[History lessons were taught, but the teacher hardly ever asked questions and always dismissed class on time. They also didn't discipline students for their behavior in class or anything like that—]
Classmate Shiina seemed to have provided a lot of information.
But there was something off about this message. It seemed more like Classmate Shiina had sent it while Classmate Kushida was right there with her.
The way she described Teacher Chabashira's attitude in class was basically the same as how their own homeroom teacher acted, and they both knew the reason: the school...
So the teachers didn't interfere much with the students.
They simply let the students lose points and observed how well they could manage themselves.
Still, the fact she could message Classmate Kushida while she was there meant the two of them were already on good terms.
That was a little scary.
But Classmate Shiina didn't seem like the sort of person who was easy to win over. Shirogane recalled the Narration System's assessment of Classmate Shiina from when Classmate Sakayanagi had been raising Kamuro.
Classmate Shiina wanted a true friend.
A true friend, huh? That meant not just an ordinary acquaintance, but someone she could confide in.
Could Classmate Kushida be that person?
Back in the elevator, Shirogane had seen Classmate Kushida fawning over Classmate Horikita. It seemed like she was more interested in getting close to Classmate Horikita.
And someone who could be a confidante probably wouldn't have the energy to keep up with so many friends.
But thinking of Classmate Kushida also reminded Shirogane of Classmate Ichinose, who had mistaken him for an upperclassman.
With that in mind, Shirogane went to the cafeteria on the first floor. But after waiting for quite a while, he still didn't see Class 1-B's Classmate Ichinose, who seemed just as approachable as Classmate Kushida.
So, before class that afternoon, Shirogane opened his notebook and wrote down the four characters for Chabashira Sae. He'd be able to see what the Narration System knew once it came online.
Then, sometime after the second class, Shirogane heard a voice in his mind.
[They made me study calculus today. It's university-level material, but they're forcing me to learn it.]
"How old are you?" Shirogane wrote in his notebook.
[I... Um, I can't tell you that. I can't reveal too much information about my side.]
The Narration System seemed to be backing off.
"Then how much do you know about Chabashira Sae?"
Shirogane only knew the basics, along with what he'd heard from an upperclassman earlier, when Ryuen had been bullying him: there was an example of a Lower Class making a successful comeback at this school.
Back then, Class D had been led by Chabashira, and her class had risen from Class D to Class B. Chabashira had now returned to the school as a Class D teacher.
It was an example meant to inspire students.
But the Teacher Chabashira he'd met today gave Shirogane a strange feeling.
[Chabashira Sae, homeroom teacher of Class 1-D. She was once a Class D student herself, and a classmate of Hoshinomiya, the homeroom teacher of Class B. They were both class representatives, and their class eventually rose to Class B. Neither graduated from Class A. Both got into good universities through their written exam scores, but Chabashira ultimately regretted never making it to Class A, so she returned to Ikusei High School to teach. When Hoshinomiya learned what Chabashira had done, she gave up a job she was about to take and chose to return to the school as well.]
"..."
That relationship seemed a little complicated.
But one thing was clear: Teacher Chabashira was an ardent supporter of rising to Class A.
She'd once been in Class D, and her class hadn't graduated as Class A, leaving her with regrets. Now she was the homeroom teacher of Class D. It was impossible to know whether she'd pinned her own unfulfilled ambitions on her current class.
Especially since...
Class D currently had two major boss-level geniuses in its ranks. With SSR resources like them, perhaps the dream Chabashira and Hoshinomiya had failed to achieve could come true in this class.
Of course, that was a pretty far-fetched guess.
Still, Shirogane felt it was 80 percent likely to be right.
Because...
In the past half month, Shirogane hadn't met many students or gotten to know many people.
And not many people knew him, either.
So it was strange for a homeroom teacher from another class to call him by name.
She must have been keeping an eye on the class competition. Although Classmate Ryuen was consolidating Class C, Shirogane had also made a name for himself by reporting the Shopping District.
So, it seemed there were problems with everyone in Class D, from the students to the teachers.
And now...
The questionable teacher had finished the second class.
"That's all for today. Finish the exercises at the end of the lesson on your own." Chabashira Sae said this, then suddenly walked down from the podium. "Horikita Suzune, come with me. You've been studying ten hours a day since you started here, haven't you?"
"..."
The moment Chabashira Sae said that, the students in the class turned their puzzled gazes toward one person.
ps: First update!
Chapter 34: Horikita Suzune, You've Been Chosen!
The students in Class D began looking in one direction.
A girl sat there.
Black hair.
A beautiful girl with long black hair.
She gave off an icy air that said, "Don't talk to me."
She seemed aloof both in appearance and in the way she acted, but she was undeniably the class's most diligent student.
