Chapter 19: Classroom Dynamics

“Report.”

“Do you know class has already started… Huh? Liu Ya?”

Teacher Liu looked at Liu Ya at the door in confusion. Liu Ya gave a helpless, wry smile.

“Why are you so late?”

“Um, there was something with the student council…”

“Alright, come in. Let it be the last time.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Seeing Liu Ya enter, Yaqi timidly poked her head out from the doorframe, panting heavily.

“R… Report…”

“Hm?”

Yaqi moved to the door and stood properly, her hands restrained in front of her.

“Tang Yaqi?”

“I…”

Watching Yaqi gasping for breath, Liu Ya helped explain:

“Oh, Teacher. She was with me in the student council, so we’re late.”

“I see. Alright, you can come in.”

“Okay. Thank you, Teacher.”

Yaqi sighed in relief and carefully entered. Just as she passed the podium, the teacher stopped her, reached out, and pinched her chin, turning her face to look her over.

“Hey! Wh… what is it, Teacher?”

“Yaqi… Did you put on makeup? Our school prohibits makeup.”

“Huh? No, no…” Yaqi shook her head repeatedly.

“Really?”

“Really, Teacher.”

The teacher looked her over again, still a bit doubtful. She leaned back a little and noticed Yaqi’s messy bangs, unable to stop a smile.

“Hmph. Alright. Go to your seat.”

“Oh… okay.”

Liu Ya waited in the aisle. Seeing nothing wrong, she went ahead first, but Yaqi felt like all the classmates’ eyes were on her.

In just a few short steps, Yaqi’s head drooped lower and her face reddened. She stole a few glances and found everyone really staring at her, so she quickened her pace and sat down in her seat.

“Alright, alright. Pack up and switch seats quickly! After that, class representatives, remember to collect the homework!”

“Okay!”

Seeing the teacher turn to the podium, Yaqi immediately collapsed onto the desk, taking deep breaths. She leaned close to Liu Ya and whispered in a slightly spoiled tone:

“Haa… so tired…”

“Oh~ Your stamina is really bad. Running to the west building once and you’re done?” Liu Ya teased disdainfully.

“Ugh…”

“And if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost track of time. You should really thank me.”

“Mm… Fine! Thank you, thank you. Hehe~”

“Hmph.”

Liu Ya pretended to be calm, but inside she was already overjoyed. That cute, innocent face eventually made the corners of her mouth involuntarily curl up.

At this point, Liu Ya understood the teacher’s confusion. Yaqi was already very fair, and rushing upstairs had turned her cheeks a rosy pink, like she had applied powder. Her lips had become redder and glossier. Just looking at her face, one would indeed think she was wearing makeup. If Liu Ya hadn’t been with her, she might have doubted it too.

Others were busily switching seats, while Yaqi and Liu Ya sat quietly in their places, enduring gazes from all directions.

Liu Ya looked completely at ease, even a little smug. In contrast, Yaqi was like a student who had secretly done something wrong, gradually blushing with shame.

“What? Wasn’t it you who wanted to sit with me? Why are you blushing?” Liu Ya teased from the side.

“I do want to… but everyone keeps looking at us… This isn’t good in the end… Maybe we should forget it…”

As she spoke, Yaqi started to stand up. Liu Ya sensed something amiss and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back down.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? I thought maybe I should tell the teacher not to do this. It feels bad being singled out…”

“Wh… what’s bad about it? I used to sit alone before! Besides, you just asked me to agree, and now you’re backing out? What’s that supposed to mean? Are you playing me?”

“Ah, no… But I heard about the situation with your deskmate. Wasn’t there a reason? Everyone agreed?”

“Wh… what agreement? They agreed among themselves. What does it have to do with me? It wasn’t my idea…”

“Re… really?”

Hearing this, Yaqi’s unease gradually turned into brightness. Her legs swung gently under the desk.

“Then… is it okay?”

“What’s not okay? Besides, having you as my deskmate makes it easier to boss you around.”

“Uh…”

The scraping and bumping of desks moving masked their conversation well. No one heard what was said. But to some, the usually dazzling Liu Ya was now accompanied by a sneaky, smirking fox spirit with ill intentions.

“Teacher! Does the new student not need to change seats?”

