Projection
["I am the homeroom teacher of Class D, Chabashira Sae. Here is my phone number—you should all remember it."
The woman—no, Chabashira Sae—introduced herself.
She was the homeroom teacher for the class.
"The homeroom teacher will not be changed."
"For the next three years, I will be your homeroom teacher."]
Commentary
Komachi: whispers "Onii-chan… three years with her? You'd die…"
Yui: "Eh?! Three years?! That's like… forever!"
Yukino: calmly "A fixed homeroom teacher provides continuity. Though in this case… it sounds more like a sentence."
Haruno: teasing grin "Ara, stuck with your sadistic teacher forever. That's kinda hot, don't you think?"
Hachiman: flatly "…No. No it isn't."
Ichinose: eyes wide "Wait, so she stays the entire time? That's strict…"
Ryuen: snorts "Heh, better than the useless ones that get swapped out."
Sakayanagi: hides a smirk "Ara~ continuity makes it easier to manipulate the pawns, doesn't it?"
Hirata: serious "…But in Class D, that continuity wasn't… reassuring."
Projection
[Saying that, she picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a string of numbers on the board.
But—
"There is a special system in place at this school. Until you graduate, all students are required to live on campus…" the homeroom teacher continued.]
Commentary
Komachi: gasp "Three years in the dorms?!"
Yui: shivers "That'd be kinda fun with friends… but Hikki…"
Yukino: "…Would wither."
Haruno: snickers "No, no, he'd crawl into the corner and evolve into a cave creature."
Hachiman: deadpan "Why do I feel personally attacked?"
Ichika: frowning "That shocked us too. But we had to adapt."
Ichinose: "…It really wasn't easy at first. Three years locked in… it feels like a cage."
Ryuen: grinning "Hah! You either get stronger or break."
Sakayanagi: soft laugh "And here, we see how oblivious the fresh meat were."
Projection
["Eh…?"
This news immediately caused an uproar in the class.
"Wh-Why for three whole years?!"
"And a boarding system?! I didn't bring anything with me! Not even a change of clothes!"
"What about food?! How are we supposed to eat?!"
The students became restless and uneasy.]
Commentary
Komachi: facepalms "They didn't even pack extra clothes?! Seriously?!"
Yui: "Eh… but, wait, I probably wouldn't either…"
Yukino: exhales sharply "So much for reading the handbook."
Haruno: giggles "Children panicking over underwear. Cute."
Ichika: sighs "…Yeah, we freaked out exactly like this. It's embarrassing watching it back."
Ichinose: nods softly "It really did feel like we were being tricked."
Ryuen: snorts "Idiots. Waste energy whining instead of adapting."
Sakayanagi: fan hides a sly smile "Ignorance is always entertaining to watch."
Hachiman: flatly "…I'm the only one thinking this was obvious, huh?"
Projection
[Hachiman found it strange—why were his classmates only now reacting in shock? Did none of them read the enrollment handbook?
Besides—
Hachiman didn't see anything wrong with this arrangement.
The benefits provided by the school were too generous. If there weren't some requirements attached, now that would be truly suspicious.]
Commentary
Komachi: beaming proudly "See?! Onii-chan's the only one thinking straight!"
Yui: tilts head "Ehh… but isn't he just being gloomy again?"
Yukino: quietly "No. He's correct. If something is free, the cost is hidden."
Haruno: smirking "Ara, so dead fish eyes sees through it all. Impressive, little brother-in-law~."
Hachiman: groans "…Why does she keep calling me that?"
Ichika: stares wide-eyed "We… didn't figure that out until after the first exam."
Ichinose: frowning thoughtfully "…He saw it right away."
Ryuen: scowls "Tch. Annoying bastard. Already sniffing out the trap."
Sakayanagi: amused "How delightful. Perhaps this year's Class D won't bore the me there."
Projection
["Now, turn on your phones. Inside, you'll find a student ID app that contains your basic information."
Hachiman also glanced at his own profile screen:
[Name: Hikigaya Hachiman
Class: 1st Year, Class D
Student ID: 108510000
Personal Points: 100,000]
Chabashira lifted her own phone and spoke:
"You can check the 'Personal Points' section. These points are an extension of the school's advanced technology—you can think of them as a form of currency. They can be spent like real money."
"One point equals one yen."]
Commentary
Komachi: eyes sparkling "100,000 yen allowance?! Onii-chan, can I have some?!"
Yui: jaw drops "That's like… a shopping spree!!"
Yukino: coolly "…Or a carefully baited trap."
Haruno: leans back, laughing "Oh, this is too good. They hand you candy and wait for you to choke on it."
Ichika: sighs "Yeah… most of us blew it all right away."
