Kiyotaka's Point of View
WE REACHED THE STAFF ROOM and timidly opened the door. Looking around the room, We didn't see Chiyabashira-sensei anywhere. I called out to the teacher who was checking their own face in the mirror.
"Um, is Chiyabashira-sensei here?"
"What? Sae-chan? She was here until a few moments ago..."
The teacher who looked back had wavy, shoulder-length hair that gave off an adult-like impression. She said Chiyabashira-sensei's name as if they were close. They also look close in age.
"Looks like she had something to do. The two of you, Do you want to wait inside?"
"No, I'll wait in the hallway."
"Same here." Axel said while yawning.
I don't feel comfortable in areas like the staff room. Because I didn't want to attract any attention, I decided to stay in the hallway. As soon as I thought that, the teacher walked out into the hallway. But Axel didn't mind if we stayed in the staff room or in the hallway.
"I'm Hoshinomiya Chie, responsible for class B. I've been best friends with Sae since high school. We're close enough to call each other Sae-chan and Chie-chan~."
I've never heard of her before, but it seems like some useless information. I keep my poker face.
"Ne, why did Sae-chan call you here? Ne ne, why?" she said to me and went to Axel.
"And you too, pretty boy." she said while licking her lips.
"Who knows. I don't know the reason either..."
"Same.. maybe a prayer meeting?" I deadpanned, a prayer meeting? Hmm. Is that even fun?
"I don't understand. You both were called out without being given the reason? Fun? What's your name?." She said while looking at me.
A barrage of questions. She examined me up and down and she also examined Axel. This is seriously uncomfortable.
"My name is Ayanokouji."
"Arison the name."
"Ayanokouji-kun? And Arison-kun Isn't that a cool name~. Ne, you 're both popular, right~?"
What is this overly casual teacher? She's closer to a student than she is to a teacher like Chiyabashira-sensei. If this were an all-boys school, she'd probably capture the hearts of every student.
"Ne ne, do you both already have a girlfriend?"
"No... um, I'm not really popular."
"Girl is a pain in ass, so I don't have one." Yes, Axel will not have a girlfriend. Never, I will not allow that, they should talk to me first.
We tried to make ourselves look offended and hurt, but Hoshinomiya-sensei still assertively approached me. With smooth motions, she grabbed my shoulders with her slender, beautiful hands.
"Fuun? That's weird, I would've totally gone for you if we were in the same class~. Is it because you're too innocent? Or are you tsun tsun?"
"Uhmm can you remove your hands on Kiyo." Suddenly someone grabbed my wrist. My eyes sparkle.. Kidding. I looked at Axel with hope, he saved me from a hungry predator.
"Ara..Is Ayanokouji-kun your boyfriend?" Axel just began to blush and he pushed me back to Sensei, I glared at him but he didn't see it because he was busy covering his face.
I feel betrayed..
"What are you doing, Hoshinomiya?"
Suddenly, Chiyabashira-sensei hit Hoshinomiya-sensei's head with a clipboard. Hoshinomiya-sensei squatted down, holding her head in pain.
"Oww. What'd you do that for!"
"That's because you were doing weird things with students here."
"I was only talking to them while they were waiting for you to come back!"
"Just leave it at that. Sorry for making you wait, Ayanokouji and Arison. Well then, let's move to the guidance room."
"No, We didn't wait long. Also, the guidance room... Did we do something? I thought I was living a non-conspicuous school life."
"Same here, I'm just enjoying eating food in this school."
"The two of you come with me."
We followed Chiyabashira-sensei while thinking "What's this about...".
Suddenly, Hoshinomiya-sensei walked up next to me with a smile. When she noticed, Chiyabashira-sensei turned around and looked at her with the look of a demon.
"Not you, you stay back."
"Yeah shoo shoo." Axel said while doing the 'shoo shoo' move. I don't know what that move is but yeah, he is trying to shoo shoo the predator.
