Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

After school the next day.

In the science preparation room, which was filled with a faint smell of dust, the blinds were half pulled down, creating a dim space.

Click.

After confirming that the door behind her was locked, Chabashira Sae placed the paper bag in her hand on the lab table with a "thud".

"...Sorry to keep you waiting. This is what we agreed on."

Chazuki said in a slightly smug, yet calm, adult voice that conveyed, "I kept my promise."

What's showing inside is a whole carton of Peace brand cigarettes in bright blue packaging.

And a 750ml bottle of Wild Turkey with an impressive turkey label.

Even for ordinary smokers or people with a drinking habit, the amount consumed slowly in the stressful space of a school is more than enough—that's how she calculated it according to common sense.

"...Thanks."

Huashan gave a brief thank you and without hesitation grabbed the neck of the wine bottle with his thick fingers.

"Wait. The cup is over there..."

Just as the tea stick was about to point at the beaker or paper cup in the corner of the room.

Click!

A harsh, eerie sound, which shouldn't have come from the sealed glass bottle at all, echoed in the room.

Instead of looking for a bottle opener, Huashan pinched the bottle neck between his thumb and forefinger and snapped it off along with the metal cap, just like breaking a dry cookie.

"What...!?"

Chazhu's words got stuck in his throat.

Before the stunned female teacher, Huashan didn't care at all whether there were glass shards mixed in. He directly pressed the broken bottle neck to his lips, his thick neck tilting back sharply.

Glug glug glug... Glug, glug, glug

The amber-colored, viscous liquid was continuously drawn into his massive body.

The alcohol content is 50.5%. This is a true bourbon, which should be diluted with ice to savor its rich aroma while enjoying the burning sensation in your throat.

However, Huashan poured it into his stomach in a frantic manner, as if he were drinking warm tap water after a PE class in the sweltering summer.

(Idiot, that's a lethal dose...!)

The worst possible outcome—acute alcohol poisoning—flashed through Chabashira's mind, and she instinctively took a step forward to try and stop it.

However, she stopped halfway there.

Only a few seconds passed.

With a click, the heavy glass bottle, now completely emptied, was placed on the lab table.

Although the room was filled with a strong smell of alcohol, Huashan's face did not turn red at all.

"Hoo-ha..."

Huashan wiped the wine droplets from the corner of his mouth with the back of his huge hand and exhaled a short breath.

"Not bad... It's been a long time since my throat felt this soothed."

"…………ha?"

A dull voice, incongruous with a teacher's identity, escaped from the mouth of the tea pillar.

"But please bring more next time."

Huashan spoke as if nothing had happened, tearing open a cigarette box.

"Meeting with you every day and secretly exchanging things must be troublesome for both of us."

"...Wait. Hold on, Hanayama."

Chazhu's voice was lower and hoarser than she had imagined.

"That bottle of wine and that pack of cigarettes... were originally intended to be a week's supply for an average person."

"what?"

Hanayama stopped the lighter he was about to use to light the fire and looked at Chashu with a genuinely surprised expression.

"...Is this the only bottle available for a week?"

That was neither a joke nor sarcasm, but a question that came from the heart.

"That joke went a bit too far. That's not even enough to rinse your mouth."

For the leaders of the yakuza group, it's commonplace to finish several bottles of alcohol in one night.

Moreover, given his enormous physique, the amount of alcohol he needed was incomparable to that of an ordinary person.

"Listen up, Hanayama. I have my limits too."

Instead of displaying the authority of a teacher, Chazhu began to talk about the realities of being a member of society.

"No matter what, I'm a faculty member. If I bring in dozens of bottles of whiskey from outside every month, it would be strange if people didn't suspect something."

Then, she added, with a slightly embarrassed tone.

"...And there's an even more fatal reason. I don't have that much money."

"money?"

"Even though I'm a teacher at Advanced Nurturing High School with a monthly salary of around 500,000 yen... the whiskey you're drinking isn't some cheap liquor that you can just find anywhere. A bottle costs about 15,000 yen."

Her words reveal a genuine sense of adult reality.

"If we prepare one bottle every day as you suggest, the cost of the alcohol alone would be 45 yen. My entire salary would go towards buying alcohol. I'd probably be bankrupt before you lead the class to A-class!"

Hearing this all-too-realistic story of the financial crisis facing ordinary people, Huashan fell into deep thought in silence for a moment.

In the world of yakuza, spending money like water is the norm, but the other party is just a teacher who lives on a salary.

Although Chashu needed his help, taking advantage of someone's weakness and imposing unreasonable problems on them was the style of a petty thug.

As the leader of the yakuza group, he would not resort to ruthless tactics against an opponent who showed sincerity.

"...I see. The teacher's explanation makes sense."

Huashan nodded slowly.

"If you go bankrupt and cause a shortage of alcohol, I'll be in a real bind. But one bottle a week just doesn't make sense."

Huashan raised three thick fingers.

"One carton of cigarettes and three bottles of Wild Turkey a week. That's settled then. At this rate, teacher, your wallet should be able to barely stay intact, right?"

If you drink 3 bottles a week, that's 12 bottles a month. That's about 18 yen in expenses, plus the cost of cigarettes.

This is definitely not a cheap investment, but if it's for the sake of the tragic dream of pulling Class D up to Class A, this is already the bare minimum that can be swallowed.

Chashu instantly calculated the accounts in his mind. Although he frowned slightly, he still nodded.

"Let's settle on these terms. I'll prepare the materials in this science preparation room every Friday after school. But, absolutely no other students should smell it."

"I see."

Huashan nodded in satisfaction and forcefully stuffed a pack of cigarettes into the inner pocket of his uniform.

Then he stuffed the empty bottle into the bottom of the trash can so it wouldn't be visible, and then left.

Although the tea pillar that was left behind had finalized the specific quantity of the transaction with Huashan, he couldn't help but cover his head in dismay at the thought of the financial impact this would have on him in the future.