I headed to the faculty office to confront my homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, about leaving us in the dark regarding the upcoming war. While I can't deny that I'm disappointed, I can't say that I'm not surprised either. This school was trickier than I first thought.

It wasn't the first time that they've withheld information from students either, especially to E Class. I suppose this was an invisible obstacle we had to overcome before unlocking the truth. Unfortunately, the one to clear that hurdle was me, the worst possible pick for something like this. Communication wasn't my forte.

I guess it was best to make the most out of my situation. I knew that I would eventually have to talk to Chabashira-sensei if I wanted to become leader, so at least this would give me an excuse to visit her.

I knocked on the faculty office and waited for a signal to come in. Instead, to my surprise, the door slid open, revealing Chabashira-sensei standing at the door way. Her apathetic face was cold as usual, which made it hard for any student to approach her.

"Takanori-san?"

She looked genuinely surprised to see me. Her stiff expression loosened, and a hint of concern glittered in her sharp eyes. It was the first time I saw emotion, other than sadism, in that borderline robotic teacher.

Up this close to Chabashira-sensei, I'm surprised she wasn't married already. Even in a suit, she was quite pretty. No, it would be more accurate to say that her tight-fitting suit made her even more attractive. While I could only speculate on her age, she looked quite youthful. I bet she could swoon over many guys with just her appearance alone. However, appearance doesn't equate to personality.

In reality, Chabashira-sensei was cold and distant, lacking empathy for her students. She's not a bad teacher, but she isn't an outstanding one either. She does the necessary stuff to get us by. Though, I can imagine she's pretending to be like this since she was assigned to E Class. A bunch of failures who, in the end, deserve nothing in the eyes of the school.

Whether she was actually cold or caring remained a mystery. I could imagine that she does care for us a little, deep down in her heart, as she's willing to teach and be the homeroom teacher of the rejects of the school. Any other teacher would've abandoned lost causes like us already. Even if she can be cruel, I'm still glad that she's our homeroom teacher.

"Um... Chabashira-sensei."

My words got caught in my throat. This situation felt strangely tense. Was it because I was talking to a teacher one on one, or a beautiful older lady that I had no experience talking to? Either way, it was still nerve wracking.

"Your face... what happened?"

I had completely forgotten about the swelling on my face. I thought it had calmed down, but I guess it's still visible. Is that what Chabashira-sensei looked concerned about?

"Oh, this... it's kind of a long story."

I raised my hand to my cheek and touched the swelling. Looking at my fingers, there was blood on it. Somehow, while me and Zyriot were walking to the sports facility, it began to bleed again.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, we can talk inside."

For a moment, the cold air Chabashira-sensei carried around her dissipated. I was surprised she even cared for me.

I guess it takes getting to know someone more personally to reveal their true nature. Since I sit at the back, I rarely get to talk to her, unlike the students who sit at the front.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."

She led me to her personal space, near the back. Right now, no one else was in the faculty office. It didn't help my nerves that we were alone here.

"Take a seat there for me, okay? I'll be right back."

Chabashira-sensei patted a swivel chair that sat in front of her desk. I sat down, relaxing in how warm and comfy it was. Compared to the zabuton we had to sit on in class, this was heavenly.

A few minutes later, Chabashira-sensei returned with a green medical kit in her hands. She pulled up a swivel chair adjacent to mine, and sat down across from me. With her nimble fingers, she took out a disinfectant wipe from the kit.

"Takanori-san, face me."

With a commanding tone, Chabashira-sensei took my chin, and raised my head so I faced her. With this little distance between us, I could smell a sweet vanilla aroma coming from her. For some reason, my heart started to beat fast.

"It might sting a little, so please bear with it, alright?"

I nodded, completely speechless at the side of sensei I was seeing. I would never imagine Chabashira-sensei would go so far as to clean my wound for me. I felt like I was in elementary school again.

She gently wiped the blood off my cheek. Even when concentrated, her face never lost it's dazzling beauty. In fact, she seemed even more beautiful while treating me. I could feel my breathing get heavier as her hands touched my face. This wasn't normal at all.