"Don't say it so coldly~ You too pretty boy. It's no big deal if I listen too, right? Besides, Sae-chan isn't the type to give one-on-one lessons, right? Also, to take Ayanokouji-kun and Arison-kun to the guidance room out of the blue... do you have some kind of goal?"
Replying to Chiyabashira-sensei's question with a grin.
I couldn't see Hoshinomiya-sensei's face, but I understood that there was electricity in the air.
"By any chance, Sae-chan, are you looking for a younger man?"
"What? I thought she was a menopau– just kidding hehe." I facepalm.
A younger man? What do you mean by that?
"Don't say stupid things. That's impossible and Arison-kun what do you mean meno what?"
"Eto.. I'm not saying anything hehe." Axel said and he grip my sleeves, I silently chuckle by his clumsiness.
"Fufu, certainly. It's impossible for Sae-chan~"
Hoshinomiya-sensei kept following us.
"How long are you going to follow us? This is a problem concerning class D."
"Eh? Can't I go with you? Is that not good? Look, I can give advice too~"
As Hoshinomiya-sensei followed us against our will, a student suddenly walked up in front of us and blocked our way.
It was a beautiful girl with light pink hair that I've never seen before.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei. Do you have time right now? The student council has matters to discuss."
She looked at us for a moment, but went back to facing Hoshinomiya-sensei.
"Look, she's looking for you. Hurry up and go."
Chiyabashira-sensei hit Hoshinomiya-sensei's butt with her clipboard.
"Mou~. I think she'll get mad if I stay any longer, so see you later, Ayanokouji-kun you too Pretty boy-kun. Well, let's go to the staff room, Ichinose-san."
"I'm Arison, not Pretty boy..." Axel mumbled. I lean to his ear and whisper.
"But you're really pretty." I said. But just punched my chest and he buried his face on my chest. He kept saying some words but I didn't understand.
After seeing off Hoshinomiya-sensei.
Chiyabashira-sensei lightly scratched her head and looked at us.
"Stop those loving dovey moments and come with me."
And with that we continued walking towards the guidance room. Soon after, we arrived at the guidance room, which was right next to the staff room.
"Then... What was the reason you called us?"
"Umu, about that... before I talk about that, come over here."
While glancing at the clock on the wall, she opened a door that was in the room. She put a kettle on top of the stove in the office kitchen.
"I'll be making some green tea. Are the two of you ok with roasted green tea?"
We nod.
"Both of you, Don't do anything extra. Enter quietly. Until I say it's ok to come back out, stand here quietly. If the two of you don't, you two wil be expelled."
"Ha? What do you mean—"
"Tsk, Okay."
Without giving us an explanation, she closed the office kitchen door. What the hell is she trying to do? I stayed quiet as she told us to, and before long, We heard the sound of the guidance room door opening.
"Here, come in. Well then, what do you have to say to me? Horikita."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───
Axel's Point of View
Horikita??
IT LOOKS LIKE HORIKITA WAS THE ONE WHO was called into the guidance room.
"I will ask you frankly. Why was I put into class D?"
"Are you really asking frankly?"
"Today, sensei said that the classes were divided by superiority. And that class D was the lowest collection of leftovers."
"I did indeed say that. It looks like you consider yourself as a 'superior' person."
I wonder how Horikita will reply to that. I'm betting that she'll confidently object to her words. I looked at Kiyo who was calmly listening to their conversation.
"I believe that I solved nearly all the problems on the entrance exam, and had no big mistakes during the interview. At the very least, I don't think I should be in class D."
Look, I got it dead-on. Horikita is the type to think of herself as the best. She isn't self-conscious either, and really thinks that she's superior to everyone else. On the results of the test, Horikita was also tied for first place.
Hmmm, She needs to change so she can manage to show her full potential. But her mind is still saying that she is superior.
"Solved nearly all the problems on the entrance exam, didn't I? Usually, we can't show the results of the entrance exam, but I'll give you a special exception. I have your answer sheet here by chance."
