Chapter 25: Hoshinomiya-sensei, Are You Angry?
Hearing Katsuragi Keima's words, Hoshinomiya Chie froze for a moment, and the smile on her face instantly solidified. She hadn't expected Keima to say such a thing—but he certainly wasn't wrong.
In her heart, Hoshinomiya Chie had always hated Chabashira Sae. She was once a student of Class D and a classmate of Chabashira's. Hoshinomiya believed that the fact she failed to graduate from Class A was entirely Chabashira Sae's fault. Even though ten years had passed since graduation, she still hadn't let it go.
However, Hoshinomiya Chie usually hid her true feelings very well; she wouldn't easily reveal this side of herself.
But... had this student in front of her actually seen through it? No, impossible.
Hoshinomiya adjusted her expression instantly, leaving almost no opening.
"Why do you say that, Katsuragi-kun?"
"Just a feeling."
"Hahaha, Katsuragi-kun, that's not it at all. Chabashira-sensei and I have a very good relationship."
"Oh."
Keima didn't say much more and simply continued playing his game. Previously, it had indeed just been a feeling. At least in games, the more someone deliberately acts intimate, the more likely there is an underlying problem. The instantaneous change in Hoshinomiya Chie's expression just now proved that point.
Unlike Chabashira Sae's nearly "giving up" state, Hoshinomiya Chie's words just now seemed somewhat provocative; she had even revealed details about transferring classes.
Regardless—Keima didn't care.
"I'll be going then, Sensei."
"Yes, I look forward to working with you, Katsuragi-kun."
Watching Keima's departing back, the smile on Hoshinomiya Chie's face vanished in an instant, her expression turning as cold as if she were a different person.
.
.
.
The bell for class rang again. Keima continued to play games in class as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Hirata Yosuke noticed Keima's behavior and felt a bit concerned.
'Is Katsuragi-kun still playing games even after knowing the rules of the S-System? This will definitely deduct Class Points.
But if it weren't for Katsuragi-kun, we probably wouldn't have noticed this at all. By the end of the month, the Class Points would definitely have been wiped out... the resulting loss would have been even greater then.'
Hirata thought for a while and decided to turn a blind eye to Keima's behavior for the time being.
Kushida Kikyo, meanwhile, was focused intently on the blackboard, looking every bit the serious student. However, during the previous break, Kushida had done something: she informed students from other classes about the rules of the S-System.
In these few days, Kushida had become friends with many students from other classes. The fact that Class D knew about the S-System early was originally their advantage. Kushida chose to leak this information precisely to sabotage that advantage.
With this intel, Kushida could further close the distance with her newly made friends. Not only that—the more dangerous Class D's situation became, the more miserable Horikita Suzune would likely be. Kushida had seen the frustrated expression on Horikita's face when Chabashira Sae mocked the class. For such a proud person to be in the "trash" class, Horikita must be suffering.
Kushida vowed to make this sole existence who might know about her past completely disappear from this school.
In the corner of the classroom, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka continued to secretly observe Katsuragi Keima.
'During English class, Katsuragi caught Mashima's attention and used the Q&A to prove his previous hypothesis about the school rules.
This caught Hirata's attention, leading Hirata to proactively ask him about it, which in turn used Hirata's mouth to make Chabashira reveal the true rules.
Is all of this truly a chain reaction brought about by coincidence? Or was it all calculated by him?'
Ayanokouji thought rapidly. In his heart, he became increasingly certain that Keima's identity was not simple.
'Could it be another masterpiece created by the White Room after I left?'
No, Keima's behavioral patterns were completely different from a White Room student.
'Is he from another facility or institution?'
Ayanokouji felt a slight spark of curiosity.
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As the final bell rang, the day's classes finally ended.
"Sakura-san, going to the supermarket?"
Keima turned around and spoke to Sakura Airi, though his gaze remained on the handheld in his hand. He had previously promised to accompany her shopping after school. To prevent any "unexpected" situations, he had sent Elsie away in advance. After all, if that idiot with the bizarre train of thought were around, Sakura Airi might just faint on the spot.
"I..."
Sakura Airi lowered her head and glanced at her student terminal, her heart feeling somewhat conflicted. The teacher had said earlier that they wouldn't receive one hundred thousand points every month; the points received were positively correlated with Class Points. The Class Points had already been significantly deducted, so the points they'd receive later would definitely decrease.
But Sakura Airi really wanted to buy a camera; taking selfies was her only hobby. She had calculated that if she only bought the camera, the points should be enough. However, she wasn't sure if there would be other needs for points later. After the teacher explained the rules, everyone felt a sense of panic; the excitement of receiving points on the first day had long since evaporated.
"Sakura-san, are you worried about the points?" Keima asked, as if seeing right through her heart.
"Mm..." Sakura Airi nodded.
"Don't worry. The prices in this school are generally much cheaper than outside. For just a camera, the points spent won't exceed forty thousand, and the remaining money will be more than enough for daily needs. Assuming we don't lose many more points, there should be over sixty thousand points next month as well," Keima said while looking at the screen. "It's worth paying a bit for something you love; after all, that is priceless."
"Mm..."
Looking at the handheld in Keima's hands, Sakura Airi finally nodded and made up her mind. "Katsuragi-kun... let's go."
On the other side of the classroom, Elsie was slumped over her desk as if she had lost her soul.
"Exams? There are exams later? Expelled if I fail? Ahhhh, what do I do?!"
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