Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Chabashira: {Shimizu-kun, do you have a girlfriend now?}
Akira stared at the message from his homeroom teacher on his phone screen, his eyebrows slightly raised, somewhat surprised.
Since when did a homeroom teacher start caring about a student's private life?
But on second thought, Chabashira had indeed helped a lot recently. He tapped his fingertips on the screen and replied with two words.
Akira: {No.}
Almost instantly, her message popped up again.
Chabashira: {Then recently, have any female students from other classes approached you?}
Akira: {Yes.}
He thought back for a moment. Shiina from Class 1-C, and Ichinose from Class B, strictly speaking, both counted.
Especially Ichinose. He'd even met with her last weekend.
Speaking of which, this matter was also related to Shiina. It was to inquire about the reason why those few people in Class 1-B bought laptops.
Later, Ichinose suggested meeting at a quiet cafe.
At the time, he first told Ichinose all the questions he wanted to ask, and she was responsible for calling to inquire, with him occasionally adding a few words.
She was very efficient, asking everyone on the list in less than half an hour. After Akira finished organizing the information, the two went their separate ways.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened during the entire process, and there was no particularly special interaction to speak of.
It was more akin to a work engagement.
The phone screen dimmed and then lit up again, with Chabashira's message following immediately, the urgency she tried to suppress evident between the lines.
Chabashira: {It wouldn't be Ichinose Honami from Class B, would it?}
Akira raised an eyebrow, his fingertip hovering over the input box for a moment.
It seemed the homeroom teacher not only cared but had also done her homework, guessing it right away.
He replied succinctly: {Yes.}
Chabashira: {What did she want with you?}
Akira: {To be precise, I had something to ask her.}
The dialogue box was silent for a full half-minute, so long that Akira thought she wouldn't reply, when suddenly a long string of text popped up on the screen.
Chabashira: {Shimizu-kun, if you encounter anyone from another class approaching you with strange reasons, or if someone offers to introduce you to some 'friends,' you must be vigilant.}
He looked at the line of text and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
Her tone didn't sound like a homeroom teacher at all. Instead, it was like a parent worried about their child being led astray.
So, was Chabashira worried that he'd be "bought" by another class?
...
Perhaps the information from the previous few days had been too important. When Akira saw today's content, he immediately felt a bit dumbfounded.
[1. Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A is a lovestruck fool.]
[2. Hasebe Haruka from Class 1-D dislikes Ichinose Honami.]
[3. Matsushita Chiaki from Class 1-D believes she can rank in the top twenty or so of her year if she performs at her full potential in the midterm exam.]
Sakayanagi? That "little princess" who always plots against others and is as deep as the sea, a lovestruck fool?
The contrast was too absurd, almost as ridiculous as saying "the Student Council President is going to perform an otaku dance tomorrow."
What's the concept of a lovestruck fool? Once they fall in love with someone, their mind is filled with the other person's shadow, and reason must give way to emotion.
Akira couldn't imagine Sakayanagi falling in love with someone else, let alone her becoming a lovestruck fool.
What if the person she liked was in another class, and that person asked her to drop out? Would she obediently comply?
Just thinking about it made his brain's logic get tangled.
This piece of information... I'll set it aside for now.
Looking at the second point, Hasebe doesn't like Ichinose... that's not too surprising.
If Akira wasn't mistaken, Hasebe didn't seem to like chatting with other girls in class either.
As for the third point, Matsushita is quite confident, daring to declare she'll break into the top twenty in her grade. Did she really hold back some of her abilities?
At this moment, he suddenly remembered that he seemed to have promised Karuizawa on Saturday to help resolve the dispute between those gyaru and Hasebe's group.
As soon as the thought arose, his gaze fell on Hasebe, who was not far away.
He saw his vice class representative, Kushida, had already approached her, with a somewhat conflicted expression on her face.
"Hasebe-san, about that thing last time..."
"Kushida..." Hasebe looked up, her tone not exactly forceful, "I don't want to say anything too harsh, so just stay out of this."
"But..." Kushida still wanted to say something, clearly not intending to give up.
"I know you want the class to get along." Hasebe interrupted her, her gaze fixed on Kushida's face, and suddenly said, "I won't continue arguing with her. At most, I'll just ignore her."
This sentence was like a small stone, making the conflict on Kushida's face even more apparent.
She opened her mouth, but for a moment, she was speechless.
Akira was a little surprised. He hadn't expected to have an extra "helper."
It seemed that Kushida was also present during the study session last time, and most likely noticed the budding conflict then.
But looking at the current situation, her mediation was clearly not going smoothly.
He then turned his gaze to the other side. Karuizawa hadn't arrived yet.
Instead, Matsushita was sitting in her seat, uncharacteristically lost in thought, staring ahead with a blank expression, as if contemplating something.
Seeing this, Akira walked straight over. "Matsushita-san, would you like to step outside and chat for a bit?"
"I didn't expect Shimizu-kun to approach me." Matsushita looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then nodded, "Okay, let's go."
Seeing her agree so readily, the two walked out of the classroom one after the other and went to a secluded corner.
"I heard about your argument from Karuizawa. Would you mind telling me the specifics?" Akira asked in a calm tone.
Having Matsushita explain the ins and outs was undoubtedly the quickest way. She was both a participant and a witness, and her previous impression was that of an intelligent and rational person.
"Is Shimizu-kun trying to resolve this matter himself?" Matsushita paused, a hint of understanding in her tone, "However, there's actually no need to bother anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I've already explained everything clearly to Yukimura, and while I was at it, I asked him for advice on my studies." She explained clearly, "He also said that a cold war between small groups would affect the class atmosphere, which in turn would hinder the overall class points. He's already agreed to privately talk to Miyake and Hasebe to clarify the whole story."
"As for..." Matsushita looked toward the classroom, "I'll go and explain everything clearly to Karuizawa later. After all, we're all classmates. We can't stay at odds forever."
Akira listened to her orderly arrangements and couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
Matsushita not only concealed her abilities but also handled interpersonal relationships quite efficiently.
She'd saved him a lot of trouble.
"Shimizu-kun, this is the second time."
Matsushita suddenly blurted out, then turned and left.
Akira was momentarily stunned, not immediately realizing what she was referring to.
The second time? The second time what?