Chapter 6: Chabashira Sae's Stock Rises
Although Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School's regulations differed significantly from those of ordinary high schools, its general layout was largely the same. For instance, the homeroom teachers' offices were located at the end of the first-year hallway, separate from the regular subject teachers.
Since regular teachers were not involved in the inter-class competition among students, their offices were situated on the opposite side of the school building—a measure to prevent leaks of class-related information.
Hikaru and Honami walked side by side behind Chie as they headed to the office to retrieve teaching materials.
Beyond that, however, the more important task was to print out the contract prohibiting the resale of school regulations from the homeroom teacher's computer. The contract templates were currently stored on the teachers' computers—a crucial step in executing the plan to enforce the selling rules.
"Dee-dee-da, dee-da-la!"
As the three of them moved down the hallway, Hoshinomiya-sensei at the front seemed particularly cheerful, humming a melody the boy had never heard before.
Hoshinomiya Chie, whose appearance was indistinguishable from a high school student's, had a voice as clear and pleasant as a child's, which Hikaru found amusing.
"Did something good happen, sensei?"
Honami, ever the expert at lightening the mood, spoke up in a casual tone.
"There sure did!" Hoshinomiya-sensei tapped her feet lightly against the floor, her voice still melodious. "Because today, I discovered two wonderful kids—and what's more, they're my students! Of course I should be happy!"
"...Is that so? That's certainly something worth celebrating."
Honami was still adjusting to Hoshinomiya's way of speaking, and her tone couldn't help but sound a little awkward.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, what time are the classes dismissed this morning?"
Hikaru had no interest in their trivial conversation—his focus was on more pressing matters.
"Eleven-thirty. There's about an hour left."
As they neared the office, Hoshinomiya-sensei stopped and explained.
"Today is the first day of school. After the opening ceremony, the morning schedule isn't packed. Aside from distributing textbooks and dormitory key cards, the only other task is electing class representatives."
"Once that's done, everyone can disperse and rest up for tomorrow's new classes."
"But aren't you two heading to Class A afterward? So after moving the materials, you'll need to speed things up and finalize the class representative candidates as soon as possible."
"Understood."
"By the way, our school's class representative election is a bit different from other schools," Hoshinomiya-sensei added with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of playful intrigue. "Because there's only one position."
"..."
Hikaru and Honami exchanged glances, immediately grasping the implication. After the In-depth rules had been revealed, their understanding of the school had deepened considerably.
If there was only one class representative position, its significance was self-evident.
Hoshinomiya-sensei observed their expressions and continued nonchalantly, "'Class representative' is just a term. You could also call them the class leader, class delegate, or person in charge."
"And what this person must do is lead the class forward."
"I see."
After glancing at Hikaru several times, Chie shifted her gaze to Honami standing beside him.
"However, I'm more inclined to recommend Ichinose-san as the class representative."
"Eh? Why? I think Hanashima-kun would be more suitable."
Honami appeared surprised by the teacher's suggestion and quickly expressed her lack of confidence.
"No, I share the same opinion as the teacher," Hikaru said calmly, his eyes resting on Ichinose's delicate face as he spoke slowly. "I believe Ichinose-san possesses a certain quality that I lack."
"What is it?"
"Approachability."
Hikaru didn't spare his praise—after all, kind words cost nothing, and they might even help raise his social stock.
"Ichinose-san has a natural air of trustworthiness about her. Even people meeting you for the first time would quickly open up to you. It's an innate talent."
"This ability could be invaluable in uniting the class. If any conflicts arise, I'm certain Ichinose-san could resolve them swiftly."
"Oh, come on, I'm not as amazing as Hanashima-kun makes me sound..."
Faced with such straightforward praise from the boy, a faint pink blush rose to Honami's cheeks, her delicate features unable to conceal her embarrassment.
Standing at the front, Chie watched the exchange with amusement and couldn't resist chiming in.
"Ah, youth truly is wonderful."
After this sigh of admiration, she carefully observed the pair before her. The boy on the left was tall and handsome, while the girl on the right was elegant and graceful. Even in identical school uniforms, they looked like a perfectly matched couple from a magazine spread.
"Hanashima-kun and Ichinose-san should get along well in the future. Who knows, maybe—"
"Ahem, regarding the class representative position, perhaps we should let the class vote on it. For now, we should focus on our main task."
Hikaru directly interrupted Hoshinomiya's suggestive remark.
"Fine, but I'll be looking forward to seeing how things develop between you two. Hahaha!"
As the three entered the homeroom teacher's office, Hikaru noticed a slender female figure standing inside.
"Oh, Sae-chan, are you here to pick up teaching materials too?"
Hoshinomiya seemed very familiar with her, even using a nickname.
"Yes."
Only when he got closer did Hikaru realize it was another teacher. Unlike the fashionably dressed Hoshinomiya, she wore a standard OL outfit—a pure black suit paired with a white blouse. Her long legs were encased in black pantyhose, accentuating their perfect curves.
Her delicate face carried an unapproachable air, but combined with her mature, sophisticated aura, it only added to her unique allure.
"I'm here for materials too, but I brought two new students—both exceptional talents I discovered today."
Hoshinomiya proudly introduced them to the ice queen: "This is Hanashima-kun, and this is Ichinose-san."
Then she turned to Hikaru and Honami: "This is Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher for Class 1-D. You can call her Chabashira-sensei."
"Good morning, Chabashira-sensei."
Hikaru and Honami greeted politely, but only received a simple nod in response.
Soon after, the icy teacher whom Chie affectionately called "Ko-Saegusa" quickly walked away without even exchanging a few more words with her.
"Ko-Saegusa has always been like this—not much of a talker. Don't take it to heart, okay?"
Hoshinomiya said this with a smile, but Hikaru caught a glimpse of something venomous flickering in her eyes.
Hmph.
It seems the relationships between homeroom teachers aren't so simple either. How intriguing.
Hikaru quietly tucked this discovery away in his mind, but just then, he noticed a new notification pop up on his system panel.
[Ding! Chabashira Sae's stock is now available!]
[Current stock price: 50]
[Total shares issued: 4000]
Huh???
The boy, who had just been sneering inwardly, was completely dumbfounded by this new notification. So, even teachers could raise affection levels?
Just how reliable is this system, anyway?