"You are thoroughly prepared, I see. ...Looks like you also knew I would come here to protest my placement."
"I'm a teacher. I understand the students to some degree at the very least. Horikita Suzune. As you thought, on the entrance examination, you were 3rd place among the incoming first-years. Your scores were behind first and second by only a small margin. You did very well. There were no particular problems that we observed during the interview either. Rather, you were highly rated."
"Thank you very much. Then—why?"
"Before that, why are you dissatisfied with class D?"
"There is no one that would be happy when they are not correctly evaluated. Also, the differences between classes also greatly affect future prospects. It's only natural that I'm unhappy."
"Correctly evaluated? Hey hey, your evaluation of yourself is too high.'
Chiyabashira-sensei snickered, or rather, openly laughed, at Horikita.
"I recognize that your academic ability is high. You are definitely smart. However, who decided that smart people were the ones who got into the superior classes? We never said that."
"That's—that's just common sense."
"Common sense? Didn't that 'common sense' create the broken Japan we live in now? Indeed, we used to separate the inferior from the superior using the test scores. As a result, incompetent people tried to make up the difference in desperation to defeat the truly superior people. In the end, it led to a hereditary system."
The heredity system means that social status, honor, and job are all passed on and inherited.
Hearing those words, I unintentionally let out a low groan. My chest hurts.
"Certainly, you have the ability to study. I won't deny that. However, this school's goal is to produce excellent people. It is a big mistake to think that you can be assigned to a superior class by only studying. That was the very first thing we explained, at the entrance ceremony. Besides, think about it calmly. Do you think someone like Sudou would make it if we determined acceptance only by intelligence?
"Tsu..."
Even though this is one of the best schools in Japan, they accept students that are interested in areas other than studying.
"Also, it's rash to say that there is no one that would be happy when they are incorrectly evaluated. Class A, for example, receives a lot of pressure from the school and a lot of envy from the lower classes. Competing under heavy pressure is harder than you think. There are students that are fine with being evaluated lower than they actually are."
"That's a joke, right? I can't understand those kinds of people."
"Really? I think there are a few in class D. Oddball students that would stay in a low-level class with pleasure.
It seemed as though she was talking to me through the wall.
"You still haven't explained clearly. Is my placement in class D the truth, and was there no mistake in my evaluation? Please double check."
"It's too bad, but your placement in class D was not a mistake. You're definitely in class D. You are a student only at that level.
"... Is that so? I will hear from the school at another time."
It looks like she decided that her homeroom teacher was not the right person to ask, and didn't give up.
"You'll get the same result if you try to talk to anyone in a higher position. There's no need to be that disappointed. As I said this morning, classes can overtake and surpass one another. Remember that there is the possibility of rising up to class A before graduation."
"It does not seem like a very easy path. How will the immature class D ever get more points than class A? No matter how I look at it, it is impossible."
That was Horikita's honest opinion. There is an enormous point difference this time.
"I wouldn't know. It's your own choice whether or not to head down that reckless path. By any chance, do you have a special reason as to why you need to be in class A?"
"That is... I will excuse myself for today. However, please remember that I still do not understand."
"All right, I'll remember that."
I heard the sound of a chair being pulled. Looks like the discussion ended.
"Oh, right. I called two people to the guidance room. It's a person that's also relevant to you."
"Relevant to me...? No way... Niisa—"
"Come out, Ayanokouji and Arison."
Don't call us with such bad timing. All right, I won't come out. Kiyo was ready to come out but I held his hand. He looked at me.
"If you don't come out, you'll be expelled."
Tsk. You shouldn't unfairly use expulsion as a weapon.
"How long will the two of you make me wait?"
We both let out a sigh, We exited the office kitchen and into the guidance room. Naturally, Horikita was surprised.
"Arison-kun and Ayanokouji-kun... did you two hear our conversation?"
"We're I know you guys were talking about something, but I didn't hear anything. The walls are pretty thick." Suck a lame excuse.
