COTE: Ayanokouji's Return

Chapter 31 - 1st May

Matsushita Chiaki's POV

Beep! Beep!

The alarm in my clock resounded in my room, making me wake up.

I tapped it lightly, stopping the sound, and stretched my body.

Then, remembering the thing that was haunting me yesterday, I quickly took my phone.

Today was 1st May, which meant that the school was going to transfer private points to the students.

It's not like I was hungry for more money or something.

I still had a big part of private points that I received at the beginning of the school.

The reason for my haste was because today we were going to uncover which revelation of S-System was true - our group's or Kushida-san's.

I remembered my amazement, when Kushida-san told us that our income may not be judged based on individual behavior but on the entire class behavior.

That revelation shocked many, especially students who acted well, myself included.

Up to that moment, apart from Hirata-kun, no one really bothered with trying to convince Sudo-kun and his friends to act well, since we thought that it didn't affect us.

But if what Kushida-san said was true, then the danger that our income was going to be reduced greatly came back.

Of course, at the beginning, many didn't want to believe.

Kushida-san managed to obtain this information from some senior student, but couldn't disclose his identify because the school may punish him for information leak.

That made her revelation more doubtful.

But it was Kushida-san, the friendliest girl I've ever known.

It was hard to oppose her sincere look, when she was talking about it.

On top of that, it seemed like she consulted it with Hirata-kun beforehand, making it even harder to refuse, since the boy supported her.

But the hardest part came after that.

Over half of the class was already behaving well, but the troublemakers weren't.

Even with Kushida-san's plea, some of the boys had trouble to not act unruly in the classroom or arrive on time to the classes.

Kushida-san's influence tempered their behavior, but couldn't stop it thoroughly.

And that made the honor students like Yukimura-kun to bicker with them from time to time.

The entire class was in weird state of anxiety, not knowing what to do and whom to believe.

To be honest, I wasn't fully convinced by Kushida-san's words.

Her story had some holes, especially the senior student part.

Why the school would punish a senior for telling his kouhai the true rules?

Why would someone told Kushida-san something like that, if it could lead to punishment?

Was it some boy, who had a crush on Kushida-san?

It was a popular topic among the girls these days, but she always denied such a thing.

While it was quite a plausible theory, I had one on my own.

A day before the beige-haired girl told the class this information, she was in contact with a person that I was paying attention to.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

It was known by some people that Ayanokouji-kun, Kushida-san and Horikita-san were together in Palate after the classes.

Apparently Kushida-san was trying to befriend Horikita-san and Ayanokouji-kun was her helper.

In the end, she failed, and they parted their ways and never met again on that day.

But I couldn't help but think that something was fishy.

Ayanokouji-kun joined our group for the lunch, and we figured out some rules of the school.

Ayanokouji-kun was with Horikita-san and Kushida-san, and on the next day, Kushida-san corrected some of our theories about S-System because of a mysterious senior student.

Both revelations had that boy's shadow lurking closely.

A coincidence?

I don't think so!

Or so I would like to say, but up to this day I couldn't find even a shred of evidence of that.

I spoke with the boy several times, and sometimes I was even laying some traps for him in order to confirm my suspicion, but he never fell for anything.

It frustrated me to no end.

Especially since he was using those times to openly flirt with me in the way I couldn't find him too oppressive.

Instead of spilling the beans, he was making me blush and laugh.

He spoke of us as friends, and we really became a little closer, but I still couldn't let go of the thought that he was hiding something big.

I knew that I was getting paranoid, but I couldn't help it and my eyes were just going after him from time to time.

When I was outside, I caught myself several times trying to look around and search his shadow.

That's why I couldn't sleep well last night.

I was constantly thinking about everything that happened in this month.

So when I woke up in the morning today, I rushed to look at my phone.

I quickly opened my account in order to check my points.

25000 private points were transferred to your account!

I found such a notification and petrified in an instant.

Apart from the first week, my behavior was impeccable, so there's no way that I would lose seventy-five percent of my income.

Which means...

Chiaki: "Kushida-san was right."

At that moment, I knew that things were about to become really chaotic.

Satou: "Matsushita-san! Good morning."

After preparing myself to the school, I met with Satou-san at the entrance of our dorm.

She waved lightly to me with smile.

Matsushita: "Good morning, Satou-san. Did you check your account?"

Satou: "Yes, I did. I only got 25000 points. It's seriously terrible."

So she really did get the same amount as me.

That practically concluded Kushida-san's version.

Matsushita: "I got the same. Looks like Kushida-san was right."

Satou: "I didn't really doubt her or Hirata-kun, but it's still shocking."

Matsushita: "Yes, I know. Looks like the class was going to be in turmoil today."

Satou: "Do you think the boys will behave from now on?"

Matsushita: "I could only hope so."

To be honest, I still had some doubt, but considering the losses, they would be truly stupid, if they still behaved the same.

The school was the real problem.

Considering what happened, we had the right to ask what was going on.

But when Hirata-kun confronted Chabashira-sensei in the past, she didn't really confirm anything.

Would she do the same right now?

That person wasn't kind.

Satou: "Matsushita-san?"

Matsushita: "Ah, I'm sorry, I was lost in the thought."

Satou: "Don't worry. I believe that Hirata-kun and Kushida-san will find the way to increase our points."

No Ayanokouji-kun, huh?

Despite being Vice-President, his presence in the class was considerably smaller than Hirata-kun's or Kushida-san's.

His social circle contained only Sotomura-kun and Miyake-kun.

I also observed that Horikita-san stopped talking with him, which probably was effect of him trying to help Kushida-san befriending her.

On the other hand, he was really popular outside our class.

He was number one on Handsome Ranking and was topic of many rumors.

He was also actively spending time with some people from the other classes, while he was rather passive about hanging out with his classmates.

Satou: "By the way, Matsushita-san? Today should be the results of that surprise test we had a few days ago. Do you think you did good there? I was totally unprepared, so my score probably won't be high. Luckily, there won't be any consequences of it."

Satou-san's scratched her head lightly embarrassed.

A few days ago, Chabashira-sensei made us do a surprise test.

Some troublemakers protested, but after hearing that it was just for the future reference and there's no risk involved, no one objected anymore.

Speaking of which, that test was kind of weird.

Out of twenty questions, seventeen were really easy to solve to the point of let down.

However, the final three questions were several times harder than I thought, and I ended up without solving any of those three.

It was a bizarre episode of our school life, but since there was no real consequences, no one thought deeply about it.

Matsushita: "I feel relatively good about it."

Satou: "As expected, you are smart, Matsushita-san."

Matsushita: "Ah, no, no. It's just a coincidence that the topics were from subjects that I was good at. If the questions were from some other fields, I wouldn't feel confident at all."

After one month, I could tell that my friends weren't really good at academics, despite being accepted into this elite school.

That's why, though I was priding myself as academically-gifted student, I was trying to downgrade my evaluation in others eyes.

I didn't want to catch too much of attention, especially because of some envy.

I already had some of it after Ayanokouji-kun cheered on me at the swimming class.

Satou: "Hee... Give me some of that luck at the midterms, Matsushita-san."

Satou-san chuckled.

She wasn't a type to think too deeply, which I was grateful for.

In order to distract her attention on me, I started to spoke about some girly topics with her until we arrived at the classroom.

Out of the habit, the first thing I did was to look at the certain seat.

Ayanokouji-kun wasn't in the classroom nor were his friends.

After paying attention to him for some time, I observed that he had two patterns of arriving to the classroom - either he came very early, either he arrived barely before the bell.

It was hard to tell why.

Seeing that his seat was empty, today he was arriving later.

I sighed and turned my vision to the rest of the classroom.

As expected, the main topic among the students was about our income.

Kushida-san was already here and was trying to calm the others.

Hirata-kun and Karuizawa-san were present as well.

Last week, those two officially started going out, breaking hearts of many girls.

Although I knew that Karuizawa-san was aiming at him, I thought Hirata-kun would hesistate more before starting to date someone, considering his personality.

Or was it because he didn't want any fights among the girls that he decided to date Karuizawa-san so soon?

Either way, the blonde-haired girl got what she wanted and now was lovingly looking at her boyfriend, while he was acting as a peacemaker.

I guess that would make fight over Ayanokouji-kun more frigid, since he was the only good target in this class.

After greeting everyone, I confirmed with Shinohara-san that she received the same amount of points.

Looks like everyone's income was the same.

Since our first class today was homeroom, it was decided to ask Chabashira-sensei about the details.

A few minutes before the bell, Ayanokouji-kun arrived with his friends.

They were the last ones to arrive.

I looked at the brown-haired boy.

He didn't seem tense at all, despite the situation.

Hirata-kun and Kushida-san came quickly to him, probably trying to ask if he knew something more about the situation.

They spoke for a moment, but from their faces I could tell that he probably didn't tell them anything significant.

In the end, we needed to wait for the teacher to come and try to make her explain the situation.

The morning bell rang soon, signaling that the class will start.

And a moment later, Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, holding a rolled-up poster.

Her expression seemed more stern than usual.

Everyone started to tense, awaiting her words.

Ike: "Sensei, did you start menopause or something?"

Well, almost everyone.

