The Advancing Hirata

As the last student walked out of the classroom, Shangguan Che let out a long sigh and immediately activated his Clairvoyance, scanning the direction of the girls' dormitory.

Sakura Airi had just pushed open her dormitory door; the room was empty, with no suspicious individuals inside, and he hadn't spotted anyone acting strangely on the path either.

Confirming that it was safe, he finally relaxed completely, slumping into his chair as if his bones had been removed.

"Eyes off, eyes off. Finally, I can take a break." He rubbed his aching temples, and suddenly, Hirata's voice reached his ears.

"Shangguan, will you be able to find some of the answers for the midterm exam this time too?"

Shangguan Che slowly sat up straight. Seeing that they were the only two left in the classroom, he deliberately put on a mysterious air: "I don't know either. That depends on whether my Intelligence Department is up to the task."

In truth, he knew perfectly well that finding the answers wouldn't be difficult, but he couldn't make any grand promises; it would be troublesome if something went wrong.

"I see." Hirata didn't press further, smiling as he patted his shoulder. "Then let's go get dinner. My treat."

"Sounds good!" Shangguan Che was instantly energized, his eyes lighting up. "Finally, a decent meal! By the way, what about your Soccer Club training? Don't you have to go?"

"I asked the club president for leave."

"The president agreed?" Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of mock grievance. "Even though I know he must have agreed since you said so, I still want to ask.

Back when I asked for leave, I had to write applications and guarantee make-up training, but you got it approved in one sentence. My little heart is a bit hurt."

Hirata was amused and said helplessly, "The president is a good guy; you'll know once you interact with him more. He also said that the study session is for the benefit of the class and is much more important than training."

"So that's it. My perspective was too narrow." Shangguan Che nodded while rubbing his chin, then was suddenly poked in the arm by Hirata.

"By the way, were you not listening carefully to my arrangements for the study session earlier?"

Shangguan Che's gaze drifted, and he decided to just give up: "I actually listened carefully, I just didn't remember any of it."

"Eh, then let me give you a general summary again." Hirata shook his head helplessly and took a notebook out of his bag.

"You're such a good person!" Shangguan Che immediately leaned in, smiling like a cat begging for food.

Hirata cleared his throat and said seriously, "I plan to use the classroom as the location for the study session and have the top students in each subject help those who are struggling in those areas.

Each student in the top ten will guide two or three students with poor grades, while the average students will study independently, and they can ask us, who held the meeting today, if they have any questions.

I called everyone here today just to ask if you all agree and if you have any suggestions for improvement."

"Shangguan is such a good student, he was nodding unconditionally the whole time," Hirata suddenly teased, imitating Kushida's tone.

"Oh my, when did student Hirata learn to tease people?" Shangguan Che was stunned for a moment, then laughed and countered, "Have you been with me for too long and caught my humor cells?"

"I just saw you looking listless all afternoon and wanted to help you snap out of it." Hirata dropped the playful tone and asked seriously, "Are you having any difficulties? You've helped me so much this time that I owe you a favor; you can ask me for help at any time."

"Yo, I didn't expect you to be so eloquent now." Shangguan Che raised an eyebrow, though a hint of warmth bloomed in his heart.

Hirata scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Ever since you asked me, 'What about the students who don't ask you for help?', I've been thinking about how to handle that.

At first, I even thought about using the old methods (solving things with fists if someone didn't submit), but the school rules you told me about, and those words about respecting others, made me give up that idea."

He paused and continued, "I thought about it for a long time and felt that when you talked to me last time, you first asked if I cared about the students and understood my situation before sharing your thoughts—those words must have been something you pondered for a long time.

So, in the future, when I help students, I'll think more and ask more; I'll always be able to find a suitable method."

Shangguan Che looked at his earnest expression and nodded inwardly: This kid has really grown up.

"So the method you came up with is 'trading favors for favors'?"

"No." Hirata shook his head, his eyes firm. "What I realized is that everyone is special, and the methods have to be different too.

But first, I have to express my goodwill so that others know I'm not forcing them."

Shangguan Che felt a stir in his heart. Hirata had realized that he had strong self-esteem and didn't want to ask for help directly.

