[Chapter 10: Just your perfectly normal student.]
[Continuing to Yukiya's interrogation from his flock of classmates.]
"Hey Saito, what kind of games do you like?"
"What's your favorite color?"
"What's up with the sudden change in appearance?"
"Do you play any sports? You seemed like the athletic type."
My classmates bombarded me with questions.
"Um sorry if you speak all at once, I wouldn't get what you're saying."
'Oh no! They started questioning my sudden change in appearance.'
I should change the topic or it could end up revealing my true identity as the shadow hero Phantom.
Questions keep coming, I selectively picked certain questions I want to answer and became passive over those that might relate me to my shadow hero character Phantom.
My classmates were so focused on interrogating me that they didn't even notice that the teacher had already walked in and was standing in front of the classroom.
"Okay class, return to your seats."
Luckily, the teacher "Kyoshi Hageshi" came in and put a stop to the back to back questioning from my classmates by telling them to go back to their seats.
However, he also wondered, 'What was the commotion was about?' What are the students making a fuss over there in the back row?
As the crowd dispersed, I now became visible to everyone and entered Kyoshi-sensei's sight.
"Who's that?"
'A transfer student? I didn't know the transfer student would be coming in today.' he wondered.
A classmate raised his hand.
"Sir, that's Saito!"
"Saito ...What?! ...That Saito?!" He muttered aloud hearing the sudden revelation.
Quickly regaining his composure, "Sigh. Well, whatever. We will now begin the lesson. Open your textbook to page 69, topic: superposition."
The teacher showed signs of interest, however, he putted it aside to keep it professional. As expected of a teacher that went bald for teaching over 21 years.
And so, class proceeded normally, I paid attention to the lesson as a normal student would do. I was so focused on the lesson that I didn't notice that there were still some curious glances coming from my classmates.
...
As the lesson for the first period was almost over, with only 10 more minutes to spare, the teacher wrote multiple equations on the board.
It was mostly questions related to the lesson, the one we discussed just now. It's made up of numbers because the period right now is math class.
There are ten equations in total written by teacher Kyoshi Hageshi, waiting to be solved on the board.
"Who can solve this?" asked teacher Kyoshi while pointing his chalk at the board.
"If you guys really paid attention to the lesson then you should be able to solve this."
The whole room was silent... All of the equations seems to be pretty hard so no one dared to raised their hand to answer.
It was most likely they didn't get the lesson or they are not confident enough to say that they got a full understanding of the formula.
It's not that they didn't pay attention, it's just that the lesson today was just that difficult.
"Alright, if no one answers I'll start calling names." Kyoshi-sensei announced.
Everyone was nervous, panicking inside their minds from not wanting to get picked.
It would have been embarrassing not being able to answer, even if you paid attention, no one in the classroom was confident enough if they can solve it properly except for selective few, but refused to answer.
Teacher Kyoshi looked around to pick someone to answer, and the very name he called was...
"Yukiya Saito, do you know the answer?"
It was mine...
Everyone's eyes looked at me. The reason why the teacher picked me was because I stood out too much, even though I was at the last row.
"Ah-. Y, yes." I indifferently replied, but seemed slight nervous.
"Then can you come up front and answer the equation on the board? If you pay attention to the lesson then I'm sure you will be able to solve each and every one of them all."
"Yes." I said with confidence. Thinking that 'Now this is my chance to demonstrate how perfectly of a normal student I am!'
Determined, I stood up walking towards the board. The teacher handed me the chalk but I was a little confused about something so I asked...
"Um, Kyoshi-sensei ...isn't this a little too much?"
'Do I really have to solve them all?' I thought, '...Isn't ten equations too much for one person to prove that I'm paying attention?'
There are ten questions in total, and to add, with long solutions to solve each one so I was a little overwhelmed.
"No, that's just about right. If you pay attention, you'll get the answer correctly even if it's quite long." he tried to lecture.
'Students need to learn how to solve problems on their own, even if how long and complicated the solutions are.' [The type of teacher who teaches with tough love.]
I was asking about how many I should answer because he said that I could answer them all if I really understood the lesson. However, he was referring about how long it was, not as many I should answer.
"O, okay then..." I unenthusiastically replied.
'Sigh, fine! To demonstrate how perfectly on an ordinary student I am, I accept your challenge. In order for me to be the perfect shadow hero!'
With determination to be the perfect shadow hero. I started answering the equations on the board to demonstrate how perfectly of an ordinary student I was.
After I was done with the first I moved over to the next one.
"What's he doing?"
