I'm a Slacker. I'm Done Pretending

I had to admit, Teacher Kurenai Yuhi was beautiful—a stunning, mature woman.

Beautiful or not, though...

Why was Teacher Kurenai always paying attention to me?

As soon as Kurenai finished warning Takasaki, the whole class turned around in unison to look at him.

When they saw his completely blank test paper, quite a few classmates let out smug little snickers.

The classroom fell silent again, and the exam continued.

Takasaki lowered his head, staring at the test paper in bewilderment. He felt even more pressure.

Even Asuma had noticed Takasaki. He quietly asked Kurenai, "The exam's been going on for twenty minutes. Has Takasaki not answered a single question?"

Asuma shook his head, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "That student Takasaki isn't graduating this year."

He pulled out a lighter and was about to light his cigarette, but Kurenai blew out the flame. "Smoke outside. Don't disturb the students."

"Sure. My nicotine craving just hit, anyway. Come keep me company."

Asuma grinned and took Kurenai's hand as he headed for the door.

Kurenai naturally turned aside, avoiding his reaching hand. "We've only just started dating. I'm not used to holding hands so soon. Go by yourself. I have to supervise the exam."

"We've got plenty of time together. Forget holding hands—even my children will be yours someday."

With the cigarette still between his lips, Asuma headed out of the classroom. "I'll smoke a few outside, then come back. Keep an eye on the exam. If you catch anyone cheating, they're disqualified."

Strictly speaking, school rules forbade exam proctors from leaving the room while supervising.

Asuma wasn't bound by those rules. After all, he was the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage.

Even if other teachers saw him smoking in the corridor outside the exam room, they'd turn a blind eye to such a minor thing.

As someone who could only pass the exam by cheating, Takasaki obviously wasn't focused on the questions. He was paying more attention to the proctors.

In particular, when he noticed Kurenai talking with Asuma and realized she wasn't watching him, Takasaki knew this was his chance!

Quick.

Copy!

He'd leave the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions for later and copy Hinata's answers.

First, he'd tackle the written-response questions.

Takasaki discreetly opened the palm where Ino had written his cheat notes earlier, grabbed his pen, and started scribbling furiously.

Seeing Takasaki's movements, Naruto took them as a signal and imitated him, doing his best to look natural.

In just a few minutes, Takasaki had finished half of the first written-response question.

Sakura Haruno had noticed, too.

As if she'd been waiting for this moment, she raised her hand conspicuously. "Teacher Kurenai, I'd like to report Takasaki for cheating!"

The moment the words left her mouth,

the classroom erupted in a commotion.

Students in the front rows turned to look.

Takasaki was startled. He quickly covered his palm and turned to stare at Sakura Haruno, bewildered.

Seriously, they were classmates. They saw each other every day. Why report him?

What would Sakura Haruno gain from him failing to graduate?

Takasaki truly couldn't understand her. Then he saw the smug look on her face, and it all clicked.

That haughty expression was exactly like the expression worn by the teacher's pet in his previous life—the kind of student who'd report every little thing to the teacher.

He hadn't felt strongly about Sakura Haruno before. He couldn't say he disliked her.

But now he couldn't stand her. "It's the Graduation Exam, and you're reporting me? Did I eat your family's rice or something?"

Sakura Haruno had no idea what he meant by "eating her family's rice," but that didn't matter.

What mattered was that she knew this would leave a deep impression on Takasaki, enough for him to write about it in his diary.

Sakura Haruno looked as if she couldn't bear to watch. "Sorry, Takasaki. Your foundations are weak. You should repeat the year. I'm only doing this for your own good."

"Takasaki..." Hinata looked deeply worried about him.

"That idiot, Sakura." Ino looked worried, too—but not for Takasaki. She was worried about herself. "Takasaki, please don't drag me into this."

Naruto's heart pounded anxiously. "Thank goodness it wasn't me. Thank goodness it wasn't me. Takasaki's in trouble... Wait, why did Sakura report him?"

Naruto looked over at Sakura Haruno.

Even though Sakura had beaten her up that morning, the image of her as his goddess hadn't wavered in the slightest.

But now,

he suddenly felt like Sakura wasn't as wonderful as she used to be.

As for the way the rest of the class looked at Takasaki—

with contempt, disdain, scorn, and smug, mocking laughter.

It was the same way they'd always looked at him, the class dead last. They were showing every expression in the book.

Sasuke, sitting in the front row, glanced back at Sakura Haruno and scoffed. "Idiot."

"Sakura, how exactly is Takasaki cheating?" Kurenai walked over at an unhurried pace, her red high heels clicking against the floor.

Perhaps because of the damp weather, the floor was a little wet.

Kurenai swayed her hips naturally as her red heels tapped against the floor, their crisp clicks carrying a faint, fluid dampness.

She'd been wondering how to find an opportunity to approach Takasaki and help him.

As it happened, Sakura had given her a hand.

Sakura really was a good student. She loved reporting every little thing that happened in class, and Kurenai liked her.

"I..."

Sakura Haruno hesitated, but finally said, "I saw a cheat sheet on Takasaki's palm."

She'd already made a bad impression on Takasaki.

He was sure to write about her in his diary anyway, so she might as well go all out and give him more to record.

Maybe even a negative entry could earn her a reward.

Pointing at Takasaki's right hand, Sakura Haruno emphasized, "His right palm."

Ino's heart sank.

If Teacher Kurenai checked Takasaki's palm and saw what was written there, she'd recognize Ino's handwriting.

She was done for.

She'd be held partly responsible and disqualified, too.

Ino let out a long sigh.

When she'd decided to help Takasaki cheat, she'd known this could happen. She'd been prepared for it.

But what caught her completely off guard was that Sakura Haruno had been the one to report him.

Ino even wondered if Sakura Haruno had been targeting her.

It wasn't as if Ino had tried to steal her chance to talk to Sasuke today.

Whatever.

Ino couldn't be bothered to think about it. The situation was what it was, so she might as well accept it. At worst, she'd get scolded by her parents and repeat the year with Takasaki. It wasn't the end of the world.

Takasaki swept his gaze over the smug faces around the classroom. He wasn't going to say much.

Sakura Haruno had seen exactly which palm held his cheat sheet. There was no point trying to deny it.

So,

he sighed and put his pen down with a carefree air.

I wanted to get along with you all as a top student, but all I got in return was distance.

No more pretending.

I'm a slacker, and I'm done pretending.

Kurenai came to stand in front of Takasaki. In full view of the class, she extended her fair hand, first brushing her fingers against his right palm, then naturally taking his hand in hers. "Is the cheat sheet on this hand?"