The first class in the afternoon was Mr. Xiaoquan's English class, where he was explaining the tedious English past tense.
"Here we examine the usage of 'insist'..."
Dubian Che, whose English skills were quite good in his previous life, was thinking about writing an article while looking at the blackboard.
Whenever he needed to take notes, he wrote two lines on the white paper beneath his English book.
By the end of class, he had written about half of it. He left his seat and approached Mr. Xiaoquan, who was surrounded by many female students.
He waited silently for a while until Mr. Xiaoquan finished answering all the questions and then called out "Dubian" before walking toward the door.
Dubian followed him, and the two headed to the teacher's office.
Young and beautiful, and also patient, Mr. Xiaoquan was very popular, and students greeted him along the way, to which he responded kindly.
Once in the teacher's office, Mr. Xiaoquan sat at his desk, piled with books, and turned slightly to Dubian.
"It's about the club, right?"
Compared to yesterday, Dubian noticed a few more small succulents on his desk.
Perhaps noticing his gaze, Xiaoquan Aonai glanced at the succulents he had picked up on his way that morning.
"Found it?" he asked.
"Yes, it's called the Human Observation Department."
"That one..." Xiaoquan Aonai gave a bitter smile, as if Dubian had done something foolish.
"I don't know, I didn't ask."
Although it was rare for a club's activities to be unclear, Dubian didn't care much since obscure clubs were plentiful and it meant he could leave early.
"You didn't just join because Kiyono looked pretty, did you?"
Faced with his female teacher's accusing look, Dubian nodded, "She is very pretty."
"You know what... never mind. Join a different club; there's no need to join the Human Observation Department."
"Why? Is it not a club?"
"That's not the case." Xiaoquan Aonai smiled, "Kiyono Lin, like you, initially refused to join any club, so the school specifically allowed her to create her own club."
"Teacher, please allow me to create a 'Home Study Club.' I'll bring the workbook to you."
"Don't even think about it."
"Doesn't our school practice democracy?"
"Kiyono Lin's admission scores were the highest in the school; what about you, my dear Dubian?"
"...Third place isn't bad, right?"
"It's not bad." Xiaoquan Aonai nodded appreciatively, admiring Dubian, "But her father is the president of a major company that sponsors our school."
"I'm from a small village, a disadvantaged group; shouldn't I be cared for more? The school didn't waive my fee, but shouldn't I get some special privilege when founding a club?"
"Hahaha, you're a funny student," laughed the English teacher from the next class, joining in without any feminine restraint.
Xiaoquan Aonai glanced at her colleague and best friend, and then showed Dubian a smile that was both kind and merciless, as if to say 'You're old enough to understand the darker side of society.'
"All right. But I still insist on joining the Human Observation Department; I'm really interested in humans."
"What's my full name?" Xiaoquan Aonai leaned in slightly, staring into Dubian's eyes.
Dubian stepped back, "Teacher, that's too close, you smell nice."
"See," Xiaoquan Aonai sat upright, "a person who doesn't even know his English teacher's full name shouldn't claim to be interested in humans."
At that moment, the English teacher from the next class leaned over, resting her body against Xiaoquan Aonai's, and interjected again:
"Student, I could tell you her name if you call me 'sister.'"
"Akiko!" Xiaoquan Aonai straightened her out impatiently.
"Alright, alright, I won't distract you guys." Fujiki Akiko picked up her textbook and stood up, "I'm off to class."
Xiaoquan Aonai raised her pale, slender wrist to check the time on her watch, then realized class was about to start.
"If you insist on joining, then go ahead. But make sure to participate well in the club activities. I'll ask Kiyono," she told Dubian.
Instead of returning to school, Dubian went to the cooking class.
Today was Wednesday, and the last period of the afternoon was the once-a-week home economics class—either cooking or sewing.
The cooking classroom was already full of students from class one and four of the first year.
Dubian teamed up with Kunii Shuichi and two other girls from their class. They were in charge of assisting, while the main tasks were done by the girls.
Dubian was assigned to peel potatoes.
"Does Kunii have a girlfriend?" asked a girl named Yamakuchi Naomi.
"Me?" Kunii Shuichi appeared pleasantly surprised.
With his short hair, average looks, and an often noisy demeanor, he had never been asked this question by a girl.
"Uh-huh~" Naomi nodded cutely.
"No, not yet." At this moment, Kunii Shuichi lost his usual carefree demeanor among boys, appearing very shy.