For some reason, Ike-kun decided to ask a very rude question to Chabashira-sensei.

Did he seriously not understand how serious the situation was?

His behavior was getting better after Kushida-san's revelation, but it was still far from being good.

Chabashira: "All right, the morning homeroom is about to begin. Before we get started, does anyone have any questions? If so, now is the time to speak."

Luckily, Chabashira-sensei completely ignored Ike-kun's words.

She appeared totally convinced that we had some questions for her.

And this in turn made me totally convinced that everything that I feared was actually true.

Yamauchi: "Um... I checked my point balance this morning and I only got 25000 private points instead of 100000..."

Chabashira: "I already explained it to you guys, didn't I? Your points are deposited on the first day of each month. If you are asking if there were some problems, then I could assure you that there were no issues in point distribution this month."

Ike: "Sudo and I got the same amount as Yamauchi. Could it be that the things that were spoken about S-System were true?"

Despite hearing about it some days ago from Kushida-san and Hirata-kun, some boys still expressed their surprise by this development.

Chabashira-sensei looked sharply at Ike-kun, then smirked.

Chabashira: "It seems like despite some of you being smart and perceptive, there's still some of you, who are really just dumb."

Ike: "Huh? Dumb?"

Chabashira-sensei without any scruples insulted the asking boys, making them stunned.

Chabashira: "Sit down. I will explain once more."

Ike: "Sae-chan-sensei?"

And at such important time, he still was using such a childish nickname for our homeroom teacher.

I couldn't help but share Chabashira-sensei's view of this class.

Koenji: "Hahaha! I see, I see. So the mystery will be finally solved and we, Class D, are finally getting the big revelation, huh, sensei?"

Just when Ike-kun and his friends decided to be quiet, Koenji-kun laughed loudly, while propping his feet up on his desk.

This was the third time I actually heard him talking in the class apart from the introduction on the first day and his meeting with Ayanokouji-kun on the second day.

Chabashira: "While his attitude has some problems, Koenji is right. Looks like, despite all the talk about S-System that have been carried in this classroom, what I'm going to say right now will still be a big surprise for some of you. How deplorable."

Chabashira-sensei's words practically confirmed everything that we suspected within the last month.

Hirata: "Sensei, could you please explain everything to us? I'm afraid there's still some information that isn't clear here."

Hirata-kun took an initiative and asked for explanation.

Compared to the previous talkers, he was much better choice to continue the conversation with the teacher.

Chabashira: "For example?"

Hirata: "Could you please tell us why we only received 25000 points? We won't completely understand otherwise."

Chabashira: "A total of sixty-one absences and late arrivals. Two hundred incidences of talking or using a cell phone during the class. Quite a few infractions over just one month, and that's still the result after several warnings from some smarter students from this class. Luckily, the most of you started to behave better in the second half of the month, otherwise... Who knows? Maybe you would end up with no points at all."

Chabashira-sensei spoke with mocking tone.

For a moment I imagined the situation when we would receive nothing this month.

That would be really terrible.

Chabashira: "I've explained it to all of you at the first day of the school. This school measures students by their abilities and merit. This time, you guys were evaluated as being worth only 25000 points, that's all."

Hirata: "Sensei, why didn't you explain everything at the first day? Or when I confronted you about it? If only you'd explained it to us earlier, I'm sure we would have avoided being late or talking during the class."

Chabashira: "That's a rather bizarre argument, Hirata. Shouldn't you all already known that it's bad to be late or talk in the class starting from your elementary school time? I'm sure such a knowledge was taught to you in your nine years of compulsory education. So why are you surprised right now? It's your personal responsibility to behave in the way befitting a student."

There was no way to refute her sound argument.

Some people looked down, feeling shame.

Chabashira: "But don't worry. I'm not cruel enough to leave you without any guidance. Let's say that from now on you won't behave badly like in the past month. It would result in your points not decreasing anymore, but they also won't increase. In other words, your monthly income will stay at 25000 private points for the rest of your stay in this school."

Once again, Chabashira-sensei unleashed a cruel reality on us.

Those 75000 points that we lost last month would never return to us.

It was depressing news, and many of us remained silent with sour looks.

Chabashira: "Looks like this time you understood my words well. That's good. Then, since we don't have much of time left, let's talk about the main topic quickly."

There's still more?

On top of that, it's the main topic?

Chabashira-sensei took the rolled-up poster and spread it out.

She stuck up it to the blackboard with some magnets.

We looked blankly at what was written on it.

Class Points For the First-Year Classes After April:

Class A - 930
(A/N: 940 from canon + 5 for Miki in SC - 15 for Masumi being violent with Kiyo in open/Arisu not having female servant slightly loosened her control over her part of the class)

Class B - 700
(A/N: 650 from canon + 5 for Honami in SC + 45 for Fuka replacing some unruly unknown character in the class)

Class C - 605
(A/N: 490 from canon + 5 for Takeko in SC + 110 for Ryuuen being silent/Takeko knowing the truth about S-System and helping the class)

Class D - 250
(A/N: 240 for improved class behavior + 10 for Kiyo in SC)

Chabashira: "Those are Class Points currently held by each class. For each Class Point, 100 private points are assigned to each student in the class. When you first arrived here, every class received 1000 Class Points as a gift from the school."

Even though each class lost some points, the other classes situation looked much better than us.

But something was wrong.

The numbers were too even.

Ike: "No way! This isn't fair! Why do the other classes have so many points left?! That's weird..."

Chabashira: "There's nothing unfair here, Ike. Each class was evaluated using the same rules here. They just didn't lose as many as you, that's all."

Hirata: "But... Why is there such a difference in our Class Points?"

Chabashira: "So you noticed. In this school, students are sorted by their level of excellence. The superior students are sorted into Class A, while the least capable are in Class D. It's a similar system as in the cram schools. In other words, you guys are the worst of the worst. You are what people would normally call defective."

After hearing Chabashira-sensei words, an uproar began in the classroom.

I couldn't help but tremble slightly myself.

We... were defectives?

I... was defective?

No, that's impossible!

There are many students in this class, who are definitely above average here.

Something must have been wrong.

There must be a catch somewhere.

Sudo: "Damn it! Doesn't that mean that the other classes will make fun of us?!"

Sudo-kun kicked his desk in frustration.

Chabashira: "Still worried about your dignity, Sudo? Then, work hard to make your class into the best one?"

Sudo: "Huh?"

All of us looked at Chabashira-sensei intrigued by her words.

Chabashira: "Your Class Points aren't only linked to your income, but also to your rank as a class. In other words, if you managed to pass 605 Class Points, you guys would turn into Class C and current Class C would turn into Class D."

Kushida: "D-Does that mean that there's a chance for us to increase our Class Points?"

Chabashira: "That's right. Your soonest opportunity will be the upcoming midterms. You could earn up to 100 Class Points then."

Yamauchi: "Ehh... Just 100?"

Ike: "Well, it's still better than nothing."

I could hear some relieved voices.

The possibility of obtaining more points and raise our ranks definitely increased the morale.

It's true that the situation wasn't as desperate as we thought.

As long as we did good at the exam, we could get more points and maybe even reduce lightly the distance to Class C.

Chabashira: "Now then, I have one more bad news for you all."

Just when the atmosphere in the classroom finally started to stabilize, Chabashira-sensei's words once again made it into a tense one.

She was doing it on purpose, wasn't she?

We watched as she stuck another piece of paper up on the blackboard.

Chabashira: "Those are results of the test that you guys took a few days ago. What an excellent performance. I seriously wondered what most of you did during your junior high."

I looked over the paper.

At top position, there were three students tied with 90 points - Koenji-kun, Yukimura-kun and Horikita-san.

Each of them must have solved one of those really difficult questions.

I saw my name with 85 points.

It made me slightly happy, but this happiness didn't last for long, when I saw what's below my position.

Apart from some high scores, almost everyone tested below sixty points.

Considering the level of the test, those results were really terrible.

Even my friend Satou-san got only 43 points.

Chabashira: "Your sensei is so glad, you know. If this was an actual exam, then eight of you would be expelled right now."

Ike: "E-Expelled? What do you mean by that, sensei?"

Chabashira: "If a student fails on a midterm or final exam in this school, he or she is immediately expelled. Supposing the school would apply that rule on this test, anyone below thirty-two points would be out. In other words, it would be those eight people here."

Chabashira-sensei drew a red line on the paper, separating eight people from the rest.

Miyamoto Soshi - 31

Sakura Airi - 30

Shinohara Satsuki - 27

Hondo Ryotaro - 25

Ike Kanji - 24

Yamauchi Haruki - 21

Sudo Ken - 17

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka - 15

Chiaki: "!"

I couldn't help but grasp, when I saw who was at the last position.

Impossible...

What's going on here?

I quickly turned around.

Ayanokouji-kun was smiling calmly, as if it didn't bother him at all.

Nearby him, Horikita-san had a big smirk on her face, while also looking at him.

It was the first time I saw Horikita-san's smile.

She appeared to be in really good mood.

She said something to Ayanokouji-kun, but the boy just smirked back at her without answering her.

Yamauchi: "What the hell? Ayanokouji is the last? How lame."

