The Library Farce

"Wow! I got 90 in Japanese!"

"Awesome! I scored above 80 in every subject."

"Sadly, I only got 72 in social studies. Sigh..."

Conversations of every kind rose and fell, noise spreading throughout the classroom. Nearly everyone's eyes were glued to the score sheet on the blackboard.

"Everyone achieved fairly good results on this quiz."

Teacher Mashima's voice came from the podium. Hearing this, quite a few students raised their chins, their faces showing pride and delight.

Having made it into Advanced Nurturing High School, they had already carried a sense of superiority. This affirmation sent many of their spirits soaring.

Mashima Tomoya swept his gaze over the class and continued.

"Of course, two students performed exceptionally well. Aside from Japanese, Hoshinomiya scored full marks in all four other subjects—the only full marks in the class. Classmate Sakayanagi was also outstanding, scoring above ninety-five in every subject."

The words caused a considerable stir in the classroom.

Many students looked at the two of them with shock, even admiration.

Even Katsuragi, who was always composed and steady, showed a trace of surprise between his brows.

"Rinyu-kun, those are very impressive scores." Sakayanagi Arisu wore a sly smile as she leaned closer to the boy beside her and lowered her voice.

She seemed quite pleased that Hoshinomiya Rinyu's abilities had been exposed so openly before everyone.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Mashima Tomoya rapped on the podium, drawing everyone's attention back.

"You did indeed perform well this time, but that doesn't mean you can rest easy. In the midterm examination this month, anyone who fails even one subject will be expelled immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom fell briefly silent before being swallowed by murmurs. The relaxed, cheerful atmosphere from moments ago vanished in an instant.

The pride they had shown over their grades had long since been blasted away. Every face was filled with disbelief. Even as Class A students, they could not help being shocked by the school's rules.

The tense atmosphere lasted until the bell rang. The clamor still did not subside until a calm male voice suddenly cut through the disorderly noise.

"I'm planning to organize a study group in class. Who's interested in joining?"

It was Hoshinomiya Rinyu's voice, calm and composed.

The warning in class had not affected him much.

"That's a good suggestion." Sakayanagi Arisu nodded slightly, the first to voice her support.

With her declaration, many students from the Sakayanagi Faction spoke up in succession, saying they were willing to join.

Neither Katsuragi Kohei nor the students of the Katsuragi Faction raised any objections.

"Do you have any specific arrangements in mind?" Katsuragi looked toward Hoshinomiya Rinyu.

"Class members will provide tutoring in two formats: one-on-one and one-on-many. Students strong in a particular subject will tutor those weaker in it, so we can make up for each other's shortcomings as much as possible. Those confident in every subject can tutor multiple people at once. Consider it another round of review to fill in any gaps. We need to make sure everyone passes the midterms smoothly."

"Besides, our class averages around eighty in every subject, while the passing mark is forty. There's no need to put too much pressure on yourselves."

After hearing this, everyone nodded without comment. No one objected.

The many doubts weighing on everyone's minds were temporarily cast aside.

"The key to this question is this auxiliary line..."

"The Meiji Restoration took place in..."

The study group was in full swing. The students were spread across the library, the café, and a few students' dorm rooms, each carrying out various tutoring sessions.

Before long, however, the orderly atmosphere in the library was shattered by an angry male voice.

"

"What's with that holier-than-thou attitude of yours?"

Following the voice, a tall red-haired boy rose to his feet, his fist slamming heavily onto the table.

The students in the library turned to look, their eyes full of curiosity.

The Class A students also raised their heads to watch.

Sitting opposite the red-haired boy was Horikita Suzune, her face icy.

"If you can't even understand a question of this difficulty, then you're probably beyond saving." Horikita Suzune's expression did not ripple in the slightest. Her tone was flat, but every word stung.

Sudo seemed unable to endure such harsh words any longer. Enraged, he reached across the table for the girl's collar.

The tension between them was on the verge of exploding.

"What's the point of learning this stuff anyway?! I'm going into professional basketball. I'm going to become a pro player. Studying is just a waste of time!"

"Professional basketball? Do you think a dream can be achieved with nothing but passion? There are no shortcuts in studying, and basketball is no different. If you can't even pass your basic schoolwork, you won't be able to stay at this school. What future are you even talking about?" Horikita Suzune said sharply.

"What's with that holier-than-thou attitude of yours?! What gives you the right to deny my dream? Deep down, you just look down on people like us who are bad at studying, don't you?!" Sudo demanded furiously.

"If you have no intention of studying, you can leave the study group. I don't have extra time to indulge people unwilling to put in any effort." Horikita's expression did not soften in the slightest.

"Fine! Who wants to stay here anyway?!" Sudo snapped his workbook shut and rose, about to storm out and slam the door behind him.

"Class D really is Class D. Nothing but defective products gathered together."

Totsuka Yahiko's mocking taunt came from nearby. With his arms folded, he leaned against a table, looking down on them with lofty contempt.

"Yahiko!"

Katsuragi Kohei spoke in a low voice. It was not loud, but it carried an unmistakable reprimand.

"You... what the hell did you say?!" Veins bulged on Sudo's forehead as he leaned forward, clearly about to charge over.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, standing beside him, quietly reached out and grabbed his arm, holding him back.

Just as the conflict was about to erupt, the librarian hurried over. His face darkened as he spoke in a deliberately lowered but firm voice. "This is a library. Arguing and fighting are not allowed. If you insist on causing trouble, please settle it outside.

Sudo shook off Ayanokoji's hand, his face still full of rage. Without arguing further, he grabbed the workbook off the table, turned, and strode away.

The heavy sound of the door slamming echoed through the quiet library as he left just like that.

Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki also left with indifferent expressions.

Hoshinomiya Rinyu watched everything quietly, his eyelids half-lowered as though he could not summon even the slightest interest.

There was no beret-wearing child in front of him now, only several boys standing nearby.

"Sorry for causing everyone trouble." Kushida looked slightly apologetic. Barely maintaining a gentle smile, she bowed slightly to everyone in the library.

She looked at Horikita, the smile disappearing from her face as she seemed somewhat aggrieved. Her overwhelming anger was hidden away.

"Classmate Horikita, don't you think you went too far in criticizing Classmate Sudo like that?" Kushida's voice trembled as she held back tears and spoke those accusatory words.

Horikita Suzune did not answer. She merely watched her expressionlessly.

Kushida did not wait any longer. She turned and quickly left the library, accompanied by a few suppressed sobs.

It seemed Ayanokoji chatted with Horikita for a few more moments. Before long, he was preparing to get up and leave.

After packing her things, Horikita Suzune saw a familiar yet unfamiliar back. She did not know whether it was an illusion.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ah—this is so damn annoying! I've had enough!

P.S. The review held me up for half an hour. I was so pissed that I had to type it all over again. Angry.jpg