Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

When we were about to leave the library, Ichinose suddenly grabbed me, and I responded to her request with my actions and stopped with her.

"Wait for me a moment............"

Ichinose said this quietly, burying her face in my arms. After more than ten seconds, she raised her head with her usual smile.

"Can we keep going?"

"Thank you, it's OK now."

Chapter 196: How does it feel?

[Palette] is becoming increasingly popular among first-year students, and more accurately, it is popular among all students in the grade. Looking at all the facilities in the school, this cafe is also at the top of the popularity list.

As for the reason for its high popularity, I think it is very simple.

Although it is only available on the same day, you can buy the second cup at half price in the [Palette] as long as you bring today's receipt. The same goes for the third and fourth cups.

Who wouldn't like cheap, delicious coffee that comes in perfectly proportioned portions?

............perhaps.

However, there are some annoying things. For example, it is usually difficult for boys to enter this cafe without a girl. The customers who patronize the store are basically girls, and the presence of boys is like a rare species kept in a nature reserve.

So, I stared at the road ahead without blinking, not daring to look around, as I brought back the two cups of coffee, placed them on the square table in the corner of the cafe, and finally sat down on the soft sofa.

"Thank you...I have transferred the private points to your account."

Maybe because he felt a little embarrassed, Ji Ye, who was sitting opposite me, said something else after thanking me.

"It's just a cup of coffee, there's no need to be so serious about it."

“I don’t like owing favors to other people.”

"You can also consider it as what you deserve, right? I still need to thank Himeno for the tutoring."

“…That’s another matter.”

As Ji Ye spoke, he turned his head and his eyes fell on the coffee shop clerk who was making [chocolate cake] behind the glass window of the counter.

"Do you want me to buy some dessert?"

"............Only if you can handle dessert for two people."

Does that mean you don't intend to accept my kindness?

"But coffee should be paired with some dessert, right? Or is Himeno the type who prefers black coffee alone?"

"This has nothing to do with you, and you don't need to understand it."

"How cold... There should be nothing wrong with a freshly made cake, right? You don't have to worry about me adding weird things to it."

I still remember the tiramisu incident vividly. I had good intentions and hoped that he would give me a taste, but he didn't accept it. Instead, he made some [evil] comments about my appearance. In the end, I could only [escape] to the dormitory with the defeated product.

It's just too bad.

"If you need it, I'll get it myself... After all, we're not here to enjoy afternoon tea, are we?"

"Generally speaking, shouldn't there be some foreshadowing before getting into the topic? I'm doing that."

"Where did you throw this idiom [straight to the point]... You are such a strange person..."

Ji Ye muttered softly, then took a sip of black coffee as if nothing had happened. Then she stared blankly at the pure black bitter liquid in the plastic cup.

Although I don't know how she developed such a weird personality, I can be sure that she is wary of most people. I can even say that I haven't noticed any students in the class who are truly friends with her.

At the same time, this character also hinders Ji Ye's communication with other people.

Jiye might be able to pretend to accept the kindness of others, but she would never understand. In addition, her actions would only stay at the most basic level.

After understanding this clearly, you may feel a little hurt, but the other party has no choice but to behave in this way.

[There is no space for one’s own existence.]

Perhaps we should be able to reach such a conclusion.

"If we were only here to explain that, wouldn't it be over soon? It's a rare opportunity to get a seat in a fully booked [Palette], so it would be a shame if we don't enjoy it."

"I don't have that thought at all."

"Then just think of it as accompanying me to be willful for a while. Anyway, Jiye shouldn't have anything else to do next, and it's rare that he hasn't been assigned any tutoring today."

"............What do you think of other people's living arrangements?"

Although his words showed that he had many things to deal with later, his actions had already slowly relaxed his body. He rested his head on his arms and fiddled with the plastic cup of black coffee.

Maybe...somewhat cute?

I kept an eye on his expressions and gestures from time to time, but because I didn't try to hide them, he quickly noticed my gaze and blatantly expressed his "disgust" towards me.

"What? You look so disgusting."

Although she has no tendency to change her behavior...

"Do you have some misunderstanding about me? I don't think I'm as bad as you think... If I'm a pure villain in your mind... Have I ever done anything too bad to you?"

“…Tsk.”

Ah, avoiding sight.

There is no reason. So you are instinctively disgusted with me again?

"It's almost time to end the small talk. It's time to get down to business. If you don't say anything, I'm leaving."

Ji Ye was looking at the scenery outside the glass window and suddenly said this.

Although I didn't see any sign from her behavior that she wanted to leave, it was indeed time to explain the reason.

"Since the study session has already started, why do you insist on asking me to help you with your studies? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to ask Ichinose to teach you?"

"I don't want Ichinose to bear too heavy a burden."

"So is it different for me to bother you?"

"Of course it's different. Ji Ye is usually very free, so there won't be any problem with arranging more schedules."

I tried to make a joke, but was glared at by the other party. It seemed that Ji Ye had seen through my joke without me having to explain.

