At noon, in the quiet teacher's office.
A white partition stood in the center, dividing the office into two sections—east and west—each with a desk.
From the side, it would appear that the two desks faced each other.
Aside from the standard office equipment—air conditioner, water dispenser, and printer—these three large desks dominated the spacious room.
It was hard to believe that an office this big was only occupied by two people.
At the moment, Chabashira Sae sat at her desk on the west side, sipping freshly brewed coffee with her eyes half-closed, savoring the rare moment of peace.
"You seem to be in a good mood today, Sae. Did something good happen?"
A voice rang from beyond the partition. It belonged to a woman with light brown, long, curly hair, seated at the opposite desk.
Judging by her youthful features and trendy outfit, she didn't look like someone approaching her thirties.
If anything, she looked more like a student than a teacher.
—Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B.
"Really?" Chabashira responded flatly, taking another sip.
"Yep~"
"In the past, you drank coffee so silently, but today, I actually heard you make a sound."
"Ridiculous." Chabashira denied it outright. "And even if I did, it would be out of irritation, not enjoyment."
"Okay, okay, no need to admit it if you don't want to."
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor followed, and Hoshinomiya stood up. Half of her face peeked around the partition, wearing a flawless yet strangely unsettling smile.
"Although I don't think it's possible, I just have to ask—Chabashira Sae, are you thinking of making a comeback?"
"…How is that even possible?"
After a brief silence, Chabashira shrugged meaninglessly.
The moment she gave that answer, the unusual sharpness in Hoshinomiya's gaze vanished, replaced by her usual carefree demeanor.
"Yeah, I figured. After all—"
Knock, knock, knock.
Three polite knocks interrupted their conversation.
The two teachers exchanged glances before Chabashira averted her eyes.
"Come in," Hoshinomiya said.
The office door opened, revealing Yukinoshita Haruno.
"Sorry for interrupting, Chabashira-sensei. Can I talk to you alone?"
"Now?"
Chabashira's lips curled slightly, as if amused.
"Sure, let's move to the counseling room—"
"No need," Hoshinomiya cut in with a grin. "I suddenly remembered something and need to head back to my dorm, so you two can talk here."
She left the office in a hurry, waving at them before shutting the door behind her.
"That woman…" Chabashira shook her head before turning back to her visitor.
"Alright, what do you want to discuss?"
"I'll get straight to the point," Haruno said firmly, meeting the teacher's gaze without hesitation.
"I want to talk about a guaranteed way for all of Class D to pass the midterm exam."
"…Hmph."
Chabashira let out a cold chuckle, as if she had expected this topic.
"Since you brought it up, let's hear it. What's your reasoning?"
Meanwhile, outside the office, Kure Ragna arrived just as Hoshinomiya was leaving, their timing perfectly staggered.
Instead of barging in, he cracked the door open slightly, allowing the air to carry the conversation outside.
Inside, Haruno continued in a calm tone.
"My reasoning isn't based on mere speculation."
"The school follows a competitive structure where class rankings reflect the students' overall evaluation. Class D isn't just a lower-tier class because Class A, B, and C were full. The school deliberately placed students here based on their perceived incompetence."
"It's true that most of our class has weaker academic foundations compared to others."
"The rule states that if even one student fails, the class loses 100 points. Given our current situation, no matter how hard we study, some students are bound to fail—Sudou, Ike, Yamauchi, Sakura, Karuizawa… That's already five students."
"With that many failures, our class points would hit zero instantly. The only way to avoid failure would be for everyone to hand in blank papers together—but that's clearly not what the school wants."
"If we keep relying on that method, the gap between Class D and the other classes will only grow wider. Worse, the students will lose all motivation to improve, ensuring that Class D remains at the bottom permanently."
"And if Class D exists solely as a 'lesson' for the other classes, then why bother investing resources in us at all? It would be a waste of government funding and three years of our lives."
"Besides, if the school just wanted to motivate competition, Class A's special graduation reward—the universal wish—would already be enough."
"That's why I believe the school will allow some 'off-the-record' ways to pass this time."
Haruno finished her reasoning and fell silent, her determined gaze locked onto Chabashira.
"Ah…"
Chabashira chuckled, resting her chin on her hand as she spoke lazily.
"Nice analysis. But tell me, did you figure this out yourself? Or did Kure Ragna feed you the idea?"
"To be honest, I connected the dots based on something he mentioned in passing," Haruno admitted.
"As expected, you two again."
Chabashira's smirk faded, her gaze sharpening like a predator's.
"Fine. I'll admit there is a way to guarantee your class passes—without resorting to blank papers."
"However…"
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.
"If you want to know the method, pay me 100,000 points. Right here, right now."
"One hu—"
Haruno froze.
100,000 points—that was the total amount given at the start of the year. Even after winning first place in the swimming event, she had only received an extra 5,000.
And it was already the end of the month. Even if she had been frugal, there was no way she had that much left.
What a cruel teacher.
"I only have 50,000 at most," she admitted.
"If you can't pay, then we're done talking~"
"I…"
Ding!
A notification sound suddenly echoed from her skirt pocket.
Both she and Chabashira paused for a moment.
Realizing something, Haruno quickly pulled out her phone and checked the screen. A transaction notification was clearly displayed.
[User "Kure Ragna" has transferred 50,000 personal points to you.]
At the same time, the office door swung open.
Kure Ragna walked in, holding up his phone to show the successful transaction.
"Hey, you weren't planning on calling me for something this fun?"
"…Pfft."
For the first time in a long while, Chabashira let out a genuine laugh, covering her forehead as she chuckled.
"I have to say, Class D has some really amusing students this year. I honestly don't understand why students like you ended up in Class D."
Her smirk widened as she leaned forward.
"Alright, alright. Since you're that determined, I'll tell you the secret to passing."
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