In Class 2-J, Hoshimi, who had just taken his seat, had a slight, awkward smile on his face.
He didn't want to think about how he had just been cornered by a group of gossiping girls in front of the display board.
He had to admit, gossiping girls were the most difficult group to handle, especially when they were a bunch of unruly high school students. Their tenacity was truly astonishing.
Due to his persona and their personalities and enthusiasm, he found it difficult to come up with a way to defuse the situation quickly. He could only try to handle their eager questioning while thinking of a solution and seeking outside help.
In the end, it was Yukino's icy aura, formed from years of isolation, that allowed him to escape from the clutches of the gossiping girls.
Speaking of which, if those girls hadn't grabbed his clothes to prevent him from escaping, Yukino wouldn't have come to his rescue.
The scheming Yukinoshita Yukino, who had a mind sharper than a cat's, had initially stepped aside when she saw him being surrounded, preparing to watch the drama unfold.
As for Kotoko? She was even worse than Yukino; not only did she watch, but she also took out her phone to record! It seemed she found it enjoyable to see him in an embarrassing situation.
Even though they had been inseparable the night before, when he encountered trouble, neither of the two women came to help him.
Ah, this is how women are.
Growing increasingly frustrated, Hoshimi sighed and thought about how he should "teach" Kotoko and Yukino a lesson for not coming to his aid.
"Smack!"
Soon, an unexpected pain on his shoulder interrupted Hoshimi's thoughts.
Enduring the pain, Hoshimi turned his head to see the owner of the hand on his shoulder.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, you really should sign up for the Russian Slapping Contest," Hoshimi said, raising his other hand and giving a thumbs-up in praise.
Hiratsuka's slap had left his shoulder numb.
It was no wonder this female teacher, so violent, still had no romantic partner at her age.
"The Slapping Contest? What's that?" Hiratsuka asked, pressing down on Hoshimi's shoulder.
Hoshimi looked at Hiratsuka with a serious expression and said, "It's a way for real men to duel."
Hiratsuka raised an eyebrow and increased the pressure on Hoshimi's shoulder.
Kid, you have some nerve to talk back at me. I only used less than half of my strength earlier; now you can try my seventy percent power.
"Ugh~" Hoshimi grimaced in pain and quickly pulled away from Hiratsuka's "delicate" hand, trying to change the subject. "Hiratsuka-sensei, why did you come so early today?"
Usually, Hiratsuka came to inspect the classroom only towards the end of the early study session, but today she had arrived right at the start.
"I have something to announce," Hiratsuka replied casually, then looked down at Hoshimi and asked, "I heard from Yukino that you had a cold yesterday? How are you now? Better?"
"I got an IV yesterday; it's basically fine now," Hoshimi answered honestly in response to Hiratsuka's concern.
"Good, then. Focus on your studies and don't forget what I told you before. If you dare to be at the bottom of the midterm exams, hehe~" Hiratsuka gave Hoshimi a cold smile and left without explaining the consequences.
Hoshimi, sitting in his seat, barely suppressed a grimace.
At the bottom? Impossible! I'll secretly study in the dream world and outdo all my classmates.
Yes, I can't let Yukino off this time either. I'll use the midterm exams to show her that even geniuses have their limits.
This way, Yukino won't keep urging him to study hard in the future.
Last night, he had vaguely sensed the "desire for his success" that Yukino inadvertently emitted. This scent was very familiar to him from his past life when his parents and teachers always carried this expectation.
And now Yukino had it too!
He was glad that Yukino had placed herself in the "Hoshimi's girlfriend" position, but the "hoping for him to succeed" thing was absolutely unacceptable! It could easily lead to a stroke.
For Yukino's health, it was better to nip her "hoping for him to succeed" in the bud.
"Smack-- Smack--"
"Everyone, please stop for a moment."
At the podium, Hiratsuka clapped her hands twice to get the students' attention.
When the classroom quieted down, Hiratsuka's clear voice rang out, "The midterm exam schedule has been set for next Tuesday to Thursday. Please review well and aim for good grades."
"Additionally, after the midterms, which is next Friday, there will be an internship visit. As usual, it's just a formality where we visit various companies for half a day. Just consider it a break and don't stress about it."
"Finally, after the midterms, there will be a seat adjustment. Details of the adjustment will be announced later."
"That's all for now. Please continue your review."
After making the announcements, Hiratsuka circled the classroom a couple of times before leaving.
Before she left, Hiratsuka meaningfully patted Hoshimi's shoulder, seeming to hint at or threaten something.
Hoshimi remained calm and waited quietly for Hiratsuka to leave.
After Hiratsuka left the classroom, Hoshimi immediately lay down on his desk and entered the dream world.
Today he was going to study hard! And he would use secret methods that Yukino didn't even know about!
In the classroom, seeing Hoshimi lying down to sleep, Yukino's brows slightly furrowed for a moment.
Hoshimi must be studying in the dream world now, right? The pre-exam test phase was about to start tonight, and for him to be preparing for mischief, he must be in the dream world studying right now, right?
Recalling their previous agreement, Yukino's expression grew slightly unnatural, and her earlobes gradually took on a rosy hue.
With Hoshimi's talent, he should definitely be able to score over 80 in all subjects during the pre-exam test phase, and there's even a good chance he could score 90 in all subjects.
If Hoshimi really meets the requirement, then she would have to stick to their agreement...
With this thought, Yukino's slender fingers unconsciously curled up, and her small, sock-clad feet shifted restlessly.
She bit her lip, her ice-blue eyes shimmering faintly.
She felt a bit regretful, a bit shy, and also had a deeply hidden sense of anticipation...
After all, Yukinoshita Yukino was still a teenage girl, and despite her outwardly cold demeanor, she had her own youthful thoughts deep inside.
However, compared to those hormonal teenagers, Yukino's feelings were very subtle and deeply hidden.
"Phew~~"
With her thoughts drifting, Yukino's face grew slightly warm.
She silently prepared herself for the upcoming storm.
Of course, she was confident that Hoshimi could at most score above 90 in all subjects and would never achieve perfect scores.
After all, that was a goal even she found difficult to achieve. How could Hoshimi, who had only studied for a week, possibly reach it?
No, it's impossible!
With tightly pressed lips, Yukino firmly believed so.
...
Meanwhile, in the dream world.
Hoshimi had arrived at the ninety-ninth layer of the deep dream world.
Here, the time flow was ninety-nine times faster than in reality!!
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