Psyduck Has Arrived, Everyone Move Aside!

The lunch break bell had just rung, and the classroom erupted into chaos. Students were packing their bags to head to the cafeteria, but only Sakura Airi remained slumped over her desk, too lethargic to even move.

Shangguan Che's gaze swept over the corner of a white envelope peeking out from her desk cubby, then shifted to Hirata, who was busy organizing the study group. He made a quick decision in his mind.

"Sakura, Hirata and I need to discuss the study group," he said, gently tapping her arm and softening his tone. "I can't eat with you this afternoon. You should head back and rest early; you look really tired today."

Sakura lifted her head, the red bloodshot veins in her eyes clearly visible. She forced a faint smile and whispered, "Okay, I understand. Goodbye, Shangguan." With that, she buried her head back into her arms, looking utterly exhausted.

Watching Sakura's retreating back, Shangguan Che sighed inwardly.

When he returned to the classroom after lunch, Sakura was practically asleep the second she sat down, not even bothering to take out her textbooks.

He used his Clairvoyance to scan the letter in her desk cubby. The content was much the same as the pink one from last time—full of uncomfortable, harassing language, with a perverted obsession seeping through every line.

"Who on earth is sending these?" Shangguan Che frowned deeply. "One every single day—the frequency is too high. If this keeps up, Sakura is going to break down sooner or later."

What worried him more was when Sakura would finally be willing to tell him about it.

With her timid and shy personality, she might just keep it bottled up inside until she completely collapsed.

This kind of persistent letter harassment already qualified as sexual harassment.

But Shangguan Che's Clairvoyance had a fatal flaw: it could see far, but it couldn't capture the "moment."

He couldn't precisely catch someone doing something that only took a minute or two, like dropping off a letter. He could only rely on checking day by day, which was ridiculously inefficient.

"The guy writing these letters is definitely a creep," Shangguan Che defined the culprit in his mind. "To deal with someone like this, you have to land a 'one-hit kill.' You can't give him any room to breathe."

He had already thought of a plan: have Sakura intentionally appear alone in places where the creep might show up to lure him into the trap. After all, a creep's routine was nothing more than observing, stalking, scouting, and finally acting. If he could catch the guy in the act the moment he moved, he could solve the problem once and for all.

"It's just a shame for my image," Shangguan Che muttered to himself, feeling a bit helpless. "I might have to put on a fierce, menacing act to scare the living daylights out of that guy."

But the biggest problem right now was that he couldn't carve out enough time to keep an eye on Sakura. The study group Hirata was organizing had actually invited the entire class!

"No way, Hirata, are you trying to work yourself to death?" Shangguan Che had almost jumped up when he first heard the news. "There are dozens of people in this class with varying grades. How are you going to manage them all by yourself? In the end, you'll either collapse from exhaustion or the study group will just fizzle out."

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and join in; at least he could help shoulder some of the pressure, even if he only acted as a "half-functioning machine."

He kept half his mind on the study group and the other half on Sakura's movements using his Clairvoyance.

"Shangguan, what do you think about holding the study group in the library after school every day?" Hirata walked over with a notebook filled with plans. "I was also thinking of splitting everyone into small groups, with the high-achieving students guiding those who are struggling. Do you think that's feasible?"

Looking at Hirata's earnest expression, Shangguan Che felt a mix of admiration and helplessness. "It's feasible, but don't push yourself too hard. How about this: I'll be responsible for the math and English groups, you take Japanese and Japanese history, and let Horikita handle the sciences. Dividing the labor will be more efficient."

Hirata's eyes lit up. "That's great! With your help, I feel much more at ease."

Shangguan Che smiled, though he was grumbling internally, I'm not helping you; I'm saving you.

He knew, of course, that someone might ask why he didn't just use his Clairvoyance to steal the exam answers, but there was no such thing as a hundred-percent guarantee. If the school found out, forget about saving Sakura—he'd be the one getting expelled.

"Let's just handle what's right in front of us," Shangguan Che took a deep breath. "The study group can't fail, and Sakura can't get hurt. I'll just have to juggle both."

He took out his phone and sent a message to Sakura: [Sakura, if you're feeling unwell this afternoon, just go back to the dorms and rest. Don't force yourself to come to the classroom.]

Not long after, Sakura replied with a simple "Okay," followed by a tiny moon emoji. It seemed she really intended to catch up on sleep.

Shangguan Che put his phone away, looked at Hirata's busy figure, then glanced at Sakura's empty seat, silently cheering himself on: Come on, even a "half-functioning machine" can play a big role!

The classroom after school had shed the noise of the day. The setting sun spilled through the windows, casting long shadows across the desks.

