"Then… what was the reason you called me?" Ayanokoji asked, his voice calm as always.
"Hmm, about that… come over here first." Chiyabashira-sensei replied, glancing briefly at the wall clock before opening a small side door inside the guidance room.
She stepped into what looked like a modest office kitchenette and placed a kettle on the stove."I'll be making some green tea. Roasted green tea okay?"
Ayanokoji silently picked up the container on the counter, his eyes briefly scanning the label.
Before he could say anything more, her tone suddenly shifted.
"Don't do anything unnecessary. Enter quietly. Until I tell you to come out, stand here and keep silent. If you don't… you'll be expelled."
"…Huh? What's that supposed to mean—"
But she didn't explain. Just shut the door between us.
I obviously knew what this was about.
A few moments passed. Then I heard the main door to the guidance room open.
"Come in," Chiyabashira said flatly. "Now then, what do you have to say to me, Horikita?"
"I'll ask you directly, Sensei. Why was I placed into Class D?"
"A direct question, huh?" Chiyabashira raised an eyebrow.
"Today, you explained that the classes were divided based on merit. That Class D was a collection of leftovers. I want to know why I was categorized that way."
"I did say that, yes. Sounds like you consider yourself among the superior students."
"I believe I answered almost every question correctly on the entrance exam, and I made no major missteps during the interview. Based on my ability, I don't belong in Class D."
Chiyabashira crossed her arms and gave a faint, almost smug smile. "Nearly perfect on the entrance exam, huh. Normally, we don't reveal individual results. But I'll make an exception."
There was a soft rustle of paper. "I just so happen to have your answer sheet here."
"…I see. So you anticipated I'd come to question this."
"I'm a teacher. I know my students well enough. You ranked third among all incoming first-years. Only a few points behind first and second. Your performance was excellent. No issues noted during the interview either—you were even rated highly."
"…Thank you. Then—why?"
"Let me ask you something in return: why are you so dissatisfied with Class D?"
"Because being placed below where one truly belongs is frustrating. And as you said, class rankings directly affect future outcomes. It's only natural I would be unhappy."
"Frustrated because you weren't properly evaluated, huh." Chiyabashira chuckled openly this time. "You think too highly of yourself."
"…Excuse me?"
"Sure, your academic ability is high. I won't deny that. But who ever said superior classes are based on academics alone? We never said that."
"Isn't that… common sense?"
"'Common sense'? That so-called 'common sense' is exactly what broke this country. Back then, scores alone were everything. The result? A rigid hierarchy where even the incompetent could brute-force success if they had the resources. It became hereditary."
Horikita said nothing. Her silence spoke volumes.
"We do value intellect, Horikita. But this school's mission is to raise individuals who excel in all fields. Just being smart won't cut it. We said as much during the entrance ceremony."
"…Then why are students like Sudou here?"
"Exactly." Chabashira gave her a knowing look. "If this were only about academics, students like him wouldn't have made it through the front door."
Horikita faltered, just slightly.
"And another thing. You said everyone wants to be accurately evaluated. That's not entirely true. Think about it: Class A students are under constant pressure. Being at the top means eyes are always on you—faculty, other students, outsiders. Some people prefer freedom over recognition."
"That's absurd. I can't understand that way of thinking."
"Really?" Chabashira smiled thinly. "I think there are a few in Class D who do. Students who are perfectly fine being underestimated."
Her eyes flicked toward the kitchenette door for just a second. Koenji, Ayanokoji… and me, probably.
Still, one question kept bothering me. If she figured out I was holding back, how? My test paper had been nothing special, and a 73 wasn't exactly worth raising eyebrows over…
Horikita wasn't done yet.
"You still haven't answered clearly. Was my placement into Class D truly justified? Or was it a mistake in evaluation? Please verify."
"There's no mistake. You belong in Class D, Horikita. That's your starting point."
"...I see. I'll take this matter up with the school directly."
.
.
It looked like Horikita had decided her homeroom teacher wasn't the right person to press. But she wasn't giving up either.
"You'll get the same answer no matter who you ask," Chiyabashira said.
"There's no need to be that disappointed. As I mentioned this morning—class rankings aren't fixed. You can still climb to Class A before graduation."
Horikita's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't sound like a simple path. How is Class D, as immature as it is, supposed to surpass Class A? That's unrealistic."
She wasn't wrong. The point gap this time was overwhelming.
"I wouldn't know," Chabashira shrugged. "That's up to all of you. But tell me—do you have a specific reason why you must be in Class A?"
