A Voice Recorder Is Truly a Wonderful Thing

"Tsk, this is getting troublesome." An Xiao pulled Sakura, who was still in a daze, to the side. He peered toward the source of the noise and muttered to himself, "Why does the back of that redhead look so familiar?"

"It seems like someone I saw in the library before... what was his name again?"

"I think that's Sudo from our class," Sakura Airi whispered a reminder. Unlike An Xiao, she shrank into a ball the moment she heard the sounds of fighting.

"So it is him." An Xiao nodded in realization, then turned his gaze to the three people standing opposite Sudo. He reached into his pocket, fiddled with something, and then gripped it in his hand.

Elsewhere.

Sudo glared at the three men in front of him with a look of pure annoyance, his fists clenched at his chest, ready to strike at any moment.

"Hahaha, are you actually thinking of attacking us?" Ishizaki, standing at the front, looked at Sudo's stance, glanced at the two classmates behind him, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"As expected of a defective product from Class D. You can't even read the basic situation. You'd better just quit the basketball club honestly, or you're going to have a rough time."

"Though, you could try out for the cheerleading squad. A red-haired orangutan that knows how to dance—don't you think that's interesting? What do you guys think?"

"Hahahaha!"

The laughter of the three men filled the school building.

"You bastard, go to hell!"

Sudo couldn't take it anymore. He swung his fist, aiming straight for Ishizaki's face.

Seeing this, An Xiao raised an eyebrow. He noticed that after the man at the front was struck, the two men behind him didn't look panicked at all; instead, their expressions actually relaxed.

An Xiao was about to take out his phone to record, but remembering what had happened previously, he paused.

Seeing the four of them getting into the heat of the fight, An Xiao quietly moved further away. Only after reaching a safe distance did he pull out his phone to film. Although she didn't know what An Xiao was doing, Sakura, feeling insecure, followed him.

An Xiao looked up after every shot to ensure he hadn't been spotted.

"They're really getting into it!"

An Xiao remarked, looking at the short video and several photos on his phone, nodding with satisfaction.

In the end, Sudo drove the three men away. Throughout the entire scuffle, none of the four participants noticed the two people hiding in the corner.

Seeing that the fighters had left, Sakura finally gathered the courage to step out from the corner. She watched An Xiao, who was looking at the photos with satisfaction, and asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Why didn't you stop them just now?"

"Stop them? Why would I do that?" An Xiao looked at Sakura with a strange expression, pointing at her and then at himself. "The two of us together probably couldn't even take one punch from them."

"You want me to go over there and get beaten up?"

"Besides..." An Xiao examined the video he had just recorded with interest.

In the video, there were several moments where the opponents could have landed direct hits on Sudo's face, but every time they were about to connect, their punches would veer off in a bizarre way. Furthermore, they barely dodged when Sudo attacked, choosing instead to tank several heavy blows.

As a result, the three men were covered in injuries by the end, while Sudo only suffered minor scrapes.

"These three are almost certainly doing this on purpose."

Although she didn't quite understand what An Xiao meant by "on purpose," Sakura nodded anyway. She hesitated for a moment, and seeing that An Xiao was about to leave, she couldn't help but speak up.

"Um, could we add each other on Line?"

As soon as she said it, Sakura panicked. She didn't know why she had suddenly said that, and her head dropped again.

"Sure." An Xiao assumed she might want to ask about the photography club later, so he gave her his account without thinking much of it.

After adding each other on Line and exchanging brief goodbyes, they went their separate ways.

It was the first of the month again.

"The points for this month will likely be distributed tomorrow."

"Students of Class 1-B, make sure to study hard today as well."

Chie Hoshinomiya said listlessly after tapping the blackboard behind her, which displayed the class points for the month.

"It stinks, you smell terrible, teacher." Chihiro Shiranami, sitting in the front row, leaned back.

"I can't help it, I drank too much yesterday," Chie Hoshinomiya said, struggling to push herself up from the podium. She rested one hand on her temple, but as soon as she spoke, a strong scent of alcohol wafted from her mouth.

"At least try to maintain some dignity!"

An Xiao produced a bottle of mouthwash from somewhere and skillfully poured it into Chie Hoshinomiya's mouth. After she spat the rinse into a plastic cup he had prepared, he stuffed a honey-and-ginger candy into her mouth. The entire sequence of actions was smooth and practiced.

Don't ask why An Xiao was so proficient; he had seen this happen too many times in the office.

"Phew~ that's better. You're a lifesaver, Xiao An."

Feeling the sweet yet slightly spicy taste in her mouth, Chie Hoshinomiya felt much better. She suddenly grabbed An Xiao's arm and said pitifully.

"Just thinking that you'll graduate in three years makes me so sad."

"How about you just marry me, Xiao An? I can't live without you anymore."

"Eww~ you reek of alcohol, let go of me!" An Xiao pressed one hand against the teacher's face while pulling back with the other. "And, did you just say something incredibly inappropriate? You're really going to get reported for sexual harassment!"

In the seats below, Ichinose watched the scene with a smile, unable to help but remark, "Xiao An and Hoshinomiya-sensei really have a great relationship."

"Yeah!" Chihiro Shiranami appeared from nowhere, dove into Ichinose's arms, and nuzzled against her. "The study materials he handed out before the exams were really useful, too."

"Even though I already knew how much our points had increased, seeing it now still makes me so happy!"

"Indeed, Xiao An has helped us out a great deal." Ichinose looked at the boy standing by the podium, her eyes curving into crescents as she spoke.

"If things keep going like this, we will definitely be able to stay together in the future."

"Mm, if things continue this way, Class B will certainly be able to spend the next three years together." Ichinose said with full confidence, and the other girls beside her rushed over to hug her upon hearing this.

"It really is great to be in Class B!"

However, Chihiro Shiranami, who had her face buried in Ichinose's embrace, felt a touch of disappointment upon hearing her words, though her gaze soon turned firm, as if she had made up her mind about something.