The Plan

Hoshino Kanade stood in the high-level corridor of the school building, his gaze passing through the window to take in the scene unfolding at the bulletin board far below.

His fingertips tapped unconsciously against the cold window glass, his thoughts drifting away.

He had no passionate desire to "lead Class D to challenge Class A"; such a goal was far too distant and impractical.

However, Class D did need to be strengthened so they would have some power to resist when other classes invaded.

If he followed his earlier line of thinking, it would be enough to simply act like a precise machine, efficiently extracting private points from the cracks of class struggles and exam information.

This cold pragmatism had once been his guiding principle.

However, as his fingertips unconsciously twisted a speck of dust on the edge of the window frame, Hoshino Kanade's eyes grew slightly calm.

Kiyona... the name crossed his mind. She was already someone he acknowledged as his own.

The change in his status had brought about a quiet budding of responsibility. His past strategy of self-preservation needed to be adjusted.

He had to make more preparations for potential future variables—for instance, there might be assassins from the White Room among the next year's freshmen.

Although he believed that Kiyona's abilities were sufficient to handle it, as a companion, he had to be prepared to build defensive fortifications for her, and for everything that might be affected.

Even though he did not doubt for a second that Kiyona had the ability to protect herself or even defeat an intruder, pushing all the pressure onto a girl and letting her bear the risks alone... the corners of Hoshino Kanade's mouth tightened imperceptibly for a moment.

That would be too selfish and cold-hearted, and it did not align with his current intentions.

Regarding this, Hoshinomiya Chie was a useful asset.

When he was called to the office by Chabashira Sae last time, he had "accidentally" met this lively Class B homeroom teacher, and she had taken the initiative to add his contact information that very evening.

It had been a casual move at the time, and Hoshino Kanade hadn't been very sure that Hoshinomiya would take the bait.

He looked at the friend request notification popping up on his screen, raised his eyebrows slightly, and reached out to press the accept button.

After several conversations hidden with sharp edges, the two reached a tacit understanding of cooperation. He had already become a secret piece for Hoshinomiya within Class D.

Of course, the core information he conveyed to Hoshinomiya was clear: Class D, or rather Chabashira Sae, could never truly rise to Class A. In return, Hoshinomiya would always show satisfying promptness and cooperation regarding the "not-too-excessive" requests he proposed.

Withdrawing his drifting thoughts, Hoshino Kanade's gaze refocused on the floor below.

Now, Sudo Ken had already been expelled for failing the midterm exam, which had changed a key node.

The intense conflict between Class D and Class C that would have originally occurred had subsequently dissipated into nothingness.

Following logical deduction, Sakura Airi, who would have been dragged into the subsequent trouble, lost a trigger point—her camera would not be damaged at that point in time, and naturally, she would not walk into that electronics store for repairs.

But Hoshino Kanade knew that the lecherous clerk lurking in the electronics store had long been staring at the introverted and beautiful Sakura Airi with his dirty eyes, like a rat in a sewer eyeing a treasure.

More accurately, he had entered this school specifically for Sakura Airi.

The absence of the "camera repair" fuse did not mean his malice would disappear.

To completely eliminate the tragedy that might befall Sakura at some point in the future, the simplest and most effective way was to pull out that hidden danger from the source.

Hoshino Kanade's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although it was not impossible to expose the clerk's previous history of voyeurism by using the dense surveillance system covering the campus for targeted retrospective investigation, that was not direct or destructive enough.

He needed ironclad evidence that could instantly ignite public opinion and leave the man with no room for maneuver—this was the best time for his collaborator, Hoshinomiya, to show her value.

A few days later, the opportunity was ripe.

Hoshinomiya Chie, the psychology teacher with a sweet smile who was popular among students, walked into the electronics store holding an old digital camera she had deliberately broken, asking for repairs.

The surveillance would clearly record the entire process of her handing the camera to the clerk with a hint of complaint.

Not long after, Hoshinomiya's voice, intentionally raised with anger and accusation, rang out in the store: "What?! What are you doing?! I think I saw you taking secret photos! You are definitely taking secret photos of me, right?!" Her voice was piercing, immediately attracting the attention of the few customers and passing students nearby.

The clerk was caught off guard by this sudden, sharp accusation. His face turned red and then pale in an instant, his eyes darting around in panic, while he only offered a futile defense: "Y-you misunderstood! I didn't! I absolutely didn't!" He subconsciously shrank his body backward.

