Chapter 338: Start of the School Term |
After dinner, since Hoshino Rin had taken some freshly baked cookies to greet the neighbors, Hoshino Gen was left with the rare task of handling the post-meal dishwashing.
Of course, calling it a task was an overstatement. In reality, he just tossed the plates and bowls into the dishwasher.
He thought she was just dropping off a housewarming gift and would be back in a few minutes. However, by the time Hoshino Gen had taken a shower and spent a good chunk of time playing games in the living room, Hoshino Rin finally pushed open the front door and returned.
"What a coincidence, brother! The Takanashi family next door has a super cute girl, and she said she'll be attending Segawa Private Academy this new semester!"
"Oh." Sitting on the living room sofa, Hoshino Gen gripped his controller, navigating his on-screen character as he explored the labyrinth zone of a new map. It was hard to tell if he had even heard her properly as he gave a perfunctory response.
Hoshino Rin continued while walking toward the sofa. "Didn't four first-year students leave last semester? And all four of them were from your Class 1-A. So if there's a transfer student, there's a super high chance they'll be placed in Class 1-A."
"Oh." Hoshino Gen's gaze remained detached, his tone entirely perfunctory.
But Hoshino Rin did not mind in the slightest. She scooped up Tamamo-no-Mae, who had been leaning against Hoshino Gen's shoulder with her knees pulled up as she played on her mobile phone, and hugged the girl into her own arms before sitting down beside her brother. "She really is a super cute girl!"
"Mm." Hoshino Gen guided his character into a safe house within the labyrinth zone, then seamlessly shut off the game and the television before standing up. "I'm going to sleep. Remember to rest early too." Saying so, he had already stepped onto the stairs leading to his second-floor bedroom.
"Nope, I was waiting to take one with Rin-chan," Tamamo-no-Mae replied, staring fixedly at the phone screen without even lifting her head.
"..." Hoshino Rin fell into a speechless silence. Whether it was the older one or the younger one, apart from herself, everyone in this house had become hopelessly addicted to electronic devices. She couldn't do anything about her brother, but as for this little girl...
Hoshino Rin pinched Tamamo-no-Mae's tender little cheek with mock ferocity. "Were you really waiting for me, or were you just too lazy to do anything else because you're addicted to playing on your phone?"
"..." The TV drama playing on the phone seemed to have reached a thrilling climax. The little girl watched with her mouth slightly parted, completely forgetting to answer Hoshino Rin.
Seeing this, Hoshino Rin feigned immediate outrage. Raising both hands, she swiftly began tickling Tamamo-no-Mae's slender, soft waist. The little girl instantly broke into uncontrollable giggles, losing her grip on the phone as it tumbled to the side. "Help! Hahaha... I won't do it again, spare me, hahaha...!"
Hoshino Rin carried Tamamo-no-Mae upstairs as well. Under the control of the smart home system, the lights on the first floor promptly went out...
...
The following day, summer vacation ended, and the new school term arrived.
Because the new drama Hoshino Rin had accepted was also starting production today, she would not be going to school, as was customary for her. When Hoshino Gen put on his school uniform for the first time in a while and headed out, Hoshino Rin also took Tamamo-no-Mae and boarded the agency's private car to head to work.
The distance from their new home to the school was roughly the same as their old apartment. Hoshino Gen took a leisurely stroll for about ten minutes before arriving at the campus.
The start of the term after summer vacation was not quite as bustling as the beginning of a new school year after spring break with its influx of freshmen. However, for adolescents already in the most energetic phase of their lives, the pent-up vigor accumulated over the summer, combined with the chemical reaction of reuniting with familiar peers, took their boundless energy to an entirely new level.
The campus, which had been silent throughout the summer vacation, was once again surging with a crowd. The tumultuous uproar and roaring commotion seemed ready to flip the school building upside down.
Hoshino Gen was relatively late. By the time he entered the classroom, aside from the one student who had died last semester and the three who had transferred out, nearly everyone else had arrived.
The level of noise in the classroom rivaled that of the outer courtyard. Having evolved over the entirety of the previous semester, the various cliques within the class had long since fully formed.
Logically speaking, the topics of conversation among different cliques should have varied. After all, birds of a feather flock together; the top students had their own circle, the slackers had theirs, and then there were the fashionista circles, the delinquent cliques, and so on.
Today, however, regardless of the clique, the conversations were largely identical, revolving entirely around one central theme: their summer vacation.
In the past, ever since the school murder incident, the atmosphere in the classroom would usually go dead silent for a moment whenever Hoshino Gen walked in, as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over everyone.
But whether it was because too much time had passed, or because the "temperature" of the classroom's atmosphere today was no longer something that "cold water" could cool down, his arrival failed to cause even the slightest ripple until he returned to his seat.
Though, inevitably, there were still many gazes cast his way, both overtly and covertly.
Though, inevitably, there were still many gazes cast his way, both overtly and covertly.
Before long, the class bell rang, and homeroom teacher Fujiwara Risa stepped into the classroom amidst the uproar.
However, the noise in the classroom did not diminish much. Instead, quite a few students smilingly called out greetings to Fujiwara Risa.
As a homeroom teacher, Fujiwara Risa was very responsible, but she was also incredibly approachable in her daily interactions with the students. She didn't get angry when they were rowdy, and when someone greeted her, she would reply with a radiant smile, "Long time no see."
Only after she stepped up to the podium did she finally clap her hands twice. "Everyone, quiet down!"
Because she got along so well with the students on a normal basis, she didn't need to assert heavy authority; most of the class was perfectly willing to give Fujiwara Risa face.
Sure enough, the classroom became much quieter. The few students who were still whispering and chatting loudly noticed the overall shift in the environment and felt too embarrassed to make any more noise.
Seeing this, Fujiwara Risa nodded in satisfaction and smiled. "I know that after enjoying a happy summer vacation, it's hard to get your minds back into study mode the moment you return to school. I completely understand how you all feel—"
"But!"
An overly energetic student in the audience interjected. Fujiwara Risa shot the student a look of helpless resignation and said, "There is indeed a 'but'..."
The class erupted into laughter, but Fujiwara Risa's next sentence wiped the smiles right off their faces: "But this afternoon, we will be holding an initial placement exam to help you all refocus."
The laughter quickly morphed into wails of despair. Even though everyone knew that Segawa Private Academy—a school hyper-focused on college acceptance rates and deviation values—had a long-standing tradition of holding exams at the start of the term, no one expected them to test everyone on the very first day. This was simply too inhumane!
In response to her students' complaints, Fujiwara Risa merely threw her hands up in helplessness. "Even if you guys are reluctant, there's nothing I can do. This is the school's arrangement..."
The complaints and wailing grew even louder.
Fujiwara Risa clapped her hands with a laugh. "Alright, alright, now let me tell you some good news."
The classroom fell silent once more.
"Please come in, Takanashi-san," Fujiwara Risa called out toward the closed classroom door.
The door slid open, and a delicate figure stepped inside expressionlessly. Though she wore the high school uniform of Segawa Private Academy, her petite stature and youthful appearance made her look more like a junior high school student who had just graduated from primary school.