The exam questions were a breeze for Amane.
In less than half an hour, she had finished the entire test paper. Then, she simply buried her head in her arms on the desk.
Ms. Chabashira was patrolling the room, keeping an eye out for potential cheaters.
Even though these were middle-school-level questions, quite simple really, there was still no guarantee that everyone would pass.
After all, this was Class D.
Every year, Class D never failed to deliver… surprises.
Constantly pushing her expectations of the class lower and lower…Ms. Chabashira made her way over to Amane's seat.
She glanced somewhat helplessly at the already sleeping girl.
There was no way she could inform this student that sleeping during an exam would result in class points being deducted.
But then again…even without a reminder, any student should have the basic awareness not to do this.
Ms. Chabashira picked up Amane's paper to check it.
Whether Amane was just a heavy sleeper or something else was going on, through the entire process of the teacher sliding the paper out from under her, Amane didn't even stir.
Seemed she was sleeping quite soundly.
Ms. Chabashira's gaze, however, didn't linger on the girl.
She carefully checked each and every answer.
All correct.
Yes.
It was a flawless paper.
Even putting aside the correctness of the answers, just looking at her handwriting was a visual treat.
Ms. Chabashira meticulously reviewed every question.
All correct.
But that didn't necessarily prove much.
For this difficulty level, even in Class D, there should be quite a few perfect scores.
Sometimes, a perfect score didn't mean victory.
This exam was meant to assess each student's academic ability.
Even scoring zero by getting all answers wrong was fine; it wouldn't cost them class points.
But sleeping during the exam? That would cost points.
In other words, her perfect paper was utterly pointless.
I wonder, in a few days, when they hear that news, will they completely break down?
The more capable they are, the harder it is to accept the reality that they're just defective products, isn't it?
Ms. Chabashira thought to herself.
She placed the paper back for Amane. This quite cute girl really could sleep through anything.
Chabashira had moved her arm twice now with no reaction.
Good thing the dorm rooms are singles.
Otherwise, she'd probably be sold out by her roommate without even knowing.
The morning exam ended quickly.
Not only were the questions inherently simple, but there also weren't that many, mostly multiple-choice.
So, the whole class had finished half an hour before the exam was officially over.
Amane, however, had slept right up until papers were collected.
Only then did she groggily hand her own paper and the one from Ayanokōji behind her to the student in front.
"Miyako-san, didn't you sleep well last night?"
Surprisingly, Ayanokōji initiated a conversation with Amane during lunch.
Amane finished chewing the udon in her mouth unhurriedly before looking at Ayanokōji.
"Someone wouldn't tell me a bedtime story, so I had trouble sleeping last night."
A bedtime story?
Ayanokōji looked at Amane, puzzled. Just then, Horikita discreetly nudged Amane with her leg under the table.
Outwardly, she remained expressionless, eating her extra-spicy udon.
Why extra-spicy?
One look at Amane's bright red ears should tell you why.
Getting Horikita's hint, Amane turned her gaze to Ayanokōji Kiyotaka, who was eating omelet rice.
"Ayanokōji-kun, you wanted to say something, right?" Seeing Amane finally pick up the thread of conversation, Ayanokōji let out a subtle sigh of relief.
"As expected of Miyako-san. Have you noticed more and more people in the cafeteria are eating the Mountain Vegetable Set?"
Amane glanced around.
Indeed, the situation was pretty much as Ayanokōji described. The number of people eating the Mountain Vegetable Set had reached a startling proportion, roughly four-fifths of the students.
"It seems everyone's really taken a liking to green vegetables. Eating veggies now and then is good for your health," Amane replied, her answer half-serious, half-feigned.
Ayanokōji sensed Amane was hinting at something, but he couldn't quite grasp what.
Even if he said it out loud, probably few would believe him, right?
"I think it's more likely they've run out of points and have no choice but to fill their stomachs with vegetables. It's truly astonishing—managing to spend 100,000 points in a single month without a care," Horikita said, wiping her mouth with a tissue.
"And it seems to be mostly boys, too," Amane added, whether intentionally or not, dealing another verbal blow to Ayanokōji.
If you just looked at spending power, the girls could easily leave the boys in the dust.
Rumor had it that Karuizawa spent a terrifying 30,000 points just on clothes during a single shopping trip.
Yet, in the end, it was the boys who made up the majority of those eating the Mountain Vegetable Set, looking like they were strapped for cash.
And, as if to drive the point home, right there in the line for the Mountain Vegetable Set were the Three Stooges.
The Three Stooges was the collective nickname for Sudō Ken, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ike Kanji.
The three of them always seemed to be up to no good and hung out together constantly, hence the rather derogatory title.
It was originally supposed to be a quartet, but Ayanokōji, lacking their particular brand of… exuberance, had unfortunately missed out on the title 'Four Stooges.'
"Well, even though we're getting points soon, I can't help feeling uneasy," Ayanokōji said.
Uneasy?
It was hard to imagine such a word coming from Ayanokōji.
Because, unlike Horikita, Amane had almost… no, she had never seen him smile.
He always had this gloomy look about him.
Would someone like that really use a word like 'uneasy'?
"Have you noticed something, Ayanokōji-kun?" Horikita asked, surprisingly catching the most crucial pass in this social interaction.
One person throws out a topic. The other catches it, responds, and then tosses a new topic back.
That's the most basic social logic.
Amane never thought she'd see the day this miracle occurred with Horikita.
"Suzune, you've finally grown up," Amane said, a proud look on her face.
"What's with that smug expression? If your face is cramping, I can help… correct it," Horikita retorted flatly.
"Pfft, no thanks," Amane stuck her tongue out slightly.
Seeing the two start bickering, Ayanokōji was forced to drop the topic for now. He found himself looking at them with a touch of envy.
Right now, the people he could really talk to were probably just the Three Stooges, Horikita, and Miyako, wasn't it?
And aside from Miyako, it was uncertain whether any of the others even considered him a friend.
Compared to Miyako, who got along so easily with everyone in class, his situation wasn't just 'pathetic'…it was… But… this issue with the points would probably lead to something far worse.
Ayanokōji thought to himself.
And reality unfolded just as he predicted.
--+--
May 1st.
Ms. Chabashira entered the classroom unusually early.
She walked in holding a rolled-up poster tube.
Different from usual, her ponytail was tied… maybe five centimeters higher?
What I mean is, Chabashira seemed more severe than before.
The chattering students, seeing Chabashira in this state, quickly fell silent.
No one knew why their teacher wore such a stern expression.
Finally, a boy named Ike bravely voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Sae-chan-sensei, is it that time of the month for you or something?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.