"And one more thing—if any of you are fans of the so-called Phantom Thief Joker, I suggest keeping that to yourself. The school discourages talk of such… disruptive fantasies."
Bang!
The red-haired boy in front of Ren slammed his palm on the desk, eyes blazing. "That's bullshit!"
Every head turned toward him.
"You people are exactly the kind of corrupt adults he targets! Why can't we talk and show appreciation about someone who's actually doing something to help society?!"
A girl near the front—ponytail swaying as she turned—crossed her arms with a scoff. "Yeah, seriously! What's wrong with appreciating someone who's finally cleaning up the trash in power? He's not hurting anyone who didn't deserve it."
The green-haired boy beside her raised his hands awkwardly. "C-come on now… let's all calm down. I'm sure Sensei didn't mean it that harshly."
Kushida smiled sweetly, slipping into the conversation like oil into water. "Right. I think maybe she just meant we should avoid turning it into a debate?"
Chabashira didn't blink.
"I meant exactly what I said. This school does not allow discussion of vigilantes—especially ones linked to criminal activity. Public opinion doesn't change the law."
Another voice rose from the back. "He's not a criminal! You're just as corrupt as every one of those bastards he exposed. No wonder this school's tied to the government—you're all part of the same rotten system!"
A black-haired girl from the back of class chimed in. "Sensei is right. That man is a criminal. What he's doing only disturbs the social order."
"Oh, give me a break," someone else snapped. "Now exposing rapists, human traffickers and abusers is disturbing the peace? You'd rather we all stay quiet and let the monsters run free?"
"I never said that," the black-haired girl replied coolly. "You're twisting my words."
"Then explain! What exactly did Joker do wrong when he exposed that billionaire trafficking underage girls?"
She hesitated. "It's not that what he revealed was wrong. But there are legal channels for that. The police—"
"—didn't do anything for years," a girl with upper-back brown hair cut in. "If they had, Joker wouldn't need to exist."
"Guys, please," The green-haired tried again, his tone more urgent this time. "It's our first day. Shouldn't we be trying to get along?"
"Yes, he is right. Please calm down everyone!" Kushida joined in once again.
Maruki cleared his throat. "Let's not let emotions get the better of us. Everyone's entitled to their views, but this isn't the place to—"
Chabashira turned sharply.
"Dr. Maruki, wasn't it the director who asked you to introduce yourself to all first-year classes? Not just Class D?"
"…Well, yes, but—"
"There is no but. I can manage this class on my own. You're dismissed."
Maruki hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, but didn't push it. He gave the class one last gentle look before quietly exiting.
"Hohoho, the black-haired girl is right." a smug voice said from across the room. A tall, blonde boy leaned back in his chair, smirking. "That Joker guy is nothing but a masked freak and a criminal."
"Shut the fuck up, blondie," the red-haired boy growled.
"Oh-ho. Such refined language. No wonder you idolize a criminal."
"You are talking trash without giving a singular reason as to why he is in the wrong except he is 'disturbing the peace'. What peace exactly? As far as I know, a lot of people lives have been saved thanks to his effort." the gyaru girl continued, her voice rising over the murmurs. "The peace of rich pigs walking free while kids get trafficked?"
"Maybe if you read something other than fashion blogs, you'd understand how society works," the blonde boy shot back, arms behind his head, lounging like this was some comedy routine.
"Oh? And what do you read, huh?" the ponytailed gyaru shot back, folding her arms under her chest. "Some guidebook on how to sound like a stuck-up know-it-all?"
The blonde boy leaned forward again, scoffing. "You talk like Joker's some kind of saint. What happens when he decides someone innocent is guilty? What then?"
"Oh please," she fired back, ponytail swaying as she gestured. "He's never gone after anyone innocent. Two years—and not a single false confession. People's lives have actually improved thanks to him. Bullying's down, suicide rates have dropped, even street crime's taken a hit."
"That's what cults say too," a soft-spoken boy near the front, pushing his glasses up his nose. "They think their leader is always right. Joker could just be brainwashing these people."
"Don't be an idiot," said a girl with tomboyish hair in the middle. "Brainwashing? You think people suddenly admit to sex trafficking and embezzlement because of hypnosis? Get real. He has magical powers that he uses for the good of society."
A boy ,on the heavier side, in the back of the room spoke up, his tone more thoughtful than hostile. "Okay, sure—he has powers. But doesn't that make it even scarier? Someone out there can change who you are at your core... and nobody can stop him. What happens if he ever loses control?"
"Oh, please. Just because you've got extra weight doesn't mean your opinion carries more, fatass."
"Huh! Imagine defending a criminal who is acting as Judge, Jury and Executioner." The blonde boy said crossing his arm.
"…So what?" said another boy in the left side of the class. "Let's say he is doing that or whatever the 'change of heart' he does is. If the person's guilty and it stops them from ruining more lives, what's the problem?"
"That's not justice," the black-haired girl from earlier countered. "That's just vigilantism wrapped in moral sugar-coating. If we let someone like him operate freely, we're opening the door for anyone to start deciding who deserves punishment."
"Better that than letting monsters keep walking free just because they wear suits and ties," the red-haired boy snapped.
"I agree with the black-haired girl," the guy with glasses said. "What Joker does is no different from terrorism. Just because people like the results doesn't make the method right."
