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Chabashira had been in a good mood these past few days, with even her usually expressionless face softening considerably. When speaking to others, her tone held more patience, and she even managed to clock in half an hour early for work.
This change, when observed by others, led many to wonder. Could it be that Chabashira-sensei was in love recently?
But the truth was quite different.
The real reason was actually very simple. Her Class D had been showing increasingly good momentum recently, and the hope in her heart of reaching Class A had also begun to light up little by little.
Class D had secured a full 530 class points in the first month alone, a result that indeed brought her comfort.
This number had once caused her to misjudge a week ago.
After all, based on her many years of teaching experience, it was rare for Class D to even break 400 points in the first month, let alone 530.
But on second thought, this result seemed reasonable.
After all, the students in this class not only obtained hidden information in advance but also rented surveillance equipment.
If they couldn't even get 500 points with all that, then this group of students should indeed consider collective withdrawal.
Although 530 class points still put Class D at the bottom among the four classes, the evaluation standard shouldn't be based solely on comparison with this one cohort.
Compared to the average score of 350 points for previous Class D cohorts, this time it was nearly 200 points higher, which was already a very good result.
'This should be the result of my and Shimizu Akira's joint efforts!'
This thought naturally surfaced in Chabashira's mind. She wasn't consoling herself but genuinely believed it.
Indeed, it was initially Akira who obtained the information from a second-year upperclassman.
But the crucial step was her spending 1 million personal points to buy this information and cleverly arranging for Akira to indirectly reveal it to Class D through Kushida or Hirata.
Without her intervention, Akira wouldn't have shared the information with the class for free.
As for the surveillance matter, Chabashira was even more certain about the person behind it.
'The one who rented the surveillance cameras was undoubtedly Shimizu Akira, right?'
She almost reached a factual conclusion.
After all, she was the one who personally set up that backup account for Akira.
When Hirata mentioned that the source of the information was someone named "Tsuki Ao," she immediately realized that Akira must be using that alternate account.
Later, when the surveillance incident occurred, she specifically asked Hirata for confirmation: "Is it the same person as last time?" The affirmative answer made her even more confident in her judgment.
This realization brought her complex emotions.
First, confusion. Why would Akira rather contact others to rent surveillance cameras than directly approach her, his homeroom teacher?
This deliberate distancing was almost as if he was avoiding her.
'I'm his homeroom teacher, after all...'
Then came shock.
The ingenuity of the surveillance plan far exceeded her expectations.
Having taught for many years, she'd never seen a student come up with such a comprehensive strategy.
At that moment, she almost called Akira directly to confirm, but in the end, she restrained herself.
She'd only casually mentioned last week that he could rely on her a little.
Because she already knew that he'd gone to see the Student Council President. The Student Council President was his collaborator.
Kushida from her own class had originally paid the surveillance rental fees to the Student Council.
She just didn't know if Akira had understood the subtle meaning in her words at the time.
Thinking of this, Chabashira's thoughts became even more complex.
She knew very well that she couldn't possibly use the alternate account issue to threaten Akira.
The reason was simple. She was afraid of losing this student, and Class D losing this student.
'20 million personal points are enough to apply for a class transfer. With his current points, what right do I have to restrain him?'
She silently calculated: Just from this one scheme, Akira had collected a total of 12 million points from the four classes.
And this was just the result of the first month of school!
'The personal points I accumulated in a whole year were far less than the amount he possesses now...'
At this rate, it'd be incredibly easy for Akira to accumulate the 20 million points needed for a class transfer within a few months.
'If my inappropriate actions caused him to transfer classes, wouldn't the hope that Class D had finally seen be shattered again?'
This possibility made her feel a sense of suffocation.
She had to admit that the current situation was completely beyond her control.
As a homeroom teacher, she felt the helplessness of being constrained by a student for the first time.
If she rashly revealed Akira's identity, the consequences would be even more unimaginable.
'How would the other classes view this matter?'
She calmly analyzed.
'They might feel that they were played, but more likely, they'd scramble to poach this person who played all four classes at the beginning of the school year!'
Akira already held 12 million personal points, which meant that the other classes only needed to gather another 8 million personal points to easily reach the 20 million standard for a class transfer.
And such things were already commonplace among the upperclassmen. In previous years, classes had not hesitated to spend a hefty 20 million to poach elite talents from other classes.
'Fortunately, when the class meeting was held in the second month, I didn't tell anyone in Class D that 20 million private points could be used to transfer classes.'
This matter somehow calmed her down.
Akira probably doesn't know that 20 million points can be used to transfer classes.
That means, even if he has 20 million points, he won't transfer classes and will remain in Class D.
Actually, to be fair, even if Akira stays in Class D, it doesn't offer any particular advantage to Class D as a whole.
Because this person, even if he stays in Class D, doesn't intend to contribute to the class. He's all about quid pro quo.
Whether it's selling information or renting surveillance, Class D seems no different from other classes.
However, she could also see that Akira was probably someone who responded to gentle persuasion but not to force.
Spending more time with the students in the class might slowly change his mind.
Perhaps he'd genuinely lead Class D forward, though that possibility was very low. What if?
At the very least, as long as he remains in Class D, the class will retain the right to prioritize buying information, and it won't allow other classes to strengthen their hard power.
'So, not only can I not reveal his identity...'
'Instead, I must do everything possible to protect the "Tsuki Ao" alias.'
'Even if Class D has to pay Shimizu Akira more points, it doesn't matter! As long as we can successfully advance to Class A in the end!'
'This is the optimal decision I can think of for Class D right now.'