By the time Sakayanagi Arisu and Shikime Natsu arrived at the classroom, quite a few students were already seated.
It was right then that Morishita Ai, sitting in her own seat, narrowed those purple eyes of hers a fraction, her gaze sweeping back and forth a few times between Sakayanagi Arisu and Shikime Natsu.
Then the corner of her mouth curved into a knowing little arc, as if she had already guessed something long ago.
Morishita Ai turned her head toward Yamamura Miki beside her and, in a tone carrying equal parts certainty and mischief, spoke slowly.
"Yamamura Miki, look. Those two have definitely gotten together."
The way "gotten together" came out of Morishita Ai's mouth was blunt enough to make the girl beside her flush instantly.
Hearing something so direct, a blush rose over Yamamura Miki's pale little face.
A flicker of panic and shyness crossed her slate-blue eyes, and she hurriedly tugged at Morishita Ai's sleeve, lowering her voice.
"Morishita-san… wh-what are you saying… you can't just jump to conclusions about that kind of thing…"
There was tension in Yamamura Miki's voice, along with a plea for Morishita Ai to tone it down a little.
After all, this was the classroom, with classmates all around.
Everyone might not have noticed them over here, but what if someone overheard?
Yamamura Miki turned the thought over, her eyes glancing uneasily around the room.
Morishita Ai, however, paid no mind at all to Yamamura Miki's warning.
She folded her arms, a glint of confidence in those purple eyes, and leaned back against her chair, wearing the expression of someone who had seen through everything long ago.
On the board: Today's lesson — The Pillow Book, "In spring, the dawn." As the mountains slowly grow pale, faintly lit, and slender purple clouds trail across the sky. Modern Literature. Modern Literature Lecture. Classical Japanese Reading. Japanese History B. Physics.
"Yamamura Miki."
There was a matter-of-fact edge to Morishita Ai's voice.
"When has my judgment ever been wrong?"
She paused, then went on, her tone carrying a distinct "you just don't get it" flavor.
"Think about it. Yesterday, the two of us went to pay Sakayanagi Arisu a visit."
As she spoke, Morishita Ai raised a single finger and tapped at the air.
"And besides… I even left behind some pretty obvious hints."
The word "hints" came out of Morishita Ai's mouth with such confidence, as if the things she'd said were some kind of profound, unfathomable prophecy.
Hearing this, Yamamura Miki felt the urge to retort. She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back down.
If they were hints, then why call them obvious?
Could the words "hint" and "obvious" even be used together? Yamamura Miki didn't understand, but she kept her doubt to herself.
Because she knew that, given Morishita Ai's personality, even if she said something the other girl wouldn't care in the slightest. So Yamamura Miki simply closed her mouth and listened quietly as Morishita Ai went on.
Watching Yamamura Miki's half-swallowed hesitation, the curve of Morishita Ai's mouth deepened a little more.
Of course she could tell what was on Yamamura Miki's mind.
Morishita Ai's purple eyes settled once more on Sakayanagi Arisu and Shikime Natsu, and then she tilted her head slightly and continued to Yamamura Miki.
"And there's more."
"Yamamura Miki, haven't you noticed?"
She paused, then spoke slowly, in a tone that said "how can you not see this."
"Sakayanagi Arisu and Natsu came to the classroom together, you know."
"And what's more…"
Morishita Ai deliberately drew out the last syllable, a sly gleam flashing through those purple eyes.
"The distance between the two of them was pretty close."
"Couldn't be more obvious, right?"
Prompted like this, Yamamura Miki finally realized it, her eyes drifting on their own toward Sakayanagi Arisu and Shikime Natsu.
Sure enough, the two of them did seem quite close — Sakayanagi Arisu was practically pressed up against Shikime Natsu. And right then, another thing occurred to Yamamura Miki: normally, Shikime Natsu either came to the classroom alone, or with Kamuro Masumi, or with Morishita Ai…
But… there was basically no chance of him coming to the classroom together with Sakayanagi Arisu.
After all… the relationship between Sakayanagi Arisu and Shikime Natsu, while you couldn't call it bad, was definitely nowhere near close enough for them to walk to school together.
At least… up until yesterday, that had been the case.
But now?
Now the two of them had shown up at the classroom door together, and the mood between them looked rather harmonious.
