The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 151: Public Opinion

Ding-dong

Ding-dong Ding-dong Ding-dong

At this warm yet ambiguous moment, Shunsuke's phone began ringing incessantly at the most inopportune time. After the notifications stopped, an incoming call followed immediately.

Holding Mashiro gently in his arms, Shunsuke irritably pulled out his phone, ready to hang up. But when he caught sight of the caller ID, he let out a small sigh and decided to answer.

"Hello, Mai-san, do you miss me? Calling me during class hours like this," he teased.

The caller was none other than Mai, who had left school last week to shoot the drama Shunsuke had secured for her. It had been a while since they last saw each other, so he couldn't help but joke around.

"Class hours?" Mai let out what sounded like a cold laugh. "Shunsuke-kun, are you planning to attend class at the police station?"

"? Wait, Mai-san, how do you know I went to the police station?" Shunsuke felt a bad premonition creeping up.

"This is all over your Twitter, okay? Someone took photos of you, Mashiro, and another blonde girl being taken away by the police outside a hotel!"

"Photos?"

Shunsuke quickly logged into his Twitter—he rarely posted there, having only created an account at his publisher's request. Even so, he had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers thanks to Mai and Mashiro's popularity.

The moment he got in, he found his Twitter blowing up.

Scanning the screen, his eyes widened in shock. His Twitter had turned into a chaotic battlefield, with haters running rampant. They were saying all sorts of things, but their narrative was beginning to align—

"Damn Fujii Shunsuke cheated! He took our beloved Mashiro-sensei and another JK to a hotel for a 3P!"

"Mai-san, this is slander! Slander, I tell you! You have to believe me!" Shunsuke exclaimed.

"Hmm, of course, I believe you," Mai replied casually. "After all, Shunsuke-kun, you're not my boyfriend, so how could it be considered cheating?"

"…Mai-san, are you mad?"

"Nope."

"But why do I feel like you're mad?"

"That's a funny thing to say, Shunsuke-kun. You and I are just an actress and her manager, a senior and her junior. Why would I be mad? Hmm, can you tell me in what capacity I should be angry?"

"As the senpai who makes me bento?"

"… Beep beep beep beep beep…"

Mai went silent before abruptly hanging up.

Shunsuke hurriedly called her back.

"What is it, Trash-kun?"

"Mai-san, not you too! Don't use that nickname!"

"I actually think it suits you quite well. Kasumigaoka-san really did something good for once."

Shunsuke didn't dare to tell her that the nickname actually came from the male protagonist in the novel he had written for Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Alright, so tell me—what exactly happened?"

In the end, Mai sighed and got straight to the point.

Shunsuke, omitting certain details, explained everything honestly. He reassured her that nothing had actually happened last night, that he was no longer at the police station and had already returned home.

Finally, he made sure to emphasize:

"So, Mai-san, these are all just rumors. I mean, if I really wanted a 3P, would I even need to go to a hotel? I could just call Eriri over to my place. Actually, I wouldn't even need to call—she's Izumi-sensei's disciple and has a key to my house, so she'd just join in on her own. Going to a hotel for a 3P is completely unnecessary. This is clearly a baseless rumor!"

Mai fell silent. "...Shunsuke-kun, are you trying to make me mad?"

"No, I just don't want to lie to you, Mai-san. I'm telling the truth—on my mother's name."

Though he said that, Shunsuke was being a little deliberate. In modern society, achieving 'Great Angel' status was far too difficult. This was a good chance to mentally prepare Mai in advance, gradually lowering her psychological resistance. If the truth ever came out in the future, she'd at least be able to accept it better.

Mai didn't know how to respond for a moment. Finally, she sighed and instructed, "Shunsuke-kun, you're a public figure now. Handle this before it blows up. If this spirals out of control, it won't be good for you, Mashiro, or even Eriri."

"As for the full details, I just bought a ticket back. Once I'm home, you're going to explain everything to me properly—no dodging. Bye."

Hearing the call disconnect, Shunsuke shook his head. A beauty's grace is truly heavy.

After ending the call with Mai, he finally had time to properly check his Twitter. And when he did, he nearly blacked out.

The picture that had gone viral was taken from his rear side, slightly blurry. Only his profile was visible, while Mashiro and Eriri were captured only from behind. In the background, half of a hotel's sign could be seen, and two police officers were positioned on either side of him.

These haters…

Shunsuke rarely showed his face in public and had never posted a selfie on Twitter.

Compared to well-known celebrities, his exposure was significantly lower.

Most people only knew his name but had never seen his face—just like that young police officer, who had heard of him but didn't recognize him even when standing face-to-face.

It wasn't until Mashiro spoke up that the officer managed to piece things together.

And yet, somehow, despite his low profile, there were still people who could recognize him from afar and snap a blurry photo? Was this what they meant by "true haters are the real superfans"?

Judging by the online reaction, people weren't condemning him based on solid evidence.

Instead, it was mostly a case of envy and resentment fueling the outrage, with the internet bandwagon piling on.

Most of these so-called "fans" were actually just haters.

Many of them probably didn't even believe the rumors themselves, but online, it was easy to vent frustrations by jumping in and talking trash.

Recalling Mai's advice to handle the situation quickly, Shunsuke posted two messages on Twitter:

"Fake news!" (Posted in English.)

"Legal notice warning." (Posted in Japanese.)

He didn't care whether these haters got the reference or not.

After posting, he exited Twitter and began considering his options—should he leave this matter to Mrs. Sayuri for a softer approach, or let Kirari handle it? If it was the latter, then the most vocal haters might just find themselves sued for defamation and facing jail time, serving as a harsh example to the rest.

This wasn't the kind of method that normal celebrities or idols would use. But even though Mai called him a public figure, there were different kinds of public figures.

Shunsuke had no interest in the glamorous yet restrictive lifestyle of a mainstream celebrity, constantly dodging scrutiny and hiding in the shadows. He also didn't rely on public appearances to make money.

So when it came to these haters who had exposed themselves—he had no qualms about striking back.

Once he became strong enough, these petty rumors would naturally vanish on their own.

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