Ike: "Oy, oy, for real? To think I would be smarter than Student Council Vice-President."

As expected, people started to notice this fact.

Some boys started mocking him, while some girls started to whisper among themselves with perplexed expression.

Ayanokouji-kun was staying silent with undisturbed face, as if he wasn't the one whom people talked about.

But it wasn't the only strange thing here.

His friends, Sotomura-kun and Miyake-kun, didn't seem surprised at all.

Sotomura-kun was even smirking lightly.

Did they know something?

I had so many questions.

My vision finally caught Ayanokouji-kun's attention and he smiled at me.

It was the same smile as when we figured out S-System during lunch break.

I tried to think of a reason for this, but couldn't figure it out.

Then, Ayanokouji-kun's vision went slightly above me, and his face changed again into a big smirk.

I followed his line of vision, only to see Chabashira-sensei's darkened face.

It wasn't a cold face that she showed us during this homeroom, but a face full of venom.

As if she had some big grudge against the boy.

It seemed like even she herself didn't notice what kind of face she was making.

My vision was pacing between those two for a moment.

Ayanokouji-kun's playful vision and Chabashira-sensei's venomous vision was colliding against each other with some force.

There's something going on here.

Such a thought rose in my mind and spread swiftly.

My intuition was signalling me to hold into that thought.

Hirata: "Chabashira-sensei! Is it really true that the school would expel students after one failure?!"

Hirata-kun's loud voice resounded in the classroom, waking up Chabashira-sensei.

She returned to her usual expression.

Chabashira: "I'm also speechless, Hirata. But these are the school's rules. Ah... Speaking of them, there's one more thing that you need to know. It's a well-known fact that this school boasts the highest rate of advancement into elite education and workforce placement. I'm sure many of you have chosen this place because of it. However, nothing really comes easy in this world."

Ike: "C-Could it be that we need to overcome Class C in order to get into the company or college of our choice?"

Chabashira: "No. To make your dreams come true, your only option is to overtake Class A. The school guarantees nothing for the students from the other classes."

W-What?

This was ridiculous...

Yukimura: "That's absurd! We didn't hear anything about it!"

Yukimura-kun stood up from his seat and shouted.

For him, just like for me, this news was definitely shocking.

If we can't use the privilege of this school, then what was the point of enrolling here?

Koenji: "How disgraceful. There's nothing more pitiful than a man losing his cool."

Koenji-kun sighed in exaggeration.

Yukimura-kun looked at him with fury, but the blonde-haired boy ignored it.

He and Ayanokouji-kun were the only calm people in the classroom.

I could understand Koenji-kun, since he was the heir for Koenji Conglomerate.

But I've never heard anything about Ayanokouji-kun's background.

Now that I thought about it, despite trying to pry for information from him, I didn't know much about Ayanokouji-kun himself.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom.

Chabashira: "That would be the end of today's class. Looks like your bubbles have been burst. As your homeroom teacher, I hope that you understood clearly your situation. Your midterms are in three weeks. Think hard about the solution, and I'm sure you will find a way to avoid getting expelled. If possible, challenge yourself to act in a way befitting a skilled individual."

Imparting us with some words of encouragement, Chabashira-sensei exited the room.

Yamauchi: "Aaaa! What to do, what to do?! I used up all of my points yesterday, and now they are telling me to live with just 25000 points?! This seriously is the worst!"

Yamauchi-kun started to shout, starting the chaos in the classroom.

Wait, did he really used up everything in just one month?

Despite all of our talks about possible reduction of points?

Ike: "Wait, does that mean that we can't get into college now? Why did I even go to this school for, then? Does Sae-chan-sensei hate us or something?"

Everyone became confused by everything that we've heard in such small amount of time.

Well, almost everyone, since Koenji-kun just left like always.

On the other hand, Ayanokouji-kun stayed alongside Sotomura-kun and Miyake-kun.

Compared to the rest of the classroom, that corner seemed to be the calmest place right now.

Hirata: "Everyone, I understand your confusion, but please calm down. We need to carefully analyze the situation and prepare some solution."

Hirata-kun stood up and tried to calm everyone.

Yukimura: "Not only the school won't help us achieve our dreams, we are also going to be treated as failures from now on! How can I calm down after hearing something like that?! In the first place, why was I placed in this class?!"

Yukimura-kun burst out at Hirata-kun with rage.

It's no surprise that he felt that way, considering that he just proved to be an academically-gifted student.

I had the same doubts about my own evaluation.

Why was I in this class?

Kushida: "Please calm down, Yukimura-kun. I'm sure the situation isn't as dire as you think. The teacher may speak harshly, so we'd be inspired to do better, right? Let's do our best to find a solution together. I'm sure that as long as we stayed united, nothing would be impossible."

Kushida-san came near Yukimura-kun.

Yukimura: "W-Well..."

The bespectacled boy's anger subsided in an instant in face of her sincere words.

Yukimura: "I'm sorry for losing my cool, Kushida-san."

Kushida: "Ah, don't worry, Yukimura-kun. Let's calmly analyze the situation. Everyone! Please pay some attention here!"

The classroom became silent, while facing Kushida-san's vision and gentle smile.

Hirata: "Thank you, Kushida-san. It's really fortunate to have you in this class."

Kushida: "A-Ahaha... I'm not that great, Hirata-kun. The stage is all yours."

Hirata-kun nodded and stood at the podium.

Everyone's eyes were on him.

Hirata: "Everyone, I want you to listen seriously for a moment. I'm sure that everything that we've heard shocked you and I understand this. We didn't get much of points this month and our dreams suddenly drifted far away. But now, we need to calm down and think about the future here. The greatest priority right now should be to not lose any more points in the next month. So please, try your best to not be late for the classes and behave during the lecture."

Many nodded.

This was something that Hirata-kun was talking about over the last two weeks, but only now he managed to achieve consensus.

Well, it was better than nothing.

Hirata: "The next thing to do should be to prepare for the midterms. As you've heard, it's our chance to increase Class Points. In order to perform well during the exam, I'm thinking of making a study group. What do you think?"

Karuizawa: "That's a great idea! I'm all in!"

Shinohara: "As expected of Hirata-kun. How dependable."

Some of the girls started to show their approval for Hirata-kun's idea.

To be honest, it wasn't a bad idea.

Helping the others improve their academical progress would be good.

But there were some problems in this particular case.

Sudo: "Tch, I'm out. I've never really studied seriously, and I don't intend to. I have club activities, so I can't spare time for it. Cramming for the test the night before would be enough for me."

Not waiting for some response to his words, Sudo-kun left the classroom.

His friends, Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun, followed after him.

Karuizawa: "What's their problem? It was them, who always behaved the worst in the class. Can't they read the room a little?"

Shinohara: "Yeah, they are really the worst."

Hirata-kun made a sour face for a moment.

He probably intended to gather the worst students and teach them.

Out of the eight students under red line, three just left the classroom, while one, Shinohara-san, decided to participate in study group.

I looked over for the other four.

Miyamoto-kun, Hondo-kun and Sakura-san stayed in the classroom, but from their faces I could tell that they were hesitating to join.

As for the last one...

Ayanokouji: "Hirata. Our three decided to make a study group ourselves. So please don't mind us and focus on the others."

Ayanokouji-kun also refused Hirata-kun's invitation.

They were making the study group themselves?

It was strange.

Sotomura-kun and Miyake-kun didn't have high scores.

Hirata: "I see. But if you feel like joining us, you are welcome anytime, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ayanokouji: "Sure, thank you."

The boy smiled to him and started to talk again with his friends.

Some people observed him with mixed emotions.

It was inevitable, but Ayanokouji-kun's evaluation within the class just fell to some degree.

While my curiosity was at the peak, even my evaluation of him dropped a little.

The study group became the main topic for now, but I was sure that there was going to be some gossip about the boy as well.

Since my score was really high, Hirata-kun asked me to help him organize the studying of the group.

None of the 90 points scorers agreed to help him, so he turned to me.

To be honest, I wasn't really eager to help him, either.

I was trying hard to mix well within my friends, yet now I was on the pedestal as one of the top students.

Satou-san was looking at me with some worship, but Shinohara-san's and Karuizawa-san's faces were telling me a different story.

Not only my status rose greatly, but also Hirata-kun was currently asking for my help with a smile.

It was no wonder that they would get jealous.

Just when I've decided to agree to his request with reluctance, the loudspeaker made a soothing sound, then a robotic voice resounded in the classroom.

'Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class 1-D is being summoned to the faculty room by Chabashira-sensei.'

The announcement once again made the boy a center of attention.

This time, even he seemed surprised.

Hm?

He just chuckled lightly, didn't he?

After a moment of hesitation, he left the classroom.

Satou: "I wonder what's that about?"

Karuizawa: "Maybe he is going to be demoted from his position? Vice-President should be smart, after all."

Hirata: "Please don't say something like that, Karuizawa-san. Ayanokouji-kun is smart."

Shinohara: "But... If he was truly smart, then he would score higher than that, right?"

As expected, many started to doubt Ayanokouji-kun's ability.

But I couldn't hear them.

My brain was currently working at maximum capability.

I remembered how Chabashira-sensei and Ayanokouji-kun were looking at each other.

And now she called him for a meeting.

