The next morning, the posters immediately caused an uproar across Qwelin Academy.
Lily, Olivia, and Chloe saw them and couldn't believe their eyes.
"Let's ask him directly," Olivia said, and the three of them headed toward the botanist's room.
Inside, Teacher Shiori Han had also seen the poster. She frowned as she stared at it.
"Him? That shouldn't be possible… Why did this poster suddenly appear? And who made it?"
Meanwhile, over at the beauty club, Iroha and Yao Lin were just as confused when they saw it.
"What the hell is this slander?" Iroha snapped. "I'm sure it wasn't him."
"I agree. He's the one who healed us," Yao Lin said firmly.
Back to the three girls—they arrived at the botanist's room, hoping to meet Nic, but he wasn't there.
Instead, Shen Akira was waiting inside.
"Oh? Are you friends of the botanist?" Shen Akira asked, turning toward them with a smile.
Olivia tried to stay calm. "We're just curious and wanted to ask him directly."
"Oh? Then how about helping me look for him?" Shen Akira asked, his eyes sharp and piercing.
The three of them panicked. They instantly realized—this man was dangerous.
Just as Shen Akira stepped closer, Zane suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Don't force them if they don't want to," Zane said coldly.
"Oh? You look like the delinquent type, huh?" Shen Akira replied with a wide grin.
Zane told the three girls to go back to class, telling them he'd handle Shen Akira himself.
Shen Akira clapped his hands.
"A real man, huh? Or are you just another dog of that sly botanist?"
"That poster is nothing but slander," Zane shot back.
"Don't jump to conclusions and act like you know everything when nothing's been proven."
"But I have plenty of evidence," Shen Akira replied calmly.
"Just wait. You'll regret getting involved in this game."
He walked away, casually patting Zane on the shoulder.
Zane immediately brushed his shoulder clean.
"Someone that full of himself dares to go against Senior Nic? Typical—arrogant people always think they're untouchable without checking who they're facing first."
---
In the main hall of Qwelin Academy, everyone had gathered.
The head of the academy himself had ordered the assembly to find out who spread the posters.
One student analyzed the handwriting and said it looked like Miko's.
Miko was immediately called forward and asked to explain herself.
Naive and fully convinced she was right, Miko reluctantly stepped up and spoke.
"Hm… in that case, we should investigate that botanist," the headmaster said.
Then Teacher Shiori Han spoke up.
"May I give my opinion?"
Everyone froze—including the headmaster—before he nodded and allowed her to continue.
Teacher Shiori Han stood up and firmly opposed Miko's statement.
"I'm sorry, Miko, but I don't believe the botanist did this. First, he was personally brought here by Alumna Aurelia—the very owner of the botanist room. She wouldn't bring in the wrong person. Second, I once asked him to help in my lab, and he didn't seem like someone capable of doing something evil."
The headmaster then asked, "Does anyone agree with Teacher Shiori Han?"
The three girlfriends of Nic raised their hands.
Zane did too.
So did all the exchange students who already knew the botanist was Nic, along with Iroha and Yao Lin.
Suddenly, without permission or warning, Shen Akira walked up onto the stage and grabbed the microphone.
"Sorry, Teacher Shiori," he said smoothly,
"but I completely oppose everything you just said. First, he could be a manipulator who deliberately took advantage of Alumna Aurelia's kindness to get in here. Second, he pretended in front of you to avoid suspicion. And third—look at who's defending him. Mostly exchange students. Obviously, the botanist is from the Western side, and they already know each other."
The hall fell silent as Shen Akira displayed photos that seemed to strengthen his claims.
"Look! That's my calf!" Miko shouted.
"I had my suspicions," Shen Akira said with a gentle smile,
"so I paid people to watch him. And it turns out I was right."
Iroha and Yao Lin wanted to interrupt and say he was the one who healed them—but they remembered Nic's instruction not to reveal it. In the end, they stayed silent.
Shen Akira pressed further, tightening the noose.
"And now he's not even in his room. That clearly means he's scared because he's been exposed."
With no more defense coming, the headmaster decided to dismiss the assembly and concluded that the botanist was the source of the problem.
