Chapter 13 — Elections and Hearts

Three days after the emergency meeting, Phuc called Khang at nine o'clock in the evening, his voice somewhat reserved. "I found a few clues, but I think it's better to talk about this in person."

Khang immediately met Phuc and Ngoc at a familiar coffee shop near school, where the three could chat privately without fear of being heard by others.

"I checked the posting times of both times - the first Confession post and this cut message," Phuc began, taking out a notebook filled with text. "Both were posted late, after ten o'clock at night, and have one notable thing in common: the use of words, especially the habit of using ellipsis and punctuation, is quite similar in both posts."

"Do you think the same person wrote both songs?" Ngoc asked, her heart beating faster.

"I can't say with 100% certainty," Phuc cautioned, "but the possibility is very high. And..." he hesitated a bit before continuing, "I asked permission to access the log of time logged into the school's wifi system through the teacher in charge of the computer room, completely following the process of asking for permission, not violating anyone's privacy. At the exact time the cut message was posted, there was a student account logged into the school wifi from the area near the library room, even though at that time School is closed."

"Who is that?" Khang asked, his voice tense.

Phuc looked at both of them, then slowly said their names. "Lam Gia Huy."

The atmosphere in the cafe suddenly calmed down. Ngoc clenched her hands tightly. Even though she had anticipated this for a long time, when she heard the specific confirmation, the feeling was still indescribably heavy.

"Why did the teacher in charge of the computer room agree to let you see the wifi log?" Ngoc asked, curious about the process that Phuc performed.

"I clearly explained to the teacher that the Truong Newspaper Club is verifying false rumors that affect students' reputations, and only asked to view the log in the relevant time frame, without requiring access to any other personal data," Phuc explained carefully. "The teacher also agreed that this was a serious issue that needed clarification, so he provided support, but took notes on the entire process to ensure transparency and compliance with school regulations."

"You work really carefully," Khang commented, his eyes filled with admiration.

"This is the basic principle of journalism," Phuc smiled modestly. "Personal emotions must not be allowed to dominate the process of verifying the truth, regardless of whether the subjects involved are friends or acquaintances, because once objectivity is lost, all information provided will lose its inherent reliability."

"Is this strong enough evidence?" Khang asked, his voice still skeptical.

"Not enough to draw a firm conclusion," Phuc shook his head. "Logging into wifi at that time frame only proves that Huy was present near the school area at that time, not directly proving that he was the one who posted. It could be a coincidence, although the probability is quite low."

Ngoc sighed, feeling both relieved because she finally had a clue and heavy because she thought about the possibility of having to face Huy directly about this matter. "So what should I do now?"

"I think," Phuc said, his voice careful, "we shouldn't rush to make public accusations. If we're wrong, the consequences will be very serious — not only for Huy, but also for the reputation of the two of us. I suggest that we should report what we have collected to Ms. Ha, so that the school has the authority to officially investigate, according to procedures."

Khang nodded in agreement. "You're right. We should not act arbitrarily, no matter how much evidence we have."

"But I also want to say one more thing," Phuc said, closing the notebook, his voice becoming more serious. "If this report is confirmed, the consequences for Huy could be very severe — from school discipline to being eliminated from the race, even affecting his future academic record. I think you two should prepare yourself for that, because after all, the three of you were classmates in the same grade for three years."

Ngoc was silent, a heavy feeling rising in her heart when thinking about that consequence. Even though Huy was the one who had caused her so much pain over the past weeks, she still could not be indifferent to the prospect of a classmate suffering such serious consequences.

"I understand," she said softly. "But I think, staying silent and not telling the truth is not the right way. If Huy really did this, he needs to be held accountable — but I hope it will be a lesson to grow up, not an end."

Ngoc was silent for a moment, her eyes looking distantly out the coffee shop window. "I still don't understand why Huy did that. He's not bad enough to use tricks like this."

“Sometimes,” Phuc said, his voice thoughtful, “pressure and guilt can make people do things they never thought they would do. I don't defend Huy's actions if it was him, but I think, perhaps behind this is a more complicated story than what we see on the surface."

That comment made Ngoc thoughtful. She remembered Huy's gloomy eyes in the first meeting, the unusual tension every time the survey results were mentioned, and his evasive reaction when she asked directly about the rumors. Perhaps, behind Huy's always confident and friendly appearance, is a pain that he has never shared with anyone.

"I remember vaguely hearing once that Huy lived alone in a rented room because his parents worked as workers in an industrial park far from school," Ngoc slowly recounted, trying to piece together the fragmented memories. "Maybe he had to be independent from a very early age, without many people to share his inner pressures with."

"If that's true," Khang mused, "then perhaps his motive wasn't pure malice, but a longing to be recognized, to be seen, pent up for so long that it turned into wrongdoing."

Phuc nodded in agreement. "That's also why I think we need to handle this carefully and humanely, instead of simply punishing. If it's really Huy, he needs a chance to reflect and correct his mistakes, not be forced into a corner."

"No matter what," Ngoc said, her voice assertive again, "I still want to handle this fairly and in accordance with the process. Not for revenge, but to clarify the truth, and if it's Huy, I hope he will have the opportunity to realize his mistake and correct it, instead of having to suffer such a heavy consequence that he can't go back."

Khang looked at her, his eyes filled with admiration for that tolerant heart even when she was the one who suffered the most in the whole incident. "You are truly someone worth trusting as Student Council President, Ngoc."

Ngoc smiled He smiled softly, even though his heart was still full of mixed emotions. "Thank you. But first, let's focus on reporting to Ms. Ha. We need to do everything properly, step by step, without rushing even a small detail."

Together, the three drafted a detailed, objective report, presenting only the facts gathered without drawing incriminating conclusions.

"I should clearly write that this is just a clue, not a final conclusion," Ngoc commented while Phuc was typing the first lines on the laptop. "I don't want anyone to read this report and rush to judge Huy before there is an official conclusion from the school."

"Agreed," Phuc nodded, editing his words accordingly. "I will clearly state that this is reference information to serve the internal investigation. We request that the school continue to verify through official channels, not an indictment."

Khang read the entire manuscript again and nodded in agreement. "I think that's fine. We'll send it to Ms. Ha tomorrow morning before school, so she has time to consider it before things get rowdier again."

Before saying goodbye and leaving, Phuc hesitantly said one more thing that made both friends think. "No matter what the outcome of the investigation is, I hope you two still maintain the same spirit as from the beginning - don't let these things turn you into people who only know how to distrust and retaliate against each other. That's what makes you two different from what's happening now."

That message was engraved in Ngoc's mind all the way home that night - the first step in the journey to find the truth behind the rumors that had threatened to destroy everything they had built together over the past weeks, but also a journey she was determined to reach the end with fairness and tolerance, not hatred.