Chapter 82: The true feelings of Tsukishiro are…

It was past 2 a.m. in the concert hall. I quietly opened the door and entered. Inside the spacious room, there were three people who seemed to have noticed me without turning around, or rather, two people.

"Jin...?"

Kiyotaka looked at me with a slightly surprised expression upon my arrival. Perhaps my presence here at this hour was a bit unexpected for him. But he quickly returned to his usual poker face.

"Calling two students out at this hour, what are you up to, Chabashira-sensei? If someone finds out, you'll have to take responsibility."

"Don't say that. Teacher patrols end at midnight. But, speaking with you two like this might be the first time since the first semester of your first year."

"That might be true."

Kiyotaka mumbled with an indifferent expression, showing that he remembered but wasn't interested. Shortly after enrollment, I and another student who was present here, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, were called by Chabashira to aim for Class A. However, Kiyotaka was the only one actually making moves, and I wasn't particularly interested, so I just brushed it off. However, summoning us here must mean there's something significant to discuss.

"Now, to the point. Summer vacation is over, and the second semester begins. And the next exams will start."

"Yeah, last year it went straight to the sports festival."

"Yes, exactly."

"I see... so, are there any special exams? Boring."

"Hmph, typical response from Horagasaki. But before that, there will be one special exam held."

"Seriously? Isn't that leaking information?"

"Don't tell me it's already started?"

"No, it's not like that."

Following me, Kiyotaka asked Chabashira . In fact, teachers aren't allowed to leak advantageous information to specific students or classes, but calling us here was all Chabashira's unilateral decision. There's no point in staying standing here, so I sat down at the podium.

"Vice Chairman Tsukishiro was trying to eliminate you on a deserted island at the risk of his own position. Naturally, Horagasaki, who was present at the scene, will be involved as well."

"I suppose so. If I may correct one thing, Tsukishiro had no interest in the chairman's position from the beginning. He took on that role only to eliminate me."

"So, there's such a powerful force at work."

Chabashira crossed her arms, showing that she completely didn't understand.

"Horagasaki, do you know?"

"No. I don't understand why Kiyotaka is fixated on this."

"I see."

"Are you ready to talk now?"

"...Yeah."

Taking a breath, Chabashira began speaking quietly.

"How do you two analyze your own class?"

"What do you mean by 'how'?"

"Do you think you have the power to move up to Class A?"

"Chabashira-sensei, is it normal to ask us that?"

"I want to hear it from you two precisely because you're you."

It's not just unusual. Chabashira lightly brought up the topic of the special exam earlier, probably because she has some thoughts about the next special exam.

"Well, I think we definitely have the most potential among the second years. However, that doesn't mean we can just move up to Class A as is. Catching up to Sakayanagi, who dominates Class A, will be quite challenging."

"Horagasaki, what about you?"

"Well, there's Hirata, Horikita, the athletic Sudo, and the brainy Yukimura . I think we'd be unstoppable if we could coordinate, but... we're not quite there yet."

Sensei should know the most about this school.

"Unity within the class, that's the minimum requirement. And that includes you, Chabashira-sensei."

Kiyotaka said, and Chabashira looked at him in surprise. She seemed to understand it.

"I... What kind of teacher do I look like to you guys?"

Chabashira had been interacting with classmates in a cold manner, almost abandoning them day by day.

"A teacher who can't give up hope even while thinking they can't win. In a word, that's it."

"A teacher with questionable attire. I was intimidated when I first enrolled."

"That's not what I meant, Horagasaki."

With a sigh and a slight smile, Chabashira replied.

"Just kidding. Well, if I had to say it in one word, it'd be... clumsy."

"Both of you are quite harsh."

"You don't push students to excel because you want to be in Class A yourselves, but because you strongly believe in those students who want to climb to Class A."

"Ayanokoji..."

"By doing so, you'll naturally find the answer. That's what I think."

"...You mentioned that the class needs to unite."

"Yes."

"And naturally, that includes both of you."

"Of course."

"Well, yeah, since we're classmates."

Kiyotaka and Chabashira exchanged glances, and she took a deep breath.

"What if I said I'm willing to discard my past self?"

"If you do that, I'll also discard my previous way of thinking. If you're serious about aiming for Class A, I won't hold back. Jin feels the same."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Kiyotaka asked back, finding this amusing. Somehow, I felt persuaded to agree as well...

"Yeah, that's right."

"That's what you're saying, Chabashira-sensei."

"...I see."

