A Teacher's Bargaining Chip

Yuto had not expected Chabashira to come looking for him.

During lunch break, just as he was about to head to the cake shop to meet Kushida, Chabashira stopped him in the hallway. She stood at the entrance to the faculty office, her expression unreadable, and said only one thing. "Hayashi, come here. I need to talk to you."

Yuto's heart skipped a beat. His first thought was that his information-selling had been discovered.

He followed Chabashira into the office. There were no other teachers inside. Chabashira sat at her desk and pointed to the chair across from her.

Yuto sat down without saying anything.

Chabashira studied him for several seconds, then took a document from her drawer and placed it on the desk.

"Do you know what this is?"

Yuto glanced at it. It was a login record from the school's internal messaging platform. It showed a string of account details and usage times. He recognized it—it was the anonymous account Kushida had bought.

"I don't know," he said.

Chabashira stared at him, her gaze far sharper than it ever was during class.

"You don't know?" she said. "Then let me tell you. This account was purchased from a convenience store terminal three days ago. That same evening, it sent messages to three students: Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A, Honami Ichinose from Class B, and Kakeru Ryuuen from Class C. The messages contained insider information about the school's point system. Not many people in this school know that information, and you happen to be one of them."

Yuto did not respond. He looked calmly at Chabashira while his mind raced. Teachers had more authority than he had expected; they could access anonymous account activity records. But Chabashira only knew that the account had sent the messages. She did not necessarily know who had sent them. And since she had not confronted him directly, she clearly lacked conclusive evidence.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean, ma'am," Yuto said.

Chabashira leaned back in her chair, folding her hands on the desk.

"Hayashi, I'm not here to interrogate you," she said. "I'm here to make a deal. I know you have insider information about the point system. How you learned it is unimportant. What I care about is whether that information can help Class D. You know Class D's current situation. We have the fewest class points, and many students are still spending money recklessly. If they learn that their points will be drastically reduced next month, they can at least prepare in advance."

After hearing her out, Yuto smiled.

"Ma'am, I deal in information," he said. "I still have professional ethics. I can't just give information away for free because a teacher tells me to."

Chabashira's expression did not change, but her gaze turned colder.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I know what you're worried about," Yuto said. "Class D really does need this information. But the problem is that Class D can't afford it. Five hundred thousand points is more than the whole class could scrape together. There aren't many people in Class D who could come up with even fifty thousand points right now, let alone five hundred thousand."

Chabashira fell silent for several seconds.

"What if you sold it to Class D at a reduced price?"

"How reduced?"

"One hundred thousand."

Yuto shook his head.

"Ma'am, one hundred thousand is too low. I sold it to Sakayanagi and Ichinose for five hundred thousand each. If Class D gets the same information for only one hundred thousand, what would those two buyers think if they found out? I wouldn't be able to keep doing business."

Chabashira stared at him. It was quite a while before she spoke again.

"Then how about this?" she said. "I'll give you four hundred thousand. You sell it to Class D for one hundred thousand. That way, you receive five hundred thousand in total, the same as from the other classes. You don't lose anything."

Yuto froze.

That condition had caught him off guard. Chabashira, a teacher, was personally paying four hundred thousand points to subsidize Class D's information fee? But on second thought, he understood. Chabashira was Class D's homeroom teacher. The class's performance was directly tied to her career prospects. If Class D learned the truth about the point system in advance and performed better in the coming exams, it would benefit her. Four hundred thousand was not a small sum, but compared to the prospects of reaching Class A, it was just pocket change.

"Aren't you afraid I'll take the money and go back on my word?" Yuto asked.

"You won't," Chabashira said. "You're a smart person. You know the consequences of deceiving a teacher."

Yuto considered it, then nodded.

"Fine. But I have one condition. The information can't appear to have been sold to Class D by me. I'll have another student come forward and bring it into the class under her name. That way, you won't be exposed, and neither will I."

Chabashira watched him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Fine. But you must guarantee that the information is real."

"The information is absolutely accurate," Yuto said. "If any of it is wrong, you can hold me accountable whenever you like."

Chabashira said nothing more. She took an envelope from her drawer and pushed it toward Yuto.

"There are four hundred thousand points in here. Before today is over, I want to see Class D receive that information."

Yuto took the envelope and weighed it in his hand.

"No problem."

He rose from his chair. When he reached the door, Chabashira's voice came from behind him.

"Yuto Hayashi."

Yuto stopped and looked back.

Chabashira leaned against her chair, looking at him calmly.

"You're very clever. But don't be too clever."

Yuto smiled.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I just want to graduate quietly."

With that, he walked out of the office.

The moment he left the faculty office, Yuto took a deep breath. A thin layer of sweat covered his back. Honestly, he had been nervous just now. Chabashira was not a student. She had teacher privileges and could uncover far more than he had anticipated. Fortunately, she had no evidence and did not want to make a big issue out of it. What she wanted was information, not punishment.

Yuto touched the envelope in his pocket. It was thick.

Four hundred thousand points were now in his hands. Combined with the points he had earned from selling information earlier, he now had more than a million points. But money was not what he was thinking about. He was thinking about how to use this chance to further improve Kushida's standing in Class D.

He returned to the classroom and sent Kushida a message.

"Meet me at the usual place after school. There's something important I need to tell you."

Kushida quickly replied with an okay.

