CHAPTER 28: STUDY GROUP [2]

Chapter 28: Study Group [2]

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The dorm room was filled with the dim glow of night lights as Arios lay anxiously on his bed. Elisa had said she would post the study group list, and he held his tablet, waiting for a notification from the class’s messaging group. He was anticipating who he would be paired with, but with his knowledge of the anime, he just couldn’t piece together who was in Arios Pureheart’s group.

’Good night everyone,’ read the last message in the group. Arios knew from the anime that Elisa wouldn’t post the list in the online group; she would announce it in front of the class the next day. Still, a flicker of hope remained—that she would keep her word and post it.

Who could that be? Arios reacted as his tablet suddenly rang. With a flick of his hand, he grabbed it. The caller ID read: Liza.

"Hey," Arios said, answering the call.

"Just ’hey’? Not even a ’how have you been?’" Liza replied.

"My bad," Arios said. "I thought it was the norm to start a phone call with a greeting."

"Yeah..." she said, gesturing with her hair. "But who gives a damn about norms?"

"So why the sudden call?" Arios asked. "It’s a little late, don’t you think?"

"What do you mean, ’late’?" she said, quickly sitting up in bed. "We haven’t talked since yesterday. I just couldn’t stop thinking about the pool."

She paused, her voice softening. "I really need to be around you. It just feels like you’re ignoring me, that I’m just a girl you can easily use and toss away."

"I’m sorry if it seems like I’ve been ignoring you," Arios said. "I’ve just been a little less free lately."

"I understand," Liza said, nodding. "The test is right around the corner, and everyone’s been panicking. Even Elisa seems worried."

Her tone shifted again. "That got me thinking. I saw you talking to Sophie at the school corner yesterday. I hope there’s nothing going on."

"You don’t need to worry," Arios said. "She’s not interested in me. She just wanted to know if I had Kyousuke’s number, and I don’t."

"Oh, Kyousuke," she remarked. "I was actually a little fond of him. The way he looks all mysterious, only talking with Elisa—he feels like a puzzle worth solving, and when cracked, you’ll get maximum satisfaction."

"I’m logging off now," Arios said. "I’ll see you at school tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

Arios hung up the phone, clenched his fist, and stared at the ceiling. Fucking Kyousuke, he thought. I won’t just sit by and let you get everything you want. It’s time for you to face some real opposition.

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The next morning arrived rather quickly, and the academy grounds were bustling with students heading to their classes. Some still lingered in the hallways, enjoying a few moments with friends before morning classes began.

Class 1-D was no different. Elisa stood at the front, ready to announce the study groups, but she couldn’t help but feel rather annoyed by how unserious the class truly was. It was already past 7:30 a.m., and fewer than thirty students were seated.

"Just start already," one student said. "We can’t let the others hold us back."

"That’s flawed thinking," another student said, adjusting his glasses. "Don’t you remember anything, you simpleton? Our goal of reaching Class A is a collective effort, not an individual one."

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me," he replied. "Simpleton is a rather generous word. I would prefer something more akin to an imbecile."

BASH!

"That’s it!" the first student roared, shoving his desk aside and preparing to confront the one who insulted him. "I’ve had it with all you know-it-alls! Always thinking you’re better than everyone"

"Maybe we are," he said. "At least compared to people like you."

"That’s enough," Elisa said, trying to calm the situation.

"I’m leaving," the student said, grabbing his bag from the back of his chair.

"That’s right, run away like the coward you are," the other student taunted.

"Don’t you think you’re going too far?" Javier asked, turning to face him.

"I believe I’m well within my limits," he replied.

"Then freaking adjust them!" another student chimed in.

As the argument continued, more students entered the classroom, one by one. Some lowered their heads, embarrassed for being so late for a discussion about an important class matter.

Arios looked around, analyzing the class size. It had reached a reasonable number of attendees. That should be enough, he thought.

"Alright, almost everyone is here," Elisa said, her voice cutting through the noise. "I’ll start by distributing the placement test sheets."

Elisa moved with purpose, her expression unchanging as she began to distribute the papers. She handed the first stack to Javier, who started passing them out from the front row. A tense silence hung in the air, quickly replaced by a low rumble of reactions as students looked at their scores.

"I got a 70!" someone whispered excitedly.

"Only 45? Are you kidding me?" a girl groaned, clutching her paper.

"I got an 80! Not bad," a boy said, a smirk spreading across his face.

Liza Garnet, a bright smile on her face, turned to her friend. "I got an 81! I was so worried I wouldn’t make the cut." Her friend, who received a 58, just sighed and responded with: "That’s really nice to hear."

As the distribution continued, a student named Nathan raised his hand, a look of smug confidence on his face. "Elisa, if you don’t mind me asking, what did you get?" he asked, subtly holding up his own paper for a few people to see. "I got a 91, so I’m just curious if you’re really cut out for this."

Elisa just looked at him, her gaze as sharp as ever. She didn’t have to say a word; the silence that followed was enough to make Nathan shrink slightly. "My score is 97," she replied, her voice flat and devoid of emotion. Nathan’s face quickly paled, and he quickly sat down, tucking his paper away.

A few rows over, Sophie turned to Kyousuke, who sat beside her. "What did you get?" she asked, her voice soft.

"A 63," he replied, his expression as unreadable as ever. Sophie’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. She had expected him to have a much higher score.

Meanwhile, Javier reached Arios’s row and handed him his sheet. Arios’s heart was surprisingly calm as he took the paper. He knew the original Arios Pureheart was a below-average student, but he was nothing like the original. In his past life, Arios was what most would call a nerd, regularly coming out as either valedictorian or salutatorian during his time at school.

He turned over the test booklet and looked at his score, a smirk on his face. He fully expected to be a tutor, not a tutee.

It was 53.

What the literal hell? he thought, his mind racing. This was not the score he had expected, not the one that would place him firmly in the safe zone. He didn’t study, he didn’t need to, he was surely brilliant. Why was his score this low?

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[A/N]: Your support would be gladly appreciated. Thanks for reading once again.