Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 198: Chabashira-sensei is off-campus

So, Hachiman decided to contact Horikita.

“Are you going to the cafeteria later?”

It was still early, so he could probably get breakfast at the cafeteria. Horikita had taken care of his lunch and dinner, but not breakfast.

Although he paid for the meals, he still felt a bit bad that Horikita was doing all the work. Even Hachiman felt somewhat guilty about it.

So, he decided he would take responsibility for breakfast.

He immediately dialed Horikita’s number.

However…

“No, I’m not going.”

Horikita’s cold voice came through the phone. “I need to look over next semester’s textbooks.”

“Next semester’s textbooks?” Hachiman was surprised.

“There are some in the library, so I borrowed them early,” Horikita explained. “If you want… I’ve already finished reading the English textbooks, so while the material is still fresh, I can tutor you…”

“No!” Hachiman immediately refused.

Because, seriously, he didn’t want to study.

And studying next semester’s textbooks? That was definitely not his thing.

At the same time…

He remembered how pale Karuizawa looked in the previous study group with Horikita.

It was a vivid example of how a poor student got tormented by a top student.

And Horikita wasn’t very good at teaching. She often said things like, “Why can’t you even do this? Didn’t you ever listen in class?” or “I can’t understand why you make such simple mistakes. How could anyone fail such a basic exam?” or “I can’t even imagine the mindset of someone who fails a test.”

“Then, I’ll go to the cafeteria and bring you back some snail noodles when I come back,” Hachiman said.

Although, after the holidays, he could continue staying in the dorm and studying, this kind of day was pretty ordinary for Horikita, and Hachiman didn’t consider it a vacation.

But, whenever he could boost Horikita’s favorability, Kushida wasn’t around. Maybe it was because summer vacation had come, and she, being a popular person, had become even more popular.

Or maybe Kushida had already won Horikita’s trust by honoring a bet, knowing Horikita would keep her promises, so Kushida didn’t care whether Horikita had a favorable impression of her or not.

It was all very real.

Eh.

Hachiman didn’t feel like he was on summer vacation at all.

But as he was walking toward the shopping street, a girl called out to him.

“Hachiman!”

It was a group of people he knew.

And, it seemed, there were quite a few of them.

Hasebe Haruka, Yukimura Teruhiko, Miyake Akito, and the slightly introverted Sakura.

“Hikigaya—!” Sakura’s voice was a bit excited.

Hmm.

Was it because he was wearing the glasses she picked out for him?

“Hello, Sakura,” Hachiman greeted her.

As an observer of human nature, he noticed that Sakura, being shy, was walking next to Hasebe, which meant Hasebe, the outgoing person, had managed to win her over, right?

Actually, these two had a lot in common.

For example, they both have great armour, so they probably faced similar problems.

They even requested to take leave together during PE class.

And the most important point: Sakura was very cute, so Hasebe must have noticed that.

After interacting with them, Hachiman also realized that Hasebe wasn’t a bad girl.

So, perhaps their friendship was a good thing.

“Hasebe and I… we’ve become friends,” Sakura quickly explained when she saw Hachiman looking at them.

“That’s good,” Hachiman nodded.

But now, it wasn’t just Sakura here.

“Everyone, this is a real coincidence,” Hachiman replied to the Yukimura group. “But, isn’t Sato and Ike not here?”

“Sato was taken away by Kushida,” Hasebe replied. “As for Ike… let Yukimura explain.”

Yukimura?

Yukimura adjusted his glasses.

“I kindly invited him to join the study group for the summer, but that guy refused, saying he wouldn’t be in my group after that. He wants to stay in the dorm and play games,” Yukimura said. “I was just trying to help him. Next semester, we’ll likely have exams related to written tests, so I wanted to give him a foundation.”

“But that guy refused.” Yukimura seemed a bit upset, because in the paired exams, he and Ike were partners, and he had to carry the other person.

Since it had yielded good results, he wanted to continue, but his good intentions were rejected.

“Then, what’s everyone doing now?” Hachiman immediately changed the subject.

Because, you all are pretty scary, too.

He was starting to understand why this group of people was sticking together.

Hachiman didn’t want to be friends with all these overachievers.

“We’re preparing to hold a study session, to improve everyone’s academic performance,” Yukimura said as he pushed up his glasses. “I was planning to invite you too. But since it’s vacation, you’ll probably be with Horikita, so I guess I don’t need to worry about it.”

