Isn't respecting teachers and valuing knowledge just self-study?

Shangguan Che walked into the classroom carrying the workbooks he had just retrieved from his locker. More than half the class was already seated, gathered in small groups chatting in low voices, the air filled with the lively energy unique to a school campus.

Shangguan Che headed straight for his seat. He had just shoved his backpack into the desk compartment and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when a soft, sweet voice suddenly popped up from beside him.

"Shangguan-kun, it's been so long, and you haven't reached out to me once. I'm really so sad."

Shangguan Che turned his head to see Kushida Kikyo standing by his desk. She was gently twisting the hem of her skirt, her bright eyes shimmering as if filled with moisture, and combined with her slightly pouting lips, she looked like a pitiful girl who had been wronged.

Shangguan Che's heart skipped a beat, and he muttered to himself, This level of skill is way too high. It looks like I need to work even harder on my 'thick-skinned training'.

So, Shangguan Che quickly stood up straight and explained sincerely:

"That's not it, Kushida-san, you've misunderstood. I just enrolled yesterday, and I was busy going to the convenience store to buy daily necessities and then had to organize my dorm room; I just forgot because I was so busy."

"And this morning, I was completely focused on my classes. After all, Japanese Literature is a bit difficult for me, so I have to hurry and keep up with the progress to prove that I'm still a qualified student."

Everything Shangguan Che said was the absolute truth, without a hint of exaggeration.

"Eh? So that's how it is!"

Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened immediately. The grievance on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of deep apology. She bowed slightly, "Then I really wronged you, Shangguan-kun, I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, it's fine, it's just a small matter, don't take it to heart." Shangguan Che waved his hand, signaling that she didn't need to be so polite.

"That's great, then thank you for forgiving me!"

Kushida Kikyo straightened up, revealing a brilliant smile. She leaned slightly toward Shangguan Che, her voice soft and carrying a hint of a request, "By the way, Shangguan-kun, you can call me by my first name. Just call me 'Kikyo'."

"Kikyo?" Shangguan Che repeated subconsciously.

"Mm-hmm, that's right!" Kushida Kikyo nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Shangguan Che felt a bit hesitant—wasn't calling someone by their first name a bit too intimate?

But then he thought, he was a guy, so he should be decisive. Besides, he still had to practice being thick-skinned; he couldn't be wishy-washy over such a small thing.

But when the words reached his lips, he still felt his cheeks burning, and he stammered, "That..."

"Don't be shy, Shangguan-kun, you can just say whatever is on your mind."

Kushida Kikyo smiled even more sweetly, like a gentle little angel, though she was secretly guessing to herself, Could it be that he wants me to call him by his first name too?

Shangguan Che took a deep breath and finally voiced his thoughts: "I remember... calling someone by their first name is usually something only romantic interests or very close friends do, right? I don't think we're at that level yet."

As soon as these words were out, Kushida Kikyo's eyes darkened imperceptibly for a split second—so fast it might have been an illusion—but she quickly masked it. A shy blush appeared on her face as she lightly stomped her foot: "Arie-rie, what are you saying, Shangguan-kun? It's so embarrassing!"

Shangguan Che was stunned by her reaction, thinking, I guess I really overthought it. He quickly took the out: "Ah, sorry, sorry, I misunderstood. Kushida-san, I'll just keep calling you Kushida-san from now on; it's safer that way."

"It's okay, I don't mind." Kushida Kikyo smiled and waved her hand, taking the initiative to step back. "Then I'll just call you 'Shangguan'. It sounds a bit friendlier that way."

"That works." Shangguan Che nodded, not saying anything more.

"By the way, Shangguan, let's exchange contact info? It'll be easier to stay in touch for class activities or homework notifications." As she spoke, Kushida Kikyo skillfully pulled out her phone and brought up her Line QR code.

Shangguan Che hurriedly fished out his own phone and scanned her code. Looking at the "Friend Added Successfully" notification on the screen, he silently counted—this was already his third contact.

After saying goodbye to Kushida Kikyo, Shangguan Che finally sat down.

He looked left and right and noticed that Sakura Airi had returned. She was keeping her head down, her chin almost buried in her textbook, her small hands gripping her pen tightly, looking extremely nervous.