"Misunderstood? Then prove it to me!" Hoshinomiya put her hands on her hips, full of momentum, with none of the gentleness she showed in the office, her voice even more severe. "Take out your phone and let me check! Right now!" The clerk was clearly panicked, his fingers gripping the phone in his pocket tightly, stammering and sweating, refusing to take it out. This abnormal reaction undoubtedly deepened the suspicion, and whispers began to rise around them; some people had already taken out their phones to record.

At the same time, Hoshino Kanade happened to pass by the store entrance as if he were taking a stroll.

The commotion caught his "attention."

Through the glass, he saw the familiar teacher tugging at the camera strap with a middle-aged male clerk who looked slightly greasy and had shifty eyes. Her face was flushed red, and she looked like an agitated victim.

The timing was perfect.

He pushed the door open without hesitation and walked up quickly. "Hoshinomiya-sensei? What's going on?" Hoshino Kanade's voice was calm but carried concern, naturally positioning himself slightly in front of the teacher in a protective stance.

"Hoshino-kun!" Seeing him was like seeing a strong reinforcement; Hoshinomiya immediately pointed at the clerk and accused him, "This guy! Just now, when he was fixing my camera, his eyes and actions were wrong! I suspect he was taking secret photos of me, and when I asked to check his phone, he made excuses and refused to take it out!"

Hoshino Kanade's scrutinizing gaze locked onto the clerk: "Sir, since the teacher has suspicions, please cooperate and take out your phone for the teacher to verify. If it's a misunderstanding, we will apologize." His tone was polite but carried an irresistible pressure. The surrounding students began to gather quietly.

The clerk's eyes darted around, and he subconsciously hid his hand toward his back pocket, sweat beading on his forehead as he stammered in defense: "N-nothing of the sort... Why should you check my phone... You are slandering me..." This overly reactive panic undoubtedly deepened the suspicion.

"My apologies." Hoshino Kanade's movements were as fast as lightning. Before the clerk could react, he reached out with precision and snatched the phone from the pocket the man was clutching tightly.

The clerk screamed and tried to grab it back, but Hoshino Kanade easily dodged him with a turn of his body.

Hoshino Kanade stood in the high-level corridor of the school building, his gaze passing through the window to take in the scene unfolding at the bulletin board far below.

His fingertips tapped unconsciously against the cold window glass, his thoughts drifting away.

He had no passionate desire to "lead Class D to challenge Class A"; such a goal was far too distant and impractical.

However, Class D also needs to be strengthened so that it has some power to resist when other classes invade.

If he followed his earlier line of thought, it would be enough to act like a precise machine, efficiently extracting private points from the cracks between class struggles and exam information.

This cold pragmatism had once been his guiding principle.

However, as his fingertips unconsciously twisted a bit of dust on the edge of the window frame, Hoshino Kanade's eyes grew slightly calm.

Kiyona... the name crossed his mind. She was already someone he recognized as his own.

The change in his status brought about a quiet budding of responsibility. The old strategy of playing it safe needed to be adjusted.

He had to make more preparations for possible future variables—for instance, there might be an assassin from the White Room among next year's freshmen.

Although he believed that Kiyona's abilities were enough to handle it, as a companion, he had to be prepared to build defensive works for her and for everything that might be affected.

Even though he had no doubt that Kiyona was capable of protecting herself and even defeating an intruder, pushing all the pressure onto a girl and letting her bear the risks alone... the corners of Hoshino Kanade's mouth tightened imperceptibly for a moment.

That would be too selfish and cold-hearted, and it did not align with his current intentions.

Regarding this point, Hoshinomiya Chie was a help.

When he was called to the office by Chabashira Sae last time, he "happened to meet" this lively Class B homeroom teacher, and that very evening, she took the initiative to add his contact information.

It was just a casual move at the time, and Hoshino Kanade wasn't very sure that Hoshinomiya would take the bait.

He looked at the friend request notification popping up on his screen, raised his eyebrows slightly, and raised his hand to press the accept button.

After several conversations hidden with sharp edges, the two reached a tacit cooperation. He had already become a secret piece for Hoshinomiya within Class D.

Of course, the core information he conveyed to Hoshinomiya was very clear: Class D, or rather Chabashira Sae, could never truly rise to Class A. In return, Teacher Hoshinomiya would always show satisfying promptness and cooperation regarding the "not excessive" requests he proposed.

