"That shitty old man..."
A female voice dripping with deep malice and grit teeth slammed into the classroom first, as Hiratsuka slammed the classroom door shut with one hand, the door panel making a heavy "bang" that shook even the curtains by the window slightly.
Hiratsuka returned to the classroom in a huff, still muttering bad things about the school's board chairman, the rising malice on her making the boys (except Asakura) quiet as mice.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, what happened?" A brave girl asked curiously.
"News just came from Shuchiin's side—the collaboration has changed," Hiratsuka said.
"Eh? Are there no elegant, ice-cold noble young ladies to look at anymore?"
The boys wailed one after another.
"Eh? Are there no handsome, ice-cold noble young masters to look at anymore?"
The girls lamented one after another.
Honestly, isn't your fantasy about noble school students a bit too weird? Is being ice-cold a necessary condition?
Asakura, who had personally witnessed what the second daughter of a top prominent family, Chika, was really like, scoffed at this, and even secretly ate the bento prepared for him by his house-elf.
"The originally scheduled collaboration was a normal inter-school exchange activity, roughly involving clubs exchanging, learning, and sharing experiences with each other," Hiratsuka shook her head and said, "but it seems the Shuchiin side doesn't really care for this kind of normal exchange."
"So they went back on their word?" A student asked in confusion.
"No, they plan to drag in another school and hold a competition with Sobu High," Hiratsuka said: "Externally, it's called the Triwizard Tournament."
"Pfft... cough cough..."
Asakura spat sushi rice out of his nose.
"Brat, daring to eat during my class, you've got a lot of nerve."
Hiratsuka's razor-sharp glare swept over toward Asakura instantly.
Asakura made a pause gesture to her, finally managing to catch his breath: "Hiratsuka-sensei, what did you say the current collaboration is called?"
"The Triwizard Tournament." Hiratsuka stared at him for three seconds before answering, "Though based on school strength, it should actually be 'One Super and Two Strong'."
"Does this have any point?"
"Does racial discrimination and dividing people into tiers have any point? Does school bullying have any point? In the end, it's all just stepping on others to satisfy one's own morbid sense of superiority."
Hiratsuka scoffed: "That's why back then I..."
"Meaning this is something that's unilaterally disadvantageous to us?" Yui first looked at Asakura with concern, and after seeing his breathing return to normal, she knitted her brows and asked Hiratsuka in confusion, "Then would the adults like the principal agree to something like this?"
"They couldn't ask for it more."
Hiratsuka said with a cold laugh, her hand instinctively reaching toward her pocket—probably out of a habitual impulse to smoke a cigarette from annoyance, but immediately realizing this wasn't the faculty office but the classroom, she abruptly stopped her movement: "After all, the people behind Shuchiin are those they usually can't even suck up to even if they want to."
Using Sobu High's students as sacrificial offerings to strike up a relationship with those guys was practically the most bargain deal possible for the school board members.
At any rate, it wasn't like they were actually going to bomb the school with missiles; it was just letting the students' self-esteem and confidence get steamrolled back and forth once, so who cares. Compared to those high-and-mighty big shots in the Lighthouse Country, they were practically as noble and benevolent as saints.
In fact, it wasn't just the board members who didn't take it seriously; even in the current classroom, many students didn't care much about it, and judging by their expressions, they were even quite looking forward to the so-called Triwizard Tournament.
After all, living in this country, even if they hadn't actively come into contact with it, they had more or less subconsciously understood and accepted the existence of social hierarchy.
"So how exactly is it run?" Asakura asked: "Do we set up a flaming goblet and have students toss in paper slips with their names written on them to register?"
"What stupid thing are you saying? Wouldn't the name just get burned off then?" Hiratsuka looked at Asakura as if looking at an idiot: "Besides, a school-level collaboration doesn't have much to do with average students anyway. Judging from the current notice from Shuchiin, it's tentatively divided into three parts."
Looks like there's no Goblet of Fire.
What a pity.
"First is academic performance—the schools participating in the Triwizard Tournament will organize a joint exam, and then take the scores of the top ten in each grade for a side-by-side comparison, like Shuchiin's rank 1 against Sobu High's rank 1. The winner adds two points for their school. The second part is club competitions—clubs that reach a certain size must participate in club exchange matches against same-type clubs from the other two schools. Victory awards two points, runner-up gets one point, and the loser eats dust."
