Chabashira knew full well she was breaking the rules.
But she had no other choice.
The evaluation scores for Classes A, B, and C were higher than in previous years. Even with students like Koenji and Ayanokouji, it would be hard for Class D to climb up.
Especially since she wasn't even sure if Ayanokouji or Koenji had any interest in helping the class rise in rank.
After all, neither of them had made any major moves so far. In fact, they had both—one way or another—contributed to the class losing points.
That's why she had to focus on students who were easier to motivate and actually wanted to improve.
And so, Horikita Suzune was chosen.
Being the student council president's younger sister and ending up in Class D was a huge embarrassment. Horikita's overall abilities seemed good enough that, if not for certain flaws, she would have been placed in Class A. But those flaws were exactly what kept her in Class D.
Still, even with those weaknesses, she was far stronger than the average Class D student.
So, Chabashira was placing all her hopes on Horikita.
But pushing her like this was clearly against the rules.
That's why, after finishing her talk with Horikita, she would have to head straight to the director's office.
She was probably about to lose half a year's worth of salary.
Still, if she could help create a system where all four classes could compete and grow together, the school might not reject the idea.
Otherwise, a completely hopeless Class D could just be expelled to save resources.
After all…
It had only been a month, yet Class D had already lost all their points, dropping straight to zero. At this rate, there was no chance of them climbing back up.
Several thoughts ran through Chabashira's mind as Horikita sat in front of her, listening intently, though a bit tense.
Chabashira actually felt a little guilty.
But the fact was, Horikita had been placed in Class D and labeled as a failure.
If she could grow from this, it would benefit her as well.
Chabashira spoke in a serious tone.
"The deadline is the end of this month—until the first of next month."
"Normally, the right approach would be to observe the school, figure out what makes it different, and find a way to deal with it."
"But you might not be able to do that."
"So, when you run into obstacles, try looking at things from a different angle."
Was she implying that Horikita wasn't capable enough and would end up struggling?
Horikita was listening carefully to her teacher's advice, but she couldn't help feeling a little frustrated.
First, she had been told she was a disgrace to her brother. Now, she was being judged as lacking ability.
She wanted to prove herself.
Still, she kept listening.
"First-year Class C—Shirogane Miyuki. His performance has been outstanding. He's earned recognition from both the school and the student council," Chabashira said. "If you don't know where to start, consider watching him."
She paused for a moment before adding,
"Learn from him."
Learn from him.
"..."
For someone like Horikita, who always worked alone and believed in herself, this was a complicated idea.
But…
Now that Chabashira-sensei had pointed her in a direction, she felt like she might actually gain something from it.
So, she decided to start gathering information about the school.
The deadline was the end of this month. Half a month had already passed, leaving her with just two more weeks.
But if she dug deeper and thought things through, she was sure she could find an answer.
And so…
"This is a pretty good lunch. Shirogane, you're quite the cook."
On the third day at lunchtime, Shirogane arrived at the cafeteria.
The cafeteria had three floors, with the third being the most luxurious. The food there was expensive, and there were private rooms that required extra payment.
Only upperclassmen with money or school staff could really afford them.
So, most students would come to the first floor.
But—
As soon as Shirogane took out the bento he made, someone immediately came over to talk to him.
It was Sakayanagi Arisu, holding a cane in her left hand.
She looked as cute as ever today.
Ever since she got dirt on Kamuro, she was often seen with just Kamuro by her side. Even when spotted in the shopping district, she was no longer surrounded by a group of loyal followers.
But Shirogane didn't think this meant she had lost power—her supporters simply no longer needed to show their loyalty so openly.
"I'm just trying to save money," Shirogane said. "It would be a waste not to bring out the full flavor of the ingredients."
"Oh."
Sakayanagi simply nodded.
Coming from a wealthy family as an only child, she had never struggled financially and never had to worry about saving money. So to her, things like studying hard or cooking meals to cut costs were novel ideas.
But she wasn't here to ask for one of Shirogane's takoyaki.
"You've been keeping an eye on Class A's students lately, haven't you?" Sakayanagi said. "Some of them have already reported it to me."
"I don't have enough points to buy the student directory," Shirogane admitted.
"So, instead, you decided to stake out our classroom entrance, taking pictures of every student who walked out?" Sakayanagi said with a smile. "And you even made sure to avoid taking a picture of me."
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