Sae Chabashira's Resolve

"If you don't want to save him, then don't."

Sae Chabashira's tone softened as she moved her fingers away from the cigarette case and placed it back on the table.

Clearly.

She had made her choice.

She had abandoned the pawn that was Sudo Ken cleanly and decisively, shifting her offensive strategy with cold, pragmatic efficiency.

"However."

"Don't you feel any resentment about being assigned to Class D? With your abilities, you could easily rely on your own strength to rise to Class A, and then..."

"Slap everyone in the face."

"Besides, you could show those people who put you in Class D what a true genius is!"

That's right.

A provocation.

Sae Chabashira believed that this tactic should be quite effective on a hot-blooded young student.

After all.

Who wouldn't want to prove themselves?

As long as Xu Nuo harbored pride and ambition in his heart.

Then.

Sae Chabashira was confident she could use that arrogance to tie him to the dilapidated chariot that was Class D.

However.

"Ha~"

Xu Nuo let out a yawn, his dark eyes filled with lethargy; he didn't even bother to hide it.

"Teacher."

"You aren't mistaking me for Suzune, are you?"

"Something like a provocation,"

"It doesn't work on me."

"..."

Sae Chabashira fell silent. She hadn't expected him to be this thorny. Was she really just going to watch this god-tier card she had finally drawn slip through her fingers?

No.

She wouldn't allow it.

There was no way she would easily let go of the straw a drowning person had grasped; she had to turn up the heat.

Expulsion!

The word flashed through her mind. Sae Chabashira took a deep breath. This was her final trump card, but she hesitated to use it as a threat.

After all.

Once those words were spoken, there would be no turning back.

"..."

Sae Chabashira calmed down and began to brainstorm again. She didn't want to burn bridges unless it was absolutely necessary.

After all.

He would end up hating her, wouldn't he?

For some reason.

She felt a slight resistance to that idea.

"Then what exactly do you want?"

Sae Chabashira asked directly. Since neither soft nor hard tactics were working, she would just negotiate the terms.

"Now that's more like it."

"Trying to get something for nothing isn't exactly a praiseworthy thing." Xu Nuo shrugged, then, without any intention of answering, threw the question right back at her.

"Teacher, what do you think?"

"..."

Sae Chabashira furrowed her brows.

She was an adult, so of course, she understood this logic.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; if you wanted someone to do something for you, you had to pay the corresponding price.

The problem was.

What could she possibly offer?

Money?

Her monthly salary was meager, and in this school, Private Points were the only hard currency. Even if she emptied her personal savings, she likely wouldn't even touch the spare change in this guy's account.

Power?

She was merely an ordinary homeroom teacher with limited resources at her disposal.

Information?

Perhaps she had some, but for someone like Xu Nuo, it probably wouldn't be attractive enough.

What was left, then?

Just as Sae Chabashira was deep in thought, racking her brain.

She suddenly felt a gaze—a very strange gaze, not the kind that scrutinized or appraised.

Instead, it was...

"Hmm?"

Sae Chabashira looked up, meeting Xu Nuo's eyes, but he wasn't looking at her eyes.

Those pitch-black pupils.

Were slowly moving down from her face.

Below her fair, delicate collarbone.

Was a full bust straining against her professional white shirt, the buttons seemingly under immense pressure as the fabric pulled taut.

Slightly smaller than Airi's.

But still not to be underestimated, practically bursting out.

Crossing her flat abdomen.

Long, shapely legs tightly wrapped in black stockings came into view, the fine silk clinging to her full curves, her thighs possessing just the right amount of softness.

Inch by inch.

It wasn't the kind of furtive, hidden peeking; it was open, unmasked, as if he were conducting an assessment.

"?!"

In an instant.

Sae Chabashira's expression shifted, her cold, exquisite face flickering with unpredictable emotions.

Complex feelings flashed through her brownish-gold eyes.

At her age, she was no longer naive; she naturally understood what this gaze signified. But then again...

Besides this, What else did she have to offer him?

Anger.

Shame.

Shock.

And a trace of...

Something she hadn't even realized herself—wavering. The emotions buried deep just days ago began to sprout once more.

This guy.

He actually coveted her, his own homeroom teacher?

And he was doing it so blatantly, using such a thing as a bargaining chip for a deal.

Absurd!

It was simply incomprehensible!

She should kick him out immediately, or even give him a disciplinary record, to make him understand the meaning of respecting one's teacher. Such thoughts were shameful.

However...

Class A.

The obsession that had plagued her for ten years, turning into a nightmare, the goal she longed to reach above all else.

Sae Chabashira craved it with every fiber of her being.

For it, she was willing to pay any price!

Now.

If she didn't rely on the strength of the guy in front of her, could this ragtag group of Class D students really achieve it?

"Oh my, don't misunderstand."

"I was just thinking that you might be unexpectedly well-suited to be a maid, Teacher. Any interest in giving it a try?"

Xu Nuo explained with a smile.

Do you believe him?

I certainly don't.

Sae Chabashira did not respond; she lowered her head slightly, her heart caught in a fierce struggle.

An eerie silence spread through the room.

On one side was the dignity and bottom line of an adult.

On the other.

Was a decade-long wish, the regret of countless days and nights, and that unreachable Class A.

"..."

Xu Nuo watched the changes in her expression with great interest.

In truth.

He hadn't wanted to go that far, but Little Sae was just too incredible; she had actually tried to gaslight him from the very beginning.

She had wanted to dump her mess onto him.

She had treated him like a drooling fool she could easily manipulate.

Xu Nuo was very displeased.

He had to strike back hard!

He had even downgraded her status from "wife" to "maid-themed weapon."

"Haa..."

After a long while.

Sae Chabashira let out a long, heavy breath, as if all her pride and persistence had departed with it.

She had lost.

She had lost to her own obsession.

Like a drowning person, she had nowhere left to go; even if the object before her was a thorn, she had to grasp it tightly.

Even if it was covered in spikes.

Even if it made her bleed, she would not hesitate.

"Fine."

Sae Chabashira raised her head, her brownish-gold eyes revealing a sense of resolve, her voice dry yet exceptionally clear.

"As long as you stay."

"And lead Class D to rise to Class A."

"Then I will... do as you wish."

After saying those words.

Sae Chabashira forced herself to remain calm, but a tide of shame surged within her, nearly drowning her.

In fact.

She didn't even understand why she had made such a choice.

Was it because she saw him as a lifeline? Was it because of his outstanding appearance? Or that careless concern he showed that day? Or perhaps it was just her own self-abandonment?

Maybe it was all of those things.

In any case, it was certainly not just a simple impulse.

Regardless...

As long as the goal could be achieved.

What did this body, this shell, really matter? Especially when the person in question was him.

She wasn't exactly losing out.

...Probably?

However.

The surprise or greed she had expected did not appear.