"Although I was the one who initiated the discussion... ...but I still want to ask you a question off topic."

"Well, I'll try my best to answer as long as it's within my ability."

"You...are really dating Ichinose, right?"

"No."

"Answered instantly...? Even if the rumor spread to other grades, it turned out to be untrue. It seems like a very skillful and exemplary answer, but it's actually suspicious?"

"It's something I can't help. I've been asked this question by all kinds of students so far, but this is the truth. Rumors about love among students are half true and half false... Why are you asking this question suddenly?"

"Because of the joke you just made, and because the rest of the class is very concerned about this matter."

"You care...? I don't see that at all."

"That just shows that you are quite slow."

If you are a high school student, are you at an age where you have a special interest in the topic of love?

If I had a higher level of ability to read people's expressions, I might be able to understand this fact, but that would cause a lot of trouble in my past experiences.

I took a sip of black coffee, and the refreshing bitterness immediately spread to the root of my tongue.

"So what's the reason? I just mentioned the reason why you didn't attend the study session."

After satisfying his curiosity, Jiye picked up the issues he cared about again, which is why we got together after school today [Palette].

"In fact, the issue with that form has not been resolved."

“………What does this mean?”

The natural reaction.

After all, it has been regarded as a notice equivalent to the truth of [one plus one equals two]. Anyone would be surprised if the counter-theory [one plus one equals three] was proposed at this time.

"That's exactly what it means. Ichinose didn't solve the problem of partner arrangement."

".............Does this mean that Ichinose will still take the exam alone, and Kanzaki-san will form a partner with me?"

"According to the table, this is the correct understanding."

"Wait, then what about Ichinose's announcement in the class group, and Kanzaki-san's corroborative statement... Are you saying they are lying?"

"If I'm not lying, then the truth is obvious."

“………are you kidding me?”

"I'm not so bored that I would specially invite Ji Ye out to play a bad joke on you, or is my position in your heart already so low?"

"......"

Ji Ye fell silent, and the look he gave me became increasingly suspicious.

In desperation, I told her about the conversation we had with Teacher Hoshinomiya in the teacher's office that day.

Then she began to have difficulty understanding.

"Wait, wait... 41 student accounts. One student in our class has two student accounts. This is too outrageous."

"But this is the situation now. If Ji Ye doesn't believe it, he can ask Mr. Hoshinomiya for confirmation later, right?"

"............I still don't understand............Then why would the other party do such a thing? No, if that's the case, why didn't something similar happen in the previous special exam? There should be extra points for participating twice in the sports festival, right?"

"I think it's probably because the other party can even control the account's choice of whether to take the exam, but it may also be because the second account did not exist before this special exam."

"This is too......but, even if it is like this, it is still weird, right?"

"Is there anything strange?"

I asked a question in response to Ji Ye's confusion.

"I can understand that they wanted to let the second account take part in this special exam in order to increase the class's total score by one person, and they didn't expect any unexpected changes in the partner arrangement. But why didn't they choose to let the second account withdraw from the competition until now? Isn't this very dangerous for Ichinose?"

“Isn’t this easy to understand?”

"No, I don't understand the situation at all."

But now he can be so straightforward, a little childish.

"The same situation can be found in the sports festival. If the opponent has already set up a second account at that time, and the results can be communicated with the first account, then if the opponent allows the second account to participate in the competition, it can easily obtain the results of the first account and get competitive points in the corresponding group. In this way, the total number of competitive points of the class can be increased."

"But in the end, the other party didn't do that."

I tried to let Ji Ye figure out the answer to the question herself, but her thoughts might be a little confused. In addition, it is generally difficult for students in Class A to think in that direction.

"So that guy is an idiot? He keeps making choices that endanger the class."

Sure enough, I still don't understand. So let me explain it a little more clearly.

"What if this was done intentionally by the other party?"

"Even if it was intentional—huh?"

Ji Ye suddenly paused.

"What if these actions, and the final results, were intentional on the part of the other party? Then that would probably explain it."

"Wait, wait... I remember during the sports festival, someone in class said that the [entry list] might have been leaked by a 'traitor' or something... Wasn't that a joke?"

"Doesn't that explain everything? He didn't let his second account participate in the sports festival, and leaked his class's [Entry Form]. In this [Paper Shuffle] special exam, his second account surfaced again, affecting the class partner arrangement."

"......"

After I mentioned these possibilities, Ji Ye fell silent, or she couldn't believe that what I said was true.

"............Why would the other party do something like this to retaliate against the class?"

"Who knows? Maybe he reached some kind of deal with students from other classes, or maybe he was expressing his dissatisfaction with the class, or maybe he thought his behavior could promote the growth of the class... It's hard to say."

"......"

Ji Ye rubbed her temples in confusion, really worried that the migraine she often talked about would come back the next moment.

After a long silence, Ji Ye came to his own conclusion.

"So, there is a traitor within our class."

"maybe."