Throughout the afternoon classes, Yuto kept working through the plan in his head. Chabashira had given him four hundred thousand points and told him to sell the information to Class D for one hundred thousand. At first glance, it was a simple deal. He took the money, handed over the information, and that was that. But he did not want to do it that way. He wanted to give this opportunity to Kushida. She would bring the information into Class D under her own name and play the angel who saved the class.

That would make Kushida's position in Class D more secure. Her social influence and the value of her information network would rise dramatically. For Yuto, a stronger Kushida meant a stronger partner.

Besides, what had happened with Chabashira made him realize something. The teachers were watching him too. He needed someone who could operate openly. Kushida was the best possible choice.

When Yuto arrived at the cake shop after school, Kushida was already waiting there.

There was a trace of nervousness on her face. Clearly, being summoned by Chabashira at noon had made her uneasy. The instant she saw Yuto walk in, she stood up.

"What happened?" Kushida asked. "Why did Chabashira call you in?"

Yuto sat down and placed the envelope on the table.

Kushida glanced at it. "What's this?"

"Four hundred thousand points. Chabashira gave them to me."

Kushida's expression changed. "Chabashira gave you four hundred thousand? Why?"

Yuto told her everything from beginning to end: how Chabashira had found them, how she had spoken with him, and how she had proposed the deal. He explained it in detail without leaving out anything. After listening, Kushida stayed silent for a long time.

"So you agreed to it?"

"Yeah."

"Then what are you planning to do? Just take the information directly to Class D?"

Yuto shook his head.

"No. I have a plan," he said. "Say this to the class: you know an information source who initially asked for five hundred thousand, but after a lot of effort, you managed to bargain them down to three hundred thousand. You put up two hundred thousand from your own savings and borrowed some from friends. Then have everyone chip in the final one hundred thousand. If everyone contributes a little, that'll be enough."

As Kushida listened, a complicated emotion flashed through her eyes.

"Why make it so complicated?"

"Because this keeps you safest," Yuto said. "You bargained the price down, so it shows you fought for the class's interests. You paid two hundred thousand yourself and even borrowed money, so it shows you really made a sacrifice. The class only has to raise the last one hundred thousand, and if everyone gives a little, no one will find it burdensome. More importantly, no one will come asking to borrow money from you later. Everyone will know you spent your money on the class and still owe debts. Who would have the nerve to ask?"

Kushida was stunned.

She looked at Yuto, opened her mouth, then closed it again. It took several seconds before she found her voice.

"You... thought that far ahead?"

"What else?" Yuto said. "You're my partner. I can't let you get the short end of the stick."

Kushida lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

She remained silent for a long while, then stood up, walked around the table, and came to Yuto.

Before he could react, she bent down and kissed his cheek.

It was light and quick.

Yuto froze.

He felt the lingering warmth on his cheek, and his mind went blank. It had not been an accidental brush, nor a joke between friends. It was a real, earnest kiss.

Kushida straightened up, her face already completely red. Without looking at him, she quickly returned to her seat, lowered her head, and took a sip of her milk tea.

"Thank you."

Her voice was soft and trembling slightly.

It took Yuto several seconds to recover. He could feel his own face heating up too.

"You're welcome," he said.

They sat across from each other without speaking. The cake shop was quiet, with only faint sounds coming from behind the counter and the occasional laughter of students passing outside the window.

After quite some time, Kushida finally spoke.

"Keep the four hundred thousand."

Yuto looked at her.

"The three hundred thousand I received before is already enough," Kushida said. "Besides, your plan doesn't need those four hundred thousand at all. Just do what you said. I'll tell the class I put together two hundred thousand myself, and everyone can raise the remaining one hundred thousand. That's enough."

Yuto opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. He knew Kushida was not saying she did not need money. She simply did not want him to think she was letting him buy her feelings with money. If she took those four hundred thousand points, their relationship would become a transaction. She did not want that.

"Okay," he said.

Kushida raised her head and looked at him.

"Hayashi."

"Yeah?"

"I think... I'm starting to not want to be that angel anymore."

Yuto looked at her.

Kushida traced the rim of her cup with her fingers. A layer of tiny droplets clung to the side of the milk tea cup.

"Before, I thought it was enough as long as everyone liked me. It didn't matter whether it was real. As long as they thought I was a good person, I could live very comfortably at this school." She paused. "But now, I think that way of living is exhausting. I don't want to smile in front of everyone. I don't want to be so enthusiastic with every person. I don't want to have to think about whether every sentence I say will damage my image."

She raised her head and looked at Yuto.

"I only want to be my real self in front of you."

Yuto looked at her, and an indescribable feeling rose within him. It was not attraction, nor was it gratitude. It was a strange and wonderful sense of reassurance. He knew Kushida was telling the truth. She no longer needed to act in front of him. The side of her that only he knew had become the strongest bond between them.

"Then be yourself," he said. "You don't need to act in front of me."

Kushida smiled. It was not her standard social smile, but a gentle, heartfelt one. It was the kind of smile that made anyone who saw it feel at ease.

"Okay."

The two of them sat in the cake shop for a long time, going over the plan again. Kushida said she would make the story sound more natural and tell Hirata and the others about it the next morning. Yuto helped her organize several possible questions and ways to respond, making sure she would not be caught off guard.

By the time they left the cake shop, it was nearly dark.

As Yuto walked back to the dormitory, his mind was still on that kiss. He touched the cheek she had kissed, and it still felt a little hot. The sensation had been soft and warm, completely unlike what he had imagined.

What a pain.

But the corner of his mouth curled up despite himself.