For some reason, ever since class started, Saki Yoshida couldn't help but let her gaze fall on Ho Fei-yu in front of her.
She remembered when she first entered the classroom, most of the glances cast her way were mixed with surprise and confusion, much like Yūmi Aono's reaction. Especially when they saw her walk to the last seat, their faces uniformly showed shock.
Saki guessed that if the bell hadn't rung right then, they might have walked up to her and asked who she was...
Saki felt happy about this. It showed her makeup was effective, and perhaps she could make more friends now. Yet, somehow, she always felt a faint pang of sorrow lingering in her heart.
Are friends made based on appearance truly good? What will become of her in the future...?
The girl's bewildered gaze, whether by chance or intention, finally settled on the back of the boy in front of her.
Saki watched Ho Fei-yu occasionally turn his head to look out the window, gazing into the distance, and other times remaining still, lost in thought. This amusing scene couldn't help but bring a subtle curve to the corners of her mouth.
'He... seems different from others.'
The previous moments replayed in Saki's mind. In danger, the boy descended like a divine soldier, rescuing her from despair. And most importantly, Ho Fei-yu was unlike others. Even her first friend didn't recognize her immediately after she put on makeup, but Ho Fei-yu did...
'Does Fei-yu-kun like me...? Or is it the legendary Love at First Sight!!!'
A bold thought sprouted in Saki's mind. Thinking this way, everything suddenly made sense. How else could Ho Fei-yu have recognized her instantly and helped her despite the great danger? If this wasn't love, then what was?
'But Fei-yu-kun seems to already have a girlfriend, and she's so pretty. Yūmi-chan's relationship with him is also unusually good... Could Fei-yu-kun be the legendary Player (Harem King)?'
Saki's thoughts leaped wildly. She was full of chaotic conjectures, her face cycling between a silly smile and a deflated look, a truly entertaining display.
The rich variety of expressions on the girl's face was witnessed by one audience member, unfortunately, Runa Himuro, who was about to burst and couldn't find an outlet for her frustration.
"Saki Yoshida, stand up and tell us the answer to this problem."
"Eh!?"
Saki, who hadn't been listening at all, heard Runa Himuro's authoritative voice ringing in her ears. The girl instantly stood up instinctively, her eyes quickly looking at the blackboard.
She recognized every symbol when broken down individually, but combined, she couldn't understand what they meant.
Silence...
Saki had no idea what the answer was. She only hoped that Runa Himuro would let her off and call on someone else to answer the question.
Normally, Runa Himuro would tell a student to sit down if they couldn't answer the question after ten seconds or so, and then either explain it herself or call on someone else.
But this was a special case. Runa Himuro had seen Saki staring at Ho Fei-yu's back the whole time, which made her extremely unhappy. She couldn't understand why such a perverted boy would be liked. So, Runa Himuro decided to "educate" Saki, lest she be led astray, and at the same time, give Ho Fei-yu an "indirect" warning. Plus, Ho Fei-yu wouldn't be able to find an excuse to lay a finger on her.
Thinking she could kill three birds with one stone, Runa Himuro was feeling quite pleased, but she didn't show it, maintaining her Ice Queen demeanor, radiating a uniquely chilling aura.
'Why isn't Runa Himuro-sensei saying anything? It's... so embarrassing.'
As time ticked by, Saki still couldn't answer the question. She also noticed the burning stares of the people around her slowly converging on her. Due to nervousness and shame, beads of sweat were starting to form on the girl's fair forehead, and her face was burning hot.
"Three!"
Just as Saki's face was about to drip blood, a soft voice from the front reached her ears. The girl grabbed onto it like a lifeline and blurted it out without thinking.
'Now everything's ruined. I made such a fool of myself. No one will ever want to be friends with an idiot like me again.'
After speaking, Saki felt a bit of regret. It couldn't possibly be that simple. Some of the symbols were unfamiliar even to her. How could the answer be a simple number?
'Fei-yu-kun told me this. He definitely wouldn't lie to me!'
Saki couldn't help but look toward where the voice came from. Seeing it was Ho Fei-yu, her wavering heart immediately became firm.
"Correct, Saki Yoshida, you may sit down. Don't let your mind wander next time."
Then, Runa Himuro's voice spoke.
"Mhm."
Hearing this, Saki happily nodded, her apprehensive mood replaced by joy.
'Fei-yu-kun really didn't lie to me.'
The girl sat down, opening her tightly clasped hands, which were damp with sweat. Saki took a tissue from her desk to wipe her hands clean, then raised her eyes and looked at Ho Fei-yu with deep gratitude.
After about half a minute, Saki quickly looked away and toward the blackboard. Having been caught once, getting caught again would be huge trouble. It was better to pay attention.
But less than four or five minutes later, Saki's gaze involuntarily drifted back to Ho Fei-yu. This time, it wasn't that she didn't want to pay attention, but that she couldn't understand anything. She had only zoned out for a moment, and the lesson had completely turned into something incomprehensible.