Something was going to happen.

Matsushita: "I'm sorry. I just remembered something and I need to go."

I couldn't repress my curiosity anymore.

Not thinking much, I quickly walked away from the group.

Hirata: "M-Matsushita-san, about the study group..."

Matsushita: "I will contact you later, Hirata-kun."

I exited the classroom.

Feeling the unprecedented excitement, I started following the boy.

Kiyotaka's POV

Kiyotaka: "I will contact with you two later about our study group."

Professor: "Okay!"

Miyake: "Sure. I still can't believe what you managed to pull off on that test."

Professor: "Fufufu, great leader's ability is truly superb."

Miyake: "But still... Shouldn't you tell the class? Everyone started to gossip about you."

Kiyotaka: "Let them gossip all they want. It's just a test without any significance."

Miyake: "If that's what you want, I have no objections."

Professor: "You are worrying too much, Miyake-dono."

Kiyotaka: "By the way... Would you mind if some other people joined us? Especially some girls?"

Professor and Miyake exchanged doubtful expressions.

Professor: "Of course, we wouldn't mind some girls joining us, leader!"

Miyake: "Well, I don't mind. Do you have someone in mind?"

Kiyotaka: "I'm thinking of asking Sakura to join us, since she is endangered. She probably wouldn't like a big group like Hirata's, so our group would be a better place for her. But she wouldn't join a group with bunch of guys in it, even if she was desperate. That's why we need at least one more girl to join."

Miyake: "Hasebe, right?"

Kiyotaka: "Right, she would be the best choice. Considering our talk during the swimming class, she wouldn't mind our three or Sakura. And Sakura seemed to not mind Hasebe as well."

Miyake: "I see. You are right, just one girl wouldn't want to join us. And it really seemed like you, Hasebe and Sakura got closer a little after that time."

It was true.

Sometimes I had a conversation with Hasebe.

And, although with some difficulty, Sakura was answering my greetings.

That's why I thought that those two would accept joining our group.

Professor: "Those two, huh? Yeah, it wouldn't be bad... It really wouldn't be too bad to have them in our group..."

Professor nodded a few times.

I had a feeling that his acceptance had a bit of different ground than ours.

Well, as long as he wasn't going to do anything weird, it should be fine.

Miyake: "Will they agree to join though? I mean... Theoretically, there would be no one in the group, who got a high score on the test."

Kiyotaka: "Don't worry. I will try to persuade them. To be honest, I'm also thinking of inviting some academically-gifted student to the group as well."

Miyake: "Hm? Whom?"

Professor: "D-Don't tell me... You want to invite the ice queen, leader?"

Kiyotaka: "No. I doubt she would even agree to something like that."

Miyake: "Really? I've thought that recently you two seemed kind of distant... Did you fight or something?"

Our deal with Suzune was to stop bothering each other until summer break.

While it could be interpreted by many means, I decided to use the extreme interpretation and didn't say anything at all to her.

Of course, I was doing it on purpose.

Kiyotaka: "We did have a small fight, but don't worry, it's nothing serious. That girl just likes being alone, that's it."

Miyake: "If you say so. But then, whom did you mean to invite?"

Kiyotaka: "I have a candidate in mind."

I peeked at the particular student.

The boy was listening to Hirata with sour face, probably still fussing over internally why someone like him was in the class of defectives.

Yeah, he'd do...

After all, he owed me a big favor.

Miyake: "So, we may grow to six-person group, huh?"

Kiyotaka: "If everything goes smoothly, then yes. Do you mind?"

Miyake: "As long as it's just a few more people, I don't mind it."

Professor: "My pledge to you won't change no matter what situation we will be in, great leader. Please, lead us!"

I nodded to them with a smile.

Now I just needed to invite the rest to the team.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker made a soothing sound, then a robotic voice resounded in the classroom.

'Ayanokouji Kiyotaka from Class 1-D is being summoned to the faculty room by Chabashira-sensei.'

Every student in the class looked at me, but I ignored them.

Hearing the announcement, I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

That woman started to take action, huh?

She was really impatient.

I guess the results were poorer than she expected.

Professor: "L-Leader... What's going on?"

Miyake: "Did you do something bad?"

Kiyotaka: "No. Don't worry, it's probably nothing important. Well, I'm gotta go. See you later."

I took my bag and exited the classroom under watchful gazes of my classmates.

But I didn't even get halfway to my goal, when I sensed that someone carefully was following me.

Recently such a feeling was accompanying me often, because of second-year students.

I took my phone and pretending to write something, I turned on the camera, switching to the front-facing lens, then I examined casually what was behind me.

Matsushita, huh?

Looks like the curious cat just couldn't help herself.

After Kikyo corrected Hirata's theory, Matsushita started to more actively observe me.

She probably figured out that there's a possibility of me being involved with Kikyo, since I was with her and Suzune a day before.

She was connecting dots quite good.

After seeing my stare showdown with Sae-sensei, she started being suspicious that something was going on, since I was summoned just after the classes.

That teacher of ours should think more, if she wanted to achieve something in secret.

Now what to do?

Let her know that I know about her movements, so she may leave?

...

No.

It would be more interesting to let her be.

I was on my way to the faculty room.

Since Matsushita really wanted some information, she would need to avoid being spotted by the others there, which wasn't an easy feat.

If she was failed, there would be no harm.

But if she succeeded, it would be a proof that she was not only academically and physically gifted, but also that she was skilled in reconnaissance.

As for potential demerits of letting her be...

The worst thing that may happen would be for Matsushita to figure out the truth about me knowing about S-System rules on the first day.

But even if she learned about that, she wouldn't expose me easily, unless she wanted to offend me thoroughly.

That girl wasn't that stupid.

She would pry for more information or ask for my support rather than openly threaten me.

After calculating some scenarios, I decided to let her be.

Soon enough, I've found the faculty office and entered it, while closing the door.

I wasn't going to reduce the tailing girl's task difficulty.

I looked around, but I didn't see the person, who called me here.

In the room, there was only one female teacher.

I recognized her instantly.

It was Hoshinomiya-sensei.

Hoshinomiya: "Ara, ara, Ayanokouji-kun, hello! Could it be that you want to see me?"

Hoshinomiya stood up from her desk and quickly arrived at my side.

Kiyotaka: "Good afternoon, Hoshinomiya-sensei. I was called here by Chabashira-sensei. Do you happen to know where I can find her?"

Avoiding the eye contact, I asked her a question, praying that Sae was somewhere close.

Hoshinomiya: "Hmm? Sae-chan? She was here just a minute ago. She must have stepped away for a moment."

That woman called me here and then just left?

Just what was her aim?

Kiyotaka: "I see. Then, I will wait for her on the corridor."

I decided to retreat with full force, but Hoshinomiya grabbed my arm and pulled herself close to me.

Hoshinomiya: "I'm sure that Sae-chan will return soon, so you can stay here, Ayanokouji-kun. Don't worry. Sensei... won't... eat... you~"

She said the last sentence in a flirtatious way, totally unbefitting of a teacher.

I could feel her soft body through my arm and the sweet scent attacked my nostrils.

I knew those tactics really well.

This woman definitely wanted something from me.

Hoshinomiya: "Hey, Ayanokouji-kun. Why did Sae-chan call you, hm?"

Kiyotaka: "Are you close with Chabashira-sensei, Hoshinomiya-sensei? Considering the way you speak of her..."

Hoshinomiya: "Huh? Yes, we have been best friends since high school. That's why I'm calling her Sae-chan, and she calls me Chie-chan."

Normal student may not be able to imagine Sae-sensei calling this woman Chie-chan, but considering the similarity between her and Christine, I could.

She probably bothered her to no end in order to make her do it.

Or she blackmailed her like I did with Suzune.

At first, this information may seem superfluous, but not for me.

If this Hoshinomiya was really a friend of Sae, then she may be a treasury of knowledge of that woman.

As long as I endure some suffering, I may learn a thing or two.

On top of that, it seems like Matsushita wasn't going to put herself on the risk to try to overhear what was going on here.

It was safe, yet disappointing choice.

But since I wasn't observed by her right now, I had more options.

Hoshinomiya: "Hey, hey. Why were you called over by Sae-chan?"

Kiyotaka: "Unfortunately, I have no idea myself."

Hoshinomiya: "Really? She called Student Council Vice-President to the office without giving a reason? Sounds fishy."

Kiyotaka: "I guess it wasn't anything important, considering that she left without waiting for me."

Hoshinomiya: "Maybe... Sae-chan is sometimes such a bully."

She sighed, then started scanning my body.

She was going to tease me in order to loosen the atmosphere between us, wasn't she?

Hoshinomiya: "How was your first month at this school, Ayanokouji-kun? I'm sure the girls couldn't stay away from you."

Kiyotaka: "You are right. Apparently, I'm the most popular boy in our year."

Hoshinomiya: "Oh my, really? I guess it should be expected from someone this handsome. Do you have a girlfriend?"

Kiyotaka: "No. I don't have anyone like that."

Hoshinomiya: "Hmm? How unexpected. I was sure that you and Kiryuin-san would be a thing by now..."

Kiyotaka: "Fuka and I are just friends."

