphone to her preference.
"To me, the position of Student Council President isn't a mere stepping stone to pad my resume and get into a good university," she spoke, her voice calm, yet tinged with weariness. "To me, it is the ultimate test of one's leadership capabilities, and a pathway that can help mould me into the best version of myself through the trials of patience, discipline, flexibility, and above all, responsibility."
Her bright purple eyes didn't stare at one specific person, and instead felt as if she was somehow looking at every student and teacher in the hall.
"So all I wanted to say was that I would never, ever bring shame to this position, regardless of anything trying to disrupt that. If I have ever given anyone the impression that there was even a remote possibility of that post having one shred of truth in it, then I have failed in upholding those virtues. For that, I apologize."
In front of the entire school, she stepped aside and bowed a full 90 degrees to the audience, which instantly caused the hall to erupt with loud shouts.
"Noooo, please don't apologize!"
"We always believed in you!"
"Screw that stupid ass, hating ass, bored ass, lonely ass poster!"
"Sorry for doubting you!!"
"Marry me, President!"
"Bruh, are you never gonna stop trying, Suda??"
Reiji leaned back in his chair with a smile, more than satisfied by how effective this announcement had been.
Not only had most of the doubts been overturned, but Noa's own position was now stronger than ever before.
However, when he saw her bowing with an expression that showed traces of sadness, he knew that not a single word in her speech was false, nor was she trying to appeal to the people.
She was genuinely feeling like she had failed.
'.....Minato better not fuck this up.'
***
Kahawara Sensei stared at his reflection in the staff bathroom, the clean mirror in front of him depicting a man with a twisted expression filled with hatred and venom.
His hands were gripping the sink's edges so hard that they had turned almost ghostly white, but even that couldn't fully bring out the rage that was boiling inside of him.
"That fucking woman! Why the hell did she step in?? She never cares about school matters, let alone something that happened on a forum not even linked to the school!"
His words were so quiet that it was more accurate to call it a hiss.
Instead of continuing to throw obscenities, he turned on the tap and washed his face with the cold water, jolting himself out of his almost manic state.
He wiped his face dry with a napkin and returned to his usual demeanor, barely managing to disguise the pure anger in his eyes.
"Hmph. Good thing I had the second post as a backup, that boy should be posting it sometime soon. If that's not enough, then I'll just fabricate something. Either way, let those brats enjoy their peace for a few more hours."
With that, he turned around and left the bathroom.
Unaware of what he was about to get into.