Conflict

The next morning, the sun had yet to dispel the chill in the air when Ichinose Honami walked into the classroom carrying a thick stack of tests that still carried a faint smell of ink. Students had an almost instinctive aversion to tests, but when Ichinose smiled and explained that Shimiya Kuki had specially tailored these Basic Diagnostic Papers for everyone to pinpoint their weak spots and make future tutoring more effective, the classroom's faint groans soon gave way to understanding and cooperation.

"Thanks for your hard work, everyone! This is just a map to help us see what we're up against. Once you've finished, Kuki-kun and I can help you come up with a better strategy!" Ichinose encouraged them with infectious energy, taking care to emphasize Kuki-kun's contribution. Hearing her use that name in public again drew knowing winks and quiet whispers from some classmates, but most were focused on the task at hand. Shibata Hayato picked up the Math Paper with a grimace, Shiratori Chihiro took a deep breath and opened the Japanese Language Paper, and Tsubaki Hitomi pushed up her glasses and set to work on social studies.

The tests were just as Ichinose had described: they went straight to the fundamentals. There were no tricky or obscure questions, but they offered a clear measure of each student's grasp of the concepts and ability to apply them. The only sounds in the classroom were pens scratching across paper and the occasional turn of a page.

Driven by the five tests, the Study Group's gears began turning at full speed.

Based on the initial registration and the diagnostic tests, tutoring got underway at once. Shimiya Kuki was responsible for the Science Group, which had the most students; he took on four classmates by himself, including Shibata Hayato. His tutoring style was even more efficient and direct than his manner. Sessions were usually held after school in the classroom or a quiet corner of the library, and he kept a precise schedule. There was no unnecessary small talk. He would spread out the tests or textbooks, get straight to the heart of the problem, break down the reasoning in the clearest, most concise language and notes on the board, and guide the students through it. Then he would leave them a small number of highly targeted exercises to reinforce what they'd learned.

Shibata Hayato had the most serious scheduling conflicts because of Football Club practice. Before one practice, he hurried over to Shimiya, who was explaining something to another student, sweat pouring down his face. With an apologetic but resolute look, he said, "Shimiya, I'm thinking of taking a break from club practice for a while so I can focus on studying. What do you think?"

Shimiya didn't even look up. His pen smoothly drew a construction line on the scratch paper, and his voice remained flat. "No need. Practice is important. Your weak spots are Basic Mechanics Model Construction and Comprehensive Application of Trigonometric Functions. Just come ten minutes early during lunch every day, and I'll go over problems with you then. You'll have more problems to do at night, though." He pinpointed Shibata's difficulties and laid out a solution, never giving him the option of sacrificing practice time, while arranging a more suitable one-on-one tutoring slot.

Shibata froze for a moment, then broke into a grateful grin. "Got it! Thanks, Shimiya!" He realized that the cool, no-nonsense "expert" wasn't as uncaring as he seemed.

A week later, during lunch, several tables by the library windows were temporarily taken over by Class B. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting warm patches of light across the floor. Shimiya Kuki sat across from Shibata Hayato and another student who needed help with Chemical Equilibrium. Not far away, Ichinose Honami was helping Shiratori Chihiro and Tsubaki Hitomi review classical Japanese grammar. At another table, Kanzaki Ryuji was helping a classmate tackle Solid Geometry. The atmosphere was quiet and focused, broken only by the scratch of pens and the hushed sound of explanations.

Suddenly, a sharp, mocking voice shattered the peace—

"Don't tell me you haven't even figured out what's on the test. No wonder you're Flawed Products."

"W-what did you say?" Yamauchi Haruki's voice was clearly flustered. His book smacked against the table.

"Ha, a bunch of hopeless losers, just as I thought." Another of Yamawaki's friends chimed in with a sneer. "I have no idea how you even got into this school!"

The area where Class D was studying erupted, and the conflict quickly escalated.

