Sae Chabashira's bitter smile echoed in the quiet counseling room, carrying a trace of self-mockery and powerlessness.
She no longer hid her situation, exposing her true self completely before Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.
However, Ayanokoji's expression remained largely unchanged, as if he had long seen through Chabashira's bravado.
He did not continue to dwell on the topic of 'threats,' but instead followed Chabashira's anxieties, steering the conversation toward the core issue.
"Teacher, what you are truly worried about is actually not how this exam happened, but what will happen afterwards, right?"
Ayanokoji's voice was steady, as if stating an objective fact.
"The class has risen to Class C and obtained points. On the surface, it is a victory. But internally, due to Kikyo Kushida's exposure and the anonymous rumors, trust has already shattered. Externally, the other classes will likely not let this go. More importantly..."
He paused, his gaze seeming to penetrate the wall, looking toward a certain direction.
"Subaru."
When he spoke this name, it carried a unique tone of calm assessment.
Sae Chabashira's brows knitted tightly together.
Subaru was precisely the object she had been constantly worrying about.
Subaru was strong—very capable. This was something no other student could achieve; perhaps only Kiyotaka Ayanokoji could be mentioned in the same breath as him.
But Sae Chabashira could not see through Subaru.
She herself wasn't clear on what it was.
She just felt...
Subaru didn't seem like a student at all; instead, he felt more like an existence even older than herself.
Those eyes contained no emotion, only emptiness.
When meeting his gaze, Sae Chabashira, despite being a teacher, actually felt fear...
Not to mention the massive injury incident that occurred during the exam.
It was too vicious.
But the school administration had no evidence to target him.
Sae Chabashira also had absolutely no idea what Subaru wanted.
Previously, he had ignored the class completely, seemingly indifferent to everything. He had even directly caused the expulsion of Haruki Yamauchi simply due to his own likes and dislikes.
Yet, in this exam, he seemed to have taken action.
What exactly did he do?
"That's right. It is precisely Subaru."
"He is indeed the direct creator of this victory. Without him, we could not have obtained 500 points under those circumstances, nor could we have so thoroughly crushed Kakeru Ryuen and Class C. But, Teacher, have you considered what his purpose is in doing all this?"
Chabashira was slightly stunned.
"Purpose? For the class's victory? Or... to display his abilities?"
Ayanokoji slowly shook his head.
"According to my observations, he has no obsession whatsoever with the class's victory itself. Those points, that title of Class C—in his eyes, they are likely no different from stones by the roadside. What he is truly interested in seems to be... the process. It is the reaction of people under extreme pressure. He calls it 'color'."
"Color...?"
Sae Chabashira chewed over this abstract and eerie word, which she also seemed to have heard from Subaru's mouth before.
These words sounded truly somewhat bizarre.
"Yes. He seems to view everyone, including his own classmates, as experimental subjects for observing the manifestation of 'color'. Ryuen's collapse, the hatred and counterattack after Kikyo Kushida's mask was torn off, and even the suspicion and panic generated within the class by the rumors... In Subaru's view, these might just be 'interesting' experimental phenomena, the generation process of different 'colors'."
Ayanokoji's analysis was cold and precise, pointing directly to the core of Subaru's behavioral model.
During this period, Ayanokoji had been constantly observing Subaru.
He had once suspected that Subaru came from the White Room, or perhaps some other similar organization.
But very quickly, Ayanokoji negated this idea.
Because he sensed that after Subaru came to this school, he was indifferent to everything.
The only thing he cared about was the so-called 'color' he spoke of.
His style of action was definitely not something trained by a system.
The subjects trained by such institutions and organizations would absolutely be required to hide their thoughts and control everything from behind the scenes.
But Subaru would not even hesitate to hide his killing intent.
It was as if he would really kill the opponent.
Ayanokoji did not understand this behavior—
However, in his heart which originally held no emotion, a curiosity was added.
