By the time Takeuchi returned to the music classroom with a stack of papers, the song had already been played four or five times, and some of the girls were already humming along.
"Come on, Kawai, give each of them one." Takeuchi pulled three sheets from the top, handed one to each of the two in front, and then gave the rest to Miki, who sat to Shouko's left.
After everyone received an identical lyric sheet, Takeuchi reminded them,
"This is one sheet per person. If you lose it later, print or copy it yourself."
"Okay."
With that collective response, Takeuchi had Shōya sing the first line, while Shimada was sent off to the side to practice the piano.
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Perhaps because everyone was so curious about this new song and the upcoming competition, the class seemed to pass very quickly.
Of course, just one class period had only a minimal impact on them. They were still off-key, early, and late—a host of problems.
But they remained confident that after a month, these wouldn't be issues anymore. They were aiming to secure the grand prize of first place.
"Thinking about the singing competition, with all the parents, students, and teachers watching us from the audience, I'm getting nervous,"
Miyoko said as soon as she returned to Class B. She ran over to her seat and started complaining.
Recalling how Tsuna had comforted her in the past, Miyoko stood up, pressed her shoulders against her seat, and rubbed her head soothingly.
"It's okay, Miyoko. It's not like we haven't performed in front of parents and teachers before—remember kindergarten graduation?"
As for why he had pushed Miyoko into his seat, it wasn't because he couldn't touch her head; it was simply inconvenient.
"That was six years ago. How much would I remember from back then? I just wanted to look good in front of my parents and get their praise. Now I'm just completely embarrassed," Miyoko grumbled helplessly.
Then, looking at Shouko's adorable self, she stopped caring about the singing competition. That was next month's problem. What mattered was the present.
She simply threw her arms around Shouko's waist, pressed her face against her soft, still slightly warm belly, and began rubbing it relentlessly.
"Miyoko, what are you doing? It's itchy!" Shouko frantically grabbed her head with both hands to stop her from moving.
Tsuna, who was sitting next to Shouko, helplessly ignored Shouko's pleading look and could only stare at Miyoko in silence.
There was nothing he could do; they were both girls, so it was hard for him to stop them. He had never tried rubbing against Shouko's belly before, but he definitely would next time—and ideally, use it as a lap pillow.
Of course, he had to clarify to himself that he wasn't some kind of lolicon.
"Ito! That's what you just said, right?" A sudden, angry roar echoed through the noisy classroom.
The previously boisterous room quickly fell silent at the sound. Everyone stopped what they were doing or talking about and turned to look.
Even Shouko and Sahara, who had been playing around, stopped and turned toward the voice.
In the back row, on the far left, Shōya was grabbing a buzz-cut boy by the collar, pushing him against the wall, and questioning him.
The boy's first reaction wasn't to deny or nod, but to glance toward Shouko, confirming that she was watching.
His previously submissive attitude instantly changed. He arrogantly grabbed Ishida's collar and nodded dismissively.
Although he had forgotten the exact phrase Ishida had mentioned, he didn't want to back down—especially with so many people watching.
After receiving the nod, Ishida didn't waste any time. He raised his fist and punched the other boy in the face.
The sudden action startled several students in the classroom.
The buzz-cut boy wasn't a pushover either. After being punched, he quickly retaliated. But before he could throw more punches, Keisuke, who was standing next to Ishida, grabbed his arm.
The timid girls were too scared to watch what happened next and closed their eyes.
"Ishida! Hirose! What are you two doing?!" a loud, familiar voice boomed out.
Seeing this, one lowered his fist, and the other released his grip. But since their attention was no longer on him, the buzz-cut boy, unable to hold back, punched Ishida in the face.
"Ito!!" Takeuchi had never expected this usually unremarkable student to be so aggressive, daring to fight right under his nose.
The next thing anyone knew, Ishida, who had been hit, completely ignored the bespectacled guy still standing a bit away, and tackled the buzz-cut boy, starting a full-on brawl.
Keisuke, standing nearby, lacked Ishida's courage—and since no one hit him, he quietly retreated to the side to watch.
Eventually, the fight was forcibly broken up by Takeuchi. But anyone with eyes could see that Ishida had won. After Takeuchi rushed over to stop it, Ito suddenly burst into tears.
Ishida looked at him with great disdain.
Shimada raised his coat sleeve to cover the lower half of his face as he looked at the three students being taken away by Takeuchi. No one could tell what kind of expression he had underneath.
Tsuna simply treated it as a funny little episode. After all, this class was probably going to be a self-study period now.
"Tsuna, you can't be like that." After watching the three students disappear, Shouko turned around and warned him with a serious face.
Tsuna chuckled and waved it off. "I'm a model student, top of the class! How could I possibly fight? I only like to convince people with reason and virtue."
Shouko rolled her eyes at him, then resumed her playful banter with Miyoko. The classroom gradually returned to normal, used to incidents like that by now.
As usual, everyone hated that guy—but they were also afraid he might bully them. And with his two sidekicks, it wasn't like he fought alone.
"Okay, study during this period. Keep quiet. I'll check on you from time to time." Teacher Takeuchi stormed into the classroom, shouted at the noisy students, and hurried back out.
Those three were still being watched by other teachers. If they left during class, who knew what trouble they'd cause?
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