The bell rang, signaling the end of the first class of the morning.
In the Class 1-A classroom,
the air became slightly more lively.
Morishita Ai, sitting by the window,
a girl with short blue hair tied into two playful pigtails, closed her textbook.
She frowned slightly,
she seemed to have not fully understood the intricacies of a logical reasoning problem the teacher had just explained.
This caused her some distress.
And the way to resolve this distress, in her opinion, was quite direct—
to find that person.
Morishita Ai's personality was quite unconventional in the eyes of others, with a leaping mind,
often making some puzzling actions, making her a bit of a "weirdo."
But in Class 1-A, a place where elites gathered, and even accommodated an "out-of-spec" existence like Sakamoto,
her slight oddity was almost completely diluted.
And between her and Sakamoto,
there was an indescribable telepathic connection.
Since the beginning of the semester, she had intuitively felt that Sakamoto might be "her kind."
She had tried some "communication" methods that seemed inexplicable, even slightly provocative, to others:
for example, rolling eraser shavings into small balls and shooting them at Sakamoto as "cannonballs," and Sakamoto would always "catch" and "retaliate" with equally calm, even more elegant, posture;
she also tried holding a compass and gesturing at Sakamoto, and the two of them ended up engaging in a silent fencing duel, which Morishita eventually lost, but she enjoyed it thoroughly.
This kind of interaction, incomprehensible to others, made her believe that Sakamoto was the only one who could keep up with her thought frequency.
Coupled with Sakamoto's impeccable academic performance,
naturally,
Sakamoto became her first choice for help when she encountered academic difficulties.
She habitually stood up and walked towards Sakamoto's seat, subconsciously muttering, "Alright, time to find Saka…"
The words caught in her throat.
She had a habit of calling people by their full names, but strangely, every time she tried to ask for Sakamoto's full name, she would be interrupted by various sudden minor incidents.
This led to her being unable to successfully save his full name when exchanging contact information with Sakamoto.
"Never mind."
She shook her head, no longer dwelling on it.
However, when she walked to Sakamoto's seat, she found it empty.
The desk was neatly tidied, as if its owner had left long ago.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
Morishita Ai blinked, looking puzzled.
"He was just here when the bell rang for class to end..."
Sakamoto had vanished as if he had evaporated into thin air.
The perspective shifts to the second year academic building.
Nagumo Miyabi had just finished his first class.
However, he had been somewhat restless throughout the entire class.
That feeling of being watched by an invisible gaze, like a persistent shadow, had never truly disappeared.
Even when he sat in the classroom, he always felt as if a pair of eyes were quietly watching him from outside the window or some corner, making him feel on edge and unable to fully concentrate.
Asahina Natsume, who was sitting near him, keenly noticed his abnormality.
They had known each other for over ten years.
Nagumo's rare state of slight, almost imperceptible irritation and tension could not escape her eyes.
She was about to go over and ask what had happened during the break.
Just then—
A black figure, like a swift wind, or a ghost, suddenly burst into the Class 2-A classroom without warning!
His movements were so fast that they left only an afterimage, yet his posture was exceptionally elegant and fluid, as if this was not an abrupt intrusion but a meticulously choreographed entrance.
Amidst the astonished gazes of all the students, the figure glided precisely to Nagumo Miyabi's desk, gracefully bending his right knee and kneeling on one knee.
The entire process was silent, yet it carried a thunderous presence.
The person who arrived was Sakamoto.
He held a cup of clear water steadily in his hand; the water temperature seemed just right, with tiny droplets condensed on the cup wall.
"Vice President Nan Yun,"
Sakamoto looked up, his voice clear and steady,
"During the first class break just now, I heard you led the students in reading the textbook, so your throat must be dry. I have specially presented a cup of warm water for you, to moisten your throat and relieve fatigue, so that you may maintain your best condition to handle Student Council affairs."
He gently presented the water cup.
Class 2-A instantly fell silent.
All eyes were focused on this sudden scene.
Nagumo Miyabi was completely stunned.
How...how did he get in?
It had only been a minute since class ended!
It was impossible to run from the First Year academic building to here!
How...how did he know I led the reading of the textbook?
Was he...always lurking nearby?
And where...where did he get this cup of water?
Countless questions instantly flooded Nagumo's mind, making him forget to react for a moment.
This had completely exceeded his comprehension; it was too bizarre!
Asahina Natsume was also stunned, her brain briefly crashing as she watched Sakamoto kneeling before Nagumo's desk.
But soon, she saw the unprecedented, almost undignified look of shock on Nagumo's face, and then recalled the rumors she had vaguely heard that morning about "a certain First Year male student bringing breakfast to Nagumo."
She instantly understood something.
Is this...is this Sakamoto's way of fighting back?
With this extreme, almost ludicrous "obedience" and "service"?
She looked at Nagumo's discomfited expression, and despite her surprise, a hint of... satisfaction inexplicably arose in her heart.
Aside from when he was a child, she hadn't seen Nagumo display such a completely uncontrolled expression in a long time.
"You..."
Nagumo finally found his voice, asking almost through gritted teeth,
"How did you know?"
Sakamoto calmly stood up, bowed slightly, and pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, then offered an explanation that was enough to make Nagumo spit out three liters of blood:
"I utilized the reflection from the glass curtain wall of the academic building opposite, vaguely catching a glimpse of Vice President's magnificent posture leading the reading. Therefore, I inferred that you might need to replenish your fluids."
Reflection?!
Across two buildings, countless windows, and a distance, he saw him leading the reading of the textbook using a reflection?!
This excuse was outrageously absurd!
Nagumo didn't believe a single word of it!
But he couldn't expose him, because Sakamoto's expression was impeccably serious, as if he were stating a perfectly natural fact.
The gazes of all the students in the class became even stranger, sweeping back and forth between Nagumo and Sakamoto.
Nagumo felt like he was about to suffer social death.
He snatched the cup of water, almost growling:
"Alright! I've received the water! You can go!"
"As you command."
Sakamoto bowed again, his movements fluid and elegant.
The next moment, under the renewed astonished gazes of Nagumo and all the students, his figure seemed to merge into the air, swiftly and silently exiting the classroom, instantly disappearing into the flow of people in the corridor, as if he had never appeared.
He came suddenly and left quickly.
Leaving behind Class 2-A in an eerie silence, and Nagumo Miyabi, holding the cup of water with a pale face, and Asahina Natsume beside him, her expression complex but unable to suppress a slight upward curve of her lips.
Nagumo looked at the water cup in his hand, feeling it was burning hot.
This guy... he's definitely doing this on purpose!
He's everywhere, infiltrating everything!
Who is interviewing whom during this "interview period" anyway?!