Hiratsuka explained.
Asakura suddenly realized—no wonder Hiratsuka was exceptionally patient with him today; it turned out he, as the second-year grade top, was also counted as one of the battle forces for the Triwizard Tournament, hence getting a bit of special treatment.
"What about a tie?" So he asked: "Setting club matches aside for now, if it's just exam scores, it would be very easy for a tie score to occur, right?"
"This exam is different from usual. Every subject won't be just 'one test paper', but has nearly ten test papers. So theoretically, the upper score limit is also ten times the usual. Within the exam time limit, you can do as many as you want. For slacker students who can't even finish one test paper, it might make no difference, but for honor students, the ceiling is raised immensely, and the likelihood of identical scores becomes lower."
Hiratsuka said: "If there's still a tie even then, weights will be calculated in the order of Math > Japanese > English > Other subjects, until a winner is decided."
"I see." Asakura nodded: "Then my Magic Club..."
"Shuchiin has no such club, give it up. The same goes for Yukinoshita's Service Club." Hiratsuka stared at him: "Rather than being distracted by impractical things, you'd better review properly and get a good score on the joint exam."
"Eh," At this moment, Yanami said, counting on her fingers: "Didn't you say there were three parts? Joint exams and club matches, aren't those only two?"
"The project for the last part of the competition hasn't been announced by Shuchiin yet," Hiratsuka answered.
"Doesn't that mean they can do whatever they want?"
Yui couldn't help clenching her small hands, an indignant expression on her face.
"That's the reality, but even so, the board... especially the principal actually agreed!"
Hiratsuka egged them on: "So everyone, say it with me—shitty old man!"
Students in unison: "Shitty old man!"
"What are you all saying!"
At that moment, the grade director appeared at the door.
He looked at Hiratsuka with an unfriendly glare, then swept his eyes over the majority of students who were acting like timid quails: "Shouting this kind of stuff together at school, what does that look like!"
"I'm a Japanese language teacher, so it's quite normal to teach students some special vocabulary, isn't it?" Hiratsuka had a composed look on her face.
"What kind of special vocabulary is 'shitty old man (くそじじい, kusojiji)'?!" The grade director fumed angrily.
"No, you misunderstood," Hiratsuka said as she wrote the characters '菓子思路 (also pronounced kusojiji)' on the blackboard: "It means 'confectionery path' or 'sweet little fellow'."
"How come I've never heard of this word?" Seeing her looking so confident, the grade director couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.
"It's probably just that you are unknowledgeable," Hiratsuka said, tossing the chalk aside and spreading her hands.
"You..."
The grade director gritted his teeth, but thinking of her far-from-simple family background, he ultimately swallowed his anger: "Don't teach words that are easily misunderstood in the future."
After saying that, probably feeling a bit embarrassed himself, he quickly left the classroom.
Just as he stepped out of the classroom and hadn't walked far, Hiratsuka continued in an instructional tone: "Well then, next we will teach the term 'dog's leg (狗腿)'—this word translates literally to a dog's leg, but in Todai slang, it means 'henchman' or 'running dog'~"
As soon as her voice fell, the grade director at the doorway stumbled violently and almost fell. He paused for a moment but didn't dare turn back to clash with Hiratsuka, only increasing his speed to leave even faster, practically hurrying away.
Hiratsuka let out a soft snort, reigning in her hostility: This guy appearing here so quickly was eighty percent likely acting on the principal's orders to patrol the school, seeing which homeroom teachers expressed dissatisfaction when conveying the news about the Triwizard Tournament during morning classes.
However, while other teachers might fear the principal and the board of directors, she didn't care in the slightest. Even face-to-face with the principal, she would dare to call him a shitty old man directly, let alone a mere grade director.
It was just a pity that even though she dared to speak out in anger, she couldn't stop the board's decision and could only watch as the schedule for the Triwizard Tournament was gradually pushed forward, her heart filled with helplessness.
Finally, she glanced at the quite excited students and couldn't help saying dispiritedly.
"Class dismissed."
☆
During lunch break, inside the Service Club activity room.
