The rumors stopped being whispers the moment people started repeating them out loud.
It happened gradually, the way most dangerous things did. Not with panic, not with shouting, but with casual tone. A sentence dropped between bites of lunch. A link shared without commentary. A question asked like a joke and answered like it wasn't.
XH noticed it on Tuesday morning.
Two students stood near the entrance of Campus 2, phones angled toward each other. One of them laughed nervously.
"I mean, it's probably fake," the girl said.
"Yeah," the guy replied. "But still."
Still.
That word followed XH inside.
In the hallway, the energy felt tighter than usual. People checked their phones more often. Conversations broke off suddenly when teachers passed. Even the building itself seemed to listen, its long corridors echoing footsteps just a little too clearly.
TR jogged up beside XH, eyes wide. "Okay, tell me you've seen the forum."
XH frowned. "What forum?"
TR stopped walking. "You're kidding."
PL appeared immediately, phone already out. "You're behind. Like… very behind."
JP sighed from behind them. "Information spreads faster than denial."
"What information?" XH asked.
PL turned his phone toward him.
Anonymous posts filled the screen.
My cousin works in accreditation. Foundation campuses like this are cash grabs.Anyone checked if Campus 2 certificates are valid abroad?Strange how the head office never responds directly…
XH's stomach tightened. "This is just speculation."
"Everything starts as speculation," TR said. "Then it ruins your day."
They reached their classroom, but the mood followed them in. Students murmured quietly, glancing at screens instead of notes. Even the lecturer paused once, scanning the room as if he felt the shift too.
Kitty sat near the aisle again.
XH noticed immediately that she wasn't scrolling her phone.
She was listening.
Absorbing.
That scared him more.
During the break, the hallway buzzed. Conversations overlapped.
"Did you hear—""My parents are asking questions.""Someone said—"
Kitty leaned against the wall, arms folded lightly, expression composed. But XH noticed the tension in her shoulders.
He approached slowly. "Have you seen the posts?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"You think they're real?"
Kitty hesitated. "I think fear spreads faster when people already feel uncertain."
"That's not an answer."
She met his eyes. "That's the truth."
Before he could respond, NS walked past them without stopping.
XH watched him go, then followed.
"NS," he called.
NS slowed, then stopped. "Yeah?"
"You've been quiet," XH said.
NS turned, eyes sharp. "Everyone's loud enough."
XH lowered his voice. "What do you think about all this?"
NS exhaled slowly. "I think people don't panic unless something feels unstable already."
XH frowned. "You think the rumors are true?"
NS shrugged. "I think the uncertainty is."
That answer unsettled him more than fear would have.
NS POV
NS had learned early in life that chaos didn't announce itself.
It observed first.
He watched Campus 2 the way someone watched a storm forming at sea. The signs were subtle, but they were there. People clustering. Voices dropping. Laughter becoming thinner.
Fear didn't scream.It whispered, then waited.
He leaned against the railing on the third floor, looking down at the lobby below. Students moved in steady lines, pretending nothing had changed.
He didn't believe that.
NS had always been good at reading people, especially when they lied to themselves. And right now, everyone was lying.
Including XH.
XH wasn't cruel. NS knew that. He was gentle in ways that mattered. But gentleness without courage turned into something dangerous.
Kitty was withdrawing.
XH was avoiding.
And now the campus itself was starting to crack.
NS glanced at his phone. Another forum notification.
If this place collapses, we're screwed.
He locked the screen.
Fear made people cling to whatever felt real.
Love. Friendship. Belonging.
Or ego.
NS knew how this went.
And he didn't like where it was heading.
By afternoon, the rumors had reached the point where pretending they didn't exist felt irresponsible.
JP called it during lunch. "We need a distraction."
TR blinked. "From reality?"
"Yes," JP said calmly. "Preferably with food."
PL nodded enthusiastically. "I support this plan."
They ended up at the small cafeteria near the back of campus, the one that served questionable noodles but never asked questions. The space was loud enough to drown out anxiety.
TR immediately started complaining about the chairs. PL argued about portion sizes. TZ Royal talked about futsal like nothing in the world had changed.
Kitty laughed once, genuinely, at something HS said.
XH felt a brief relief.
Then the conversation drifted back.
"My mom asked if I checked the accreditation website," PL said, frowning.
TR groaned. "See? This is what I mean."
JP nodded. "External pressure amplifies internal doubt."
"That sounds fake," TR said.
"It's accurate," JP replied.
Kitty listened quietly, fingers wrapped around her cup. "Even if the rumors aren't true," she said softly, "they're already doing damage."
XH looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"People start planning exits," she replied. "Emotionally. Mentally."
The sentence landed harder than she probably intended.
XH didn't miss the implication.
Later that evening, TR refused to let the mood sink further.
"Nope," he announced. "We're not ending the day like this."
PL squinted. "You have an idea?"
"Yes," TR said proudly. "A bad one."
That's how they ended up back in the common area, snacks spread across the table, a stupid game loaded on someone's laptop.
The laughter came easier than expected.
TR lost immediately and accused the game of cheating. PL laughed until he choked. TZ Royal made dramatic commentary. HS tried to keep score. Even NS cracked a small smile.
Kitty relaxed into the couch, shoulders lowering.
XH watched her, feeling the ache of wanting to reach across the space between them.
He didn't.
The night passed in fragments of normalcy. For a while, the rumors faded into background noise.
But they didn't disappear.
As people began to drift away, Kitty stood to leave.
XH walked with her to the doorway.
"Are you scared?" he asked quietly.
Kitty considered the question honestly. "I'm more scared of pretending everything's fine."
XH nodded. "Me too."
She met his eyes. "Then stop pretending with me."
The simplicity of the request hurt.
Before he could answer, she added gently, "Goodnight."
She left.
NS watched from the hallway, saying nothing.
Later, alone in his room, XH scrolled through the forum again despite himself. New posts. More speculation. More fear.
He closed the app.
The campus wasn't collapsing yet.
But the foundation had started to shake.
And in moments like these, people didn't just question institutions.
They questioned each other.