The Birth of the Clown Emperor Yamauchi

"Didn't you make any friends, Sato?"

"No, I made friends with Karuizawa. I'll introduce you two next time."

"Uh, no thanks."

"Huh? Why not? She's pretty cute, doesn't have a boyfriend, and she likes handsome guys. With your looks, Takeda, you've got a great shot~"

"Please spare me."

Not interested×

Women who are more trouble than they're worth√

"All right, let me know if you change your mind. I'll help you out."

"Mm."

Before long, the bell rang.

As Chabashira had said, he had to go to the staff room. Yamauchi was going with him.

Yamauchi didn't pass up the chance to pester him:

"So you're in this class! You actually dared to lie to me, you jerk!"

"Actually, this is Japan Prank Awards 2023: The Four-Hour Special. Yamauchi, you've been pranked~"

"Huh? Seriously?"

"Of course not, you idiot."

"...What... You bastard!"

"...Ah, sorry, sorry. Don't hit me. I was mistaken earlier. I really am a student in this class. It was all a misunderstanding."

"Forget it. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let it slide. We're classmates, so stick with me from now on. I'll introduce you to girls. I might be really handsome, but I've already gotten a girl's contact info!"

"Who?" It was hard to imagine anyone agreeing to exchange contact information with this guy.

"Kikyo, of course. What do you think? Jealous?" Yamauchi patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm a little jealous." He'd known in advance that he'd have to change phones, so he still hadn't gotten Kikyo's contact information.

But that made sense for Kikyo. After all, her goal was to become friends with everyone.

"Tell me, do you think she likes me?"

"Who?"

"Little Kikyo, obviously. Why else would she talk to me in such a cute voice and want to exchange phone numbers?"

Eito fell silent for two seconds, then looked him in the eye and said seriously:

"It's very likely. When a girl is willing to approach a guy first, and even asks for his contact information, there's an eighty percent chance she likes him."

"Huh? Th-then what should I do? Should I confess?"

Yamauchi panicked a little and shook him by the shoulders.

"Exactly. Confess. She's given you so many hints already. Be a man and tell her how you feel. What, are you going to make the girl do it first?"

"Oh, yeah, I get it... So Little Kikyo really does like me! Hehehe... But why'd you hit me?"

"Sorry, I didn't control my strength... I wanted to see how thick your skin was, but I didn't expect it to be... surprisingly soft?"

Looking at the red mark his slap had left on Yamauchi's face, Eito calmly withdrew his hand.

"Anyway, don't overthink it. Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks. I can tell you're a good guy... I normally don't like handsome guys, but you're my friend now, whether you like it or not!"

"Uh, maybe not."

After chatting for a while, the two of them walked into the staff room.

As soon as they entered, they saw Chabashira Sae sitting in the corner, leaning back in her chair with her long legs crossed.

From this angle, they could take in every curve of Chabashira's tall, alluring figure. Yamauchi's eyes were especially drawn to her long legs, clad in black stockings.

Yamauchi's unrestrained, heated gaze made Chabashira frown. She looked at the newcomers in displeasure.

"Had your fill?"

"Uh... I'm sorry!" Even someone like Yamauchi knew that behavior was wrong, so he hurriedly looked away. "Teacher, did you call me here for something?"

Before coming, he'd asked his friend Ike for advice and learned that he shouldn't ask that kind of question. People went to the staff room to get scolded.

Still, he was a little indignant. Eito had asked first. He'd only followed up. How was that his fault?

If Eito hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't have asked either. The teacher clearly looked like she wasn't someone you could mess with, and she was their homeroom teacher. If he offended her, wouldn't she make his life miserable for the next three years?

Chabashira looked at Yamauchi first.

"I don't want to say much about what you did. If this weren't a school and I weren't your teacher, I could report you for sexual harassment just for what you said. Remember to watch your words next time. This school is a little unusual, and if someone catches you saying something they can use against you, you'll be in for trouble... Sigh... Never mind. You can go."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Hearing that he was off the hook, Yamauchi was as happy as a monkey.

[What? That was it? This teacher isn't as scary as I thought. She even cares about me. Could it be—does she like me too? Hehehe, am I really that charming? Two beautiful girls like me right after school starts. This school really is great... Hahaha...]

"Do you want me to escort you out?" Chabashira's voice turned colder.

The idiot grinning in front of her had soured her mood all over again.

"Ah, no, no need. Thanks for your concern, Teacher!" Yamauchi bolted out of there.

Only Eito and Chabashira remained in the staff room.

Chabashira leisurely picked up the teacup on her desk and took a sip. Then she propped her chin on her hand and studied him with a searching gaze.

"Takeda, what do you think of this school?"

Here it comes.

Eito knew that being called to the staff room couldn't be that simple. It was probably because of what he'd said earlier. She wanted to learn more about him and assess his abilities.

Chabashira's goal was nothing more than fulfilling her long-held wish of leading Class D to Class A. To do that, she needed to understand the talented students in her class.

