Another Like Me - Part I (CoTE x OC) ✔

Chapter 44 - The Paper Shuffle

Homeroom today was again extremely silent and suffocating. Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom, and stared holes into pretty much everyone sitting on their chairs.

She then spoke up.

"I'm genuinely surprised that everyone in Class D this time was able to pass the Midterm Exams. This is the first time in the history of Class D that there have been no expellees for this long. Congratulations."

The class openly gasped. The cold and rude Chabashira-sensei was actually being nice? Well, I guess no one else in the class has actually seen her softer side. I was a bit privileged when it came to that. She glanced at me once, furtively, and I caught her gaze.

Was she attributing her change in behavior this time to me? Did she, perhaps, change her demeanor because she thought that Class D this time actually might have a chance to ascend into a higher Class?

Is she planning to change her stance because she now knows that I can lead the class to Class A?

"You praising us feels weird," Horikita murmured, but most of the class had caught on to her statement. Everyone else in class seemed to agree as well; after all, everyone in the class is well aware that Chabashira-sensei never ends her speeches on a positive note.

Sensei ignored Horikita's assessment, and slowly walked around the class, as though trying to gauge a reaction out of the students. She stopped in front of Ike's desk.

"Ike, what do you think of this school? Give me your honest opinion."

Ike thought about it for a bit. "Umm, well, I'd say it's a good school. If you score well in your tests you get a lot of money to spend. There's tasty food, individual dorm rooms. You can buy games and stuff. There's movies and karaoke as well. Plus, the girls are cute....."

I don't think the last one has anything to do with the school.

"D-did I say something wrong?" Ike asked fearfully.

"No, not at all. In fact, I would say it is paradise. Even as a teacher, I feel that this school is excessively lavish. It almost defies common sense."

Chabashira-sensei remarked as well, and continued to patrol the class. She stopped in front of Ayanokoji's desk for just a second, but continued without asking him anything.

She then stopped in front of my desk. Of course she would stop in front of my desk. OF COURSE.

"What do you think of this school, Takeyama?" Chabashira-sensei asked me. "Give me an honest opinion."

So she wants an honest opinion?

But I thought she knew what I think of this school as a whole? Why is she trying to get me to express my thoughts in front of the class?

If I lie here, then she'll point it out. I cannot afford to have any of my classmates lose their faith on me.

"I think this school is extremely strange."

Whispers echoed throughout the classroom, and I could see Chabashira-sensei crack an almost invisible smile. But she quickly reverted back to her usual stoic expression.

All the attention on class was on me now.

"Oh? And why is it strange, Takeyama?"

"Isn't it fairly obvious? There's no limit to the amount of freedom we have here in this school. Like Ike said, we can do pretty much everything that is allowed by the law inside this school. It's like a mini-city. But it's the flip side of the same coin. There's how Class D students are treated in this school. Inferior to every other class. On one hand, we have a school that endorses freedom above all values. On the other hand, the school openly discriminates against defective students. It is, in simple words, hypocritical behavior."