Chabashira Sae's Reminder

In the afternoon, You En returned to the classroom feeling refreshed after his lunch break.

The first class was somewhat oppressive; most students had at least a shred of shame.

But excluding the idiot group centered around Yamauchi, who were still slacking off and cracking vulgar, lowbrow jokes about female classmates or the female teacher.

Even a group with slightly worse habits like Karuizawa's could at least pretend to be model students for these one or two classes, and things like manicuring their nails didn't disturb others.

You En felt the word "idiot" shouldn't be used for people like Yamauchi Haruki anymore; they should be renamed the "Moron Group."

There was no need to reform people like that.

When You En was younger, he had also tried to make some "people" or "systems" around him better—first his class and classmates, later his workplace.

But most of that was wasted effort.

Because many people don't take you seriously; even if you take them seriously, what's the use? It's essentially meddling in others' affairs.

A person can only influence those who care about them and those they care about.

Moreover, reforming someone like Yamauchi would be extremely difficult. Spending ten thousand units of effort might only change them by ten, or might even produce negative feedback... not worth the loss.

Speaking of the Moron Group, it seemed Ayanokoji had been hanging out with them again lately. Was he still clinging to his persona?

Or was he scheming something shady?

You En found it boring, so he turned around, intending to tease Ayanokoji.

"What have you been up to lately?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had already been keeping part of his attention on You En, so he reacted immediately.

On the surface, he only showed slight surprise at "You En suddenly talking to him," but inside, he was thinking rapidly in a few brief moments.

Why did the other party suddenly speak to him?

Could it be that he had discovered his actions?

Unlikely. For now, he was only in the initial stage of a plan, and his intentions on that side hadn't been exposed.

You En watched Ayanokoji's reaction and his heart skipped a beat. He had just asked casually, but he didn't expect this kid to actually have something on his mind?

What was he plotting... Was he thinking of finding a way to drag him into a men's restroom or onto the rooftop for a beating?

To be honest, getting beaten up would be embarrassing, but in the current situation, he really couldn't beat him. Still, it didn't matter—humanity's ultimate goal was the establishment, and at school, he still had the Student Council connection.

If he got beaten, he'd go to the Student Council, find Horikita Manabu, call him "big brother-in-law," and make a scene at the Student Council door—crying, throwing a tantrum, threatening suicide—blow the whole thing up. He'd make sure Ayanokoji didn't get off easy.

In one second, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka organized his words.

"...Nothing much. Just doing the same as them."

"You sure?"

You En knew he was referring to the Three Idiots group.

Just then, Chabashira Sae walked into the classroom, her expression unpleasant. Since it wasn't class time, the students only quieted down for a moment before starting to chatter again.

Ike Kanji even spoke up to Chabashira Sae.

"Teacher! Could it be you're on your period and didn't come?"

Most of the boys and girls felt the joke was too much, but only those few were still laughing.

You En noticed that Chabashira Sae's eyes showed no fluctuation, her attitude the same as usual. Rather than disdain, it was more like utter contempt.

Like an ancient tyrannosaur one day happening upon a green algae cell that dared to provoke it—at most, it found it somewhat amusing.

"You En, Ayanokoji, Koenji, Horikita, Hirata—you five come to my office. The rest of you, study on your own when class starts."

With that, she left again.

You En mulled over the names she had called. Was Chabashira-sensei about to make her move?

"What do you think this means?"

Horikita Suzune felt that if she and You En had been the only ones called, it would have been easier to understand. But the problem was that she had brought three others along. What was going on?

In terms of grades, she remembered Ayanokoji had scored 50 points in each of two subjects, totaling 100 points, which was decent for Class D.

As for Koenji, he had apparently put in some effort last time and scored well.

Hirata was passable, but the problem was that he was too caught up in various classmates' affairs; he himself should be capable of more than this.

"We'll find out when we go see."

You En stood up.

Horikita Suzune followed suit.

"Right. There's no use just guessing here. Let's go hear what Chabashira-sensei actually has to say to us."

She hoped for an explanation, even though You En had already analyzed the school's class division system from the perspective of obedience.

But she still couldn't accept it. Even if their obedience was poor, she and You En could still play a considerable role for the group.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka came over. "Can I join you guys?"

You En replied, "Suit yourself."

Hirata also looked over. They exchanged glances and walked out of the classroom together.

Kōenji didn't move from his seat, apparently not planning to go. Hirata tried to persuade him a few times, but the only response was refusal.

The group arrived at the grade-level office.

The office was divided into personal and grade-level sections.

You En had a feeling this conversation wouldn't go too deep. If they were going to discuss private matters or personal emotions, they generally wouldn't choose a public place.

"Sit down. Something to drink?"

