Still, He Had a Soft Spot

The requests are as follows:

1. Please handle Clerk Yamamoto seriously in your capacity as Homeroom Teacher, in accordance with the School Rules and the evidence, and ensure he has no further opportunity to approach or harass Sakura Airi or any other student at this school.

2. Please ensure Sakura Airi has a safe environment for studying and living on campus, and prevent her from suffering any form of secondary victimization or retaliation because she reported the incident.

This evidence is provided solely for Teacher Chabashira to handle this matter. I have no intention of interfering in Class D's affairs; I am acting only out of a sense of responsibility for maintaining safety and order on campus. I hope Teacher Chabashira will handle this impartially and protect the school's reputation and the students' rights.

Sincerely,

An anonymous student concerned about Campus Safety ((￢_￢))

The email was sent. Toudou Shizuka leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses, and rubbed his brow. The cold deal had been put on the table.

He was betting that Chabashira Sae, as a teacher (however pragmatic she might be), couldn't keep pretending not to hear in the face of conclusive evidence. He was also betting that she understood the unspoken implication behind "anonymous"—if the matter was mishandled or leaked, the evidence could appear somewhere more "appropriate" at any moment (like the Chairman's inbox or the school forum).

Now all that remained was to wait. Wait for Chabashira Sae's response, and for the chain reaction that would follow when the "sword of evidence" hanging over Class D finally fell.

The wait wasn't long. Around lunchtime the next day, Toudou Shizuka received an encrypted message from an unknown source on his Personal Device. It contained only a few cold, concise words:

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

There was no signature, but Toudou Shizuka understood at once. Chabashira Sae. She had chosen the most discreet meeting place, one least likely to be noticed, in keeping with her usual style.

When the final bell rang, Toudou Shizuka packed his bag and said goodbye to Kanzaki Ryuji, Kobashi Yume, and the others as usual. Then, without drawing attention, he took a route away from the main path, crossed a rather overgrown grove, and headed toward Old School Building Block A, in a remote corner of campus.

The building was old, its facilities worn, and few people ever came there. The rooftop's iron door was covered in rust and stood slightly ajar.

As he pushed it open, the cool evening wind rushed in. On the empty concrete rooftop, Chabashira Sae stood with her back to the entrance, facing the railing at the edge. Her dark suit outlined a tall, yet cold silhouette. Hearing his footsteps, she slowly turned around.

The setting sun cast a long shadow behind her, but did nothing to warm her stern features. Her A-Rank Aura Intimidation was like tangible ice, instantly enveloping the entire rooftop.

[Target scan: Chabashira Sae (status refreshed)]

Aura Intimidation (teacher profession): A-Rank (active, peak)

Insight (student status): B-Rank (highly focused, target locked)

Rule Enforcement (ruthless): A-Rank (active)

Emotional state: High Alert / Coerced Anger (hidden)

[Affection: -20 (high alert and hostility)]

"It was you." Chabashira Sae's voice was colder than usual, like an Ice-Tempered Blade. Her gaze, sharp as a hawk's, pierced Toudou Shizuka's lenses as she tried to dissect him from the inside out. "Toudou Shizuka from Class B. You've kept yourself well hidden."

Under the pressure of her powerful aura, Toudou Shizuka's breathing hitched slightly. His S-Rank Fighting Style instincts made his muscles tense in an instant, but he kept the calm expected of "Toudou Shizuka," even managing a trace of the caution a student ought to show a teacher. "Teacher Chabashira."

"Where did you get the evidence?" Chabashira Sae skipped all pleasantries and got straight to the point, her tone demanding. "Were you there? Or did you use some illegal means?"

Her B-Rank Insight made her scrutinize this "ordinary" Class B student more intently than ever before.

"I came across it by chance, and obtained it legally."

Toudou Shizuka's answer was watertight. He avoided the specifics, his tone steady. "What matters is that it's genuine and proves Yamamoto's harassment, as well as the danger Sakura is in. As Homeroom Teacher, you're duty-bound to protect your students."

"Duty-bound?" Chabashira Sae's lips curved into a cold, almost mocking smile. She stepped closer, and her A-Rank pressure grew even stronger. "You're threatening me with an anonymous email?

"And this is what you call 'caring about Campus Safety'? Toudou Shizuka, what are you really after? Standing up for Class D? Or trying to blackmail them?"

Toudou Shizuka met her icy stare and didn't back down. His voice turned calm, carrying a composure beyond his years. "You've misunderstood, Teacher Chabashira.

"My goal is simple, and I spelled it out in the email: deal with Yamamoto and protect Sakura.

"That's all. I stayed anonymous to avoid unnecessary trouble and to make my position clear—I care only about the outcome. I have no intention of interfering in Class D's internal affairs, nor of 'blackmailing' anyone with this." He deliberately stressed that he had no intention of interfering or making threats, trying to ease her hostility.

"That's all?" Chabashira Sae clearly didn't believe him. The scrutiny and wariness in her eyes didn't lessen in the slightest. "A Class B student goes to all this trouble to get evidence just to help a marginal student from Class D?

"Don't treat people like fools, Toudou Shizuka. Tell me what you really want. Otherwise, I have no problem getting the Security Department to investigate the source of this email and your 'chance encounter' with the evidence."

The atmosphere plunged to freezing. Chabashira Sae's threat was clear and direct. She was testing Toudou Shizuka's limits and forcing him to show his hand.

Toudou Shizuka sneered inwardly. As expected, the reason of "protecting a fellow student" wasn't enough to convince this Cold Realist.

He pushed up his glasses. The lenses briefly flashed white in the setting sun. His tone remained calm, but now held a sharp edge of understanding.

"Teacher Chabashira, you know better than I do how dire Class D's position is. It started at the bottom, has the fewest resources, and its Class Evaluation is on thin ice. If someone took advantage of a potential scandal involving student safety and brought it to the Board of Directors, or let it spread around the school...

"What kind of blow would it deal to Class D's already poor reputation and its chances of receiving resources? The Yamamoto incident hurts Sakura, but it's also a potential bomb for Class D."

He paused, watching the slight flicker in Chabashira Sae's eyes beneath her cold mask—a subtle change his B-Rank Insight picked up—then continued:

"I provided the evidence anonymously to give you a chance: the chance to personally and cleanly eliminate this problem before it escalates. That would protect Sakura while preserving Class D's stability and preventing a much bigger scandal.

"It's a Win-Win. As for my 'motive'... If you insist on one, you can take it that I don't want to see a fellow student get hurt, nor do I want to see someone use that harm to attack an already struggling class and upset a certain... delicate balance."