Even though she said it would sting, I couldn't feel any pain as she wiped my face. Chabashira-sensei's kindness was conveyed in the elegant way she treated me. It almost felt taboo to see such a motherly side of her, as the things I knew her for were her sharp tongue and cold demeanour.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Her mature voice also became tender as she cared for me. I wasn't sure how to answer, since I was still unsettled by her uncharacteristic kindness.

"You don't have to worry about this, sensei. The situation's resolved."

Chabashira-sensei, who looked relieved, still remained sceptical. She would probably find out what happened in D Class through the CCTV recordings anyways, so there was no point in me talking about it.

"It better be. You're not the type to get into fights."

I felt kind of bad that it was me who was seeing this genuinely nice side of sensei, instead of the entire class. What our class disliked the most about Chabashira-sensei was her cold personality. Unlike the other four teachers in our year, she was the most distant.

Hiden-sensei gave all his students cute nicknames and had a wide amount of wisdom, being A Class's teacher. Toujou-sensei was a bubbly, sometimes clumsy, teacher of B Class that could switch from fun or demonising, depending on the situation. Akusa-sensei was easy to talk to due to her friendliness, and being an ex-pro made her invaluable to the students who wanted to know more about the competitive scene. Finally, there was Mikazuchi-sensei, who was universally loved due to his legendary status, entertaining classes and fame through his company.

All these teachers were talked about positively by the students, but when it came to Chabashira-sensei, people could only compliment her appearance and bust size. They always complained about her personality being too harsh, or her lessons being too boring. The fact she took care of E Class didn't help her reputation either.

If she showed this side of her more, then she'd be way more popular. I was completely entranced by this Chabashira-sensei.

"Takanori-san? Are you okay?"

Chabashira-sensei broke my train of thought. She had finished cleaning my swollen cheek and was preparing a medical gauze to cover it.

"Oh... yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I zoned out there."

In some ways, I guess I related to Chabashira-sensei. On the outside, she was cold and distant, but on the inside, she was a completely different person.

She gently pressed the gauze on my cheek, and taped it on there. Stroking it down, she closed the medical kit.

"There, all done."

"Thanks, Chabashira-sensei..."

I still couldn't believe this was the same person as my homeroom teacher. Uttering her name felt weird now.

"Would you like some green tea?"

"Sure..."

"Just a moment then."

Chabashira-sensei left to put away the medical kit and pour hot tea in the kitchenette. She returned, handing me a cup.

"Sorry if it's no good. Toujou-sensei usually handles drinks around here."

"It's fine, green tea is green tea."

It was hard to mess up making this. Considering how careful Chabashira-sensei was while treating my wound, she must've put just as much care and thought into making this cup of tea. I could feel it.

Still, in this situation, alone in the faculty room with my attractive sensei, I had to take a large sip in order to calm down. I was feeling strangely excited after she cleaned and bandaged my cheek.

"How is it?"

"It's good. It has a sweet, rounded flavour."

"I'm glad then."

Chabashira-sensei smiled lightly. Rather than the sadistic one we saw at the beginning of May, this smile was genuine. It was small, but incredibly cute. It made me less scared to talk to her.

Even though I tried to make eye contact with her, it was incredibly hard. I needed to question her about the war, but I didn't want to ruin her good mood. It felt like I'd never see this caring side of her ever again if I did.

"You look nervous. What's the matter?"

Chabashira-sensei picked up on my erratic behaviour, and pointed it out.

"I guess I'm just surprised."

"Surprised?"

I decided to just come out with the truth. If I let this thing keep preoccupying my mind, then this conversation wouldn't go anywhere.

"It's just... I never thought you had this motherly side to you."

Chabashira-sensei became flustered, and looked away. Her cheeks started glowing pink too.

"You shouldn't be talking to me like that. Forget what you saw today."

Her usual cold tone resurfaced.

"I don't think I can. It's really strange, since if you acted more like that, then I think everyone would like you better."