As for favors, aside from those cunning politicians, there really aren't many people who can completely resist that.

"That's quite impressive, Hirata." He praised him sincerely. "I didn't expect you to think of so much."

"It's nothing impressive, just putting myself in others' shoes." Hirata smiled and brought the topic back. "So, what difficulties are you actually having?"

Shangguan Che hesitated. He couldn't exactly say he had peeked at Sakura's letter and knew she was being harassed, right? That would be too off-putting.

But on his own, the success rate of catching that stalker who sent the letter really wasn't high. If he added Hirata, who had the superior physical strength of a soccer player, his chances of success would definitely double.

"It's no big problem, it's just..." He paused and rephrased it. "Just don't refuse when I need your help later. Can you accept that?"

"Of course!" Hirata agreed without a second thought.

Shangguan Che felt relieved and said with a smile, "Let's count this study session for the class as our joint effort, and it won't count as you owing me a favor. Let's use the favor from when you 'usurped' my credit last time to offset it, how about that?"

He didn't want to bully an honest person; when it came to favors, it was better to keep things clear.

"Sure, that way I'm actually profiting." Hirata laughed as well.

"Of course!" Shangguan Che patted his shoulder. "Who is Hirata? The smartest and most reliable person in our class!"

"You..." Hirata was just about to speak when he was interrupted by Shangguan Che's suddenly raised voice.

"Wait!!"

"What's wrong?" Hirata was startled by his serious expression and instantly wiped the smile off his face. "What happened?"

Shangguan Che stared at him, his eyes filled with "inquiry": "Hirata, tell me... do you think there's such a thing as soul possession in this world?"

"Huh?" Hirata was stunned for a moment, then his brain completely crashed. "Shangguan Che, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly talking about soul possession?"

"Really! Aren't you curious?" Shangguan Che looked earnest. "Just think about it. The old Hirata would have cared about every single member of the class—everyone! But the current Hirata, when organizing a study session for the whole class, only asked the top students first. Is that even possible?"

Hirata couldn't help but laugh, explaining, "About that, I was planning to contact the students who are struggling with their studies one by one on my phone tonight."

"?" Shangguan Che looked puzzled.

"I figured that students who aren't doing well might refuse help in front of the class due to their pride, and then feel too embarrassed to join future study sessions."

Hirata said patiently, "But on the phone, even if they refuse, only the two of us will know, and they can come back whenever they want. If they're still reluctant, I'll have other classmates invite them; we'll eventually be able to put their worries to rest."

"I see..." Shangguan Che rubbed his nose, feeling a bit awkward. "Hirata, you've really grown up. You're even buying me food now."

"Don't change the subject. Are you going to eat or not?" Hirata pretended to be angry, putting his hands on his hips.

"I'll eat, I'll eat!" Shangguan Che nodded quickly, muttering to himself, How did Hirata see through my little scheme so easily? Has he evolved? Or is this some kind of self-evolution? As expected of my best friend Shangguan Che, he's just different!

Thinking of this, Shangguan Che took the opportunity to chime in, "Do you want me to help you contact the other students?"

"No need, there aren't that many people in the class anyway." Hirata waved his hand.

"I think it would be more convincing if you said, 'Who in Class D dares not give me, Hirata, some face?'" Shangguan Che said, holding back a laugh.

"Hey, are you going to eat or not?"

"I'll eat, I'll eat!"

"Hirata, actually I..."

"Hey, are you going to eat or not?"

Looking at this version of Hirata, who was more flexible than before and had even learned how to "interrupt a spell," Shangguan Che swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He laughed and raised his hands in surrender, "I'll eat! I definitely will! You're treating me today, so I want the largest portion of beef bowl!"

"Sure, let's go!" Hirata smiled, picked up his bag, and walked out of the classroom first.

Shangguan Che followed behind, watching Hirata's back in the setting sun, feeling a warmth in his heart. Having such a reliable best friend made this school, where ability was everything, seem a little less unbearable.

As for the matter with Sakura, he would think about how to ask Hirata for help after they finished eating.