But Chabashira's wish was doomed to fail, because he was just an ordinary person. His only advantage came from having read the original story, and he wasn't particularly interested in moving up a class.

"Teacher, I think this school is great. We get so much money to spend every month, our classmates are good-looking and friendly, and our homeroom teacher is especially nice. You're the most beautiful homeroom teacher I've ever seen, so I feel honored."

"Is that what I asked you? And flattery won't work on me. Don't butter me up. Take this seriously, or you can go write a reflection."

"Uh, a reflection... Fine, you win."

Just hearing about writing a reflection gave him a headache.

From Chabashira's expression, he knew he wasn't going to get out of it, so he decided to come clean.

But before he started, he cleared his throat, then picked up the teacup on the desk and took a sip under Chabashira's cold gaze.

Because what he was about to tell was a very, very long story—

"Once upon a time, someone founded a school called Advanced Nurturing High School...

The Birth of the Jester King: Yamauchi

"Once upon a time, someone founded a school called Advanced Nurturing High School. The school was famous for its deceit. Its public claim was that 99.9 percent of its students found jobs of their choice, but in reality, only Class A had the freedom to choose.

"Unfortunately, a student named Xiao Ying was selected. Full of hope, he entered this school, which was famous for its freedom. Only when he stepped onto campus did he realize that there was no such thing as freedom here. No hope, nothing. Three years of confinement. The people here were like livestock living in prison, at the mercy of others.

"The school believed in merit above all. The capable could do whatever they wanted, while those without ability lived like beggars on the street, labeled defective wherever they went.

"Finally, one day, he'd had enough. Rather than live at the mercy of others every day, he'd rather pull their pants down and make them beg alongside him.

"He took off his uniform and stomped on it. The emblem on it was just like the school he despised, and everything about that school that he hated.

"He stomped on it with all his might, until the uniform was in tatters and had truly become a beggar's outfit.

"So he put it on.

"Just as light could give rise to more light, evil could breed even greater evil. With the resolve of solid rock, he stepped over the bodies of his enemies and his allies, ascending step by step to the supreme throne that symbolized the strongest, amid the fearful, admiring gazes of those around him.

"He was crowned king!"

"You're done?" Chabashira remained seated, her expression unchanged. "Would you like me to call you a car, Your Majesty?"

"Uh, no thanks." It wouldn't be fun if the car turned out to be from a psychiatric hospital.

"So that's your understanding of the school?"

"More or less..."

"Heh... I have to admit, you've really made me see you in a new light." Chabashira gave him two perfunctory claps, her expression softening. "You really are a genuine talent. You've already recognized the true nature of this school as soon as you enrolled. If we ignore the fact that you're a chuunibyou..."

What Chabashira meant by the school's true nature was the principle of merit above all.

"I'm honored to receive your praise, Teacher. But I'm not a chuunibyou."

"Whether you are or not has nothing to do with me. All I need to know is that you're talented."

"...I said I'm not a chuunibyou."

"Do you have a problem with that?" Chabashira glared at him impatiently.

"...No."

"So, Teacher, can we get to the point?" Eito dropped his smile and spoke seriously.

"Oh? You've already guessed?" Chabashira watched him with an amused look, the hint of a smile flickering across her face.

"Teacher, you want me to help you promote Class D to Class A, don't you?"

"...You really do surprise me. You even know about that. Did you make a point of looking into me before the school year started?" Chabashira narrowed her eyes, as if trying to see right through him.

Under her gaze, Eito felt as if he were completely naked. An inexplicable shyness rose to his cheeks, and his heart fluttered.

What was going on?

A sense of shame flowed through his body like water, raising goose bumps wherever it went.

He finally understood what it felt like to have a beautiful girl stared at by a lecher. It was awkward and unpleasant.

So he bashfully covered his face with his hands, even shielding his eyes.

Chabashira: "..."

As if she'd also sensed the strange atmosphere, Chabashira's pretty face twitched. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said what she'd been holding back.

"Are... you all right?"

"Sorry!"

Eito bent forward at a ninety-degree angle and gave her a proper Japanese bow.

His sincere attitude left Chabashira at a loss for words. She could only sigh and continue with what she'd been saying.

"So, what's your answer? Are you willing or not?"

"Actually, there are better candidates than me. For example, Ayanokoji and Horikita from our class."

"You even know that?" Chabashira looked surprised. "But there's no need to bring them up now. I'm asking you. What's your answer?"

"Can I refuse?"

"Do you have a reason to refuse? You should know how much you stand to gain from moving up to Class A. Do you want to stay in Class D forever and be looked down on? Oh... After what just happened, I have to reassess you. Maybe you really do have that kind of preference. What do you young people call it again... a masochist?"

"Uh..."

He'd heard this sort of tactic before. It was called reverse psychology, wasn't it?

If he refused, then he'd be a genuine masochist. He didn't really care, but being saddled with that label out of nowhere still annoyed him.

So he quickly thought of a way to respond.

It was called yielding in order to advance.

"Teacher, I can help you, but I have one condition."