"This means he does not care about the 'health' or stability of the class. On the contrary, chaos, pressure, and conflict might be exactly the experimental conditions he expects. The huge success of this exam, rather than saying he led the class forward, would be better described as an experiment satisfying his personal desire for observation using the entire first year as a stage, which has now obtained phased data."
"What are you... saying?"
Sae Chabashira's face turned somewhat pale.
Ayanokoji's words clearly outlined the vague uneasiness deep in her heart and depicted an even more terrifying picture.
"Are you saying... that to observe these so-called 'colors', he could sacrifice the stability of the class at any time, or even actively manufacture chaos?"
"Not 'could', but 'is doing'," Ayanokoji corrected.
"Keeping Kikyo Kushida is a clear signal. He knows full well that Kushida is full of hatred and is a source of instability within the class, yet he insists on keeping her. This isn't to utilize her abilities—Horikita might think that way, but Subaru does not. He just wants to continue observing what kind of destruction Kushida's hatred will spawn, and what kind of 'colors' the others in the class will reveal when facing this continuous internal attack."
He looked at Sae Chabashira. His gaze remained plain, but his words carried the weight of a thousand jun.
"Teacher, you wish for the class to rise to Class A. But following the current trajectory, under Subaru's 'experimental' leadership, the class might be able to gain advantages and obtain points in certain special exams by relying on his unconventional means."
Ayanokoji's tone held no ripples.
"But at the same time, the internal cracks will continue to deepen and widen because he ignores or even catalyzes the conflicts. Trust will completely collapse; classmates will suspect and attack each other. Even more serious conflicts may occur. Externally, we will make countless enemies, and other classes will unite to apply pressure out of fear and resentment."
"I'm afraid that before we can accumulate enough points to rise to Class A, the class will first... collapse and disintegrate on its own because it cannot withstand this continuous internal and external pressure. At that time, let alone Class A, whether we can keep our current position as Class C, or even maintain the class without it scattering, will be a problem."
The future Ayanokoji depicted was cold and realistic, causing Sae Chabashira to feel a chill.
This was more terrifying than a simple exam failure; it was a chronic death rotting from the inside.
"...Then what should we do?"
Sae Chabashira's voice was somewhat dry. She found herself seeking answers from this student she had attempted to control.
"Do we... stop Subaru? But he... his ability is indeed..."
"His ability is a double-edged sword. It can cut through obstacles on the path ahead, but it can also cut the person holding the sword, or even destroy the wielder themselves."
Ayanokoji summarized.
Ayanokoji had once imagined whether he could convert Subaru into his own tool.
This was the White Room's modus operandi: utilize everyone who can be utilized.
Although Ayanokoji didn't have any specific goal at the time, such thoughts inevitably arose after coming into contact with Subaru.
The answer was negative.
Even with his peerless skills in manipulating others, Ayanokoji did not have the confidence to control Subaru.
On the contrary, Ayanokoji felt that the other party was extremely dangerous.
That was not a peer.
He was more like a terrifying monster beyond common logic.
No.
A tyrannical king.
Everything Subaru did was like a dictatorial king.
Everything had to proceed according to his plan.
Everyone was just meat on his chopping block.
"If you want the class to truly walk 'healthily' toward Class A, rather than falling apart before arriving, then restrictions must be placed on the use of Subaru. Or... before he causes irreversible damage to the class, find a way to balance or guide him. But this is very difficult, and also extremely dangerous."
He looked straight into Sae Chabashira's eyes and asked the most critical question:
"Teacher, you said before that you would pay any price for the class's promotion. Then now, facing this strongest weapon that might ultimately destroy the class, what kind of price are you willing to pay to control or stop him?"
"Is it risking a backlash from him to try and communicate with him, to establish rules? Or finding his weakness and preparing to take more drastic measures when necessary? Or even... tacitly accepting the status quo, gambling that the class can save enough points to rise to Class A before it collapses?"
Ayanokoji threw the right to choose back to Sae Chabashira.
This question stripped away all camouflage, pointing directly to her fundamental desires and bottom line.
How far could her obsession with "rising to Class A" make her go?
