"The homeroom teacher is so late. The bell rang over ten minutes ago, right?"
"Kind of unreliable to be late on the first day of class."
"Maybe something came up. Let's stay quiet for now."
Unlike Class D, Class B's students had been waiting patiently for over ten minutes without a teacher in sight. Whispers began to spread, and some students near the windows craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse outside.
"The teacher's here!"
At that shout, all chatter ceased instantly. Everyone sat up straight and fixed their eyes on the closed door, eager to see what kind of teacher they'd get.
"Good morning, everyone. Haha, sorry for being late."
The one who entered was a young-looking woman, with a cutesy fashion sense and a baby face that gave off anything but the authority of a homeroom teacher. Her weary expression and vague speech caused a few frowns.
"I overslept today. Please bear with me."
Rubbing her forehead, Hoshinomiya Chie stumbled to the podium, propping her chin on one hand and leaning her elbow on the desk as she lazily scanned the classroom.
"Looks like everyone's here. Let's hand out your student IDs and phones first."
She opened a sealed box on the podium, counted the students in each row, and began passing things out from front to back.
Sitting in the front row, Karuizawa Kei caught a strong scent of alcohol as she received the materials.
She had originally been assigned to Class D, so she didn't know much about Class B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, aside from seeing her often with Chabashira Sae around campus.
Ichinose Honami had once told her that their teacher was laid-back but also responsible when it counted.
Kei didn't think Honami would lie. If she was this hungover on the first day, then something must have happened. Her whole demeanor was off.
Kei's stare caught Hoshinomiya's attention. Assuming she noticed the smell, the teacher quickly said, "Please review the handouts for now. I'll step out for a moment."
Probably to wash her face.
Watching her retreating figure, Kei sighed.
At this school, while the role of the homeroom teacher depends on the initiative of the students, the teacher's own character is also crucial. Ryo's success in Class C had a lot to do with his homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma.
But Kei didn't get a good impression of Hoshinomiya Chie. It made her uneasy. After being burned once by Chabashira Sae in Class D, she understood how much power teachers held and how much they could withhold.
Especially with how new students still held a blind reverence for their teachers—just like with the exam leak incident. No one questioned the faculty back then.
She just hoped Honami was right and that Hoshinomiya would prove to be dependable.
When Hoshinomiya returned, having washed her face, she looked much fresher, and her tone was no longer lethargic.
"Hello everyone in Class B. I'm Hoshinomiya Chie, your homeroom teacher for the next three years. Let's grow together."
After the brief introduction, she began explaining the school's rules, including how points worked and key regulations. Possibly still hungover, she muttered "gross" under her breath when explaining that each grade had four classes labeled A through D.
Most students were too stunned by the 100,000-point monthly allowance to notice.
Hoshinomiya scanned the class, visibly bored. The students seemed to match Class B's standard. Even after hearing about the points, they didn't get rowdy. Most sat quietly, eyes gleaming but lips sealed, waiting for more information.
Class B, as the closest to Class A, had decent student quality. However, few B Classes in the school's history had successfully surpassed Class A. Only the current second-year B Class had ever managed to pull that off.
But Hoshinomiya Chie had always focused more on the lower-ranked classes than rising to the top.
Specifically, she cared only about Chabashira Sae's Class D.
Back when the two of them were classmates in Class B, their class was only 100 points behind Class A. But during a crucial turning point, the class lost a large number of points due to one of Chabashira's poor decisions.
That failure cost them their shot at Class A.
It left both of them deeply scarred—Chabashira obsessed with proving herself by rising to Class A, and Hoshinomiya determined to block her path.
That made Class B the perfect position: not threatening enough to be targeted like Class A or C, but close enough to act as the final gatekeeper—the natural ally of Class D.
Hoshinomiya and Chabashira got along well.
Because she wanted to hate her from the closest possible distance.
That grudge would probably last until Chabashira quit teaching. And with the last two years of Class D failing miserably, Hoshinomiya felt her goal was within reach. Chabashira's spirit had already hit rock bottom.
Class D would only get worse from here.
Or so it should've been.
Hoshinomiya lowered her eyes, still struggling to accept reality.
To accept that Chabashira was now the Class A homeroom teacher.
It felt like a denial of everything they had fought for—that all their past decisions and efforts had been a joke.
The hangover throbbed in her skull. As the school nurse, she knew the dangers of drinking, but drowning herself in alcohol was the only way she could vent.
First-year Class A Homeroom Teacher: Chabashira Sae.
Tch.
Unbearable.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, may I ask a question?"
A girl in the front row raised her hand. She had refined features and honey-colored hair tied in a high ponytail—a voice that left an impression.
"Mm."
Still clutching her head, Hoshinomiya responded blandly. Her mind was still filled with Chabashira's image.
"About the points. There's no such thing as a free lunch. I don't think the school would hand out 100,000 points per student for no reason."
"You said points could buy anything in this school. Then I'd like to purchase some information—specifically, details about the points. That should fall within the scope of purchasable items, right?"
Hoshinomiya looked up and smiled at Karuizawa Kei.
"Of course."
From Kei's very first words, she knew—this student might be the one she had been waiting for.
The one with the most potential.
To drag Chabashira Sae back down to Class D with her.
-------------------------------------
"Hello everyone, I'm Chabashira Sae, your homeroom teacher for Class 1-A. It's an honor to guide you for the next three years. I look forward to working with all of you."
Chabashira Sae took a deep breath. As she looked out at the students before her, a long-lost sense of pride and ambition stirred within her.
Unlike the past two years of managing Class D, the atmosphere here was completely different. From the moment she stepped into the room, she could feel it—even the air in Class A's classroom seemed sweeter.