Ichinose: embarrassed "…We did. It was like free money. But he… he's not even smiling."
Ryuen: grins wickedly "He knows it's bait. Smart. But that just makes him more dangerous."
Sakayanagi: snaps her fan shut softly "And I wonder if he noticed more."
Hachiman: mutters "…Komachi would've bankrupted me day one."
Komachi: pouts "Ehh?! That's slander!"
Projection
[What caught his attention was the number displayed on her account's personal points balance.
6,022,000 points.
Could a teacher really earn that much?
Hachiman felt that everything about this school seemed off—inside and out.]
Commentary
Komachi: blinks "…Onii-chan, you were snooping already?!"
Yui: "Ehh?! He actually noticed that?!"
Yukino: quiet admiration "…Sharp eyes."
Haruno: teasing "Ara~ staring at your teacher's screen? Naughty."
Hachiman: flatly "…I call it survival instinct."
Ichika: shocked "…We didn't even realize teachers had balances at first."
Ichinose: softly "…He caught it instantly."
Ryuen: scowls "Tch. A kid like that ruins the game too early."
Sakayanagi: smiling faintly "No… he makes it interesting."
Hiratsuka: folds arms proudly "As expected of my student."
Projection
["Because, after all…" Chabashira paused for a moment before continuing—
"This is a school where strength is everything."
Hachiman couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but it felt like she had deliberately emphasized those words—"where strength is everything."]
Commentary
Komachi: worried "Strength? That sounds scary…"
Yui: frowning "Eh… does that mean fighting?"
Yukino: serious "…No. It means hierarchy."
Haruno: amused smirk "Onii-chan, you're doomed. Survival of the fittest? Youth at its cruelest."
Hachiman: flatly "…Then I'll just be the bottom feeder. Less competition there."
Ichika: grim "…That line haunted us."
Ichinose: nods slowly "It's the core of everything."
Ryuen: grinning savagely "Strength, huh? Now we're speaking my language."
Sakayanagi: soft laugh "And the dead fish has already heard it. Let's see if he listens."
Projection
[Chabashira gave her final instructions and began walking toward the front door of the classroom.
Her heels clicked across the floor.
But—
"Wait a minute, Chabashira-sensei!"
A voice called out from behind her.
She stopped, her hand brushing the frame of the door. Slowly, she turned.
Hikigaya Hachiman stood from his seat. Unlike the others, who were still buzzing with excitement, he walked calmly past the rows of desks and out into the hall.
The door swung shut behind them. The chatter of the class muffled into background noise.
In the empty corridor, under the sterile glow of fluorescent lights, he finally spoke.]
Commentary
Komachi: eyes wide "Onii-chan—why are you chasing the teacher?!"
Yui: freaking out "Eh?! He just walked out in front of everyone like it's nothing?!"
Yukino: analyzing "No. He waited until the class was distracted, then acted. It's… deliberate."
Haruno: smirking "Ara~ little brother's pulling his teacher aside in the hallway? Scandalous~."
Hachiman: groans "…Why do you make everything sound like a dating sim event?"
Ichika: stunned "…We never even thought of confronting a teacher this early."
Ichinose: softly "Yeah… we didn't have the courage. Or maybe the awareness."
Ryuen: grinning wolfishly "Heh. Ballsy. Already cornering a teacher."
Sakayanagi: fan half-open, amused "He's disturbing the waters far too soon. How fun."
Hiratsuka: arms crossed, proud "That's my boy. Direct when it matters."
Projection
["I wanted to ask… Will our student accounts receive another 100,000 points next month?"
He didn't stop there.
"Also, Chabashira-sensei—your phone shows six million points. Did the school give you that this month, or have you accumulated it over time? Since personal points can be used as real money in this school… can they also be exchanged for actual cash?"]
Commentary
Komachi: claps her hands to her mouth "Onii-chan actually asked that?! Right to her face?!"
Yui: nearly falling over "Th-that's like… super rude!!"
Yukino: serious, nodding "…No. It's calculated. Those are the only meaningful questions."
Haruno: delighted laughter "Kukuku~! He's poking at her salary already. Hilarious!"
Hachiman: flatly "…It's called seeking information. Not blackmail."
Ichika: shaking her head in disbelief "…We didn't dare ask anything like that until after midterms."
Ichinose: awed whisper "…Those were exactly the questions I wanted to ask, but… months later. He figured them out on day one."
Ryuen: slams fist into palm "Damn brat. Already pulling answers from a teacher. Annoying."
Sakayanagi: smiling faintly "Ara~ he's efficient. Most of us wasted time fumbling."
Hiratsuka: grins proudly "Exactly. That's why I sent him here."