Hoshinomiya's eyes darted around as she laid it on even thicker. "Aww, I'm so cute, though! You mean I didn't make the rankings? I'm heartbroken~"
Tsukishima got goosebumps. "I wouldn't know. Anyway, Teacher Majima, let's get back to it."
Tomoya Mashima set down his glass of water and nodded. "Sure, let's continue."
Hoshinomiya and Ichinose left too, huddling off to the side and whispering about something.
Every now and then, the two of them glanced at Tsukishima.
Tsukishima didn't pay them any mind. They could do whatever they wanted; he'd just keep studying.
"All right, is there anything else you don't understand?"
Tomoya Mashima set down his pen, closed the workbook, and handed it to Tsukishima.
Tsukishima closed his notebook and took the workbook. "Not for now. Thank you, Teacher Majima."
Tomoya Mashima nodded and opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only waved Tsukishima away.
As soon as Tsukishima stepped out of the office, he saw his homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira, leaning against the door.
"Hello, Sensei."
Tsukishima greeted her casually, then headed back to class.
The classroom was a mess.
The humanoid creature Yamauchi Muraki and the unevolved ape Kanji Ike were huddled together, snickering creepily. Every so often, they'd make claws of their hands and grab at the air in front of their chests.
The gyaru girls were gathered together, discussing their new nail art and which karaoke place to visit that evening.
A bunch of boys had surrounded Hirata Yosuke to talk about soccer and sports.
The class's angel, Kushida Kikyo, moved among everyone, joining and leaving conversations at will.
Honestly, she was going to be a sales superstar someday.
Tsukishima returned to his seat. As soon as he sat down, Kushida Kikyo leaned over with a cheerful smile. "Did you go ask the teacher for help again, Tsukishima?"
Tsukishima smiled back. "Yeah. There's a lot I don't understand, so I had to trouble the teacher."
Kushida Kikyo sat in her seat and rested her chin in her hands. "But there are plenty of students in class with good grades who could help you, too."
Her wide eyes were earnest. "For example, Horikita. She can be a little aloof, but she's really smart. You always rush off to the office as soon as class ends, Tsukishima. Don't you get lonely? I'm worried about you."
As expected of the class's angel. She always found such an unusual angle to take in a conversation.
Tsukishima shook his head and looked at her earnestly. "Not at all. I have you here with me, after all. As long as you're by my side, nothing else matters."
Did I really just say something so goblin-like? That's me for you.
Kushida Kikyo was taken aback. "Aww, really? But is that okay?"
Tsukishima nodded solemnly. "As long as I have you, as long as I can see you, I'm not afraid of anything. Even if there's a cliff ahead, I'd walk toward you without batting an eye."
The humanoid creature Yamauchi Muraki appeared. "Hey, hey, what are you saying? Kushida's everyone's angel! You can't say stuff like that!"
The unevolved ape chimed in to show his agreement.
Tsukishima rolled his eyes, regretting his decision to goof around.
"Just kidding," he added expressionlessly. "I just think asking the teacher is more efficient."
Kushida Kikyo covered her mouth and giggled. "You're such a jokester, Tsukishima~ That look on your face just now made me think you were serious~"
Yamauchi Haruki watched him warily. "You really were just kidding?"
Tsukishima glanced at him. "What else? I don't have any improper intentions toward our angel."
"Good, good~" Yamauchi breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Kushida and immediately put on a fawning smile. "Kushida, you really are coming to karaoke this weekend, right?"
"Of course~" Kushida beamed. "I'm looking forward to it!"
Yamauchi and Ike immediately cheered, "Ooh!" and high-fived each other.
Tsukishima quietly turned away.
I can't watch.
I really can't watch.
The school bell rang.
Tsukishima stretched, gathered his things, and ambled out of the classroom.
Watching the sunset, he took out the palm-sized sketchbook and sat on a bench, concentrating on his drawing.
He still wasn't very good at drawing people and couldn't make money with his sketchbook, but he couldn't give up his hobby.
In the teachers' office.
Chie Hoshinomiya propped up her chin and played on her phone, occasionally glancing at Sae Chabashira, who was grading papers in the corner.
"Sae~ Why haven't you left yet?"
Chabashira didn't look up. "I have something to do."
"What is it?"
"None of your business."
"Aww~ You're so cold~" Hoshinomiya drawled, then suddenly brightened and picked up her phone to dial a number.
The call connected.
"Hello, Honami?"
Ichinose's voice came from the other end. "Oh, Hoshinomiya-sensei. What is it?"
"Nothing much. This morning, Tsukishima from Class D kindly told us about the points. You should be sure to thank him properly. It's really important."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, I was just about to go. Everyone in Class B agreed that we should give Tsukishima some points to show our gratitude."
"Aww, you were just about to go? Then can I listen in, too? I'm really curious about Tsukishima~"
Hoshinomiya noticed the pen in Chabashira's hand tremble.
That only got her more excited. "Please, angel of Class B~"
Ichinose felt that Hoshinomiya was the one acting like a child. "All right, all right. But you're not allowed to say anything, Sensei."
On a school bench.
Tsukishima sneezed. "Who's thinking about me?"
He shook his head and continued his drawing. Little sketches like this didn't take much time; a few strokes were usually enough to finish one. He'd learned the technique from a short-video creator in his previous life.
"Tsukishima."
Ichinose walked over, cheeks flushed and breathing a little hard. "Whew~ I finally found you."
Tsukishima picked up his bag and made room for her. "Did you need something, Ichinose?"
Ichinose nodded and tucked away the screen showing her active call. "I came to thank you for what you said about the students' points in the teachers' office this morning."
Tsukishima waved it off. "There's no need. Even if I hadn't said anything, the teachers probably would've explained it after this month was over. Besides, Class B follows the rules pretty well, so knowing about it doesn't make much difference."
Ichinose shook her head earnestly. "Knowing in advance means we can prepare in advance. Actually, over the past week, everyone's gotten pretty lax because the teachers haven't been keeping a close eye on us. I've already discussed it with the class, and we've decided to give you 200,000 personal points as thanks."
Tsukishima looked up, surprised. "200,000 personal points? That's a lot!"
Ichinose nodded, holding her phone in both hands. "Knowing sooner means we can prepare sooner. And it's not really that much; everyone only has to chip in a little."
She had actually put in 50,000 of her own, while everyone else only needed to contribute a few thousand each. And it was all thanks to Ichinose's reputation as an angel that Class B had agreed.
Tsukishima happily pulled out his phone. "I didn't expect this to come with perks. Please thank everyone in Class B for me. Now I won't have to worry about running out of money for food."
Before you continue