"He's going to answer all of them?"
"Should we say something to him? He only needed to answer one, right?"
"Don't, this also works on our favor. This means we don't have to answer the remaining questions if he continues to do so, so it's fine."
"Do you get what he's doing?"
"I'm not too sure, I didn't get the lesson either."
"The solution he's writing is probably wrong anyway but it doesn't hurt to try"
"..."
Classmates were whispering, gossiping behind my back while Teacher Kyoshi silently watched over me answer.
Most of my classmates have their doubts, while some have remarks of at least he tried. Kyoshi-sensei just stood there and stayed silent throughout the whole time I solved on the board, waiting for me to finish.
"Finished."
I handed the chalk back to Teacher Kyoshi then walked back to my desk.
When he looked at my answers, he still kept silent while maintaining a straight face.
...
Examining my answers, Kyoshi-sensei still kept silent and stoic.
"So, did he get it right?"
"Don't ask me. I already told you I didn't get the lesson either."
"Probably not. We all know the "Math Sadist" Teacher "Kyoshi Hageshi" is known for asking advance questions during class so no one even dared to raise their hand. Anyone was already fated to get some questions wrong even if you understood the lesson."
"Yeah, he didn't earn the title "Math Sadist" for nothing..."
My classmate's kept talking and whispering wether I answered correctly or not. However, it wasn't much of a debate since the majority already assumed that I got some, if not most of the answers wrong.
As I sat down on my chair, sitting properly like a proper normal student, I was thinking to myself,
'Kukuku, nailed it.'
'Sigh, I didn't expect him to make me answer all ten questions but at least, I should have answered them all properly as sign that I payed attention.'
I nodded my head, agreeing to myself that I did a good job.
Yeah, I could confidently say I'm a proper student this time... [Assuming all students required to be smart, or at least need to look like it.]
"Ehem." Teacher Hageshi cleared his throat to announce the results.
"He's correct. All ten solutions are right!"
"!!!"
The whole class was shocked hearing I got all ten solutions correctly.
Some might assume that I can at least get a few correct answers out of ten, but to get them all right is beyond their expectations. [Seen as a delinquent until now.]
"Wait, now that I think about it, Saito's grades are constantly above average."
"Oh yeah, he's on the top hundred out of two-hundred-forty-eight students in our year.
"Yeah, I remember! Even though most of the time we've seen him spacing during class, he didn't get any failing marks on any of the tests."
"So he was actually smart!?"
"So he got the looks, and smarts? Now that's bull. Whoever said god only gives one gift per person is lying. At least take away his looks!"
Some give praises, the same time some guys who were complaining earlier are complaining once more realizing how unfair it was for them to compete with a person like me in the classroom.
Up until now, my class mates saw me as a troublemaker chuunibyou delinquent that they forgot that I wasn't one of the flunkers (The flunkers are mostly the ones complaining until now.)
Actually, even before my perfect side characterification, I always have passing marks enough not to go below average. It was due to something that happened back in junior high.
Back then, when I wasn't paying attention to class because I was too busy in my own delusions on how to save the world with the power of darkness, I got a failing grade three consecutive times in a row.
Then what came after as a consequence of those failing grade is my allowance got lowered by half by my parents. That made a big impact in my Shadow Hero finance(my spending for Chuunibyou stuffs like swords, costumes and unnecessary accessories).
So I came up with a great idea...
"How about I study in advance? That way I won't need to pay attention in class while imagining ways on how to become the perfect shadow hero!"
I realized that passing the exams was good enough to get me passing marks so I studied one semester in advance every time since then. That way, I'll have more time to spare thinking of strategies on being the shadow hero while still being in class. [Smart for a dumb reason.]
[There's a downside. When he's lost in his own world during classes. When teachers calling his name, he doesn't respond most of the time because he was too focused on those said delusions. So even with good test results, his grades remained average.]
And so, ever since then it became a habit of mine to advance study a semester's worth of lessons.
*Bell Rings*
"Okay class, I'll be going now. Wait for your next teacher."
Everyone bowed to pay respect and thanks to the teacher.
He stepped out of the classroom, moments after, another teacher came.
The teacher who just came after him was also surprised at hearing my classmates' revelation that I am Yukiya Saito. And the one after her, and the ones after. They all have almost the same reactions and shock from hearing who this unfamiliar face really was.
I don't know why but almost all of them also asked me questions about the lesson. [Because he stands out too much, he is the first one they notice even for a back benches. With the sudden change, he was too eye catching].
Of course, I answered them all correctly as a proper student would.