Sakura Airi: I'm Your Fan

"My name is Chabashira Sae, and I am the homeroom teacher for Class D."

Without any intention of asking what had just happened, Chabashira Sae introduced herself.

She then began having the students pass a school handbook from the front to the back, along with something called a Student ID Terminal.

Standing in the center of the podium, she spoke:

"Next, I will inform you of some of the rules of this school."

"First, there will be no class reshuffling in this school; in other words, you will spend the next three years together."

"Furthermore, the school operates on a boarding system. Leaving the campus is restricted, and all external communication is prohibited. You were already informed of this before enrollment."

"However, do not worry. The facilities at this school are very complete. There is a supermarket where you can purchase daily necessities, and there are entertainment facilities as well."

"And then..."

Chabashira Sae held up her phone to show everyone.

"The currency used for consumption at this school is called Points, and 1 Point has the purchasing power of 1 Yen."

"Everything in the school can be purchased using Points, and Points will be automatically deposited on the first of every month."

"One hundred thousand Points for this month have already been deposited into your personal accounts, which you can check using the Student ID Terminal in your hands."

As soon as Chabashira Sae finished speaking, everyone looked at their Student ID Terminals, and a stir of commotion broke out in the classroom.

Ike Koji: "For real?"

Yamauchi Haruki: "It really is 100,000! Hahaha, coming to this school was the best decision ever!"

"This school is so generous!"

With the solid number 100,000 displayed before their eyes, almost everyone felt astonished.

According to the teacher, wasn't this just 100,000 Yen?!

For the average student, their monthly allowance in the past might have only been a few thousand Yen.

And 100,000 was an amount sufficient for them to live quite comfortably at school.

Because these words came directly from the teacher's mouth, the vast majority of students in Class D subconsciously assumed the teacher wouldn't lie to them.

At this moment, many were already intoxicated by the news, whispering to each other about what they planned to buy later.

Did truly no one feel that something was wrong?

Even those who felt something was off had no intention of standing up to raise an objection.

Chihaya Rei observed these scenes with curiosity.

He couldn't help but think: to just take it for granted that the school would give away 100,000 Yen for free every month—

Is that really okay?

Well, that would be just perfect.

For Chihaya Rei, only then could he torment everyone without any sense of guilt.

Automatically filtering out the surrounding noise, Chihaya Rei also curiously checked his Student ID Terminal.

Aside from an exclusive app that recorded personal student information and Points, its other functions were similar to a smartphone.

It also came with a built-in SIM card linked to the phone, though it was impossible to contact the outside world; attempting to do so would result in the connection being intercepted and a warning issued.

Of course, browsing the web normally was not a problem.

"Are you surprised by the large amount of Points?"

Looking at the students below, Chabashira Sae continued, "This school measures students by their ability. Being able to come here means you possess corresponding value."

"That is all. Are there any questions?"

As her voice fell, Chabashira Sae swept her gaze across the classroom, clearly hoping someone would raise a question.

But no one had any intention of asking.

They were all immersed in a joyful atmosphere.

Seeing this, Chabashira Sae felt a bit disappointed.

This year's batch is the same as the old ones; is this all they amount to?

"I have finished telling you what you need to know. The entrance ceremony will be held in Gymnasium 1 in half an hour. Attendance is mandatory for everyone; organize yourselves."

Leaving behind these words, Chabashira Sae walked quickly out of the classroom, her high heels clicking against the floor.

She just wanted to get to the rooftop as quickly as possible to smoke a cigarette and release the frustration in her heart.

Batch after batch, year after year...

Chihaya Rei glanced nonchalantly at Chabashira Sae's retreating back as she picked up her pace.

Although he possessed a great deal of information, he had no intention of stepping forward to give Class D a heads-up.

For one, he didn't want to become a babysitter for Class D.

More importantly, he had absolutely no intention of leading Class D to a higher grade.

ABCD, it made no difference to him which class he graduated from!

He already had the Interrogation System; as long as he had enough subjects to interrogate, that was all he needed.

Seeing the teacher leave the classroom with some time still remaining before the entrance ceremony, many students began to chat boisterously.

A few others walked out of the classroom.

Horikita Suzune was the first to walk out.

"Chi... Chihaya-kun, could I add your contact information?"

The voice reaching his ears made Chihaya Rei tilt his head, looking toward the girl on his right who had been trying to minimize her presence by keeping her head down the entire time.

She had beautiful, deep red hair tied into two low ponytails with ribbons, and she wore square-framed glasses that seemed to seal away her true beauty.

