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Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: The Designated Squad Leader?

"Akira Miyamura really scared me just now… Isn't he afraid his parents will get called in?"

In the bottom-right corner of the classroom, three or four girls were gathered, whispering among themselves. One of them, a purple-haired girl with a high ponytail, patted her chest, still recovering from the tense scene earlier.

"Heh heh…" Kawai Miki, sitting in front of her, turned around and joined in with a mysterious smile. "Don't you know?"

"Is something going on with him?"

"What is it? Come on, Miki, don't keep us guessing!" two of the girls leaned in excitedly.

Kawai Miki smirked and said coyly, "I could tell you… but you know the Class Monitor vote is coming up, right?"

"No problem!" ×4

To them, the vote wasn't a big deal. Being Class Monitor was a thankless job anyway. Even Ueno Naoka, sitting next to Miki, looked intrigued.

Kawai Miki cleared her throat dramatically and lowered her voice, acting like she was revealing a huge secret.

"According to my investigation... (hundreds of words omitted)… every time Akira Miyamura's parents are called in, it's because he was standing up for Nishimiya Shouko. He gets into fights with anyone who bullies her."

"Seriously?!"

"Kawai, are you pulling our leg? I've been in the same class as Nogami—he's second in the whole grade and looks like a total bookworm. Are you saying Akira Miyamura doesn't even pay attention in class, gets perfect scores, and fights to protect a girl?"

"Yeah, what is this—some kind of anime protagonist?"

Miki crossed her arms in frustration. "Why would I lie? What's in it for me? I spent so long investigating this stuff—okay, gossiping—and this is what I found out!"

Still unsatisfied by their disbelief, she added, "It's only the start of the school year. You'll see for yourselves soon enough whether I was lying."

"…Miki, I'm curious. Why were you investigating him in the first place?"

Naoka suddenly asked with a teasing smirk.

Kawai Miki flinched at the question and avoided her gaze. Under the pressure of their stares, she finally blurted out in a mix of defense and embarrassment:

"Of course it was to figure out how he studies! I was asking students from his old class about his study methods, and just happened to hear all this other stuff!"

After speaking, she stole a glance at Akira's desk, nervous that he might've overheard and gotten the wrong idea.

Naoka didn't really believe her. She had seen the quick flash of shyness in Miki's eyes—and knowing Miki's past behavior, she wasn't about to let the opportunity to tease her slide. But before she could say more—

"Just leave the books on the floor!"

Takeuchi-sensei's voice rang out from the hallway before he even entered. Most of the students quickly quieted down and sat up straight. Since it was only the first day, no one wanted to find out what made this new teacher angry.

After around ten minutes of distributing textbooks and checking for errors, Takeuchi-sensei got straight to the point.

Standing at the lectern, he raised his voice.

"Alright! You'll have plenty of time to read later. Let's settle the Class Monitor position now."

Several students perked up—Kawai Miki included—but they were immediately stunned by what came next:

"Our Class Monitor will be Akira Miyamura."

Akira blinked. He immediately raised his hand.

"Yes, Miyamura?" Takeuchi-sensei asked, surprised but calm.

Akira stood and replied naturally, "Takeuchi-sensei, I think it'd be better to vote on this. I want to focus on studying this year, so I don't think I'll have time to handle class affairs."

Takeuchi-sensei's lips twitched slightly. Studying? Really?

Still, since he'd spoken up, he didn't push. "Alright. Studying is important. Sit down for now."

After Akira sat back down, Takeuchi-sensei continued, "Those who want to run for Class Monitor, raise your hands and come up to the front. Each of you gets a chance to speak, and then the class will vote."

A few students raised their hands. One by one, they walked to the front and gave speeches—talking about how they'd support classmates, handle responsibilities, and work well with the teachers.

In the end, Kawai Miki won the vote and became Class Monitor.

Akira and Shouko barely paid attention the whole time. Neither of them even voted. Akira simply didn't want the hassle, and Shouko knew she'd struggle to manage others.

Takeuchi-sensei, clearly running low on patience, glanced at the clock.

With just a few minutes left before the noon break, he called out:

"There are still a few minutes left. Stay in your seats and wait for the bell. That's all!"

With that, he promptly left the room—probably desperate for a cigarette.

As he left, Shouko turned toward Akira and murmured softly, "Akira… I get the feeling Takeuchi-sensei isn't really…"

"…reliable," Akira finished her thought with a nod.

He'd already figured that out this morning. Honestly, if this weren't their last year, he might've asked his dad to get them a different homeroom teacher.

Dong… dong… dong…

The bell rang.

"Let's go, Akira," Shouko said with a gentle smile, pulling out her lunch from the desk drawer. "Let's find Miu and the others and eat together."

"Mhm."

As the two left the classroom with their lunch boxes, Ishida Shouya turned to Shimada Ikki.

"Did you see that? He totally ran off to avoid me. He knows I'm planning something and he's scared."

"Heh… Is that so?" Ikki chuckled and covered his mouth with his sleeve. "Then why don't you go to his desk later and tear up one of his textbooks? Show him who's boss."

Ishida puffed out his chest and declared, "Just wait! As soon as I'm done eating, I'll do it!"

"Shouya…" Hirose Keisuke started to speak up.

But Ikki just gave him a calm, warning look. Keisuke closed his mouth, unsure of what to say next.

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POWER STONE!!!

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