Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

Wednesday, April 15th.

The first quiz at the Advanced Education College ended, and the bell rang signaling the end of lunch break.

After returning the graded answer sheets to the students, Chazuki Sae, who was standing on the podium, left the classroom without saying a word.

Kaoru Hanayama was quietly looking down at the answer sheet on her desk.

Chinese, 40 points. English, 33 points. History, 30 points.

And—Mathematics, 20 points.

This is definitely not a number worth praising.

No, for an average high school student, this would be a failing grade that would make anyone despair and want to throw their head in despair.

However, Huashan's heart was enveloped by an incredible tranquility and a small sense of accomplishment.

(...Twenty points? This is the first time in my life I've ever gotten a double-digit score in math. I did pretty well, didn't I?)

For him, who lives in the yakuza world, academic studies are the furthest thing from his life.

Getting a double-digit score on a math exam is like reaching a pyramid in life.

And this is the reward for his clumsy but persistent efforts to sit at his desk these past few days, which has finally been presented as clear figures.

"...What are you doing with that satisfied look on your face?"

Suddenly, a cold voice came from the seat next to me.

Turning her head, she saw Horikita Suzune secretly looking at Hanayama's answer sheet with a helpless expression.

"Normally, you should look pale and dejected with that score. Or does the number 20 have some special meaning for you?"

"No."

Hanayama didn't hide anything and openly showed the answer sheet to Horikita.

"But this is a great feat for me. I owe it all to your guidance. I thank you."

Hanayama looked directly into Horikita's eyes and thanked him in a deep, resonant voice.

"..."

Horikita's eyes widened slightly at this unexpected and frank gratitude, then she crossed her arms as if to turn her face away.

"...Don't misunderstand. I only promised to tutor you, so I had no choice but to teach you the bare minimum."

Although she tried her best to maintain a cold attitude, she still sighed softly.

"But yes, you are. Think about how you were a few days ago. You were probably the one who improved the most in the class. After all, you were someone who could answer 6 times 7 as 48 with a straight face, but now you can actually get double digits."

Those slightly sarcastic words, however, contained a hint of acknowledgment of his efforts.

For Horikita, compared to the grades themselves, Hanayama's attitude of "not shirking his responsibilities" was much more agreeable than the other mischievous classmates.

Hanayama slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Horikita.

"This is entirely thanks to you, please continue to tutor me."

"Wait a minute, stop it. You're already conspicuous enough. If you act like this, even I'll get strange looks from other people."

Horikita's cheeks flushed slightly. To hide her shyness, she quickly uttered a sentence and began to open her lunchbox.

Huashan didn't say anything more and opened the bento box he bought from the convenience store in his seat.

"Oh, sorry to bother you."

Three male students walked over from the classroom entrance.

Standing at the very front was a man with his shirt unbuttoned, no tie, and dressed in a very languid manner—Long Yuanxiang.

Behind him stood Ishizaki Daichi, with his usual gruff expression, and the taciturn mixed-race Yamada Albert.

The atmosphere in the classroom instantly became tense.

Kushida, Karuizawa, and the others also stiffened their expressions due to the visit of these troublesome people.

Long Yuan, oblivious to the stares around him, stood in front of Hua Shan's seat with a friendly smile.

"I've heard the rumors. I heard you've been going around selling the school's hidden rules to guys in other classes and made a fortune."

As Huashan opened the lid of the bento box, he didn't even glance at Longyuan.

"so what."

A brief answer.

"Hehe, no need to be so wary. I'm here to make a deal with you. As for that information, although so much time has passed, I've vaguely guessed some of it. However, it's not bad to have the confirmed information in hand."

Long Yuan placed his hands on the table and leaned closer to the table.

"Three hundred thousand points. How's that price? After all, it's outdated information, not exactly fresh anymore. It's a reasonable price, isn't it?"

For him, who ruled the class with fear, this was more than just a deal.

If the other party yields to the offer of 300,000, it means that you have gained the upper hand in the negotiation. This is a psychological game.

but.

"No. The price is one million."

Hua Shan's voice lacked any intonation or rhythm.

Just like the price tags on a vending machine.

No matter how much time has passed, no matter who the other party is, for the Yakuza, once a price is set, there is no reason to change it.

The complete rejection, which left no room for negotiation, caused Long Yuan's smile to freeze slightly.

At that very moment, Ishizaki, who was standing behind Ryuen, seemed to be enraged and stepped forward.

"Hey! Stop joking! I already said I'd give you 300,000! Don't you have any sincerity at all? This is just pure extortion!"

That's a typical tactic used by delinquent teenagers—trying to intimidate their opponents with loud noises.

However, Ishizaki was not reflected in Hanayama's eyes at all.

He was still holding chopsticks in his hand when he slowly turned his gaze toward Longyuan.

It wasn't Ishizaki; he was simply staring straight at Ryuen.

"...Are you here to fight?"

The voice was definitely not just randomly increased in volume. It was deep, even sounding very steady.

However, what was released along with this statement was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Trembling.

Ishizaki instinctively took a step back, and even Albert tensed up as if on guard.

A chill ran through Longyuan's spine, a chill that was fundamental to all living beings.

It's not about logic. Nor is it a psychological game.

If the answer here is "yes," the man will not hesitate to smash his skull onto the concrete floor.

This conviction transcends logic and pierces directly into intuition.

(...Tsk. What's with this oppressive feeling? Is it a monster?)

Longyuan perfectly concealed her inner fear and exaggeratedly clutched her stomach, laughing loudly, "Hahahaha!"

"Hey, are you kidding me? Who would do something as barbaric as fighting? Hey, Ishizaki, shut up. I'm the one speaking now."

Ryuen stopped Ishizaki with a sharp voice, then put on his confident mask again and faced Hanayama once more.

"One million is still too expensive. I was even trying to give you face, but it seems you're not satisfied. Oh well. As for intelligence, there are plenty of other ways to get it."

Although he appeared relaxed on the surface, his pace was slightly faster than when he arrived, and he even showed a kind of staggering feeling as if he had lost his balance while running away.

With a bang, the front door of the classroom slammed shut.

"...Well then, let's eat."

Huashan, as if nothing had happened, broke open a disposable chopstick and boldly popped a piece of fried chicken from the convenience store bento box into his mouth.