The exam roster

The summer vacation everyone had been looking forward to arrived quietly. The temperature outside gradually rose, but the students' enthusiasm for having fun was clearly even higher. A famous writer had once said, "If we don't go wild now, we'll be old before we know it." But Lezheng was already "old."

At this hot-blooded age, scrolling through suggestive short videos while alone easily gave rise to an emotion called desire.

Why did I do that just now? There aren't cameras in the rooms the school provides, are there? Lezheng lay on the bed, staring calmly at the ceiling.

"I'll find a job to earn some Private Points and kill some time." Lezheng got up and walked to the door. The instant he opened it, a wave of heat hit him in the face.

"Forget it. I'll play some games." Lezheng shut the door and sat down at his computer desk.

Only when his brain reminded him that he was hungry did Lezheng stop playing and get up to prepare lunch.

"Ding-dong." The doorbell rang.

Lezheng wondered who would come looking for him at this hour.

"Good afternoon." Sakayanagi performed a greeting Lezheng couldn't make sense of.

"Is your leg cramping?" Lezheng asked bluntly.

"..." They both looked at each other in silence.

"Sorry. Come in?" Realizing his mistake, Lezheng politely invited Sakayanagi inside.

"Excuse the intrusion." Sakayanagi walked straight in and changed into the indoor shoes she had brought.

"You really do make yourself at home. Did you need something?" Lezheng shut the door.

"To test our skills at chess."

"Wait until I finish lunch."

At that, Sakayanagi checked her phone and waved it in front of Lezheng, indicating that it was getting late.

"Have you eaten? If not, have a knuckle sandwich."

"What can you cook?"

"Egg fried rice and rice-fried eggs."

While Lezheng was cooking, Sakayanagi examined the room. It didn't smell, but it was very messy. A charger was still plugged into the wall, and open cardboard boxes surrounded the bed. Most contained snacks, while a few held daily necessities. The bedding was a complete mess too.

His phone had been tossed onto the bed, and the trash can... she didn't want to look at the trash can.

"How are we supposed to play if you didn't bring a Chinese chess set?" Lezheng sat down opposite Sakayanagi with a bowl of rice.

"Someone will bring one over." Sakayanagi looked at him calmly.

The Chinese chess set arrived while Lezheng was washing his bowl. The errand runner was none other than Kamuro.

"You two need this on a date?" Kamuro's tone was rather sharp. Sakayanagi was making her run errands in weather this hot. What the hell?

"Actually, we just wanted to see you looking like you want to curse us out but don't dare." Lezheng spread his hands.

"..." Kamuro subjected the two of them to an hour-long tirade in her head.

While they played, Kamuro activated her "Sherlock Holmes mode." She intended to find evidence of Lezheng's misdeeds to threaten him with later, but he hadn't left a single trace.

"Tsk, your room looks like a doghouse." Kamuro began her barrage.

"There's actually trash in the trash can, bedding on the bed, and inside the bedding... fine, I didn't find anything," Kamuro muttered to herself nearby.

"Kamuro, isn't this a little rude?" Lezheng spoke up to stop her as she prepared to rummage through the trash can.

"Go take care of your own business, Kamuro," Sakayanagi said, dismissing her outright.

"Aren't you afraid this guy will suddenly turn into an animal and have his way with you?" Kamuro curled her lips.

"What worries me is that if you stay here any longer, Lezheng won't be able to resist beating you up," Sakayanagi replied with a smile.

"You understand me." Lezheng clasped Sakayanagi's hand in both of his just as she was about to make a move.

Kamuro finally left. The room fell silent except for the sound of pieces being placed, going from rapid to slow. Lezheng and Sakayanagi each won and lost, and the score settled at five to five.

"One game to settle it?" Sakayanagi smiled faintly.

"Let's leave that for tomorrow. I'm getting a little bored." Lezheng rejected her suggestion.

"Tomorrow it is, then." Sakayanagi put away the board, stood up, and headed for the door.

"Planning to make this a permanent arrangement?" Lezheng looked at the board she had left behind.

"After all, you're currently the only person in this school who can hold their own against me."

"You flatter me."

Lezheng saw Sakayanagi to the elevator and watched her leave.

Their days continued like this for three days. On the third evening, Lezheng received a text from President Horikita.

"Come to the Student Council tomorrow morning."

"Understood," Lezheng replied.

Early the next morning, Lezheng went to the Student Council room after breakfast. Three people were already seated inside. He sat in his own seat, his gaze sweeping over a stack of documents beside President Horikita's hand.

Once the remaining three arrived, Horikita Manabu announced the subject of the meeting.

"The first-years will be relocating tomorrow. The school needs our Student Council to tally the students and the equipment required."

"It's that time again, huh?" Miyabi Nagumo flipped through the documents in his hands.

"We'll handle the equipment. Lezheng, you'll be in charge of the student count." President Horikita had already assigned the personnel.

Lezheng nodded without speaking. He could more or less guess that this was a Special Exam for the first-years. Otherwise, why give him only something as simple as counting students? Although he was a Student Council member, he was still a first-year, so they had to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

The entire meeting ended in less than ten minutes, giving Lezheng the impression that this Special Exam would be particularly simple.

"Lezheng, that's a very interesting place." Miyabi Nagumo smiled mysteriously at his junior.

"More interesting than school?" Lezheng asked.

"Do you know what untamed beauty is?" Miyabi Nagumo patted Lezheng on the shoulder, then left the room with Nazuna Asahina.

Ever since learning what Miyabi Nagumo was like, Lezheng generally let his words go in one ear and out the other. He didn't dwell on it and went straight to the faculty office.

Perhaps because there was an event tomorrow, all four homeroom teachers were busy working in the office.

"Mashima-sensei, I'm the Student Council member responsible for the student count. I need your help providing Class A's roster." Lezheng approached his own homeroom teacher first.

"The roster? Not the number of participants?" Mashima looked at Lezheng in confusion.

"That's right, the roster. Sorry for the trouble, but please mark the names of any students who won't be participating."

"Just a moment." After a little thought, Mashima nodded.

While Mashima-sensei was printing the roster, Lezheng approached the desk of Class B's homeroom teacher.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei, I'm..."

"Oh my, you're the only first-year who passed the Student Council selection, aren't you? How impressive."

Hoshinomiya gave him a very cheerful smile.

"Thank you for the praise. For achieving such excellent results, I must thank Mashima-sensei for his guidance, President Horikita for giving me this opportunity, and..."

"Hahaha, you're an interesting one. I've already printed the roster. Everyone in our class is participating." Hoshinomiya cut his formalities short.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Hoshinomiya-sensei." Lezheng took the roster.

When it was Class C's turn, Sakagami also cooperated readily and provided the roster.

"Let me thank you on Class C's behalf."

"It was part of my duties, Sakagami-sensei." Lezheng knew he was referring to the conflict between Classes C and D.

Things reached an awkward impasse with Class D, as Lezheng and Chasuke stared at each other.

"Sae, that incident was mainly down to Class D's students being a little naughty. You can't blame Lezheng." Using both hands, Hoshinomiya forcefully straightened Chasuke's body, which had tilted as he stared at Lezheng.

Chasuke glanced at the grinning Hoshinomiya, sighed, and placed Class D's roster in front of Lezheng.