Chapter 96: Chapter 96 – You can stop her delusions
"Wow! Finally, we can see the pier! We can go back now!"
"Yeah, after sitting on this cruise for so many days, I've almost forgotten what it feels like to walk on land. I'm afraid I might fall over as soon as I step on solid ground."
"This must be a happy problem to have. Look at the other three classes; they don't seem to feel the same."
Students from Yukio's class gathered on the cruise ship's deck, looking towards the busy pier with great spirits, signaling the end of their two-week luxury cruise journey. They were about to return to campus and spend the remaining month of summer vacation.
During this period, they truly enjoyed a luxurious cruise for over a week, staying on a deserted island for just two days and one night.
Having not walked on solid ground for a long time, constantly swaying on the cruise, they surprisingly found themselves missing the feeling of firmness under their feet, although students from the other classes might not share this sentiment.
Soon, the broadcast announced that they would dock in half an hour. Students were advised to pack their luggage and prepare for the return journey.
Yukio used the broadcast as an excuse to conclude his conversation with Hoshinomiya: "It's time to pack up. Hoshinomiya-sensei, I'll take my leave now."
This was the cruise ship's bar, typically frequented only by staff members and not serving students. On a regular evening, there might be over a dozen customers, but now, in the early morning, only Yukio and Hoshinomiya were present, making it quite quiet.
The reason they were here was that Hoshinomiya had spotted Yukio going out for breakfast in the morning and invited him over.
At first, Yukio thought Hoshinomiya had something important to discuss, but it turned out to be casual chit-chat about the pressures of being a teacher or asking if Yukio had a girl he liked, never getting to the main point.
Yukio was patient, answering systematically and without giving anything away, much like a model student would, responding to whatever the teacher asked. However, whether his answers were true or not, even Yukio himself wasn't sure; he was just making things up.
Moreover, without directly asking why Hoshinomiya had invited him over, Yukio inadvertently alarmed her with his composure, not typical of someone his age.
The broadcast at that moment offered Yukio a great excuse to leave, subtly signaling to Hoshinomiya that if she didn't reveal her true intentions soon, he would no longer entertain her.
"Huuuh?" Although Hoshinomiya is a class advisor, her personality seems quite girlish, deliberately prolonging her sweet voice in a whine to express reluctance and resistance: "Don't leave so soon, it's rare for me, a teacher, to find a handsome guy to drink with."
Yukio took out his phone: "The fee for accompanying a drink is three million private points, thank you."
Hoshinomiya's eyes widened in surprise, her teacher's gaze seemingly accusing Yukio of overcharging: "You've only been here for half an hour! Ten thousand a minute? Yukio-kun, are you the top host?"
After jokingly accusing him, Hoshinomiya's expression suddenly softened, turning sweet: "Then let me treat you to a drink. Come on, let's secretly finish this glass~ You know, normally you wouldn't have the chance to drink."
Saying so, she pushed the whiskey in front of her towards him, with a look of "you don't have to be polite with me" on her face.
"Isn't three million for a glass of whiskey even more outrageous?" Yukio retorted, getting up decisively: "Since Hoshinomiya-sensei is unwilling to pay, I won't stay any longer."
"Ah, am I really that old? Young and handsome guys don't linger at all?" Hoshinomiya spoke in a tone of self-deprecation, pulling out a compact mirror to examine her rosy cheeks, muttering: "I still look young."
Then, she packed away the mirror and followed: "Alright, alright, no more jokes. Yukio-kun, you've gained a lot from this summer special exam, advancing to Class A."
"I invited you for a drink just to celebrate, don't leave so soon!"
As Yukio walked back, he looked forward without glancing at Hoshinomiya: "Hoshinomiya-sensei, you are Ichinose's class advisor. Celebrating for me might not be appropriate, right?"
"What's wrong with that?" Hoshinomiya was broad-minded, seemingly indifferent to class distinctions, caring only about the friendship among students: "It's only natural for a teacher to be happy about a student's achievements!"
Yukio gave Hoshinomiya a slight smile and softly thanked her, then remained silent, amused inwardly, wanting to see how long Hoshinomiya could hold back.
As expected, seeing Yukio almost back to his room on the cruise, Hoshinomiya knew she couldn't keep beating around the bush and finally ventured to broach a topic: "But actually, our class and Katsuragi's class are doing okay."
"The most unfortunate has to be Horikita's Class D, right? They barely managed to save over a hundred class points, only for you guys to bring them down to 20 points. They're struggling to get by."
As Yukio expected, Hoshinomiya was indeed very concerned about Class D!
Just like last time, making efforts to find out if Yukio intends to target Class D, and the same goes for now. It's still unclear why Hoshinomiya is so fixated on Class D, the most likely reason being some old grudge between Hoshinomiya and the class advisor of Class D...
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, since you're so concerned about Class D, why not just give them some points?" With Hoshinomiya giving way, the initiative in the conversation shifted to Yukio, making him very comfortable: "After all, people often say, offering financial help is better than mere words of concern."
Hoshinomiya's seductive expression brightened: "That makes a lot of sense! Yukio-kun, you know so much, and are you being sarcastic? Are you worried I might actually help Class D?
"Don't worry, even though I'm as kind-hearted as I am beautiful, I can still see clearly. If I were to help, Ichinose and her class would be my first priority~"
Seeing that he was almost back to his dorm, Yukio, taking advantage of having the upper hand in the conversation, skillfully dodged and probed: "So, Hoshinomiya-sensei's intention is still to suppress Class D?"
Hoshinomiya's expression froze for a moment before returning to her sweet smile: "It seems I can't hide anything from Yukio-kun, you're really sharp."
"Such a talented person, if you had come ten years earlier, maybe when I was a student, I would have pursued you."
Yukio did not respond to Hoshinomiya's teasing, as it had no practical significance. The main focus was still on Hoshinomiya's intent to suppress Class D: "That's interesting."
"Currently, Ichinose's class needs to aim for the fourth result, to defeat Katsuragi's class and return to Class B, but it's surprising that your focus is on Class D, Hoshinomiya-sensei."
After saying this, Yukio had already stopped in front of his door, his hand on the cruise room's doorknob.
But he didn't immediately enter, looking around at other students coming and going, Hoshinomiya neither followed him inside to continue chatting nor stayed outside waiting.
She lowered her voice, almost whispering only for Yukio: "Well, let me tell you a secret, Yukio-kun, but don't tell anyone, Sae-chan has always wanted to advance to Class A."
"It's almost become her obsession."
"However, I think you might be able to stop her ambitions. If you need any help targeting Sae-chan, feel free to ask me for help."
***
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