During class, even Classmate Hirata and Classmate Kushida couldn't resist checking their phones, but she never did. She paid close attention to every lesson.
They'd been together for half a month, but she still seemed completely antisocial. Classmate Kushida was apparently the only one willing to hang out with her. Even so, Horikita seemed unusually cold toward Classmate Kushida.
Everyone who liked Classmate Kushida saw her as difficult to get along with.
And yet...
Now Teacher Chabashira was saying... Classmate Horikita studied ten hours a day? Ten hours?
Huh?
Was she even human? What kind of super-student was she?
"..." Creak.
Horikita Suzune stood up without protest when her name was called. After setting down her pen, she followed Teacher Chabashira out. She didn't care what the other students thought of her.
Or rather, even if the teacher hadn't called her over, she'd had something she wanted to ask.
That was why she'd been assigned to Class D. She'd already noticed that the students in this class seemed to have very poor self-discipline, and some of them were even worse than the students she'd known in middle school.
She still didn't know a lot, but she felt she might have been assigned to the wrong place.
Besides, the teacher's attitude toward the class was strange. Everyone was incredibly lax, but the teacher seemed to turn a blind eye. She felt she needed an explanation for all of it.
So...
Under the searching gazes of the whole class, the cool girl with straight black hair stood and followed Chabashira Sae.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but the two looked somewhat alike, one older and one younger.
The homeroom teacher led the way, with Horikita Suzune following behind. Chabashira soon arrived at their destination: the rooftop.
Chabashira didn't say anything along the way. But once they reached the rooftop, she took out a cigarette for women and lit it.
"..." Horikita.
Teacher Chabashira stayed silent, but Horikita wasn't going to remain quiet forever.
She had questions she wanted to ask.
But Horikita was still a student, after all, and didn't have much patience. She was just about to speak when she heard her teacher.
"Phew—"
Chabashira took a gentle drag on her cigarette, blew out a pretty ring of smoke, and then said,
"Horikita, get ready."
Hm?
Get ready for what? Was she finally fed up with how lazy the class was and going to ask Horikita to help get everyone to take class seriously?
Horikita frowned.
Then she heard her teacher say,
"Get ready to drop out, Horikita," Chabashira Sae said.
"..."
The atmosphere seemed to fall silent. Then Horikita's emotions seemed to surge all at once.
Because...
What was her homeroom teacher talking about? Hadn't she just said in the classroom that Horikita studied ten hours a day? Shouldn't she be praising her diligence?
Horikita thought she was the most serious student in the class. She was also the most self-disciplined.
She'd thought Teacher Chabashira had noticed the students playing on their phones during class and wanted her to tell the others to be more disciplined.
After all, they were attending this school without paying tuition or living expenses. If they didn't take their classes seriously, they'd be wasting the school's resources.
Those were all things Horikita could understand.
But what was the answer she'd gotten?
Horikita, get ready to drop out.
Drop out now. Leave immediately!
If Horikita hadn't misheard, then her homeroom teacher had really said something so cruel.
"..."
For a moment, Horikita Suzune wondered if she was losing her mind.
But maybe she'd just heard wrong.
"Horikita, you heard me correctly. I'm suggesting that you drop out," Chabashira said, as if she'd read Horikita's thoughts.
Horikita Suzune clenched both hands, her left fingers squeezing tightly around her right hand.
"Why?"
Horikita forced herself to stay calm. "I don't think my performance over the past half month has been bad enough to warrant dropping out."
"And there are plenty of students in this class who've done worse than me," Horikita said.
"Heh. Is that all you've learned from your half month at this school?" Chabashira sounded almost mocking. "And do you really want to compare yourself to the other students in your class?"
"If so, then my advice is right. You should drop out."
"You're Student Council President Horikita Manabu's younger sister, aren't you? Your performance is bringing shame to your older brother," Chabashira said coldly. "Your brother has been hailed as the most outstanding student council president in Ikusei High School's history. But you're holding him back."
With every word Chabashira spoke, Horikita Suzune's face seemed to grow paler.
Clearly, the attack was working.
As the homeroom teacher, Chabashira had access to the students' files and was also responsible for updating their evaluations regularly.
Then she'd noticed Horikita Suzune's situation. Her appearance, her surname, her previous middle school—all matched those of the current student council president, Horikita Manabu.
So she'd confirmed that they were siblings.
How would Horikita respond to this move?
If all Chabashira had done was expose her relationship with her older brother, perhaps it wouldn't have been a critical hit. After all, on her first day at school, Class 1-C's Shirogane had already attacked her with that.
But now...
Teacher Chabashira had switched to a different tactic.
That was...
"I'm bringing shame to my brother..." Horikita seemed to grow much more vulnerable.
"..." Chabashira
Before you continue