Still Soft-Hearted

The demands are as follows:

1. We request that Teacher Chabashira, in her capacity as homeroom teacher, strictly handle the involved staff member Yamamoto based on school rules and evidence, ensuring he has no further opportunity to contact or harass student Sakura Airi or any other student at this school.

2. We request that student Sakura Airi's learning and living environment within the school be secured, preventing her from suffering any form of secondary harm or retaliation due to her reporting.

This evidence is provided solely for Teacher Chabashira's use in handling this matter. I have no intention of interfering in Class D's affairs; this stems only from a sense of responsibility to maintain campus safety and order. I hope Teacher Chabashira will handle this impartially, upholding the school's reputation and students' rights.

Sincerely, An anonymous student concerned about campus safety ((￢_￢))

The email was sent. Toudou Shizuka leaned back in his chair, removed his glasses, and rubbed his temples. The cold transaction had been made.

He gambled that Chabashira Sae, as a teacher (even a pragmatic one), could not continue to feign ignorance in the face of irrefutable evidence. He also gambled that she understood the subtext behind "anonymous"—that if this matter were mishandled or leaked, the evidence could appear in more "suitable" places at any time (such as the Chairman's mailbox or the school forum).

Now, all that remained was to wait. Wait for Chabashira Sae's reaction, and wait to see what chain reactions would occur when this "sword of evidence" hanging over Class D's head finally fell.

The wait was not long. The next day during lunch break, Toudou Shizuka's personal device received an encrypted message from an unknown source. The content was brief and cold, consisting of only a few words:

After school. Old School Building Block A Rooftop. Alone.

There was no signature, but Toudou Shizuka understood instantly. Chabashira Sae. She had chosen the most discreet, least noticeable meeting place, which aligned with her usual style of operation.

The dismissal bell rang. Toudou Shizuka packed his bag, bid farewell to Kanzaki Ryuji, Kobashi Yume, and the others as usual, then subtly bypassed the main path, cutting through a slightly overgrown grove of trees towards Old School Building Block A, located in a secluded corner of the campus.

This building was old, its facilities dated, and rarely frequented. The iron gate to the rooftop was rusty and ajar.

Pushing the door open, the cool evening breeze immediately rushed in. On the empty concrete rooftop, Chabashira Sae stood with her back to the entrance, by the railing, her dark suit outlining her tall yet cold figure. She heard footsteps and slowly turned around.

The afterglow of the sunset cast a long shadow behind her, but it could not add a shred of warmth to her stern face. Her A-rank Aura Intimidation enveloped the entire rooftop like tangible ice.

[Scanning Target: Chabashira Sae (Status Refresh)]

Aura Intimidation (Teacher Class Specialty): A-rank (Active, Peak) Insight (Student Status): B-rank (High Alert, Target Locked) Rule Enforcement (Cold): A-rank (Active) Emotional State: High Alert / Coerced Anger (Hidden)

[Affection: -20 (High Alert and Hostility)]

"It's you." Chabashira Sae's voice was colder than usual, like an Ice-Tempered Blade, her gaze sharp as a Falcon's, piercing through Toudou Shizuka's glasses, trying to dissect him inside and out. "Toudou Shizuka from Class B. You've been hiding quite well."

Under her powerful aura, Toudou Shizuka's breathing hitched slightly. The instincts of his S-Rank Fighting Style caused his muscles to tense instantly, but his face maintained the composure of "Toudou Shizuka," even carrying a hint of appropriate caution towards an elder: "Teacher Chabashira."

"Where did you get the evidence?" Chabashira Sae cut straight to the chase without pleasantries, her tone aggressive. "Were you at the scene? Or did you use some illegal means?"

Her B-rank Insight made her scrutinize this "Ordinary" Class B student, Toudou Shizuka, more intensely than ever before.

"Acquired by chance, the process was legal."

Toudou Shizuka's answer was watertight, avoiding specifics with a steady tone. "What's important is that the content is true, sufficient to prove Yamamoto's harassment and the danger Sakura's situation is in. As her homeroom teacher, Teacher Chabashira, protecting students is your undeniable responsibility."

"Undeniable responsibility?" Chabashira Sae's lips curved into a cold, almost mocking arc. She took a step forward, her A-rank pressure intensifying. "Threatening me with an anonymous email? Is this what you call 'concerned about campus safety'? Toudou Shizuka, what exactly do you want? To champion Class D's grievances? Or to use this to blackmail Class D?"

Toudou Shizuka met her chilling gaze, advancing rather than retreating. His voice grew calm, carrying a maturity beyond his years. "Teacher Chabashira misunderstands. My objective is simple, as clearly stated in the email: handle Yamamoto and protect Sakura. That's all. Anonymity is to avoid unnecessary trouble and to show my stance—I only care about the result, have no intention of interfering in Class D's internal affairs, and certainly no intention of 'blackmailing' them." He deliberately emphasized "no intention of interfering" and "no intention of blackmailing" in an attempt to reduce her hostility.

"Just that?" Chabashira Sae clearly didn't believe him, her eyes showing no less scrutiny or vigilance. "A Class B student goes to such lengths to obtain evidence, just to help a Marginal Figure from Class D? Toudou Shizuka, don't treat others like fools. State your true objective. Otherwise, I don't mind involving the Security Department to investigate the source of this email and your 'chance acquisition'."

The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point. Chabashira Sae's threat was clear and direct. She was testing Toudou Shizuka's bottom line, forcing him to reveal his hand.

Toudou Shizuka sneered inwardly. As expected, the reason of "protecting a classmate" alone wouldn't convince this Cold Realist.

He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting a brief white light in the sunset. His tone remained calm, but with a hint of discerning sharpness:

"Teacher Chabashira, you know Class D's situation better than I do. The lowest starting point, the most scarce resources, and a Class Evaluation that's always on thin ice. A potential scandal involving student safety, if exploited by those with ulterior motives and leaked to the Board of Directors or fermented within the school... What kind of blow would it be to Class D's already poor Reputation and potential Resource Allocation? The Yamamoto incident is harmful to Sakura, and for Class D, it's also a potential Bomb waiting to explode."

He paused, observing the slight flicker in Chabashira Sae's eyes beneath her cold mask (a subtle change captured by his B-rank Insight), and continued:

"My providing the evidence anonymously is giving you an opportunity, an opportunity to personally and cleanly eliminate this Hidden Danger before the situation escalates. This both protects Sakura and maintains Class D's stability, avoiding a larger storm. It's a Win-Win. As for my 'objective'... if you must have a reason, you can understand it as me not wanting to see fellow students get hurt, nor wanting to see certain people use such harm to attack a class that's already struggling, disrupting some... Delicate Balance."