The two deskmates' "heart-to-heart" ended with Ji Cიცen looking thunderous and Shen Yu being hauled back.
To give the students plenty of freedom and time to relax, each class could arrange the second half of the coming-of-age ceremony day themselves. With the majority's approval, everyone went for the straightforward choice: watching a movie.
It was a rare group activity. Almost without any prompting from the Class Advisor, the class committee volunteered to apply for class funds to buy snacks. There were plenty of snacks and drinks, junk food included.
Watching the increasingly outrageous assortment of snacks, the Class Advisor's mouth twitched uncontrollably. But faced with the students' hopeful, pitiful gazes, the Class Advisor could only shake their head helplessly and pretend not to see a thing.
That was youth: laughing freely, regardless of background.
The curtains were drawn tight. The boys moved chairs to the back to play cards and chat, while the girls gathered to chat too. Only when the movie itself began did the noisy classroom quiet down.
Science fiction always held everyone's interest. With its tense, exciting developments and sudden twists, boys and girls alike were absorbed in what would happen next.
Shen Yu's eyes were round and wide. At the especially exciting parts, he chewed faster in his excitement, the loud crunching making the students in front turn around resentfully.
Shen Yu peered at them with wide eyes, his chewing instinctively stopping. Looking guilty and embarrassed, he nearly buried his head in his desk.
"It's okay."
Ji Cიცen quietly reassured his deskmate, who turned socially anxious whenever something happened. Seeing Shen Yu pout miserably at the chips in his hand, he had meant to take them from him, but somehow ended up taking Shen Yu's hand instead.
His body abruptly went rigid, and Shen Yu's mind