I didn't quite understand, but anyway, whether Chabashira would change or not with those words remained uncertain. But surely, if Chabashira could begin to face forward, the class would truly start to change. She undoubtedly carried a deep darkness within her. She seemed more fragile than I had thought, almost like someone whose outward appearance had grown up but whose inner self hadn't. I perceived Sae Chabashira , the homeroom teacher of 2nd-year Class D, in that way.

At this point, Kiyotaka sat on the piano bench and opened the keyboard lid. Naturally, both Chabashira and I could only look on in bewilderment. What's this, did Kiyotaka change his name to Piano Koji Kiyotaka ? While thinking such a silly thought, I was captivated by his performance. He played beautiful melodies, moving his fingers on the keyboard like a professional, soothing our hearts with pure sounds. After the performance, Chabashira , unusually, applauded.

"It's impressive that you can play the piano. While I'm not devoted to music, I don't think I'll ever reach that level even with practice. If I recall, the piece you just played was—"

Suddenly, a sound came from the back of the silent concert hall. Chabashira stood up in a panic and turned around. Emerging from the darkness was Tsukishiro, smiling.

"Beethoven's 'Für Elise,' isn't it? Although the difficulty of the piece isn't high, playing it flawlessly like that is truly remarkable. It's a pity that only the three of us—me, Horagasaki-kun, and Chabashira -sensei—were here to appreciate it. However, at this hour, students are prohibited from going out without permission. You're aware that there are penalties for breaking the rules, aren't you?"

"Tsukishiro, what is the meaning of this?"

Stopping Chabashira , who was about to make excuses, Tsukishiro gently intervened.

"Don't worry. As of today, I've been dismissed from the position of acting chairman. I'm just an ordinary civilian now. There's no need to report this to the school."

"With your level of ability, you can hardly be considered an ordinary civilian... Are you?"

"What do you mean?"

Tsukishiro conveyed to me with his usual smile that he knew nothing as usual. It was kind of sad. Maybe today would be the last time I could see that smile.

"...Can I trust you?"

"You don't need to trust me. However, since I showed up here, Ayanokoji-kun has noticed my presence. And of course, Horagasaki-kun must have known too. But Ayanokoji-kun didn't show any disturbance during the performance... Why is that?"

"It's simple. Even if we were to be punished, expulsion wouldn't be an option. For our battle, it's just a matter of whether we'll be expelled or not, that's all."

"Even if you knew that, most people would still be anxious. But seeing Horagasaki-kun, who's the most composed, is rather refreshing."

"It's not that big of a punishment. I've been suspended plenty of times in middle school, so I'm used to it. It's no big deal."

"You're quite a promising talent too. If you were to meet Ayanokoji-kun's paternal side, then... Well, that's just speculation. Even if I talk about hypotheticals, it won't make any difference."

Tsukishiro ended his talk with his usual smile. Kiyotaka closed the lid and distanced himself from the piano.

"So, is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"By morning, I won't be able to talk to you two anymore. Thinking about that, I wanted to talk to you one last time."

"Should I leave?"

"No, since there's something I want to tell you too, Kiyotaka, you can stay here too, Chabashira-sensei. The main topic is, just in case... Ayanokoji-kun, do you have any intention of submitting a withdrawal application and leaving?"

"Tsukishiro-sa—What exactly do you mean?"

At the mention of withdrawal, Chabashira -sensei showed a hint of anger.

"I don't intend to withdraw. I actually kind of like my school life here."

"If you want to stay here as long as possible, it's something to think about. However, this school is interesting. Nowhere else in the world can you conduct special exams on a deserted island. It reminded me of when I was obsessed with Boy Scouts as a child."

Saying that, Tsukishiro extended his hand in front of Kiyotaka.

"This is goodbye for now, Ayanokoji-kun. Can I have a handshake?"

Kiyotaka took his hand and returned the handshake.

"Then let's meet again sometime."

Tsukishiro patted Kiyotaka's left shoulder with his right palm and approached me.

"I wanted to have a serious battle with you once, Horagasaki-kun."

I returned the handshake just like Kiyotaka did. I couldn't see any hostility from Tsukishiro, only a feeling of wishing for consideration.

"If there's any obstacle for Ayanokoji-kun, it's up to you to save him. I'm looking forward to it."

Tsukishiro patted my shoulder like he did with Kiyotaka and left the place.

"Oh, and one more thing. Please disperse within five minutes."

We continued to watch his back until Tsukishiro disappeared, and the midnight dialogue came to an end.

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