For the current First Year students, the most important thing was the midterm exams in mid-May.
Saturday morning, nine o'clock. The library.
When Kitagawa Kai pushed open the door, he realized the study area was pretty crowded today.
The most noticeable group was the Class B students occupying several long tables. They were well organized, their expressions serious and focused.
Ichinose Honami sat among them, her long pink hair tied into a neat ponytail as she explained something to the classmate beside her.
In a corner, seven or eight Class D students sat scattered around. At first glance, they seemed to be studying seriously, but on closer inspection, it was better not to look too closely.
Some pretended to study while actually scrolling on their phones. Some took advantage of the library's pleasant atmosphere to sleep soundly. Others sat motionless with vacant expressions, their minds wandering in the void.
Amid this lax atmosphere, Hirata Yosuke stood out. His short brown hair was meticulously groomed, and he was earnestly trying to persuade everyone to study.
"Everyone, the midterm exams are next week. If we put in a little more time now, we might be able to earn a few more points. This is really important for Class D. Let's all work a little harder, okay?"
There was little response.
Only two or three people looked up at him. Most stayed as they were. After all, most of the people who came here to study already had decent grades, and not one of the trio who really needed tutoring had shown up.
With a bag that looked like it held very little slung over one shoulder, Kitagawa Kai had the lazy air particular to a weekend morning. He walked over and sat in the empty seat beside Ichinose.
"Good morning, Ichinose."
Ichinose Honami had been looking down at her textbook. At his words, she lifted her head, her blue eyes curving as she gave him a warm smile.
"Good morning, Kitagawa-kun."
"By the way, didn't you mention last time that you thought something seemed off about the history section?"
She paused, then turned her gaze toward a girl sitting quietly at the other end of the long table.
"Yuki is really good at history. If you don't mind, having her go over it with you should help."
Himeno Yuki, who had been called on, was focused on her textbook, her dark purple hair falling naturally on either side. She wore the extremely rare gray school uniform. Hearing her name, she looked up, revealing a world-weary face.
"Me? Tutor Kitagawa-kun? Sure." Her voice was soft. Hearing Kitagawa Kai's name, she let out a sigh of relief.
Compared to the others in class, Kitagawa Kai was more to her liking.
"Sorry for the trouble, Himeno."
"No trouble," Himeno Yuki said quickly. She took out a thick notebook and placed it between them so they could both see it.
"The library was so boring, anyway. I didn't expect there to be a subject Kitagawa-kun wasn't good at."
She said it naturally, without any mockery, more as if she'd discovered some rare phenomenon.
"Well," Kitagawa Kai said, leaning back slightly in his chair, relaxed, "I'm just an ordinary student who's reasonably capable. It's normal to have subjects I can't handle, right?"
"Then, where should we start?" Himeno Yuki asked, getting straight to the point.
Kitagawa Kai casually pointed to a line in his notebook. He'd jotted it down just moments ago: a question about the periods of Japanese history.
"Why does the Edo period go straight to the Heian period afterward?"
At that, Himeno Yuki looked incredulous.
Her hand, holding a pen, froze in midair. Her bright pink eyes were now clearly filled with confusion and a kind of baffled surprise.
She looked at Kitagawa Kai as if checking whether he was joking, but his expression was calm and serious, not at all like he was kidding.
"Kitagawa-kun," Himeno Yuki said, enunciating every word clearly, "after 1603, the next year is obviously 845, just like 1804 comes after 729. It makes perfect sense. Why don't you understand?"
Kitagawa Kai fell silent. His hands rose unconsciously, and he began gesturing without thinking over the table between them.
"Himeno, shouldn't the year after 1603 be 1604? How could it be 845?"
Himeno Yuki opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn't know how to respond. Wasn't this as fundamental as breathing, something that ran through every subject from the moment you learned to read?
"Fine, I've asked a lot of people this question. They all said it was a normal historical phase reversal."
Kitagawa Kai answered his own question, his thoughts whirling as if he didn't belong in this warped world.
He clearly remembered that the world he'd transmigrated into was Classroom of the Elite, not some science detective world where the timeline could stretch and shrink at will.
But why was the historical timeline here such a mess? 845 after 1603?
And they even called it common sense?
A classic model?
Fortunately, the timeline after Showa 20 (1945) was perfectly normal. The eighteen years he'd lived through, from childhood to now, had passed in the ordinary way.
Yesterday was the day before today, last year was the year before this one, the seasons cycled regularly, and age increased year by year.
If even that had been as jumbled and reversed as ancient history, he probably would have gone completely insane, or been taken away for research a long time ago.
Hmm?
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. He had to stop, or Shenhe would make a move.
"Kitagawa-kun." Himeno Yuki's voice pulled him back from the edge of his churning thoughts. "Are you okay? Did I explain it too quickly?"
"I'm fine," Kitagawa said, his voice steady. "I just suddenly realized that history is a lot more complicated than I thought."
"I-is that so? Then shall we continue? Or do you need some time to process it first?"
"Let's continue."
At this point, it looked like he wasn't going to get many points in history.
He might as well prepare early and go to the kind upperclassmen to collect the midterm exam-paper sponsorship gift pack.
For the next two hours, Himeno Yuki avoided discussing the order of historical periods and focused on reviewing the deeds of historical figures.
When the clock struck eleven, Himeno Yuki closed the last reference book.
"That covers the main figures and key events before the modern era, including the important parts." She let out a soft breath and looked at Kitagawa Kai. "For more detail, you might need to consult specific topic materials, but this should cover seventy or eighty percent of the midterm exam material."
"That's plenty. Thanks." Kitagawa Kai nodded and closed his densely filled notebook.
"You're welcome."
"Can I call you Yuki? It seems like everyone else in class calls you that."
Himeno Yuki paused, blinking her bright pink eyes. She seemed not to have expected him to bring it up so suddenly.
"Sure. It's just a name, but, Kitagawa-kun, you say it so naturally."
"Nothing special, just practice..."
Kitagawa Kai's reply carried a hint of languid candor. Before he could finish speaking-
"BANG!!!"
The library's heavy door was kicked open from the outside!
Three men strode in, looking menacing.
The students who had been immersed in their books all froze.
The sound of pages turning stopped abruptly.