[Tatara-hama Minami — POV]

Lunch break.

Inside the hectic classroom where everyone else finished their lunches with a ten-second charge and immediately rushed off to practice and train for the class replacement match, only the three of us had pushed our desks together.

“Alright then, Erina-chan. Please report on your progress as head of the intelligence division.”

“Okay. For the intelligence division, we’re currently doing eight hours a day of input work using sample problem sets and current-affairs materials from the Quiz Research Club. I think it’s about time we increase the proportion of output training for practicing response actions during questioning.”

“Very good. Next, Kuruwa-san, as head of the physical division, please report.”

“For the physical division, we’ve divided candidate participants into burst-speed types, endurance types and ball-sport–specialized types and we’re conducting training to raise the baseline level for each. Using the events from past class replacement matches as reference, we’re creating and testing team-pattern proposals so we can decide which members to field depending on the events announced on the day.”

“Excellent. Now, regarding the wife-aptitude division, because the range of possible events on the day is large, we’re using all-rounder types as members, but there’s concern about a lack of decisiveness. Depending on the events announced on the day, there’s also a possibility that we’ll urgently select members from other divisions. Please make sure each division head informs their members of this.”

““Understood.””

Preparations are proceeding extremely smoothly.

That said, we’re putting a heavy burden on everyone in the class but when I think about the fear of Tachibana-kun being taken away, there’s no way I could sleep peacefully.

“Mm, this is an excellent level of refinement. With this, you won’t fall behind Class 3. As your homeroom teacher, I’m proud.”

“Ecchan-sensei, thank you for the high praise.”

With the actual day of the class match coming into view, morale within the class remains at a high level.

“Personally, it’s not that I have no reservations about Tatara-hama, but my judgment as a teacher in choosing her as class representative wasn’t wrong. That’s only as class representative, though.”

“Thank you. I bear the heaviest responsibility for protecting our class’s boy. No matter who the opponent is, protecting Tachibana-kun is the top priority.”

I answer Ecchan-sensei’s sarcasm-laden words with a cool expression.

“I believe the will of the class’s boy is also important. That’s my stance as a teacher wishing for my students’ healthy growth. Though perhaps a delinquent girl who wanders the streets alone at night wouldn’t understand.”

“Protecting an innocent boy’s chastity is more important than growth. Irreversible acts should be approached with caution. Unless you’re an immoral teacher, that is.”

It seems Ecchan-sensei is resentful that I interfered with her home visit to Tachibana-kun the other day.

However, when she reflects on her own actions, she knows that if things were brought into the open, the one who would take the most damage is herself, so all she can do is make these roundabout jabs at me. I can safely ignore them.

“Minami-chi, you’ve really started to have an intimidating presence as class representative.”

“Yeah. At first, you were so worried about whether you could handle it.”

Erina-chan and Kuruwa-san, who were watching the exchange between me and Ecchan-sensei from the side, murmur with a reflective tone.

“Please don’t tease me, Erina-chan, Kuruwa-san. I’m just doing everything I can so I won’t have any regrets going into the class match.”

“Yeah. With this, we can win.”

“Yeah. There isn’t a single opening on our path to victory.”

The source of our confidence is that we realized Tachibana-kun’s value earlier than anyone else.

That’s why we felt a sense of crisis and started training so our treasure wouldn’t be taken from us.

So even when Class 3 challenged us to a class match, we didn’t panic.

And now, we’ve even cut ourselves off from Tachibana-kun and are pushing ourselves stoically.

They probably thought launching a surprise attack while we were drowning in our obsession with Tachibana-kun would work but they underestimated us, the people of Class 3.

Or perhaps Tachibana-kun is simply such a wonderful boy that they rushed in without caring about appearances.

Either way, with everything fully prepared, we have no openings.

No matter what trouble arises, we’ll handle it calmly.

“T-t-this is bad, Kuruwa-aneeeeee!”

“What is it? Stop shouting.”

A classmate from the physical division burst into the classroom with a pale face.

If I remember correctly, she was on Tachibana-kun’s bodyguard duty today.

Well, even if you call it bodyguard duty, Tachibana-kun tends to vanish without warning like a ninja, so guarding him seems quite difficult.

“T-Tachibana-kun is… flirting with some unknown woman in the cafeteria…”

“““““““Haaaaaaaaaaaaaah?!”””””””

A scream echoed throughout the Class 2 classroom.

[TL: Waiting on author to write volume 2 to add more chapters here.]