"That's not true. You can hear everything clearly from that kitchen."
For some reason, it looks like Chiyabashira-sensei wanted to drag us two out into the room.
"... Sensei, why would you do that?"
Horikita immediately noticed that this was a setup. The anger was clear on her face.
"Because I decided it was necessary. Well then Ayanokouji, I'll tell you the reason I called the two of you."
Chiyabashira-sensei shot down Horikita's question and turned her attention to me.
"Excuse me then..."
"Wait Horikita. It is better for you to listen to the end. This'll be a hint for how you can get up to class A."
Horikita stopped in her tracks and sat back down in her chair.
"Please keep it short."
Looking down at her clipboard, Chiyabashira-sensei laughed.
"You're an interesting student, Ayanokouji."
"And you too Arison-kun."
"After your entrance examination results, I was thinking about potential individual teaching methods, but after seeing your test results, my interest was piqued. I was surprised at first." she said while looking at Kiyo.
Fuck.
A familiar answer sheet from the entrance exam was on the clipboard.
"50 points in Japanese, 50 points in Math, 50 points in English, 50 points in history, 50 points in science... and the result of the most recent test was also 50 points. Do you know what this means?"
"And Arison, you also have the same result."
In surprise, Horikita looked over to our test form then shifted her gaze to me and Kiyo.
"What a frightening coincidence." Kiyo said.
"Who knows." I said.
"Hou? You're going to claim that your results are a coincidence to the very end? It's clearly intentional." she said while glaring at me.
"It's a coincidence. You have no proof. Anyway, what benefit would I get from manipulating my own results? If I had a brain that could get high marks, I would aim for perfect scores in all subjects." I also said that I'm not planning to reveal that I purposely scored that.
Watching me feign innocence, she let out a sigh with a look of amazement.
"Honestly, you two really weird students. Are you sure? Math problem #5 was only solved by 3% of all students this year. Additionally, you two included a complex formula and used it flawlessly. On the other hand, the correct answer rate of #10 was 76%. Did you two make a mistake? Or is that 'normal'?"
"Stop it Sensei, we don't know what's normal in this world. It's a coincidence, a coincidence." Kiyo said with his monotone and emotionless face.
"Good grief. I admire your attitude, but it'll cause problems for you in the future." she said to him.
"I'll think about that when I have to." I silently chuckle.
Chiyabashira-sensei sent Horikita a look that said, "How was that?"
"Why do you... pretend that you don't understand?"
"No, like I said, it's a coincidence. It's not like I'm hiding that I'm a genius or something.
"What do you think? These two might be more intelligent than you are, Horikita." Don't compare us to her.
Horikita visibly flinched. Sensei, please don't say anything unnecessary.
"I don't like studying, nor do I want to try my best. That's why I get those kinds of scores."
"Food is life. I don't have any interest in studying." I said while smiling.
"It's not about the students who choose this school. Like the two of you and Koenji, there are others who are fine with either class A or class D."
It's not just this school, but even the teachers aren't normal. During their conversation earlier, Chiyabashira-sensei was able to upset Horikita with her words. It's as if they hold the "secrets" of all the students.
"What is it? What other reasons are there?"
"Do you want to hear about it in detail?"
I noticed that Chiyabashira-sensei had a sharp glint in her eye. Somehow, it seems like she's trying to provoke her.
"No, I'll stop here. If I kept listening, I think I would go crazy and destroy all the furniture in here."
"If you do that, these two will be demoted to class E."
"There's such a class?" That is also my question.
"Certainly. Class E means expelled. In other words, dropping out of school. Well, the conversation ends here. Enjoy your student life from now on."
What a sarcastic remark.
"I will also leave. It's time for the staff meeting to start. I'm going to close this room, so let's leave the room."
She pushed the three of us out of the room. Why did Chiyabashira-sensei make the three of us meet? She doesn't look like the type to do meaningless actions.
