158 Little Shimizu, you've hit the jackpot! Want to come to Class B?
Why would a homeroom teacher suddenly come looking for him?
Just after finishing lunch, before Shimizu Akira could even reach the classroom, he saw a teacher standing at the entrance of Class 1-D. It wasn't their own Chabashira Sae, but Hoshinomiya Chie from Class B.
She was wearing a short skirt today, her small lips pursed into a half-smile. Seeing him approach, she raised a hand in greeting: "Shimizu-kun, good afternoon."
Her tone was as light as if she were talking about some trivial matter. But because Hoshinomiya Chie was standing right there at the door, her striking figure immediately drew the gazes of the other students.
After all, Hoshinomiya Chie—to be fair—while her personality was a bit eccentric, her looks were impeccable. She had a curvy, well-proportioned figure and her style of dress wasn't conservative like other female teachers; instead, she looked polished and radiant every day, like a university student heading out on a date.
Adolescent boys are sometimes more easily drawn to a well-developed "older sister" figure than to the green, budding beauties in their own class. Combined with her naturally easygoing nature and her habit of greeting students from every class, she was a familiar face to everyone.
Caught by Hoshinomiya Chie at the classroom door, Shimizu Akira felt the surrounding gazes burn into him—a mix of curiosity laced with blatant envy. For instance, not far away, Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji were huddled together whispering, their shoulders bumping as they stared.
Shimizu could guess what those two were thinking with his eyes closed: "He's already been on a date with Kushida Kikyo, so how can he have such a cute teacher coming to find him personally?" They were likely hallucinating some far-fetched scenario in their heads.
He actually wanted to go over and knock some sense into their heads; the school rules clearly prohibited inappropriate relationships, and even if the school recognized student couples, teacher-student relationships were surely strictly forbidden.
But with Hoshinomiya Chie's gaze pinned on him, he didn't even have a chance to move. He could only let those inquisitive eyes burn two holes in his back.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, do you need something from me?" Shimizu Akira composed himself and spoke first.
"Come over here," Hoshinomiya Chie said with a smile, waving him over as if inviting him to share a secret.
"I just wanted to have a few words with you."
Shimizu: "..."
Although Shimizu couldn't guess her intent, he caught sight of the surveillance camera in the corner of the hallway and followed her as requested.
To his surprise, he had expected Hoshinomiya Chie to use her usual flippant attitude to tease him, but her expression now carried a rare hint of seriousness.
"Shimizu-kun, what exactly is your goal in this school?"
"...To graduate," Shimizu answered almost instinctively. Since the system had sent him to this world, his ultimate goal was to graduate successfully.
"And before graduation?" A touch of scrutiny entered Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes. "Do you want to graduate as a member of Class A? Or Class D?"
Shimizu Akira didn't answer this time. In truth, the answer wasn't very important to him. According to the system, his mission was simply to graduate from this school.
However, from a normal person's perspective, Class A was naturally the best—as the school's top class, graduates could easily enter elite institutions, like the University of Tokyo. Graduating from such a prestigious university meant stepping into world-class corporations as a matter of course.
"What about me, then?" Hoshinomiya Chie suddenly shifted the topic, lowering her voice slightly.
"I'll tell you a secret: I'm also a graduate of this school. Actually, I used to be a student in Class D as well."
She looked toward the window at the end of the hallway, her tone turning complex.
"I know Class D too well. Often, what stops Class D from promoting isn't a lack of strength, but the human heart—everyone refuses to unite, they love doing nonsensical things, and they only look out for their own interests without any regard for their classmates."
At this point, her expression darkened, as if touching upon an unpleasant memory.
"I'm not lying to you," she emphasized again, her eyes filled with a rare earnestness.
"Since this school was founded, no Class D has ever successfully reached Class A. As for what happens to Class D graduates... you can guess without me telling you. Shimizu-kun, I'm sincerely telling you that if you stay in Class D, there is no future."
Shimizu Akira was genuinely surprised this time. He could tell that Hoshinomiya Chie wasn't entirely lying—the Student Council President had mentioned to him that historically, no Class D had ever made it to Class A. As for her being a graduate, last week's intel had stated clearly that Chabashira Sae was her classmate in Class 1-D; since they were high school best friends, she naturally had been in Class D too.
To be fair, her current tone and expression truly looked like someone sincerely looking out for him.
But as the old Chinese saying goes: "To take, one must first give." She wouldn't go through all this setup and be this kind to him for no reason.
"So, Hoshinomiya-sensei means... you want me to join Class A?" He followed her logic and threw out a tentative answer.
"Oh my, Class A isn't that easy to get into." The seriousness on Hoshinomiya Chie's face vanished instantly. She gave him a mock-reproachful look, her tone returning to its usual playfulness. "Little Shimizu, you little dummy, what are you thinking?"
She flashed that nonchalant smile again. Only she knew that she had just breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed he had taken the bait. After all, everything she had said was the truth. He had no reason not to believe her.
As for the fact that she and Chabashira Sae had once led Class D together all the way until they were only one step away from Class A—she naturally wasn't going to mention that. She wasn't stupid; why would she openly tell him that Class D actually did have a chance to reach Class A?
Though, truth be told, they really were just one breath away back then. Thinking about the wretched things Chabashira Sae did back then made her stomach cramp with phantom pain, and any guilt she felt about poaching the other woman's student mostly dissipated.
'This is all what Chabashira Sae deserves!'
She snorted coldly in her heart. While a smile remained on her face, a very faint chill flickered in her eyes.
"But, Little Shimizu, you've hit the jackpot," Hoshinomiya Chie suddenly leaned in closer, her voice bubbling with excitement.
"I think you're handsome, and you seem to have caught my Ichinose's eye—it's not impossible for me to save a spot in Class B for you."
She tossed this sentence out with a giggle, her tone full of the pride of someone presenting a great reward. All that heart-to-heart setup and those laments about Class D's plight were, in the end, just the prelude.
This sentence was her true objective.