Hirata stood at the podium, clutching a list. With his signature sunny smile, he addressed the few who had stayed behind. "Everyone, the people I asked are all here. Now, I'd like to start explaining my ideas."

Shangguan Che sat in the second-to-last row, resting his chin on one hand while unconsciously spinning a pen with the other. His eyes were half-closed, looking like he hadn't fully woken up.

He couldn't help it. Between spending the night keeping half his mind on whether Sakura was being harassed and the other half on planning the study group, plus having to get up early to bring Sakura breakfast, he felt like his soul and body had parted ways.

Hearing Hirata speak, he nodded slowly, his gaze as dull as a freshly awakened Psyduck, while he muttered to himself, Did Sakura make it back to the dorms? Did she eat properly? Did she see that white letter this afternoon? I hope she doesn't have insomnia again...

"Alright, please go ahead, Hirata," Kushida Kikyo said, sitting in the front row with her hands folded on her lap, smiling gently and appropriately. She had volunteered to help; as the "glue" of the class, she certainly wouldn't miss out on something like this.

Hirata cleared his throat and said earnestly, "For the study group to work, we need students who are good at their studies to guide those who are struggling. Therefore, I express my heartfelt gratitude for your participation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over those present. "I plan to divide the class into five groups, with two or three high-achieving students in each group acting as leaders to help everyone study."

When Shangguan Che heard the words "high-achieving students," his unfocused gaze instantly sharpened. His brain acted like a radar, quickly recalling the scene in the classroom earlier that day: Horikita sitting by the window, head down over her textbook, as if everything around her was irrelevant; Ayanokoji leaning back in his chair with his hands in his pockets, his eyes drifting as if he were lost in thought; Koenji crossing his legs, fiddling with his hair with one hand, a look of disdain on his face as if he found the whole thing boring.

Aside from these three "oddballs," the top ten students in Class D were basically all here.

Kushida, Yukimura, and a few others who didn't talk much but had good grades.

Hirata's popularity is truly something, Shangguan Che mused. He's worthy of being the "best friend" I've certified—when he calls, everyone answers.

He thought about how he had casually included Ayanokoji, who wasn't in the top ten, and couldn't help but smile. Who told Ayanokoji to always hide his true colors? For all I know, his real level is much higher than what he shows. Including him is perfectly fine.

For the next while, Hirata began assigning tasks. "Yukimura, would you be in charge of science tutoring? Your physics and chemistry are the best in the class."

Yukimura pushed up his glasses and nodded. "No problem."

"Kushida, you have a great personality, why don't you handle Japanese and Japanese history?"

"Sure! I'll do my best!" Kushida smiled even more sweetly.

Hirata looked at Shangguan Che. "Shangguan, I'll leave math and English to you. Your grades in those two subjects are second in the class, after all."

"Huh? Oh, right." Shangguan Che snapped back to reality and nodded quickly, though he was thinking, Sakura's math doesn't seem to be very good. I'll put her in my group later to make it easier to tutor her... wait, this is a preparatory meeting, I can't zone out! He pinched his arm hard, trying to wake himself up.

But a few seconds later, Shangguan Che's thoughts drifted away again.

One moment he was worrying that the pervert might be waiting for Sakura downstairs at the dormitory, the next he was thinking about the study session materials he hadn't prepared yet, and then he was fretting over the fact that his personal points were nowhere near enough.

Kushida, sitting next to him, noticed his state and couldn't help but whisper, "Shangguan, are you alright? Are you too tired?"

"Ah? I'm fine, I'm fine." Shangguan Che snapped back to reality and gave an awkward smile. "I just didn't sleep well last night, so I was a bit distracted."

Kushida nodded in understanding and didn't press further, simply handing him a tin of mints. "These can help you stay alert. Would you like to try one?"

"Thanks, Kushida!" Shangguan Che took the mints, unwrapped one, and popped it into his mouth. A cooling sensation instantly spread through him, and his mind finally cleared up a little.

He watched Hirata, who was still earnestly discussing the details of the study session with everyone, and suddenly felt a warmth in his heart.

Although Class D was known as a "gathering place for defectives," everyone hadn't given up; instead, they were willing to work hard together, and that feeling was actually quite nice.

"Forget it, I won't think about it so much." Shangguan Che took a deep breath and pulled his focus back to the planning meeting. "First, I'll get the study session sorted, then I'll find a way to catch that pervert who sent the letter and keep Sakura safe."

As for Ayanokoji and Koenji, if they were willing to help, they could help, and if not, he wouldn't force them. Regardless, with the rest of them here, they would definitely be able to pull off this study session!

Thinking of this, he straightened his back, and his gaze became firm.

Although he had played the part of a "Psyduck" for a moment there, now, he was going to get serious!