Hoshinomiya: "What a waste of your youth. If I had such a hottie in my school year, I would never leave you alone. That girl may be more innocent than I thought... Or is it actually you, who is innocent? Or do you like to play hard to get?"

She slightly caressed my cheek with her slender, delicate hand.

She was being overly friendly with me, but I knew that she was just sniffing for some information.

At first, I thought it was because of the class competition, but her persistence in knowing about Sae's intention reminded me of Kikyo asking about Suzune.

Hoshinomiya knew that me and Fuka figured out S-System on the first day after the school investigated the potential leaks of information during Nagumo's first trial.

She sensed that my meeting with Sae wasn't going to be a normal one, so she kept endlessly prying.

It was time for me to go on offensive.

Kiyotaka: "If I had a beauty like you in my school year, sensei, I may not be single right now."

I took the hand that was caressing me, and kissed it lightly in gentlemanly way.

Hoshinomiya stiffened slightly.

For her type, an unexpected, bold action from someone she considered as teasable could be really effective.

I smiled at her, observing as on her cheeks appeared a shade of red.

Hoshinomiya: "Oh my... Looks like it's not you, whom I should be worried about, Ayanokouji-kun, but the young girls here. You are such a bad boy."

The woman took a half step back, not knowing how to respond to me casually flirting with her.

Now that she was in confused state, I decided to push a little and ask a question that bothered me for some time.

Kiyotaka: "That's not true, Hoshinomiya-sensei. Or should I call you Hoshinomiya-senpai?"

Hoshinomiya: "Eh? Senpai?"

Kiyotaka: "Am I wrong to call you that? You graduated from this school alongside Chabashira-sensei, right?"

Hoshinomiya: "W-Well... You are right, Ayanokouji-kun. Did Sae-chan tell you this?"

Bingo.

As I thought, Sae was a graduate from here.

And Hoshinomiya was her classmate.

Some things started to make more sense right now.

I was planning to answer her, but I saw a familiar figure walking towards us at faster pace behind my interlocutor's back.

Sae: "What are you doing, Chie?"

Thud!

Without even hearing the answer to her question, Sae-senpai smacked Hoshinomiya-senpai head with her clipboard.

The attacked woman crouched and gripped her head with pained expression.

Hoshinomiya: "Ouch! What was that for, Sae-chan?"

Sae: "For getting involved with my student."

Hoshinomiya: "I was just keeping him company, while he was waiting for you."

Sae: "It would have been better, if you left him alone. Sorry for waiting, Ayanokouji."

Kiyotaka: "I don't mind at all, Chabashira-senpai. Hoshinomiya-senpai and me had a lovely conversation, while waiting for you."

The woman stiffened slightly.

Sae: "Senpai?"

Kiyotaka: "I've just heard that you two teachers are graduates from this school. Which means that you are my great senpais, right?"

I slightly smirked at her.

Sae glared at Hoshinomiya with full force.

Her face started to resemble that of demon's.

Sae: "You told him?"

Hoshinomiya: "Wait, it's misunderstanding. I thought that you had told him, Sae-chan."

Sae: "Why would I tell him something like that?"

Hoshinomiya: "Well, that's..."

...

Both of them suddenly stopped talking and at the same time turned their vision to me.

Kiyotaka: "Is something wrong, senpais? Please don't mind me and continue. I can wait."

I smiled innocently at them.

Both of them kept staring at me silently.

Finally, Sae-sensei sighed lightly.

Sae: "We will talk about it later, Chie. Let's go to the guidance office, Ayanokouji."

Kiyotaka: "The guidance office? Did I do something wrong, senpai?"

Sae: "Stop calling me that. I'm your teacher. Just come with me."

Not waiting for my answer, the woman turned away and started walking towards the guidance office.

I followed her with a smile.

Surprisingly, Hoshinomiya remained by my side, while also smiling.

My teacher noticed it and once again started glaring at her.

Sae: "You stay."

Hoshinomiya: "Come one, don't be so cold, Sae-chan. We had such a good talk with Ayanokouji-kun that I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right?"

Kiyotaka: "Of course, I wouldn't mind, senpai."

Hoshinomiya: "See? Besides, you are definitely not the type to give one-on-one guidance, Sae-chan. Pulling a student like Ayanokouji-kun into the guidance room just after the new month started... I wonder what are you after, hm?"

Hoshinomiya was smiling, but her eyes were serious.

She took Sae's vision head on without even blinking.

I could smell gunpowder between those two.

It wasn't something that should appear between 'best friends'.

Hoshinomiya suddenly smirked.

She was going to say something totally stupid right now, wasn't she?

Hoshinomiya: "Could it be that you want to be dominated by a younger man?"

Hm?

Although it was a stupid question, I couldn't help but focus because of the nature of it.

Way to go, Chie-senpai!

Sae: "Don't say such stupid things. That wouldn't be possible."

Chie: "Hehe, that's certainly true. It wouldn't be possible for you, Sae-chan."

Chie-senpai muttered, as if there was another meaning to it.

I was planning to just observe them, but the topic was too important for me to ignore, so I decided to jump into this brewing typhoon.

Kiyotaka: "I believe that it's still too early to negate such an idea, senpais. Chabashira-senpai probably never experienced such a situation, so she can't actually deny the possibility that she may actually go for it. It's practically the same as if she said that she wouldn't eat spicy food, but never actually tried it. It's too early to make such conclusion based only on some assumption. Only through their experiences humans truly learn about themselves."

Sae: "..."

Chie: "..."

Two teachers looked at me totally speechless.

Kiyotaka: "Why are you looking at me like that? It's totally normal and valid opinion. It's thanks to my curiosity about various things and the will to experience them that I've become the person I am right now. Furthermore, it pains me that you are giving up so easily on something without giving it a try, Chabashira-senpai."

Sae: "..."

Chie: "..."

Kiyotaka: "..."

The silence between us preserved for a moment.

Chie: "Hahahaha! Ayanokouji-kun! You are such a funny and bold person... Hahaha! I-I can't... Seriously... Sae-chan, what a student you got..."

Chie-senpai started to laugh heartily.

Sae: "Ayanokouji, you..."

Sae-senpai placed her hand on her forehead as if experiencing a big headache.

What a rude duo.

I've only spoken out of care here.

Well, I had some ulterior motives as well...

Sae: "Enough with nonsense! Come with me, Ayanokouji."

Chie: "Oh? Could it be that you actually will listen to Ayanokouji-kun's advice, Sae-chan?"

Sae: "Don't make the situation worse than it is, Chie. I just want to discuss some Class D matters with him."

Chie: "Ehh? Really? It sounds fishy~"

Just when another fight was starting to brew in the air, a female student entered the faculty room.

It was Ichinose Honami.

Ichinose: "Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you have a moment? Oh, Ayanokouji-kun! Hello!"

Ichinose smiled brightly at us.

Kiyotaka: "Hello, Ichinose."

Ichinose: "Could it be that you also have something to discuss?"

Kiyotaka: "Yeah, something like that."

Sae: "Since you have someone who needs you, then get to it. Let's go, Ayanokouji."

Slap!

Sae-senpai smacked Chie-senpai's butt with her clipboard.

Chie: "Aw! I get it, I get it. But be careful, Sae-chan. This boy is something else."

Ichinose: "?"

Ichinose titled her head, not understanding Chie-senpai's warning.

My teacher went in the direction of the guidance room.

I said my goodbye to both Ichinose and her teacher and followed her.

The guidance office and faculty room were connected to each other through a small square lobby.

We went through it and entered the guidance office.

I looked around.

This room was the same as I remembered it.

There were two entrances to it - one connected to the lobby before the staff room for teachers and another one connected to the corridor for students.

There was also another space attached to it, which contained a small kitchen.

After a brief survey, my vision focused on the woman before me.

Kiyotaka: "So, mind telling me why you called me here?"

She looked briefly at the clock hanging in the wall.

Sae: "Before we begin, please come here. I'm going to make something to drink. Will tea be okay?"

Kiyotaka: "I don't mind."

She entered the kitchen and I followed her.

It was weird for her to offer me something nicely.

Don't tell me...

Was it something similar to Suzune's food trap?

No, she wouldn't do something...

Sae: "Don't make unnecessary moves. Shut up and stay here until I told you so. Understand? Make a noise and I will expel you, you brat."

Something like that...

...

Before I asked what's going on, she closed me in that kitchen without any more words.

...

I swear, the females at this school...

If it happened to some wimp, he probably would be pushed around left and right by all of them.

Well, at least, Sae wasn't treating me like a teacher would treat a student, so maybe it was a good development though?

I decided to play along for now.

Silently, I started scouting the room I was in.

Unlike the main room, there was no surveillance camera here.

Great, now I could check over what was in the shelves.

I was in the middle of inspecting things, when I heard knocking to the main room.

Looks like Sae expected some visitor here.

Could it be that she closed me here in order for me to overhear the conversation?

The possibility wasn't small.

Now then...

Who may this visitor be?

Matsushita Chiaki's POV

After leaving the classroom, I followed Ayanokouji-kun.

I was really careful to not get being spotted by him.

Luckily, he didn't pay much attention to the surroundings, since he focused on his phone.

Finally, he reached the faculty room.

