Chapter 251: The Student Council

By the fourth day, under the deliberate exaggeration and spread of rumors by certain individuals, the scandal involving compensated dating had spiraled out of control. Some resentful girls even collectively demanded that the school expel Gennai Kazumi, claiming she brought shame to all the students of Teikyo Academy.

Kazumi, however, became the focus of whispered gossip no matter where she went. Surprisingly, she neither took leave nor left school early; instead, she continued attending classes and going home on time, as if the entire affair had nothing to do with her.

Her calm demeanor only fueled the anger of those who disliked her. Yet, because of their fear of the “human weapon,” no one dared to physically confront Kazumi. Verbal attacks, however, grew increasingly vicious.

“Rumi, don’t come to meet me tomorrow. I can walk home by myself,” Kazumi said to the kendo girl on their way back to the apartment.

Over the past two days, not only had Kazumi been targeted, but Rumi had also become a victim of ridicule by association. Whenever someone intentionally made sarcastic remarks in their presence, Rumi would immediately step forward to argue. However, the malicious and cutting remarks of the other girls were often too much for the pure-hearted Rumi, leaving her in tears.

The situation had only stopped on the second day when Lei Yin came to pick them up after school. No one dared to cause trouble when the “human weapon” was present. Even so, Kazumi didn’t want Rumi to suffer unnecessary harm because of her, which was why she made this suggestion.

“No, I want to walk with you,” the kendo girl shook her head resolutely.

Kazumi’s expression turned serious. “Rumi, listen to me. Don’t come to meet me tomorrow.”

Rumi looked at her deeply and whispered, “No, I want to protect you.”

Seeing her unwavering determination, Kazumi suddenly felt a strong surge of emotion well up in her chest.

“You little fool,” Kazumi muttered softly before quickly lowering her head and taking Rumi’s hand to continue walking.

After a while, Rumi asked, “Kazumi, do you know where Senpai has been going lately?”

Over the past couple of days, after picking them up, Lei Yin would leave midway, saying he had matters to attend to. This puzzled Rumi.

“I don’t know either, but I’m sure my brother has his reasons. Anyway, what do you want to eat tonight?”

“Fried shrimp!” Rumi’s eyes lit up at the mention of food.

“Didn’t we have that yesterday? Let’s have beef stew tonight. You’ve been practicing kendo every day and need more protein.”

“Okay! As long as Kazumi is cooking, I’ll eat anything. Oh, can we buy a papaya on the way home?”

“You like papaya? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

“Um, not exactly… but Sister Shinobu said that drinking papaya milk can… can…”

Seeing her stammering and blushing, Kazumi couldn’t help but press her. “Can do what?”

“Lean closer,” Rumi said nervously.

“What’s so mysterious?” Kazumi leaned in reluctantly.

When the kendo girl, red-faced, finally explained, Kazumi couldn’t hold back her laughter. “So it’s for breast enhancement! Honestly, what kind of nonsense has Shinobu been teaching you?”

Hearing Kazumi say it out loud, Rumi’s face turned even redder. She pouted, “Don’t say it so loudly! It’s embarrassing!”

After laughing for a moment, Kazumi patted her long, silky hair and said, “Silly girl, some things don’t need to be forced. Just let nature take its course.”

Blushing, Rumi replied, “But Sister Shinobu said most boys like girls with bigger chests. Since Senpai is also a boy, I… I thought he might think that way too.”

Kazumi’s eyes flickered with a complex emotion, but after a moment, she smiled and said, “Not necessarily. You know how hard it is to guess my brother’s preferences. Besides, yours aren’t small at all. Tell you what, I’ll ask him for you someday.”

“No, Kazumi! Please don’t! How could I ever face Senpai again if you do that? I’m begging you, please don’t!” Rumi pleaded desperately, shaking Kazumi’s arm.

Kazumi lightly knocked on Rumi’s forehead and smiled. “Silly girl, I was just joking. I’m a woman too—how could I possibly ask such a question?” With that, she quickly ran ahead.

“Kazumi, you’re so mean!” The embarrassed girl puffed her cheeks and chased after her.

For a moment, the sound of the two girls laughing and playing echoed down the street.

※※※

The collective protests from the female students seemed to finally have an effect. On the afternoon of the fifth day, Kazumi was suddenly summoned to the student council. This news invigorated the students who had participated in the protests.

In the student council office, Kazumi was received in the meeting room by the newly appointed student council president, who had taken over this term, along with several council members, including Takeda Nadeshiko, Takeda’s older sister.

The president carefully scrutinized the indifferent girl sitting in front of him before speaking. “Gennai-san, we’ve asked you here to address the rumors circulating about your alleged involvement in compensated dating. Do you have anything you’d like to say?”

Kazumi replied coolly, “I have nothing to say.”

The president exchanged a glance with the vice president, who then asked, “Gennai-san, I’d like to confirm—have you ever engaged in compensated dating? Please answer honestly.”

“No.” Kazumi’s response was calm and concise.

“Then, could you explain these photos?” The vice president placed a stack of widely circulated photos on the table in front of her. “Why were you in those places, and what is your relationship with the man in the photos?”

