Conflict

The next morning, before the sunlight had fully dispelled the lingering coolness, Ichinose Honami walked into the classroom carrying a thick stack of test papers that still faintly smelled of ink. Though students instinctively recoiled at the sight of exam sheets, when Ichinose smiled and explained that Shimiya Kuki had specially tailored these basic diagnostic papers for everyone, aiming to precisely identify weak points for efficient tutoring later, the classroom atmosphere quickly shifted from mild groans to understanding and cooperation.

"Everyone, great work! These are just maps to help us see the 'enemy's position'! After you finish, Kuki-kun and I can better help you 'deploy your troops'!" Ichinose cheered energetically, deliberately emphasizing Kuki-kun's contribution. The nickname in public once again drew some knowing winks and whispered discussions among classmates, but most attention was still drawn to the task at hand. Shibata Hayato grimaced as he picked up the math paper, Shiratori Chihiro took a deep breath and opened the Japanese language paper, while Tsubaki Hitomi adjusted her glasses and focused intently on tackling social studies.

The test content, as Ichinose had said, struck at the core fundamentals. There were no tricky or obscure questions, yet it thoroughly exposed the depth of conceptual understanding and application ability. The classroom fell silent, filled only with the rustling of pens on paper and the occasional turning of pages.

Driven by those five test papers, the gears of the study group officially began spinning at high speed.

Based on the initial registration and diagnostic paper analysis, tutoring work quickly got underway. Shimiya Kuki's science group had the most members; he alone took on four students, including Shibata Hayato. His tutoring style was as efficient and direct as the man himself, usually held after school in the classroom or a quiet corner of the library, with time scheduled down to the minute. No unnecessary pleasantries—he would spread out the test paper or textbook, cut straight to the core of the problem, break down the thought process with the clearest and simplest language and board work, guide the thinking, and finally leave a small number of highly targeted exercises for reinforcement.

Shibata Hayato had the most severe time conflicts due to football club practice. Before one training session, he rushed over to Shimiya, who was explaining something to another student, sweating profusely, with an apologetic yet determined look: "Shimiya, I'm thinking of pausing club activities for a while to focus on studying. What do you think?"

Without lifting his head, Shimiya's pen smoothly drew an auxiliary line on the scratch paper, his voice flat and unruffled: "No need. Training is important. Your weak points are in basic mechanics model construction and the comprehensive application of trigonometric functions. Just come ten minutes early during lunch break every day; I'll explain the problems to you then. However, you'll have a few more exercises to do at night afterward." He precisely identified Shibata's issues and solution, completely eliminating the option of sacrificing training time while arranging a more suitable individual tutoring slot.

Shibata froze for a moment, then broke into a grateful grin: "Got it! Thanks, Shimiya!" He felt that this cold-faced "expert" wasn't as unapproachable as he seemed.

A week later, during a lunch break, several tables by the library windows were temporarily commandeered by Class B. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting warm patches of light on the floor. Shimiya Kuki sat across from Shibata Hayato and another student needing tutoring on chemical equilibrium. Ichinose Honami was nearby, guiding Shiratori Chihiro and Tsubaki Hitomi through classical Japanese grammar. Kanzaki Ryuji was at another table helping a classmate tackle solid geometry. The atmosphere was focused and tranquil, broken only by the scratching of pens and hushed explanations.

Suddenly, a sharp, mocking voice pierced the silence—

"You guys haven't even properly figured out the exam scope, have you? No wonder you're flawed products."

"Wh-what did you say?" Yamauchi Haruki's voice carried obvious panic, his book slapping onto the table.

"Ha, just a bunch of bottom-feeding trash," one of Yamawaki's friends chimed in with a sneer. "How did you even get into this school?"

The Class D area instantly erupted, the conflict escalating sharply.

"What did you say?! Bastards! Wanna fight?!" Sudo Ken kicked his chair back and stood up, veins bulging on his forehead, fists clenched so tight they cracked, looking ready to lunge. "It's not like I have any points left to lose anyway!"

