"Ding-ding—"
The bell announcing the first day of May rang right on time, like a little hammer striking every student's heart.
Shangguan Che had just stuffed his schoolbag into his desk when his gaze drifted involuntarily toward Sakura Airi on his left.
Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, as if she'd taken two punches, and her face was terribly pale. Even her usually bright eyes had lost their sparkle.
She must not have slept well last night. Shangguan Che muttered to himself, tracing his textbook absently with a finger as his thoughts began to wage war. Should I ask what's wrong? But would asking outright seem too deliberate? What if I touched on a secret and scared her off? But if I don't ask, seeing her like this has me worried...
After all that agonizing, by the time the bell rang its final note, all he could manage was, "Sakura, did you have trouble sleeping last night?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. Wasn't that obvious? Those dark circles were practically down to her chin. Of course she hadn't slept well!
Sakura looked up, her gaze a little unfocused, and said softly, "Yeah... I had a bit of trouble falling asleep."
Then she lowered her head again and buried her face in her arms, looking listless.
Watching her wilted posture only made Shangguan Che more certain that the pink envelope was the "culprit."
But he couldn't call it out directly, so he could only sigh to himself. Forget it. I'll focus on class for now and find a chance to ask her after school. The most important thing right now is to keep an eye on that 'doxxer' and make sure Sakura doesn't get hurt again.
Just then, the classroom door opened, and Chabashira-sensei walked in carrying a long poster tube. She was wearing a dark suit today, her expression blank and several degrees more serious than usual. Even her footsteps carried an air of pressure.
Shangguan Che glanced at the poster tube and understood. Looks like the main event is about to begin. Though he'd already guessed why Chabashira-sensei was so serious, he couldn't help grumbling to himself. Could she not be so serious? I'm already sleepy this early in the morning. Seeing her like this is making me even more tired.
As he was thinking, Ike's loud voice suddenly came from beside him. "Teacher, could it be that you haven't gotten your period—?"
The instant he said it, the entire classroom fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
Shangguan Che nearly choked on the saliva he'd just swallowed. Good grief, Ike, you really dare to say that! If this were a short-tempered teacher, you'd have been dragged out to stand in the hallway already!
Remembering Ike's habit of constantly declaring that he wanted to get a girlfriend in high school, Shangguan Che couldn't help covering his face. You're not trying to get a girlfriend. You're trying to get yourself killed! With a remark like that, Class D's performance this month is probably in trouble again. Forget finding a girlfriend—first figure out how not to get expelled.
To everyone's surprise, Chabashira-sensei acted as if she hadn't heard him. She walked straight to the podium, set down the poster tube, and said calmly, "We'll begin the morning assembly now. But before we start, is there anything you'd like to ask? If there's something on your mind, you'd better ask now."
Her tone was as calm as a still pool, yet carried the certainty of someone who already knew exactly what they wanted to ask.
Looking at her, Shangguan Che suddenly had the strange feeling that the mysterious veil surrounding Advanced Nurturing High School was about to be lifted by her own hand. Even though I've been in this classroom all along, it still feels pretty surreal.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Hirata and Yukimura shot their hands up, moving as quickly as if someone had flipped a switch.
I'll bet five cents Chabashira-sensei calls on Hirata first, Shangguan Che wagered silently. He's the social star of the class, after all. His question is probably pretty important, too.
Sure enough, Chabashira-sensei's gaze swept over the two of them before she said, "Hirata, you go first."
Yes! I got it right! Shangguan Che cheered inwardly, while perking up his ears to listen carefully to Hirata's question.
"Teacher, has the Special Exam from April ended?" Hirata stood and asked respectfully.
Shangguan Che's thoughts stirred. Not bad, Hirata's quick on the uptake. The conduct exam that started in April might not necessarily end in April. He thought of that—he's more attentive than I am.
Chabashira-sensei nodded, her tone noticeably gentler. "It's over, Hirata."