"I don't need anyone to like me. I'm here to teach students, not to make friends."

I was kind of relieved to see sensei act like her usual self again.

"It wouldn't hurt to have a bond with you though, sensei. You're our homeroom teacher after all."

Chabashira-sensei sighed, crossing her arms. Her tender tone from earlier started cracking through the coldness.

"I've never seen you so outspoken before, Takanori-san. You're such a quiet student, this might be the first time I've ever heard your voice properly."

"It's just my honest thoughts."

"Well, if you started doing that more, it wouldn't be a bad thing at all."

It's not easy for me to talk to others, though. Maybe it's the same for Chabashira-sensei. Is that why she adopts a cold persona?

"Sensei, can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Were you a nurse before you became a teacher?"

It was a logical conclusion after witnessing her hospitable side. Instead, Chabashira-sensei giggled.

"I didn't know I looked so old already."

"I don't think so. You look young for your age."

"Takanori-san, that was sarcasm. Thank you for the compliment though."

That one flew way over my head.

"To tell you the truth, I was a babysitter before I became a teacher."

"A babysitter?!"

I couldn't hide my surprise. Chabashira-sensei taking care of kids? No way, she'd burn them to hell and back first before taking care of them!

"Is it bad?"

"No, of course not. It's just not what I expected from you... I thought you'd be doing something more... mature, I guess."

"Babysitting is mature. Taking care of kids can be a handful."

Chabashira-sensei huffed, but smiled as she reminisced on her past job.

"I don't hate it, though. It sounds strange, but knowing I played a huge role in shaping someone's life makes me proud. Even if they don't remember..."

She looked away, laughing awkwardly. Her eyes flashed with sadness.

"Excuse my rambling... I got carried away. Sorry that you saw such an unprofessional side of me, Takanori-san."

"I don't mind. Is that the reason why you got into teaching?"

"Yes. After doing that job, I realised that I wanted to change people's lives for the better. I'm still far away from that goal, but... if at least one student changed for the better because of me, then I feel like I accomplished something in my life."

Underneath all the coldness, Chabashira-sensei was a kind person with an emotional core. Hearing her talk about herself was breath-taking. There was a tinge of bittersweet with every word.

"Then why do you act cold to us? Isn't that doing the opposite?"

Chabashira-sensei's smile faded.

"I'm sure someone like you can decipher why."

"Is it because you teach E Class?"

She didn't respond. I took the silence as confirmation.

"If you taught a higher class, could you act more freely?"

"Stop being so silly, Takanori-san."

It was her playful way to tell me to drop the subject. I guess she has her hands tied behind her back in this situation, as she can't disclose this sort of information to students. Her dreams of playing a positive role in other people's lives couldn't be fulfilled while she remained in E Class.

If she taught at any other school, she would be universally loved, if this was the true Chabashira-sensei. An attractive and charming teacher who cares for her students deeply. But at this school, she was chained to acting in a way that wasn't true to herself. Deep down, she must want to rise up to A Class more than anyone else. Not only for her sake, but for everyone else's too.

Perfect. This sort of personality was the easiest to convince.

My other reason to talk to Chabashira-sensei was to get her support. If I wanted to take over and lead E Class, I needed her to join my side. If I had the homeroom teacher's support, then it would be indisputable that I was the one in charge.

"You don't have to worry, Chabashira-sensei."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll rise this class to A Class. That's a promise."

Chabashira-sensei's eyes widened. She lowered her head and nodded.

"It's not a false promise, sensei. Don't look so disappointed in me."

She looked away with a serious, but hurting, face.

"Takanori-san, you don't have to say meaningless words like that. You're not in any position to raise E Class to A Class."

"I thought you wanted to make a positive impact on other students lives."

Chabashira-sensei nodded.

"Then, you can make a positive impact on me by doing one simple thing."

This time, she didn't hesitate like before. She looked at me in the eyes.

"Put your faith in me. If I have your support, that's more than enough. I'll prove it to you, by winning the war against D Class!"

