The scandal involving the gyaru clique detonated with the force of a small nuclear warhead. Private sex parties, compensated dating, and to cap it off, one of them—now retaliated against by the other two—was exposed for two-timing multiple partners simultaneously.
The lurid details, complete with screenshots and circumstantial evidence, were posted directly onto the campus forum. It instantly rocketed to the top trending topic of the entire Toyosaki Private Academy, its shockwave eclipsing even the earlier buzz surrounding Kasumigaoka Touji, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Kani Nayuta.
As the homeroom teacher of Class 1-G, Kojima Kana felt like her head was about to split open when she was briefed on the situation.
What in the world is going on with this class? she screamed internally. Why is there a new catastrophe every other week?
She had just managed to settle the Anjima Masahei incident not long ago. Now this? She was starting to develop a paranoid suspicion that all the problem children in the entire first-year cohort had been strategically funneled into her classroom.
After all, she never seemed to hear about dramas of this magnitude erupting in other classes!
Headache or not, Kojima Kana immediately summoned the three individuals involved to her office to get to the bottom of it.
Akizuki Yuna, Takahashi Yako, and Inohara Miyako, naturally, would never admit to the truth of the accusations. Their unified front was one of vehement denial and mutual accusation of slander.
Whether anyone believed them or not, denial was an absolute necessity. How else were they supposed to show their faces in school—or in life—after this? As high school students, their psychological fortitude wasn't yet robust enough to calmly weather being publicly labeled as promiscuous party girls, sugar babies, and cheaters.
"Inohara-san," Kojima Kana began, her voice deceptively calm, "why did you say Takahashi-san was hosting private parties and Akizuki-san was engaging in compensated dating? Did they do something to offend you?"
Regardless of the veracity of the claims, Kojima Kana was more concerned with the root conflict. That was the core issue. It would also heavily influence her judgment and the disciplinary decisions she would have to make.
Hearing the teacher's question, both Akizuki Yuna and Takahashi Yako fixed their angry, bewildered stares on Inohara Miyako. They, too, desperately wanted to know what they had done to deserve such a vicious, public evisceration.
"…No. They didn't offend me," Inohara Miyako mumbled under the combined weight of the teacher's pressure and her ex-friends' glares. She hung her head low, fingers nervously twisting the hem of her uniform skirt. "I… I don't know why I said those things. By the time I… came back to my senses, it was already too late…"
This answer clearly satisfied no one.
Akizuki Yuna and Takahashi Yako's glares intensified. Kojima Kana's delicate brow furrowed slightly, and she seemed to… shift. The air in the staff room grew several degrees colder and heavier, a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere descending as she entered what the students secretly called her 'Evil Spirit Mode.'
Akizuki Yuna and Takahashi Yako visibly flinched, instinctively averting their eyes and bowing their heads in a panic. Inohara Miyako's head drooped even further, her chin nearly touching her chest.
"I want the truth." Kojima Kana's voice was now icy, each word dropping like a hailstone.
"…Th-this is the truth… Kojima-sensei, I really am not lying to you! I swear…!" Inohara Miyako dared a quick, pleading glance upward before ducking her head again. She was on the verge of terrified tears.
Her genuine, confused desperation made Kojima Kana believe her a fraction more. But that only deepened the mystery. She studied the trembling girl with increased suspicion.
If it is true… then does this student, Inohara Miyako, have some sort of… mental condition? How else could one explain such a sudden, unprovoked, and self-destructive verbal outburst?
Kojima Kana's gaze swept over to Akizuki Yuna and Takahashi Yako, who were still shooting venomous looks at Inohara. She closed her eyes, a fresh wave of headache pounding behind her temples. She raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.
How in the world am I supposed to resolve this?
The situation felt incredibly thorny. On one hand, there were the viral, reputation-destroying rumors. On the other, it was painfully clear that Akizuki Yuna, Takahashi Yako, and Inohara Miyako had become mortal enemies. There would undoubtedly be constant friction if they remained in the same class. It was even highly probable that bullying incidents would erupt…
The thought of potential bullying made Kojima Kana's eyelid twitch violently. She couldn't maintain her composure.