Hmm...

I've followed him so far, but now what?

I got here with some excitement, but I couldn't just enter that room.

Trying to overhear the conversation by staying close to the door didn't seem possible as well, since I didn't know how many people were inside.

The only thing to do was to keep observing the door and expecting some chance patiently.

I kept looking at it, when suddenly I heard the footsteps behind me.

Someone was coming here.

Not knowing what to do, I went out of the corner I was hiding, passed the faculty room and hidden myself in the opened room on the opposite side of the small corridor.

It was a locker room, probably for the teachers.

The place seemed dangerous to hide, since I could be accused of some thievery, but at the moment I could only bear the risk.

Soon enough I saw a strawberry-haired girl entering the faculty room.

That was Ichinose-san from Class B, one of the most popular girls in our year.

Did she have some business there as well?

The timing was kinda suspicious.

Just when I started wondering if it had some connections with the brown-haired boy, I heard another pair of footsteps.

Another student was coming here.

After observing for some time, I finally recognized that person.

It was Horikita Suzune, my classmate.

Why was she here?

Just when I thought she would enter the faculty room, she went past it.

Weird.

If she wasn't here to see Chabashira-sensei or Ayanokouji-kun, then why was she here?

The girl walked into the corridor opposite to my hiding place, while not noticing me and stopped before the first door after the corner.

A guidance office?

Was Horikita-san in need of some guidance?

But according to the book we received at the beginning of the school, only our homeroom teacher could conduct such a meeting with us.

And Chabashira-sensei was currently with Ayanokouji-kun in the faculty room.

I had my doubt, but after knocking to the door, Horikita-san entered the room without delay.

Could it be...

I quickly arrived before the door.

Even if someone was passing here, I could just pose as a student in need of guidance, waiting for my turn to speak with the teacher.

Figuring out my excuse, I placed my head to the door.

Chabashira: "So, what did you want to talk about, Horikita?"

It really was Chabashira-sensei's voice!

So she wasn't in the faculty room, but here?

Then, what about Ayanokouji-kun?

Was he also there?

I had so many questions.

Horikita: "I will be frank. Why was I sorted into Class D?"

Hm?

Did Horikita-san come here to ask about something like that?

It was true that it was something that I was curious about myself.

Why was I in Class D?

Would Chabashira-sensei answer such a question?

Chabashira: "Listening to you, it seems like you consider yourself as a superior person."

Horikita: "I solved nearly every problem on the entrance exam. I also did quite good on the interview. At the very least, I shouldn't be sorted into Class D. The school must have made some mistake here."

Her voice was haughty, as if she was sure of her statement.

Or was it how she normally speaks to people?

I wasn't sure, since I've never talked to her before.

Chabashira: "Before I answer your question, let me hear something first. Why are you dissatisfied with Class D?"

Horikita: "Who would be happy about incorrect evaluation? Especially, since class ranking is directly impacting my future prospect. Of course, I would be dissatisfied."

I was on Horikita-san's side with this answer.

As someone, who consider myself as an excellent student, I also was dissatisfied with Class D.

But Chabashira-sensei's next words made me stunned.

Chabashira: "Incorrect evaluation? Perhaps your self-evaluation is far too high instead. I admit that you are an academically-gifted person. But who decided that smart people are actually superior? We never said anything like that."

What did she mean by that?

Horikita: "But... That's a common sense."

Yes, it was.

Chabashira: "If you believe that academics alone would place you in higher class, then you are mistaken. This school approach is to produce superior people, not smart people. That's the very first thing we explained to you students. Do you think the school would have admitted people like Sudo if we decided that superiority was based solely on academic ability?"

Horikita: "Tch..."

So the school allowed students to enroll for purposes other than academics.

That would explain Sudo-kun's presence here.

No, not only him...

There were many more people in our class, who were considered average at most.

Could it be they were holding potential in different areas?

Chabashira: "Furthermore, you may be too hasty in proclaiming that no one would be happy to be incorrectly evaluated. There are actually some students with this kind of thinking."

Horikita: "You must be joking, right? I can't understand such a person."

Some students, who were happy with lowered evaluation?

I think I could understand such a person.

I personally wouldn't mind my score being lower if it meant less trouble for me.

When Hirata-kun started to ask me to join study group as an additional tutor, I kinda wished to be lower in ranks for a moment.

Horikita: "You still didn't answer my question. Was I really sorted into Class D? Please double-check it."

Chabashira: "I'm sorry, but there was no mistake here. You are definitely in Class D. You are at that level."

Horikita: "Is that so? Then, I will ask the school again at another time."

Apparently, Horikita-san wasn't going to give up on it.

Chabashira: "You will get the same answer, no matter who you will ask. But there's no need to be so disappointed, Horikita. I told you this morning how to deal with this situation, didn't I? You just need to overcome the other classes before the graduation to reach your dreams."

Horiktia: "I honestly can't imagine it. Our class is full of misfits, who only know how to create trouble. How exactly do you expect them to gain more points?"

Once again, I totally agreed with Horikita-san.

No matter how I looked at our class, it seemed impossible to achieve great results.

Chabashira: "I don't know. It's for the students to decide their path."

Horikita: "I see. I suppose that's enough for today. I apologize, but I'm not convinced at all about being sorted as defective."

Chabashira: "I will keep that in mind. Oh, that reminds me... I actually summoned another person to the guidance room. It's someone relevant to you."

Someone else was there?

Ah, right... 

There should be one more person in that room.

Horikita: "Someone relevant to me? D-Don't tell me... Bro-"

Chabashira: "Come on out, Ayanokouji."

As expected, Ayanokouji-kun was also somehow involved here.

I felt like I could finally obtain some answers.

Chabashira: "..."

Horikita: "..."

Chiaki: "..."

?

Chabashira: "If you don't come out, I'll expel you."

Ehh?

Was it okay for the teacher to casually threaten to expel a student for something so trivial?

Chabashira: "..."

Horikita: "..."

Chiaki: "..."

W-Was Ayanokouji-kun even there?

I started to have some doubts.

Chabashira: "How long are you going to make me wait?! I will seriously expel you!"

Ayanokouji: "Geez... You sure aren't cute at all, senpai."

It was Ayanokouji-kun's voice.

So he was there, after all.

But wait...

What did he just call Chabashira-sensei?

Chabashira: "Do you really want to be expelled, Ayanokouji?"

Ayanokouji: "Why? It's true that as a graduate from this school, you are our great senpai, so calling you like that does seem appropriate."

Chabashira-sensei was also once student of this school?

This information was interesting.

Chabashira: "I'm your teacher right now, so you should call me properly."

Ayanokouji: "I can't believe that I'm hearing it from the woman, who just told me to shut up and closed me in the kitchen, so I could overhear her conversation with another student."

Horikita: "Chabashira-sensei, what's the meaning of that? Why did you let Ayanokoji-kun overhear our conversation?"

Horikita-san's voice was agitated.

She was clearly angry.

Chabashira: "Because I deemed it necessary. It may provide you with a hint on how to reach Class A, Horikita. What do you think?"

A hint on how to reach Class A?

Something like that exist?

Horikita: "Please keep it brief."

I could hear Chabashira-sensei chuckling at her response.

I guess even Horikita-san would be curious after hearing something like that.

Chabashira: "You are an interesting person, Ayanokouji."

Ayanokouji: "Oh, so our feelings are finally mutual, senpai. I'm so happy."

W-What did he mean by that?

Could it be that Ayanokouji-kun was interested in Chabashira-sensei?

Chabashira: "Would it kill you to be serious for once, Ayanokouji?"

Ayanokouji: "Would it kill you to let loose for once, senpai?"

What kind of conversation was that?

Chabashira: "Well, anyway... When I was checking your entrance results, your scores piqued my interest, Ayanokouji. I was really stunned, you know."

Ayanokouji-kun's result?

Chabashira: "Fifty points in Japanese... Fifty points in mathematics... Fifty points in English... Fifty points in social studies... Fifty points in science... Do you know what this means?"

What?!

Something like this could only mean...

Horikita: "What a freaky coincidence."

Ehh?!

No, no, no, no!

No matter how I thought about it, to call something like that a coincidence would be a big understatement.

Chabashira: "Do you honestly think that getting 50s all across the board was a coincidence? Ayanokouji did it intentionally."

That's right!

Such an amazing feat couldn't be called a coincidence.

Wake up, Horikita-san!

Horikita: "There's no evidence proving that it's not. Besides, what would he gain by manipulating his scores like that? It doesn't make sense. If he truly was so smart, getting perfect scores would be better option for him in order to get into this school."

W-Well, there should be some other reason why, right?

Chabashira: "Well, what do you say about that, Ayanokouji?"

Ayanokouji: "No comment."

Don't be like that, Ayanokouji-kun!

The audience want answers!

Horikita: "See, sensei? Ayanokouji-kun doesn't dare to agree, since he also knows that it's coincidence. He could lie about something like that earlier, but after seeing his result on the recent test, there would be no one who would believe him right now."

Chabashira: "Really? I actually happen to have those exams with me. Here. This one is Ayanokouji's."

Horikita: "What's the point of...!!!"

Horikita-san's voice suddenly stopped halfway.

