The Chosen One--Akiyama Shin

Leaving the Class B classroom, the corridor was already much emptier; most classes had likely begun heading toward the Gymnasium to prepare for the entrance ceremony.

Chabashira Sae walked side-by-side with Akiyama Shin, the sound of her high heels and his leather shoes clicking against the floor echoing through the quiet hallway.

Chabashira Sae glanced slightly to the side at the boy with black hair and red eyes who had just swindled 2.8 million points from Class B, her mood complex and difficult to describe.

The initial shock and the slight sense of being offended had already subsided, replaced by a sense of scrutiny and a faint glimmer of hope. She broke the silence, her tone carrying a rare, almost teasing nuance.

"Honestly..."

"When you first asked that question..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly finding it difficult to put into words.

"I thought you were just a brat who, relying on a bit of cleverness and 100,000 points, was thinking with his lower half..."

"And didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth..."

She shook her head slightly, smiling at herself.

"But seeing how unnervingly calm you were afterward, along with your subsequent deductions, I realized it was purely a probe. You really are... someone who doesn't play by the rules."

Akiyama Shin kept his gaze fixed ahead, his pace not faltering in the slightest, and responded in his characteristically flat tone.

"Probing was the priority."

He paused, turned his head to look at Chabashira Sae, his dark red pupils appearing deep and unfathomable in the corridor light.

"However..."

"If you, Teacher Chabashira, had truly been willing at the time... and offered a price I could accept..."

"I wouldn't have minded going back to your dormitory tonight."

Hearing this, Chabashira Sae's footsteps faltered, and she nearly tripped over her own heels.

She whipped her head around to glare at Akiyama Shin, a flash of astonishment and indignation crossing her face, though it was mostly a sense of absurdity.

How could this guy say such things in such a deadpan tone?!

"You..."

She was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to retort.

Given her usual personality, she should have scolded him sternly long ago, but facing those eyes—completely devoid of lewdness and filled only with the pure statement of fact—her anger felt like it had struck empty air.

Akiyama Shin acted as if he hadn't noticed her reaction, continuing to explain calmly.

"I think it's normal for a young, energetic high school student to have thoughts about a mature, beautiful female teacher nearby, don't you?"

"Besides... Teacher Chabashira, you are indeed a rare beauty, in terms of figure, appearance, and temperament."

His tone was as cold as if he were analyzing the value of an art piece rather than expressing affection, which left Chabashira Sae feeling an inexplicable sense of powerlessness.

The strange thing was...

She found that she wasn't as angry as she had imagined...

Perhaps it was because the strength he had displayed, along with that detached attitude, had subconsciously led her to place him in a position of near-equality for their conversation.

Rather than that of a simple student and teacher.

This shift in perception...

Even she hadn't fully realized it herself...

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and said irritably.

"Your definition of 'normal' is far too broad."

Akiyama Shin didn't commit to an answer, instead steering the topic in an even more unexpected direction.

"Also, Teacher Chabashira, I guess..."

"You're still a virgin, aren't you?"

!!!

Chabashira Sae felt her blood pressure spike instantly, the veins on her forehead bulging once again.

She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and stared at Akiyama Shin with a look that could almost kill, enunciating each word.

"Akiyama! Shin!"

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?!"

"Is this a question you should be asking?!"

Akiyama Shin stopped as well, remaining unruffled in the face of her fury.

"It's just a deduction based on observation, a feeling."

He watched the cheeks of Chabashira Sae, which were slightly flushed from anger, and continued his analysis.

"I get the feeling that you might have dated before, Teacher Chabashira, but perhaps you barely even held hands?"

"After all, it's really hard for me to imagine you being intimate with any man."

"Furthermore... at first, I judged that you lacked a sense of belonging and passion for the students, and I even speculated that it might be because, well... you're single at an older age...? And lack emotional fulfillment... which led to your somewhat cold and rigid personality."

He ignored Chabashira Sae's darkening expression and subtly shifted the tone of his words.

"However, judging by that trace of unwillingness deep within your eyes, my assessment requires revision."

"You have for Class D..."

"Or rather, for the matter of reaching Class A..."

"...some kind of obsession, don't you? This obsession... perhaps it stems from your own experiences...?"

His gaze seemed to pierce through the human heart as he spoke slowly.

"For instance... were you once a student at Advanced Nurturing yourself...? And... it is highly likely that back then, you were only one step away from graduating as Class A, but ultimately failed... due to certain reasons?"

"And this failure, perhaps, involved someone who was very important to you at the time? For instance... an ex-boyfriend?"

Chabashira Sae froze completely in place.

The anger on her face receded like a tide, replaced by a pallor that bordered on terror.

Her pupils contracted violently, and her lips parted slightly, yet she could not make a sound.

It felt as if her heart had been tightly gripped by an invisible hand, making even breathing difficult.

How... how did he know?!

This wasn't just a guess!

This was almost... almost the very past she had deliberately buried in the deepest part of her heart! A past she refused to touch!

It was true.

She had indeed been a student at Advanced Nurturing.

Back then, during the final graduation exam, her ex-boyfriend had decided to sacrifice himself so that everyone in the class could graduate as Class A, but because she had let her emotions get the better of her, she ultimately failed to graduate as Class A.

