During Japanese class."Kuroha-san, please read this paragraph. It's okay if you stumble; I, your teacher, will assist you from the side!""..."With a face like ashes, Kuroha Akira read the passage at breakneck speed, only to be met with another round of enthusiastic cheers from the class.
This scenario repeated itself three more times.
Akira gritted his teeth, wishing he could grab Kobayakawa-sensei's 'large snowballs' and leave claw marks on her chest, making her experience true 'breast pain'!
…
During Math class."This problem… hmm, Kuroha-san, please answer it."
"Teacher, I really don't know this one…"Don't ask me!I returned all my high school math knowledge to that eccentric teacher who made me sit in the 'zeroth row' years ago!
"Is that so? That's alright. Hmm, that's a very good answer. Keep up the good work. This problem isn't too difficult. Since you were admitted to this high school, your mind must be sharp. You'll definitely be able to solve it." The math teacher nodded with satisfaction and offered encouragement.
"..."
…
During Japanese History class.
"Kuroha-san, do you know which event marked the modern rise of our nation?"
"Uh… the Meiji Restoration?"
"Unfortunately, I asked about the modern era, not the early modern period. The correct answer is the 'Anlin Uprising.' After this event, some chaebols were nationalized, signaling our country's adoption of a dual-track economic system, which led to rapid infrastructure development. Other students, please take note of this point as well; it's a common exam question."
What in the world is that?! I've never even heard of it!
"Although Kuroha-san answered incorrectly, it's alright. Just remember it for next time. Your answer was great! Be sure to listen carefully in class from now on!" The history teacher gave him two enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"..."
…
Morning classes finally ended. Kuroha Akira felt a stampede of ten thousand 'grass mud horses' galloping through his heart.
Damn it! Are you teachers for real?! Taking turns publicly executing me! Do you think I'm some kind of chatbot?!
It was one thing for Kobayakawa-sensei to call on him to read, but why did the other two teachers join in the fun?! It was obvious that after first period, Kobayakawa-sensei had gone back to the staff room and bragged to her colleagues about how the 'mute' student in her class was finally speaking, how her efforts had paid off, and so on…
Teachers absolutely adore redemption arcs for 'problem students.' So they'd all decided to get in on the action. What was once special attention from just Kobayakawa-sensei had now spread to the entire teaching staff.
Just imagining how these teachers would continue to 'enthusiastically harass' him for the rest of the semester, making his high school life utterly restless, made Kuroha Akira want to do unspeakable things to Kobayakawa-sensei—turning the tables, reversing the teacher-student roles, and thoroughly 'educating' her from below, playing the rebellious disciple for once.
To be honest, being singled out by a teacher is incredibly troublesome.
In his previous life, during high school, Kuroha Akira had been favored by his homeroom teacher due to his good grades. However, in his second year, family issues arose, and he lost the heart to study.
That 'responsible' homeroom teacher, determined to make him focus, had specially arranged for him to sit in the 'zeroth row'—a single desk set up in front of the first row. That is, directly in front of where the current class rep would sit, right below the lectern, literally 'under the teacher's nose,' comparable to a solitary chair in an interrogation room.
Thanks to that, Kuroha Akira couldn't sleep in class and was force-fed knowledge. As a result, he actually got into a decent university, obtained the diploma needed to enter a game company… and then worked himself to death.
Now it seems, it was all that meddling homeroom teacher's fault that I died from overwork. This is the damned butterfly effect! If I'd been a delinquent, I wouldn't have gotten a decent job, might have avoided disaster, and wouldn't have transmigrated! So it's all the homeroom teacher's fault!
This time, it's the same!
Kuroha Akira rolled his eyes internally. This is precisely the problem with passionate new teachers who can't read the room; they don't understand students' feelings at all.
A big-breasted, brainless, black-stockinged female teacher like you should be pressed against the lectern and made into a human sprinkler in front of the whole class, losing all dignity!
After mentally insulting Kobayakawa-sensei a few dozen times, Kuroha Akira was so angry he felt hungry.
