Transaction (Part 1)

Itozawa faced Sakagami-sensei, his gaze firm, showing no hint of backing down. He knew this negotiation would be a battle of psychology and wit.

"Sakagami-sensei, we can help Class C," Itozawa's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable confidence.

Sakagami-sensei let out a cold laugh, his eyes revealing obvious suspicion. "Do you have the ability to do that?"

Itozawa smiled slightly. "If we have the ability to make Yasuda-sensei agree to go easy, we naturally have the ability to make him agree to go easy."

It sounded convoluted, but everyone understood what "going easy" meant twice over.

"Alright, then I..."

Sakagami-sensei was about to agree, but Itozawa raised his hand to stop him.

His expression was a half-smile, half-smirk. "Sakagami-sensei, you don't intend to take such a huge advantage of us just like that, do you?"

Sakagami's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure showing in his expression. "What do you mean? Didn't you propose the deal? Now you want to push your luck. Do you still want to pass the assessment?"

Itozawa sneered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "From passing Class C's assessment, we can deduce that the teachers don't have much decision-making power. It's more about the students' individual abilities. That makes Class B's assessment seem strange."

He paused, then continued, "However, if you look at it from another angle, if the school's assessment is meant to assess the teachers, then it suddenly makes sense."

Sakagami-sensei's expression changed slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected Itozawa to see through the essence of this assessment so quickly.

Seeing Sakagami-sensei's reaction, Itozawa knew he hadn't guessed wrong. He continued, "Sakagami-sensei, we can help you get a good grade in the assessment, but you also have to provide us with some substantial help."

Sakagami-sensei was silent for a moment, a look of deliberation in his eyes.

He knew he indeed needed the students' help to improve his assessment score.

"Fine, Itozawa, you win," Sakagami-sensei finally said, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

A triumphant smile appeared on Itozawa's face. He knew they had gained the upper hand in this negotiation.

Thus, after Sakagami-sensei relented, their negotiation truly entered its substantive phase.

Itozawa then began to state his conditions. "First condition: we need to ensure we finish the assessment earlier than Class C." His gaze was sharp, directly meeting Sakagami-sensei's eyes as he observed his reaction.

Sakagami-sensei's expression darkened slightly, which only made Itozawa more certain of his guess—Sakagami-sensei had been using shadows to maintain contact with Class C students.

He must have known about the bet between himself and Ryuen Kakeru long ago. Perhaps he was even present at the time, and maybe he was the one who convinced Ryuen Kakeru to agree to the bet.

He sneered inwardly. He thought he had cleverly manipulated Ryuen Kakeru, but in reality, Sakagami-sensei had already accounted for everything.

Without regard for Sakagami-sensei's displeased expression, Itozawa continued with his second condition. "Next, I hope you can tell us the essence of the upcoming assessments the students will face. Other teachers might be unwilling or unable to say, but for you, it shouldn't be difficult."

He looked meaningfully at the large pile of shadows on the ground. As long as Sakagami-sensei used shadows to communicate with others, the school shouldn't know. Otherwise, with Sakagami-sensei's tendency to leak information, he would have been dealt with by the school long ago.

Sakagami-sensei's expression was grim, but he quickly agreed. Itozawa then spoke, "Third condition..."

Sakagami-sensei's face turned completely dark. "Don't push your luck," he said, his voice carrying a hint of threat. "At worst, we'll go down together. You won't have an easy time either."

Itozawa's expression was calm. He said placidly, "The last condition is fine."

Only then did Sakagami-sensei barely regain his composure, asking coldly, "What is it?"

Itozawa replied, "Just tell us the assessment content for all four classes. I believe you can do it."

Sakagami-sensei said with a dark, cold expression, "You already know about Class B and Class C, so I don't need to tell you. Class A's assessment is to figure out the abilities of the four homeroom teachers. Class D students are either weak or too dangerous, so they don't have the right to assess teachers. Their assessment is just to figure out their own abilities."

Itozawa sneered, his words laced with sarcasm. "The school really doesn't trust Sakagami-sensei, does it? All three assessments include you. It seems the school knows what Sakagami-sensei has been up to."

Sakagami-sensei's expression grew even darker. "If it weren't for that arrogant Ryuen Kakeru completely ignoring my warnings, I wouldn't be in such a predicament right now."

Itozawa chuckled lightly. "It seems the class's performance also has a certain impact on the homeroom teacher."

He hadn't expected to be tricked into revealing information. His face darkened further. "If you've said enough nonsense, you can get out. As for the assessment, I will appear when they get to the natatorium."

Itozawa knew that this negotiation had achieved his goal.

He stood up and nodded. "Then it's settled, Sakagami-sensei. We'll be waiting for you at the natatorium."

Itozawa and the Class B students quickly arrived at the natatorium and met with Yasuda-sensei. As they had anticipated, Sakagami-sensei also appeared from the shadows on time, which surprised Yasuda-sensei. He had been considering whether he needed to intervene and help the Class B students, but now it seemed they no longer needed his assistance.

Under Sakagami-sensei's witness, Yasuda-sensei quickly drained the pool. His movements were swift and efficient, clearly possessing high skill in controlling water flow. After finishing, Yasuda-sensei left without a word, but before he did, he cast a meaningful glance at Sakagami-sensei. There was a hint of confusion in Yasuda-sensei's eyes, but Itozawa understood clearly: Sakagami-sensei had no intention of leaving any evidence behind.

Itozawa took the opportunity to pull Yasuda-sensei aside and quietly asked him to go a little easy on the Class C students. He subtly gestured towards the shadows on the ground, implying it was Sakagami-sensei's request. Itozawa didn't intend to let Sakagami-sensei completely off the hook; he needed to ensure Sakagami-sensei was also involved.

Yasuda-sensei immediately understood Itozawa's meaning and readily agreed. After all, the Class B students had just helped him solve a difficult problem, so it was only natural to give them some leeway. He nodded at Itozawa, indicating he would comply with his request.

Afterward, Itozawa bid farewell to the Class B students and returned to the dormitory. He stared at the shadows in the room, took a deep breath, and then called out, "Come out."