Chabashira-sensei was surprised. However, instead of confirming my feelings, she questioned my out of place declaration.

"Takanori-san... how do you know about the war?"

I accidentally revealed the reason why I came all the way out here in the first place.

"Oh... that's the entire reason why I wanted to talk to you, sensei."

I had gotten so caught up in Chabashira-sensei's feelings, I nearly forgot to ask her about this.

"Is it true we're going into an official war with D Class?"

Chabashira-sensei gulped, and crossed her arms. Her warm eyes lost all their life as she reverted back to her cold self.

"Oh, right... I forgot to tell you all last week."

Even though I knew this wasn't how sensei really was, it still hurt to hear these words. In fact, they had more impact because I knew her true personality.

"My bad. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

As she ran through her words, her mind became more distant with her words. This sort of behaviour was more in-line with the Chabashira-sensei I knew. The way she gazed at me with nonchalant eyes lead me to believe she knew this entire time.

The tone of her voice didn't sound apologetic, but there was a hint of regret. She probably wasn't allowed to tell us this, so I can't blame her. I was aware that the school wanted to screw us over any chance it got.

"I see."

"Feel free to tell your classmates. Otherwise, I'll inform them tomorrow during homeroom time."

I felt bad. Chabashira-sensei was good at hiding her true emotions, that was for sure. I could never imagine this was the sort of stuff that she had to put up with.

I nodded at her advice, even though I only had a few contacts to tell this about. It was imperative we get started on preparations as soon as possible after getting a major delay compared to D Class.

"I'm sorry, Takanori-san... I really am."

They were sincere words. Chabashira-sensei stood up, and began walking towards the exit. She wanted to run away.

"If we're done here, please leave. I need to lock the faculty office, since I'm the last teacher here."

I grabbed her wrist when she walked past me, making her stop abruptly.

"Wait."

She looked down at me, and I looked up at her. The jewellery on her wrist jangled coldly against my hand. She yanked her wrist out of my sweaty grip.

"Please refrain from grabbing me like that."

It was sweaty because I was touching Chabashira-sensei's bare skin. It was really soft.

"I'm not done talking, sensei."

I stood up, looking Chabashira-sensei deep in the eyes.

"What matters do you want to discuss further?"

She sounded desperate to escape the situation. However, I wouldn't let her run away anymore. She first had to change herself for the better, before she could change anybody else for the better.

"I want to know whether you believe in me or not."

Chabashira-sensei paused.

"If you want to rise up to A Class, then it's simple. Place your faith in me. I'll turn our situation around. That's all I'm asking for."

"Show me what you've got first."

Even though it was harsh words, this was the real Chabashira-sensei talking to me.

"Show me that... you're different from all the E Class leaders that came before you."

"I'll overtake D Class. Is that enough proof?"

"You'd be the first E Class in nine years to move up a class... if you can do that, then yes. I know I can rely on you."

"That's all I need."

Chabashira-sensei pulled me close to her unexpectedly.

"But Takanori-san... don't lose yourself over this."

Her glossy lips whispered those unforgettable words into my ear.

We left the faculty office shortly after. Chabashira-sensei locked the door.

"Thanks for today. I didn't know... I needed that."

Quietly, Chabashira-sensei showed me her gratitude. Even though she was a mature adult, there were still parts of her that she hadn't confronted yet. That included her burning ambition to reach A Class.

In the future, she'd be a useful ally. Having her support was necessary in order to battle the other classes. Teachers at this school had more power and information than students did. Using that to my benefit would strengthen my arsenal by a considerable amount.

This alone made her the most valuable piece in E Class. Getting my hands on her early on would make things smoother for me down the road.

"No problem. It was nice talking to you."

I'll admit, Chabashira-sensei's hidden side was cute. In high school, she must've been really popular.

"See you in class tomorrow. Take care."

She gave a small smile as we parted ways.

"Later."

I stood in the hallway, watching Chabashira-sensei walk away. Her ponytail swayed charmingly with each step. Why couldn't my heart stop beating fast?