Sae Chabashira

After the self-introductions, the entrance ceremony arrived right on schedule.

To Onizuka Tsukasa's surprise, the ceremony didn't involve any unexpected incidents; it was simply a matter of inviting a few distinguished alumni to give speeches, after which it concluded smoothly.

Sometimes, when there are too many abnormal things, normalcy itself starts to feel a bit abnormal.

It was fortunate that the school wasn't insane enough to stir up trouble during the entrance ceremony, otherwise, he might have had to take defensive measures before going to sleep from now on.

After the ceremony ended, the students in the classroom gradually dispersed, with the sound of chatter rising and falling—there were groups of girls planning to go shopping, and groups of boys planning to play video games together.

Of course, the most common group was the "passerby" type who headed back to the dorms alone, and my former seatmate was naturally one of them.

Ayanokoji: Thanks, please don't cue me...

But what should he do next?

Regardless of what one wants to do, it is better to start early than late; it is best to take action right now.

Onizuka Tsukasa understood that in this school, no student could possibly know the school's mechanisms better than the teachers. Whether he could get answers depended on whether the teacher was willing to reveal them.

Therefore, he decided to play it straight and go directly to his homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira, to resolve some of his questions.

He quickly walked through the corridor and soon found Sae Chabashira's office.

Her office was located in a corner of the school building with a simple sign hanging on the door; through the window, one could see various textbooks and documents neatly arranged on the bookshelves inside.

In this regard, it was no different from other schools, with all the teachers in one office, separated by simple partitions.

As the best school in all of Japan, Onizuka Tsukasa had actually expected that all teachers would be provided with independent offices.

"Chabashira-sensei, is it convenient to talk?"

Sae Chabashira, who was meditating (sleeping) in the office, opened her eyes and looked at Onizuka Tsukasa standing to the side, her tone filled with impatience.

"What is it? Coming to find a teacher on the first day of school is not good behavior."

"It's just a 'small' problem. I think no teacher would refuse a reasonable request from a student."

"Unhuh, that is indeed the case. What a pain." Sae Chabashira shook her head helplessly, seemingly resigned to her job.

She turned around and led Onizuka Tsukasa up to the rooftop of the school building. Sunlight cast a warm glow through the stairwell, and the noise from the playground gradually faded away, replaced by the tranquility of a gentle breeze.

When they reached the rooftop, Sae Chabashira closed the door and turned to face Onizuka Tsukasa, a hint of impatience showing in her eyes.

"So, mysterious boy, can you tell me what your question is now?"

"My name is Onizuka Tsukasa, you can just call me Onizuka, sensei. I want to know how much you can tell me, or rather, given the current situation, how much your authority allows you to tell me?"

Sae Chabashira's eyes widened, and she asked in disbelief: "You... what do you mean?"

He smiled: "The teacher should understand exactly what I mean, I shouldn't need to repeat myself, right?"

Sae Chabashira slowly pulled a lady's cigarette from her pocket and took a deep drag.

"The first day? How sharp." Her voice was slightly relaxed, but Onizuka Tsukasa could feel the pressure behind it.

Onizuka Tsukasa bowed slightly, as if in thanks.

"You flatter me, sensei. Can we get to the main point now?"

"Yes, we can indeed get to the [main point]." Sae Chabashira exhaled a puff of smoke, her expression appearing somewhat complex.

"But unfortunately, I have nothing I can [proactively] tell you."

Onizuka Tsukasa pondered for a moment, then looked up at the surveillance camera on the rooftop that seemed to be everywhere in the school, the corners of his mouth curling up into a faint smile.

"In that case, let me be the one to ask."

"How many points would it take to buy the right for [you to absolutely not lie during our upcoming conversation]?" His tone carried a hint of playfulness, yet also an undeniable seriousness.

Sae Chabashira's eyebrows arched slightly, as if she had heard something incredible.

"This is truly... interesting. Let me think, let's set it at 1 point."

"Alright, sensei, I have already transferred it. Could you please confirm if you received it?" Onizuka Tsukasa looked directly at her.

"What a bother... fine, I have confirmed receipt." Her tone revealed a hint of helplessness, but her eyes flickered with complex emotions.

A smile finally appeared on Onizuka Tsukasa's face.

"Second question: Does the school support students obtaining points through any means?"

"Hm? I already mentioned this in class... never mind. The school supports obtaining points through any means other than intimidation or bullying; if [proven], the punishment will be very severe."

Onizuka Tsukasa bowed his head slightly to apologize to Sae Chabashira:

"Sorry, Chabashira-sensei, I was thinking about something else and got distracted. Then, the last question: I want to know if everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits rumored to exist outside the school?"

Sae Chabashira pursed her lips and spoke slowly:

"No... only Class A can enjoy the treatment you've heard about, but Class D is not..."

Onizuka Tsukasa spoke up directly, loudly interrupting Sae Chabashira's words.

"Thank you very much for answering my questions today, sensei. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now. Excuse me."

With that, Onizuka Tsukasa pulled open the rooftop door and walked out quickly.

Only Sae Chabashira remained standing on the rooftop, staring blankly at the distant sky. Her thoughts drifted for a long time until the cigarette burned down to her fingers, causing her to snap back to reality.

"If it's him... if it's them, perhaps they really can reach the [main point]." She whispered to herself, a complex light flickering in her eyes.

She threw the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it with her foot. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she seemed to remember something, bent down to pick up the butt, and placed it in the nearby trash can.

Afterward, she walked down from the rooftop quickly, her expression earnest, as if her heart had been revitalized, completely different from her previous lazy demeanor.

At this moment, on the empty rooftop, a gentle breeze blew by, and the cigarette ash that had been the only witness to their conversation scattered along with it, disappearing into the air, as if the secret of this conversation had also gone with the wind.