"Oh, I see. Have you been planning on finding a girlfriend?"
"Ah? Should, should be, I guess."
"Hehe, Kunimi is really interesting," she giggled.
Yamakuchi Naomi then turned to Dubian Che, who was peeling potatoes, and asked, "Mr. Dubian, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Really? So, do you have any plans to find one?"
Before today's math class, Dubian Che would have firmly answered no, but now he hesitated.
"It's not that I must find one, but if I meet someone I like, I would still want her to be my girlfriend," he replied.
Another girl wearing glasses, who had been quiet until now, asked, "So, Mr. Dubian, have you met someone you like?"
"Not at the moment." Dubian finished cutting the peeled potatoes and washed them before placing them on the chopping board.
"Thank you," Yamakuchi Naomi said politely.
Just then, the sound of a stainless steel basin hitting the floor rang out, creating a piercing noise that quieted the entire cooking class.
"Hey, be careful! Didn't you say you could cook when we teamed up?"
"Sorry, Yuzao, I didn't mean to!"
"Stop talking and pick it up!"
A few seconds later, the noise in the cooking class resumed—chopping boards thudding, spatulas clanging against pots, and students arguing over cooking techniques...
"It's Yuzao Haomei from class one," whispered Yamakuchi Naomi in a peculiar tone.
Kunii Shuichi curiously asked, "Yamakuchi, I heard that Yuzao isn't popular among girls?"
"One of my middle school classmates is in class one. She told me that Yuzao Haomei often takes money from boys," the bespectacled girl answered.
"Taking money from boys?" Kunii Shuichi widened his eyes. "How does she do that?"
"How else?" Yamakuchi Naomi's answer hinted at more, leaving plenty of possibilities open.
Kunii Shuichi took a deep breath, finding it incredibly unbelievable. He moved closer to Dubian Che, excitedly saying,
"Real-life queen bee, the first time I've seen one! It's actually real, not just in comics or animation!"
Dubian Che also felt a bit surprised.
It was like back in college when he suddenly heard that a classmate had been a mistress for a socialite.
Knowing such things existed and being ready to accept them was one thing, but it was still genuinely surprising when they happened close by—it just made you exclaim inwardly at the wonder of the world.
Dubian Che glanced at Yuzao Haomei. The same western-style school uniform looked stylish on her, making her a very cute girl.
Just as he was about to bend down and help Kunii Shuichi with the carrots, something suddenly occurred to him.
The last use of the "detector" targeted Yuzao Haomei, who was still scolding a boy in her group.
[Person: Yuzao Haomei]
[Information: Chases fashion; obtains money by agreeing to be someone's girlfriend; looks down on those who are unattractive; despises the poor;]
[Relationship History: 4, explorable]
After tasting the mediocre potato curry, the home economics class was dismissed.
Dubian Che walked back to the classroom with Kunii Shuichi and Saito Keisuke.
"Saito, just now Yamakuchi asked me if I had a girlfriend and if I was looking for one!"
"Of course. If you don't believe me, ask Dubian!"
"Hmm." Dubian Che nodded.
"Looks like your spring is coming, buddy!" Saito Keisuke punched Kunii Shuichi and added, "Remember, whoever gets a girlfriend first has to treat the others to a meal!"
"No problem!" Kunii Shuichi, far from minding the punch, happily accepted the challenge.
Saito Keisuke still found it unbelievable. "Dubian was there, and Yamakuchi actually set her sights on you?"
"Kunii is full of masculinity; it's normal for girls to like him," Dubian Che said.
"Exactly!" Kunii Shuichi kept nodding vigorously.
Although Yamakuchi Naomi didn't like Kunii Shuichi, what Dubian Che said was true.
While Dubian Che was handsome, he was quite thin overall and often embarrassed himself during physical education classes.
On the other hand, Kunii Shuichi was really good at basketball, soccer, and long-distance running. Being a popular member of the baseball club, he looked good in a sports uniform, so it wasn't surprising that some girls liked him.
The three made noise and joked all the way back to class four.
As they passed class one, Dubian Che noticed Yuzao Haomei at the back of the classroom, packing her bag and laughing with a few girls.
He suddenly remembered something.
"What's Mr. Xiaoquan's full name again?"
The other two, who had been plotting how to ask Yamakuchi Naomi for her contact details, quieted down and stared at him with an 'how could you not know that' expression.