Explosion

Matsushita Chiaki felt her perception of reality had been severely challenged.

Within her limited understanding, the most a student would do to cause a disturbance in class was pass notes or exchange glances.

But what she had just witnessed... it started with writing on someone's back, escalated to "interacting" with feet, and finally, even... taking off socks? Massaging the sole of a foot? It had made Kiyona practically collapse onto her desk...

The sheer volume of information was overloading her brain; it was all completely beyond the scope of what she knew!

Especially... Matsushita recalled Hoshino Kanade's seemingly casual final action.

As he withdrew his hand, his fingertips seemed to brush past his nose with extreme naturalness and speed?

And the fleeting expression on his face... was it lingering pleasure? Or some kind of indescribable enjoyment?

Matsushita was startled by her own thought.

"...This... this isn't just ordinary horseplay anymore, is it?" she stared blankly at her desk, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the smooth barrel of her pencil, her mind in utter chaos.

"Just how far has their relationship progressed? This is definitely already..." she searched her mind for a word, "...a perverted level of interaction, isn't it?!"

As a maiden whose heart had yet to awaken, whose understanding was still stuck in the realm of pure romance manga, these scenes were like a nuclear-level shock.

She needed time to recover, to properly digest the "heart-shattering" daily life of Class D.

Matsushita took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

However, upon closer reflection, both of them were acting strangely.

Hoshino Kanade's reflexes were far beyond those of a high school student; his move to grab Kiyona's ankle was so fast it was just a blur.

Kiyona's tolerance was even more unbelievable: with that level of stimulation, a normal person would have screamed by now... Were they really just ordinary students?

After their Class Points were reduced to zero, even Karuizawa's group had curbed their spending desires, yet these two were playing such a forbidden game in class?

The more Matsushita Chiaki thought about it, the colder her spine felt.

Was Class D a gathering place for "flawed goods"?

But these two, no matter how you looked at them, seemed like anomalies.

She unconsciously pretended to be diligently taking notes, but her gaze, through the gaps in her falling hair, tried to steal another glance, to reconfirm Kiyona's state, or to catch more of Hoshino Kanade's abnormalities.

However, as soon as her gaze swept over, she met Hoshino Kanade's eyes.

Those eyes were calm and unruffled, yet like a deep pool, they accurately captured her prying gaze.

Matsushita Chiaki's breath hitched.

As expected, looking again would cause an explosion.

"Is Matsushita-san interested in history?" Hoshino Kanade suddenly spoke, breaking the surrounding silence.

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached Matsushita's ears clearly.

He casually tapped his finger on the cover of the history book on his desk, which was tucked under his physics textbook.

Matsushita snapped back to attention, her pencil almost slipping from her fingers.

She tightened her grip on the pencil, forcing herself to pull off a harmless, slightly confused smile: "...I was just curious why Hoshino-san always reads extracurricular books."

She tried her best to make her voice sound natural, but the cold sweat that instantly broke out on her back betrayed her nervousness.

When did he notice me watching? Was it from the very first time?

Hoshino Kanade looked at her, the corners of his mouth curving upward ever so slightly, but his smile held no warmth.

His gaze swept casually over the pencil in Matsushita's hand, which was slightly deformed from her grip: "Because some knowledge—"

Matsushita blurted out almost instinctively, with a hint of probing: "...is outside the textbook?" She met his gaze, trying to discern something from those unfathomably deep eyes.

The moment their gazes intersected in the air, a desperate wail suddenly came from Ike Kanji in the back row: "It's over! This topic is on the final exam, and I didn't understand it at all!"

This wail was like a drop of water thrown into hot oil, instantly igniting the long-suppressed anxiety of Class D.

Whispers, the rustling of pages, sighs—they rose one after another. The anxiety of Class D surged like a tide, submerging all hidden games.

Hoshino Kanade's gaze shifted away from Matsushita Chiaki's face, as if the brief confrontation had never happened.

He slowly tore off a corner of his notebook, quickly wrote a line, and then slid the note with his contact information onto Matsushita Chiaki's desk.

"Perhaps we should talk," his voice was calm, but carried an undeniable weight, "about your 'mediocre' level."

After speaking, he didn't look at Matsushita Chiaki again and stood up to leave his seat.

Matsushita Chiaki froze in place, her eyes fixed on the small piece of paper on her desk.

The cicadas outside chirped deafeningly, their sound particularly grating at this moment.

Under the survival pressure, Matsushita Chiaki suddenly realized with clarity that what she had just glimpsed was perhaps truly just the tip of the iceberg.

Recalling it now, Hoshino Kanade's final glance at her.

He had noticed long ago! Was it from the first time she peeked through the gaps in her hair? Or even earlier?

The piece of paper with his contact information lay quietly on the desk, like a silent invitation, and also like a dangerous trap.

Matsushita Chiaki stared at the newly added contact on the terminal screen, unconsciously caressing the cold terminal casing, trying to dispel that inexplicable flutter.

How will he treat me?

The image of Kiyona's snow white bare feet, curled slightly in Hoshino's palm, uncontrollably emerged in her mind during class.

That gesture held a sense of control, yet was also strangely... gentle?

No, what was she thinking! To directly ask herself to take off her shoes and offer her feet to him?

The thought made her ear roots heat up, her heart rate suddenly thrown into disarray.

The feeling of Hoshino's handsome yet unfathomable face being right before her eyes... just imagining it made her breath catch.

She would fare worse than Kiyona, wouldn't she?

That kind of thing... absolutely not!

She bit her lower lip, trying to suppress the chaotic thoughts with the sensation of pain.

However, the coldness of reality quickly extinguished that sliver of unrealistic fantasy.

He must have discovered her true identity.

The deliberately lowered score, the maneuvering within Karuizawa's small clique, the observation and probing of classmates...

Any single loose end in someone else's hands would be enough to control her, let alone someone as inscrutable as Hoshino Kanade?

If he were to expose her, it would be even more unbearable.

In Class D, where survival points were zero and everyone was on edge, a "pretender" who was unmasked would instantly become the lowest of the low in the class. Karuizawa's revenge, Hirata's disappointment, Sato and the others' estrangement... she would likely become isolated.

That was more terrifying to her than any "punishment."

Even though her mind was a tangled mess like yarn batted around by a cat, she had no choice.

The light from the terminal screen reflected on her slightly flushed cheeks and flickering blue eyes.

With trepidation, her fingertip trembling, she slowly and clearly typed the string of numbers Hoshino Kanade had given her into the contacts search bar.

The moment she pressed the "Send" button, she leaned back against her chair as if she had exhausted all her strength. The cicada song outside the window seemed to transform into Hoshino Kanade's light chuckle, lingering by her ear.