Amidst the low hum of classmates' whispers, Izuru and Yukino walked into the classroom together.
Under the gossiping, curious gazes of the students, Izuru placed Yukino's assignment book on his desk. He opened his own pristine, snow-white notebook and pulled out a "brand new" pen with an untouched ink supply, then began that most pitiful of morning student rituals: the homework sprint!
Though Izuru was deathly lazy when it came to tackling a mountain of tasks, he knew that if he didn't do it now, a certain teacher—one who preferred a heavy hand over a long talk—would corner him after school and force him to do it under the slogan "it's for your own good."
As a result, Izuru went full tsundere; his mouth grumbled about the misery of student life, but his hands moved with terrifying velocity. It was a manual dexterity honed through nearly two decades of being single, enough to make anyone's eyes bulge in shock. He slaughtered assignments that would make grown men weep, finishing them with lightning speed.
*RINGGGGG!*
The second Izuru penned the final character in his book, the morning bell chimed. For those who had finished, it was a victory march. For those who hadn't, it was a death knell signaling "prepare your soul." Instantly, wails of despair broke out, turning the once-dull atmosphere into something lively and chaotic.
CLACK-CLACK-CLACK!
Following the bell, the rhythmic staccato of high heels echoed against the floor. Hiratsuka appeared exactly as the ringing stopped, signaling that the agonizing hours of official learning had begun!
"You're all young people; why do you look so haggard so early in the morning? There's no youthful spirit at all. You look like old folks who are fed up with the world and several times older than me. I honestly don't know what else to say to you."
Upon entering, Hiratsuka's gaze swept across the room. Her temper flared particularly when she saw those still hunched over their desks with faces like they'd just lost a parent, or those with desks overflowing with cramped handwriting and exhausted expressions. She felt a surge of irritation at her lackluster students.
Her voice wasn't quiet; it was loud enough to be heard in the next classroom. At the very least, the students who had been in "dead fish" mode, slumped over to sleep, jolted upright as if they'd been pricked by a needle. They immediately straightened their postures, ready for class.
{Those words feel incredibly familiar.}
Izuru returned Yukino's assignment book while tidying his desk, the corner of his mouth twitching with mixed emotions.
"I finished checking the holiday assignments you turned in yesterday. Most of you did well, except for a few... Tobe Kakeru! Yes, you! Do you still have the nerve to be giggling over there?!"
Hiratsuka's heels clicked sharply as she stepped onto the raised podium. Her eyes were like razor blades, piercing through Tobe, who now wore a pathetic, pleading expression.
"Who's giggling? I copied my homework until I started questioning the meaning of life, and you say I'm giggling? Which eye sees me like that? Eye A? Eye B? Or my belly button?"
Tobe, the unlucky soul called out, grumbled in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, unheard even by his seatmate. Nevertheless, he stood obediently and bowed his head, ready for the lecture.
"Tobe! Look at this assignment. Copying is bad enough, but your essay and Hayama's are identical word-for-word—we won't even go there. But what possessed you to copy his name as well, huh?! Do you think your teacher is an idiot, or are you the idiot? Other people act like tape recorders; you've turned into a literal photocopier!"
"And you, Azusagawa, where is your work? Didn't I tell you that even if you had to stay up all night, you had to finish? And the result? You turn in a blank notebook with the words 'Ten thousand words summarized here' written on it. What is that?! Are you trying to play 'The Wordless Scripture' with me? Is this the 'Emperor's Book' that only the smart can see? You think you're so clever, don't you?! Why didn't you just stick a QR code on it so Sensei could just scan it to read?!"
Hiratsuka stared at the two troublemakers standing there with "in one ear and out the other" attitudes. She let out a weary sigh, feeling genuinely exasperated.
"Do you two realize? Every minute Sensei spends scolding you is a minute wasted for every student in this room. Added up, that's almost an hour! Do you understand how precious time is?!"
"Reporting, Sensei. According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, each individual's time exists in a state that cannot be cumulatively added. Therefore, Sensei's statement is entirely baseless and actually misleads us students. Most importantly, if Sensei doesn't want to waste time, we should probably start the lesson instead of engaging in useless small talk."
Seeing this familiar classroom interaction and the memories it stirred, Izuru—having finished his work—couldn't resist "seeking death" a little.
At that, Hiratsuka actually laughed out of sheer anger.
"Kamukura, Sensei hasn't settled accounts with you yet! I told you to come to the office after school yesterday, but where were you? You turned into a pigeon and flew the coop, didn't you? Let me tell you, if you dare skip out again this afternoon... hm-hm, you know the consequences."
Hearing that threat-laden tone, Izuru felt a bit annoyed.
{Why does this teacher sound like a syndicate member? How dare she use such low-brow, shameless tactics to pressure a sweet-talking model student like me.}
Luckily, Hiratsuka couldn't read minds; otherwise, she surely would have dropped dead from rage. However, the explosive Hiratsuka suddenly calmed down. She clicked her tongue in annoyance for a moment, then clapped her hands.
"Cih, we'll settle that slowly later. For now, I have good news for you all. Our class is joined by a beautiful new female student. Give her a cheer, kids!"
As she finished the sentence, a beautiful girl with pink hair and an exceptionally well-developed figure entered the room.
Seeing her, Izuru wore an expression that said "how interesting." Because that girl was Nakano...