Practical Classroom: Kaoru Hanayama's Classroom of Merit

He successfully entered into a dark pact with the female teacher, weighing alcohol, cigarettes, and class promotion on a scale.

Since I've made the promise, no matter how high and precipitous the mountain is, I will climb it to the very end.

This is the principle of a man who lives by the code of chivalry, one that cannot be compromised.

Advanced Nurturing High School Grand Library

The library after school was filled with the energy of students preparing for the upcoming midterm exams, and in contrast, with melancholy sighs.

When Huashan stepped into the designated learning area, he was surprised to find that the largest group of people there were his own students.

At the innermost table, Hirata Yosuke was facing the three idiots, Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi, whose faces were as blackboard eraser-like, and was conducting a seemingly endless grammar lesson.

Beside him, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who seemed to have been inexplicably dragged into this, was staring at the reference book with a dead fish-like gaze.

Meanwhile, at a table on the outer side, Kikyo Kushida and Suzune Horikita were leading a study session with the female students.

To be precise, it was Kushida who was explaining things in a gentle and pleasant manner, while Horikita was learning on his own while occasionally offering cold corrections.

Without hesitation, Hanayama sank his massive body into the empty seat next to Horikita.

Without saying a word, he took out his notebook and pen.

With just this one movement, I felt the air around the table become slightly heavier.

"...You're quite late. I thought you weren't coming today."

Horikita fixed his gaze on the reference book and spoke in a cold voice.

However, the moment she turned her face, her movements suddenly stopped.

Her once handsome face contorted slightly as she wrinkled her nose and sniffed lightly.

"You smell very strongly of alcohol."

That was undoubtedly the lingering smell of the whiskey I had just gulped down in the science preparation room.

Moreover, because they drank directly from the bottle without even using a cup, the volatile components of the alcohol had already stained their uniforms.

But Huashan's expression didn't change at all.

With overwhelming composure, he uttered only one sentence.

"It smells like oolong tea."

"...Oolong tea?"

"I've heard that recently, it's become popular to let oolong tea sit in a barn for alcoholic fermentation."

"That's some kind of 21st-century manufacturing process. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Horikita took a deep breath, using all her strength.

It is certainly possible to use logic to refute Huashan's insistence on the contradictions surrounding oolong tea.

Even if he did that, the man in front of him would never change his story.

"...Never mind. Let's just treat it as oolong tea."

Horikita forced down this unreasonable argument, took a notebook out of his bag, and slammed it down in front of Hanayama.

The cover was marked with the words "For Special Instructions" written in a bold, flowing style in marker.

"Turn to the next page. Today we'll start talking about the applications of linear functions. ... To make it a little easier for you to understand, I've rewritten the 'prices of apples and oranges' in the problem as 'the smuggling prices of pistols and daggers'."

"...Horikita, your teaching methods are quite orthodox."

"Stop being so happy, hurry up and solve the problem."

With a serious attitude, Hanayama began to tackle the math exercises that resembled calculating the costs of a violent group's resistance.

For a while, all you could hear was the sound of the pen tip scratching across the paper.

However, this silence did not last long.

"Ugh—! I can't take it anymore, I don't understand at all! Why isn't the verb 'b' followed by '-ing'?"

From the innermost table came Sudo's irritated voice.

As if in response, Ike and Yamanouchi also voiced their complaints.

"It's a little noisy."

The moment Horikita frowned.

"...Hey, hey. Where did this monkey mountain come from? This is a library, you know!"

"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, they're just a bunch of low-level, defective products who got into Class C purely by luck. They got carried away because they suddenly had a stroke of good luck and don't understand that they'll suffer soon."

The two male students walking in the aisle stopped and looked at Sudo and his friends, as well as the table where Hanayama was, with a mocking and sarcastic gaze.

The badges on their chests, and the unique sense of superiority they exuded.

Undoubtedly, it was an atmosphere unique to the students of Class 2-A, influenced by Nangumo Masashi.

Sudo kicked the chair away and prepared to stand up.

But something even faster—

Click.

Kaoru Hanayama slowly stood up.

At that moment, the air in the library seemed to gain physical weight and creaked.

The two students from Class 2-A, who had just been chuckling, looked up at the huge black shadow blocking their way, and their mocking expressions froze on their faces.

"...What are you doing, you idiot? Don't think you're so great just because you're big—"

I apologize.

What came out of Huashan's mouth was a calm, yet deep bass voice that seemed to resonate from the earth.

"ah……?"

"It's about the private conversation in the library. Our class was a bit noisy and lacked consideration for those around us, which was definitely our fault... I apologize for that."

Huashan lowered his head slightly. As a member of the Ultimate Path, when one's side makes a mistake, the first thing to do is to explain the reasoning behind it. This is an absolute rule.

This move took Horikita, Sudo, and even the second-year students who had provoked them completely by surprise.

However, Hanayama immediately raised his head and stared intently at the second-year student with eyes that exuded an astonishing sense of pressure.

"But you know, about you calling my classmate a defective product. That's the one thing I can't pretend I didn't hear."

Huashan took a step forward.

It was just one step, but for the two second-year students, this way of closing the distance gave them the illusion of being dragged into a cage of a ferocious beast.

"Apologize."

It was brief and not in a commanding tone.

That is merely a declaration that no other fact is permitted.

"……Well!"

The second-year student's legs began to tremble violently, even though he still looked down on the other student, who was merely a first-year student.

But the creature's defensive instincts are frantically sounding alarms: "If we stay in front of this man any longer, we will be physically destroyed."

"What, what a joke! Who wants people like you...! Remember this!"

Saying that boastful thing was already their limit.

Before they could even utter a word of apology, they rushed toward the library exit as if their lives depended on it.

Huashan didn't chase after him, but simply watched his retreating figure silently.

"...Oh dear. The seniors in Class 2-A are not only arrogant, but their manners and manners also seem rather lacking."

In the deathly silence, Kikyo Kushida uttered a sentence in a voice with a sharp, barbed tone.

She is adept at accurately belittling the opposing camp without damaging her own image.

Hanayama nodded slowly at Kushida's words.

"That class seems to lack sufficient education and manners."

Hanayama sat back down in his chair and pointed his pen at the special instruction notebook made by Horikita.

"...Sorry, Horikita. I've taken up a little time. Please continue."

"...You know, while I didn't say you can't cause trouble, this person is a senior, you know? Threatening them like that, what are you going to do if they keep an eye on you afterwards?"

Horikita sighed as if she couldn't bear it anymore, but there was no blame in her eyes.

"It's okay."

Hanayama kept his gaze on the notebook and spoke calmly, as if announcing a predetermined matter.

"Today, after I finish calculating the pistol and the short knife, I'll go to Class 2-A's classroom to say hello. I'll make them pay the debts that need to be settled."