Riverside "Guardrail Smackdown" and the "Mosaic Scare" During a Schoolwide Scan

Brain storage...

Abba abba abba...

Brain: It wasn't too late, right?

When Chabashira announced to the class that "Class D is a gathering place for defective products," Kushida Kikyo's hand tightened sharply around her pen, her nails nearly digging into her palm.

Of course she understood what that meant. The school hadn't just created the class placement rules—it also knew about the things she had done in the past!

Those secrets she had deliberately buried deep in her heart felt like scars being brutally torn open, instantly igniting an inexplicable rage within her.

For the entire day, her gaze unconsciously followed Horikita Suzune wherever she went.

When she saw Horikita coldly reject Hirata's invitation to the study group, Kushida's anger flared even higher. She muttered under her breath, "Who does she think she is? So what if her grades are a little better? Who's she making that sour face for?"

Her favorability toward Horikita had long since dropped below zero. Now, the more she looked at her, the more displeased she became.

By the afternoon, just thinking about having to tutor a guy like Ike in the future—a glib-tongued boy with nothing but filthy thoughts in his head—made Kushida feel sick.

She forced herself to play the part of an angel during the day, then rushed straight to the riverside at night.

Only here could she vent the anger building inside her.

The wind by the river carried a damp chill, but it did nothing to calm her down.

She stared at the guardrail for several seconds before suddenly raising her leg and kicking it hard, again and again. Only when her leg had gone numb did she finally stop, panting heavily.

And Shangguan Che, who was in the middle of a "schoolwide scan," happened to witness the whole thing.

"Good lord, with that much force, she's about to kick the guardrail out of shape." Shangguan Che clicked his tongue. "Chabashira said Class D was full of defective products. Looking at it now, those three words have practically taken physical form in Kushida."

He rubbed his chin and started pondering Hirata again. "What exactly is wrong with Hirata? Sakura has social anxiety, Karuizawa is being bullied, Ayanokoji is a poker-faced weirdo... Hirata's the only one who looks perfect, and that's what makes him so unsettling."

The more he thought about it, the more tangled it became, so Shangguan Che simply waved a hand. "Forget it. I'll deal with it later. I should finish my first schoolwide scan first! The first time is always the hardest. Once I figure out the routine, it'll save me a lot of trouble later."

He wasn't giving up. He just felt that this first scan could weed out the places that wouldn't need special attention in the future and improve his efficiency.

For example, the dormitory area. His Clairvoyance wasn't some "yellow filter"—looking at the girls' dorms was like looking at thin air, and there was nothing interesting in the boys' dorms either. Only during the first scan would he spare them a few extra glances.

But before he had scanned for long, two overlapping mosaics suddenly appeared on the screen!

"Holy crap!" Shangguan Che nearly threw his phone in fright. "What are those two doing? In broad daylight... oh, wait, it's the middle of the night. Aren't they a little too wild?"

He hurriedly looked away, silently chanting, Do not look at what is improper, do not look at what is improper, but his eyes still couldn't help sneaking another glance.

When he made out one person's blond hair, his heart skipped a beat. "That hair color... it kind of looks like Nagumo Miyabi's?"

The moment that thought surfaced, he quickly slapped his own head. "What are you thinking, Shangguan Che? Peeping on other people's privacy is so rude. Get back to work!"

For the rest of the scan, he stayed on edge the entire time, terrified that he would see another eye-searing scene. Fortunately, the remaining areas were peaceful, with only a few students studying late and security guards on patrol.

"It's finally over!" After scanning the last corner, Shangguan Che collapsed onto his bed, feeling as if his eyes were about to go blind. "That first scan was way too bumpy. First Kushida kicking guardrails, then that mosaic upperclassman... what a mess."

He rolled over, and when he remembered those two mosaics from earlier, he still couldn't help complaining. "That upperclassman really knows how to have fun. Staying up in the middle of the night to do that... No, no, I can't think about it!"

He abruptly covered his eyes and forced himself to sleep. "Tomorrow, I still have to bring study materials to Sakura and help Hirata organize the study group. I can't stay up late."

In the darkness, Shangguan Che yawned and secretly swore to himself, Next time I scan, I'm absolutely not looking at the second-years' dorms! Whoever wants to look can look. I'm not doing it!

With that firm resolve, Shangguan Che finally fell into a deep sleep, completely unaware that he had already collected far more "campus secrets" than he had imagined.