Chapter 57
Title: The Notebook Prank
Location: Classroom – After School
The classroom had become quieter after the final bell.
Most students had already left.
The orange evening sunlight stretched across the desks through the windows, mixing with the soft humming sound of the ceiling fan above.
MrLapis sat near the back corner of the classroom.
As usual.
Calm.
Focused.
A history notebook was open in front of him beside an old portable cassette recorder and several papers filled with handwritten notes.
Senpai sat nearby awkwardly reviewing class material.
Nagatoro stood beside the window staring outside for a moment before slowly turning back toward the room.
Her eyes immediately locked onto MrLapis.
Nagatoro smirked.
Senpai noticed instantly.
Senpai:
"…That face means trouble."
Nagatoro:
"That face means creativity."
Senpai:
"No, it means I'm about to witness something terrible."
Nagatoro ignored him.
She quietly walked behind MrLapis.
No reaction.
MrLapis continued writing.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Nagatoro leaned slightly toward Senpai.
Nagatoro (whispering):
"Watch this."
Senpai:
"Please don't."
Nagatoro carefully reached toward the notebook on the desk.
Slowly.
Carefully.
She lifted it just enough to slide it away.
Then—
MrLapis spoke calmly without looking up.
MrLapis:
"Second shelf."
Nagatoro froze.
Silence.
Senpai blinked.
Nagatoro:
"…What?"
MrLapis continued writing.
MrLapis:
"That's where you're planning to hide it."
Nagatoro stared at him.
Nagatoro:
"You didn't even LOOK."
MrLapis:
"You glanced at the shelf three times."
Senpai slowly lowered his pencil.
Senpai:
"…That's actually scary."
Nagatoro narrowed her eyes.
Nagatoro:
"No."
She pointed dramatically.
Nagatoro:
"I reject this outcome."
MrLapis:
"That changes nothing."
Nagatoro quickly grabbed the notebook anyway and rushed toward the shelf.
Nagatoro:
"Too late!"
She shoved the notebook between two old textbooks.
Then crossed her arms proudly.
Nagatoro:
"There."
MrLapis calmly finished his sentence before finally closing his pen.
Then he stood up.
Walked directly toward the shelf.
And pulled the notebook out immediately.
Nagatoro's jaw dropped.
Nagatoro:
"THAT WAS TOO FAST."
MrLapis:
"The notebook corner was visible."
Nagatoro turned toward the shelf.
The edge of the notebook was indeed sticking out slightly.
Nagatoro:
"…I hate everything."
Senpai laughed quietly.
Senpai:
"You almost had him."
Nagatoro:
"No I didn't."
MrLapis returned to his seat.
MrLapis:
"Correct."
Nagatoro pointed accusingly.
Nagatoro:
"You enjoy this."
MrLapis:
"No."
Nagatoro:
"That answer was suspiciously fast."
MrLapis reopened the notebook calmly.
MrLapis:
"You continue attempting predictable strategies."
Nagatoro crossed her arms.
Nagatoro:
"Predictable?"
MrLapis:
"You always look at the target location before acting."
Nagatoro paused.
Then blinked.
Nagatoro:
"…Wait."
Senpai looked confused.
Nagatoro:
"You were watching my eyes?"
MrLapis:
"Peripheral observation."
Nagatoro slowly backed away.
Nagatoro:
"Okay that sounds illegal somehow."
Senpai nodded nervously.
Senpai:
"A little."
The classroom became quiet again for a moment.
The fan rotated slowly overhead.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Nagatoro suddenly leaned against a desk.
Nagatoro:
"You know…"
MrLapis looked up slightly.
Nagatoro:
"You've gotten weirder lately."
Silence.
Senpai looked between them carefully.
MrLapis:
"Define weird."
Nagatoro:
"You notice too much now."
MrLapis:
"Observation is useful."
Nagatoro:
"Not THAT useful."
MrLapis returned to writing.
Nagatoro continued staring at him.
Then suddenly smirked again.
Nagatoro:
"Fine."
Senpai sighed.
Senpai:
"There's another one…"
Nagatoro:
"Obviously."
She quickly grabbed a small sticky note from the teacher's desk.
Then quietly wrote something on it while hiding it from the others.
Senpai leaned forward curiously.
Senpai:
"What are you writing?"
Nagatoro:
"Art."
MrLapis:
"Insult probably."
Nagatoro gasped dramatically.
Nagatoro:
"You wound me."
Then she suddenly rushed forward and slapped the sticky note directly onto MrLapis' notebook.
Nagatoro:
"HAHA."
MrLapis looked down calmly.
The sticky note read:
WARNING:
SERIOUS PERSON DETECTED
Silence.
Senpai immediately started laughing.
Nagatoro waited proudly.
MrLapis stared at the note for two seconds.
Then:
MrLapis:
"The handwriting quality improved."
Nagatoro blinked.
Nagatoro:
"That's your response?"
MrLapis:
"The letters are more symmetrical."
Senpai laughed harder.
Nagatoro looked personally offended.
Nagatoro:
"You are impossible to prank emotionally."
MrLapis:
"That sentence is accurate."
Nagatoro dropped dramatically into a nearby chair.
Nagatoro:
"See?!"
She pointed at him.
Nagatoro:
"He talks like an AI trained on philosophy books."
MrLapis:
"Incorrect."
Nagatoro:
"Then explain yourself."
MrLapis paused slightly.
Then:
MrLapis:
"I simply dislike unnecessary reactions."
The room became quieter again.
Nagatoro studied him carefully.
This time without joking.
Nagatoro:
"…Why?"
MrLapis looked toward the window.
The sunlight had become dimmer now.
MrLapis:
"Because reactions create mistakes."
Silence.
Senpai looked thoughtful.
Nagatoro's expression softened slightly.
But only briefly.
Then she stood up suddenly.
Nagatoro:
"Alright."
She pointed dramatically again.
Nagatoro:
"Tomorrow I'm winning."
MrLapis:
"Unlikely."
Nagatoro:
"THAT CONFIDENCE IS THE PROBLEM."
MrLapis calmly packed his notebook into his bag.
Nagatoro watched him quietly for a second longer.
Then:
Nagatoro:
"…You really have changed since the awakening."
MrLapis stopped moving.
Only briefly.
Then continued packing.
MrLapis:
"Possibly."
That answer bothered her more than she expected.
The classroom became silent again.
And somewhere outside—
Thunder echoed faintly in the distance.