Faced with this outcome, instead of choosing to investigate first, she chose to question the teacher?
"What I said is the truth. It seems you think you're pretty exceptional."
"I'm confident I solved almost all the entrance exam questions, and I don't remember making any major mistakes in the interview. At the very least, I can't imagine being assigned to Class D."
She was still fixated on that question. It seemed she still hadn't understood the truth about this school.
"You solved almost all the entrance exam questions...? Normally, students aren't allowed to see their entrance exam results, but I'll make an exception for you. That's right, I happen to have your answer sheet here."
"How very thoughtful of you... Almost as if you knew I'd come to protest."
Blah, blah, blah. Yibbidy-yibbidy.
By this point, Uesugi Gen had completely lost interest.
In short, a girl named Horikita Suzune was protesting her assignment to Class D, and Chabashira Sae was using every sort of tactic to psychologically manipulate her.
What a strange world.
Someone like her could be a teacher—and a close friend of Hoshinomiya-sensei, no less. Maybe he should tell Hoshinomiya to stay away from her. If Hoshinomiya ever got the sudden urge to imitate her and start messing with her own students, he'd be in for a real drama.
Come to think of it, was this the girl? The one who kept pushing The Accomplice Lady over the edge, making her call him every day to pester him?
Just what was she so good at?
And what made The Accomplice Lady feel inferior to her? Uesugi Gen thought they seemed about the same.
Also, the name Horikita Suzune made it hard not to think of the current Student Council President, Horikita Manabu. Their features even seemed somewhat similar. Maybe they were related.
He'd decided. Next time he saw him, he'd tease him a little with this name and see how he reacted.
And then there was that utterly outrageous Class D homeroom teacher.
Breathing in the scent of Hoshinomiya's lavender-scented hair mixed with alcohol, Uesugi Gen leaned toward her head and whispered in her ear from where she sat in his arms.
"Teacher, has your friend gone so long without finding a boyfriend that her hormones are out of whack? Treating her own students like that..."
Hoshinomiya's pretty face flushed, then she burst out laughing and patted Uesugi Gen with her little hand.
"Gen-chan, you can't say that about Sae. Although she really doesn't have a boyfriend, teehee~"
Uesugi Gen stared at the faintly pink nape of Hoshinomiya's neck and wore a face full of exasperation.
You tell me not to say it, but you're laughing. You think so too, don't you? And you haven't stopped laughing since a moment ago.
"Gen-chan, don't fidget. Keep listening."
They continued listening.
"I don't think this will be an easy path. How can Class D, full of immature students, earn more points than Class A? No matter how you look at it, isn't it impossible?"
"That's none of my concern. Whether you choose to pursue this reckless path is entirely up to you. Horikita, or is there some special reason you absolutely have to make it to Class A?"
"That's... I'll take my leave for today. But please remember that I haven't accepted this matter."
"Understood. I'll remember that."
"Oh, right. I also called someone else to the Counseling Room. Someone who has a connection to you, too."
"Someone connected to me...? Could it be... my bro—"
Oh? He seemed to have heard something he wasn't supposed to.
Sure enough, the two were related by blood—and they were siblings, at that.
Uesugi Gen suddenly became interested.
The younger sister of the Student Council President himself had been assigned to Class B? What a dramatic turn of events.
"Ayanokoji, come out here."
"If you don't, I'll have you expelled."
By now, the outcome was obvious. Chabashira Sae, Class D's homeroom teacher, was willing to use KFC, threats of expulsion, and every other form of coercion and temptation to get her class promoted to Class A.
This teacher had truly opened Uesugi Gen's eyes. She was obsessed with getting into Class A, willing to use any means necessary.
So, if Class D was supposedly a defective product, was its homeroom teacher a defective product too?
It seemed the two students they'd just heard were the ones Chabashira Sae considered capable of leading the class upward. And judging from Horikita Suzune's tone, the other student who hadn't spoken at all was probably hiding somewhere nearby, listening in just like them.
Ayanokoji—a surname that was both obscure and famous. He had a feeling that the person from earlier had looked a little familiar.
Judging by the way he acted, he seemed like an incredibly low-key person.
Even the information The Accomplice Lady had given him had only mentioned him in passing—as Horikita Suzune's lackey.
Going by the usual way people were called in, the last one called was the main event. In other words, his homeroom teacher thought he had greater talent than Horikita Suzune.
He hadn't expected this school to have someone like him lurking in the shadows. Was he a recluse, or a poisonous snake concealed in the dark?
Suddenly, a steady set of footsteps sounded outside the office.
Damn, someone was coming.