Sakura Airi.

He naturally recognized this girl.

In the original story, during a unanimous special exam in their second year, she had ended up as the sacrificial lamb to replace Kushida Kikyo, who was supposed to be expelled.

But since he was here now, he certainly wouldn't let such a thing happen.

In his memory, she was a shy and introverted girl.

To think that someone like her would actually take the initiative to ask for his contact info?

"Sure."

Chihaya Rei took out his phone and exchanged contact details with her.

Hearing his agreement, Sakura Airi broke into a smile, her azure eyes behind the lenses sparkling slightly.

After adding him as a friend, thinking of a certain possibility, Chihaya Rei asked with some curiosity.

"Did you happen to know me before coming here, Sakura-san?"

"Eh!"

A cute, surprised sound escaped Sakura Airi's lips.

Her face flushed slightly, and she stole a shy glance at Chihaya Rei, whispering with a hint of nervousness:

"Um... Chihaya-kun, actually, I'm a fan of yours."

"A fan? Could it be a fan of the band?"

Chihaya Rei was somewhat surprised.

"Ye... yes."

Sakura Airi nodded gently, explaining in a soft voice: "I've watched your live performances online. I think they're wonderful, and I really like them..."

For someone as introverted and socially awkward as Sakura Airi, she had almost no friends.

She didn't dare to meet people's gazes directly.

She also felt uncomfortable whenever eyes were fixed upon her.

Therefore, she found someone like Chihaya Rei—who could form a band with a group of good friends, stand in the center of a high stage, and perform while fearlessly showing his true self to the audience—to be very dazzling...

She envied him, and she admired him.

Chihaya Rei understood immediately.

That explained it; he was, after all, someone who had formed bands and held live shows.

His bands had gained a fair amount of popularity.

The band even had an account, managed by a girl with flaxen hair and a curvaceous figure who gave off a "widow" vibe, despite actually being a 16-year-old pure-hearted high school girl.

She would upload videos of every live performance to the internet.

So, it wasn't strange that Sakura Airi had seen them.

So, this was a minor shift in the world line, then?

"Then I'll have to test you: which of our band's songs do you like the most?"

"Kasumikage..."

The corners of Chihaya Rei's mouth curled up slightly: "I acknowledge your purity, Sakura-san."

Hearing Chihaya Rei's words, a joyful smile bloomed on Sakura Airi's face.

"Chihaya-kun, please take care of me from now on."

"Mm."

Chihaya Rei responded, but then suddenly said earnestly:

"However, Sakura-san, it's more polite to look the other person in the eyes when you're speaking."

"The gazes of the people around you aren't as scary as you imagine."

[Torture Sakura Airi, obtain 450 Torture Points]

"Ah... yes!"

Sakura Airi's voice couldn't help but grow a bit more nervous.

But upon realizing that Chihaya Rei's words were filled with goodwill, she quietly let out a sigh of relief.

As expected, Chihaya-kun is a good person...

"Thank you, Chihaya-kun."

Sakura Airi thanked him once again.

This time, she mustered the courage to lift her head, and the moment she locked eyes with Chihaya Rei, her cheeks flushed crimson, her gaze filled with shyness.

I feel like Chihaya-kun would look great in photos... she thought to herself.

"Also, if you run into any trouble, feel free to ask me for help. After all, we're desk mates, and you're a fan of our band."

Chihaya Rei said with a hint of hidden meaning.

"Okay..."

As for why he said such a thing to Sakura Airi.

It wasn't actually just polite small talk.

Chihaya Rei could answer honestly that this wasn't his lower head controlling his upper head.

Right now, he only had the career ambition of a Torture God.

Although Sakura Airi's figure could be considered top-tier in the entire grade, with only that Hasebe Haruka in the class being able to rival her.

From that perspective, their assignment to Class D was well-deserved.

It makes one wonder if the school took cup sizes into account when sorting the girls.

Returning to the main topic, this was primarily because Sakura Airi was involved in an important plot point later on.

Sakura Airi had a hidden identity.

She was an internet idol and gravure model, and she was quite popular online.

However, while shopping for a camera at the school's shopping mall electronics store, she was recognized by an extreme fan.

Afterward, this perverted stalker began leaving harassing comments on Sakura Airi's blog.

Eventually, he even intended to commit a crime.

Chihaya Rei would certainly not let such an opportunity to torture a potential criminal pass him by.

He was even prepared to use force.

Moreover, if he could catch such a criminal inside Advanced Nurturing High School, he would surely be able to extort a hefty sum from the school.