Chabashira Sae:Shimizu-kun, do you have a girlfriend right now?
Shimizu Akira stared at the message from his homeroom teacher on his phone screen, his eyebrow raising slightly in surprise.
Since when did his homeroom teacher start caring about students' private lives?
But on second thought, Chabashira Sae had been quite helpful lately. He tapped on the screen and replied with two words.
Shimizu Akira:No.
Almost instantly, another message popped up.
Chabashira Sae:Then recently... have any female students from other classes approached you?
Shimizu Akira:Yes.
He thought back briefly. Shiina Hiyori from Class 1-C, and Ichinose Honami from Class B, strictly speaking, both counted.
Especially Ichinose Honami; he had specifically met with her last weekend.
Come to think of it, it was related to Shiina Hiyori—he wanted to ask about the reasons why those few people from Class B bought laptops.
Later, Ichinose suggested meeting at a quiet café.
At the time, he first told Ichinose all the questions he wanted to ask, and she was responsible for making the calls to inquire. Occasionally, he would add a few comments.
She was very efficient, covering everyone on the list in less than half an hour. After Shimizu finished organizing the information, they went their separate ways.
Nothing inappropriate happened during the entire meeting, let alone any special connection.
It was more like a work-related matter.
His phone screen dimmed and then lit up again as Chabashira Sae's message followed closely, the wording carrying a deliberately suppressed urgency.
Chabashira Sae:It wouldn't be... Ichinose Honami from Class B, would it?
Shimizu raised an eyebrow, his finger pausing over the input box.
It seemed his homeroom teacher wasn't just concerned; she had specifically done her homework, guessing correctly right away.
He replied succinctly: Yes.
Chabashira Sae:What did she want with you?
Shimizu Akira:To be precise, I was the one who needed something from her.
The chat fell silent for a full half-minute, so long that Shimizu thought she wouldn't reply, before a long string of text suddenly appeared on the screen.
Chabashira Sae:Shimizu-kun, if you encounter people from other classes approaching you with strange reasons, or... if someone offers to introduce you to some 'friend,' you must be wary.
Looking at the line, he suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
This tone didn't sound like a homeroom teacher at all; it was more like a parent worried their child might be led astray.
So, was Chabashira Sae worried he might be "bought" by another class?
...
Perhaps because the intel from the past few days had been too significant, when Shimizu Akira saw today's content, he found it rather... shocking.
[1. Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A is a love-struck fool.]
[2. Hasebe Haruka from Class 1-D dislikes Ichinose Honami.]
[3. Matsushita Chiaki from Class 1-D believes that if she gives her full effort in the midterm exams, she is confident she can rank within the top twenty of the grade level.]
Sakayanagi Arisu? That "Little Princess" who always loved scheming against others, with thoughts as deep as the ocean—was a love-struck fool?
The contrast was just too absurd, almost as ridiculous as saying "the Student Council President is going to perform an otaku dance tomorrow."
What did being a love-struck fool mean? Once they fell for someone, their mind would be filled with the other's shadow, with reason taking a backseat to emotions.
Shimizu Akira simply couldn't imagine Sakayanagi Arisu liking someone else, let alone her turning into a love-struck fool.
If the person she liked was in another class, and they told her to drop out, would she obediently listen?
Just thinking about it made his logical brain feel tangled.
This piece of intel... he'd set it aside separately for now.
Looking at the second one, Hasebe Haruka dislikes Ichinose Honami... wasn't too surprising.
If Shimizu recalled correctly, Hasebe didn't seem to enjoy chatting much with other girls in class either.
As for the third one, Matsushita Chiaki was quite confident... daring to aim for the top twenty in the grade? So she really was holding back, huh?
At this moment, he suddenly remembered that he had promised Karuizawa Kei on Saturday to help deal with the argument between the gyaru group and Hasebe Haruka's group.
As the thought arose, his gaze turned towards Hasebe Haruka, who wasn't far away.
He saw the class vice-president, Kushida Kikyō, had already approached her, her face carrying a trace of inexplicable conflict.
"Hasebe-san, about that... the matter from last time..."
"Kushida..." Hasebe looked up, her tone not exactly forceful. "I don't want to say anything too harsh, so just drop this matter."
"But..." Kushida seemed to want to say more, clearly not ready to give up.
"I know you want the class to be harmonious." Hasebe interrupted her, her gaze settling on Kushida's face before suddenly adding, "I won't continue arguing with her. At most, I'll just ignore her."
The words were like a small stone, making the conflict on Kushida's face even more apparent.
She opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
Shimizu Akira was somewhat surprised—he hadn't expected to have a "helper."
It seemed Kushida Kikyō had also been present during the last study session and had probably noticed the signs of conflict then.
But judging by the current situation, her mediation efforts weren't going very smoothly.
He shifted his gaze to the other side. Karuizawa Kei hadn't arrived yet.
Instead, Matsushita Chiaki was sitting in her seat, unusually distracted as she stared blankly ahead, as if lost in thought.
Seeing this, Shimizu Akira walked straight over. "Matsushita-san, want to step out and chat for a bit?"
"...I didn't expect Shimizu-kun to seek me out proactively." Matsushita Chiaki looked up, a flicker of surprise in her eyes before she nodded. "Alright, let's go."
Seeing her agree so readily, the two walked out of the classroom one after the other, arriving at a secluded corner.
"I heard from Karuizawa-san about your argument. Could you tell me the specifics?" Shimizu Akira asked in an even tone.
Having Matsushita Chiaki recount the sequence of events was undoubtedly the quickest way—she was both a party involved and a witness, and she had given the impression last time of being intelligent and rational.
"Is Shimizu-kun planning to resolve this matter personally?" Matsushita Chiaki paused, her tone carrying a note of understanding. "However, it's actually unnecessary to trouble yourself further."
"What do you mean?"
"I've already explained things clearly to Yukimura Teruhiko and even took the opportunity to ask him for advice on studying," she explained methodically. "He also said that cold wars between cliques affect the class atmosphere, which in turn hinders the overall class points. He promised he would privately speak with Miyake Akito and Hasebe Haruka to clarify the whole story."
"As for..." Matsushita Chiaki glanced towards the classroom, "...Kei's side, I'll also go explain things to her properly later. After all, we're all classmates; we can't stay deadlocked forever."
Listening to her systematic arrangements, Shimizu Akira couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
Matsushita Chiaki not only hid her abilities but was also quite adept at handling interpersonal relationships.
She had just saved him some trouble.
"Shimizu-kun, this is already the second time."
Matsushita Chiaki abruptly dropped this line before turning and walking away.
Shimizu Akira was momentarily stunned, not immediately grasping what she was referring to.
The second time? The second time for what?