An Anomaly in the Library

As the final exams drew closer day by day, the number of people coming to the library increased noticeably.

Even a large portion of students from Class C and Class D, who usually weren't fond of studying, had shown up.

Under the diligent coordination of Hirata Yosuke and Kushida Kikyo, Class D's study session was underway.

Responsible for rescuing the "Three Fools" were Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Horikita Suzune sat with a straight posture at one end of the long table, her math textbook and materials spread open before her. With a blank expression, she stared directly at the restless boys across from her.

This icy scrutiny made the already study-averse trio even more uncomfortable, as if sitting on pins and needles.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, seated slightly diagonally behind her, was like a quiet shadow.

"When Xiao Ming was five years old, his age was one-fifth of his father's. This year, his age is one-third of his father's. So..." Horikita Suzune explained the math problem in her distinctive voice, with no preamble whatsoever.

In her view, any student capable of entering Advanced Nurturing University, no matter how dull or limited their comprehension, should surely be able to solve such a simple problem that only required following a formula step by step, right?

"Seriously!" Yamauchi Haruki clicked his tongue, deliberately letting his gaze sweep toward Kushida's direction before glaring back at Horikita Suzune.

"Why isn't Kikyo-chan over here?"

"Why did it have to be you... this stuck-up woman?!"

"Yeah, yeah, who do you think you are?" Ike Kanji chimed in repeatedly.

"Heh~"

Horikita Suzune glanced past Yamauchi, then at Sudo Ken and Ike Kanji, whose expressions were equally sour, as if looking at three worthless pieces of trash.

"Do you think I want to be here? The only reason I'm sitting here now is because I agreed to Hirata Yosuke's request, and out of pity for you. It's not like I'll be the one getting expelled in the end."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sudo Ken couldn't hold back and let out a low growl.

"How could I ever get expelled? Studying is easy, isn't it? If I just put in a little effort, problems like this..."

"You can't even grasp the most basic sum-to-product and product-to-sum identities. I've explained them three times, and you still don't get it."

"If I remember correctly," Horikita Suzune's voice dropped lower, yet became clearer, "this is knowledge that should be mastered by late elementary school or, at the very latest, the first year of junior high, right?"

"So, can you tell me, are your heads just for decoration?"

"You're way too harsh! It's just this one problem. What gives you the right to say that about me?"

Sudo Ken took a sharp, heavy breath. He didn't want to stay here anymore, didn't want to face this woman who could grind a person into the dirt, didn't want to look at those damn symbols and numbers anymore.

"Forget it!" He waved his hand abruptly, a mix of impatience and a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment on his face. "There's no point talking to a girl like you. I'm going to basketball club practice. The midterms are still ages away anyway."

"It's way too early!" Sudo Ken added emphatically, then, without looking at anyone else, grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and prepared to leave this suffocating place.

Seeing this, Hirata Yosuke hurried over. "Sudo-kun! Wait! The study session isn't over yet..."

"Shut up! Move it!"

Yamauchi and Ike exchanged glances, their faces full of hesitation and unease. They looked at Sudo's retreating back, then at the cold, silent Horikita Suzune across from them, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Their commotion, along with Sudo's unrestrained shouting and the sound of the door slamming shut behind him, had long since drawn the attention of other students in the library, who kept turning their heads.

"Kitagawa-kun, it looks like things got a bit unpleasant over there."

Kitagawa Kai withdrew his gaze from the spectacle and turned to the girl beside him. "Nothing major. Probably just a small disagreement."

"Is Horikita-san helping Sudo-kun and the others with their studies?" Ichinose Honami said in a low voice, her gaze drifting back to Class D's area. Yamauchi and Ike seemed to have finally recovered from their petrified state and were frantically gathering their things, their faces still grim.

"Horikita-san's grades are excellent, but her methods might not suit everyone."

"Wow, Ichinose, you even know that much about Horikita from Class D?"

"Not at all. I've just happened to run into Horikita-san studying alone a few times. She's very focused and efficient."

Ichinose Honami added, her blue-violet eyes shimmering with sincerity. "Besides, even though we're in different classes, getting to know each other a bit more might allow us to help one another someday."

"So, in Ichinose's eyes, what kind of person am I?"

Ichinose Honami clearly hadn't expected him to ask that. She thought for a moment before answering.

"Kitagawa-kun... you often grasp the key points of a problem very quickly. The way you think is sometimes different from the rest of us, very unique."

"And there's that... how should I put it... extraordinary calmness and composure. It's almost like it doesn't fit a normal university student our age."

As she said this, a hint of an indescribable meaning crept into her smile. Several times before, she had seen Kitagawa Kai walking down the street with different girls, looking somewhat close.

"Also, I sometimes feel..."

"There seem to be quite a lot of girls around Kitagawa-kun, don't there?"

Upon hearing this assessment, a barely perceptible flicker passed through Kitagawa Kai's dark eyes, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Is that so? Well, they're just friends."

For now, just friends. What happens later is anyone's guess.

"Being popular isn't a bad thing, you know. It means Kitagawa-kun has a lot of attractive qualities."

"So, has Ichinose been attracted to me?"

The question was so direct, so unabashed.

A clear flash of surprise, bewilderment, and a faint trace of embarrassment passed through Ichinose Honami's blue-violet eyes.

A brief, heart-pounding silence.

"Kitagawa-kun, it would be a lie to say I'm not drawn to you at all."

She took a light breath, her gaze clear as she looked at him, and finally gave the answer that had already taken shape in her heart, her voice soft yet firm.

"I'm glad to be admired by you, Honami." Kitagawa Kai's tone carried an unprecedented seriousness.

[Ding!]

[Ichinose Honami Affection Level +3, current Affection Level 60]

When she heard him call her "Honami," the blush on Ichinose Honami's cheeks seemed to deepen.

She didn't speak, only nodded lightly, her eyes like water, everything conveyed without words.

In the distance, Shiranami Chihiro's fingers, gripping her mechanical pencil, had stopped moving at some point.

Her gaze, as if pulled by invisible threads, caught the unusual atmosphere between the two, and her heart sank heavily.

She had always known that Kitagawa Kai was special, different—his calm beyond his years, his composure in easily controlling everything, all of it drew Ichinose to him like a magnet.

But she also knew well how dazzling Ichinose Honami was, that warmth from the heart, like a little sun, could make almost anyone near her feel comfortable and at ease.

She couldn't let this go on any longer.