Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 199: This is Chiba, famous for peanuts, beer, and… brother complex!

Chiba Prefecture is only an hour’s drive from Tokyo.

If you take the JR rapid train, it’s even closer—just 35 kilometers, and it takes only 20-30 minutes to reach.

At this moment, Chabashira is on a train heading to Chiba.

She is carrying a few items with her.

However, she doesn’t have many of her own belongings. Most of the items she’s carrying are things that Hikigaya entrusted her with.

First, there’s a very important suitcase.

Inside, it contains 8 million yen in cash.

Then, Hikigaya gave her an important document. He said it was something that could only be handed over to his younger sister, Komachi.

Lastly, there’s a bouquet of flowers to give to Hiratsuka.

Although Hikigaya had also given her a bouquet of flowers, Chabashira didn’t bring it with her.

Because if the journey is busy, no one would be able to take care of the flowers, so she entrusted them to her friend, Hoshinomiya Chie.

“…”

Hoshinomiya Chie.

At this moment, Hoshinomiya Chie is in the staff dormitory arranged by the school, gazing at a beautifully wrapped, flamboyant bouquet of roses.

If it were just a matter of receiving flowers, considering her cute appearance and acting skills, Hoshinomiya Chie is quite popular among the opposite sex, and she frequently receives gifts like bouquets.

Although she doesn’t have a lover, working at the school requires signing non-disclosure agreements and long-term residency agreements. So, finding a partner would only happen during rare holidays or… by simply taking what’s readily available.

In other words, internal consumption.

The school has around five or six hundred staff members, with more men than women. There are also a few hundred workers in the shopping district, so it’s still possible to build a family.

Now, Chabashira, who is usually cold and monotonous, actually received flowers and even accepted them.

Hoshinomiya Chie thought this was completely incomprehensible.

Because…

Chabashira…

You’re receiving roses now. Do you know what roses represent? They are a passionate declaration of love, a heartfelt promise.

So Hoshinomiya Chie immediately thought that these flowers were from Chabashira’s admirer.

And Chabashira actually accepted them…

Chabashira, how could you fall like this? How could you be so corrupted?!

Aren’t you focused on your class’s promotion to class A? But this time your class dropped, and yet you’re not even upset or troubled?

You should be wallowing in the past, continuing to feel the pain of your predictions coming true.

But instead, you’re enjoying the sweetness of love.

That’s too much!

…

And the fallen Chabashira Sae finally arrived in Chiba Prefecture.

Just as she arrived at the station, she was about to take out her phone to send a text message to an old friend when she unexpectedly saw a striking red sports car.

A tall woman wearing sunglasses, a white lab coat, and a black women’s suit was leaning against the car, seemingly waiting for something.

In that moment, their eyes seemed to meet, and the other person immediately walked toward her.

Chabashira’s mind suddenly formed an evaluation of the person.

[Beautiful and graceful, but unfortunately, her alcohol tolerance is poor. She starts drinking on her days off from the daytime and says drunken words. However, she is quite a reliable person.]

“Chabashira!”

“Shizuka!”

Both of them immediately recognized each other.

“You actually brought so much stuff.”

“Also…”

Hiratsuka Shizuka’s gaze landed on the bouquet of roses Chabashira was holding. The flowers were vivid and dripping with beauty, even carrying the fragrance of roses.

It was the kind of flower that made people want to like it just by looking at it.

“Did someone give it to you?” Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.

“Yeah,” Chabashira nodded.

“Ah…” Hiratsuka Shizuka’s voice dragged on. Although she wanted to congratulate her, she hadn’t expected that Chabashira would fall into a romantic relationship before her. How annoying.

And this was Hiratsuka Shizuka’s weak spot.

Whenever the topics of marriage or love came up, she became utterly useless.

“This is for you.” However, what was surprising was that Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had initially wanted to help Chabashira with the suitcase, was instead handed the beautiful bouquet of roses.

“This was bought by Hikigaya at school, and he entrusted me to give it to you.”

“Eh!”

These words immediately left Hiratsuka Shizuka stunned.

Then,

“Hikigaya… is it that Hikigaya?” She became flustered, because it was a gift from a male admirer.

No, Hikigaya is just a student.

Hiratsuka Shizuka quickly corrected her posture.

“He said he’s thankful for your guidance,” Chabashira said. “And the suitcase you’re holding contains the results of his efforts over this semester.”

“He’s very practical.”

“Eh!”

As a member of Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School and the person who once led Class D up the ranks, ultimately stopping at Class B, Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately understood.

If the items in the suitcase weren’t cash, they could very well be newly packaged items that could be sold off outside the school to get cash in return.

And if something like that happened, and then a bouquet of flowers was sent to her, it would make perfect sense.

…

Because it was inconvenient to talk at the station, they both boarded a train and ended up at a newly opened shopping mall’s café.

There were very few customers in the café.

The two of them found a table near the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

This was also Hiratsuka Shizuka being considerate of Chabashira’s feelings.

At Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High, there were exams every month, and while the teachers didn’t have to take exams, the students’ performance still affected the teachers’ pay.

At the same time.

The students were under closed management, and so were the teachers.

Exiting the school required a fine.

There were only a few days off each year.

It was a tough situation.

So.

Now that they had come out of the closed environment, it was natural for Hiratsuka Shizuka to want to bring Chabashira to an open space.

Thus, she chose a seat by the large windows.

…

Once the server brought the coffee, Hiratsuka Shizuka adopted a listening posture.

Because Hikigaya was the one she had sent to the school.

She knew nothing about his situation there or what had developed.

“Is that so…”

“He got placed in Class D.”

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn’t find this surprising.

She knew about Hikigaya’s history and some of the circumstances from the data, so it made sense that he would be assigned to Class D.

But.

“He actually… got promoted to Class A.”

“Hikigaya, he really pushed himself to the top, but I didn’t expect him to be this motivated,” Hiratsuka Shizuka recalled the Hikigaya she knew.

“You really know him well.” Chabashira nodded. “I made a bet with him. If he could get the class promoted to Class A, I would give him 10 million yen.”

“And now, that 10 million is right here.”

Ten million yen, based on the exchange rate at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High, meant there was currently 8 million yen in the suitcase.

It seemed that Hikigaya was still the same, hoping to be a house husband, rejecting the idea of being a serious working office drone.

So, he was collecting money first.

“But since he managed to get his class promoted to Class A, it looks like that school suits him well,” Hiratsuka Shizuka remarked with some emotion.

At first, she had thought that Hikigaya’s dream of becoming a house husband was impossible, but now it seemed possible.

Because if he didn’t want to work as a corporate slave, he either needed to meet a wealthy woman who would support him…

Or earn enough money so he wouldn’t have to work at all.

And Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High had the perfect setup for that; the more outstanding someone was, the better they were treated there.

Hiratsuka Shizuka also understood why Chabashira was leaving the school at this moment.

She had come to terms with it.

And now, she was reporting it to her.

“Congratulations, Chabashira, you’ve finally broken free from that moment. Congratulations, your time is finally moving forward from that point.”

As Hiratsuka Shizuka gently stirred her coffee with a spoon, she thought to herself.

She also realized that back then, she hadn’t wanted to see Hikigaya get excluded from school because he was late, so she gave him a chance. But now, it seemed that this opportunity had been given to her by Hikigaya.

By entering Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High, Hikigaya had also solved Chabashira’s internal struggles.

“How’s your situation here?” Just as Chabashira was talking about things at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High, she suddenly asked.

She noticed that Hiratsuka Shizuka seemed to have some concerns.

“Well…”

Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been classmates with Chabashira and had gone through many exams with her, and had a lot of mutual understanding, knew that her performance was likely not going to escape Chabashira’s notice.

So she said.

“Actually, I regret it a bit.”

“Regret?”

“Yeah,” Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded, “I have a friend’s younger sister. This friend used to be my student. She’s quite special. She’s the heir to a family, and she performs excellently in every aspect, living up to her name.”

“But because she lives up to this name, I’m a bit concerned.”

“Because I don’t believe there are such perfect people.”

“And then…”

“I realized.”

“She’s actually doing everything she can to meet the expectations of the people around her,” Hiratsuka Shizuka said.

“Let me put it this way…” Chabashira, who used to be the homeroom teacher of Class D and knew all about the bombs that had exploded in her class, was very perceptive about these things.

“She’s actually been playing the role of the heir and suppressing her true self?” Chabashira said.

“That’s about the gist of it,” Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded. “I’m really worried about her future state.”

“So I tried to reach out to her, and eventually, I got through to her heart, becoming a close friend who could talk about anything. I can’t solve her problems or her situation, but I can talk to her when she’s emotionally falling apart,” Hiratsuka Shizuka said.

“You’re still the same as before. You used to support and lead us, and now nothing has changed at all,” Chabashira said. “So, what happened with your friend’s sister?”

“She’s a student at Sobu High this year,” Hiratsuka Shizuka said. “She’s excellent in every way, with natural talent.”

“But.”

“She completely rejects social interactions with others and even thinks that interacting with people is a waste of time,” Hiratsuka Shizuka said. “At the same time, she doesn’t understand people’s hearts.”

“…”

Chabashira.

Strangely, a girl with black long hair appeared in Chabashira’s mind.

Horikita Suzune.

Horikita Suzune was also very cold.

“And this state will eventually be a disadvantage in society,” Hiratsuka Shizuka said. “I recommended she start a club at school, but unfortunately, it didn’t work.”

“She can’t open up to others, or rather, she hasn’t met someone who can melt the ice around her heart.”

I see.

Chabashira nodded.

Hiratsuka Shizuka’s situation was tricky as well.

As expected, both of them, being former classmates, were dealing with problem children.

“That’s really unfortunate,” Chabashira said. “If she could come to Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High…”

“Maybe things would have developed differently.”