Uesugi Gen cursed under his breath and hurriedly whispered to Hoshinomiya-sensei,
"Teacher, we have to go. Someone's coming. It wouldn't be good if they saw us."
"..."
Hoshinomiya seemed not to hear him at all. She sat completely frozen.
Something was wrong!
Uesugi Gen suddenly realized that Hoshinomiya's trademark smile had vanished. In its place was a dark expression covering her little face, one he had never seen before.
Tap~~~,
Tap~~,
Tap~,
The footsteps were getting closer and closer, but Hoshinomiya still didn't react.
He could leave first and leave Hoshinomiya here, but at a school full of competition, it wouldn't look good for a homeroom teacher to lead the way in eavesdropping on another class's conversation.
More importantly, Hoshinomiya was in a very strange state right now. Uesugi Gen couldn't predict what she might do if he left her here.
There was no other way. He had to get physical.
Uesugi Gen gritted his teeth, bent down, wrapped one arm around Hoshinomiya's smooth legs and the other around her neck, then lifted her into his arms in a princess carry.
Hoshinomiya finally came to her senses. She gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around Uesugi Gen's neck.
"Gen-chan, what are you—"
Before she could finish, Uesugi Gen dashed into the Counseling Room next door.
Slap!
The door shut in an instant.
Mashima-sensei, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, stood in the empty office with his lesson plans in hand and silently sighed.
What a bunch of lazy colleagues.
Inside the Counseling Room,
Uesugi Gen sat in a chair.
"Huff~ huff~ huff."
Carrying someone around was definitely not something a shut-in was meant to do.
"Teacher Hoshinomiya, just how much do you weigh?"
"Shut up, Gen-chan. Don't you know a girl's height and weight are taboo?"
Hoshinomiya had recovered. Her face flushed as she angrily hammered Uesugi Gen's chest with her little fists.
Hoshinomiya was back to normal now.
Looking at Hoshinomiya's pink cheeks, Uesugi Gen fell silent for a while, then asked softly,
"Hey, Teacher, you really hate Class D, don't you?"
"..."
Hoshinomiya clearly hadn't expected Uesugi Gen to ask that. Her fist stopped in midair and stayed there for a long time.
Then she looked at Uesugi Gen and said firmly,
"That's right. I really do hate Class D. I want to keep them under my heel forever and never let them climb up. That's why I stayed at this school."
So this was Teacher Hoshinomiya's true self?
This... was really thrilling!
Uesugi wore an audacious grin.
"Then let me help you, Teacher. That's why I came to see you this time."
With an almost ruthless air, he added,
"I'll knock Class D out of the running for good, all at once."
After hearing Uesugi Gen's words, Hoshinomiya stiffened. A smile bloomed across her face, and she suddenly flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his head.
"Gen-chan~, you really are Teacher's favorite student."
Held tightly by Hoshinomiya, Uesugi Gen felt a pressure unlike anything he'd ever experienced. The view before his eyes made him dizzy again and again.
"Let go, let go. I can't breathe."
Uesugi Gen patted Hoshinomiya's back and finally managed to pull himself free.
Looking at Hoshinomiya, who was a little too happy, Uesugi Gen decided to make her calm down a bit.
"Also, Teacher, could you get off me first? You're really kind of heavy."
"Gen-chan!"
An angry, embarrassed voice rang out from the Counseling Room.
"The specific plan is as I've described. I can't guarantee it'll succeed, but no matter how you look at it, we stand to gain."
After explaining his plan to Hoshinomiya, Uesugi Gen spoke with a serious expression.
"I see. I understand. I'll cooperate tomorrow."
Teacher Hoshinomiya had the air of someone ready to take on the world, and her excitement was almost bursting out of her eyes.
"But, Gen-chan, you're really special to Ichinose, aren't you? Teacher's getting a little jealous."
Teacher Hoshinomiya suddenly changed the subject and teased Uesugi Gen.
Uesugi Gen broke into a cold sweat, tossed out a sentence, and dashed away.
"Anyway, that's the plan. I'll leave it to you tomorrow, Teacher."
Something was up!
Early the next morning, seeing Uesugi Gen arrive in the classroom so early, Kanzaki Ryuji immediately tensed up.
Whenever that guy got fired up, it meant he was about to cause trouble.
After spending so much time with him, Kanzaki Ryuji had come to understand Uesugi Gen's personality.
For that guy to be this energetic, it definitely had to be something big.
At that moment, Uesugi Gen sat at his desk, looking at the printed-out test from years past with an evil grin.
This time,
he would crush Ichinose and seize the position of Class B's leader in one fell swoop.
Before you continue