Yamamura Miki mulled it over, her eyes drifting once again to Sakayanagi Arisu's face.
And then she noticed the smile Sakayanagi Arisu wore.
That smile was a little different from usual.
Normally, Sakayanagi Arisu always had a smile on her face too, but that kind of smile always felt like a mask she'd put on. Now, though, it felt somehow genuine, and those purple eyes held a softness you didn't usually see.
It was as though she'd encountered something happy — and the kind of happiness that came from the heart.
Watching that smiling face of Sakayanagi Arisu's, a thought surfaced in Yamamura Miki's mind.
Maybe what Morishita Ai said really wasn't wrong.
Sakayanagi Arisu really had… gotten together with Shikime Natsu.
Yamamura Miki turned it over, and a complicated emotion flickered through her eyes.
Surprise, disbelief, and a trace of… a faint envy even she hadn't quite noticed.
"Well?"
Morishita Ai's voice came from beside her, cutting through Yamamura Miki's thoughts.
"I wasn't wrong, was I?"
There was a smug note in Morishita Ai's tone, along with a distinct "see, see, I told you so."
"Yamamura Miki, you should believe my judgment now, right?"
Hearing this, Yamamura Miki gave a slight nod. She said nothing, only quietly pulled her gaze back.
Watching Yamamura Miki's pensive look, the smile on Morishita Ai's lips deepened another notch.
Then she spoke again, a teasing lilt in her voice.
"Yamamura Miki."
Morishita Ai paused, her purple eyes fixed straight on Yamamura Miki.
"You know, if we're going by progress bars… your progress was actually ahead of Sakayanagi Arisu's."
As she spoke, she reached out and traced a "progress bar" gesture in the air.
"But now?"
"You've been overtaken by Sakayanagi Arisu."
There was a "you really ought to reflect on this" flavor to Morishita Ai's voice.
"So… Yamamura Miki, you should give some serious thought to where the problem lies."
Hearing all this, Yamamura Miki could only manage an expression that was part shock, part helplessness — because, as far as she herself was concerned, it did feel like the problem was largely on her end. Last time they'd met, she'd already asked Shikime Natsu how he felt, yet she'd kept putting off making a move.
And besides… in terms of attitude alone, Shikime Natsu's attitude toward Sakayanagi Arisu should have been less warm than toward her. Yet… Yamamura Miki felt that, compared to how he was with Sakayanagi Arisu, Shikime Natsu treated her with a bit too much polite reserve.
So then… how had Sakayanagi Arisu's progress bar shot up like that?
Yamamura Miki turned it over, and a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
It wasn't that she doubted Sakayanagi Arisu could become Shikime Natsu's girlfriend — it was just that, in Yamamura Miki's view, that ought to take quite a long time.
It would take slowly getting closer, slowly getting to know each other, slowly nurturing feelings.
Not… finishing all the "progress" in a single night.
Yamamura Miki turned it over, and a complicated emotion flickered through her eyes.
And right then, Morishita Ai glanced at Yamamura Miki again.
"Yamamura Miki."
"You can go ahead and get ready."
Hearing this, Yamamura Miki blinked, momentarily lost.
Get ready? Get ready for what?
Yamamura Miki turned her head, her eyes on Morishita Ai, and asked, a little puzzled.
"Morishita-san… get ready for what?"
At the question, the corner of Morishita Ai's mouth curved into a matter-of-fact arc.
"Why, that's obviously…"
She deliberately drew out the last syllable, a sly gleam flashing through those purple eyes. "…to make your move."
Make a move?
Hearing those words, Yamamura Miki went still for a moment.
Then it clicked — the "move" Morishita Ai meant was making a move on Shikime Natsu.
At the thought, a blush rose over Yamamura Miki's pale little face once again.
"But…"
She parted her lips, wanting to say something, yet for a moment couldn't find the right words.
Watching Yamamura Miki waver and dither, a trace of exasperation passed through Morishita Ai's purple eyes.
Then she went on.
"Yamamura Miki, if you keep not making a move…"
Morishita Ai paused, her purple eyes fixed straight on Yamamura Miki.
"The spots are going to fill up, you know."
The way it came out of Morishita Ai's mouth was utterly certain, as if she'd already glimpsed some fixed future.