Indeed, there was no need to worry.

Because, ten minutes ago, Horikita had been trying to drag him into studying.

And just as Hachiman was about to respond, his phone notified him of a new message.

“Eh?”

“This is a special ringtone. Could it be… Horikita’s message? How nice… your relationship is still this good.”

Hasebe, who was curious about gossip, immediately looked over.

“This is a message from Chabashira-sensei,” Hachiman said.

“…” XN

Ah, Chabashira—the homeroom teacher.

Hasebe quickly retracted her earlier guess. Because that would be disrespecting the homeroom teacher.

At least, according to the general concept, teachers are seen as different from them, as adults.

[I’m going to be off-campus for a week today. If there’s anything important, please contact Hoshinomiya. Here is her number: 145688799X] — by Chabashira.

So, she’s leaving.

Chabashira-sensei is leaving the school.

Since it’s vacation now, and although she’s staff, generally speaking, teachers can’t leave the school freely.

So, Chabashira probably had to pay some points for this leave.

Hachiman also began to understand why she would leave the school.

Because the class had already been promoted to Class A once.

Her long-held wish had been fulfilled.

So, perhaps she was going to meet with Hiratsuka.

However…

[Can I leave the school too?]

Hachiman thought that staying on campus during the break didn’t feel much like a vacation. It would be great if he could go home.

Of course, if there weren’t too many costs involved, he would be willing to pay.

After all, he was now a wealthy man.

[To leave school, it costs 100,000 points per day for teachers. For students, it costs 500,000 points per day. You also need to sign an agreement not to leak any information about the school.] — by Chabashira.

“…”

500,000 points a day.

That would be 15 million for 30 days.

That could drain all his savings.

[Sorry to bother you.] Hachiman realized at this moment that he wasn’t rich enough.

However…

[Can you do me a favor?] Hachiman quickly typed.

[What?]

[I’m going to see the headmaster to exchange points] Hachiman quickly typed, [Can you bring cash to my younger sister?]

[……] Chabashira didn’t reply quickly this time.

Two minutes passed.

Her message finally came through.

[Okay, I will be at the school gate at 11:00.] — by Chabashira.

Alright, then.

Hachiman put down his phone and noticed his companions were still waiting for him.

“I have something to do this morning, so I won’t be with you guys,” Hachiman said.

“If you have something to do, then it can’t be helped.”

Actually, because Hachiman was involved with Horikita, and Yukimura also acknowledged that Horikita’s academic ability was higher than his, Yukimura hadn’t included Hachiman in the supplementary lessons.

Therefore, Hachiman was free to do as he pleased.

Also…

As a strong figure of class honor, Yukimura thought that Hachiman wouldn’t be at risk during exams, but the other members of his group were in danger of failing if they didn’t put in any effort.

Now the class had dropped from Class A to Class B.

He had already checked the small blackboard on the first floor of the teaching building in the morning. The scores of the four classes had been updated.

The class had fallen back to Class B.

But they had climbed up before, and Yukimura didn’t want to fall back to Class D so quickly.

So, whatever he could do, he was willing to do.

Yukimura was still as dedicated to class honor as always.

After separating from Yukimura’s group, Hachiman continued walking down the shopping street.

It seemed like he was looking for something.

Soon, he found it.

It was a flower shop.

Although Hachiman didn’t have much experience socializing with others, he knew it wouldn’t be polite to let someone go back empty-handed after they had offered to help.

At the same time…

Chabashira was going back to meet with Hiratsuka.

And Hachiman still felt a bit grateful to that female teacher.

Because if it weren’t for the other person, he wouldn’t have been able to enter a school where he could earn 1.5 million points in a month. It could almost be said that coming here changed his life.

This was a favor he owed.

And the things that teacher liked, the things she wanted… Hachiman had also noticed, although he couldn’t provide them.

But this was something she would likely be happy with.

Thus…

Hachiman entered the flower shop and had two bouquets wrapped by the shop assistant.

The family restaurant on the second floor across from the flower shop.

“Kamuro-san, it’s easy to get wrinkles when you’re always frowning,” came a graceful voice.

“It seems like these past few days with you being confined, you’ve had quite a bit of trouble,” the voice continued.

It was Sakayanagi Arisu, who was sitting on one side, waiting for someone to serve her.