"Anyway... shall we go back?" I opened a conversation, Kiyo just nodded and grabbed my hand.
We started walking away without waiting for her to confirm. It's probably better for us to walk back separately.
"Wait."
Horikita called out to us to stop, but we kept walking. If we get away from her until we've reached the dorms, my goal would be successful.
"Arison-kun and Ayanokouji-kun Is your score... really a coincidence?"
"I already said it was. Or do you have any evidence that I'm doing it on purpose?"
"Same here, maybe I'm just lucky?" I said while shrugging my shoulders.
"I don't have any evidence." she said while looking down.
"You also have some unusual thoughts about class A." Kiyo said to her. I keep listening to their conversation, she is obsessed with getting in Class A. Is it because of her brother or something?
"... Should I not? I'm working to make my future prospects more advantageous."
"No, it's perfectly natural."
"That has been my goal ever since I entered this school. In truth, it's a bit different. I'm not even at the start line yet."
I noticed that Horikita sped up her pace and was walking beside us.
"Then, are you aiming for class A?" I ask, I should join their conversation.
"First, I want to find the real intention of the school. Why I was put into class D. Chiyabashira-sensei said that I was only judged as someone fitting for class D, so... When I figure it out, I'll aim for class A No, I'm always aiming for class A."
"That's going to be really hard. You'll have to fix those problems, children. Sudou's perpetual lateness, the talking during class, and the test scores. Even if you achieve that, it's still ±0." I agreed when Kiyo said that Sudou really is not listening to everyone, but I know someday he will be useful.
"... I already know that. I'm still hoping that my placement was a mistake by the school."
Horikita's previously overflowing confidence had turned into anxiety. Do you really "already know"?
The only conclusion I got from today's information is the word "despair". If you follow the basic rules of school life, minuses can be avoided to a certain extent. However, the crucial thing is that we don't know how to turn minuses and pluses. The most superior class, class A, still had a small detraction of points.
Even if we do find a way to increase our points efficiently, the other classes would also find a way to do the same.
Also, once there is a huge point difference, it is very difficult to stay competitive among the classes in limited time.
"I can understand your thoughts to some extent. However, I don't think that the school will continue to carefully watch the students. Then there would be no meaning in competing."
"I see, you can also think of it that way."
I read that the school does not allow class A to escape in the first month of admission. In other words, Horikita believed that this was our chance to make a big increase in points.
"Are you thinking of taking care of this situation with your own hands?"
"Yes."
"What a quick answer."
"What a confident answer." I said while sighing.
"I understand your feelings, but it's not a problem you can solve on your own. I'm talking about Sudou. Even if you improve yourself, there's nothing you can do if the rest of a class is a minus." I said.
"No, it's slightly different. Certainly, a person can't achieve anything by themselves, but if everyone doesn't put in their own effort, it'll be an extraordinarily difficult problem. Unless everyone does it, we can't even begin to compete against the other classes."
"So what are you going to do? All you've done is admit that it's a huge problem." Kiyo ask her.
"There are 3 key points we need to fix in order to improve. Tardiness and talking during class. And then making sure that everyone passes the midterm."
"The first two will probably be done to some extent. However, the midterms are..."
The small test from a few days ago did have some hard problems, but overall it was easy. There's a lot of students who still fail at that level, so the midterms look bleak, to be honest.
"Also – Can you two cooperate?"
"Cooperation?" we said in unison.
Horikita looked at us with a blatantly unpleasant expression.
"You refused Hirata earlier this morning, so I can refuse for the same reason, right?" Kiyo said I chuckle.
"Well I don't mind but my answer is based on Kiyo." Kiyo looked at me then nodded.
"Do you want to refuse?"
"If I said I would gladly help?" I smirk.
"Cut, We will gladly help you, Horikita." I said while smiling at her. Horikita just nodded at me and she started walking away.
"You have a plan for her don't you?"
"Hmm, Maybe." I said while grinning.
Be useful to us, Horikita.