As soon as she said that, the tense atmosphere in the classroom dissipated. Quite a few students quietly breathed sighs of relief, and even the room seemed easier to breathe in.
Shangguan Che took the chance to observe his classmates' reactions. Sudo yawned, seeming relieved that he wouldn't have to be constrained by the conduct exam anymore. Ike and Yamauchi huddled together, whispering about something. Sakura was still the same, resting her head on her desk, and Shangguan Che worried that she might be sneaking a nap. With dark circles that heavy, anyone would struggle to stay awake.
Just then, Yukimura pushed up his glasses and stood. "Chabashira-sensei, I was wondering how many Class Points our class has. Can we find out the other classes' scores as well?"
Come to think of it, my glasses are probably still gathering dust in my desk, Shangguan Che thought, his mind suddenly wandering. I brought a pair at the start of the school year, but I've hardly worn them. I should dig them out and clean them later, or they'll rust.
"Yes, I'll show you now." Chabashira-sensei's voice brought his thoughts back. She took a thick stack of white paper from the poster tube, unfolded it, and fixed it to the blackboard with magnets.
Several large numbers appeared before them:
Class A 940 Class B 650 Class C 490 Class D 490
"Holy crap, the gap is huge!" Ike blurted out. "Why does our class have the same score as Class C? We're both at the bottom!"
Shangguan Che looked at the numbers on the blackboard, feeling completely unmoved and even a little amused. Isn't this only to be expected? Just look at the class. Kōenji Rokusuke has his legs propped up on his desk every day, acting like he doesn't respect anyone. Sudo either sleeps or zones out in class. And some of the others pass notes and play on their phones... With behavior like that, I'm amazed we got 490 points at all.
As he was thinking, he suddenly heard Horikita whisper to Ayanokoji beside her, "Hey, don't you think this is strange?"
Shangguan Che's heart tightened. Did Horikita notice something? Could she have figured out that Hirata and I kept some details about the conduct exam to ourselves? Well, it's no big deal. I can just say that information wasn't recorded in the diary. She can't do anything to me for that.
Though he couldn't hear Ayanokoji's response, Shangguan Che guessed from what he knew of him that he'd already figured out the catch, too. He is the protagonist, after all. He's bound to have that much insight.
"These numbers represent your Class Points. Multiply them by one hundred, and you'll get the Personal Points you receive each month," Chabashira-sensei said again.
"Huh? So we'll only get 49,000 Personal Points each month?" Yamauchi looked shocked. "That's way too little! Doesn't that mean the students in Class A get 94,000 every month?"
Chabashira-sensei ignored his complaint and continued, "This school assigns students to classes according to their ability. The most capable students go to Class A, while the useless ones go to Class D. This system is also common in large cram schools.
"To put it simply, Class D is the last stronghold, where all the worst students are gathered. In short, you're all defective products of the worst kind. Work hard, and maybe you'll have a chance of succeeding."
Her words doused everyone like a bucket of cold water.
The class fell silent. Quite a few students looked surprised and indignant, and some turned their eyes toward Hirata and Shangguan Che.
After all, the two of them usually seemed reliable, so their classmates instinctively looked to them for an answer.
Seeing all those gazes turning his way, Shangguan Che thought uneasily, This is trouble. If they press me for answers, I really won't know what to say.
Just then, Hirata stood and bowed to the class. "Um, Shangguan and I didn't know about this either. Sorry, everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, most of the attention on Shangguan Che vanished. He silently gave Hirata a thumbs-up. You're a real one. I can count on you when it matters!
"It's all right, Hirata. This isn't your or Shangguan's fault." Kushida Kikyo spoke up at just the right moment, wearing a gentle smile that immediately soothed the class. "Now that we know how things stand, we can all work hard together from here on."
Watching Kushida, Shangguan Che thought, No wonder she's the second-most popular person in the year. She really knows how to rally people. But Ichinose is the most popular. Just thinking about that makes me feel so much pressure. Class B, where Ichinose is, has so many more points than we do. How am I supposed to help her?
Before you continue