Chapter 260: Don’t Give Him Time Off

"Cough! Rinji, don't say things like that. When did I ever—"

"Thirty-four days ago, at 2:46 PM, Principal, you were walking around the school stadium with your phone, allegedly trying to catch a Pikachu. Fifty-two days ago, at 10:19 AM, you left Shuchiin to visit the nearby supermarket—because there's a PokéStop there."

"...How do you know that?"

The principal started to panic.

He didn't think anyone would find out about his secret Pokémon-catching activities.

"You should really be more self-aware. A lot of students here know you're playing Pokémon GO," Rinji said with a grin. "Someone even said they saw you lurking outside the girls' restroom trying to catch a Charmander…"

"Alright, alright! Rinji, that's enough!"

The principal hurried to stop him from talking further. Any more and his dignity as an educator would be gone.

"Fine, I won't say more." Rinji smiled. "Better to keep it under wraps. Shuchiin is a century-old institution. If this leaks to the education board, it won't be easy to clean up."

"…"

"By the way, Principal, why did you call me here?"

"Well…"

Clearly rattled, the principal glanced helplessly at Kaname, who had been silent until now.

Sagara scratched her head, annoyed.

"Well… how do I put this… During the student council election, those two photos you showed made the students in them unable to show their faces in school. On top of that, you said you'd expose everyone's photos, so their parents teamed up with others to demand action from the school."

Basically, after Rinji revealed those slides during his speech, a few students suffered "social death" and complained to their parents. The parents in turn complained to the school.

Those parents, along with some others, were now pressuring the school to expel Rinji.

"Kids these days are so soft."

Sagara looked annoyed.

"Back in my day at Jindai High, the school was a warzone. No one ever made such a fuss."

"Cough, Sagara-sensei, times have changed," the principal reminded him.

To be fair, what Rinji did wasn't great, and it drew backlash from some parents.

Those same parents also dug up his fight record from the previous semester, calling him a threat to the school.

"Yeah, this kid's dangerous no matter where he is," Sagara agreed.

"I won't deny that," Rinji said. "So, Principal, what's your decision? Are you expelling me?"

"Well… actually, I called you here to discuss exactly that," the principal said, sweating.

He had been warned about Rinji's background by Sagara. He didn't want to offend the students' families, but he also didn't dare provoke Rinji or the forces backing him.

To be honest, if he had to choose a side, he'd rather side with Rinji.

Losing his job was better than losing his life.

Fortunately, Sagara assured the principal that as long as she was around, His life would be safe. That was the only reason the principal agreed to call Rinji in for a discussion and try to find a compromise.

"I don't think there's anything to discuss," Rinji said, waving dismissively. "Just give me the list of those parents. In three days, the only way they'll be able to file a lawsuit is by mailing it from Africa."

"Come on, Rinji," Sagara sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Stop thinking about driving people away. This whole mess was your fault."

"Exactly. So I'll handle it myself."

"I meant you should handle it more gently."

"This is already gentle. I'm paying for their vacation to Africa. What more do you want?"

"Who knows if you're sending them on a vacation or to face a firing squad."

"Fine, I'll change my method," Rinji said. "I'll just do what they're doing."

"What they're doing?"

"They complained to their parents to back them up. So I'll complain to mine…"

"Alright, alright, Africa it is," Sagara quickly interrupted.

The moment Rinji mentioned getting his own family involved, Sagara had no choice but to give in. If it were just his father, she wouldn't worry too much. The man who once posed a threat to the world had softened up a lot since getting married. He was still a bit eccentric but no longer prone to extreme behavior.

But his father's former subordinates, those so-called "grandpas"… they were a different story. If they thought their precious "grandson" had been mistreated in Japan, who knew what they might do?

The principal cleared his throat and raised his hand timidly.

"Actually… I have a suggestion."

"Go on."

"I could explain things to the parents, and Rinji, you could take a one-month suspension. That way, the parents would feel like action was taken."

"Oh? I get a break?"

"I object," Sagara said flatly. "Even if those parents rot in Africa, there's no way I'm letting him have a break."

"Come on, Aunt Kaname, weren't you just saying I should handle things more gently?"

"That's unrelated. My top priority is making sure you finish high school properly. If you get suspended for a month every term, how does that look?"

"Tch~"

"Haha, don't worry, Sagara-sensei," the principal said. "It's technically a suspension, but he'll just be attending a different school for a month. It's not a vacation."

"No vacation? Then those parents are as good as dead—gah!"

Before Rinji could finish, Sagara hit him across the head with her black paper fan, knocking him to the floor.

Ignoring him, she turned to the principal.

"A different school?"

"Yes." The principal nodded and took a document from his drawer. "It's an invitation letter from Hyakkaou Private Academy. They're welcoming students from Shuchiin for an exchange program."