The person she was speaking to was Kamuro Masami, who had just brought her a plate.

“And during these three days you’ve been away, I’ve had some trouble too. After all, I’ve gotten used to you,” Sakayanagi continued.

“…” Kamuro.

Hmph.

Kamuro didn’t believe Sakayanagi Arisu’s pretentious act.

Because today, when Kamuro was finally released by Sakayanagi, she found that Sakayanagi had a classmate named Yamabuki with her.

In other words, while Sakayanagi said she couldn’t live without her, wasn’t she quick to find a replacement?

And Kamuro had indeed been away from Sakayanagi for these three days.

To be exact, she had been confined by Sakayanagi Arisu.

She had been forced to stay in her room for three consecutive days. As for meals, Sakayanagi arranged for someone to bring them, but didn’t allow her to leave the room.

The reason given was as punishment for betraying the class.

Actually, it wasn’t really betrayal, because even though Kamuro gave the test paper to Hachiman, the class still won against Hachiman’s class, didn’t it?

However, because of this, Yamamura was retained.

But Kamuro still had lingering fears about it.

Because the moment she secretly betrayed, she got caught.

Thinking of this, she continued to serve Sakayanagi water, showing an obedient appearance.

Otherwise, the next time she betrays… ugh, no, if she does it again, she might be excluded from Sakayanagi’s inner circle.

When Yamamura left her side as soon as Kamuro stepped out of the room, it was clear that Kamuro still held a higher position in Sakayanagi’s heart.

This fact made Kamuro breathe a sigh of relief.

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Kamuro suddenly looked in one direction.

“What’s wrong, Kamuro-san?” Sakayanagi Arisu looked over.

“I think I just caught a glimpse of Hikigaya-san. Then I saw him enter the flower shop across the street,” Kamuro said.

“A flower shop? Is he going to buy flowers for someone?” Sakayanagi Arisu gently shook her head. “But it’s a pity. Hikigaya -san isn’t the romantic type.”

As expected.

Sakayanagi Arisu said this, and then both she and Kamuro focused on the flower shop.

About five minutes later, they saw Hikigaya come out of the flower shop, holding two bright bouquets, one in his left hand and one in his right.

“If it was one bouquet, maybe he’s buying flowers for someone special,” Sakayanagi said. “But.”

“If it’s two bouquets, then it’s impossible.”

“Because he wouldn’t give two bouquets to the same person, right?” Sakayanagi said. “So it’s probably just some superficial act, not related to a romance or anything.”

“Why don’t you ask Kushida what she’s doing? Maybe Hikigaya will send her flowers today.”

“Also, arrange for two people to keep an eye on Horikita Suzune.”

“Now that Hikigaya has finally managed to regain his footing and is about to challenge me, I can’t let him get caught up in love.”

“You know,”

“Love can make people stupid.”

I see.

Actually, Kamuro wasn’t interested in hearing about who Hikigaya was buying flowers for, or who Sakayanagi thought he would give them to.

But the fact that Sakayanagi was still talking to her about random things after three days showed that her position in Sakayanagi’s inner circle hadn’t been revoked.

This was good news for Kamuro.

…

Headmaster’s Office.

After returning from the shopping street, since the distance was shorter by two o’clock, Hachiman brought the flowers and headed to the headmaster’s office.

The headmaster’s office was in a dedicated building.

And his purpose was direct and simple.

To exchange points for cash.

When he enrolled, Chabashira had given him the privilege to exchange points in advance, with a base rate of one million, which he had already completed.

But today, he wasn’t looking to exchange just one million, but ten million.

As for the ten million points card Chabashira gave him, it was kept in his dorm, so there was no need to worry, as his student account had more than enough points.

Hachiman had mentioned before that he sometimes ran into the headmaster in the cafeteria on the third floor.

But this was the first time he was face-to-face with Sakayanagi, the headmaster.

The headmaster had silver-white short hair, paired with black-framed glasses. He must have looked quite handsome when he was younger, but now he appeared somewhat haggard.

Why was he haggard? Hachiman had a bit of an idea.

It was probably because the issue with Ayanokouji couldn’t be resolved, and Ayanokouji’s father’s position and power likely exceeded the headmaster’s, so the headmaster had been under a lot of pressure.

From the headmaster’s weary appearance, it seemed that he himself might also be facing threats.

