(Dazai Crowley's POV)
Cerulean Academy, Present Day
For millennia, Cerulean Academy has been known to grant wishes to students upon graduation.
That was the whole point as to why students from all over the world have come to attend.
However, there was a catch. A catch to which was carefully concealed by the school themselves.
Only students graduating from Class A were allowed the right to this one privilege.
But that begs the question.
"—Wait a second! What about us in Class D!? Don't those privileges apply to us as well!?"
"Fuck no."
"—!?"
"What!!?"
"This isn't what we were told!!"
Naturally, students begin to protest.
And yet, Mrs. Gwein was unfazed by the chaos.
"Come now, surely you seriously didn't think that we would grant the wish of EVERY student in school simply because they graduated right? Sure, Cerulean Academy is smaller in scale compared to your average highschool, but the number of our student body easily reaches around a hundred or so. That's a lot of wishes to fulfill. And, while Cerulean Academy may be powerful, we aren't omnipotent. So, there was no way you actually thought we would advertise the idea of fulfilling the wishes of nearly a hundred people without there being some sort of catch. Oh, wait….—You did. And you wonder why you kids were placed in Class D of all places."
Gwein's words were as true as they were hurtful. The answer was right in front of us after all.
It's our fault as students for being too naive to figure it out. Forced to confront the situation for what it was, we as a class were left with no other choice but to reflect on our poor judgment.
"—It appears I have been bested by my lack of insight yet again. How utterly troublesome."
As Ryoku chewed her thumb for a bit, she scoffed a little at herself under her breath.
Suddenly though—
"Ah, this is bullshit! I didn't come to this school just for this! Fuck this, I'm out!!"
Infuriated by this sudden turn of events, one student in particular was ready to storm off.
Unsurprisingly, there were many who were quick to rally behind that statement. Some even gathered their bags in hopes of leaving.
However, instead of silencing them like before, Gwein took a completely different approach.
"That's fine by me. If you want to, please, feel free to walk out of my class."
"Huh?"
"Yes. If you want to leave, I can file your dismissal later today and take you off the record. By doing so, you will be able to retry again next year."
"Seriously!?"
"Indeed."
From the scornful came a new sense of hope.
—However, such hope was about to be crushed.
"Unfortunately though, I'm not very merciful. You see, I despise quitters and would very much like to keep them out of my school if at all possible. I also don't believe in second chances either. That is why, I will warn you once, and only once. If you so much as take a step out of that door right there, I will treat this as an act of unforgivable and compulsive behavior and have you expelled."
"W—what!?"
"Y—you can't do that!"
"Oh really? Care to put that to the test?"
Shink. Like a hot knife through butter, Gwein's glare cut right through their last line of opposition. Her words were not a threat. It was a warning of a certain possibility's inevitable result.
Her wrath was not meant to be tested.
Understanding, (or atleast forced to realize), the fact that they held no power over a teacher in the first place, the rioting students knew this all too well. Even if they disliked the situation that they were in, they atleast still had a chance to fulfill their dreams. All they would need to do is simply apply a little extra elbow grease then most of the other classes. However, not even that opportunity awaits them in the face of expulsion. With one word, Gwein could shut their hopes and dreams down for good. They had no other choice "but" to accept their current reality.
As such, all signs of rebellion were crushed.
Like a void consuming matter, the classroom descended into a chaotic silence for a while.
—Our teacher on the other hand, merely smiled.
"It seems like everyone has finally understood the true extent of our current situation. Good, good. Realization is the first step to progress, after all."
Slam!
Mrs. Gwein slapped the table with her palms.
The dry echo reverberated loudly through the classroom.
"Right then! As I see it, Class D, or rather, the students of Class D, have only three options."
As she said that, she raised three fingers.
"—To quit, to accept, or to struggle."
Some students furrowed their brow.
"Quitting should be self explanatory. If you don't like your situation, just walk out that door and never come back. Oh, but just know that no matter how much you beg and plead, I will never allow you to set foot in our school here again."
Mrs. Gwein was dead set on this one condition.
"Accepting is also easy to understand. If you want to give up the good fight, feel free to do just that. Of course, you'll miss out on your one chance to fulfill a wish, but it's not like it'll be the end of the world. Besides, if you graduate from Cerulean Academy one way or another, I'm sure there'll be plenty of colleges and universities who would happily take you in. Oh, but then again, you might just end up as "that one kid from Class D"."
"—In that case, I suppose no one would want any of you peons", she continued.
...Ouch.