The reason my math is bad is simply because I bent down to pick up a pen during one math class. It really wasn't a joke. Saki thought it was an exaggerated anecdote, but she hadn't expected it to actually happen to her. She decided to give up. At worst... at worst, she would find a time to ask for help...
"..."
"How annoying! Why are we the ones doing this boring work again? And didn't we do it yesterday too?! It should be someone else's turn today!"
"I'm angry! So angry! This is infuriating!"
"Nurse Kurokawa, please be sensible. Don't kick the equipment in the ambulance. If you're held responsible, you'll have to pay for the damage yourself."
Listening to the impatient complaints from Nurse Kurokawa beside her, Nurse Tachibana drove expressionlessly, offering no response. It wasn't until Nurse Kurokawa's foot slammed against the front of the ambulance with a "bang, bang" that Nurse Tachibana finally spoke, her eyes cold and emotionless.
"Tch— It was better being with that Hiramatsu guy."
Nurse Kurokawa's foot, which was about to kick the dashboard again, paused. Despite the extreme annoyance on her sullen face, she obediently put her leg down, but still retorted.
Nurse Tachibana didn't retaliate to Nurse Kurokawa's provocation, still concentrating on driving, her face showing no expression other than coldness, as if she only had one expression eternally.
"We're finally here. Let me see where the injured unlucky people are."
As soon as the ambulance stopped, Nurse Kurokawa impatiently opened the door and jumped out.
"Wha... What's going on? Didn't they say there was only one person?"
Nurse Kurokawa's red eyes swept over the school gate and finally stopped not far away. Her previously gloomy and listless expression turned to shock. She stared in disbelief at the group of people lying on the ground in disarray like trash.
"Looks like a gang fight."
Nurse Tachibana walked up to Nurse Kurokawa's side and looked at the scene coldly, not as surprised as Kurokawa.
"Doesn't this just increase our workload!? How annoying."
Nurse Kurokawa's expression returned to normal after hearing Nurse Tachibana's explanation, but her tone was no longer as aggressive as it had been when addressing Tachibana earlier.
"Call for backup. Ask headquarters to send a few more vehicles."
Nurse Tachibana said calmly. After speaking, she walked towards the pile of people, leaving Nurse Kurokawa isolated in place.
Stepping over the first few figures, Nurse Tachibana slowly walked to the area with the most fallen people. Here, they formed a strange circle around a central point, seemingly indicating they were surrounding one or two individuals. It appeared to be different from her initial guess of a gang fight.
'Could one person have done this to all of them...'
As a nurse, she could tell that, apart from one or two, everyone else had broken limbs, and their injuries were all in roughly the same place, as if they were caused by the same person. Suddenly, a bold idea popped into Nurse Tachibana's mind.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk~ The fighting among the Gokudō is brutal. Almost everyone has broken limbs and is unconscious."
Just as Nurse Tachibana was contemplating, Nurse Kurokawa, who had finished calling for backup, walked up beside her and joked, her tone reverting to her initial manner.
"Perhaps."
Nurse Tachibana was already used to Kurokawa's subtle changes and gave a perfunctory reply. She didn't voice her speculation.
"Ugh~ What's that smell? It's awful! Like an elderly person who can't control their bowels."
Since she was waiting anyway, Nurse Kurokawa restlessly walked around, occasionally kicking the unconscious people to check if they were dead. She was about to walk up to a boy who looked like a student when a sudden stench hit her nostrils, making Nurse Kurokawa gag and complain.
"Eh!? This person has been... crushed! Hahaha~ Who has such a twisted sense of humor?"
Suppressing her disgust, Nurse Kurokawa pinched her nose and stepped forward to observe. She saw dried bloodstains on the crotch of the pants of the person lying down, and there was also yellow and white matter on his buttocks. It was too gross, so she quickly looked away, then covered her belly with one hand and burst into laughter.
Nurse Tachibana walked over upon hearing the noise, calmly looking down at the person, her expression unfazed.
"We'll take him back first. He has the most severe injuries here."
"Do we really have to be in the same car as him? He smells disgusting. Why don't we let Hiramatsu handle it?"
Nurse Kurokawa frowned, not concealing her aversion in her words, completely unlike a nurse dedicated to saving lives.
Nurse Tachibana didn't say anything, but turned and walked towards the ambulance.
"Playing cool."
Nurse Kurokawa scoffed disdainfully when she saw Nurse Tachibana walking away.
In the end, Nurse Kurokawa still obediently helped Nurse Tachibana lift Hayato onto the ambulance.
"It's a good thing we brought masks. This is much better."
Both Nurse Kurokawa and Nurse Tachibana were wearing masks similar to gas masks.
The ambulance slowly drove away from the school gate. Nurse Tachibana looked at the receding sight of Kōdō Academy through the rearview mirror. A feeling inexplicably arose in her heart: this definitely wasn't the second time she had been here.