It looked like the adult world was even dirtier than he had imagined.

However…

“Exchange your ten million points for eight million in cash.”

“Would you prefer to store it in your account, or do you want it settled directly in cash?”

Because it was a large sum, the headmaster handled it personally. This style was very similar to Horikita’s way of doing things.

“Just give me the cash,” Hachiman said. “My homeroom teacher is leaving the school today, and she seems to be heading to Chiba, so she can bring it back for me.”

“I see.”

Sakayanagi, the headmaster, nodded and then handed over a suitcase filled with money to the staff.

However, he gently pushed his glasses up and his gaze fell on the two bouquets of flowers Hachiman had brought.

“Hikigaya -san, right?” the headmaster said. “Your class is the only one in this school’s history to climb from class D.”

“Although now you’ve fallen to class B.”

“But.”

“I personally still have a high opinion of you,” the headmaster continued. “As a reward, I can personally answer two of your questions.”

Really?

Such a good deal?

However, Hachiman did have one question he wanted an answer to.

So he put his left hand in his pocket.

“Well then, I’d like to ask you two things,” Hachiman said. “The first, about Sakayanagi-san—”

“Oh, you mean her? She’s my daughter, that’s true. But don’t worry, I didn’t place her in class A because of favoritism. She truly has the qualifications for it,” the headmaster said.

“Then, the second point,” Hachiman seemed uninterested in Sakayanagi, and continued, “Is the nature of this school, this so-called public-facing recruitment, just a façade? Is it only to form and nurture a specific group of people, where the excellent students and those who drag others down are predetermined? And… is it only the students of class A and class B who are truly cultivated?”

“Class C and class D are sacrificial pawns. This ranking system is just a lie!”

Hachiman asked these questions in succession, leaving Sakayanagi, the headmaster, silent.

After a while, he spoke.

“Looks like you’ve figured it out. I admit it. The students at this school are indeed predetermined. It’s hard to add anyone who isn’t already in the system,” the headmaster said.

“The essence of this school is to send talent into society.”

“You know, the economy is in a slump, and we’re facing all sorts of problems. We can’t solve them, so we must place our hopes on the next generation.”

“If we keep sending talented individuals into society, eventually, someone will shoulder the burdens of these problems.”

“So.”

“Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School has the support of middle schools across the country, and our students are selected from all over. They require a recommendation from a middle school principal.”

“And even if they don’t pass the written exams or interviews, it’s still fine. They can still enter.”

At the same time, Sakayanagi, the headmaster, did not deny anything.

“You’re right. Only class A and class B are truly the focus of cultivation. The class ranking system, whether class C or class D, doesn’t have the qualifications to rise up.”

“All exams are arranged by us, and the class evaluation scores are the same. When a class that doesn’t meet the standards rises, the class evaluation score fluctuates drastically, just like the final exam you just finished. The top-tier classes can drag you down with just one or two wins.”

“The school, indeed, favors class A and class B. Because only the students of class A and B are the ones being cultivated, while class C and D are sacrifices.”

“So, it’s true that they’re not allowed to rise.”

He continued explaining, but it seemed that Sakayanagi, the headmaster, felt like he had been too blunt, so he added, “But that doesn’t mean that students in class C and D can’t rise. The truly outstanding ones can still make it. Someone like you, for instance. As long as you gather 20 million points, you can jump to either class A or class B and continue to rise, graduating with excellence.”

Is that so?

So it was just as he had originally thought.

“Anything else you’d like to ask?” the headmaster asked, as if offering psychological counseling.

Hachiman shook his head.

“However, I hope you pay attention to something,” Hachiman reminded him.

“Hmm?”

“Because you’re the type to follow the rules,” Hachiman said. “I hope you can make some preparations early.”

“What does that mean?” Sakayanagi, the headmaster, frowned. He felt that things were not simple.

“In the last exam, I relied on Ayanokouji-san’s help to get the score in the sports festival,” Hachiman said. “But Ayanokouji-san always keeps a low profile.”

“And he will make a move.”

“There’s only one reason.”

Hachiman paused and then said, “That’s because with just you alone, you can’t protect him.”

“So, you might be in trouble.”

“Haha.” But Sakayanagi, the headmaster, smiled briefly. “Looks like you understand quite a bit. Well, thanks for your concern, but I believe Ayanokouji-sensei wouldn’t do that. And my background is very clean.”

