In the guidance office, looking at Sae Chabashira's slightly heaving shoulders, Kiyomizu suddenly realized he might have misjudged his homeroom teacher. He glanced down at his phone. Only three minutes and thirty seconds had passed since he had sent the help message: "Hoshinomiya-sensei is targeting Class D." Yet the teacher standing before him now had slightly messy hair, her uniform collar askew from running, and was still panting.
Putting aside previous matters, at least this time, Teacher Chabashira had been quite protective of her class and students. "Chabashira-sensei, thank you for your timely help this time."
The words worked like a sudden magic spell, making Sae Chabashira freeze. It had been a long, long time since she had heard such thanks, ever since she had adopted her "laissez-faire" approach as a homeroom teacher.
(No... I should say, it's already good enough that the students don't give her the cold shoulder.)
Sae Chabashira coughed lightly, quickly composing herself. "Kiyomizu, let me ask you—" her voice held a hint of hesitation, "I heard Hoshinomiya say you sought out a second-year senior. With your personality, you wouldn't do something useless. It's not just about the class assignments and points. Have you... already learned about the other information the school deliberately concealed?"
Without a second thought, Kiyomizu admitted, "...Yes." Since she had already put it that way, there was no need for him to lie.
"Kiyomizu, you're probably the first person in Class D to discover those hidden rules. So..." she composed herself, "I'm considering appointing you as the class representative. What are your thoughts?"
"With all due respect, I refuse," Kiyomizu's answer was crisp and without a moment's hesitation.
Sae Chabashira raised an eyebrow. "Reason?"
"Because—" his voice was calm, "I don't want to be a blood bag."
In the first month of school, Class D's points had ended in a disastrous "zero." The gap with the other classes was like a chasm. Kiyomizu secretly calculated that if he took on the hot potato of being the class representative, he would probably be dragged down by his hopeless classmates.
"So... is that why you chose to hide the information from the whole class?" Chabashira looked at him thoughtfully. Suddenly, she changed the subject. "What if... I used expulsion as a condition to force you to lead Class D?"
"..." Kiyomizu's sharp gaze swept over his homeroom teacher. "That probably wouldn't be in line with this school's rules, would it? After all, the chairman's goal is to cultivate students with 'talent'." As he spoke, he discreetly pushed Suzune Horikita forward half a step. "Besides, this is Manabu Horikita's sister. Do you need me to contact the student council president right now and report this... rather foolish threat of yours?"
He had heard rumors about the student council these past few days. The president's authority was even greater than that of the teachers. Hearing this, Horikita was slightly taken aback, then shot Kiyomizu an icy glare. This guy had dared to use her as a shield without her permission. But she still lifted her chin and said coolly, "...Chabashira-sensei, with your experience, you wouldn't make such a foolish decision."
"The student council president... is your brother?" Chabashira's gaze shifted between the two of them, and she suddenly understood. "I see... the surname Horikita is indeed uncommon."
"...I wasn't really planning to threaten you," her tone softened. In fact, the thought had crossed her mind. But on second thought, in this day and age, transferring high schools was hardly a catastrophe. Besides... she discreetly observed Kiyomizu's reaction. This was just a carefully designed test, like a chemistry teacher using a reagent to test a student's on-the-spot reaction. The result was about what she had expected.
Sae Chabashira's fingertips tapped on the desk. "What if I told you... I want to buy the class information from you for 1,000,000 points, on the condition that you share it with your classmates. How about it?"
Kiyomizu was stunned. The proposal itself was shocking enough, but what surprised him even more was the person who proposed it. This perpetually slacking homeroom teacher was now taking the initiative to intervene in the inter-class information war? This was completely out of character from her usual "laissez-faire" image.
"Are you... suddenly interested in the class competition, sensei?" Kiyomizu narrowed his eyes. "And you're willing to spend 1,000,000 points?"
"Don't look at me like that," Chabashira replied coolly. "Like you, I have no intention of being a sucker." As she spoke, she pulled a document from her bag, her long fingers tapping on the paper. "This is strategic information for the entire class. I'll hold a class meeting tomorrow. 25,000 points per person. Of course, I'll pay your 25,000 points myself. The condition is simple—" Chabashira paused, "you just need to 'inadvertently' leak the information to either Kushida Kikyo or Yosuke Hirata. Or you can say it yourself! I'll only allow one of you three to reveal this information."
"How about it?" Chabashira leaned forward slightly, her fingertips tapping on the desk. "You get the payment you deserve, the entire class pays the price they should, and you don't even have to be the one to do it." Her lips curved into a faint smile. "From any angle, this is a fair transaction, isn't it? If you agree on the spot, I'll immediately transfer the 1,000,000 points from my account to you."
Kiyomizu's gaze lingered on his phone for a long time. The string of numbers glowed coldly on the screen. A full 1,000,000 points, just like that. He gently rubbed his chin, repeatedly calculating the pros and cons of this deal in his head. The information he had bought for 10,000 points had just increased in value by 100 times. No matter how you looked at it, it was a surefire win. He had been worried about whether the slackers in Class D would obediently hand over the points, but he hadn't expected Chabashira to pay the full amount upfront. In other words, she was planning to be the "bad guy" herself and collect the 25,000-point "information fee" from everyone in the class.
(By the way, can teachers openly collect class fees? What if the other students report her?)
"...Deal," he finally nodded. "It is indeed a fair and reasonable transaction."
Chabashira chuckled and neatly put the document back in the drawer. "A wise choice. Well then, I look forward to your good news."
...
After they had completed the transaction, Chabashira suddenly turned her head, as if she had just noticed Suzune Horikita. "I almost forgot..." Her fingertip tapped the desk as she turned to the silently standing Horikita. "Tell me, what did you want to ask?"
-------
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