Hello, Chairman, Hello, School

During the morning break, Sawahara received a message from the Student Council president; the Chairman had agreed to meet with him, with the time set for after the morning classes ended.

"Time is quite tight, after all." With only a day and a half left until the midterm exams, handling this matter wasn't exactly easy for the school administration.

Following the agreed-upon time, Sawahara arrived at the Chairman's office.

Pushing open the door, he saw a middle-aged man with white hair sitting there; it was clear that this person was the Chairman of the school.

"Good afternoon, Chairman." Sawahara greeted him politely.

"Hmm, you must be Sawahara from Class C of the first year. I heard from that boy, Manabu Horikita, that you wanted to see me, and you certainly caused quite a stir." The Chairman looked at Sawahara with a smile, though despite mentioning the "big stir," there wasn't a hint of anger on his face.

"I should say it is the Chairman who wanted to see me, and that wasn't much of a stir—merely a way to say hello to the Chairman." Sawahara spoke with a calm expression.

"A greeting? This greeting can hardly be called polite."

"I think compared to arbitrarily modifying someone's career path preferences, it should be considered very polite." This was the reason Sawahara had given Manabu Horikita for being so aggressive.

Since the other party had sent him such a "generous" gift, he naturally had to respond in kind.

"Why are you so certain that it was I who modified your career path preferences?" Chairman Sakayanagi asked after a slight pause.

"First, that person must have a significant connection to this school; it is highly probable they are an insider, otherwise, I wouldn't have been admitted. Second, that person must possess considerable influence within the education system. Third, this person is within this school yet can easily communicate with the outside world, implying they hold a very high level of authority."

Sawahara provided his deductions.

"How many people in this school do you think could accomplish that?"

"I see." After hearing Sawahara's reasoning, Chairman Sakayanagi couldn't help but exclaim, "What excellent powers of deduction and judgment. Even after losing your past memories, you remain this outstanding."

"It was indeed I who modified your career path preferences, but this was not out of malice; it was for the purpose of protection."

"Your past is related to one of my teachers. I respect him greatly, but I do not agree with some of his philosophies," the Chairman said slowly.

"For certain reasons, he has been looking for you, so I used the education system to modify your preferences and bring you to this school. At the very least, here, you can grow with more freedom."

"I see. I apologize, but because I have no memories of my past, I cannot fully believe your words." Hearing the explanation provided by the Chairman, Sawahara replied as such.

When Sawahara was twelve, he had been kidnapped by human traffickers. During the rescue, an accident occurred that caused him to suffer a shock, leading to the loss of his memories from before that time. He was later adopted by the police officer who handled the case.

This was the reason why his records only spanned three years.

"That is fine." The Chairman shook his head, not minding Sawahara's distrust. "However, could you tell me your thoughts on this school?"

"This school is very much like a game." Sawahara gave his opinion.

"A game?"

"That's right, a game called Monopoly."

Class Points are like real estate, while Private Points represent liquid capital. The school plays the role of the bank, and the various exams are the event cards in the game.

"The difference, however, is that in this school, the winner is ultimately decided by Class Points." It was as if they were deliberately inducing students to work for the company and contribute to the collective.

Sawahara didn't say the second half out loud; after all, some things are better kept to oneself.

"What a novel perspective." The Chairman listened to Sawahara's words with some surprise; it was the first time he had heard such an interpretation.

But having digressed so much, it was time to discuss the real business.

"Speaking of which, because of you, Class D of the first year might have over ten students expelled." The Chairman put away his smile and looked at Sawahara with a serious and earnest expression. "This does not align with the school's philosophy."

"It cannot be said that it is my fault; I merely provided a slight push." Sawahara had no intention of taking responsibility for this. "The very existence of past exam papers could lead to this situation, and I don't believe their existence is beneficial to the students' development."

"This is part of the students' growth curriculum," the Chairman said. "Such things are everywhere in society—nepotism, plagiarism, shortcuts. Society has never been that clean."

"Then isn't now the time to show them the consequences?"

"But having so many students expelled is not what the school wants to see." The Chairman stated that, ultimately, the issue was the sheer number of potential expulsions, all concentrated in one class, which would completely shatter the balance of the grade.

"Then give them one more shortcut, but this time, they will have to pay a higher price." Sawahara offered his solution.

"You calculate things quite well. Don't you think you're being a bit too greedy?"

"Didn't you say earlier that this matter was my responsibility?" Sawahara said calmly. "Besides, I don't think this is something that should be known by many."

"Now it's your responsibility, is it?" The Chairman shook his head but did not refute him.

The school getting directly involved had to be avoided; even if it were indirect intervention, it had to be kept as secret as possible, so the school didn't have many options in this matter.

"Tell that boy, Horikita, that the first-year exam papers will be placed in the Student Council room first," the Chairman said to Sawahara.

"Yes, Chairman." Sawahara bowed to the Chairman and then left the office.

"My past, huh?" Sawahara didn't believe the story the Chairman had told him. He was certain that at least seventy percent of what the Chairman said was true, but the lies would be no less than twenty percent.

The reason was simple: the Chairman was a politician, a member of the assembly. That single fact was enough for him to conclude that there must be lies hidden in the Chairman's words.

"I am lying as well, after all."

Despite obtaining some unexpected information, his goal had still been achieved.

"Is it too late to say hello now? Perhaps there will never be a more suitable time."

Sawahara turned his head, glanced at the Chairman's office behind him, and muttered to himself.

"Hello, Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School."