"What did you say?! You bastards! You wanna fight?!" Ken Sudō kicked his chair aside and jumped to his feet, veins bulging at his temples and fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He looked ready to charge. "It's not like we have any points left to lose!"

"Hey, hey, are you planning to use violence?" Yamawaki pointed at Sudō, deliberately provoking him with a taunting look. "You'll get points deducted, you know. You okay with that?"

"Okay, stop! Stop!" A clear, forceful voice suddenly cut in. Ichinose Honami hurried between them, arms spread to separate the bristling Sudō from the three smug-looking Class C students. Shimiya Kuki had also come over and was calmly watching everything.

Sudō was still furious. He turned on Ichinose and yelled, "Who are you?! If you're not involved, don't stick your nose into other people's business!"

The gentle smile never left Ichinose Honami's face, but her eyes were sharp, and her voice was clear and firm. "Not involved? I'm a student using the library, so I can't just ignore this commotion. Besides, your argument is disturbing our class's study session." She glanced from Sudō to the Class C students and continued, "If you're determined to start a fight, could you at least take it outside?" Then she turned to Yamawaki and the others, her tone warning. "And you, too—you've taken the taunting too far. If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to report it to the School Administration. Would that be a problem?"

Ichinose's clear, forceful response and her warning that she would report them immediately changed the three Class C students' expressions. Yamawaki hurriedly waved his hands, his tone noticeably weaker. "S-sorry, Ichinose. I wasn't planning to do that." The three exchanged glances, muttered "Mind your own business," and quickly left the library.

Sudō's fists were still clenched, but Ichinose's words had clearly given him pause, especially the reminder that they were disturbing Class B's study session and the threat of a report to the School Administration. He gave a heavy snort, still glaring with anger, but didn't escalate things further. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sat silently in the shadows in a corner, watching. He seemed to have noticed something. Kushida Kikyo clasped her hands in front of her chest, worry written across her face, but her sharp gaze took in the entire scene, especially Ichinose, who had just defused the conflict, and Shimiya, who had watched from the sidelines the whole time. Yamauchi and Ike let out long, shaky breaths.

While the students of Class D were still trying to calm down, Kushida Kikyo lightly walked over to Ichinose and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Ichinose-kun! You were a huge help!" Then she turned toward Shimiya Kuki, who stood watching nearby, her tone appropriately curious and urgent. "Shimiya-kun, Yamawaki and the others mentioned that the test coverage had changed. It seems Class B knew about it ahead of time. Could you tell me what happened?"

Shimiya Kuki calmly met her probing gaze.

"On Friday last week, Hoshinomiya-sensei announced the change in the test coverage during homeroom." He paused briefly, as if it were only natural, then asked, "Didn't Chabashira-sensei tell you?"

Before class ended last Friday, Hoshinomiya-sensei had stood at the front of Class B and casually mentioned, "Oh, and pay attention—the test coverage has changed, so make sure you take note." As she spoke, she marked the new topics on the board. The students in Class B had been surprised, but then hadn't paid it much attention. After all, they only needed to focus on the subjects they were weak in, and at most, students whose weak spots overlapped with the new topics would need to take special note.

Kushida's smile froze for an instant, and a faint shadow passed through her eyes. She quickly adjusted her expression, keeping her tone grateful. "We... weren't told anything at all. Thank you for letting me know, Shimiya-kun." She bowed again, then hurried off to gather the Class D students. Their expressions varied: Sudō glared angrily in the direction the Class C students had left, Horikita cast one last thoughtful glance at the composed Shimiya and smiling Ichinose, Ayanokoji disappeared into the crowd, and Yamauchi and Ike looked troubled.

The little disturbance was over. Ichinose returned to her seat in Class B and gave everyone a reassuring smile. "All right, that little interruption is over. Shall we continue?"

Shimiya Kuki had already picked up his pen again. He pointed to a mistake on Shibata's test and spoke in the same flat voice as before. "Here. You've confused which object you're analyzing. Redraw the force diagram and clearly label the objects applying each force." It was as if the conflict had never happened.