3.1

A teacher's morning is surprisingly busy. At this school, I live in a dormitory, and I work on the premises, which means I'm always close to the school.

However, there is a lot to do. I have to prepare for class, check my emails, and sometimes check the pool's water quality. However, the start time of the workday is the same as the start of homeroom, so it's practically like service overtime. After the morning preparations are over, there is a morning meeting with the other teachers.

Especially on days when special exams are held, the rush is doubled or tripled. There is absolutely no room for error on the part of the school, as it will affect the lives of the students, and then some.

"In this special exam, our teachers' utmost concern should be to not intervene in the exam. We want to protect the students in our own class, but we can't help them unintentionally, please avoid such a situation."

Ikari-sensei, who had gathered the homeroom teachers of the four classes and was auditing this special exam, warned us with a stern face.

"Um, I know it's a little late, but do you have a minute?"

"What is it, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

"As I recall, the last time this exam was held... 11 years ago, a measure was taken to shuffle the teachers so that they would not be assigned to the same class, right? So why is it that this time the homeroom teacher is still looking after their own class? If you are concerned about fairness, I think you should change it."

As far as issuing a warning, I could sense the school's intention to stop the homeroom teacher's intervention. But surely it would be better to leave the other classes in charge. Not many teachers would go to the trouble of risking their lives to help a rival class.

"Isn't it because you believe that fairness will be maintained?"

Sakayanagi-sensei, who was listening to the conversation, analyzed it calmly.

"Is that so?"

"I can't tell you for any other reason than because that's the decision."

"So the top brass decided it..."

In all the special exams, there is nothing that we, a single teacher, can decide. It's decided by Chairman Sakayanagi and those who are involved in the management and operation of this school.

All we can do is follow the rules and try to make it work. However, it didn't seem to make any sense, and Chie didn't even try to hide her dissatisfaction. Ikari-sensei, who could not bear to see this, opened his mouth in a low voice.

"This is my own personal imagination, but this special exam has the potential to look inside the minds of students. To see existences they've kept hidden. It is a massive chunk of information. I think they thought that by leaking it to the teachers of other classes, it would in turn affect the next special exam."

"Doesn't that mean that they don't believe in us teachers after all?"

"It can't be helped, can it? This special exam, the three homeroom teachers seem to have experienced the same thing in the past and... Isn't that also the reason why they each took the class they were in charge of in the in-class voting held last year?"

"That's what I thought."

Chie seemed to be convinced once again, as if to say that she had known it from the beginning.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, can we proceed...?"

"Sure, whatever. I'm somewhat convinced, so please proceed."

Ikari-sensei resumed his explanation as if he had given up, though Chie was clearly in a bad mood.

"If the supervisor deems it to be advice, you will be warned. If it is repeated, there will be a pay cut. Also, I am not worried about you all, but I would like to make sure that the students make the choice on their own.

Remember that if you are judged to have intervened in a malicious manner, such as intentionally leading, you may be demoted at worst."

The unanimous special exam is all about choices. If a teacher acts in a way that shoulders and leads to a particular choice, it's only natural that the nature of the special exam itself will be questioned. Of course, neither the teachers of the other classes nor I have any such intentions. We just proceeded as usual, solemnly and quietly, without getting too emotionally involved with the students. That is something that will not change even if this is a special exam filled with bitter memories.

"That's all. Now, please take care of the special exam."

After that, I tried to keep things as usual and got through the morning class.

No, I was the only one who thought it was business as usual, but in reality, it most definitely wasn't. I had no sense of time, and before I knew it, it was lunch.

On the desk in the staff room was a half-eaten meal. About a third of the way down my throat, my chopsticks stopped moving. Not wanting to be seen like this, I put the rest of my lunch in a bag and put it away.

As I left the staff room, staring at the floor, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind me.

"It's finally here, Sae-chan."

"Words of wisdom or something?"

"You've been like that since this morning, I noticed. You couldn't sleep last night because you were thinking about the special exam, right?"

I tune out the obvious and cheap provocation.

No, it would be more correct to say that I couldn't answer back.

"This class has nothing to do with me. It doesn't matter if the students clear it easily or not."

"Hmm? You don't seem to truly feel that way. Whatever, just know that Sae-chan doesn't have the qualifications to aim for Class A. Never forget that."

As I walked away, Chie's voice was filled with resentment and she didn't bother to hide it.

I was unable to raise my head until I turned the corner.