She opened her eyes and looked at the three gyaru, their makeup now smudged with stress and tears, a thought crystallizing in her mind: 'They need to be separated… Or better yet, have all of them transfer out.'
But if she did that… the number of students transferring out of Class 1-G would become absurd. It would be a full one-eighth of her class!
Kojima Kana felt a sense of numb helplessness wash over her. When I was just a subject teacher, I never had to deal with so many problems! Why is it that the moment I became a homeroom teacher, the troubles started popping up one after another like whack-a-moles?
A momentarily blank, exhausted expression flitted across her normally stern, delicate face.
She took a deep, steadying breath and addressed the three girls before her. "I want your parents to come to school this afternoon."
At the very least, she needed to communicate with their guardians first!
The expressions of Akizuki Yuna, Takahashi Yako, and Inohara Miyako changed in unison, draining of color. Informing their parents? About this? How could they possibly face them? The very idea was mortifying.
"Kojima-sensei…" Akizuki Yuna mustered a sliver of courage, looking up at the teacher.
Kojima Kana fixed her with a stern look. "If your parents are unavailable this afternoon, we can arrange another time. Alternatively… I can make a home visit."
It was important to remember that Akizuki Yuna was not merely an innocent victim here. She and Takahashi Yako had escalated the conflict physically. Kojima Kana's expression towards her held no leniency.
"…I'll… ask my mother," Akizuki Yuna mumbled, her body stiffening. Her heart felt like it was sinking into a frozen abyss. I'm doomed, she thought. Her parents would skin her alive.
The thought made her shoot another hate-filled glare at Inohara Miyako. This is all your fault!
Almost simultaneously, Takahashi Yako also directed a look of pure, scalding resentment towards Inohara.
Compared to their straightforward hatred, Inohara Miyako's gaze in return was filled with a profound, dazed bewilderment. How… how did things even get to this point? She still couldn't comprehend her own actions from that morning.
"..."
Kojima Kana witnessed the silent, toxic exchange of looks and said nothing. She simply picked up her thermos, unscrewed the cap, and took a slow, deliberate sip of hot water. Internally, her conviction solidified: These three absolutely cannot remain together in the same space. Something will inevitably happen.
She had them contact their respective parents right there in the office, scheduling meetings for 3:00 PM that afternoon.
After they finished the calls, Kojima Kana didn't dare let them return to the classroom "on their own," fearing a brawl might break out in the hallway. She glanced at the clock. It was nearly the end of the second period. The next two periods—third and fourth—were her own Japanese language classes for Class 1-G.
Decision made, she picked up her prepared textbooks and lesson plans. "Come with me," she said to the three subdued girls, leading the somber procession towards the first-year G class classroom.
"..."
Approximately ten minutes later, in Class 1-G—
"You are, without a doubt, the most troublesome class I have ever had the misfortune of teaching!"
Kojima Kana's voice, colder and sharper than a winter wind, cut through the tense silence of the room. She stood on the podium, her presence more irritable, more 'beautifully chilling,' and exuding a more oppressive aura than the students had ever seen.
"How long has it even been since the school year started? And yet, you've managed to stir up major trouble one incident after another!"
"..."
From his seat, Kasumigaoka Touji observed the female teacher on the podium, who seemed to be radiating visible waves of stress. A flicker of realization dawned on him. Ah. I might have accidentally caused her a significant amount of trouble.
Kojima Kana-sensei must be having one hell of a headache right about now.
My apologies, sensei. My sincerest apologies!
Seeing as I didn't do it on purpose… please find it in your heart to generously forgive me!
Amen.
"In short," Kojima Kana continued, her frosty gaze sweeping across the classroom, lingering for a heartbeat on the empty desks of the three involved girls, "I want the rumors to stop. Immediately. No more gossip about private parties, compensated dating, or two-timing. Is that clear?"
She paused, letting the order sink in. "I expect every one of you to focus your energies on your studies, not on creating drama all day long!"
Another beat of heavy silence.
"Now!" she commanded, the word snapping like a whip. "Everyone, open your textbooks to page thirty-six. We will now begin today's lesson on classical Japanese grammar."