What Chabashira meant was that if Hikigaya was at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High now, and if Hiratsuka Shizuka’s friend’s sister was in the same class, maybe she would have been influenced by him.

“After hearing about Hikigaya’s situation there, I also thought the same…”

As she responded, Hiratsuka Shizuka’s eyebrows suddenly raised and then furrowed.

In a moment, surprise, concern, and multiple conflicting expressions flashed across her face.

And Chabashira, following Hiratsuka Shizuka’s gaze, looked out the large windows and saw a very cute girl waving her left hand toward their direction.

Chabashira didn’t recognize the girl, but the girl’s waving direction was directly towards them.

Which meant…

This was someone Hiratsuka Shizuka knew.

And the girl, while waving, had already started walking toward them.

The girl was very cute.

She had black straight hair, not too long, reaching her shoulders, and the ends were a deep burgundy.

She had a very striking appearance.

She wore a white blouse paired with a knee-length black skirt.

She exuded a fresh university student vibe.

Her eyes had a slightly bluish tint, which gave a cold impression, but her face was smiling, immediately making her feel approachable.

“Yahalo, Shizune!”

“And…”

The fresh-faced university student smiled.

“This cool, yet slightly nervous pose when you see me coming, I get it now, you’re Shizune’s friend from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High, Chabashira Sae, right?”

Hmm.

The visitor wasn’t friendly. X2

Almost instantly, the alarm bells rang simultaneously in the hearts of both Chabashira and Hiratsuka Shizuka, who both came from Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High.

It was as if they had suddenly encountered some powerful opponent.

…

Meanwhile, at Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High.

The students were fully enjoying their holiday.

With living expenses at the beginning of the month and no special exams scheduled, it was very comfortable.

“It’s really fun to hang out today.”

With her golden messy hair, Kushida Kikyo, the little angel, had completed her social interactions for the day.

She hung out with Sato and the other “gyaru” girls.

She had a lot of friends in class, with everyone’s contact details. Although she had a say in class, and had her own small circle, she was a greedy person who often wandered into others’ circles.

But.

“Kushida-san, what’s wrong?”

“You seem distracted,” her companions noticed her unusual state.

“It’s nothing,” Kushida Kikyo lightly shook her head. “I think I had a little bit of milk tea yesterday, so I couldn’t sleep well last night.”

“Ah, Kushida, you’re the same way! I am too. If I drink that store’s milk tea, I can’t sleep at all,” one of the girls said.

“If it’s during exam periods, it doesn’t matter, but outside of that, it’s really terrible.” The girls immediately started discussing it.

Now, the students in Class A—oh no, Class B—get tens of thousands of yen for living expenses every month, so they can drink milk tea without worrying about it.

As for Kushida…

Even though she wasn’t the sharpest, Kushida had strong observation skills. Today, she had noticed several girls from Class A staring at her.

It was only now that they had finally left.

So, what had happened?

Why was she being followed?

Meanwhile, on the other side…

At Horikita Suzune’s place.

“The information I received is that when lights out time came, Horikita Suzune hadn’t left her dorm,” Kamuro Yusaku reported.

“However, Hikigaya went in twice.”

“But he came out about half an hour later.”

“When he went in, he was empty-handed, and when he came out, he was still empty-handed. Initially, it looks like he just went to eat,” Kamuro continued. “And Kushida doesn’t seem to have any intentions either.”

“…” Sakayanagi Arisu.

Sakayanagi Arisu was currently in her room playing chess.

Due to her health, she used to amuse herself, but since she was a genius, she had become exceptionally skilled at playing chess by herself.

Her skills were top-notch.

But now, she seemed distracted.

Because.

Hikigaya hadn’t given the red rose to Horikita Suzune, nor had he given it to Kushida.

Logically, these two were the closest people to him right now.

So, who exactly was Hikigaya planning to give the rose to?

…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

There were still two people who couldn’t understand.

“Don’t be so nervous,” the fresh-faced university student introduced herself. “I’m Yukinoshita Haruno, Shizune’s friend and also a former student of her. I’m currently studying at a national university. Chiba isn’t a big place, but there aren’t many families that count, and my family, the Yukinoshita family, barely qualifies as one.”

“I’m just a little curious,” Haruno said. “Shizune has very few friends.”

So, you saw her talking to Hiratsuka Shizuka and came over, right?

Chabashira thought to herself.

Somehow, this younger one, Yukinoshita Haruno, gave her a feeling of pressure.

“But, you were talking about my younger sister earlier,” Haruno continued. “Yukino’s performance this semester really has been bad.”

“She clearly wants to be like me, but there’s been no progress at all.” Haruno seemed to sigh a bit.

But Chabashira got the point.

Oh.

So, it wasn’t because she saw Hiratsuka Shizuka’s friend, but rather because she heard about her younger sister being discussed and came over?

No.

She must have already realized the situation with her sister, felt concerned, and came over to handle it.

Is she a sis-con?

Chabashira suddenly thought, after all this is Chiba.

So…

It seemed quite reasonable.