Once the student helper finished checking attendance, she finally picked up the sheet and stared at the name written under Nishimiya Shouko: Miyamura Shizuka.
She looked puzzled—wasn't that Shouko's friend's mom?—but was too shy to ask.
Meanwhile, the Miyamura family of four entered the classroom and made their way to the back. Shizuka and Daiki nodded politely at the other parents. Behind two desks, four chairs had been arranged.
"You even moved chairs?" Shizuka asked, curious.
Holding Shouko's hand, Akira yawned as he sat down. "Minagawa-sensei probably had someone set them up earlier."
Suddenly, urgent footsteps and a familiar voice echoed from outside.
"Hurry, hurry! Thank goodness Minagawa-sensei isn't here yet!" cried Matsuoka Miu.
Akira turned toward the doorway, already having a bad feeling. Sure enough, Miu burst in, dragging a round, middle-aged woman behind her—breathing heavily, clearly winded from the climb to the third floor.
"Miu, have your guardian sign in first," the girl at the attendance table reminded her.
"Oh, right, right!" Miu said quickly, grabbing the woman's hand and steering her over. "Come on, Auntie, sign here."
The woman squinted at the densely written sheet. "Which one's your name again?"
Miu froze. She had forgotten to prep this part. But she recovered fast. Raising a finger, she pointed confidently. "Here! You forgot your glasses today, didn't you, Auntie?"
Nice save, she praised herself inwardly. She had a hunch this student helper was Minagawa-sensei's informant, so she had to stay sharp.
"Ahh, right, my memory's just awful," the woman played along, lightly tapping her forehead and picking up the pen.
Just before signing, she whispered, "Wait… do I sign my own name?"
Miu nodded furiously. "Of course!"
"Alright, let's go in then." Miu smiled, tugging the woman into the classroom.
The girl at the door watched them go with growing suspicion but couldn't figure out what exactly felt off.
Inside the classroom, Shizuka noticed her two children staring toward the door. "What's going on? You two keep looking outside."
Daiki glanced up from his phone, also curious.
After Akira quietly explained the situation, Shizuka let out a surprised laugh. "Wow, that kid is really clever."
She'd meant to say "mischievous," but decided against it—it didn't sound very nice.
About ten minutes later, Minagawa-sensei arrived. She smiled kindly as she picked up the attendance sheet.
"Thanks for your help today, Hoshino," she said to the girl at the desk. "You can go in now."
Hoshino nodded, bowed slightly, and walked inside.
Thump, thump. Minagawa lightly knocked on the classroom door. Once the chatter quieted, she looked around and spoke calmly:
"May I speak with Matsuoka Miu and her guardian outside for a moment?"
Miu froze. Slowly, nervously, she stood and walked out, the middle-aged woman following close behind—looking just as uneasy.
Minagawa led them to the stairwell. Once out of sight and earshot from the rest of the class, she knelt slightly and gently rubbed Miu's cheeks with a smile.
"You've got such a creative brain. Wouldn't it be great if you used all that energy on studying instead?"
Then she turned to the woman. "Thank you for your time. You can head home now—I've got it from here."
The woman nodded and left, satisfied. She hadn't embarrassed herself, and hey, she'd still gotten paid.
Miu, however, was stunned. How did she figure it out? She'd barely reached the door before being called out. Did someone tattle on me?!
"No one told me," Minagawa said, still smiling.
Miu's jaw dropped. Huh?! Was she reading my mind?!
Minagawa tried not to laugh. She gently patted the top of Miu's head. "You should believe in science. There's no such thing as mind-reading."
She knew AGAIN! Miu jumped back, eyes wide with horror. She clutched her chest as if to block any more thoughts from escaping.
Seeing her retreating dangerously close to the stairway edge, Minagawa quickly reached out. "Okay, okay, enough dramatics—don't fall."
Miu took this as confirmation. So shielding my heart DOES work! She nodded triumphantly and dashed back into the classroom.
Minagawa followed soon after. Standing at the front, she turned to the parents. "Everyone, please excuse me for a moment. I need to make a quick call."
Many of the parents simply waved her off. They knew her well by now. In the past three years, Minagawa-sensei had held countless meetings, and her sincerity had earned the trust of nearly every family in the class.
Stepping into the corridor, Minagawa took out her phone, searched for Miu's real mother, and dialed.
"Hello? This is Minagawa-sensei. Are you on your way?"
Unsurprisingly, she already knew about Miu's latest stunt—thanks to her reliable informants. She'd even arranged for Miu's real mother to show up unannounced.
Ten minutes later, Miu's actual mother quietly entered the classroom and sat down beside her, giving her a long, meaningful look.
Miu blinked in disbelief. Wha—?! How did she find out again?!
She felt a chill run down her spine. She'd never escape Minagawa-sensei's grasp…
The parent-teacher conference lasted about an hour.
Roughly 80% of it focused on academics, and the remaining 20%? Just endless praise for a certain overachiever.
"Miyamura-san, how do you raise such a brilliant child?"
"Did you enroll him in cram school? Could you share the name?"
"He's so smart—you must've used some secret method!"
Shizuka smiled awkwardly as the questions poured in.
Daiki, meanwhile, wasted no time. He grabbed Akira and Shouko by the hand and quietly led them out of the classroom.
"I've never seen people crowd like that outside of a press conference," he muttered.
Shizuka wanted to follow, but she was immediately surrounded by parents, all of them desperate for advice.
Outside Class 3-A, another parent passed by with their child and noticed the group crowding near the back.
"What's going on in there?" they asked Daiki politely.
"Something about how to raise a straight-A kid," Daiki replied.
The parent's eyes lit up. "Really?!"
They turned to their child. "Wait here for a sec, okay?" and dashed into the room to listen in.
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POWER STONE!!!
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