Class D Homeroom Teacher Chabashira

"Heh."

A cold, indifferent scoff came from beside him.

Ayanokoji glanced over; the girl who had been wearing such a stern expression just moments ago now seemed to be in a much better mood, no longer furrowing her fair brow.

It seemed his self-introduction had achieved a decent effect, turning hostility into friendship.

Though, he hadn't exactly expected this fake ex-girlfriend to treat him with any genuine kindness anyway.

However, the reactions of the others seemed to be veering off track...

"What a weirdo."

"This guy is seriously bad news, right..."

As the whispers reached his ears, Hirata's smile turned awkward, yet he still spoke to Ayanokoji with great courtesy: "Welcome, Ayanokoji-kun. I hope we can get along well from here on out."

As his words faded, the impression many had of Hirata improved even further.

"What a good guy, Hirata is..."

Indeed, upon initial contact, Hirata appeared to be a simple, good-natured person, but Ayanokoji always felt there was an unknown side hidden beneath his approachable exterior.

What exactly it was, he couldn't say.

In any case, his intuition told him that Hirata Yosuke was not as simple as he appeared. He wasn't like Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, or that redhead named Sudo, whose character types were obvious at a glance and whose growth curves were clear as day.

He was more like Horikita, Kushida, and Karuizawa—people who harbored some kind of obsession or something they wanted to hide. What that was, he couldn't put his finger on.

But one day, it would surely surface.

Just as he was lost in thought, a female teacher wearing a suit, her hair tied in a high ponytail, and possessing a tall, slender yet curvaceous figure walked into the classroom.

"Quiet! Everyone, return to your seats."

The female teacher's sharp command silenced the chattering crowd.

She was beautiful, but her voice was somewhat neutral and deep, sounding like a female drill instructor in the middle of military training.

"Starting today, I will be your homeroom teacher. My name is Chabashira Sae."

"This school does not have class divisions, so for the next three years, we will basically remain in the same class. Now, regarding the special rules of this school..."

Chabashira Sae didn't waste a single word of nonsense and went straight to the point.

"First, this school uses a boarding system. You are not permitted to contact the outside world, including your family, without permission, and all outings are restricted. Of course, you don't need to worry about living conditions; the school is covered with all the facilities and shops you need for daily life. You should have already learned about this in the freshman handbook."

"Secondly, the school will deposit points into your student ID terminals every month. Points are the school's currency and can be used to purchase anything within the school. The 100,000 points for this month have already been deposited..."

"Hey, hey, are you serious..."

"That's absurd, I got them too..."

"Eh, you guys too? This is way too awesome."

The students below began checking their phones one after another, all having received the 100,000 points transferred from the school account, and let out exclamations of surprise.

"Heh."

Seeing the students' astonishment, Chabashira on the podium gave a faint smile and continued, "There is no need to be surprised. Being able to enter this school means you possess corresponding value. This school measures a student's value based on ability, so, show me what you've got."

After saying this, Chabashira Sae began the regular lesson.

Ayanokoji listened while ruminating on what she had just said.

It was obvious—far too obvious!

'Measuring student value by ability, and receiving a huge amount of points because students possess corresponding value'—this...

Isn't this just giving away the answers!?

Surely no one could fail to hear the hidden meaning behind those words.

And 'points can buy anything'—does that mean...

Hehehe.

Time flew by, and when the bell rang, the homeroom teacher Chabashira didn't drag the class out for even a second; she had even packed up the handouts on her desk before the bell finished ringing.

Does she not have a shred of expectation for this class?

Watching the back of Chabashira Sae as she left, Ayanokoji, still sitting in his seat, thought to himself.

If the information she provided before class was both an objective rule and a test, since she had already leaked the premise, why not make the scale even clearer?

Just saying it like that would still leave some people unable to grasp it.

Look, those few idiots have already started planning where to squander their money.

The conversation from two small groups nearby reached Ayanokoji's ears, filled with plans on where to throw their money around.

Ayanokoji shook his head. Stopping them was impossible, and he didn't know if their behavior would implicate him. If it were a collective class punishment, he would be quite unlucky!

Damn, after thinking it over, he should probably go over and give them a word of advice.

"Yamauchi, there's a new game that just came out that I've been wanting to buy for a long time. I was always strapped for cash before, but now I can buy it easily. Haha."

"Right? This school is practically heaven. I'm thinking of buying those manga volumes I've been wanting for a while."

"Oh, and Ike, did you watch that show last week? I heard that idol is releasing new merch, and I'm planning to buy the whole set!"

A few boys were excitedly discussing where to go to buy their favorite goods. Ayanokoji moved closer, but he couldn't find a natural opening to join in.

It wasn't that he was worried about ruining the mood; it was just that his innate upbringing didn't allow him to barge into other people's conversations so casually.

This scene was caught by Kushida, who was with a group of girls nearby.

Kushida walked over, and seeing Ayanokoji struggling to fit into the conversation, she raised her voice slightly and asked, "What are you planning to buy with your points, Ayanokoji-kun?"

Damn, a sneak attack!

Because he had been waiting for the right moment to interject, Ayanokoji hadn't noticed Kushida approaching. He was taken aback by the sudden question, though his expression remained as indifferent as ever.

But this worked out perfectly...

"I don't plan on spending much. I just want to buy some basic daily necessities."

"Until I figure out the special rules of this school, I think it's better to be a bit frugal."

"Damn, are you really here to experience life or something?"

Ike, standing to the side, wasn't happy. Even though Ayanokoji's words weren't directed at anyone in particular, why did they feel so prickly to him?

Besides, he had claimed to be a rich kid during his self-introduction. Could he really be here to experience how poor people live?

"Hey, are you humble-bragging, or are you trying to get under our skin on purpose?"

Yamauchi Haruki took the opportunity to stir the pot. He had already disliked Ayanokoji for being so arrogant during his self-introduction, and the fact that he was a rich kid only made his jealousy flare up instantly!

"Uh... actually..."

"Forget it, do whatever you want."

Dropping a comment that left them confused, Ayanokoji didn't want to linger any longer and returned to his seat with a calm, watery expression.

There's no saving them; even the gods couldn't help them now!

Sitting back in his seat, Ayanokoji let out a faint sigh, only able to pray that the punishment mechanism wouldn't involve collective responsibility for the class.

"How pathetic."

A mocking voice drifted over from the seat next to him.

You really don't miss a single chance to make snide remarks, do you?

Ayanokoji thought to himself.

In the distance, the small group was still trying to figure out what Ayanokoji meant by "whatever." Based on the context, they guessed it might be some kind of slang insult, which only deepened their resentment toward him.

Kushida Kikyo, standing nearby, didn't plan on being overly frugal, but she still felt that what Ayanokoji said made a fair amount of sense. Things like free lunches didn't happen often in this world.

And another point that made her interested in this man was that he seemed to have a decent relationship with his seatmate, Horikita Suzune...