A girl in the front row put down her chair and asked loudly. She turned back to look at Yaqi with contempt. Others stopped moving and watched curiously.

“Hm? Oh, Tang Yaqi just transferred here. She’s not familiar with the school.”

“Liu Ya is also the class monitor. Let Liu Ya first help her get acquainted and also assist with studies to catch up.”

“Is there a problem?”

“… Oh, nothing.”

The girl responded softly, bit her lip in frustration, cast a disdainful glance at Yaqi, and resumed moving her desk.

Although the teacher’s reasons were sufficient and sound, Yaqi still bowed her head in shame. Liu Ya watched silently, a smile on her face, but it gradually stiffened. She stared coldly at the girl who had just questioned.

‘Who was that? I don’t remember her. Is she in my class?’

‘And she stared at Sister Qiqi? What’s there to stare at! It’s really irritating. She nearly ruined everything! Next time I collect her homework, I’ll give her special attention!’

‘But… come to think of it. Having someone like her around… might… not be entirely bad?’

Liu Ya thought, turned to look at Yaqi, a triumphant smile appearing. She leaned back and let out a relieved sigh.

‘That’s right! As long as I control things and don’t cause a situation like Gong Yu’s level, it’ll be beneficial to me! Hehe!’

Seats were arranged, and the class representatives collected the homework. Yaqi looked at the stack of papers she had handed in, feeling a great sense of pride.

The teacher scanned the classroom, confirmed everything was in order, and clapped.

“All seats are changed. Let’s start the lesson now.”

During class:

“Hey, Liu Ya, how do you solve this problem?”

“Which one? Oh, first use this formula, then…”

“Hey, Liu Ya, this.”

“Like this…”

“Liu Ya?”

“…”

“Hey~”

“…”

In math class, Yaqi curled up beside Liu Ya’s arm like a machine gun, bombarding her nonstop. Liu Ya’s originally smug smile gradually twisted. She glanced at Yaqi in disgust, tore off a corner of her notebook, and wrote on a small piece of paper.

After writing, she threw it in front of Yaqi.

[Pay attention in class!!]

“Uh…”

Yaqi held the piece of paper with both hands and looked at her pitifully. But seeing Liu Ya completely unresponsive, she let out a aggrieved whimper and silently turned back, picking up her pen to write. After finishing, she carefully pushed the paper in front of Liu Ya.

[I can’t understand…]

Liu Ya turned and looked. Yaqi stared at her with wide, blank eyes like a little rabbit. In an instant, a wave of helplessness and speechlessness washed over her.

She sighed, picked up her pen, and continued writing on the small paper. The two carried on their secret conversation.

[Isn’t this the very problem being explained now?]

[But where did this √(4xy) come from?]

[It came from the previous step!!]

[What was the previous step…]

[… Just sleep, okay?]

Yaqi looked at Liu Ya, then at the blackboard. Finally, she slumped onto the desk, burying her head in her arms, twisting and groaning softly.

Listening to the soft whines beside her, Liu Ya felt a throbbing pain in her trigeminal nerve.

‘Oh my god… Is this Sister Qiqi? Was she always this dumb? Even though she hasn’t learned it, it shouldn’t be this bad. When I skipped grades to junior high, I wasn’t like this…’

‘Class is almost over… She didn’t hear anything. And she used to explain problems to me? Has all her IQ turned into fat in her chest over the years?’

While Liu Ya was complaining to herself, Yaqi quietly sat up, picked up her pen, and wrote something. She pushed the paper to Liu Ya.

[But, this feels really good~ (≧▽≦)]

Liu Ya stared at the emoticon on the paper, frowned in confusion, and continued writing.

[What do you mean?]

[This kind of thing right now!]

[You mean causing me trouble? (ー`′ー)]

[No, no~ (。´▽`。)ノ I’ve always wanted to go to school together with you!]

[Oh. Really?]

[Definitely! Right now sneaking notes like this, even though it’s not good… But I’m super happy! So excited! Hehe (*^▽^*)]

[Heh =_= Then mark the problems you don’t understand, and I’ll teach you when we get home tonight.]

[Hehe, okay (≧▽≦)ノ]

Yaqi smiled happily at Liu Ya. That sweet smile made Liu Ya momentarily at a loss. She averted her gaze, shoved Yaqi’s face back toward the blackboard, and tapped the book in front of her.