"And then there's, of course, my favorite option. The option to "struggle". Now, I'll be real with you here. Since the founding days of Cerulean Academy, Class D's fight has, and will always be, a steep battle. It will be difficult. You will be hurt. And you will suffer. However, that is fine. No wars are won without challenge, after all. And as your teacher, I promise to lend you all the full extent of my power as well. That is why, even if there is only one person who remains behind in this class, I promise, you will not fight alone."
No matter how hard you look at it, these really were our only options.
There's nothing more to it than that. That said, I wonder what decision which student will make.
—Well, I'm sure I can take an educated guess.
Suddenly, Ryoku stood up, her hand placed on her bosom, and her eyes emanating with a sense of resolve that was brighter than even the sun.
"I came here to this school to fulfill a certain dream of mine. And no matter what stands in my way, I intend to see it through. I'm sure everyone else feels the same right?"
She turned towards the class.
"Yeah!!"
"Obviously!!"
Many students, most particularly the ones who were rioting earlier, voiced their agreement. Smiling, Ryoku faced our teacher again. This time, rallied by the class's express opinion.
"Our decision is clear. We will fight."
Her words were simple. Instead of cowering or accepting the situation for what it was, she too wanted to go against the odds and fight.
"...Hmm, is that so?"
Mrs Gwein stops to think for a moment.
She then turns towards another person in the crowd.
"And what about you Esmes? What will you do?"
Up until now, Esmes has yet to contribute much of an opinion, instead, choosing to simply observe the flow of the conversation from afar with her fan in hand.
—However, that time of silence has ended.
"Before I give you my answer, I have a question for Sensei. When it comes to student disposition amongst the classes, can we be certain the school faculty makes no mistakes in their evaluation?"
"Absolutely."
Gwein's response came almost immediately.
"When it comes to abilities like your academics, altethism, achievement, and potential, the school thoroughly measures each and every aspect about you before coming to a final decision."
"So then that means me being assigned to Class D was, without a shadow of a doubt, no mistake?"
"Of course not. If you are in Class D, it means the school has deemed you deserving of only that."
"—Fufufu. Then it appears this school is in desperate need of a new change of management~"
As if to joke at the very sentiment, Esmes waves her paper fan teasingly.
Mrs. Gwein however raised her eyebrow.
"And what makes you say that?"
"It's obvious. You say the school measures all of our abilities and comes to a decision based on the results, correct? And yet, despite that however, you all thought it would be wise to place "me", of all people, in the lowest tier possible."
In other words, Esmes believed a completely illogical error has been made.
She continues.
"Therefore, I have concluded that this situation is either one of two things. The first is that the school faculty is nothing more than idiots who don't understand what true power is, or, the school itself has decided to look down on me. Either way, on my pride and honor as a Montoya, I cannot...—no, I will not accept this."
She strengthens her resolve.
"So what do you plan to do then? Run to your parents and have them file a complaint?"
Esmes scoffs.
Yet oddly, it wasn't out of malice or displeasure.
"That is certainly one approach. However, I do not know if that would be the wisest. My family may be powerful, but even I must admit the school holds an unbelievable amount of influence. Even if we were to challenge you, even we may not win."
"Indeed. It would most likely end as a waste of time and effort for you. A pointless struggle."
Considering the school's ties to the royal family, it can certainly be considered as an inevitable outcome.
—But then, Esmes makes an interesting comment.
"I agree. However, regardless of what the outcome may be, I suppose it doesn't matter at this stage. Besides, even if I was theoretically guaranteed to win, I would still choose not to."
"...Hoh? Why's that?"
Esmes smiles.
"It's simple. Because, even if it's over a matter as important as this, relying on my family to remove every single obstacle in my way would be far too cowardly. That is why I intend to solve this absurdity of a problem with my own two hands."
"Neither you nor this school knows anything about my power. If they did, I wouldn't be here. This, in of itself, is a mistake. But that is fine. It just means there was just a slight hiccup in some calculations. An error in someone's hindsight or judgment. In that case, all that needs to be done is for me to simply correct it. No big deal. So that is exactly what I will do. I will show both you and this school...—the full extent of my power."
She snaps her fan shut.
"—I believe my choice is clear, no?"
The entire room descended into silence.
This was not a silence born from awkwardness, or the sheer weight of dreadful realization, but rather, a silence born from a moment of pure awe and utter respect. It was something not even I could have said better myself.
"Heh."
Clap, clap, clap.
Mrs Gwein slowly claps her hands together.
"Then I suppose it's official then."
She clears her throat.
"—Allow me to welcome you all...—to Class D."