Chabashira Sae wore a professional office lady outfit, her long legs crossed in black stockings. Compared to her attitude in class, she seemed a bit more relaxed.

"The best tea."

You En said directly. Ayanokoji and Hirata glanced at him—bold request.

Horikita Suzune knew this guy was acting up again. She quickly tugged at his sleeve, but You En didn't budge.

Chabashira Sae closed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips.

"The best tea? I don't have any here. Just some low-grade stuff. Want some?"

You En pulled out a chair and sat down, waving his hand.

"It's fine. Just want a taste."

Chabashira Sae's smile widened. She stood up.

"I'll go to the break room. Wait a moment."

After Chabashira Sae went inside, Hirata quickly said, "Aren't you being a bit disrespectful to the teacher? That's a lot of demands."

You En looked up at Horikita Suzune, who seemed to want to say something but held back.

"Nothing. Just thirsty. Shooting the breeze."

Horikita Suzune's eyes showed doubt. This guy was unreliable, sure, but to say he had no brains—absolutely impossible.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, on the other hand, understood a bit. He had studied all these theories before. He felt that You En had just been testing Chabashira Sae's attitude toward him by throwing out "the best tea" without any limits.

From her reaction, he could roughly infer You En's position in Chabashira Sae's mind.

As things stood, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt that including himself, everyone in the class except You En, combined, didn't matter as much to Chabashira Sae as You En alone.

And the order she said the names earlier was also interesting. It was probably based on how much she valued them.

Chabashira Sae finished brewing the tea and came out with a tea set. She poured a cup for You En first, then one for herself, and finally set the pot down.

"If you want some, pour it yourselves."

Horikita Suzune felt Chabashira's favoritism was too obvious. She really had no professional ethics.

You En took the tea, thanked her, then gulped it down in one go.

"Good stuff, good stuff. Another cup."

"Pour it yourself."

Chabashira Sae shot him a glare. Did he really take her for a maid or servant?

"And that half-baked tea ceremony of yours—find some time to learn from Sakagami-sensei."

Sakagami? The homeroom teacher of Class C. Did that mean he might offer a tea ceremony elective later?

You En poured himself another cup, then filled cups for the others.

"I'll think about it later. Chabashira... sensei, what did you call us here for today?"

Close call. He almost called her "Chabashira" outright. You En subconsciously treated himself as an adult on her level.

Chabashira Sae didn't mind. Instead, she asked, "Have you all joined any clubs? Or the Student Council?"

Only Hirata Yosuke spoke up.

"I joined the Soccer Club, but I'm just a regular member. Not official."

"Your application didn't go through?"

Chabashira Sae placed her hand on the desk, tapping lightly with her index finger.

"Join if you can. The Soccer Club can offer a lot of help. Even if it's not as good as the top-tier clubs, it's one of the most prominent mid-tier ones."

Hirata Yosuke didn't fully understand, but he nodded politely.

"Sensei, I'll do my best."

Chabashira's gaze shifted to Ayanokoji.

"Ayanokoji, stop hiding. Join a club. With your level, even a high-tier club might still take you."

Ayanokoji kept playing dumb.

"Teacher, I don't know what you mean. Isn't it hard to become a full member of a club?"

Chabashira Sae couldn't be bothered to argue. "Forget it. Pretend all you want.

In the end, whether you're really an idiot or just acting like one, the result's the same."

If You En weren't in the class, she might have tried harder to wear Ayanokoji down, but now she didn't have the mood—she was naturally lazy, after all.

"Horikita Suzune,"

Chabashira Sae began.

"I know why you came to this school. But if you don't take it seriously, forget getting close to your goal—you won't even see the full picture of him, and you might not even see the people around you clearly in the end."

"What?"

Horikita Suzune felt the other woman was referring to her and her brother, but what did those words really mean?

For her brother's sake, Chabashira Sae added one more reminder. "Don't think about joining the Student Council. Find a club to join—something you're interested in, or something you're talented at."

Horikita Suzune didn't understand. "I don't get it. What's the use of a club? As long as my grades are good, isn't that enough?"

"Heh,"

Chabashira Sae put on an indifferent attitude. If she didn't want to listen, fine—these few were just casual talk anyway. The real focus was this one.

But You En didn't need her to say anything extra. His action and observation skills were too strong—that was rare.

And what stood out most about him was actually his creation skill, at the master level.

That wasn't a useless skill, but its importance would only show in the middle of this school—at least the second year.

"Go on, go on. Do what you need to do. Oh, Hirata, tell the students that this class is self-study. I won't be coming."

The group was inexplicably dragged over, given a few words, and then hurriedly shooed out.

You En didn't know exactly what Chabashira Sae meant, but he could be sure of one thing: what he had done wasn't wrong—it was broadly correct.

So he'd just keep working hard.

He felt the day the answer would be revealed wasn't far off.