Shangguan Che stared at the messages in the boys' group chat on his phone.
Someone had just bragged about buying a 50,000-yuan game console. Shangguan Che tapped his fingers against the desk without thinking.
No, he had to act soon. If Class D kept going like this, Shangguan Che felt his future was going to be rough. He had to think of something.
The afternoon sun streamed through the glass windows of the school building, scattering bright patches of light across the hallway floor.
Shangguan Che grabbed Hirata Yosuke by the wrist and strode off at a brisk pace. Behind them, the girls' chatter stretched out like a rubber band, fading as the two boys moved away.
"Shangguan, why do you have to steal Hirata away even during lunch? Isn't hogging him all afternoon enough?" one of the girls called after them, her voice tinged with playful reproach.
"Sorry, sorry. You can have all of Hirata's afternoons from now on." Shangguan Che waved without looking back, offering an insincere apology.
"What are you talking about? Even if Hirata wants to join the Soccer Club, I wouldn't stop him."
"None of us would stop him!"
At last, Shangguan Che stopped amid the banter rising and falling behind them and let go of Hirata's wrist. A helpless smile crossed his face. "Sorry, Hirata. After all that, I've probably hurt your chances with the girls."
Hirata Yosuke shook his head gently, his tone frank. "We're all just classmates. It won't affect anything."
"Is that so?" Shangguan Che replied absently, his gaze drifting toward the distant sports field.
Noticing that Shangguan Che's attention was elsewhere, Hirata didn't mind at all. Instead, he asked, "I was wondering if there's anything I can help you with, Shangguan."
Shangguan Che turned around, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. "That depends on your answer."
"What do you mean? Could you be more specific, Shangguan?" Hirata tilted his head slightly, looking puzzled.
"If someone in our class runs into trouble in the future and asks you for help, would you help them?
Or would you decide based on the circumstances?"
Shangguan Che stared into Hirata's eyes. Though he already knew the answer, he still wanted to hear Hirata say it himself.
"Of course I'd help. No matter the circumstances, I'd do everything I could for a classmate in trouble. That goes for you, too, Shangguan." Hirata's answer was firm and unhesitating.
Shangguan Che's heart gave a jolt. Could this guy think I was laying the groundwork to ask him for help? He couldn't give up his easygoing life that easily.
So Shangguan Che quickly pressed him further. "One more question. What if that classmate doesn't ask you for help?"
"I'd still do everything I could to help. We're classmates, after all." Hirata's smile was as warm as the afternoon sun.
Were classmates really that important to him?
Shangguan Che felt he'd dug up a crucial piece of information that could make Hirata "work himself to death." He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Well, I do have something I need your help with, Hirata."
That's my best friend for you. He cares so much about every classmate. Shangguan Che thought to himself as he began laying out the information he'd gathered and the conclusions he'd drawn.
The more Hirata listened, the more serious his expression became. When Shangguan Che mentioned that the classrooms weren't at full capacity, with fewer than forty students, Hirata finally interrupted. "Did some upperclassmen leave?"
"They didn't leave voluntarily. They were expelled," Shangguan Che corrected him calmly.
"Is there no way to prevent something like that?" Hirata furrowed his brow, worry in his voice.
"Class 3-A—the class Horikita Manabu, the current Student Council President, is in—hasn't lost anyone. They still have all forty students."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Shangguan Che regretted them. Wasn't that basically hinting that Hirata should join the Student Council? Given how much Hirata cared about his classmates, he might actually give up the Soccer Club for the sake of the class.
But then again, Shangguan Che had Clairvoyance, which gave him access to all the information Hirata could get. And the Student Council certainly wouldn't share first-year exam information with its first-year members.
So if Hirata joined the Student Council, he wouldn't gain much, and he'd have to give up something he loved. Shangguan Che berated himself: My persuasion skills still need work. I should practice.
"Should I join the Student Council?" Hirata's voice suddenly broke in.
Shangguan Che's heart lurched. Sun, stop shining! You're going to expose the darkness in my heart! What about your love of soccer? You'd give it up that easily?
He forced himself to stay calm and hurriedly waved a hand. "You don't have to. I'll give it a try myself."
"What about the Soccer Club?" Hirata pressed.
"It's fine. I'm not that passionate about soccer anyway," Shangguan Che said casually.
