Ch. 27 - A Little Essay on the Anonymous Forum
The morning breeze brushed gently against his cheeks, while the warm sunlight poured across his shoulders.
Spring, the season of beginnings, the season of life stirring, and everything competing to bloom.
Under the clear blue sky, dark-blue skirts of high school uniforms swayed with the steps of girls, paired with socks in indigo shades, long and short. A youthful fragrance escaped into the air—
Wait. Why was all his attention focused on their legs?
Harutaki tilted his head at that strange thought. His steps into the school gates were light and cheerful, like a weary office worker heading to the izakaya after work—heart full of anticipation.
[Shocking! I actually saw her on the way home from school!]
He had already uploaded the post under that title to the school’s anonymous forum. All that was left was to guide things a little and then sit back to watch the storm unfold.
As they used to say on old 2ch—and now 5ch—
"The quality of a hot thread depends entirely on the second comment."
Trying to force an opinion down people’s throats—whether firm denial or absolute affirmation—never worked.
The trick to steering public opinion lay in presenting both sides “as objectively as possible,” then nudging slightly toward one. Or, by posing as a supporter of one side and posting deliberately disgusting takes, you could push the average reader to side against them.
Accounts used for this were commonly known as “online trolls” or “paid posters.”
[Shocking! I actually saw her on the way home from school!]
Harutaki’s post contained three parts:
The story – From the perspective of an “ordinary student,” recounting how they’d spotted a well-known classmate outside a love hotel. The wording was loaded with shock and disbelief: “impossible,” “maybe,” “could it be.” But the overall impression screamed: It was her.
The photo evidence – Secret shots, heavily pixelated and filtered, yet still recognizable.
-A greasy, middle-aged man with messy hair, gut spilling over his belt.
-A short-haired high school girl with blazing red hair tied in a side ponytail.
-Their uniforms? Clearly from Nichiya High.
-Arm in arm, heading into the hotel.