It seemed like something shocked her.

What?

Just what did she see?

Why no one wasn't speaking anymore?

Come on, say something!

Please tell me what's going on!

Chabashira: "As you can see, Horikita, Ayanokouji here decided to leave first 17 questions unanswered at all and only solved the last three. That's why his score was only fifteen points. He even used a complex formula to solve question number 20."

Chiaki: "!"

The last three problems were those super difficult ones, which even I couldn't solve.

No one in the entire class solved more than one, including Horikita-san.

But Ayanokouji-kun solved them all.

...

I knew it!

Ayanokouji-kun was smart, after all!

No, being called smart would be understatement here.

Ayanokouji-kun... may be a superior student that Chabashira-sensei was talking about.

But...

If he really was like that, then why was he hiding it?

And how much exactly was he hiding?

Chabashira: "What do you think, Horikita? Do you still claim that it was a coincidence?"

Horikita: "You... Why would you do something like that?"

Horikita-san's tone wasn't so sure as before.

After seeing all this, she couldn't deny Chabashira-sensei's claim like before.

Ayanokouji: "You are such a cruel woman, senpai. The girl beside me was so happy, when she saw that I placed the last in the class. She even smiled beautifully at me, thinking that she finally had a proof that I was inferior to her just like she thought so from the beginning. Yet, after just few hours, you crushed her small happiness to pieces. How sadistic."

So Horikita-san was smiling at that time because of something like this?

But that would suggest that she was holding a grudge against Ayanokouji-kun.

Could it be that their relationship wasn't actually good?

Horikita: "Answer my question!"

The black-haired girl demanded loudly.

Looks like what Ayanokouji-kun said was true.

Ayanokouji: "No comment."

Horikita: "You!"

Horikita-san was clearly enraged by Ayanokouji-kun's attitude.

Why was he like that?

Chabashira: "Calm down, Horikita. This is the guidance office. Ayanokouji, do you really refuse to answer her question? Seriously... Your thinking is just like Koenji's. Could it be that you wanted to take it easy for the next three years? Then why did you choose this school at all?"

Ayanokouji: "Who knows? But it's true that I don't care whatever I am in Class A or Class D."

Horikita: "Tch, I don't understand someone like you at all. This was such a waste of time. I'm going back."

I could tell some footsteps.

Horikita-san was really leaving.

I had no choice, but to move.

But when I was trying to hide in the locker room, I saw that some adult was on the corridor in the front of the faculty room.

He was looking at me when I appeared from the corner, so I couldn't brazenly go and hide in the locker room anymore.

Not having any more choices, I went ahead and passed that person and the faculty room.

Since Horikita-san would probably go back the same way, I needed to go even further.

On top of that, there was a chance that Ayanokouji-kun would go back as well.

Considering my options for a moment, I decided to fully retreat.

It would be better to remain undiscovered for now.

I already obtained some valuable information.

Just as I suspected, Ayanokouji-kun was really smart person, even more than I thought.

Chabashira-sensei paying close attention to him just proved that point.

I didn't know why he was acting low-key, but if he went all-out, our class probably would have a much bigger chance for the victory.

Convincing him into that was going to be problematic though.

From the conversation before, it was evident that direct persuasion wouldn't work on the boy.

Then...

I had to take matters into my own hands and approach him in different way.

To convince Ayanokouji-kun, I needed to get closer to him and understand him first.

In order to obtain the stable future for myself, I couldn't act passively anymore.

On top of that, the boy was handsome, so there was nothing to lose.

Once again, I felt excitement running through my body.

In the end, I wasn't abandoned by fate after all.

I was going to prove that I wasn't defective, and I deserved Class A.

Fufu...

Prepare yourself, Ayanokouji-kun!

Kiyotaka's POV

Kiyotaka: "Suzune seemed to be really enraged, senpai."

I pretended to be in some thought, while observing the door to the corridor.

When I left the kitchen, I spotted some shadow lurking behind it.

Looks like Matsushita managed to grasp the opportunity after all.

Or should I say that she got lucky because of Suzune?

The faculty room was too hard for her to spy on, but thanks to the black-haired girl, she discovered that we were actually in the next room.

I didn't expect Sae to invite Suzune and expose openly myself in front of her.

Well, in front of the two girls.

Fortunately, she didn't expose everything and what happened at the first day of the school was still a secret between just her and me.

I could say that everything turned out just fine, but there was still something that I needed to do here.

That's why I watched the door.

Once Suzune decided to exit, the little spy needed to escape from the door.

If Matsushita didn't return, I could speak freely.

Sae: "And whose fault do you think it is?"

Kiyotaka: "Of course, it's yours. You've done something that shook her and she couldn't accept it. You are really a sadist, Sae."

I was actually going to guide Suzune into another bet, using my score as a bait to challenge me in the midterms.

Unfortunately, this senpai of ours exposed me so soon, and the girl managed to get away.

Of course, I would place the blame on her.

Sae: "Stop calling me by my name."

Kiyotaka: "I think I got this right after you just used me in that little scheme of yours. What exactly did you think was going to happen if you confronted me with her?"

Sae: "No comment."

I looked at her for a moment.

Did she really think I couldn't trace her thinking just because she would keep quiet?

This woman was underestimating me too much.

But it was good.

It would be troublesome if she was on high alert in front of me.

Sae: "You should go as well, Ayanokouji. I have a meeting after this, so I need to close the door."

I peeked at the door once more.

There was no shadow.

I guess Matsushita left, thinking that the conversation was over.

Good for me.

Kiyotaka: "Ah, but I also have some matter to discuss with you, senpai... No, Chabashira-sensei."

Sae: "What?"

She looked at me with some doubt.

I smiled widely at her.

It was time to get my prize for the score at that test.

Kiyotaka: "Sensei, as you know, in the recent test I got such a poor score and placed the last in the entire class or maybe even in the entire school year. I'm really worried about my performance during the midterms. So I thought that I would ask you for some extra private lessons after the classes. Would you mind helping this student of yours?"

My question made Sae's body to stiffen.

Her face slowly transformed from a doubtful one to an ice-cold one.

Sae: "What kind of idiocy are you spewing, Ayanokouji?"

Kiyotaka: "No, no. I'm quite serious. You saw my score yourself, right? I don't want to be expelled. Please help me out, sensei."

Her eyes locked mine, trying to read my intentions.

Sae: "I was wondering what you wanted to discuss, but it's such a ridiculous topic..."

Kiyotaka: "Eh? But I'm serious and desperate..."

Sae: "Enough! Leave right now!"

Kiyotaka: "How cold... As expected, you wouldn't help me out of the goodness in your heart. But I'm prepared."

I took out my phone.

Kiyotaka: "I would like to buy some extra lessons from you with my private points, sensei. Please tell me your price."

Once again, the brown-haired woman body stiffened.

This time, her face was painted with shock.

It took her a moment to understand the situation.

Sae: "I refuse."

Kiyotaka: "You can't refuse me, sensei. I'm currently in a pinch, so asking my teacher for some tutoring is perfectly normal behavior. I'm sure the school wouldn't find fault with you in such a situation. And more than anything... In this school, I could buy anything I want as long as I have enough points, right?"

Sae's furrowed her eyebrows.

She didn't expect me to launch a surprise attack like that.

Sae: "Don't tell me... You scored so low for something like that?"

Kiyotaka: "You are smart. Well, I actually thought that maybe the school will really reward me for answering those hard questions, but I guess things weren't going to be that good. Or was it because I didn't get the perfect score?"

Sae: "How laughable. The school wouldn't reward you for something like that."

Kiyotaka: "Thank you for confirming my doubts. So, tell me, sensei, what was the school's goal with that test?"

Sae: "What do you mean by that?"

Kiyotaka: "Come on, we are alone right now. You know what I mean. This school doesn't do anything without a meaning. The students need to discover it and exploit. If the school wanted to test us, the difficulty on that exam would be balanced. Considering that it was too easy to pass, yet too hard to get full marks, and the school wasn't going to give additional reward for solving the difficult problems on it, the aim should be somewhere else."

Sae looked at me speechless.

Her silence was the greatest hint to me.

There was a meaning to that test, after all.

Sae: "I don't know what are you talking about. It was just a test to evaluate students knowledge before midterms, that's all."

Kiyotaka: "Is that so? Then I really failed miserably. Please help me out, senpai."

Sae: "I'm sorry, but I'm busy."

Kiyotaka: "For the entire three weeks? You poor thing..."

Sae: "That's right! So get lost right now!"

Kiyotaka: "That's fine. If you aren't available, then I will ask someone else. I think Chie-senpai will happily agree to spend some time tutoring me after the classes."

I smirked at her.

Her face turned pale.

Sae: "She is busy as well."

Kiyotaka: "Really? I will ask her directly for confirmation."

Sae: "She is homeroom teacher of another class. You shouldn't bother her."

Kiyotaka: "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Well then, senpai, see you tomorrow."

Not minding her cold face, I turned around.

Sae: "Wait! I agree..."

I didn't even make one step, when she stopped me.

I looked at her with a winning smile.

Kiyotaka: "Are you sure? I don't want to take your precious time, when you are so busy."

Sae: "If you don't want to, then you can leave."

