"..."
Recently, a certain piece of news had begun circulating on the message board.
The content was about a certain teacher.
No name was mentioned.
But it was basically the same as naming them outright.
Because with just a little thought, anyone could link it to a real person.
The teacher described on the board as—
"The one who teaches every day with a dead face, doesn't care about anyone, and looks like someone killed her mom"—
Which teacher could that be?
How intriguing.
At the very least, Asakusa Tōru was quite curious.
He honestly had no idea who had posted it.
And he also had no idea who the teacher in question was.
"Still… they've got guts," he muttered, raising an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the constantly refreshing message board on his terminal.
[So even Class D graduates can come back here and become teachers? For real?]
[Whoa, just imagining scolding those Class A guys as a teacher after graduating feels amazing. This is too good. If you can't beat them in class competition, just become a teacher and do whatever you want!]
[That's pretty nasty lol]
[But isn't the school even worse? They actually have special exams that force people to drop out?]
[If it were me, I'd definitely make someone drop out. There are people I really want gone lol]
[You've got some nerve saying that~]
Almost every second, new messages were being posted on this usually deserted board.
As everyone knew, external communication was restricted at Advanced Nurturing High.
Although students could access the internet, most information was filtered.
They could still use social media, post, like, and comment.
But if the school said "no contacting," then it meant no contacting.
At least, anything related to the school couldn't be openly posted online.
Rules were rigid.
But the school couldn't completely forbid students from communicating online.
So, the built-in message board on personal terminals was created.
…Even though hardly anyone used it normally, it still pushed notifications.
So once people started becoming active on it, the news spread quickly, and discussions expanded.
As for why people on the board spoke so boldly, as if they weren't afraid of being identified…
It wasn't tied to real identities.
Who cared?
Of course, if the school really wanted to investigate, they could probably trace everyone.
But once people started speaking freely, nobody cared about that anymore.
Even if the school found them all, were they going to punish everyone?
It was just random chatter.
Why take it seriously?
More importantly—
"If the school really steps in, it'll be even more interesting."
Because that would mean the "rumors" on the board would become "facts" acknowledged by the school.
So the administration probably wouldn't intervene.
At least, they wouldn't openly suppress the rumors.
After all, there was no reason to protect someone like Chabashira Sae.
When the class bell rang, Hoshinomiya Chie strolled into the classroom and sprawled across the podium.
"Alright, everyone, let's start class~"
She still reeked of alcohol.
It wasn't hard to imagine where she'd been before coming.
Prepared in advance, Shiina Hiyori pulled out a mask from her desk.
Then she raised her hand.
"Um, Hoshinomiya-sensei, didn't you always say that you and Chabashira-sensei have been close friends since high school? And that you call each other 'Little Sae' and 'Little Chie'?"
She had begun investigating the gossip on behalf of the class.
Well, even Class "A" students had basic human curiosity.
"Hm?"
Hearing an unexpected name, Hoshinomiya immediately straightened up.
Her sensitive radar picked up something suspicious in Hiyori's words.
But—
"Why don't you call me Little Chie-sensei?!" she shouted. "Where's the love?! Has our love faded?!"
"…There was never any love to begin with," Asakusa couldn't help muttering.
Seriously.
Most students just called her Hoshinomiya-sensei.
Even though she was approachable and close to students, very few were bold enough to call her by name directly.
That usually only happened in their second year.
After all, it had only been a little over a month since school started.
"Asakusa-kun—!"
Hoshinomiya slammed her fist onto the podium.
"That's exactly what's wrong with you!"
…Who are you, Yanami or something?
"Cute nicknames are the key to bonding!" she declared loudly.
"So? The answer?" Asakusa ignored her rambling and urged her to respond.
Pretending to be curious about the "gossip," even though he already knew the answer.
Although he had mostly ruled out his classmates as diary-copy holders, there was still a difference between not acting at all and putting on a little act.
Basic courtesy, at least.
"Well, of course… it's true!" Hoshinomiya rested her head on one hand and waved her lesson plan with the other.
"Little Sae and I go way back. You could say we're best, best, best friends~"
"So? Is there something about Little Sae you want to ask?"
"Her measurements? Whether she has a boyfriend? Or what type she likes?"
She spoke cheerfully, then suddenly remembered that it was Shiina Hiyori who had asked first.
"Oh, but one thing's for sure—Little Sae's orientation is normal, okay?"
Recently, there seemed to be some strange lesbian rumors spreading among students.
And since Hoshinomiya had noticed that Hiyori's gaze toward Ichinose Honami was a bit suspicious sometimes, she felt it was better to clarify.
"…No one's asking about that," Kanzaki Ryūji muttered.
Someone else quietly added, "I kinda want to know."
"It's that, that," another student chimed in, as if a floodgate had opened.
"I heard Hoshinomiya-sensei and Chabashira-sensei were both students here before."
"Sensei, is that true?"
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