You can support this novel with power stones, comments or reviews!
***
Watching Ishizaki leave, Yukio turned back to glance at the library, or rather, the position of the study room.
The recent argument between the two classes revealed an important piece of information that caught Yukio's attention – the exam scope. He clearly remembered that the class advisor, Mr. Sakagami, had not included the "Age of Geographic Discoveries" in the key points, and Mr. Sakagami taught mathematics.
Combining these facts, it was easy to conclude that each class advisor knew the exam scope for other subjects. But the issue was, why did Class D's advisor give a completely different exam scope? It didn't make sense for each class to have different exam scopes.
Senior students selling answers to freshmen seemed prepared, implying that the midterm exam papers for all first-year classes were the same. This meant that Class D's advisor deliberately gave the wrong exam scope, seemingly intending to make Class D perform the worst.
This was incomprehensible, as Mr. Sakagami's actions indicated his desire for the class to advance to Class A, and he tried his best to tutor the students. If a class successfully advanced to Class A, the class advisor would also benefit significantly. Thus, the inexplicable behavior of Class D's advisor was highly suspect.
After pondering for a while and finding too few clues, Yukio decided to set this puzzle aside for now and look for new clues later. This mystery was quite intriguing.
With this thought, Yukio relaxed his mind and walked down the library steps, bathed in the sporadic warm sunlight filtering through the leaves, like wearing a cape dotted with sunbeams.
But as he finished descending the steps, he encountered a sweet-smiling girl. Her eyes brightened upon seeing Yukio, and she quickly tucked her phone into the hidden pocket of her pleated skirt. "Excuse me, you're Yukio from Class C, right?"
"I'm Kikyo Kushida from Class D, nice to meet you~"
Compared to the aloof Horikita, Kushida from Class D seemed lively and energetic. If Horikita was a cold moonlit iceberg, then Kushida was a warm spring breeze under the harsh winter sun.
Her skin was as smooth as porcelain, and her lively expressions, like a rippling autumn pond, were unforgettable.
The standard uniform of Advanced Nurturing High School seemed to fit her perfectly, making her appear more mature than a typical first-year high school student, even more alluring than many adult women.
The May sunshine in Japan was gentle, not as intense as in the south. It usually felt comfortable, but in Kushida's presence, Yukio felt the warmth intensify.
Seeing Kushida's familiar demeanor, Yukio guessed she was adept at social interactions. Was this a probe from Class D? She recognized him, which meant that the students from the study room must have described him to her. What was her purpose?
Kushida seemed to catch on to Yukio's contemplation. "Ah, don't get me wrong, Yukio-kun. I just want to be friends, no ulterior motives."
"Oh?" Making friends? It's a phrase not easily said at a first meeting. Kushida seemed to have maxed out her social skills. If only Horikita, with her mild social awkwardness, could learn a thing or two from Kushida.
As he pondered, Yukio straightforwardly expressed his doubt: "Why?"
"Eh?" Kushida didn't expect this counter-question. She paused for a moment before regaining her warm smile. "Well, I guess it's because none of my junior high friends came to this school with me."
"So, I'm all alone here. I hope to quickly remember everyone's faces and names and become friends with them!"
Yukio silently nodded. Kushida's reason seemed legitimate, as Advanced Nurturing High School only admitted a fixed number of 160 students each year from all over Japan, including international students like Yukio and Albert.
The chances of Kushida's junior high friends also getting admitted were incredibly low.
"And there's more... I've always had a dream," Kushida continued, easily steering the topic towards personal aspirations, an unusual depth for a first meeting. "But if I tell you, you can't laugh at me, okay?"
Yukio chose silence, curious about what Kushida might be planning or what Class D's intentions were.
"My dream is... to become friends with everyone in the school!" Kushida shared after a brief moment of shyness. Her ambition, along with her high charm, added a unique appeal to her demeanor.
After excitedly expressing her dream, Kushida bashfully lowered her head, seemingly too shy to meet Yukio's gaze. "Is this dream too childish?"
"It is quite childish," Yukio finally responded, catching Kushida off guard.
"Eh?" Kushida was utterly unprepared for such a blunt reply. Whenever she had shared her dream at Advanced Nurturing High School, people always praised her warmly, saying things like 'Kushida is so cute' or 'We are friends from now on'.
This was the first time she was directly criticized for being childish, leaving her momentarily stunned. Yukio explained his viewpoint: "You're aware, aren't you? This school encourages competition between the four classes of the same grade. It's hard to make friends with students from other classes in such a competitive environment."
"And the entire school? It's a bit too naively optimistic."
"How can that be?" Kushida gently shook her head in denial. "But didn't you give our class the midterm exam answers? I came to the library after receiving a message from a friend, wanting to thank you and be friends."
"Even though everyone wants to move up to Class A, we can still be friends."
"Don't misunderstand," Yukio pointed out the flaw in her reasoning. "I didn't just give you the answers. Your class, Class D, bought them from me with private points."
Feeling disheartened, Kushida didn't hide her disappointment, but Yukio simply turned and walked away, leaving no trace behind.
After ensuring he was out of sight and alone, Yukio took out his phone to call his classmates, inquiring about Kushida. It seemed odd, almost ruling out the possibility of Class D's probe. If it were a setup by Class D, Kushida would likely have sought some inside information. But it appeared she genuinely wanted to make friends.
After the call, Yukio was surprised to learn that within a month, Kushida had already become friends with some students from Class C and was well-liked. She even had friends in Classes A and B.
Had he misjudged the situation? Was Kushida harmless, simply a social butterfly? Yukio maintained his suspicion. Something about Kushida didn't sit right with him, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Therefore, he instructed the girls in Class C to keep an eye on her.
***
200 power stones = 1 extra chapter