Hearing this, Yamamura Miki felt her chest tighten.
Of course she knew what the "spots" Morishita Ai meant were.
That guy Shikime Natsu's harem already had quite a few people in it, and it seemed to keep expanding. If she still didn't make a move… then maybe… there really wouldn't be a spot left.
Yamamura Miki turned it over, and anxiety flickered through her eyes.
But anxious as she was.
When it actually came to making a move, Yamamura Miki felt she had absolutely none of that courage.
Could she really do it?
Yamamura Miki turned it over, an uncertain look surfacing on her little face.
"Morishita-san, why do you want to help me this much?"
There was a note of confusion in Yamamura Miki's voice — this had been her lingering doubt all along. Back before Morishita Ai had become Shikime Natsu's girlfriend, she'd clearly been even more evasive than Yamamura Miki herself, and now here she was, egging Yamamura Miki on instead. That contrast was hard for Yamamura Miki to make sense of.
"That's obviously because you're so easy to pick on."
Morishita Ai said it as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
At that answer, Yamamura Miki first blanked, caught somewhere between laughter and tears. But… the fact that Morishita Ai was willing to help her still moved Yamamura Miki quite a bit.
Even if what Morishita Ai said sounded terribly harsh, she was still a good person at heart, willing to help Yamamura Miki get closer to Shikime Natsu — even when Yamamura Miki was this timid and shrinking.
Courage, oh, courage.
Right now Yamamura Miki wished she had more courage. If she had enough of it, she'd surely have made her move straight away by now, wouldn't she?
Just as the girl was letting her thoughts wander, Mashima Tomoya walked in from outside the classroom.
He stepped up to the front of the room, set the folder in his hand on the lectern, then lifted his head, his sharp eyes sweeping over everyone in the classroom.
The once-noisy classroom fell silent in an instant, every gaze converging on the homeroom teacher at the podium.
Mashima Tomoya looked at everyone and spoke slowly.
"Everyone, quiet down."
"Now, I'll announce the results of the midterm exam."
Hearing that it was the midterm results, no one reacted much. After all, with Shikime Natsu around, and given that they were all Class A students to begin with, getting eliminated was no easy feat.
Mashima Tomoya opened the folder, glanced at the figures on it, then raised his head and continued.
"On the midterm exam, our Class A's overall performance is once again first among the four classes."
He paused, his sharp eyes sweeping over everyone.
"No one has been expelled. Everyone passed the exam."
"Congratulations."
Mashima Tomoya glanced at the document again.
"Next you'll be facing a quiz, and at the same time the final exam will be turned into a special exam. This special exam is called Papershuffle."
"Papershuffle, put simply, means choosing a class to challenge, setting the questions, and answering them."
"The scope of the exam is set uniformly by the school and cannot exceed the curriculum."
"The difficulty of the exam can't be absurdly high either — the school will have dedicated teachers review it."
As Mashima Tomoya spoke, he tapped a finger on the paper.
"And then…"
He paused, then went on.
"The exam is conducted in pairs."
"Every student, together with their partner, will take the exam set by the opposing class."
"The two of you, your combined score, cannot fall below sixty points."
"Otherwise both of you will be expelled."
This exam's rules could be called quite simple, and it was in the academic subjects too — for the people of Class A, there was no way to lose.
Mashima Tomoya was of course well aware that Class A's ability was downright terrifying. Every now and then he'd even sit in on the irregular lessons Shikime Natsu held, and he had to admit that guy Shikime Natsu was formidable.
If Shikime Natsu were made a teacher, Mashima Tomoya reckoned even the people of Class D could score very well.
With Class A now standing head and shoulders above the rest, the other classes had all but given up competing. Faced with a result like that… the school was still weighing how to respond.
But no matter how they responded, it probably wouldn't affect that guy Shikime Natsu, would it?
Shikime Natsu could be called the most outstanding person since the Advanced Nurturing High School was founded — you could even say no one was able to reach a position on par with him.
Even as a teacher himself, Mashima Tomoya felt that, whether in knowledge or in teaching ability, he was no match for Shikime Natsu.
Truly, it was deeply humbling.
"I trust you can secure the final victory just as you always have, without fail."
Having left those words behind, Mashima Tomoya resumed his teaching duties.
____
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