Kiyotaka: "Fine, fine. You are such a tsundere, senpai. What about the price?"

Sae: "100000 points per hour."

Kiyotaka: "You really are sadistic."

I made a miserable face.

Sae: "Take it or get lost."

She smirked at me, as if she found my weakness.

She didn't know that I did it on purpose.

Kiyotaka: "Then, I shall buy one hour per week until midterms. That would be 300000 points, right?"

Sae: "What?"

Kiyotaka: "Like I said, it would be 300000 private points for three lessons with you, right? I will pay you in advance."

I looked at her stunned face with a smirk.

This confirmed my theory that she may not know how much money her students had, despite being the teacher in charge of the class.

Although from the normal student view she seemed knowledgeable, the truth was different.

The school didn't limit their students on many aspects, but the same couldn't be said about the teachers.

She wasn't omniscient nor did she hold much of power here.

She was above students, but her role was actually limited.

Even her threat about expelling me seemed fishy right now.

On top of that, her relationship with Chie-senpai wasn't as simple as just being friends.

I could clearly feel the tension between them.

Seeing how easily she agreed to my request after hearing Chie-senpai's name was also a great catch.

So I could threaten her like that as well, huh?

I felt like I just made some really nice discoveries about this gorgeous woman.

Under her strong glare, I used my phone to transfer my points to her account.

Kiyotaka: "Since I've paid you, then we have a deal."

Sae: "I got it! Now leave, you bastard!"

Knowing that she was about to explode, I decided to take my leave.

Kiyotaka: "I look forward to my private lessons with you, Sae."

Before she managed to react, I quickly closed the door to the guidance office.

I've lost some of my points, but comparing to everything I've obtained, it seemed like a cheap price.

The future was going to be fun.

I walked away from the guidance office.

Hm?

After passing through the corridor, I spotted a familiar figure.

Despite her attitude earlier, Suzune didn't leave too far.

But this discovery didn't make me stop.

I walked past her, completely ignoring her existence.

Suzune: "Wait, Ayanokouji-kun."

I continued walking away, pretending to not hear her.

Suzune: "Wait!"

Ah, what a beautiful day today was...

So peaceful...

Suzune: "Oy! Stop ignoring me!"

The black-haired girl didn't give up and started to walk next to me.

Suzune: "Since you have ability, why aren't you aiming for Class A?"

Kiyotaka: "..."

Suzune: "Are you really going to treat me with silence?"

Kiyotaka: "You forgot to say the magic word."

Suzune: "The magic word?"

Kiyotaka: "..."

The girl thought for a moment before her expression turned sour.

Suzune: "Kiyotaka-kun."

Kiyotaka: "What, Suzune?"

Suzune: "Do you really want me to call you by your name so much?"

Kiyotaka: "I'm not going to talk with a shameless girl, who is constantly forgetting her side of the bet."

Suzune: "We agreed to let go of that until the summer break."

Kiyotaka: "We agreed to not bother each other until the summer break. And you are practically breaking it right now by bothering me, Suzune. The only reason I'm speaking with you is because I'm in good mood."

Suzune: "Do you think you can act proudly like that? Even if you may be... a little smarter than me, there's no point, if everyone is going to think of you as a defect."

Kiyotaka: "Since I am just a little smarter, there's no need to bother me, right?"

Suzune: "You are Student Council Vice-President right now. If you act poorly, it would reflect on my brother as well. I can't let that happen."

Kiyotaka: "So you are worried about us, Suzune? How sweet."

Suzune: "I don't care about you at all."

Kiyotaka: "Then stop bothering me. See you."

Suzune: "Stop!"

Suzune placed herself before me, blocking my way.

Kiyotaka: "So you do care about me, Suzune. You are such a tsundere."

Suzune: "I'm not. I just want you to act seriously, since you may be capable."

Would it kill this girl to acknowledge the reality?

Kiyotaka: "Let's make something clear. You are asking for my help, right?"

Suzune: "No. I'm just saying that you shouldn't decrease our chances to get into Class A by acting on a whim like you did on that test."

Kiyotaka: "There were no consequences of it, so nothing really decreased."

Suzune: "But you said earlier that you didn't care which class you would be in. That attitude of yours is a problem. So please act with a common sense."

Kiyotaka: "Didn't that common sense make you think that you should be in Class A from the beginning?"

Suzune: "I still think that the school made the mistake with my placement."

Although she was still saying things like that, I could see that her confidence already started to change into anxiety.

Subconsciously, Suzune began to accept that the miracle wouldn't occur for her.

Suzune: "But even if there was no misplacement, I will still aim for Class A. No, I will definitely make it into Class A."

Her eyes burned with determination.

At least she had the will to fight.

Kiyotaka: "I see. Good luck with that. I will root for you."

Suzune: "If you seriously think like that, then change that attitude of yours. How can I aim for Class A, when even someone with abilities acts like deadweight."

Deadweight?

Did that girl seriously just called me deadweight?

I was planning to just ignore her, while teasing a little, but the little princess was really in need for some slapping, huh?

Then, I would gladly help her with that...

Kiyotaka: "You just said that my attitude is problematic, right? But it seems like you are overlooking something very important, Suzune. Why do you think we still have Class Points remaining, hm?"

Suzune: "That's... Because Hirata-kun and Kushida-san found out about S-System rules and shared it with the class."

Kiyotaka: "And do you remember who was a part of the group that helped Hirata figure it out? He never claimed the credit for himself, and said a few times at least that it wasn't only him who discovered it. I'm sure you remember it, right?"

Suzune: "!"

Kiyotaka: "So? Don't tell me you don't remember it?"

Suzune: "..."

Kiyotaka: "Well? Who was it that helped Hirata back then?"

Suzune: "I-It was you... But there were also the others there!"

Kiyotaka: "But it doesn't change the fact that I already contributed something to the class. What about you? Did you do something useful apart from being a good girl?"

Suzune: "You..."

Kiyotaka: "Also, do you want to hear something interesting, Suzune? I was planning to tell everyone later, but I will especially tell you right now. I'm currently producing Class Points for our class."

Suzune: "Eh?"

Kiyotaka: "I received information from your brother that working for Student Council helps in earning Class Points as well. For being Student Council Vice-President, the class I am in will receive 10 Class Points every month. Which means that I'm currently helping out our class reach Class A."

Suzune: "What?!"

Suzune looked at me stunned.

She didn't expect to receive such information out of the blue.

Kiyotaka: "What a twist, right? In the past, you were planning to remove me from Student Council by attacking me and trying to accuse me of assault. Considering the benefits my job gives to the class, you were actually the one, who was acting against the interest of class. But relax, I will keep silent about it."

I smiled at her.

The girl became speechless.

Kiyotaka: "Looks like we made some things clear. You are bothering me by saying that I'm a deadweight, but the truth is that I am currently giving our class some great benefits with my hard work. On the other side, your contribution to the class is practically zero. It's pretty clear who is a real deadweight here."

Suzune: "I'm not a deadweight. You are wrong."

Suzune's body shook lightly.

She was glaring at me, trying to refute my reasoning.

Kiyotaka: "Really? Do you think scoring the best on a meaningless test make you better than the others? It proves nothing. Chabashira-senpai already explained everything. You are defective."

Suzune: "I'm not defective. You are talking big, but you are in the same situation as me, Kiyotaka-kun. You are in Class D as well."

Kiyotaka: "Yeah, but I don't mind it at all. And even if I don't care, I'm still a useful defective. It's better than being good-for-nothing, who can only talk big, right? I don't want to be rebuked by someone, who don't understand the situation here."

Suzune: "No, you are wrong. I am not defective nor deadweight, and I will prove it to you. I'm gonna reach Class A, even if it kills me."

I chuckled, amused by her declaration.

Kiyotaka: "Wake up, little princess. You should look in the mirror first. The one, who need to rethink the attitude, is you."

Imparting her with my last words, I walked past the black-haired girl.

Suzune: "You are wrong! I will prove you wrong! Just wait!"

Kiyotaka: "Good luck with that. You will need it."

I could feel her vision on me, but I didn't turn back anymore.

Horikita Suzune thought that she was superior to most of the students.

In order to temper that character of hers, she needed to learn hard way that her mindset was wrong, and she couldn't do everything by herself.

If Suzune wanted to move forward, she needed to work hard on her defect in order to reach her goal.

For now, I was going to just observe her from the side, watching what kind of steps she was going to do on her own.

Would she fail miserably, or maybe she would succeed after all?

Only the future could tell.

But either way, I was going to be there as well.

Of course, for my own sake.

To be continued...

Author's notes:

Hello. Thank you for reading this chapter.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for giving me advices about how to protect my fanfic from being deleted here. I've read everything and already started to implement your ideas. I hope nothing bad will happen to it :)

After a big time skip, I finally reached another month in the story.

Once again, I'm going to write from other than Kiyo POVs in order to make the story more interesting. I will stick with canon scenes with some additional details, just like in this chapter. I hope you will like it.

Also, what do you think about Class Points? I was trying to be realistic here, but of course, some calculation of points for the entire first year arc was also in my mind as well.

Man, calculating it all to match my image of the storyline was actually harder than I thought.

See you in the next chapter.