"That is… I will excuse myself for today. However, please remember that I still do not understand."
"All right. I'll remember that."
Just as Horikita turned toward the door, Chiyabashira smiled faintly. "Oh, right. I called a few other students here today. They're also… relevant to you."
'Relevant to her?' I raised an eyebrow.
'When the fu- Did i become relevant to horikita!?'
"Relevant to me…? Don't tell me—Niisa—"
"Come out, Ayanokoji. Miyamizu."
Neither of us moved.
"If you don't come out… you'll be expelled."
Ayanokoji started to move out immediately.
As for me… I stood in place.
[Sir, analysis suggests she has no legal grounds to expel you without cause.Probability of bluff: 97.2%.]
'I know that, Jarvis… but if I stay in here, it'll just make things worse later.'
I let out a quiet sigh and stepped out with Ayanokoji. He walked like he was bored. I walked like I'd been dragged out of a safehouse mid-heist.
Chiyabashira didn't even glance up from her clipboard."How long were you planning to make me wait?"
Ayanokoji gave a slight shrug. I followed close behind him into the room. Horikita's eyes widened the moment she saw us.
"Were you… listening to everything?"
"Listening?" Ayanokoji repeated. "I heard you two were talking, but the walls are thick."
He glanced at me.
"Same. I couldn't make out anything."
"Lies," Chiyabashira said immediately. "You can hear everything clearly from that kitchen."
"…Sensei. Why would you set that up?" Horikita frowned, clearly not okay with it.
"Because I decided it was necessary." She looked up at the two of us. "Well then, let me explain why I called you both."
"…Excuse me then." Horikita turned, trying to take her leave.
"Wait," Chiyabashira said. "It'd be better if you stayed. This is a hint for how to reach Class A."
That got her. She hesitated… then stayed with a sharp sigh."Fine. Please keep it short."
Chabashira laughed under her breath. "You're an interesting student, Ayanokoji."
I leaned slightly to the side, just enough to avoid being in the line of fire. It was his turn now. I'd deal with my own problems after.
"I'm not interesting at all, Not as interesting as someone named Chiyabashira. That name's rare."
"Want to prostrate yourself in front of every Chabashira-san in Japan, hmm?"
"I'll pass."
She pulled out his answer sheet and tapped it once.
"After your entrance exam, I was considering individualized teaching methods… but this caught my eye. Your results were surprising."
"50 points in Japanese. 50 in math. 50 in English, history, and science. And your most recent test: also 50 points. You know what that means?"
"What a terrifying coincidence," he replied, deadpan.
"Oh? Still pretending it's a coincidence?" She arched a brow. "It's obviously intentional."
"You can't prove that. And besides, what would I even gain from doing that? If I had the brain for perfect scores, I'd just get them."
She stared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh of disbelief."Honestly… you're weird. Math problem #5 was solved by only 3% of students. You used a complex formula flawlessly. But you got question #10 wrong. That one had a 76% correct rate. Accident? Or is that your 'normal'?"
"I don't know what's normal. Coincidence. Just a coincidence."
"Good grief… Your attitude is admirable, but it'll backfire someday."
"I'll cross that bridge when I feel like it."
Chabashira turned to Horikita with a slight smirk. "Well? What do you think?"
"…Why do you pretend not to understand?" Horikita asked.
"I'm not pretending. Coincidence, remember? I'm not hiding some genius IQ or anything."
'You sure about that?' I thought.
"What do you think, Horikita?" Chabashira added. "He might be smarter than you."
"I just don't like studying," Ayanokoji shrugged. "And I don't feel like trying. That's all."
"There are students who don't care if they're in Class A or D. Like Koenji, You Or Miyamizu."
'Wait… me?'I blinked, caught off guard.
'If she really thought that i didn't care about being in class D or A then she was mistaken, I just didn't want to work for it.'
"What other reasons could there be?" Horikita asked.
"Want me to explain it in detail?"
"No, that's enough. If I keep listening, I'll lose my mind and destroy all the furniture in this room."
"If you do that, Ayanokoji will be demoted to Class E."
"There's a Class E?"
"There is," she said. "Class E stands for 'Expelled'."
That shut Horikita up.
And then… her gaze slowly turned toward me.
Chiyabashira straightened her clipboard and looked at me next.
"Now then… Miyamizu."She tapped a new paper on the board. My heart sank.
"I wasn't planning to dig deeper. But your test result caught my eye. 73 points. A fairly average score—nothing suspicious at first glance…"
She paused, flipping to another page.
