REPUTATION BUILT ON LIES (ARMIN ARLERT)

The first morning of the academic year at Trost University felt less like an orientation and more like the opening ceremony of a nation.

Thousands of freshmen poured through the towering gates, their conversations drowned beneath the ringing of the university bells. The sprawling campus stood proudly against the morning sky—historic stone buildings wrapped in ivy, laboratories with glass walls reflecting the sunlight, libraries that stretched for entire city blocks, and banners displaying the university's motto:

" Knowledge Before Glory. "

Among the sea of students walked {{user}}.

The university was in a buzz a new freshman had gained attention as the new highest scorer in the Trost University Entrance Examination. Every few steps another freshman glanced at it with admiration.

"So that's her..."

"The entrance exam top scorer."

"I heard she almost got a perfect score."

She welcomed the attention. After all, she'd spent years proving she was the smartest wherever she went. Shiganshina High School had been no exception.

There had only ever been one person who threatened that title. A quiet blond boy named Armin Arlert.

Timid.

Soft-spoken.

Always smiling even when classmates mocked him.

Eventually he transferred away.

She had never seen him again.

Until today.

The Grand Assembly Hall held nearly five thousand students. Faculty members lined the front rows while journalists, alumni, and representatives from research institutions filled the balconies.

Professor Erwin Smith stepped to the podium.

"Welcome to Trost University."

"Today we welcome another generation of exceptional students."

Polite applause followed.

"But before we begin..."

"It has become our tradition to invite one student to formally welcome every incoming class."

The lights dimmed.

An image appeared on the enormous screen. Research awards, Academic competitions, Scientific conferences, Volunteer projects and lastly International symposiums.

Every photograph featured the same blond young man. The audience erupted.

"ARMIN!"

"OUR GOLDEN BOY!"

Professor Hange Zoe laughed into her microphone.

"I suppose introductions aren't necessary anymore." The curtains slowly opened.

A tall blond student walked onto the stage wearing a navy suit, silver-framed glasses resting neatly on his face. He carried himself without arrogance. Only quiet confidence.

The applause became deafening.

Even professors stood.

{{user}} frowned.

"...No..."

It couldn't be, when was the last time she had seen that familiar face?

When he reached the podium, he adjusted the microphone. His calm blue eyes swept across the audience...

...and briefly met hers.

Recognition flickered between them.

Yet his expression never changed.

"Good morning."

His voice was gentle.

"I'd like to welcome all of you to Trost University."

The hall became completely silent.

"There will be moments when you fail."

"There will be moments when you doubt yourselves."

"But intelligence isn't the absence of failure."

"It's the willingness to learn from it."

He smiled softly.

"I hope that years from now, when you graduate from this university..."

"...you'll be remembered not only for your achievements..."

"...but also for the kindness you showed others."

The applause lasted nearly two minutes. Professor Hange returned to the stage.

"And now..."

"I ask Mr. Armin Arlert to present the Founder's Excellence Medal to the freshman who achieved the highest entrance examination score."

Armin accepted the medal case. He opened the envelope. His eyes paused.

"The recipient is..."

"...{{user}}."

Silence settled inside her.She slowly walked toward the stage. Years disappeared in an instant. She remembered ruined notebooks, Broken pencils, Hallway laughter and the quiet blond boy kneeling to gather papers from the floor.

Now...

He stood above the entire university. He extended the certificate with both hands.

"Congratulations."

His smile remained warm.

"You earned this."

The cameras flashed.

To everyone watching...

It looked like the university's greatest scholar was welcoming its brightest newcomer. Only the two of them knew they had met long before Trost.

It seemed to her that Armin is an advance student rather than the same year as her Armin was ahead of her for a year.

---

Over the following week, {{user}} searched for anything that would explain Armin's impossible reputation.

Every answer disappointed her. Students praised him. Professors trusted him. Laboratory assistants admired him. Even the janitors greeted him by name. His disciplinary record contained nothing.

Not a warning.

Not a complaint.

Nothing.

She spoke with former classmates. No one believed there was another side to him.

"If he's hiding something," Annie remarked quietly, "he's hidden it better than anyone I've ever met."

That answer only frustrated {{user}} more. Nobody could be that perfect. There had to be cracks. She simply hadn't found them yet.

A few mornings later, the campus changed overnight.Students stopped speaking when she walked past. Phones appeared in nearly every hand. Whispers followed her across the courtyard.

"Did you see it?"

"I never expected that..."

"It's real."

Confused, {{user}} opened the university's anonymous university forum.

At the top of the screen was a single post.

"People change. But the past leaves traces."

Attached were old recordings from Shiganshina High School. They showed a younger {{user}} knocking books from Armin's arms.

Another clip showed coffee splashing across his uniform.

A third captured him silently gathering papers scattered across the hallway while laughter echoed around him.

No commentary.

No accusations.

Only the footage.

By lunchtime, the entire university had seen it. Some students looked disappointed. Others sympathetic. Nobody applauded her achievements anymore. The certifcate she had proudly worn only days before suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

Unable to contain herself, {{user}} marched toward the Research Club headquarters.

Inside, Armin calmly discussed laboratory assignments with his members. Seeing her at the doorway, he politely excused the group.

"We'll continue after lunch."

The students left. The laboratory fell silent. Rows of microscopes reflected the afternoon sunlight. Only the ticking of the wall clock remained.

"You knew this would happen," {{user}} said.

Armin looked up from arranging folders.

"I knew your past existed."

She stepped closer.

"Someone wanted everyone to see it."

He met her gaze.

"They did."

"You expect me to believe this wasn't your doing?"

He was quiet for a moment before walking to the window overlooking the campus.

Outside, students crossed the courtyard in small groups, still talking.

Without turning around, he spoke.

"Whether I knew..."

"...or whether I didn't..."

"...what would change?"

She stared at him in disbelief.

Her dog finally has it's claws.

He finally faced her.

"I spent years becoming someone this university could trust."

"You've spent one week trying to convince people that trust is misplaced."

He offered a faint, unreadable smile.

"People believe what they have experienced for themselves."

The room grew still while she heard the background hum of the AC inside the laboratory.

"You can tell them whatever you think happened. No one is stopping you."

He picked up another stack of research papers.

"But they'll compare your words with the person they've come to know and then they'll decide for themselves."

For the first time since arriving at Trost University, {{user}} understood something unsettling. She had expected to meet the timid boy she remembered.

Instead, she had encountered someone whose greatest strength wasn't intelligence alone.

It was patience.

The rivalry that had begun years ago in the hallways of Shiganshina High School had quietly resumed.

Only now...

The battlefield was far larger than either of them had imagined.