Chapter 10: Expulsion? More Like Early Graduation

And just like that, the first day of the new semester quietly arrived.

"Good morning, Hirata-kun."

"Good morning, Kushida-san."

"Good morning..."

At Advanced Nurturing High School, the first class of the day starts at 10:05 AM. Before that, there's a 10-minute homeroom session and another 10-minute dismissal period. From a student's perspective, as long as they arrive before 8:00 AM, they won't be late.

However, perhaps due to the excitement of a new school and a fresh environment, students in Class 1-D started arriving around 7:00 AM, exchanging endless greetings of "good morning."

Kure Ragna, however, belonged to the group that arrived just before the late mark. He only stepped into the school building at 7:57 AM, just in time to see Chabashira Sae walking ahead, carrying her lesson plans. They entered together.

The teacher's attire was nearly identical to the day before—a dark, slim-fit suit and skirt that accentuated her figure. Black stockings wrapped tightly around her slender legs, leading down to polished high heels. As she walked, she casually flicked her high ponytail behind her.

Yet, despite being just three minutes away from being late, Chabashira Sae remained completely unhurried. Her strides were steady, her pace unchanged.

"Hello, hello~ Teacher Chabashira, you have excellent taste in perfume. Is your demon-hunting mission going well?"

Kure Ragna caught up with her, his long legs making it easy. His first sentence, however, made no logical sense.

Chabashira Sae merely glanced at him, unfazed.

"If it wasn't, should I just eliminate you with the Breath of Tea?"

"...What?"

"Don't look at me like I'm an alien. I'm not that much older than you—I can understand your references."

She explained indifferently upon noticing the surprised expressions of the students walking beside them.

"Hmm... ——"

Kure Ragna made a noise like a rusty motorcycle, his lips curving downward dramatically. His odd reaction made Chabashira slightly uncomfortable.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

"I mean, you cut me off, Sensei."

Chabashira ignored the comment but stole a glance at him.

"By the way, about your sunglasses..."

"Sunglasses? What about them?"

Kure Ragna pushed up the reflective mosaic-lensed sunglasses on his face and struck a playful pose.

Chabashira turned away and said flatly, "Your personal file mentions severe mydriasis, but I'd still suggest getting a normal pair of sunglasses as soon as possible. I don't care what style you wear in private, but at least switch to something normal during class."

"Okay—"

"Also, if my watch is correct, you'll be late in 20 seconds."

"But teacher, aren't you in a hurry?" Kure Ragna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's because I'm the homeroom teacher."

For the first time since meeting her, Chabashira Sae smirked slightly.

"I decide when I'm late."

"Oh? Then I'm not in a hurry either."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Kure Ragna shrugged nonchalantly.

"If the teacher's arrival time determines when class officially starts, then as long as I arrive before you, I won't be late. You can't claim that a teacher isn't late but a student arriving earlier than the teacher is, right?"

"Unfortunately, that's not how it works."

Chabashira suddenly let out a small chuckle.

"Teachers can use 'handling official business' as an excuse, but students can't. Whether a student arrives on time is part of the overall class evaluation. If the entire class is penalized because of you, they might just start resenting you."

"Oh?"

Kure Ragna paused for a moment before smiling.

"Alright, bring it on."

Chabashira blinked, momentarily confused.

Meanwhile, Kure Ragna seemed to be enjoying himself, adjusting his sunglasses dramatically.

"Today, I either want to destroy everyone... or be beaten to death by everyone."

"...??"

For a moment, Chabashira Sae was at a complete loss.

She had already read the student reports before school started. Each student was graded in five categories—Academics, Intelligence, Judgment, Physical Ability, and Teamwork—ranked from A to E, with plus and minus sub-ranks.

The average student was rated C.

Kure Ragna's Academics, Intelligence, and Teamwork were all at B+.

However, his Judgment was a staggering A+, and his Physical Ability was an unprecedented S—the first student in school history to achieve that rank.

On paper, a student like him should have been placed in Class A.

At first, Chabashira didn't understand why he was assigned to Class D.

Now, she did.

The problem wasn't his ability. It was his mindset.

Someone who openly declared, "I want to be beaten to death by everyone," clearly had a few screws loose.

After a brief silence, Chabashira shook her head.

"As I said before, this school has strict policies against bullying. Even intimidation is punishable, let alone physical violence."

"How strict? Expulsion?"

"Depends. Usually, it's not that extreme—"

"Oh, I thought someone was gonna steal my eggs."

Chabashira frowned. She didn't get the joke.

Meanwhile, Kure Ragna kept going.

"Well, expulsion wouldn't be too bad. Since 100,000 points here are equivalent to 100,000 yen, even if I get expelled, I could just spend all my points first. I'd trade them for useful items, pack them up, and take them with me before leaving."

"Besides, this school doesn't even charge tuition. So technically, I could attend for just a day, earn 100,000 yen, and leave without paying a cent. No regrets. Actually, it's the best financial strategy—earning 100,000 a day already puts me ahead of 90% of Japan."

"From the moment I received my 100,000 points, I already won."

"Wouldn't you agree, Sensei?"

"..."

Chabashira had no response.

Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong with his reasoning.

His way of thinking was flawless.

But that logic only worked if he truly didn't care about expulsion.

And clearly—he didn't.

"Chabashira-sensei~."

A dramatic, drawn-out call brought Chabashira back to reality. She took a deep breath and composed herself.

"Anyway, I've given you my warnings. Be mindful of your actions... Also, class started five minutes ago. You're officially late."

"Okay."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked briskly up the stairs.

Kure Ragna, still standing there, watched her disappear before slowly retracting his playful smile.

"The overall quality of the class? Penalties? Resentment from my classmates? Being counted as late?"

"Hah... Chabashira-sensei definitely has something to hide."

Muttering to himself, he casually shoved his hands into his pockets and continued upstairs at his own leisurely pace.

---