System Map

Luckily, it was midday, so the faculty office was nearly empty.

That was the only reason the two of them could act so brazenly.

By the time Suzuki Tsubame returned to the classroom, class was almost about to start.

"Hey, what did Chabashira-sensei want with you?"

Her voice was as cold and clear as ever.

It seemed his unusual behavior over the past few days had finally drawn Horikita's suspicion.

Suzuki Tsubame lifted his head from his lunchbox. Because of his excessive energy expenditure, he was eating like a wild boar.

Turning his gaze to Horikita beside him, Suzuki Tsubame raised a finger.

"First, my name isn't 'Hey.'"

His tone was so infuriating that Horikita felt her fists clench.

"Second, my name is Suzuki Tsubame."

"Then! ...Suzuki Tsubame!"

Horikita ground her teeth, her tone hostile.

"What did Chabashira-sensei want with you? Why were you gone so long?"

Seeing Horikita in this state, Suzuki Tsubame felt that if he dared to tease her any longer, he'd end up getting two rounds of acupuncture.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words, unsure what excuse to use.

"Well, Chabashira-sensei called me over... for something important, of course."

Sensing that Horikita's gaze was gradually turning blazing with anger, Suzuki Tsubame had a flash of inspiration.

"Suzune! As they say, walls have ears. Are you sure you want to discuss something this important here?"

"Look at this Ayanokoji, with that shifty-eyed look. He's definitely eavesdropping on us!"

Suzuki Tsubame suddenly pointed his finger at Ayanokoji, trying to divert Horikita's attention.

"Huh?"

Ayanokoji happened to turn around just then, giving him a perfect assist.

"See! I told you, this guy really was eavesdropping."

Ayanokoji frowned slightly. There was no way he could clear his name now.

Fortunately, he didn't bother to explain, even though he had been eavesdropping.

Thankfully, this sudden little incident temporarily dispelled Horikita's curiosity.

Two hours earlier.

Class C classroom.

Ryuen Kakeru sat in his seat, his legs arrogantly propped up on the desk.

Staring at the numbers on the blackboard, his expression was as dark as it could get.

This caused the classroom's atmosphere to drop to freezing point as well.

"Boss Ryuen, isn't our plan going pretty smoothly? Why do you still look so unhappy?"

Ishizaki Daichi muttered quietly beside him.

Harassing Class A and Class B was going well, and they'd easily taken down Yamauchi Haruki of Class D.

He couldn't figure out why Ryuen still looked so displeased.

"Idiot!"

"Use your pig brain for once!"

He suddenly raised his hand and slapped Ishizaki hard on the head.

Ryuen's gaze was as fierce as a wild dog's.

Ishizaki could only stand to the side, holding his head in grievance, not daring to speak.

Ryuen's mood suddenly improved quite a bit as he began to ponder the class's current predicament.

Harassing Class A and Class B was part of his strategic plan, and so far, the results looked good.

But Yamauchi Haruki's expulsion was never his intention.

That damn private account—where the hell did it come from?

It actually had videos of him disciplining his own teammates.

"Interesting. Looks like there are plenty of smart people in this school."

Ryuen's expression was gloomy, a strange glint flickering in his eyes.

That person specifically arranged for Yamauchi to be expelled, so Yamauchi Haruki must have offended him in some way.

If he investigated thoroughly in that direction, he was sure he could dig him out.

"I'll make you understand, when faced with absolute force—"

"—your little schemes are utterly fragile."

Dorm 605.

"Can you tell me now? What did Chabashira-sensei actually talk to you about?"

Horikita's expression was calm, carrying an air of relentless determination to get to the bottom of things.

"It went like this... yibby dibby doo..."

Suzuki Tsubame took Horikita's small hand in his.

This was their unshakable routine after finishing dinner together.

In Suzuki Tsubame's words:

Due to differences in physiological structure, women's blood circulation is weaker, which is why girls generally have cold hands and feet.

He was helping her exercise the blood vessels in her hands.

He'd originally wanted to help Horikita with her feet too, but she absolutely refused, so he had to let it go.

Suzuki Tsubame repeated what he'd said to Chabashira at noon.

Of course... it was an edited version.

He kept completely silent about Class C's trump card and Chabashira's services.

He didn't avoid other matters related to the class, since he'd be teaching her about them eventually anyway.

"According to you... is rising to Class A really that easy?"

Horikita's face was full of confusion and doubt—she didn't even know where the starting line was yet.

From Suzuki Tsubame's tone, it sounded like he could sprint past the finish line anytime.

Suzuki Tsubame nodded and affirmed:

"That's indeed the case."

"However... for the sake of your growth, I won't interfere too much in class affairs."

"At most... I'll correct your shortcomings?"

His tone carried a hint of teasing; the current Horikita was still a bit too green.

Though Suzuki Tsubame had already corrected her slightly, it was only a little.

She still had a long way to go.

"Heh."

Horikita snorted coldly, Suzuki Tsubame's words irritating her.

"That sounds nice, but whether it's true is another matter."

Sure, Suzuki Tsubame was clever.

But in just two months, she didn't believe anyone could be that terrifying.

"Then let's wait and see, Suzune-chan... I hope you don't end up crying."

Suzuki Tsubame said with a cheeky grin.

He imagined Horikita's tear-streaked face would definitely be very charming.

[Ding! Long-term quest: Obsessed Teacher, completion: 10%. Reward: System Mini-map. This reward can cover a ten-kilometer radius around the host in all directions, and can be summoned with a single thought. (Note: The map cannot detect underground conditions.)]

Oh, not a bad reward.

So Chabashira had come around?

Would she be harder to fool from now on?

Hmm... probably not, it was only ten percent.

She might just be starting to realize that rising to Class A wasn't the whole of her life.

Her life should have a broader horizon, not be confined to Advanced Nurturing.

Suzuki Tsubame scratched his head... well, what was really going on, he couldn't quite figure out either.