"Class, self-study for now. Miyako, come with me for a moment."
To prevent the situation from escalating, Chabashira chose to cut short the class discussion and summoned Amane alone.
"Amane…"
Horikita began to rise, intending to follow Amane out, but Amane gently pressed her back down.
"It's fine."
If it were about age, then Chabashira-sensei undoubtedly held an overwhelming advantage. But as for other things… Heh. Amane had just a tiny bit of confidence in herself.
Amane followed Chabashira-sensei out the door, but the teacher didn't stop there. She headed straight for the rooftop.
Come to think of it, Amane had expected Chabashira-sensei to speak with her in the staff office or the tea room like last time.
But this time, Chabashira had chosen the rooftop.
During class hours, the rooftop was arguably the safest place, one where teachers rarely showed up. Of course, Chabashira was an exception.
Amane watched as Chabashira-sensei deftly pulled out a slim case of women's cigarettes from her pocket and lit one right in front of her, a student.
Amane recognized the brand—a pack of ten slender cigarettes, notoriously expensive. Who knew teachers at this school earned such a high income?
"Want one?" Chabashira casually offered one to Amane.
Amane took it, instinctively patting her pockets before suddenly remembering something and hurriedly handing it back to Chabashira Sae.
"I'm still a kid. I don't smoke."
Chabashira's expression turned peculiar. After a long pause, she simply let out a soft "Hmm." And so, she slowly savored the cigarette in front of Amane, showing no intention of starting a conversation.
But Amane wasn't anxious. Though she'd never formally negotiated with anyone, she knew the story of Sasaki Kojirō and Miyamoto Musashi's duel at Ganryū Island.
In any negotiation, the one who loses patience first loses. So, if Chabashira wasn't speaking, Amane wouldn't push.
This left Chabashira somewhat surprised. The seemingly brash, chatty Amane should have been the impatient type.
Yet here she was, holding her tongue. Perhaps she had underestimated her.
Chabashira recalled the interviewer's evaluation of Amane. None of those exaggerated comments seemed to fit.
The two stood in a stalemate for what felt like half the class period. Finally, Chabashira broke the silence.
"Miyako, do you have some dissatisfaction with my methods?"
Chabashira intended to test Amane's attitude toward her.
If it was merely dissatisfaction, there might still be room for reconciliation. But if it was vehement opposition, things would turn troublesome.
She knew about the matter involving Ayanokōji, but she remained skeptical about terms like "talent" or "genius." She didn't believe that after losing Horikita—someone competent, driven, and eager to prove herself—Ayanokōji would still fulfill his promise to her.
Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Ayanokōji realized she had deceived him and might even seek revenge. What a headache. Why couldn't she fulfill the dreams she had as a student?
"Yes, I'm dissatisfied. Even if you plan to abandon Suzune, you shouldn't use such a disgusting method."
Faced with Amane's accusation, Chabashira actually felt relieved.
Though Amane's words were harsh, her tone remained measured, suggesting there was still room for maneuver. She knew Amane was someone who could influence Horikita.
If she could placate Amane, she might not have to go through with her plans.
"I think you've misunderstood. I never intended to abandon Horikita. I only wanted to use this method to temper her. Don't you think that someone who messes up even a study meeting has inherent flaws in their character?"
Chabashira tread carefully, avoiding Amane's triggers to prevent provoking her. But what she hadn't anticipated was that Horikita Suzune herself was Amane's trigger.
"My Suzune doesn't need you to temper her."
"Your Suzune? How interesting. How long have you even known her? Do you truly understand Horikita Suzune? Do you know why she must reach Class A?"
A mocking smile played on Chabashira's lips.
She believed Amane was simply too close to Horikita to tolerate seeing her suffer even the slightest harm. But… adversity was the fastest catalyst for maturity.
Only through humiliation, learning to compromise, to kneel, to understand concrete power, and to realize there are no absolute truths could one truly mature.
For Amane to spout such naivety in front of her—Chabashira found it laughable.
"I know. But does reaching Class A mean we have to carry hopeless dead weight along?Chabashira-sensei… I'm starting to seriously wonder if you were the one dragging others down during your own student days."
Amane's words struck a nerve.
"Whether I was dead weight or not, what's it to you? Do you even know what it means if someone gets expelled?"
"It means the class can move forward more smoothly. And, as I've said before, there's more than one way to reach Class A, right?"
Amane slowly closed the distance between them, lifting her head to meet Chabashira Sae's gaze. Her cold stare made Chabashira instinctively take a step back.
"S-So you know about that too? Fine, yes, with twenty million points, you can reach Class A. But that's an impossible task. Since this school was founded, the highest amount of personal points anyone has ever had was just over ten million, and that was obtained through deception…"
Before Chabashira could finish, Amane raised a hand to stop her.
"What if I can do it?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Do you have any idea how much twenty million points is? Even if you were in Class A, earning two hundred thousand points a month until graduation would only total seven hundred twenty thousand points!"
Chabashira felt as though Amane was joking with her, and she even lost the desire to continue the conversation. In her eyes, Amane was just being unreasonable to shield Horikita from hardship.
"Then what do you think, sensei? As third-year students approach graduation, would they prefer to spend all their points, or would they find it more useful to convert those points into real cash?"
Chabashira, who had been about to leave, paused mid-step.
"You do know points and currency are equivalent, right?" She glanced back at Amane.
"Of course I know."
"That's twenty million points. And if we include you, that's forty million points. Forty million…"
"Is that a lot?"
Amane's single sentence left Chabashira speechless.
She wanted to refute such an absurd idea, but her intuition told her that, barring external interference, Amane's plan was highly feasible with sufficient funds.
Suppose each person in Class A of the third year had three million points. It would only take thirteen or fourteen people to pool forty million.
If individuals had fewer points, they could aggressively buy points from all four classes.
As graduation neared, surely some would consider it… This plan seemed never to have been considered before.
This kid… she's got me cornered.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.