But that meant that, in reality, he had considered the possibility that he might be replaced.

That’s why he emphasized his clean background.

Hachiman once again realized how dark the adult world truly was.

However…

“By the way.” As Hachiman was about to leave, Sakayanagi, the headmaster, spoke again. “These flowers—”

“They’re for Chabashira-sensei and for the teacher in Chiba who will be bringing them back for me,” Hachiman said. “I can’t leave school, and having Chabashira-sensei buy flowers outside would seem insincere.”

“I see.” Sakayanagi, the headmaster, nodded. “Arisu is in poor health, and I have prohibited all physical activities for her.”

“…” Hachiman finally understood.

He understood why the headmaster had looked at the flowers he brought over five or six times during their 10-minute conversation.

He probably thought he was going to give them to Sakayanagi.

“I need to clarify something,” Hachiman said. “My life goal is to become a house husband.”

“However, Sakayanagi-san…” Hachiman paused. “She definitely wouldn’t allow a useless husband, right?”

“That’s true.” Sakayanagi, the headmaster, laughed at this point. “If it were her, she would definitely make you work. And since Aris is my only daughter, she should inherit my position as the headmaster in the future. Of course, if she were to marry, considering her health, the husband would take over.”

Is that so?

How terrifying.

Marrying Sakayanagi Arisu wouldn’t just mean being sent to work, but also being made the headmaster.

And Sakayanagi, the headmaster, was still working during the holiday break.

So, Hachiman’s resistance toward Sakayanagi-san grew even stronger.

With that, Hachiman nodded to the headmaster and left the room.

Since he was carrying quite a bit, he set the suitcase filled with cash down before putting his hand into his pocket.

Of course,

This wasn’t to adjust the trajectory.

It was because his phone was in there, and it was on a call.

…

Twenty minutes later.

Hachiman returned to the dormitory before heading to the school gate.

When he arrived at the gate, he noticed a woman in a black office lady outfit standing there.

She looked pale.

Clearly,

She had not yet recovered.

Because earlier, when Hachiman was speaking with the headmaster, he had actually called her.

In other words, Hachiman had originally speculated the truth about the class rankings but lacked convincing proof. So, when he had the chance, he directly asked the headmaster himself.

And now that the headmaster had confirmed it, Chabashira’s obsession was completely shattered.

Chabashira used to be a student of class D, just like Horikita now, or perhaps even a little more outstanding than Horikita. She led her class as it steadily climbed, but just as they were about to reach class A, she made a small mistake and failed.

She, along with her entire class, missed the chance to graduate from class A.

When she returned to this school, the treatment of the former class A students, whether it was Mashima-sensei, Sakagami-sensei, or her former classmate Hoshinomiya Chie, was all better than hers.

And even if she returned, it was because the headmaster had recommended her.

This made her very dissatisfied.

She felt that her classmates were no better than her, but the different treatment based on rankings frustrated her. She was not the only one in her class who had it worse.

This dissatisfaction grew into an obsession.

She wanted to prove that the school’s evaluation system was flawed.

Not all students from class C or D were trash; they shouldn’t be judged that way from the beginning.

And when Hachiman entered this year, he had already shattered her beliefs.

He told her that even if she had made the right choices back then, the school wouldn’t have allowed her to graduate from class A.

And now,

It had become a reality.

The initial rule was that class C and D were abandoned pawns, and even if they climbed, they wouldn’t receive fair treatment!

This meant that her previous exams and the class she led weren’t because they were weaker than others, but because she came from class D, and as a class D student, she was never allowed to rise.

Even if she tried to climb, the scores were manipulated behind the scenes.

Her classmates weren’t bad.

It was just unfair.

“So this is how it is.”

Chabashira smiled, but it was a painful smile.

It was probably because her belief had shattered.

“You should go rest now and get ready to leave the school,” Hachiman said.

“No need,” Chabashira gently shook her head. “I was mentally prepared for this.”

“And…”

“Now.”

“Because of you, my long-held wish has been fulfilled.”

“So, I was just feeling upset earlier, but… it’s not something I can’t accept.”

Hachiman then looked at Chabashira.

He knew that she had moved past the past.

“Then…”

Hachiman handed her a bouquet of flowers. The fragrance of roses immediately filled the air, a pleasant scent.

And Chabashira heard his voice.

“May you be reborn.”