It's Because You're Like This That You're So Funny!

Hoshino En: "..."

Damn it, how did you manage to get your scores so uniform? No wonder Chabashira Sae had her eye on you!

For an exam with just one paper and one score, like the last quiz, it was fine to keep the scores uniform. But with a comprehensive test made up of multiple exams and multiple scores, keeping them that uniform would make it obvious to anyone that something was wrong.

Hoshino En: [Kiyotaka, take my advice. From now on, don't make your scores so uniform, and don't keep them too regular, either. Make them messier. For example, if you get a 50 in Japanese, get a 53 in math; if you get a 57 in English, get a 51 in social studies...something like that.]

[Anyway, don't make your scores look so [pretty]... No wonder Chabashira Sae had her eye on you. Who wouldn't be baffled by a master who could casually manipulate his scores?]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka: [...I can brush it off by saying, "It was all a coincidence."]

He tried to make excuses for his mistake.

Hoshino En: [How could it be that much of a coincidence? And if you deliberately got easy questions wrong while controlling your scores, then answered the really difficult ones correctly, that would only highlight your quiet ** nature. There's no way you could explain it away as a "coincidence."]

[Anyway, if you don't want to cause trouble for yourself and still want to maintain your [ordinary person] image, then stop doing this.]

Meanwhile, in the Counseling Room, just across a wall from the Pantry, Chabashira Sae finally found Horikita Suzune's five entrance exam papers among the endless stacks of test sheets, along with the interviewer's evaluation of her.

"Horikita Suzune, your entrance exam results were just as you expected: among this year's 160 first-year students, you tied for third place. There was nothing of particular concern in your interview, either. Your evaluation was excellent."

"Thank you. Then...why?"

"I told you before, didn't I? At this school, [excellent students] go to Class A, while [defective products] are thrown into Class D. Do you consider yourself excellent?"

"Of course!!"

"Why?"

"Why...didn't I just tell you!? My entrance exam scores..."

"That only means you have strong academic ability. Since when did [academic ability] become synonymous with [excellence]?"

"T-that's common sense in society."

"Pfft—hahahaha—"

Hearing that, Hoshino En couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.

Seriously, why was she so funny? "Common sense in society"? Society wasn't that simple.

The wall between the Pantry and the Counseling Room was practically made of paper, so Horikita Suzune and Chabashira Sae naturally heard his laughter.

"Who's there?"

"...Hoshino, I believe I told you that if you made a sound, you'd be expelled immediately, didn't I?"

Now that he'd been called out, Hoshino En had no intention of staying hidden. He came out with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Hoshino? Ayanokoji?"

Seeing the two of them, Horikita Suzune realized what was going on. Chabashira Sae must have anticipated that she would come to question her and had asked them to [lie in wait] here beforehand.

"Putting aside whether you have the [authority] to order me to leave, even if you really did expel me, I could make Class D fall apart before I left. It would take at least a semester or two for it to recover. Then your wish to [lead Class D to A] would be shattered, wouldn't it?"

Hoshino En set the funny girl aside and looked at Chabashira Sae, his gaze unwavering.

Of course, [making Class D fall apart] was just bluster. To pull it off, he'd first need to break Hirata and remove the class's [mediator]. That wouldn't be difficult; Hirata's weakness was obvious.

Then he'd need Karuizawa or Kushida to help. With their influence, they could stir up conflict between the boys and girls in Class D and create a rift that wouldn't heal quickly. For example, they could set up Yamauchi and Ike—or any of the boys in their [Flirting Group] other than Kiyotaka—and make Sakura Airi the victim. She was gentle, easy to pick on, and had an outstanding figure and looks.

If everything went smoothly, it wouldn't even take two hours for Class D to split apart completely. Until someone capable stepped up or Hirata recovered, the class would remain fractured.

But Hoshino En didn't think Kushida would help, even if he threatened her with the secret he knew. The same went for Karuizawa. He didn't think she'd throw away the reputation she'd worked so hard to build just to carry out his revenge plan. It would be easy to push her back into the state she'd been in during middle school.

So he really, really, really was just bluffing!

"Besides, it's only been a month since school started. Even if I really were expelled, with my grades, I'd just move to another place and get by. It wouldn't be much different from now."