This was the difference between elite students and the defective ones.
After handing out the documents and phones, and carefully explaining the rules, she glanced at the class with some anticipation.
As Ayanokouji Kiyotaka finished scanning the materials, he looked up and met Chabashira's gaze head-on. Knowing she was previously the homeroom teacher of Class D, he couldn't help but think her mental sharpness might be questionable. After all, a teacher's caliber probably reflected in the class's performance.
What exactly was she hoping for?
Kiyotaka scratched his head. He had no intention of becoming the class's center of attention on the first day. He didn't see himself as a naturally communicative person. His plan was to win over key figures in the class and influence the rest through them.
After all, unlike someone like Kushida Kikyou with amazing interpersonal skills, his own attempts at small talk would probably devolve into awkward jokes. Even though the White Room had introduced emotional conditioning programs a year ago, knowing how to delegate was an essential skill for a leader.
Aside from the unpredictable and unreadable Kouenji Rokusuke, Kiyotaka was satisfied with the overall caliber of Class A. In his mind, he had already formed a preliminary inner circle: Katsuragi Kohei as the formal leader, Hirata Yosuke as his deputy, and Kushida Kikyou as the social glue.
Still, no one raised any questions about the point system Chabashira had explained. Most just accepted it quietly. Some were already reading or doing problems as if the explanation had ended, and the resulting silence left Chabashira feeling slightly awkward.
However, recalling how previous A Classes had consistently maintained over 900 points in the first monthly assessment, she calmed down. Even if no one noticed the truth now, it could wait. By then, Class A would already be far ahead of the rest.
This sense of relief softened her expression.
"Take a short break. Remember to head to the gym for the entrance ceremony in thirty minutes."
Chabashira had spent many nights haunted by nightmares of her past. But now, she was confident those dreams would never return.
As she exited the classroom, she glanced at the nameplate on the door:
[Class 1-A]
Once within reach, yet lost in the sands of time like the past decade.
But now, she had finally arrived.
-------------------------------------
Class 1-C.
"Ryuuen-kun, if there's nothing else, I'd like to leave."
After hearing those light words, every student hiding in the back of the classroom stared in shock at the speaker's back.
Desks and chairs that were once neatly arranged now lay scattered around the room. In the center of the cleared space, a man with mid-length purple hair withdrew his fist from the face of another student lying beneath him. Bruised and bloodied, with a snarl on his lips, he still looked terrifying. Around him, several more groaning students lay sprawled on the floor, adding to his violent aura.
From any perspective, this was clearly not a situation of "nothing else."
Most students had retreated to the back in fear, but the girl in front spoke as if it were just another school day.
Ryuuen Kakeru hesitated—not because of her beauty, but because of the phone in her hand.
The class surveillance had already been cut off by their homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma. But during the brawl, this girl had calmly managed to record part of it on her phone.
Her composure while filming and now, as she stood before him, made Ryuuen narrow his eyes.
"How do I know you're not going to rat us out?"
"Because I don't care."
Shiina Hiyori tilted her head, meeting his gaze directly.
"I don't care who leads the class. I just have something to do and want to leave."
"Fine."
He stepped aside, clearing a path for her. Ryuuen could tell from her eyes that she wasn't lying. He trusted his instincts.
If he was driven by a desire to dominate, then she was the complete opposite.
Maybe he'd need her help running the class someday.
With that in mind, he let her go.
As he watched her leave, Ryuuen turned his intimidating gaze back on the class. Like a conqueror, he propped a leg on the podium and surveyed the students.
All the rebellious delinquents were now groaning on the floor. The rest huddled in the back row, staring at him with fear.
Fear, then respect.
One must fear, before they respect.
-------------------------------------
Shiina Hiyori made her way toward Class 1-D.
The classrooms of the four first-year classes weren't far apart, but her pace was unhurried.
Memories surged up from the depths of her heart, like waves returning to wash over her again and again.
Maybe she was gathering her emotions. Or maybe she was just wondering what she should say first when they met again.
It had been nearly three years since Shiina Hiyori last saw Kitagawa Ryo.
They had now spent more time apart than they ever did together. And although they had kept in regular contact over messages, face-to-face conversation was what she longed for most.
Perhaps the purpose of parting was simply to make moments like this possible.
Like how The Long Goodbye should eventually lead to The Book of Happiness.
(The former being a classic mystery novel by Raymond Chandler, and the latter by Awasaka Tsumao.)
Shiina Hiyori finally arrived at the door to Class 1-D. Their homeroom teacher was already gone, and the room was buzzing with noise. Students wandered in and out for bathroom breaks, and amidst the commotion, no one seemed to notice that a girl from another class had slipped inside.
After all, it was only the first day. Self-introductions hadn't happened yet, and for most students, just remembering the names and faces of those seated nearby was already enough of a challenge.
But Kitagawa Ryo noticed her immediately. He left his seat, exited through the back door, and circled around to approach her from behind at the front entrance.
As Shiina Hiyori stood there, still looking left and right in search of someone, she felt a light tap on the back of her head.
"Long time no see, Hiyori."
Ryo couldn't help but chuckle at the startled look on her face when she turned around. He reached out to gently pat her on the head.
"Ryo," Hiyori muttered in mild protest. They used to be about the same height, but now the difference between them was obvious.
Hearing her call his name so familiarly again made Ryo feel a momentary sense of unreality.
Whether in simulations or in real life, she was always the same. A girl who had grown up healthy and bright.
He thought of the closing line Holmes once said about Watson in the final chapter of the Sherlock Holmes series:
[You are the fixed point in a changing age.]
To that, Ryo added the rest in his heart:
[Forever pure, forever kind, forever carefree.]
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