Would she continue to drink poison to quench her thirst, relying on the potent medicine that was Subaru, even if it meant eventually dying from the toxicity?
Or would she risk losing the immediate "shortcut" to try and manage this greatest source of risk?
The counseling room fell into a long silence.
It was getting late. The afterglow of the setting sun had completely vanished, and outside the window was heavy twilight.
Sae Chabashira's expression shifted uncertainly in the dim light, her hands unconsciously clenching tight.
Ayanokoji waited quietly, like a precision instrument, recording the human struggle between desire and fear, reason and emotion.
He had raised the questions and provided the analysis, but the final choice and action required Sae Chabashira to make them herself. The subtle changes in expression on the other party's face were seen clearly by Ayanokoji.
This was precisely what Ayanokoji had learned within the White Room.
And regardless of which path she chose, for him, it was all just a part of the observation.
"If your idea is to let the class rise to Class A, then you must face one possibility."
Ayanokoji stood with his back to the window, his facial features seemingly submerged in darkness.
"Then, I might have to go to battle with Subaru."
Battle.
With Subaru.
For some reason, Ayanokoji actually felt an interest arise in his heart toward such an idea.
The reason Ayanokoji came to this school was to witness the so-called mundane world.
The mundane world abandoned by the White Room.
He wanted to prove that his father—the creator of the White Room—was wrong.
If someone could defeat him, the supreme masterpiece, then that point could be proven.
Within this school, there was currently no one who could do that.
Except for one.
That was Subaru.
Ayanokoji believed that winning in the end was all that mattered.
But if the opponent was Subaru, Ayanokoji was not certain.
Ayanokoji's words were like a stone thrown into a calm water surface, stirring up layers of ripples in Sae Chabashira's heart that finally converged into stormy waves.
"A battle... with Subaru?"
Sae Chabashira's voice carried an incredulous tremor.
She looked at this student who always wore an expressionless face. For the first time, from his flat tone and his face hidden in the shadows, she caught a trace of something unusual.
That wasn't fear, nor was it provocation, but a kind of... almost pure assessment of and interest in possibilities.
Just like the light that would ignite in the eyes of a top chess player when facing an unprecedentedly exquisite endgame.
Ayanokoji's dark eyes held such an expression for the first time.
"Yes."
Ayanokoji's voice remained steady, but every word was incomparably clear.
"If Teacher's goal is to let the class steadily move toward Class A, rather than having its potential exhausted and eventually collapsing in Subaru's experiments, then inhibiting or offsetting his influence is necessary. And from the current look of things, perhaps I am the only one who can attempt to achieve this."
He paused for a moment, seeming to organize more precise language.
"Subaru is strong—very strong. His strength lies not only in physical ability or certain special techniques but even more so in his thought patterns, action logic, and his nearly cruel insight into and utilization of human nature. He is like a force that cannot be predicted, nor measured by conventional standards. Thinking of using ordinary student competitive means to confront or guide him is almost impossible. Horikita's rational analysis, Hirata's emotional bonds, or even the joint pressure of other classes... I'm afraid it would be difficult for any of them to touch his core."
Ayanokoji's gaze seemed to penetrate Sae Chabashira, looking further away.
"Perhaps, only I can do this. But Teacher Chabashira, you should be clear that when there is internal strife, the class will definitely experience labor pains."
Sae Chabashira ultimately did not give an answer.
She just waved her hand exhaustedly, her voice hoarse.
"...Let's end it here for today, Ayanokoji-kun. You... can go back. Let me... think about it properly."
"Yes, Teacher."
Ayanokoji nodded slightly, said no more, and turned to leave the counseling room, his figure silently blending into the darkness of the corridor.
He left Sae Chabashira alone in the deepening night, facing that difficult and dangerous multiple-choice question, and a future named "Subaru" that seemed to be heading toward self-destruction yet was filled with temptation.
____
👻🔥The Director is back! But with a brand new look, heheh...🔥👻
New Story: Classroom of the Elite: Black Sphere Academia
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnut-chan