It's You

After eating and drinking their fill, it was the best time to study.

Shi Cheng sat obediently to the side, absorbing the new knowledge Shiina Hiyori was teaching him.

As for her selfless effort,

Shi Cheng had no way to repay her.

He could only wait for a chance in the future to teach her some new knowledge in return.

Inside the room,

the lights shone brightly, and the two sat close together.

The warm atmosphere grew increasingly intense.

At the same time,

the darkness of night deepened as well.

Catching a glimpse of the ink-black night sky from the corner of her eye, Shiina Hiyori stopped explaining and apologized, "Sorry, Shi Cheng-kun. I think I got too absorbed in it."

"It's fine. Shiina-san is very cute when she's focused." Shi Cheng gazed into her sparkling purple eyes.

"Mm!" In the wrong setting, those words were devastatingly effective.

Especially in an atmosphere like this.

Shiina Hiyori let out a soft whimper like a little animal.

Seizing the chance, Shi Cheng took hold of her soft, warm hand. "There wasn't a single lie in what I said."

"I understand." Shiina Hiyori's gaze wandered as she gently pulled her hand back.

Shi Cheng did not exert any force and let her withdraw it.

"Alright, I'm leaving, then." After teasing her enough, Shi Cheng timely suggested leaving, giving her enough of a sense of security.

"Mm, I'll see you out." Shiina Hiyori let out a quiet breath.

The situation just now had been extremely delicate.

She had truly been afraid Shi Cheng might do something.

Fortunately, he had not.

It was not that she could not accept it.

She simply felt things were progressing too quickly.

It was not how she had imagined things would develop.

Shi Cheng arrived at the door and changed his shoes. Then he suddenly turned around, gazing heatedly at Shiina Hiyori.

He pressed both hands onto her fragrant shoulders. "Hiyori, I don't want to leave just like this. Can you understand?"

Meeting Shi Cheng's unyielding gaze, Shiina Hiyori's heart trembled.

She had not expected it to come in the end.

After a brief moment of thought, she shyly rose onto her tiptoes. "Alright, it's too late. Hurry up and go home."

Shiina Hiyori did not want Shi Cheng to see her current expression.

She anxiously pushed him toward the door.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Shi Cheng did not resist, nor did he act smug after gaining an advantage. Instead, he obediently moved outside.

He knew Shiina Hiyori needed time to calm herself down.

Bang!

The door shut with considerable force.

It was clear enough.

Shiina Hiyori's thoughts were in complete turmoil right now.

Shi Cheng did not knock on the door to leave behind any comforting words. He silently departed.

The phrase "an endless aftertaste" described his current state perfectly.

A long time had passed since yesterday, yet a faint smile still occasionally appeared on Shi Cheng's face.

There was no helping it.

Being with Shiina Hiyori was simply too enjoyable.

But remembering that he had business to handle later, Shi Cheng quickly composed himself.

Directly confronting a teacher would damage his reputation and easily provoke hostility.

Shi Cheng decided to choose a classmate who was unafraid of trouble.

Without hesitation, Shi Cheng looked to the side.

Horikita Suzune was absolutely the perfect spokesperson.

He was completely certain of it.

"Is something wrong?" Compared to usual, Horikita Suzune was especially cold today.

Even without making eye contact,

the invisible chill radiating from her made people want to stay far away.

But he truly had no other choice.

He could only rely on her.

Did she eat gunpowder or something?

Shi Cheng muttered to himself.

"Yes, something important."

"Speak." Horikita Suzune was concise.

Even the eyes she used to glare at him seemed to spit fire.

He had not even said anything yet. Why was she looking at him like that?

The hairs on Shi Cheng's body stood on end.

"Is it that time of the month?" As a warm and considerate man, Shi Cheng naturally would not discuss business first after noticing something was off with her.

Instead, he first showed concern for her physical condition.

"That time of the month?" Horikita Suzune, who was gently rubbing her still faintly aching abdomen, looked confused.

Since she was touching it at that very moment, she immediately realized what he was asking.

Horikita Suzune angrily widened her eyes and moved away the hand that seemed guilty of something. "No. It's none of your concern. Hurry up and tell me what this is about."

Since it involved her brother, she would not say a single word about it!

Fine, then.

Shi Cheng did not care. Whether she said it or not, he had already shown concern.

"Drinking more hot water helps." Shi Cheng still added one more sentence, naturally drawing even greater fury from her.

"Here's the situation."

Shi Cheng briefly explained Chabashira Sae's negligence—she had actually given them the wrong review scope.

"I'll leave this matter to you."

Horikita Suzune glared fiercely at him, feeling that he had ulterior motives. "Why don't you say it yourself?"

"I'm not good with words." Shi Cheng settled it with one sentence.

Upon hearing that, Horikita Suzune's expression eased.

She happened to have a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it.

Chabashira Sae was in for a treat.

"Class begins now." Accompanied by the ringing bell, Chabashira Sae entered as indifferently as ever.

Calling her a teacher, she was less warm than a stranger.

Horikita Suzune had long found her unpleasant.

"Please wait. I have something to say."

Horikita Suzune decisively stood up and forcibly claimed the right to speak.

"Oh?!" Chabashira Sae became interested.

Among the students she had been watching, Horikita Suzune was one of them.

So she did not mind the interruption to class. On the contrary, she was even faintly expectant.

"Speak." Chabashira Sae crossed her arms, accentuating her impressive bust as she quietly watched Horikita Suzune's performance.

Horikita Suzune took a deep breath and sharply questioned, "Teacher, the review scope you told us was wrong, wasn't it?"

"Hm? You noticed?" There was not the slightest hint of panic on Chabashira Sae's face, as though she had long been prepared for the day it would be exposed.

Her reaction was a little strange.

Shi Cheng observed from below.

"What?!" The classroom instantly erupted.

Compared to the ordinary murmurs of discussion, the group of three shouted even more loudly.

Because if that was true,

then had all their effort these past few days been for nothing?

Who would compensate them for the youth they had wasted?

Sudo Ken slammed his desk. "What kind of joke is this?!"

To stay in school and avoid expulsion, he had already neglected his training quite a bit recently.

And now they were playing this kind of joke on him? It was not funny at all!

"The scope did change. I was just busy these past few days and didn't get around to telling you."

"Besides, if you had all been studying properly in the first place, you wouldn't need to worry about something like this."

Chabashira Sae was skilled at sophistry, tossing away all responsibility in an instant.

At least after she said that,

everyone fell silent.

Horikita Suzune in particular had nothing left to say.

Shi Cheng quickly turned his head and shot her frantic looks.

No, where did that momentum you had when you snapped at me go? Why are you holding back? Let it out.

Horikita Suzune glared back at him in displeasure. She had already said what needed to be said. If he was dissatisfied, he could say it himself.

In any case, she had been convinced.

Because it was true.

If they studied properly on a daily basis, why would they worry about changes to the test questions?

He had not expected her to be such a rigid thinker.

Shi Cheng was speechless.

But with her having taken the lead, Shi Cheng could now follow up without any reservations.

"That isn't right, is it?" Shi Cheng stood up and declared passionately, "It was clearly your mistake as the teacher. Why should we bear the consequences?"

"Exactly!" They had thought the matter was over, but someone unexpectedly stepped forward. Sudo Ken immediately responded.

He had no choice but to respond, because he was the most likely to be expelled.

So now that there was a possible turning point,

of course he had to charge in headfirst.