"Is it my imagination?" Yanami, holding a piece of inari sushi, looked suspiciously at Asakura and Asagumo, who was almost leaning right against him: "Is the sense of distance between Asagumo and Asakura-kun a bit strange?"
"No such thing," Asagumo said with a gentle smile hovering at the corners of her mouth, her eyes curving like crescents. While nimbly brewing warm tea for Asakura and gently pushing the teacup in front of him, she turned her head toward Yanami with a soft smile and a gentle tone, "The only thing strange is your eyes, Anna."
"Oh, I see. Sorry."
Yanami embarrassedly lowered her head and took a bite of her inari sushi, then suddenly snapped her head up: "Wait, no! What do you mean the only thing strange is my eyes?! My eyes are perfectly fine!"
Asagumo placed two bright yellow items in front of her.
"What's this?" Yanami asked.
"Cod liver oil, for eyesight," Asagumo said with a smile: "Eat more of it."
"Oh, I see. Thanks."
Yanami picked one up full of gratitude and took a bite of the cod liver oil, then suddenly snapped her head up again: "Wait, no! I already said there's nothing wrong with my eyes, hey! And this thing tastes terrible! After biting into it, there's a super strong fishy smell!"
Isn't your focus a bit weird?
"Asakura-kun, aren't you going to say something?" Yanami stared at Asakura.
So Asakura stood up and, under her gaze, slowly walked to the windowsill.
Then with a "thud" sound, he placed a flowerpot containing a single dry twig onto the windowsill.
"What is that?" Yanami asked curiously.
"I am Groot," it said.
"This thing can talk?!" Yanami paled with shock.
"Pretty cute, right?" Asakura nodded in satisfaction.
"Where is it cute?!" Yanami asked.
"I am Groot," it said.
"It took me quite a lot of time to teach it to say this sentence," Asakura said proudly.
"Occasionally I also wish Asakura-kun wouldn't put strange things in the Service Club activity room," Yukino sighed.
Unlike her usual appearance of always holding a paperback novel, this time the girl was surprisingly holding a textbook used for extra study outside of class.
"I am Groot." The twig began to twist around in a mesmerizing manner, and Yukino glanced at it.
"The Triwizard Tournament is bringing you pressure?" Asakura's gaze fell upon the book in the girl's hands, and he couldn't help but ask curiously.
"...No such thing," the girl said stiffly: "Just reviewing the old to learn the new, that's all. Rather, is Asakura-kun going to be fine continuing like this? As far as I know, there might be several terrifyingly high achievers over at Shuchiin."
"No problem."
Asakura was full of confidence.
"As expected of Takuma-tan!" Yui, who had been suspiciously looking back and forth between Asakura and Asagumo earlier, immediately praised him.
"Yeah, I have an insider in Shuchiin who has identified those academic gods," Asakura continued: "Before the joint exam, I'll put a curse on those guys to turn them into snakes."
"As expected of you," Yukino said meaningfully.
"Ah, wait... isn't that a bit bad?" Anon said in a low voice: "At most, just giving them some laxatives should be enough, right...?"
Everyone's eyes turned toward the girl.
Now Anon was completely baffled: "W-What is it?"
"Takuma-kun should be joking," Asagumo said with a smile—she had been in this 'gentle power fully unleashed' state ever since this morning.
"If Takuma-tan really wanted to do that, he wouldn't make that kind of pretentious expression," Yui also said.
"Although I also think Asakura-kun's personality is a bit frivolous, he is still reasonably upright for now and isn't the type to cast spells on ordinary people just over a minor matter like this," Yukino sighed.
"Mmph mmph mmph..." Yanami was eating sushi, so no one could understand what she was saying.
"I am Groot," the potted plant said.
"So in Anon's eyes, I'm actually this kind of person..." Asakura shook his head with a sorrowful look, full of grievance, drooping his shoulders with a tone completely full of feeling hurt.
"Eh eh eh..."
Realizing that she seemed to have taken Asakura's joke seriously (and even proposed a more feasible bad idea), the girl's face instantly turned bright red: "I-I didn't mean it like that!"
Just then, the door to the Service Club was suddenly opened from the outside.
"Magic... no, Service Club? I have something I need help with."
Hachiman walked into the room from outside, looking at Asakura and speaking out loud.