"I wouldn't lose anything, while you'd be stuck wasting three years with a shattered Class D. So who would really come out ahead? What a mystery~"

Eavesdropper 1—Ichinose Honami: "..."

She was a little confused. She certainly disapproved of Hoshino-kun's threats, but it seemed Chabashira-sensei had threatened him first. He was a victim, too.

So whose side should she take?

Eavesdropper 2—Hoshinomiya Chie: "..."

Sae-chan, you're still thinking about [taking on those above you], aren't you...

No, Sae-chan. You're supposed to rot alongside the worst Class D... How can you leave me behind and find salvation on your own?

Something more important had come up, and her attention immediately shifted away from Ichinose Honami.

Eavesdropper 3—Kamuro Masumi: "..."

Oh, man. Hoshino really picked a fight with a teacher? And the homeroom teacher who could make his life the most miserable, too?

Did my [jinx] really come true?

Eavesdropper 4—Sakayanagi Arisu: "..."

She was composing a message to her father.

If the Class D homeroom teacher wanted to use her authority to throw her weight around, then she'd show her whose [authority] carried more weight!!

But before she could tap [Send Message], she received a message from Hoshino En. It had clearly been typed by feel, and contained typos.

Hoshino En: [Don't get the parents involved yet (don't tell her parents yet). She can't do anything to me (she doesn't dare do anything to me). Watch me crush him (watch me crush her)!]

That was true. If Hoshino-kun dared to say that, he must be confident he could handle it.

Then she'd wait and see.

Chabashira Sae: "..."

Just as she had during homeroom, she fell silent again.

That Hoshino En... He was too much.

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 62: It's Because You're Like This That You're So Funny!

"Don't make that face, Chabashira-sensei."

Seeing Chabashira Sae at a loss for words and caught between a rock and a hard place, Hoshino En couldn't help but feel exasperated.

She was the one who'd started this, but the moment things stopped going according to plan, she had no idea how to get out of it. She even needed someone else to give her a stepping stone... There were limits to being presumptuous.

"As long as you don't set any strange ideas on me—including what you tried this morning—and don't cause me trouble, I won't mind your little tricks."

"Maybe I'll suddenly feel like it later and help you make your wish come true, just like that!"

"...Don't get too full of yourself. This school isn't as simple as you think."

After a long while, Chabashira Sae finally managed to say that. It seemed she'd made good use of the opening Hoshino En had given her.

Honestly, why was this teacher so awkward and troublesome?

"You don't need to worry about that. I've never been afraid to assume the worst of people, and this school is no exception."

"But let's get back to the point. You called Kiyotaka and me here, then had us listen in on your conversation with Horikita. What exactly are you trying to do? I gave up today's Swimming Club training for this!"

At that, Chabashira Sae's expression improved a little, as though she'd regained some control over the situation.

But before she could speak, Horikita's questions rang out.

"Chabashira-sensei, why would you do something like this? And Hoshino-kun, I don't see what was funny about what I said earlier. Please apologize!"

Earlier, with a wall between them, Hoshino En could only hear her confident voice. Now he could see her expression, too. There wasn't a hint of doubt or confusion on her face—only anger at the fact that she'd been [laughed at].

Then Hoshino En laughed even harder.

"Hahahahaha—i-it's exactly because you're like this...that you're so funny! Hahahaha—"

He braced one hand on the table in the Counseling Room and laughed uncontrollably, his face practically cramping up.

In Hoshino En's view, truly capable people immediately reflected on their own actions and judgment when someone criticized them. They knew they weren't omnipotent, that they had flaws, and that those flaws might even be fatal weaknesses they couldn't see from their own perspective.

After examining themselves inside and out, they would decide whether the other person's criticism was genuine or deliberate pressure. If it was the former, they would humbly accept the lesson and work to correct their flaws.

If it was the latter, they would immediately push back, using the same tactics to pressure the other person. But they wouldn't get angry. Anger was only making themselves suffer and letting their enemies rejoice—an emotion that did more harm than good.

Compared to [anger], finding pleasure in seeing the other person buckle under pressure was better for one's mental and physical health.

