Like a Ghost

The next day, with four days left in April,

the weekend break had already ended, and a new day had begun.

At other schools, this would be Monday—a dreary Monday—and most students probably wouldn't have much motivation.

But at this school, even during the Special Exam, everyone still did their own thing, slacking off to the extreme.

Everyone in the classroom was busy with their own affairs. The only rule, more or less, was that no one skipped class. Then again, it made sense. You couldn't escape from this school.

No one skipped class; they just arrived late. Nobody cared if you showed up ten or twenty minutes late. By the same token, hardly anyone noticed if you arrived early.

Beihai arrived in the classroom and went to his seat. He had just sat down when a greeting came from beside him.

"Morning, Beihai."

The sudden greeting made Beihai pause as he flipped through his book. The voice belonged to a man, and it sounded somewhat familiar. He turned around and saw Kiyotaka Kiyotaka.

Thinking of what had happened yesterday, Beihai raised a hand and gave him a brief greeting.

"Morning. You're here early. But you know how it is. It's only for a few days. Once this month is over, things won't be so easy."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka understood what Beihai meant. They could take advantage of the Special Exam lasting through the end of the month. Class D was already in such a sorry state that they might as well slack off and enjoy the few days they had left.

"I came because I saw you were here. But you're right. Want to go out?"

Beihai: "..."

Sometimes, this guy really didn't know how to talk.

"Never mind. I'm a good student, so I have to study hard. I can't leave the teacher with a bad impression."

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka looked at Beihai, who was saying such a shameless thing with a shrug.

He couldn't help thinking, Is that really true? It doesn't look that way at all.

Soon, the bell rang, and the two of them ended the conversation.

As soon as the bell rang, Airisu Sakura hurried into the classroom, found her seat, and sat down. Then she hid herself, hunching over and quietly curling up in her safe zone.

She didn't want to attract too much attention. Only Beihai could break through her defenses, shove this little pet over with both hands, and flip her onto her back to expose her belly.

Today, though, the feeding she had been getting for so long suddenly stopped. Unable to get her catnip, Airisu Sakura looked puzzled. When she raised her head, she saw Beihai writing a note and tossing it toward the window seat in the second row.

The Black Long Hair sitting between them endured the paper balls flying over her head without seeming to care.

But if anyone had looked closely, they would have noticed her hand clenching unconsciously, crumpling her textbook in her grip.

The teacher continued lecturing at the front of the classroom, pretending not to see a thing.

Beihai hadn't expected this. He thought it was all over now that class had started.

But a paper ball flew over, and he had no choice but to talk with the other person. Considering what had happened yesterday, he could at least do him this favor.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka: [Are you free this afternoon? Want to go again?]

Beihai: [We're in class right now. Passing notes isn't great, is it? Besides, you treated me yesterday, so I'll treat you today. Want to see a movie?

Also, do you have enough points? Want me to lend you 50,000 first?]

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka: [No need. I know how to get points. Let's go to a movie after class. I'll earn the points before we go.]

And so, they made plans for after school that afternoon.

After passing the note, Kiyotaka Kiyotaka felt that it was interesting. Was this what having a close friend was like?

Sharing happiness with a friend and telling him about things in your life—it was a pity that there were still some things he couldn't bring himself to say. Still, this kind of friendship was something he could learn from.

At that moment, Haruki Yamauchi and the others had been relegated to the category of casual friends in Kiyotaka Kiyotaka's mind. At most, he would greet them when they met.

As soon as the first class ended, Beihai went over to Airisu Sakura.

"Hey, did you take good notes during class?"

"Mm, I did, I did."

Airisu Sakura hurriedly answered and showed Beihai the notes she had taken.

Beihai took them and glanced over them. He could tell right away that she had written down a lot of unimportant things. They were the kind of notes that filled page after page but didn't help much when it came to exams.

"You deserve a reward, but you wrote down both the important points and a bunch of unimportant things. That's a little tedious, and it's not good for you."

After class, he naturally went to find his little group. They had a system of rewards and punishments, too. Airisu Sakura had worked hard even if she hadn't achieved much, so he rewarded her with a sour candy.

Watching the moisture gather in her eyes as she endured the sourness and stuffed the candy into her mouth, Beihai felt a little mischievous.

This was his little pet. How could she not study hard? After all, this school was an unusual Shrek Academy. To put it simply, those who didn't dare to cause trouble were useless, and anyone who fell behind would be expelled.

It would be awful if she couldn't catch up with the rest.

Then Beihai would have to find a new group to fit in with, but what kind of people were in Class D? There wasn't a single group he wanted to join.

Just then, Beihai looked over at Kiyotaka Kiyotaka.

Clearly, passing notes during class had bothered the person caught between them, Suzune Horikita.

As soon as class ended, she slapped her book down on the desk, stood up, and went over to Kiyotaka Kiyotaka.

The cool, Black Long Hair and the expressionless, deadpan boy stared at each other, neither showing the slightest emotion.

"I know you're both beyond help, but could you at least stop disturbing me during class? It's the bare minimum of basic decency."

Suzune Horikita had thought there would be something impressive about this school, but after nearly a month, she was gradually losing hope. Even if those people had abandoned all discipline, she still couldn't do the same.

And when had these two started hanging out together?

Then again, it wasn't that surprising. This guy could even talk to Yamauchi.

"Ah, sorry. If it's too much trouble, why not change seats?"

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka finally spoke. His words also left Suzune Horikita stunned.

"What?"

"Why not? It's just a change of seats."

"That's not what I meant. I just didn't expect that. Never mind. Get up."

Has he already given up on himself, too? Suzune Horikita couldn't help thinking.

In just ten minutes, the two of them switched seats. It didn't take much time; they only had to move a few books, or simply swap desks.

And just like that, Beihai found himself baffled, caught between the two of them.

Kiyotaka Kiyotaka even held up a hand, wearing a stiff smile. "Hey, buddy, happy?"