Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist

Although he couldn't see Hoshinomiya Chie's expression, Hoshino En could clearly read the face of Chabashira Sae before him.

He saw very clearly that when Hoshinomiya Chie said those words, Chabashira Sae's face flickered with a mixture of passion, reluctance, guilt, and determination—three parts of complex emotion—along with seven parts of calm detachment.

That overwhelming majority of [calm detachment] was clearly her facade, while the minority emotions were her true thoughts.

This woman really wanted to [defy her superior]!

But the other emotions in her eyes didn't seem fake... If he could verify that she and Hoshinomiya Chie had indeed been students at this school before, then all his previous [speculations] would hold up.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course that's impossible."

Chabashira Sae brushed it off, then turned back and continued leading the way.

But Hoshinomiya Chie still hadn't given up. She [unwaveringly] followed behind them.

Just as they were about to reach the Counseling Room, Chabashira Sae questioned her again.

"How long do you plan to follow us? This is a Class D matter."

"Huh? Not at all! I just happen to need to go to the Counseling Room. Is that not allowed?"

Hoshinomiya Chie finally pulled out that foolproof excuse that could never be countered.

But just then, a girl with rose-gold long hair suddenly appeared before them.

It was Ichinose Honami.

"Miss Hoshinomiya, could I borrow some of your time? There's something I'd like to discuss with you regarding the Student Council."

She first explained the purpose of her visit to her homeroom teacher, then turned her gaze to Hoshino En and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Hoshino-kun, if you've done something wrong, you need to honestly admit your mistake! I'm sure your homeroom teacher will forgive you."

"...Ichinose, why do you automatically assume that I'm the one who [did something wrong]? Is the impression I've left on you really that bad?"

Hoshino En was especially speechless. He didn't recall ever offending Ichinose in any way. Why was her [bias] against him so strong?

"Because..."

Ichinose Honami started to say something, but she glanced at the two homeroom teachers standing on either side—they showed no intention of stopping her; instead, they had unanimously chosen to sit back and watch the show.

These two had such vastly different personalities, yet in the end, they could [become close friends and hang out together]—it wasn't without reason.

But after weighing her words, she finally spoke.

"Because Hoshino-kun, you're way too oblivious. Not only can't you control the distance between yourself and other girls, but also..."

She glanced subtly at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, unaware that her movement was extremely obvious to the other four people present.

"And also, same-gender relationships and all... Although I personally oppose it, if Hoshino-kun really likes it, I won't have any objections. But you should still maintain some proper distance in public."

Having said that, she stepped behind Hoshinomiya Chie, waiting for the teacher's arrangements, and fell silent.

But the other four... three people present couldn't hold it together.

Chabashira Sae looked left and right at the three students present, and her heavy mood unexpectedly cracked a little.

Are young people these days really this wild? Have I been at school so long that I've lost touch with society?

Hoshinomiya Chie glanced in surprise at her proud class representative, her face unable to hide her shock.

And what's with Ichinose's speech that sounds like a primary wife asserting her position? When did my class rep get snatched away by someone else's dog?

She also shot a subtle look at Hoshino En and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Also, I was just joking before, but I didn't expect you two to actually be serious!!

...Kinda gross.

Hoshino En's expression was equally complicated.

He looked at Ichinose, then turned his head to glance at Kiyotaka, whose chest was practically pressed against his back, and said speechlessly.

"Kiyotaka, why are you sticking so close? Other people will get the wrong idea."

But this was, after all, his [kid to raise], and this couldn't possibly be knowledge that an [Artificial Genius] needed, so he could still understand the other's behavior.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

"En, you know I'm a student. I've never been called out by a teacher alone before..."

He looked at Chabashira Sae and Hoshinomiya Chie, a fearful expression appearing on his face as he pressed himself even closer to Hoshino En.

The image of an innocent student afraid of teachers was vividly clear, practically perfect.

It's just that his acting was a bit over the top, and executing it was somewhat exhausting.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 59: Chapter 055: Ichinose Honami, Full of Guilt!

"Alright, you have a visitor too. Go on."

Having finished watching the show, Chabashira Sae immediately started shooing them away.

"Ehh~ Little Sae is so heartless, and here we are in such a relationship!"

She spoke those ambiguous words.

But seeing that Chabashira Sae seemed genuinely angry, she finally stopped pressing further.

"Let's go, Ichinose. We'll talk in the office."

She led Ichinose Honami toward the Teachers' Office.

As for Hoshino En and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Chabashira Sae ushered them into the Counseling Room.

Though he didn't know exactly what conflict existed between her and Hoshinomiya, one thing Hoshino En was sure of: this woman wanted Class D to rise, and she'd already set her sights on them.

He might have caught her attention because of his performance in homeroom, but what about Kiyotaka?

Last month, he'd kept a low profile—just going to and from school normally, the most noticeable things being his after-school hangouts with Ike and Yamauchi, and pestering Horikita between classes. These actions seemed like they'd only lower his evaluation, nothing else. Yet Chabashira still had her eyes on him...

Could she be someone from that [White Room]?

Hoshino En didn't think so—she'd tried to use him to pressure the class during homeroom, but hadn't expected his counterattack and nearly got shut down. She was a textbook case of [incompetent but eager], a perfect example of [thinking you're clever when you're not].

If the [White Room] produced people at this level, he felt Kiyotaka had nothing to worry about.

Then could it be that she'd learned of Kiyotaka's background from some channel and wanted to use the [White Room]'s momentum to blackmail him?