But Horikita Suzune, who boasted that she was [destined to accomplish great things] and believed that someone as excellent as herself should have been placed in Class A, was different. Not only had she failed to reflect on herself, she'd gotten [angry] and hollowly demanded an apology from Hoshino En?

Come on, that was even funnier!!

Hoshino En's laughter echoed through the quiet Counseling Room. Horikita Suzune's body gradually began to tremble under the impact of the [sound waves]—not out of fear or a physical reflex, but from [anger].

"You—"

"Enough, Hoshino. Stop laughing."

Before Horikita Suzune could completely blow her top, Chabashira Sae stepped in and stopped Hoshino En, cutting off the only outlet the long-haired girl had for venting her anger.

"Haha—cough, cough...all right, all right. I'll stop. My cheeks are killing me from laughing."

Hoshino En rubbed his face, easing the soreness in his facial muscles.

Chabashira could've stopped him from the start, but instead she'd waited until he was nearly laughing himself into a fit. Wasn't she still using him to put pressure on Horikita?

Tch. She pressured people while expecting them to help her. This woman really was blackhearted! Even more than he was!!

And she was so awkward, too. If he left it to her, who knew how long this conversation would drag on?

So he stepped in.

"Chabashira-sensei, since you don't want to say it outright, let me guess. You went to all this trouble to get the three of us together today because you want to push Horikita into uniting the class, then have Kiyotaka and me serve as her [Heng and Ha Generals], so you can finally fulfill your long-cherished wish. Am I right?"

Chabashira Sae: "..."

Things hadn't gone according to her plan again, so once more she had nothing to say.

She really hadn't thought things through!!

Horikita Suzune, on the other hand, immediately objected.

"How could a class full of [defective products] earn more points than Class A? No matter how you look at it, that's impossible!"

"Your guess is completely wrong. I won't lead a hopeless class like that."

Her tone was utterly firm, and she sounded completely unafraid.

Hoshino En had seen plenty of people like her. They left themselves no room to maneuver and went all in. In the end, they would usually be [forced by circumstances] to accept the very reality they'd rejected.

"But this is your only path. If you want to become a student in Class A and avoid bringing shame on Horikita-senpai, then [uniting the class and aiming for promotion] is actually the quickest option for you."

With her antisocial personality, earning 20 Million Private Points on her own was practically impossible. Class competition was far more likely to work.

Hoshino En's well-intentioned advice didn't register with Horikita Suzune. She'd only heard one thing he'd said.

"You—you know my brother?"

Like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck, she stared at Hoshino En with her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide.

"We've only spoken privately a few times. We're not close. But he told me his younger sister was a huge disappointment and said he hoped I'd give her a good wake-up call!"

"Horikita, tell me: why would someone whom the whole school recognizes as its most outstanding student, the student council president himself, say he's disappointed in you—and yet you still think you're excellent?"

The fire that had been blazing in Horikita Suzune a moment earlier went out at once.

Not only did it go out, but she plunged straight into an emotional deep freeze.

Her weakness was obvious, too.

"Enough, Hoshino! If you keep going, I really will have you expelled!!"

Seeing that Horikita was on the verge of completely crumpling, Chabashira Sae immediately stepped forward and shouted at Hoshino En.

She wanted to push Horikita to take the lead and move forward, not break her spirit and leave her unable to get back up!

"Threatening me with [expulsion] over and over—is that really the only weapon you have, Chabashira-sensei? This is getting old!"

But Hoshino En was done playing along.

He took the camera from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's left breast pocket and played the video he'd just recorded. Since he'd genuinely lost control and laughed so hard, Chabashira Sae and Horikita Suzune hadn't noticed the camera that had appeared on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's chest. The footage of a [teacher making a vicious threat against a student] had been captured crystal clear.

Chabashira Sae: "..."

Are you freaking serious...

The expression on her face fully reflected her fear and shock. Seeing her like that, Hoshino En felt a sense of [relief], along with a hint of helplessness.

"You want to push Horikita into shouldering the class? That's your business. Don't go bothering me or threatening Kiyotaka. Otherwise, this video will end up on the desks of the Student Council and the Chairman. Then you won't just be unable to fulfill your wish—you might not even be able to keep your job as a [teacher]."