It was finally lunchtime.
Remembering that starting today, he'd get to enjoy the class representative's home-made bento, Kuroha Akira's mood improved slightly.
However, a sudden thought struck him: How exactly am I supposed to get the class rep's bento?
First of all, Kuroha Akira didn't think the class rep would come find him to eat lunch together. He remembered her saying yesterday that she hadn't invited anyone from their class to join the Literary Club because she didn't want to affect in-class relationships.
For that very reason, she'd specifically struck a deal with Kuroha Akira, who belonged to no clique, and had even deliberately left behind that 'leverage.'
In other words, she probably wanted to avoid anyone misunderstanding that she and Kuroha Akira were dating. Inviting a boy to eat lunch together in the classroom, in front of all their classmates, would absolutely cause such a misunderstanding.
Even if they ate together elsewhere, they might still be spotted. So, eating together was out of the question.
It had to be a covert transaction—a 'dead drop.' The class rep would leave the bento at a designated location, and Kuroha Akira would pick up the 'takeout.'
But he'd forgotten to exchange contact information with her yesterday. He had no idea where she'd leave it.
A place that could serve as a landmark… Kuroha Akira thought for a moment and came up with a suitable spot: the shoe lockers.
In Japanese high schools, shoe lockers were quite versatile. Not only could you leave love letters, challenge letters, Valentine's chocolates, or Christmas gifts in them, but bullying often started there too. They should be perfectly suitable for stashing a bento.
Having completed his deduction, Kuroha Akira stood up, intending to go wait near the shoe lockers. But he was stopped by a classmate behind him.
"Kuroha-san, want to have lunch together?"
It was the thin, bespectacled boy who sat behind him. Kuroha Akira recognized his face, but couldn't recall his name.
Seeing Akira's hesitation, Glasses-kun realized the other didn't remember him and said with a wry smile, "I've been sitting behind you for a whole semester, you know? You don't even remember my name… Is my presence really that faint…?"
Kuroha Akira rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "Sorry, how should I put this? Before, I didn't really have the mental capacity to remember other people's names. Could you tell me your name again?"
The somewhat introverted Glasses-kun had mustered up quite a bit of courage to speak to him. The previous Kuroha Akira had always worn a stern expression and ignored everyone. He'd initially been thought to be a scary delinquent, but it turned out there was more to the story. He'd taken Kobayakawa-sensei's words to heart, believing Kuroha Akira had truly 'recovered from a serious illness,' and was genuinely happy for him.
"Hmm, I'm Fujiyoshi Michio. Please take care of me from now on, Kuroha-san."
"Okay, got it, Fujiyoshi-kun."
"So, shall we go eat lunch together? I noticed you didn't eat much lunch before… Could it be no one at home makes you a bento?"
"Yeah. The old lady at my place doesn't care if I live or die. She doesn't even give me lunch money."
"Is that so…" Fujiyoshi Michio said shyly, "Um, if you don't mind… I can share half of my bento with you? My mom says I'm too thin and always packs a huge portion. I can't finish it all by myself…"
"Huh?"
He'd scored a free meal that easily? So, there had been a super nice person sitting behind him all along? He should have tried talking to him earlier, even if his Japanese was broken!
But there was also the class rep's bento to consider…
No problem! I'll eat both! Two servings it is!
Having decided, Kuroha Akira prepared to first accept Fujiyoshi Michio's lunch invitation and then go retrieve the class rep's bento. But before he could speak, he heard the class representative's voice.
"Wait a moment."
Under the collective gaze of the class, Asato Hitomi, carrying an exaggerated three-tiered bento box, walked up to Kuroha Akira and smiled. "Kuroha-kun… Didn't we say we'd eat lunch together?"
"Huh?"
Kuroha Akira let out another dumbfounded sound.
But even if his brain had blue-screened, he could still tell: the class rep's eyes weren't smiling. They held a dangerous glint.
It was as if she were saying: 'You won't eat the bento I painstakingly made? Would you prefer a different kind of box?'