It was possible, but unlikely—the [White Room] was clearly a gimmick politicians used to attract investment and votes. Ordinary people would have a hard time even finding out it existed, let alone a teacher trapped on this isolated island year-round.

But with no other options, this scenario was still the most plausible.

Either way, he had to stay sharp. He couldn't let his first impression of her make him careless.

"So, Chabashira-sensei, what's the reason you called me and Kiyotaka out?"

Once the Counseling Room door was fully closed, Hoshino En finally asked.

Chabashira Sae didn't respond.

She just opened another door inside the Counseling Room, then silently watched Hoshino En and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Inside seemed to be a pantry.

The two exchanged glances, then Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stepped forward.

"Want me to make tea? Is hojicha okay?"

"No. I mean for the two of you to go inside."

Chabashira Sae shoved them both in.

"Until I say you can come out, stay quiet in there and don't make a sound. Violate it and you're expelled."

With that, not giving them a chance to ask questions, she closed the pantry door.

Hoshino En & Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

What was up with this teacher?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: [En, what does Chabashira-sensei actually want by calling us here?]

Since they couldn't make noise, using their phones to chat was fine.

Hoshino En: [Not sure, but it's certain she wants to use us.]

[I can understand her targeting me, but why you? Have you done anything to show your abilities before?]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: [Other than that game of international chess with you, nothing else.]

Hoshino En: [Then you'd better prepare yourself—if there's no other reason and she's still targeting you, your background might have been exposed.]

[She seems obsessed with advancing the class. She'll probably threaten you to contribute to the class next.]

Seeing this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's aura instantly shifted, like a waking dragon, a divine blade drawn from its sheath.

Involvement with the [White Room], threats, being forced to contribute—all of these went against his [freedom].

Anything that threatened [freedom] was an enemy; and if it was an enemy, it should be thoroughly destroyed.

He needed to think of a way to make her [drop out]...

Seeing his murderous intent about to spill over, Hoshino En quickly added a line.

Hoshino En: [But don't worry too much. You have people backing you. A homeroom teacher like her probably can't use her authority to threaten you.]

Besides, teachers shouldn't have the power to arbitrarily expel students. At the very least, they'd need relevant evidence.

Speaking of evidence, Hoshino En pulled up the voice recorder app on his phone, confirming it was still running in the background.

Then, he took out the portable voice recorder he always carried, wedging it into the sleeve of his right hand as a second layer of insurance.

Finally, he pulled out a small camera with audio recording capabilities—thanks to that clerk who got arrested, this new model had many features the old one lacked. For instance, now—he detached the camera from its base and placed it in the left chest pocket of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's shirt.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

Hoshino En: [After we go out, stay behind me. Let me do the talking. If you absolutely have to speak, come close to me and press your left side against my back.]

Though it caused some misunderstanding and deviation, Kiyotaka's earlier reaction actually fit well now: a scared, obedient student hiding behind someone else when speaking wasn't strange at all.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: [...Understood.]

Convenient tools. Should he buy some later? Much more practical than a phone.

Hoshino En: [Cameras aren't cheap. A good single unit costs at least 80,000 points. If you really need one, just buy a decent quality voice recorder for now.]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: "..."

Well, can't afford it.

But having evidence isn't a cure-all either—you still have to prevent Chabashira Sae from digging zero-point traps in places the students don't know about.

So Hoshino En sent another message to Sakayanagi Arisu.

Hoshino En: [A question for the Chairman—does a homeroom teacher have the authority or any way to force a student to drop out?]

Sakayanagi Arisu: [? Did you and Ayanokoji-kun get threatened by the homeroom teacher?]

Hoshino En: [Not yet, but I have to prepare in advance.]

[By the way, I can't take calls here—please send messages.]

Sakayanagi Arisu: [I'll go ask.]

She was fast—by the time the sound of the door opening came from outside, her message had already arrived.

Sakayanagi Arisu: [The homeroom teacher updates student evaluations periodically, and these, along with the evaluations from when the student enrolled, serve as a reference for the school's assessment of the student. But the school mainly looks at facts and evidence—if neither exists, these evaluations won't have any real impact on the student.]

[Also, the school upholds student autonomy—the Student Council's authority is above the teachers'. If you run into a problem, you can appeal to the Student Council.]

[But Hoshino-kun, if you get expelled by such dirty tricks, I'll ask my father to let you work as a staff member at the school, so don't worry~]

Ignoring Sakayanagi's usual teasing, Hoshino En finished reading the intel and pricked up his ears, listening closely to the sounds outside.

"...So, Horikita, is there something you wanted to talk about?"

At that moment, outside the door, Chabashira Sae called out a name that was within Hoshino En's expectations.

He had thought the "elite students" in the class might privately approach the homeroom teacher about the class division, and Horikita Suzune's name was among those he'd predicted.

But what surprised him was that it was only Horikita Suzune alone? He'd thought other "elite students," like Yukimura Teruhiko, would come with her.

Using numerical advantage to compensate for inequality in status, creating a "balance of power"—that's one of the most common ways to improve the success rate of negotiations with a superior. As long as the other party isn't the lawless, reckless type, they'll panic under the pressure of the "masses" and leak important information.

If you run into someone with strong mental fortitude, you stir up the emotions of those "pawns," making them the vanguard of questioning to muddy the waters, while you quietly observe and analyze the other party's reactions—this greatly increases the success rate of information gathering... She didn't use it?