Glancing briefly at the photos, Kazumi’s expression turned mocking. Picking up one photo, she said, “May I ask why you are so certain the person in these photos is me? Have you noticed that not a single one of these photos shows the person’s face? They are all taken from the side. If these are considered evidence, then based on the hairstyle, the man in this photo resembles you quite a bit, Vice President. Allow me to ask—why were you in such a place, and what is your relationship with the woman in the photo?”

“You…” The vice president was taken aback by Kazumi’s sharp words and found himself momentarily speechless.

Two of the council members couldn’t help but smile faintly.

At that moment, the student council president cleared his throat and said, “Gennai-san, this incident has caused significant unrest on campus, and the school administration has taken notice. More and more students are signing a petition demanding your expulsion. While we want to believe you’re innocent, we must investigate the truth to calm the situation. During the investigation, I suggest that you refrain from attending classes temporarily.

“As for your studies, we’ve discussed arranging for a student from your grade and major to tutor you daily. Please don’t worry about your credits—we will explain the situation to your homeroom teacher to ensure your academic record isn’t affected. Ultimately, the outcome will depend on the investigation.”

Kazumi glanced at him, then suddenly said, “I object to this suggestion.”

“You object? Why?” The president and others looked at her in surprise. From their perspective, this was the best possible arrangement, yet Kazumi seemed unimpressed.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” Kazumi said calmly. “There’s no reason for me to avoid suspicion by taking a leave of absence. I worked hard to get into Teikyo to study, not to deal with trivial matters like this. If you find concrete evidence against me, you’re welcome to have the school expel me. But until then, I won’t change my class schedule.”

Hearing her response, the vice president couldn’t hold back. “Don’t you realize that because of you, Teikyo has been in chaos every day?”

“That’s simply because some people have too much time on their hands. It has nothing to do with me,” Kazumi replied indifferently.

“You…” The vice president was once again rendered speechless by her remarks.

The student council president, now wearing a serious expression, said, “Gennai-san, I urge you to reconsider carefully. If you persist in your refusal, I’ll escalate this matter to the principal. The consequences might not be as simple as a temporary suspension.”

Kazumi stood up and said, “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to return to class now. Excuse me.” With that, she turned and walked out of the meeting room.

After she left, the vice president slammed the table in anger. “I’ve never seen such an arrogant person! Why are we going through so much trouble? Let’s just report this to the principal and let the school handle it.”

Takeda Nadeshiko suddenly spoke up. “President, I don’t believe Gennai-san would do something like this. This might all be a misunderstanding.”

The student council president sighed heavily. “I also hope this has nothing to do with her, but the situation is getting worse. If we don’t take action soon, the principal will blame us for our inaction. We spent the entire night coming up with this compromise, but she completely rejected it. It seems we have no choice but to report it to the principal.”

Takeda Nadeshiko said, “I looked into Gennai-san’s background and found that she’s been an outstanding student since high school, excelling both academically and in character. If she weren’t uninterested in student affairs, someone like her would already be at least a vice council member by now. If this matter reaches the principal, it will be extremely detrimental to her. Please reconsider.”

The student council president shook his head. “That’s enough, Takeda. For matters beyond our capability, it’s best we don’t get involved. It’s decided. Everyone, you may leave now.”

Seeing there was no room for further argument, Takeda Nadeshiko frowned but left the meeting room.

The day after Kazumi’s return from the student council, the female students who had protested grew furious when they saw her attending classes as usual, seemingly unaffected by any disciplinary action. Their dissatisfaction reached its peak.

Fueled further by certain individuals stirring up trouble, nearly 200 female students from the Literature Department gathered outside the student council office to stage a strike. They demanded the immediate expulsion of Gennai Kazumi, whom they accused of engaging in compensated dating and tarnishing the reputation of Teikyo University.

This marked the first strike in Teikyo’s history and immediately attracted attention across campus. Many students even skipped classes to watch the commotion, and some instructors were drawn to the scene as well.

Seeing the chaos, the student council president quickly sent someone to persuade the students to return to class. However, the protesting students, intent on making a scene, ignored all attempts to calm them.

Among these students, there were various motivations and thoughts. Some harbored jealousy toward Kazumi because of her connections with Ogata Yasuda and Ashiro Hideyuki, and the leaders of the protest were among this group. Others, proud of being students at a prestigious university, didn’t want their school’s reputation tarnished for fear it would harm their future prospects. Still, some had no connection to Kazumi at all and were dragged into the protest to boost numbers. Regardless of their reasons, they managed to capture everyone’s attention.

Human nature is easily swayed, especially in large groups. With their justifications firmly in place, the protesting students became more vocal, their cries growing louder as if Kazumi had forced them all into some tragic fate.

“President, what should we do? They refuse to leave,” a council member whispered to the student council president.

The vice president chimed in, “President, why don’t we report this to the principal immediately? If he finds out on his own, he’ll blame us. It’s better if we take the initiative and let him handle it.”

After some thought, the president nodded. “Alright, I’ll go find the principal now. You all stay here and maintain order. Make sure no one gets hurt.”

“I understand.”

Just as the student council president was about to leave, several angry shouts erupted from the direction of the protesting students. Startled, he quickly turned to see what was happening.