"Hey, hey, hey, you planning to use violence?" Yamawaki deliberately taunted, pointing at Sudo with a smug grin. "You'll get points deducted, you know? That okay?"

"Alright, stop, stop!" A clear, forceful voice suddenly cut in. Ichinose Honami had quickly stepped between them, spreading her arms to separate the bristling Sudo and the smug trio from Class C. Meanwhile, Shimiya Kuki had already walked over to the side, calmly observing everything.

Sudo Ken, still fuming, snapped at the intervening Ichinose: "Who the hell are you?! Mind your own business, outsider!"

Ichinose Honami's warm smile remained unchanged, but her eyes sharpened, her tone clear and firm: "Outsider? As one of the students using this library, I can't just ignore this commotion. Besides, your conflict is already affecting our class's studying." Her gaze swept over Sudo and the Class C students as she continued: "If you absolutely must start a violent incident, could you please take it outside?" She then turned to Yamawaki and the others, her tone carrying a warning: "And you lot, aren't you provoking too much? If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to report this to the school administration. Is that okay with you?"

Ichinose's clear, forceful response and the threat of "reporting to the school administration" instantly made the three Class C students' faces change. Yamawaki quickly waved his hands, his tone noticeably weaker: "S-sorry. Ichinose, I didn't mean to do that." The three exchanged glances, muttered "nosy," and quickly turned to leave the library.

Sudo Ken's fists were still clenched, but Ichinose's words had clearly given him pause, especially the potential consequences of "affecting Class B's studying" and "reporting to the school administration." He let out a heavy snort, still furious, but didn't escalate further. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat silently in the shadowed corner, observing quietly, as if noticing something. Kushida Kikyo clasped her hands in front of her chest, her face full of concern, but her gaze keenly swept the entire scene, especially Ichinose, who had just defused the conflict, and Shimiya, who had remained a bystander throughout. Yamauchi and Ike let out long sighs of relief, still shaken.

Just as the Class D students were still unsettled, Kushida Kikyo lightly walked up to Ichinose and bowed deeply: "Thank you so much, Ichinose-kun! That was a huge help!" Then, her gaze shifted to Shimiya Kuki, who stood silently nearby, her tone carrying a perfectly measured mix of inquiry and urgency: "Shimiya-kun, about the exam scope change those Yamawaki guys mentioned... It seems like Class B knew about it in advance? Could you tell me what happened?"

Shimiya Kuki's gaze calmly met her probing eyes.

"Last Friday's homeroom, Hoshinomiya-sensei notified us of the exam scope change." He paused slightly, as if this were a matter of course, then countered: "Did Chabashira-sensei not inform you?"

Last Friday before class ended, Hoshinomiya-sensei stood at the front of the Class B podium and briefly mentioned: "Oh my~ Pay attention, everyone. The exam scope has been adjusted, so take note." As she spoke, she marked the new test points on the blackboard. The Class B students were briefly surprised, then didn't pay it much mind—after all, Class B mainly needed to focus on reinforcing weak areas; at most, those whose weak points happened to fall within the new scope paid extra attention.

Kushida's smile instantly stiffened, a barely perceptible shadow flickering in her eyes. She quickly adjusted her expression, her tone still carrying gratitude: "That... we never received any notice at all. Thank you for telling us, Shimiya-kun." She bowed again, and when she turned, her pace noticeably quickened as she called for the Class D students to leave. The group departed with varied expressions—Sudo glared resentfully in the direction the Class C students had left, Horikita cast one last thoughtful glance at the calm Shimiya and smiling Ichinose, Ayanokoji melted into the crowd, and Yamauchi and Ike wore worried looks.

The small storm had completely settled. Ichinose returned to the Class B seats and gave everyone a reassuring smile: "Alright, a little interlude over. Let's continue?"

Shimiya Kuki had already picked up his pen again, pointing to a wrong answer on Shibata's test paper, his voice returning to its usual flatness: "Here. Confused the object of force analysis. Redraw the force diagram and clearly label the applying object." As if the conflict had never happened.