“Hehe, okay~” Yaqi giggled softly.

Liu Ya silently picked up the small paper, folded it carefully, and put it in her pencil case.

“Alright, class ends here. You’re dismissed.”

“Okay…”

After the teacher left, Liu Ya nudged Yaqi, who was still taking notes.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Oh, okay.”

Yaqi leaned forward slightly to let her out. Seeing Liu Ya leave, a few girls in the front row huddled together and whispered. Then two of them stood up and approached Yaqi.

“Hello?”

One of the girls lightly tapped Yaqi’s shoulder.

“Oh, hi, hi! What’s up?”

Yaqi looked up with a bright smile. The two girls were instantly captivated by her warm, spring-like smile, mouths slightly open, stunned. It wasn’t until the book in their hands nearly slipped that they remembered their purpose.

“Oh, oh! It’s just… we saw you’re close with Liu Ya…”

“Yeah… yeah. We’ve known each other since childhood, but we haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

“Oh, I see…”

With that, the girl pulled out the textbook she had hidden behind her and handed it to Yaqi.

“Could you… ask Liu Ya about this problem for me? I really couldn’t understand in class…”

“Hey! Me too, me too… I don’t get this problem either.”

The other girl quickly took out her textbook and chimed in.

Yaqi looked at the problem they pointed to and found they were the same ones she had asked earlier. She felt much more relaxed.

‘What~ So I’m not the only one who didn’t understand. I mean, after all, I used to be top of the school, so it’s not that I’m totally hopeless.’

‘But wait… That means everyone doesn’t understand, only Liu Ya does? Huh…’

“C… can you?” the two asked timidly when Yaqi didn’t respond.

“Huh? Ah, no problem!”

“Great! Thank you!”

“It’s nothing~ But why don’t you just ask her directly?”

“Well…”

The two looked at each other, smiled awkwardly, and blushed.

“Liu Ya is just too good at studying… Asking her directly feels so pressuring…”

“Yeah, and problems of this level are embarrassing to ask… Of course, they’re definitely no challenge for Liu Ya…”

The two lowered their heads shyly. Yaqi understood their plight.

‘Ah… It’s true! Liu Ya is so capable. Everyone probably doesn’t want to appear useless in front of her. Popular people always carry invisible pressure…’

‘Wait… Then me asking all the time… Oh well, I’ll just be shameless. It’s not like I can be more embarrassed since I’m already in debt to Liu Ya…’

“Yeah, I get it!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Hehe, actually I couldn’t understand in class either. I kept asking her! Now that I think about it, it’s a bit embarrassing…”

“See, see! It’s normal not to understand! The pace is too fast; how can anyone keep up?”

“Exactly!”

The two girls found an ally and immediately opened up, chatting with Yaqi.

“By the way, what are your names?”

“I’m Yang Xue.”

“Yu Jiajia.”

“You’re Tang Yaqi, right?”

“Yeah. Actually, I took notes on all the problems I asked. Do you want to see?”

“Yes! Yes!”

As soon as Yaqi handed out her notebook, the two quickly crowded around. The others who had been observing from afar saw it was safe and also gathered around.

“Hey, hey… Can I take a look?”

“Me too!”

“Haha… Sure, sure. As long as you don’t mind.”

Yang Xue immediately said:

“Oh, who would mind! Yaqi, you’re my bestie, hehe!”

“Exactly! Wow, and your handwriting is so beautiful, and the notes are very clear. Thank you so much!”

“Really…”

“It looks a bit like Liu Ya’s handwriting…”

“Amazing… Did you learn that?”

“Ah… I wish I had that skill too…”

The crowd surrounded Yaqi, praising her like a little princess. Her face turned red, and she hunched her shoulders, hands between her legs, swaying and laughing shyly.

“Hmph! What’s the use of good handwriting if you can’t even understand the lesson?”

A stern question shattered the harmonious atmosphere. The classroom instantly fell silent.

Everyone’s faces looked unhappy, but no one said anything. Yang Xue bit her lip and glanced aside resentfully.

Yaqi followed the voice through the gaps in the crowd and saw it was the girl who had questioned the seating arrangement in the morning.

The girl stared viciously at Yaqi, her eyes full of contempt and disdain.

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