Eavesdropping

The hallway outside the faculty office was silent.

Kitagawa Kai pushed open the door and entered, only to find Hoshinomiya Chie practically pressed against another closed wooden door on the inner side of the office, as if eavesdropping on something.

Her usual white shirt, now tightened at the waist from her forward-leaning posture, outlined a rather explosive figure.

Hoshinomiya raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to keep quiet.

Wasn't this Chabashira Sae's office?

This ought to be fun.

Kitagawa Kai flashed a knowing grin that any veteran would understand and quietly sidled over.

The door wasn't thick; the conversation was faintly audible.

"Chabashira-sensei, you said the school divides classes by ability—that outstanding people are selected for Class A, while Class D is a gathering of defective products."

That was Horikita Suzune's slightly puzzled voice, higher than usual.

"So you think you're quite outstanding, do you?"

Chabashira Sae seemed to have anticipated the question, her tone calm to the point of coldness.

"I believe I answered all the entrance exam questions correctly..."

Horikita considered herself highly capable, with academic and physical abilities among the top female students—there was no reason she should be placed in Class D.

"The entrance exam, huh. Your results were indeed impressive—fourth among the first-years, with scores close to the top few, and no issues in the interview. It seems you performed quite well, didn't you?"

"Then why..."

"Before that," Chabashira interrupted, a faint trace of amusement creeping into her voice, "why are you so unwilling to accept being placed in Class D?"

"No one would accept an erroneous evaluation, especially when the class differences are so stark and the future prospects so divergent—it could affect the entire university phase."

"Erroneous?" Chabashira repeated, letting out a soft laugh. "No, Horikita-san. Your placement in Class D is the most correct evaluation this system can give."

"..."

"Then, how would you evaluate Koenji Rokusuke in your class?"

"Self-centered, completely illogical in his actions, spends all day just looking in the mirror."

Chabashira Sae said nothing, then came the sound of a drawer sliding open and papers rustling. After a moment, she seemed to pull something out. "Take a look at this."

A brief silence, likely as she showed it.

Pointing at Horikita, she said, "Koenji—total exam score, first in the grade, outstanding physical ability. By your standards, he should be in Class A, right?"

"..."

"But he's in the same class as you. Why? Because during the interview, he told the examiner: 'To be classmates with this gentleman is your fortune.'"

Horikita Suzune's breath caught slightly.

"See the problem now, Horikita-san?"

"Everyone in Class D has their own flaws. You're no exception."

Outside the door, Kitagawa Kai narrowed his eyes slightly. Hoshinomiya covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders trembling as if she was barely holding back laughter.

Just then—

Click.

A soft sound. The door before them was pulled open from the inside without warning.

Chabashira Sae stood at the entrance, her black suit crisp, her face expressionless. Only her sharp eyes calmly regarded Hoshinomiya Chie, still pressed against the doorframe, her posture not yet adjusted, and Kitagawa Kai half a step behind her, equally caught off guard.

The air froze for three seconds.

"Hoshinomiya, Kitagawa-kun—what are you doing?"

Both of them immediately clasped their hands behind their backs, flashing awkward, Tom-cat-style grins.

"Oh my, little Sae, what a coincidence! I was just about to discuss something with Kitagawa-kun when I heard you had a student in there... so I, uh, just happened to check in! Right, Kitagawa-kun?"

Hoshinomiya said, nudging Kitagawa Kai with her elbow.

Kitagawa Kai gave a slight bow, trying to salvage the situation. "Chabashira-sensei, Hoshinomiya-sensei did indeed arrange to meet me. My apologies for the interruption."

"Since Hoshinomiya-sensei has business with Kitagawa-kun," Chabashira Sae's voice broke the awkward silence, turning to Horikita, "Horikita-san, if there are no other questions, we'll end here."

That was a clear dismissal.

Horikita Suzune walked out, her back ramrod straight, chin lifted, but her face slightly pale.

Just as she brushed past Kitagawa Kai, her uniform shoe mercilessly stomped on his foot.

"Mmph!"

Kitagawa Kai let out an extremely short, muffled grunt.

The girl didn't look back, nor did she offer any explanation or apology.

The office fell into silence again, but it was even more delicate than before.

Kitagawa Kai subtly shifted his weight to his right foot, a dull ache throbbing from his left.

What the hell?

This was no longer the usual Horikita Suzune—today, at noon, he had to strike hard.

Only after Horikita's footsteps faded completely did Chabashira Sae turn back to look at the two still standing in the doorway, her tone flat: "Now, you can discuss your business."

Hoshinomiya Chie's awkward smile was barely holding up. She let out a dry laugh and quickly tugged Kitagawa Kai back a step: "Well, then, we won't disturb you! Little Chabashira, you're busy, you're busy!"

With that, she practically dragged Kitagawa Kai back into her own office, retreating as if fleeing, and closed the door with a sharp "click."

Hoshinomiya let out a long sigh, lightly patted her chest, and put a sweet smile back on her face.

"That was close, that was close..." she muttered as she walked toward her desk. "I almost got executed on the spot by Kozue's glare."

Hoshinomiya turned around, about to gesture for Kitagawa Kai to sit and talk.

But she saw he had already walked over to the small sofa, sinking into it with a posture that could only be described as "boss-like," even adjusting himself to find a more comfortable angle, his long legs casually stretched forward.

Hoshinomiya raised an eyebrow slightly, not annoyed, but rather amused.

"That one million—was it spent to your satisfaction? Class D's current results... should meet your expectations, right?"

"It's... a surprise beyond expectations. Zero points, a brand-new record. Little Sae probably gets a headache just seeing the Class D sign."

"So," Hoshinomiya Chie suddenly crouched down, leaning against Kitagawa Kai's sofa, "I really should thank our little Kitagawa-kun properly. What do you think, teacher—how should I thank you?"

Kitagawa Kai lowered his gaze, looking at the young female teacher crouched beside him, defenseless, his lazy demeanor not fading.

"Little Chie, are you trying to seduce me?"

Hearing this, Hoshinomiya Chie's face showed a deeper, richer excitement, mixed with a heat that was both offended and thrilled.

Her gaze swept over his face more blatantly—from his sharp brow bone, to his calm eyes, to the clear line of his jaw.

Indeed, up close, this student had a cool, handsome look.

Hoshinomiya wasn't embarrassed or angry. She didn't change her crouching posture. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, letting her hair slide more naturally over her shoulder and neck, revealing plenty of sincerity.

"Eh—found out? Was teacher being that obvious?"

"Extremely obvious, teacher. But, Little Chie, I'm in a pretty bad mood today too..."

"Hm?"

Hoshinomiya let out a low laugh, shifting her body forward again, her knees almost touching his calf.

Right at that critical point, Kitagawa Kai calmly pulled out his Personal Terminal, opened Ichinose's name, composed a message, and sent it.

[Sorry, something came up. Please help me ask for leave from the next class. Kitagawa.]