"You scored higher in some subjects, lower in others—natural variance, one would think. But the total average? Exactly 73."
'Wtf, Is she even more desperate to reach class A then the anime, There is nothing wrong with that score.…'
"Then I looked at your entrance exam."
My heart skipped a beat.
She placed another answer sheet beside the test result.
"Also exactly 73. Across the entire exam. Different structure, different difficulty level… but the average, again, was identical."
'Wait, what?'
[Sir, this development is highly inconvenient. Recommended response: strategic denial or sudden coughing fit.]
'Jarvis, I swear—'
Chiyabashira narrowed her eyes.
"Twice now, across entirely different tests, your scores have averaged out to exactly 73."She tilted her head. "It starts to look deliberate."
I blinked. 'I didn't even know my entrance exam score…'
Horikita's expression turned thoughtful—more observant than accusatory. I could feel her analyzing me.
I stayed silent.
[Sir, would now be a good time to fake amnesia?"]
'Would you stop?'
After all their constant back-and-forths, Jarvis had become something like a 24/7 companion—his only consistent presence in a world where he hadn't made a single friend, though even he wasn't entirely sure why.
When someone knows every thought you have, no matter how strange, and remembers every memory you can't even explain… at some point, trust stops being a choice. It just happens.
"You know, Miyamizu… there was another thing that stood out to me. It's minor, but now it feels worth mentioning."
"During the admission day, you claimed the three free items offered in the free section."
"We were all given a hundred thousand points that day. Why would he need free items?"
"My thoughts exactly," Chiyabashira said, tapping her pen to her lip. "I initially assumed he was just being overly stingy. Trying to save a few extra points."
"Isn't that... normal?" I asked.
"But most students were excited and careless with their first allowance. Nobody took the free items, Ever since the school started. And if you did know the points weren't permanent, wouldn't that mean... you somehow figured out the Schools system on the first day."
Her eyes narrowed.
"It's not just your score that's suspicious anymore. It's your entire approach. You blended in well, stayed quiet, showed no particular skills or ambition. But if you're trying to appear average... then why is that?"
[She's connecting the dots fast. We may need to gaslight.]
Horikita cut in with a firm voice.
"Miyamizu. Did you know beforehand that the school would reduce our points starting next month?"
"No," I said flatly.
"That doesn't sound like a lie… but it doesn't sound like the truth either," she said.
Chabashira's gaze flicked toward Ayanokoji.
"What's your read, Ayanokoji?"
He didn't answer right away. His expression didn't change.
But in his mind—
Up until now, He thought Miyamizu was a loner with nothing more than a slightly above average build and a habit of staying isolated. He doesn't talk much. He doesn't interfere with others. Just a quiet background character in the class. Nothing more.
Even during the swimming competition… Ayanokoji noticed. Miyamizu was holding back. But his capability wasn't impressive enough to make him concerned. So Ayanokoji ignored it.
But this… This was different.
This wasn't just hiding strength. This was perfectly constructed mediocrity. Which even Ayanokoji couldn't see through.
Miyamizu Yukio was someone worth keeping an eye on, was the thought process of Ayanokoji.
I glanced at him.
[I believe you are now inside the Ayanokoji Danger Radar Zone. Please panic accordingly.]
'Thanks. That helps a lot.'
Chabashira flipped the papers closed.
"You and Ayanokoji… both of you have this odd habit of masking your true capability. Though you, Miyamizu, do it in a way that almost feels… artificial."
.
.
(Chabashira reached this conclusion because, while Ayanokoji hid his abilities in a way that seemed average to his classmates, someone with access to his full provided background and exam data could see through the cracks. His scores were too uniform, his answers too calculated—it was as if he were trying to simulate mediocrity, but doing so with the mechanical precision of a machine. It wasn't a natural average; it was a deliberately constructed one, and ironically, that made it easier to detect.
Miyamizu, on the other hand, masked his abilities by blending into the role of an average student through a different approach—by actually becoming one. His grades weren't perfect scores across the board, but varied just enough to average out to a believable 73. To another student, he seemed completely ordinary—unremarkable, even. But to someone in authority reviewing both his entrance exam and current test data, the pattern was too consistent. Perfectly average. Not naturally so, but almost unnaturally balanced, which made his disguise harder to spot—yet all the more suspicious once noticed.
Then again if Miyamizu actually knew his entrance exam marks, he would have never gotten into this mess in the first place.)
.
.
"Please don't lump me in with him," Ayanokoji said flatly.
"Yes, at least I don't fake being dumb with surgical precision."
.
.