Chapter 23: Chabashira-sensei, You Don't Want to See Your Students Stuck in Class D Either, Do You?
Chabashira Sae began her lecture, but the students below the podium couldn't process a single word at this moment.
The S-System, Class Points, expulsion...
This information was far too much for them to digest in such a short time. On the first day of school, they had thought they had arrived in heaven. Now, the students realized that this place was essentially hell.
However, at the very least, during this class, no one whispered or played on their phones anymore—
Except for Katsuragi Keima.
Once the bell rang, Chabashira Sae quickly packed her things and walked out of the classroom. She hadn't gone far before she heard a set of footsteps behind her.
"Please wait a moment, Chabashira-sensei."
Chabashira Sae turned around. The person standing behind her was none other than Katsuragi Keima. However, even as he spoke to her, his gaze remained fixed on the handheld console in his hands.
"Katsuragi, is there something you need?"
"You said before that points can buy anything in this school, right?"
"Indeed. As long as it doesn't violate the law or school regulations, it can be bought."
"Then I want to buy the right to play games in all future classes," Keima stated.
"Oh?"
Chabashira Sae's brow twitched slightly, as if she wasn't certain she had heard him correctly. Keima continued:
"I asked Mashima-sensei last period. He can only give me the right to play in English class and cannot interfere with other subjects. Plus, twenty thousand points a month is a bit of a bad deal. He suggested I find you, Chabashira-sensei. I figured as a homeroom teacher, you might have a more preferential price?"
"Are you serious?"
Chabashira Sae scrutinized the boy before her; the lenses of his glasses reflected the game footage on his screen.
"I am serious. After all, playing games in class should affect the Class Points, right? I want to 'buy out' that impact. Once I pay the points, playing games in class becomes a legitimate behavior for me, and points will no longer be deducted."
"Why are you doing this?"
A flash of confusion crossed Chabashira Sae's eyes. Even though he already knew the school rules, Katsuragi Keima still came to her for this kind of transaction. Why?
"To play games during class, obviously. On average, I have to spend four or five hours a day in the classroom; that's prime gaming time."
Chabashira Sae pursed her lips. Even having led several Class Ds and seen countless students "rotting away," she had never encountered anyone who could say something so outrageous with such a straight face as Katsuragi Keima.
While Chabashira was lost in thought, Keima continued:
"If it's just me alone, the impact on Class Points probably won't be that huge. It's just that some people in the class will surely be dissatisfied with my behavior. It would be a hassle if they interfered with my gaming, which is why I want to do this."
"I see. To go to such lengths just to play games... Katsuragi Keima, you're the first I've ever seen."
A smile reappeared on Chabashira Sae's face. "Fine, this can indeed be bought. Eighty thousand a month. In all classes, you can play games without points being deducted."
"That's a bad deal."
Keima rejected Chabashira Sae's proposal without hesitation.
"What?"
"High school lasts three years, with an average of eight months of classes per year. That's twenty-four months in total, accumulating to 1.92 million points. That's not a small number. And given the current situation, it's impossible for me to come up with that many points in the first few months. So, I have another idea."
"Oh?"
"Naturally, I intend to haggle a bit."
"What qualifications do you have to haggle with me?"
"My academic ability—let me save first."
After saving his game, Keima put the handheld away. He pushed up his glasses and looked directly at Chabashira Sae.
"I have excellent academic ability. You said that exam results also affect Class Points. My grades will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the class. Since individual points are tied to Class Points, the revenue I can bring to the class should be quite substantial."
"You certainly talk big, Katsuragi Keima. Perhaps your grades are good, but in this school, what's required is more than just grades. Furthermore, at the end of the day, you're all just Class D students. Even if your individual grades are good, what can that change? Unlike Class A, Class D is a collection of the most 'trash' students."
Chabashira Sae's inquiry seemed to carry a hint of mockery.
"First of all, no matter what the exam is, it's essentially no different from a game—you just find the correct answer. Additionally—"
Keima's sharp gaze pierced through his glass lenses. This was one of the few moments Chabashira Sae saw Keima's face head-on, as he usually had his head down gaming.
"If our Class D consists of the most 'trash' students, then wouldn't that make you the 'worst' teacher, Chabashira-sensei?"
"You really have a nerve, don't you?!"
"Class D students indeed lack discipline and initiative, but as a teacher, it's your duty to guide students toward the right path. If it weren't, what would be the point of the school's existence? Yet you haven't done that; even your teaching is perfunctory. The reason we were assigned to Class D isn't much different from the reason you are our homeroom teacher, is it?"
Keima's words were like a sharp sword, but Chabashira Sae only looked at him with a stern expression. She had never seen anyone dare to speak to her, a teacher, in such a manner.
"Just like the characters in games—if you ignore them and don't provide care and help, they are very likely to go astray and reach a Bad Ending."
Keima took a step forward, closing the distance to Chabashira Sae.
"Don't you want to go a step further, Chabashira-sensei? For instance... being promoted to Class A?"
As he spoke, Keima watched Chabashira Sae's expression without blinking. In order to play games in class in the future, Keima decided to take the initiative against her. He wasn't certain of her true thoughts, so he spoke this way deliberately to test her reaction.
Even though Chabashira Sae wasn't one of his capture targets, it seemed the methods from games could still be applied. The more intense the emotional fluctuations, the more a person's true heart is revealed.
Watching the subtle changes in her expression, a smirk appeared on Keima's face.
'I have already seen the ending.'
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