After seeing off the noisy Hoshinomiya Chie and Ichinose Honami, the room regained a little peace, but Kazami and Ayanokoji were hardly easy to deal with either. Chabashira Sae rubbed her throbbing temples, then suddenly remembered that Horikita would be coming to demand an explanation shortly. Not wanting to dwell on Kazami's earlier antics as he courted disaster left and right, she looked at the two problem students and instructed them.
"You two, go wait in the room inside. Someone else is coming over for a talk."
You were the one who called us here, and now you're making us wait inside.
An ordinary person would have obediently done as told. After all, being summoned privately by a teacher already made them feel uneasy. But Kazami Saku was rebellious by nature, and he always had the courage to say no.
He folded his arms, looking thoroughly defiant. "Are we really that unfit to be seen? You even have to lock us away in a little dark room? I'm not going in."
Emotion Points from Chabashira Sae +6.
A vein throbbed faintly on Chabashira Sae's forehead. This little brat. "You really are rebellious to the bone. You're deliberately picking fights with your teacher, aren't you?"
"I'm your teacher. Following instructions is your duty as a student." Chabashira kept her temper in check and spoke patiently.
Kazami snorted. What's so great about being a teacher? Once I meet the conditions, I'll be invincible. I could even stop eating beef.
"I only call you my teacher out of respect. If I didn't feel like showing you any respect... Ow!"
Before he could finish his tough talk, the cool moment he had imagined failed to materialize.
Chabashira Sae did not waste any words on him. She raised her hand and delivered a powerful flick to his forehead, leaving Kazami grimacing in pain on the spot.
The sudden critical hit shattered his arrogance. He had forgotten he was not invincible yet. Kazami clutched his head.
"You actually hit me! Stop, stop! I'll go in, okay?"
Seeing that Chabashira-sensei was about to strike again, the rebellious boy had no choice but to retreat into the room.
Once inside, Kazami noticed Ayanokoji looking at him and switched into stubborn denial mode.
"Don't look at me like that. If she weren't older than me, and I didn't respect my elders and care for the young, I would've knocked her nose crooked just now."
"Whatever makes you happy."
Clearly, Ayanokoji did not agree with Kazami's self-deceptive excuse in the slightest. Although he did not think Kazami would dare hit Chabashira-sensei, the guy really did have a sharp tongue. He had already offended two teachers today. Come to think of it, is this the sort of emotion I should be learning? Something feels off...
The two sat quietly in the little room and waited. Before long, clear footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by a cool, stubborn female voice. Only then did Kazami realize that the visitor was Horikita.
Even through the door, they could clearly hear Horikita arguing, her voice full of dissatisfaction and her tone obstinate. Yes, she had no respect whatsoever for the teacher either. It could certainly be called arguing her case.
"Chabashira-sensei, I have never slacked off since enrolling. I have always worked hard and maintained self-discipline. Neither my attitude nor my grades warrant placing me in Class D. I am also confident that I ranked among the top students in the entrance examination. Why was I assigned to the bottom-ranked Class D? I cannot accept this result."
Not only that, Horikita even stated outright, "If the school's evaluation system is this unfair, I will appeal directly to the chairman of the school board and ask for the class assignment criteria to be reviewed."
Listening to Horikita's earnest, impassioned defense of her rights outside the door, Kazami could only shake his head from his hiding place in the little room. Wow, Miss Horikita really is brave, saying something like that. The chairman is a busy man. He doesn't have time to see you. It's not like you're the prime minister. Never mind the chairman; even the principal is usually hard to get a meeting with.
What followed perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be utterly outclassed.
Outside the door, Chabashira-sensei seemed to have anticipated everything Horikita would say. She was thoroughly prepared, and her points were clear and well organized. Every sentence struck home as she refuted and shattered all of Horikita's doubts and grievances, one by one.
From everyday conduct and hidden point deductions to school rules and the core system of meritocracy, every word left Horikita speechless. At the end, she encouraged Horikita to work hard and rise to Class A.
Kazami listened in astonishment. Isn't this just like the speeches the president of Dad's company gives to Dad and all the other corporate drones? As long as you work hard to help the company grow, this and that will happen later. But reality was cruel. Kazami's father had worked there for seven or eight years and was still a rank-and-file employee. He had not even gotten a raise.
Did Chabashira-sensei graduate from the same place as that boss? Their routines are exactly the same.
While Kazami was still letting his thoughts wander, Chabashira finished her conversation with Horikita outside and called toward the little room, "All right, we're done talking. You two, come out."
Inside the room, Ayanokoji stood still without responding immediately. Kazami did not move either.
Ayanokoji signaled to Kazami with his eyes, but Kazami shook his head. He was not an idiot. Why would he go out there? Both of them had eavesdropped on Horikita's conversation, and that woman already had a bad temper. Wouldn't going out just get them beaten up?
Both students played dead in unison, staying exactly where they were. Outside, Chabashira Sae waited several seconds without seeing either of them. She was so angry that a vein practically bulged on her forehead. These two really were difficult.
"If you don't come out now, don't expect to leave that room for the rest of the day. I'll lock the door in a moment."
Faced with that very real threat, Kazami turned to Ayanokoji beside him and whispered, "What do we do? We really are going to get locked in here."
Ayanokoji had no solution either. "It looks like we have no choice. Once we're outside, if Horikita takes her bad mood out on me and starts hitting me..."
Before he could finish, Kazami waved his hands at lightning speed and refused, showing not a trace of close friendship. "Sorry, I can't help you with that."
You've got to be kidding. Horikita was fuming right now. Whoever approached her would be asking for trouble. He had no intention of getting caught in her misplaced anger and taking an undeserved beating.
Seeing Kazami refuse, Ayanokoji sighed helplessly. "All right."
Chabashira's urging came from outside again. "Hurry up and come out! Stop dawdling!"
Ayanokoji came out at a painfully slow pace.
Seeing that only Ayanokoji had emerged, Chabashira Sae said, "Kazami, get out here too. What are you, some sheltered young lady, hiding in that room?"
Now that she had called him by name, there was no point in hiding any longer. Horikita already knew who it was. He could only come out of the room.
"Coming, coming. I'm coming out now."
Putting Hoshinomiya-sensei's attitude together with her remark, "You're not thinking of defying your superior, are you?" Kazami was certain that Chabashira-sensei wanted to press him and Ayanokoji into service. She had also recruited Horikita, who was brimming with enthusiasm and wanted to move up a class.
And there was nothing in it for them at all. If she were backing him as king, Kazami might consider putting in a little effort.
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