Class 2-B.
On a sunny afternoon, a gentle breeze carried away a bit of the heat.
Fujino, dressed in his school uniform, sat by the window, tightly gripping a math book in his hand.
His eyes scanned the text quickly, and the words seemed to flow like light, streaming into his mind.
At the same time, his student proficiency level was visibly increasing.
"The Natural Genius skill is really terrifying."
During a break, Fujino glanced at his student proficiency level.
In just half a day, he had already accumulated seventy-five points of proficiency.
That's right, the reason he was sitting there reading was entirely to increase his student proficiency.
Natural Genius is a skill that enhances learning ability by 100%.
In just one day, he had already learned most of the content in the math book he was holding.
As he absorbed knowledge, his student proficiency steadily increased.
Once his proficiency reached two hundred, he could level up his student status.
With the student level up, the Student Discount could also be upgraded.
In other words, he wasn't just reading books, he was reading money!
The ancient saying "There is gold in books" was absolutely true!
"Ran, it seems like Senior Fujino has been sitting there all day, just reading a math book. Do you think something's wrong with him?"
Not far away, Sonoko observed Fujino sitting by the window, reading, and asked Ran.
"It does seem that way…"
Ran's gaze fell on Fujino. "He hasn't even eaten lunch."
"This isn't good."
Sonoko murmured, feeling uneasy. "Senior might be under a lot of stress. After all, he hasn't been to school in a long time…"
"Sonoko!"
Ran chided Sonoko gently, then looked at Fujino again.
She frowned, puzzled by Fujino's behavior.
Recalling how Fujino had 'fainted' from strenuous exercise before, she nodded, "Sonoko, you're right. This isn't good. Given Senior's health, if this continues, he might pass out again like before!"
Sonoko frowned, "What should we do then?"
"Let's find Ms. Hiratsuka!"
"Yes, if it's Ms. Hiratsuka, she'll definitely know what to do."
Hearing Ran's suggestion, Sonoko nodded.
After all, in her impression, Shizuka Hiratsuka was the most understanding of student psychology at Teitan High School. If normal persuasion didn't work, she would use her fists to set things straight.
She was famously known as the "Iron Fist Saint" and a soulful mentor.
A moment later.
Fujino put down his book, stretched lazily, and yawned.
To be honest, it was the first time he had enjoyed learning this much.
Being able to receive visible rewards made learning feel different.
After moving his sore shoulder blades, Fujino was about to stand up when he saw Shizuka Hiratsuka standing beside him, staring at him.
"Ms. Hiratsuka… what brings you here?"
Fujino looked at Shizuka, smiling sheepishly.
"So, you've been sitting here reading all day?"
Shizuka glanced at the math book on Fujino's desk, "What's going on?"
"I just wanted to review a bit."
Fujino looked at Shizuka in surprise, speaking with a heavy tone, "Is there a problem, Ms. Hiratsuka?"
He was puzzled by this violent beauty's intentions.
Not studying is not okay, but studying for too long is also not okay.
So, he really couldn't understand women's thoughts.
"Come with me to the faculty room!"
With that, Shizuka pulled Fujino out of the classroom.
At first, Fujino thought he had said something wrong and this violent woman was going to punch him.
But when she opened the door to the rooftop, Fujino breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, Ms. Hiratsuka, what do you need?"
Fujino showed a deadpan expression, looking at the rooftop scenery, and asked Shizuka.
"What's going on with you now?"
Shizuka turned and asked Fujino, "Why do other students say you are having a hard time?"
"Is this why you haven't been coming to school?"
"Well…"
Fujino scratched the back of his head, "Mainly because of the property tax. One hundred and fifty thousand yen a year, after daily expenses, there's not much left. And the commissions are unstable, so I had to put school aside."
"I see…"
Shizuka's eyes gradually dimmed, noticing the faint loneliness and sadness in Fujino's heart.
When his parents passed away, he must have been very sad.
Such a level of pressure on a high school student is just…
In any case, he must be suffering a lot now.
Thinking of this, Shizuka sighed and gently patted Fujino's shoulder, comforting him, "You must feel really bad inside, right…"
Fujino was puzzled by her words.
Scratching the back of his head, he said flatly, "Not really, I'm used to it."
At this point, Shizuka hesitated, "Do you want me to support you…"
"Stop!"
Fujino frowned at her words, feeling something was off.
Hold on, was she offering to support him?
But this kind of support didn't feel right?
No way, although he, Fujino, loved money, he was definitely not the type to live off a woman.
Moreover, this violent beauty was just a high school teacher, how much money could she have?
And so, a day at school passed just like that.
After a day of effort, Fujino's student proficiency reached one hundred.
That was quite impressive. Before, he would only get fifty in a day of slacking off at school.
Now, the points he gained in a day were almost double!
But before that, he still had six hundred thousand yen in commission to collect.
He definitely needed to educate Yuko Ikeze properly.
Otherwise, Fujino himself would feel uneasy.
Who commissions a detective and then breaks into the investigation target's house?
That was pure distrust in his abilities!
......
Late night, Fujino's home.
"So, after taking my commission, you also took Yoko Okino's commission?!"
Yuko Ikeze sat on the sofa, shouting at Fujino, "I mean, what kind of detective accepts a commission from the investigation target!"
"You're the one who broke the contract first!"
Fujino frowned, shouting back at Yuko Ikeze, "Do you know that without me, you would have been embroiled in a scandal by now!"
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean."
With that, Fujino took out an earring from his pocket and asked, "This earring is yours, right? I saw you wearing it when you came to commission me."
Seeing the earring in Fujino's hand, Yuko Ikeze was stunned.
How did the earring she lost yesterday end up with him…
Could it be?
(To be continued)