Withdrawing his drifting thoughts, Hoshino Kanade's gaze focused on the floor below once again.

Now, Sudo Ken had already been expelled due to failing the midterm exam, which changed a key node.

The intense conflict between Class D and Class C that would have originally occurred also dissipated into thin air as a result.

Following logical deduction, Sakura Airi, who should have been dragged into subsequent trouble, also lost a trigger point—her camera would not be damaged at that point in time, and naturally, she would not walk into that electronics store for repairs.

But Hoshino Kanade knew that the lecherous clerk lurking in that electronics store had long been staring at the introverted and attractive Sakura Airi with his dirty eyes, like a rat in a sewer eyeing a treasure.

More precisely, he had entered this school for the sake of Sakura Airi.

The absence of the "camera repair" fuse did not mean his malice would disappear.

To completely eradicate the tragedy that might befall Sakura at some point in the future, the simplest and most effective way was to pull out that hidden danger from the source.

Hoshino Kanade's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although it was not impossible to expose the clerk's previous history of voyeurism by using the dense surveillance system covering the campus to conduct targeted retrospective investigations, that was not direct or destructive enough.

He needed ironclad evidence that could instantly detonate public opinion and leave that person with no room for maneuver—this was the best time for his collaborator, Teacher Hoshinomiya, to show her value.

A few days later, the opportunity was ripe.

Hoshinomiya Chie, the psychology teacher with a sweet smile who was popular with students, walked into the electronics store with an old digital camera she had intentionally broken, asking for repairs.

The surveillance would clearly record the entire process of her handing the camera to the clerk with a hint of complaint.

Not long after, Teacher Hoshinomiya's deliberately raised voice, filled with anger and accusation, came from inside the store: "What?! What are you doing?! I think I saw you taking secret photos! You were definitely taking secret photos of me, right?!" Her voice was highly penetrating, immediately attracting the attention of the few customers and passing students nearby.

The clerk was caught off guard by this sudden, sharp accusation. His face turned red and then pale in an instant, his eyes darting around in a panic, while he only offered futile defenses: "Y-you misunderstood! I didn't! Absolutely not!" He subconsciously shrank his body backward.

"Misunderstood? Then prove it to me!" Hoshinomiya put her hands on her hips, full of momentum, showing none of the gentleness she had in the office, and her voice became even sterner: "Take out your phone and let me check! Right now!" The clerk was clearly panicked; his fingers gripped the phone in his pocket tightly, stammering and sweating on his forehead, refusing to take it out. This abnormal reaction undoubtedly increased his suspicion, and whispers began to rise around them; some people had already taken out their phones to record.

At the same time, Hoshino Kanade happened to pass by the store entrance as if he were taking a stroll.

The commotion caught his "attention."

Through the glass, he saw the familiar teacher tugging at the camera strap with a middle-aged male clerk who looked slightly greasy and had shifty eyes. Her face was flushed red, and she looked like an agitated victim.

The timing was perfect.

He pushed the door open without hesitation and walked up quickly. "Teacher Hoshinomiya? What's going on?" Hoshino Kanade's voice was calm but carried concern, naturally blocking a position slightly in front of the teacher, forming a protective posture.

"Student Hoshino!" Seeing him, Hoshinomiya looked as if she had seen strong reinforcements and immediately pointed at the clerk to accuse him: "This guy! Just now, when he was fixing my camera, his eyes and actions were wrong! I suspect he was taking secret photos of me and asked to check his phone, but he made excuses and refused to take it out!"

Hoshino Kanade's scrutinizing gaze locked onto the clerk: "Sir, since the teacher has suspicions, please cooperate and take out your phone for the teacher to verify. If it's a misunderstanding, we will apologize." His tone was polite but carried irresistible pressure. The surrounding students began to gather quietly.

The clerk's eyes darted around, and he subconsciously hid his hand toward his back pocket, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, stammering in defense: "N-nothing of the sort... why should you check my phone... this is slander..." This overly panicked reaction undoubtedly increased his suspicion.

"My apologies." Hoshino Kanade's movements were as fast as lightning. Before the clerk could react, he reached out with precision and snatched the phone from the pocket the clerk was clutching tightly.

The clerk screamed and tried to grab it back, but Hoshino Kanade easily dodged him by turning to the side.