Applause erupted—directed at Shen Akira.
"No wonder he's the symbol of Qwelin Academy!"
"Shen Akira is the best!"
Meanwhile, the cloaked girl—often seen performing suspicious activities—glared sharply at Shen Akira, biting her lip until it bled.
The headmaster wanted to arrest Nic, but since he wasn't on campus and there wasn't enough data, he spread the information across all of Eastern, asking for assistance.
After all, as the best academy, support should come easily.
---
At the Unity Shrine.
Nic was gathered with all the Guardians of the Natural Tree of Heaven, the flowers, and the animals he had already explained were his partners.
Sakura was sitting while cradling a tiger.
"So, Nic… you're being framed right now?"
"That's right. At first, I planned to hold it back to avoid trouble," Nic replied lazily, lying down from exhaustion.
"But I changed my mind."
Aisteria laughed.
"Your way of thinking really is terrifying."
Everyone laughed and told Nic to relax—they were ready to defend him.
"I know," Nic said calmly.
"But make sure you defend me without reasons that would make them question why you can defend me at all. Got it?"
Everyone nodded.
While they were chatting casually, Nic suddenly noticed the news spreading rapidly on social media.
"That was fast," Nic thought.
At first, most people in Eastern didn't even know who Nic was.
But just minutes later, the post was flooded with comments opposing the accusation, saying Nic was innocent.
Most of them came from Kyushin citizens.
There were comments from Kyu Kazumi and Shin Meilin.
Even the rarely active, almost never-commenting account of the Natural Tree of Heaven joined in—shocking everyone.
"Wait… Kyushin citizens are commenting? And even the Natural Tree of Heaven?"
"Who exactly is this botanist…?"
"There's no way the Natural Tree of Heaven would support something wrong."
"Damn it, this is giving me a headache… Was Shiori Han right?"
The headmaster muttered in frustration.
Meanwhile, in Shiori Han's lab, she was even more stunned by who was defending Nic.
"This only makes me more certain," she murmured.
"He's close to Kyushin—which used to be hostile—even the Natural Tree of Heaven, which was once nearly destroyed… That means he plays an important role for them."
Shiori Han decided to trust Nic.
---
At Hinata's house.
Hinata saw the post as well.
"The botanist caused the dangerous forest? Is Qwelin Academy accusing Nic of being responsible? Who made such a crazy statement?!"
She called out to Aurelia, who was watering plants outside.
"SIS!! LOOK AT THIS!"
Aurelia glanced at it and frowned.
"They're causing trouble again—with the most laid-back person of all people? Wait… what's this photo? Let me see, Hinata."
Hinata zoomed in.
The photo showed Nic standing, with a small calf beneath him—used as supposed proof of experimentation.
"Look closely at the calf," Aurelia said.
"Its eyes are normal, and it's clinging to Nic like it knows he's safe."
"Right… I remember the tiger we encountered back then," Hinata added.
"Its eyes were white and unnatural."
"There's definitely a mastermind manipulating public opinion," Aurelia said, then posted a comment defending Nic.
"But who…? Anyone related to the dangerous forest should be gone by now and keeping quiet," Hinata said anxiously.
"You don't need to worry," Aurelia replied with a smile.
"Nic definitely knows about this already. Look—there are tons of people defending him."
Hinata smiled softly.
"I just hope this won't happen again."
---
In a silent, dark room, the cloaked girl stared at the same post, confused.
Why had a scapegoat suddenly appeared—while she herself was never treated as a threat?
"Ugh… this person they're talking about—he almost caught me and even saw my face. But why did he let me go? He's dangerous. I could tell from his eyes. Even more dangerous than that bastard who keeps ordering me around… Will this really be okay? Ugh, this situation is seriously making me sick."
Meanwhile, Lingmei sat on a bridge, staring down at the water.
She tossed pebbles into it while counting.
"On the tenth count, someone will come… ten," Lingmei said.
And sure enough, someone appeared.
"Hey, Lingmei. I need your help," Shen Akira said with a smile.
Lingmei gave a faint smile.
"Alright."
To be continued…