"Then I'll go with you." Shangguan Che felt a warmth in his chest. This guy really is loyal. He knows how to share the burden.
But then he reconsidered. There wasn't much difference in what they'd gain from joining the Student Council, so there was no need for both of them to go through the trouble.
"No need. We're both too naive," Shangguan Che said, making up an excuse.
"What do you mean? I don't quite understand, Shangguan," Hirata said, looking bewildered.
"Oh, at the club recruitment fair, the Student Council President said they wouldn't accept naive people.
"Think about it: you and I are both naive. Whether you go alone or we both go, the result will be the same."
Shangguan Che prayed silently: I hope this excuse fools Hirata. He mustn't actually join the Student Council, only to get nothing out of it and give up something he loves. That would be taking advantage of an honest guy.
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, another strange idea popped up: Maybe I should just let him try?
No, no. Hirata's my best friend. I can't take advantage of an honest guy! Shangguan Che wrestled with himself, then could only cry out inwardly: Trust me, Hirata!
"All right. If there's anything you need, Shangguan, just come to me." Hirata agreed without giving it much thought.
"Of course. Come on, I'll continue. Listen carefully and don't get distracted." Shangguan Che breathed a sigh of relief, then regretted it. If only I'd taken Hirata's excessively sunny disposition into account when I was planning what to say.
"Okay. I'll listen carefully. You put a lot of thought into reaching these conclusions, after all." Hirata sat up straight, his eyes full of earnest attention.
Shangguan Che resumed explaining the analysis he'd originally thought would sound impressive, all the while sighing inwardly: This is so hard.
As he talked, an idea suddenly came to him: Could I sell this information to the other classes?
But then he thought it over. The classes were rivals. If he took points, he'd become a traitor to Class D. If he didn't, wouldn't that be stupid? Either way, he'd be in the wrong.
Shangguan Che glanced at Hirata Yosuke, who was thinking hard beside him, and finally dropped the idea. Thinking about this stuff is such a pain. I really am a good person. Everyone in Class D should thank me properly.
"I think I understand. You want me to tell everyone what you've observed, right?" Hirata suddenly asked.
"Exactly." Shangguan Che nodded.
"Can I ask why you don't say it yourself? Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine. I'll make sure I handle it, since this concerns the whole class." Hirata's smile was still warm, as if he were glowing.
"There's no reason I can't tell you. Hirata, think back to when you started the introductions earlier." Shangguan Che prompted him.
"The introductions?" Hirata paused.
"Right. Didn't someone leave the classroom without introducing themselves?" Shangguan Che asked.
"So I want you to announce all this to the class. If anyone leaves, don't stop them. I'll film you speaking, then send it to the classmates who leave and post it in the class group chat," Shangguan Che added.
He grumbled inwardly: Who would've thought my filming skill would come in handy for this? No one could've seen that coming.
"I see," Hirata said, suddenly understanding.
"Besides, I don't want people thinking I'm some kind of genius." Shangguan Che scratched his head. He knew perfectly well that he wasn't particularly capable; he'd just benefited from his skill.
Seeing the doubt on Hirata's face, Shangguan Che added, "If you want, you can just consider yourself indebted to me."
"?" Hirata looked completely confused.
"Think about it. You must feel like I'm doing a good deed anonymously and handing all the credit to you. You'd feel bad about that, right?" Shangguan Che explained.
"More or less," Hirata admitted with an honest nod. He was really just curious, though. If Shangguan Che hadn't explained, he wouldn't have pressed him.
"Since you know everything now, just consider yourself indebted to me. That way, you can feel better about it. It's perfect." Shangguan Che thought his plan was flawless. All that time spent preparing what to say had paid off.
What he didn't know was that the real Hirata Yosuke was still a little different from the "nice guy" he'd imagined.
"All right, I understand." Hirata agreed at once, without thinking it over.
"Oh, and Hirata, when you tell the class, make sure everyone keeps it secret. Don't let anyone from the other classes find out," Shangguan Che reminded him.
"This? Oh, I understand." Hirata nodded immediately.
Shangguan Che praised him silently: My best friend catches on pretty quickly.
Once they'd finished everything, Shangguan Che patted Hirata on the shoulder. His stomach chose that moment to growl. "Come on, let's get some food. I'm starving."
Before you continue