The Youth Shows His Fangs for the First Time

"You bastard!"

At this moment, Sudo's rage finally ignited beyond his control. With lightning speed, he grabbed Chiba Yu by the collar and hauled him up from his seat.

"Sudo!"

"Sudo, stop!"

The tension of the scene left everyone around them breathless. The timid ones were already too terrified to even draw a breath, their eyes fixed on the confrontation with rapid, shallow gasps.

"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve, so now you're lashing out in a fit of shame?"

Even while being hoisted into the air, Chiba Yu remained completely unfazed, continuing to 'taunt' him with his words.

If this keeps up, Sudo will likely lose control and attack. I wonder how you'll handle this, then. Let me see.

Finally, pushed past his limit by Chiba Yu's relentless provocations, Sudo could take no more. He pulled back his right hand into a tight fist and swung it toward Chiba Yu in a fit of fury, determined to teach him a lesson.

Just as the fist was about to make 'friendly contact' with Chiba Yu's cheek, to the shock of the entire class, Chiba Yu... caught the punch dead in his tracks!

Sudo's fist was locked firmly in Chiba Yu's grip. No matter how hard he strained, he couldn't pull his hand free.

At that moment, not only the rest of the class but Sudo himself felt a surge of astonishment and shock.

"I said I don't like trouble, but you keep 'provoking' me over and over again." Chiba Yu's voice was chillingly cold, and those eyes that usually showed no interest in anything were now filled with an endless, icy indifference. "I don't mind teaching you a lesson."

"Sudo! Put Chiba down first, we can talk this out properly!"

"Yeah, Sudo, let Chiba go."

Finally, under the weight of Chiba Yu's 'threat' and the pleas of his classmates, Sudo lowered his head and clicked his tongue. He released his grip on Chiba Yu's collar, and Chiba Yu let go of his fist, the two of them pulling apart in an instant.

"Chiba, are you alright..."

"Hirata, I have something to take care of, I'm leaving."

Without waiting for Hirata to say more, Chiba Yu shouldered his already-packed bag and walked toward the door without looking back, leaving the rest of the class in a heavy, suffocating silence.

"Teacher, may I ask you a question?"

"A question?"

On the rooftop of the school building, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Chabashira Sae stood facing each other. As Ayanokoji began to speak, Chabashira Sae's hand, holding a cigarette, suddenly paused.

"Do you think modern Japanese society is equal?"

Hearing this question, which seemed abrupt yet nonsensical, Chabashira smiled. "That's a bit sudden. Is there any point in me answering that?"

"This question is very important. Could you please answer it?"

"In my personal opinion... of course, this world is not equal at all."

"I think so too. The word 'equality' is inherently hypocritical, but we humans are creatures that think."

Chabashira Sae took the cigarette from her lips and crushed it into a portable ashtray. "So, what are you trying to say?"

"It means we must make the rules appear equal on the surface."

"Huh?"

Watching Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pull out his terminal to show her, Chabashira Sae wore an expression of keen interest.

"So, you mean you want me to sell you the one point Sudo is missing in English? Hahahaha!"

"Interesting, truly interesting."

The next second, Chabashira Sae flashed a wicked grin. "Fine. As long as you can pay me 100,000 points on the spot, I'll sell you that point for Sudo. How about it?"

"You really are wicked, Teacher."

"I'll pay that amount too!"

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Horikita Suzune appeared behind Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, bringing a glimmer of hope to his desperate situation.

"Horikita..."

"As expected, both of you are quite interesting. Fine, but... I think I've changed my mind. Since there are two of you, you'll need to pay me 150,000 points on the spot. If you do, I'll revoke Sudo's expulsion penalty, and if the school administration investigates later, I can vouch for you. How's that?"

The moment Chabashira finished stating her terms, Horikita Suzune's heart skipped a beat, her tone turning agitated. "What is this? Didn't we just agree on something else?"

"Heh, what I said earlier was a condition for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka alone. Now that there are two of you, it's only natural to follow the rules for two people. That's how the school operates, after all."

"Tch! I want to ask one more thing, Chabashira-sensei. You won't change these terms again later, will you?"

"Of course. This is the final condition, and I guarantee it will not be changed. But in return, can you actually come up with the points?"

Under Chabashira Sae's mocking gaze, Horikita Suzune looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with frustration.

"Ayanokoji, how many personal points do you have left?"

Hearing the question, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka displayed his remaining point total to Horikita Suzune.

"A little over 60,000... even adding my remaining points, we're still 30,000 short. Damn it!"

The hope that had just appeared vanished instantly, and Horikita Suzune's face was filled with indignation and helplessness at Chabashira's sudden change of heart.

Thump, thump, thump!

Footsteps echoed within the stairwell of the rooftop, causing Ayanokoji and the others to turn around abruptly.

"If what Chabashira-sensei just said is true, then I think I can be of some help."

Chiba Yu emerged from the stairwell, casually waving the terminal in his hand.

"However, Chabashira-sensei, before I make a deal with you, I have a question I'd like to ask. Is that alright?"

"Oh? You have a question too? Interesting, truly interesting. Go ahead and ask."

"I want to ask you: do you truly believe that this society is equal?"

The moment I posed my question, the expression on Chabashira-sensei's face faltered, her demeanor undergoing a drastic shift. Before long, even Ayanokoji Kiyotaka beside her cast a look of slight disbelief in my direction.

Recovering quickly, Chabashira Sae replied, "Is there any necessity for me to answer such a question?"

It was the same response she had given Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Chabashira Sae could not understand why both Chiba Yu and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would ask such seemingly ethereal questions.

"Since you won't answer, Chabashira Sae, then allow me to share my own understanding."

"At its core, this society is inherently unfair. Those in power simply sit in their offices and issue commands, while their subordinates must work themselves to the bone to fulfill them. Yet, in the end, if the boss shows even a hint of dissatisfaction, you are forced to tear down everything you've built and start over from scratch."

"Even if an individual possesses great ability, they will ultimately just toil away like a beast of burden in their position until they drop dead from exhaustion, and no one will even care."

"Isn't this very similar to the current situation, Chabashira-sensei? Right now, you are that boss with the power. With just a casual word, you can render the fruits of your students' hard work meaningless. It's exactly the same, isn't it?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?" At this moment, Chabashira Sae seemed somewhat agitated, her tone toward Chiba Yu no longer possessing its earlier composure.

"I just think..." Chiba Yu slowly brought his terminal up to his chest. He lifted his head, his colorless eyes radiating an inexplicable meaning as he stared at her in silence.

"This society we live in today..."

It really is rotten to the core.