Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 4: Chapter 9.5 - The Marionette

(20:19) [If things go wrong, you'll receive the names tomorrow in accordance with the agreement.]
(20:19) [Don't worry.]

(20:19) [Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun.]

After rereading the last parts of our message, I finally turned my phone off. Light footsteps could be heard from behind me.

"Are you trying to be poetic by asking to meet in the same place and time?"

I could brush her comments off like I normally would, but for some reason, those words made me think.

"Who knows?" I flatly replied.

"Hmph. Well, I guess there's no time for idle talk. We're still at risk, even at this place. Let's get this over with."

It was already 11:00 PM of the Rest Day. On the same unmonitored part of the ship, I secretly met up with Class B's adviser, Chabashira Sae-sensei.

"Alright. First off, I want to know what happened with that guy?" I asked.

"Ah, that shop clerk? He quit his job for reasons that he wanted to keep for himself." Chabashira-sensei had a slightly disgusted expression as she answered my question.

"I see. That's good enough," I sighed.

"He assaulted a minor. You can press worse charges if you wanted. And if Sakura's concern is getting unnecessary attention, it's easy to keep the victim's identity."

"That's for her to decide. And her decision was to forget about that guy. Of course, I also believe that he needs to pay for his crimes, but we'd be troubling ourselves more. If Sakura is satisfied with the results, there's no reason for me to get involved any further," I replied. "You didn't tell anyone about this, did you?"

"Of course not. If other teachers learn about that incident, they'd probably stick their noses in. It'll be a pain for me, too," she shrugged.

"Thank you for being understanding." My show of gratitude was sincere, albeit my tone.

"You're very welcome." Chabashira-sensei accepted my dry thanks. "Let's move on with the next one then."

She approached me with slow steps, handing over a single cellular phone.

"He's a busy man, but he made time for you. Take this chance to say everything you want."

I received the phone and saw that the call was one tap away. When I pressed the call button, it only took a few seconds before the other end answered.

"Hello? I'm assuming that this is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun?"

The gentle voice of the same middle-aged man rang inside my ears.

"Good evening, Chairman Sakayanagi."

"I didn't expect you to make contact with me so soon. According to Chabashira-sensei, you wanted my name and influence for a certain action."

"Yes, that is right."

"I see. Firstly, I apologize for only having this inconvenient schedule for you. I'm sure you could understand how troublesome everything is right now. I simply cannot arrange a personal meeting for the next few months."

"Of course. I sincerely appreciate the time you've given me tonight."

"Alright. Then do tell me about this so-called request."

"Right. So as to not waste time, you'll hear the nitty-gritty details from Chabashira-sensei herself. She will also do all of the work involved so no rules would be broken. All I need is your approval for the job. After all, we can't possibly convince them without backing from a higher power such as yourself."