A girl with pigtails raised her hand timidly, looking between both sides. "Um… but… what if Joker's actions make people in power scared to abuse their position? Isn't that a good thing?"
Another girl nodded. "Right? Like… ever since Joker showed up, there's been way fewer reports of corruption, harassment, cover-ups and a lot of things have change for the better in the last 2 years. That means something."
The black-haired girl wasn't backing down. "Fear isn't how you build a better world. It's how you create a paranoid one."
"And doing nothing changes even less," the ponytailed gyaru said. "How many people suffered in silence before Joker came along? At least now someone's doing something."
"Are we seriously debating such a dumb matter?" the blonde boy muttered. "It's simple. Joker is a criminal. Doesn't matter if his targets are bad. Two wrongs don't make a right."
"But if the law is corrupt, who decides what's wrong anymore?" someone asked from the back.
"Not a masked vigilante playing God, that's for sure," the black-haired girl snapped. "What if he gets it wrong?"
"But he hasn't. Not in two years, is it that hard to understand?" someone else replied.
"Everyone! Please!" Kushida's voice rang out again, more desperate this time. "Let's just calm down. Fighting over something like this isn't going to help anyone."
"She is right, we are classmates and it's our first day, we shouldn't be doing things like this." The green-haired boy from earlier added.
"Shut up!!"
"We're not fighting. We're expressing opposing perspectives. Which, by the way, is a cornerstone of democratic society. Unlike that so-called Joker, who bypasses all forms of legal procedure." The black-haired girl said.
"Oh my God, can you stop sounding like a cop?" the red-haired boy growled.
She ignored him. "If someone's actions cause mass hysteria, emotional instability, and distrust toward legal institutions—then yes, it is disturbing the peace. Even if their intent is noble."
"Oh, shut up—he revealed a minister selling children to foreign clients!" the gyaru girl snapped. "You call that 'hysteria'? That's justice!"
"Justice without accountability is just vigilantism and is wrong," the black-haired girl said calmly.
"Justice without action is just paperwork and is wrong," the gyaru girl countered from the front.
"W-whether Joker is right or wrong is irrelevant," a blue-haired girl said. "What matters is that his existence proves something is deeply wrong with our world. That alone is enough reason to discuss him openly. A lot of people outside this school idolize him, so I don't know what's wrong with talking him here."
The blonde boy leaned back lazily in his chair, clearly enjoying the attention. "He's just disturbing the peace. Making society unstable. You all act like that's a good thing, but chaos always starts with people like him."
"You mean people who actually give a fuck?" someone scoffed from the side.
"Enough," the black-haired girl said firmly. "The law is the law. Joker breaks it. End of story."
"You keep saying the same line over and over, but you haven't said one actual reason why he's wrong. What peace is he disturbing? Because from what I've seen, the only people who've lost anything… are the monsters who deserved it. There is a reason why so many people are grateful for what he is doing."
The black-haired girl from earlier stood again, straight-backed, voice precise. "You're all letting emotions cloud your judgment. Public safety is built on order, not personal ideals. The moment you accept vigilantism; you undermine the entire structure of justice."
"Justice?" the red-haired boy scoffed. "You mean that system that turns a blind eye to abuse, corruption, and exploitation? That one?"
"Even if it's flawed, it's better than chaos."
"Better for who?" the gyaru said bitterly. "For people like you? Sitting pretty while others suffer?"
Several students murmured in agreement.
The blonde boy from earlier rolled his eyes. "This is all just immature idealism. Joker's a criminal, plain and simple. He commits illegal acts."
"And yet," a soft-spoken girl with long braids said quietly, "those illegal acts saved lives. Doesn't that count for something?"
"Yeah," the redhead added, "what about the girl who escaped her abusive father thanks to him? Or that crooked CEO who was running illegal orphanage schemes?"
"Don't forget the school principal in Shibuya who was covering up student harassment," said the green-haired boy, for the first time joining the debate instead of trying to calm the class, nodding slowly. "That guy was practically untouchable until Joker stepped in."
"He didn't just bring justice," the gyaru said, crossing her arms with a huff. "He gave people hope."
"Hope?" the black-haired girl sneered. "Is that what you call encouraging civilians to worship a vigilante who breaks into people's minds? You call that sane?"
"Better than worshiping politicians who lie, cheat, and steal with a smile on their face," someone muttered.
More and more students were turning toward the debate now, faces animated, voices rising.
"This is why Joker is dangerous," the guy with glasses snapped. "He makes people think they can ignore the law whenever they feel something's wrong."
"And what if the law ignores you?" the redhead challenged. "You just shut up and take it?"
"There's a process! Due process, evidence, legal defense—" The black-haired girl tried countering.
"That process protected the monsters he exposed."
"I'm not defending them! I'm defending order—!"
"You're defending a system that lets people rot while monsters thrive!"
DING—DONG.
The chime rang once more through the intercom.
"Students from the first year, please proceed to the auditorium for the director's introduction."
Chabashira finally moved.
"Enough," she said simply. "Save your philosophies for debate club."
The class, still burning with arguments, began preparing themselves to leave the class.
But the room hadn't cooled.
Not by a long shot.
Ren exhaled quietly, eyes half-lidded, from lack of sleep.
What a first day…
And they had barely even introduced themselves.