The man who had been most important to her at the time was deeply disappointed in her, and this became a permanent regret and a sharp thorn in her heart—a matter known to almost no one, save for a very few people involved from that time.

Yet this boy before her, relying merely on intuition, a little observation, and a few sentences of dialogue, had almost ripped open her scars until they bled?!

This could no longer be explained by simple insight!

This was simply... mind-reading?!

Or perhaps, it was a terrifyingly extreme ability to deduce based on massive amounts of data and details?!

Anyone unaware of the inside story would likely think Akiyama Shin was a student from her own graduating class!

After a long while, Chabashira Sae finally managed to find her voice, which carried an imperceptible tremor.

"You... who exactly are you..."

Akiyama Shin calmly interrupted her.

"It was merely a logical deduction."

"Your reaction has already given me the answer."

He stopped looking at her and continued walking forward.

Chabashira Sae watched his back, her heart churning with shock, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness at being completely seen through.

But in the end, all these emotions coalesced into a clearer, more urgent thought.

She hurried to catch up, walking side-by-side with Akiyama Shin, her voice low and carrying a weight of unprecedented solemnity.

"That's right... you're correct."

"So, Akiyama Shin, answer me: can you really lead Class D to reach Class A?"

"Can you do what I failed to do back then?"

Upon hearing this, Akiyama Shin did not stop his pace; he merely turned his head slightly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the teacher beside him, who had lost her usual composure and revealed a vulnerable side.

His tone remained indifferent, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.

"I can."

He paused, then added.

"It's just a side task anyway."

This nonchalant tone made it sound as if reaching Class A were as simple as eating or drinking water.

If anyone else had heard it, they would surely think him incredibly arrogant, but at this moment, having witnessed his terrifying insight and his ability to earn 2.8 million points in such a short time, Chabashira Sae inexplicably felt that he truly had the qualifications to say so.

Perhaps to dispel the embarrassment of being seen through by Akiyama Shin, or perhaps to add more fuel to this sudden, massive fire of hope.

Chabashira Sae, as if possessed, spoke in a tone that was half-joking and half-serious.

"Is that so? Then... if you can truly do it, perhaps I wouldn't mind considering... becoming your woman..."

"Of course, on the condition that you must give it your all."

The moment she said those words, even Chabashira Sae herself was stunned. She didn't know why she had said such a thing—was it to motivate him? Or... was something deep within her heart being stirred?

Akiyama Shin's footsteps faltered for the first time upon hearing those words.

He froze.

He could not refuse.

It was not because he held any deep affection for Chabashira Sae, but because he was being honest with his own desires.

Setting aside his extraordinary calmness and calculating nature, he was, at his core, still an adolescent boy.

Possessing normal physiological needs and emotional fluctuations, a woman as mature, cold, and capable as Chabashira Sae undoubtedly held a strong attraction for him.

More importantly, he never belittled himself.

Though he was aware of his ordinary background and his shortcomings in liberal arts and social interaction, deep down, he had never truly doubted his own extraordinariness.

He clearly recognized his flaws, yet he believed even more firmly in the traits he possessed that were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Terrifying insight.

A mind calm to the extreme.

Meticulous logic.

And that deep-seated self-confidence.

Or rather.

Arrogance.

He had never complained about his parents or his origins, but what he wanted was far more than just a stable life.

He craved conquest, to stand at the pinnacle and look down upon the masses; power, status, wealth, women—all of these, in his eyes, were merely the spoils that he, the destined protagonist, was rightfully entitled to.

He had to consider how, after leaving this school, he would start from scratch and step by step climb to the summit of the world. Until then, he could endure, lie dormant, and carefully conceal his edge, revealing it only when necessary.

Yet, he still arrogantly believed that he was the protagonist of the world, and any obstacle was merely a whetstone.

And any beautiful person or object would eventually be subdued by him, attracted to him, and brought under his command.

He had emotions, but he valued utility even more.

Chabashira Sae, whether for her charm as a woman or for the information and connections she possessed as a former Advanced Nurturing student and current homeroom teacher, held immense value in his eyes.

Be my woman?

It sounded good.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

In the end, they only manifested as a short syllable.

"Mm."

He showed no excitement, made no promises, and did not even spare Chabashira Sae another glance.

Watching his back, which was excessively calm and even carried a hint of taking things for granted, Chabashira Sae's mood became even more complex.

She understood.

The half-truth, half-false motivation she had just offered might have sounded to him more like a tribute that was rightfully hers to give?

This boy, his inner world, was a kingdom built upon absolute rationality and extreme arrogance.

He was selfish, conceited, and arrogant.

He firmly believed that he was destined for greatness.

Everything around him, whether person or object, was merely a tool and a stepping stone on his path to the peak.

The two stopped talking and walked in silence to the bustling Gymnasium.

Inside the Gymnasium, students from all three grades were already lined up according to their class zones.

The position for Class 1-D was near the back.

Akiyama Shin walked silently to the end of the Class 1-D line and stood still, his expression returning to his usual indifference and detachment.

Chabashira Sae walked toward the area designated for teachers. On the way, she couldn't help but look back once more, taking a deep look at that solitary black-haired figure standing at the end of the Class 1-D line.

That's right.

This was a selfish, conceited, arrogant person who firmly believed that no unfavorable factor around him could hinder his footsteps—Akiyama Shin.