"There are many urban legends in Academy City, a mix of truth and falsehood, and all sorts of troubles have had some effect or another. But some things are very close to the truth. We need to do a basic statistical analysis of these urban legends."
"First, we need to distill two important things from them. The first, of course, is the location of the rumor. The second is the characters in the rumor."
"I don't need to specifically mention the importance of tracking the locations, but we need to be careful with the characters. Given that urban legends can be distorted as they spread, leading to mistaken identities and all sorts of exaggerated nonsense."
"Generally, urban legends that people believe and are willing to spread will contain a grain of truth. The most genuine parts are usually the location and the characters. Having a target and a scene to fantasize about is crucial for an urban legend."
"There are four key points to analyzing urban legends: the spreaders, the location of spreading, the protagonist of the rumor, and the background location of the rumor."
"This is because these are often parts of what people who have come into contact with the truth have experienced firsthand."
"The original source is no longer traceable, but a lot of the content can be deduced through statistical analysis."
When it came to studying urban legends, Horikita Manabu's work was exceptional.
It often made "Kuro" wonder if he hadn't done a good enough job of hiding his work.
Horikita Manabu was too sharp. He could sniff out so many things from just these tiny clues.
It was supposed to be a meeting for everyone, but as it went on, it became Horikita Manabu's personal report.
Horikita pulled out the results of the investigation he had commissioned from the students. He analyzed calmly, "For example, this strange organization name, 'My Little Ponies.' We don't need to focus on who the members are, which organizations are related, or the so-called name of the organization. The rumor first appeared in Nagazora City, which was the first place to be locked down. The people who spread it the most were Valkyries. The protagonists of the rumor were some privileged female elites. The location in the rumor is now untraceable, but it should still be the earliest sealed-off area in Nagazora City."
"But this area has been completely opened up, with no restricted zones. So the protagonists of the rumor must have left that place."
The earliest sealed-off area was where Tesla had fought Noldrei with her mecha.
At that time, many Valkyries from the Far East Branch must have witnessed the battle and observed Noldrei's "horse-taming" methods for a long time. The "people" tamed by these methods now occupy many high positions in Academy City.
There must have been many changes in the retelling. Although some things couldn't be said, what could be said was still said.
Secrecy, secrecy... it just slows down the transmission of information.
---||---
Hikigaya Hachiman was still lost in his own thoughts, his eyes staring blankly into space. He didn't show much apprehension towards Horikita Manabu's significant change in status.
Or rather, he didn't have the spare mental capacity to think about Horikita Manabu's problems right now.
He was thinking about something else...
'How did Nakamura Shin know I've been threatened multiple times?'
A thought he'd never considered before popped into Hachiman's head, sending a chill down his spine. An invisible shadow was enveloping him in a way he didn't understand.
'What do I know? Why am I being targeted?'
His mind was a tangled mess. All his interpersonal relationships flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
Who would sell out his information for no reason?
Or was the person who sold him out among the people sitting here?
Hachiman didn't think he was that important. A guy like him hadn't even passed the second stage of the Stigma Battlesuit. Why would anyone target a failure like him?
Even if they were targeting someone, it should be a talent like Horikita Manabu.
On second thought, Hachiman felt it was impossible. If a talent like Horikita Manabu didn't have a powerful teacher or background, he wouldn't be sitting here so calmly.
The scene he saw in the small park kept flashing through his mind. He couldn't delete it from his memory.
Hachiman's instincts told him that that scene was of great significance to him.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, Hikigaya Hachiman? What are you thinking about? We were just asking you a question..."
Azusagawa Sakuta nudged Hachiman's shoulder, pulling him out of his dead-end train of thought.
"Huh? Uh...? What was the question?"
Hachiman's words made everyone at the meeting's world go dark. Who would have thought there'd be a big shot who could zone out during something like this.
Horikita Manabu didn't mind his distraction. After all, everyone has things on their mind sometimes.
He said calmly, "We were just talking about how the Security Patrol handles these urban legends about the higher-ups. We wanted to ask someone who works in that field."
Hachiman forced a laugh and quickly switched into work mode. After some serious thought, he explained, "We don't. The Security Patrol doesn't bother with these things. We can barely manage all the troublemakers as it is. Who would care about these baseless urban legends? The Security Patrol is here to maintain the stability of the lower levels of Academy City. These urban legends are like the children's rhymes and prophecies of the Heian period. Who would be crazy enough to collect this stuff?"
Horikita Manabu nodded at Kuro.
Kuro pulled out a notebook and found a strange website...
It turned out to be the Academy City Dark Legends Forum, filled with analysis of Academy City's legends. Anyone who didn't know better would think the content was all true.
Kuro explained, "Only a small part of it is credible. Many of the scenes, locations, and characters are wrong. We've ruled out those kinds of rumors."
This time, it was Hachiman's turn to be shocked. "Who's so bored that they'd do something like this?" he asked.
Uesugi Fuutarou's hand paused for a moment. He said helplessly, "Kuro asked me to create this forum. He also specifically had Izumi release some fake urban legends to muddy the waters."
'So it was you guys?'
Hachiman was speechless. He never thought his bros were so proactive.
"Some of the content in there was indeed made up by me..." Izumi Masamune smiled awkwardly and explained, "As you all know, this is the only thing I'm good at writing."
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses and looked at Hachiman's absent-minded state without saying a word.