The old group reassignment sheets behind the bookshelf were not uncovered right away.
They were wedged beneath the row of wooden shelves closest to the wall, weighed down by a bundle of discarded seating charts tied tightly with cotton string. If Naruto had not spotted a fleck of blue ink in the corner while crouching to pick up scattered papers, no one would have noticed the stack of old sheets deliberately tucked at the very bottom.
"There's more here." Naruto reached inside, brushing a layer of dust onto his knuckles.
Sasuke bent down to help him brace the bookshelf. It was heavy, its wooden feet blackened by damp, and it made a low, rough scraping sound as they pushed it. Together, they shifted it half a foot, finally exposing the stack of group reassignment sheets underneath.
The paper was yellowed, but it was not old. Only the outer cover was old; the ink inside was still a crisp black.
The Academic Affairs Director untied the cotton string, his expression darkening as he read.
"These aren't official group reassignment sheets."
Iruka took them. After reading only a few lines, he pressed his fingers against the edge of the paper. "They're mock-up sheets."
"What do you mean, mock-up sheets?" Naruto asked.
"They lay out the arrangements before actually putting them into effect, to see how people might react when they're placed together," Iruka said.
Naruto froze. Whenever he had heard things like "seating arrangements" or "group assignments" before, he had only thought about who sat in front, who sat in back, who was closer to the teacher, and who was closer to the door. Only now did he understand that the distance between desks and chairs could become a hand, too. That hand did not push people. It only pushed names.
Che