Although the school officially defined Class D as a gathering place for "defective goods," that didn't mean its students were good for nothing.
In fact, many of them had their own unique strengths; they were simply hidden beneath poor discipline and bad attitudes.
Take Ken Sudō, for example. He was a gifted athlete with one of the best physiques in his year. Then there was Sotomura Hideo, who was quiet most of the time but was undeniably a computer whiz.
Wu Qiao had keenly noticed this. Over the past week, whenever he had some free time, he'd asked his classmates questions about various subjects and skills.
It had become a curious sight in Class D. Wu Qiao, who always seemed so lazy, was actually humbly asking those around him to teach him.
And while sharing their knowledge, many of his classmates felt the joy of being needed.
As Wu Qiao ground experience in the Path of Erudition, he also earned experience in the Path of Elation along the way. It was the best of both worlds.
Of course, there had been plenty of absurd situations in Class D over the past week. Sometimes, two students somehow managed to perfectly stagger their attendance: one would disappear after morning classes, while the other wouldn't saunter in until the afternoon.
All one could say was that the Class Points hitting zero was the limit of the scoring system, not the limit of these "free spirits" in Class D.
Still, Wu Qiao did occasionally take the initiative to start a study group. Like... right now.
In a corner of the classroom, Ayanokoji Kiyoha was holding a pen and scribbling on a sheet of scrap paper, earnestly teaching Wu Qiao calculus.
Those complicated differential equations were practically driving Wu Qiao insane.
The Path of Erudition had boosted his computational ability, but that didn't mean he could instantly grasp advanced mathematical principles. The pain of having knowledge forcibly crammed into his brain had his brows knitted together.
Staring at the symbols on the scrap paper that might as well have been a foreign language, Wu Qiao couldn't take it anymore. He hurriedly grabbed Wang Meiyu as she passed by. "Wang, you're Chinese. I heard math education is really good over there, and that math is your best subject. Come take a look and help me out!"
Wang Meiyu stopped and leaned over to look at the problem Ayanokoji Kiyoha had set. Her confident expression froze at once. She blinked in confusion, then helplessly waved her hand. "Sorry, I don't know how to do it either."
Wu Qiao was really just trying to find some amusement to distract himself and ease the strain on his brain. But he kept a serious, puzzled expression as he pressed her in Chinese, "No way. Don't people over there say, 'If you're not too stupid, you can learn calculus by fourteen'? How come you..."
Wang Meiyu clutched her chest and stumbled back two steps, looking as though he'd mortally wounded her. "Wu-kun, you can't strip me of my nationality with one sentence and then strip me of my humanity with the next! Those are humblebrags from geniuses. How many idiots have they even met? I may be an international student, but I'm just an ordinary girl who leans toward the humanities, okay?"
Watching Wang Meiyu's adorably wounded expression, Ayanokoji Kiyoha quietly lowered her pen. Her delicate face remained expressionless, but a faint glimmer passed through her eyes. She took a small sip of juice, as if watching an amusing silent play.
Wu Qiao couldn't help laughing. He waved his hand. "All right, all right. That was a stereotype on my part. I guess geniuses really are a minority."
He looked back at the differential equations on the scrap paper, sighed, and resigned himself to picking up his pen. The process was painful, but he still had to grit his teeth and grind that Path of Erudition experience.
The moment the afternoon bell rang, Wu Qiao shamelessly turned into a "hands-off manager." He put an arm around Ayanokoji Kiyoha, who was still looking dazed, and headed straight for Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, Sato Maya, and the others, who were chatting together.
"Everyone, I'm leaving this 'sheltered young lady' in your care." Grinning, Wu Qiao nudged Ayanokoji Kiyoha toward Karuizawa Kei, as if entrusting them with a freshly unearthed artifact. "Take her to Commercial Street and show her the hardships of life... No, wait, I mean the wonders of the world."
Karuizawa Kei raised an eyebrow and looked the distinctive girl up and down, then smiled helplessly. "Leave it to us! Wu-kun, go take care of whatever you need to do."
As for whether they'd lead Ayanokoji Kiyoha astray, Wu Qiao felt she'd be better off that way. After all, it was much more interesting to add a little color to the life of a "blank slate" with top-tier abilities but no common sense.
Wu Qiao waved goodbye and headed to the library to continue his painful but fulfilling training in the Path of Erudition.
Left behind, Ayanokoji Kiyoha frowned slightly. She'd just started to object to Wu Qiao calling her "sheltered," but the enthusiastic group of gyarus had already surrounded her. Matsushita Chiaki, Mori Nene, and the others were extremely interested in her.
"Hey, Ayanokoji, what brand of skincare products do you usually use? Your skin is amazing!"
"Seriously, it's like you walked straight out of a manga as some rich young lady!"
"I heard you've never even been to a convenience store?"
"Oh my gosh, you're so out of touch with the world!"
As Wu Qiao had put it, Ayanokoji Kiyoha was a "sheltered young lady."
The label struck her as a little strange, and she even wanted to object. But after being kept apart from normal society for so long by "that place," her extreme lack of common sense only made the girls even more certain that she really was a "young lady."
Faced with the girls' flurry of questions and exclamations, Ayanokoji Kiyoha opened her mouth, then ultimately chose to remain silent. She no longer bothered to correct this charming misunderstanding.
After all, explaining it would be too much trouble...
Once the group of gyarus had brought her to Commercial Street, Ayanokoji Kiyoha's attention was gradually drawn to the dazzling array of shops along the roadside.
The colorful plushies in the claw machines, the sparkling hair clips in the accessory shops, the exquisitely decorated cakes in the dessert shops... So many little things she'd never seen in "that place" made her eyes shine with curiosity.
"Wow, this is so cute!" Sato Maya led her into a variety shop and held up a fluffy charm, waving it in front of her.
"Do you like it, Ayanokoji? It's yours!" Karuizawa Kei generously waved a hand, bought it on the spot, and pressed it into her hand.
Holding the soft charm, Ayanokoji Kiyoha felt its warmth in her palm and blinked without thinking. She'd been forcibly labeled a "young lady," but having these enthusiastic girls show her the world didn't seem... so bad.
Watching Ayanokoji Kiyoha's sweet, curious expression, Karuizawa Kei thought to herself, That guy really knows people. A girl with this kind of personality is absolutely perfect for us to "train."