Shangguan Che had wanted to chat with her about the club orientation meeting this afternoon, but seeing her looking so incredibly shy, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

I should be considerate of her; chatting online should be better for her. Thinking this, Shangguan Che took out his phone, opened Line, and sent a message to Sakura Airi.

[Sakura-san, did you know there's a club orientation meeting at the First Gymnasium at 5 PM?]

A few seconds after the message was sent, he received a reply.

[I know, they mentioned it on the broadcast at noon. Is something wrong? Have you already decided which club you want to join, Shangguan-kun?]

Shangguan Che looked at the screen and quickly typed a reply: [Not yet. I was thinking we could go check it out together; maybe there's a Photography Club. You don't have to join, just treat it as a way to learn more. If you have any photography questions in the future, you can ask the professionals in the club.]

After a while, Sakura Airi replied, her words revealing a sense of caution: [That's fine... but, wouldn't that be a waste of your time?]

[Not at all, I was planning to go see if there were any suitable clubs to join anyway, so it's right on the way.]

After sending the message, Shangguan Che felt a little smug—he had guessed right; Sakura Airi was clearly much more relaxed when communicating online.

Just then, the bell rang for class.

Shangguan Che subconsciously glanced at Sakura Airi and happened to meet her gaze.

The moment their eyes met, Sakura Airi hurriedly lowered her head, then secretly peeked at him again and nodded slightly.

Shangguan Che couldn't help but smile, nodding back to acknowledge her before tucking his phone into his desk and taking out his math textbook.

The math teacher started with the basics as soon as they began. He hesitated for a moment and looked at the table of contents—he already knew most of the material, but thinking about "respecting the teacher," he still listened attentively for 20 minutes.

Actually, teachers should like students who study independently, right?

Shangguan Che muttered to himself, quietly flipped to the first page of the textbook, took out his pen, and started reading and doing problems on his own. He spent the entire afternoon of science classes in this "respecting the teacher" mode, though his efficiency was actually quite high.

During the break, Shangguan Che couldn't resist his curiosity and sent a message to Sakura Airi, asking her how she found the difficulty of the math class.

It took a while for Sakura Airi to reply, her tone very honest: [It's a bit hard for me; I don't really understand a lot of the formulas.]

"It's nothing. If you have any questions in the future, just come to me and I'll teach you! We're friends, after all." Shangguan Che replied without a second thought.

Sakura Airi stared at the word "friends" for a long time, stunned. When she finally snapped out of it, she realized she had forgotten to reply and hurriedly typed: "Thank you so much, Shangguan-san."

"You're welcome. I'm pretty decent at science subjects, so feel free to ask me anytime."

"Thank you!"

Looking at the screen, Shangguan Che secretly calculated in his mind:

Why didn't I offer to help with liberal arts? Obviously, to save face for Sakura-san!

What if she's a liberal arts prodigy? If I had brought it up, wouldn't it look like I was showing off?

Look at how considerate I am of others' feelings. Sakura-san will definitely think I'm a super nice guy.

With that, Shangguan Che accepted Sakura Airi's thanks with a clear conscience.

As soon as the school bell rang, Shangguan Che began packing his bag, wondering whether he should invite a few more classmates to the club orientation.

He scanned the classroom. Hirata Yosuke was surrounded by a group of girls, chatting away enthusiastically; Karuizawa Kei was among them, interjecting every now and then. Looking over at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he was standing with Kushida Kikyo and the long-haired, black-haired literary girl from his left, though he couldn't tell what they were talking about.

"Forget it, looks like it'll just be me and Sakura-san going together."

Shangguan Che shrugged helplessly and glanced at Sakura Airi, who was packing her things at a snail's pace. Seeing that she didn't seem bothered, a thought suddenly popped into his head: "I guess having a thick skin is something you really have to practice! Otherwise, you'd be agonizing for ages just over going to a club orientation alone with a girl."

He shouldered his bag, walked over to Sakura Airi, and said with a smile, "Let's go, Sakura. Let's head to the gymnasium and check out the club orientation."

Sakura Airi looked up and gave a gentle nod. "Okay."