Chapter Ten: Reiko Mikami (2/2)

"Teshigawara?"

Liu Mengchao raised an eyebrow, looking at the classmate who had suddenly rushed in. He seemed to be a rather reckless boy, yet quite popular. At least, the others in the class didn't show much annoyance, their faces registering more surprise than anything else.

Leaning back in his chair, Liu Mengchao watched the students enter the classroom one after another.

Twelve people. When he had first entered, there were twelve people in the class. Counting Teshigawara who had just walked in, that made thirteen.

The corners of Liu Mengchao's mouth curled up in a silent smile.

There were twenty-eight sets of desks and chairs in this classroom. It seemed the Proxy named Qingyun had been very considerate of their group's situation, significantly reducing the number of students who should have originally been in the class.

*Cough, cough...*

While Liu Mengchao was still pondering the class size, another person entered the classroom.

"Who is he?"

Liu Mengchao leaned over and asked Teshigawara, who had just sat down next to him.

"Him?" Teshigawara shook his head and said, "That's Daisuke Wakui. We weren't in the same class before, but I heard he's in poor health and has asthma. So he usually skips PE class."

"Asthma?"

Liu Mengchao didn't know much about medical conditions, but judging by the boy's build, he could guess a thing or two.

This Daisuke Wakui looked very thin. His pockets bulged, likely containing fast-acting asthma inhalers or medication. Chronic illnesses like this could be quite troublesome if they flared up and weren't treated immediately.

"What about him?"

Liu Mengchao glanced ahead.

Medium-length hair, a slightly dazed look in his eyes—he looked like a scaled-down version of the otaku Zhao Weijie. Though much thinner, he still had the distinct appearance of a shut-in.

"He seems quite happy," Liu Mengchao pointed discreetly beneath the desk at the boy who had just walked in.

"That's Junta Nakao," Teshigawara replied casually, keeping his head down as he fiddled with his pencil case.

"You don't like him very much," Liu Mengchao said with a smile, seeing right through Teshigawara's thoughts.

"I... don't dislike him," Teshigawara looked up again, glancing at the newly arrived Junta Nakao.

*You're lying.*

Liu Mengchao smiled faintly, staring at Teshigawara without a word.

When people lied, they often mechanically repeated the questioner's words before belatedly coming up with a plausible excuse. For example: "I'm just not very close to him."

"I'm just not very close to him."

"Not very close?" Liu Mengchao repeated Teshigawara's excuse, smiling. "Is it because you both like the same girl?"

The moment Liu Mengchao said this, Teshigawara looked as if he had seen a ghost. He stared at Liu Mengchao, his hands dropping unconsciously as he began to rub his thighs in silence.

"Don't be scared, I was just making a casual guess. But behaving like this is basically a confession, isn't it?" Liu Mengchao smiled as he leaned down to pick up the ballpoint pen Teshigawara had dropped.

*Click.*

He placed the pen back on Teshigawara's desk, his voice soft and slow.

"When a person is nervous, they like to rub their hands or legs to seek psychological comfort. That's a little secret for you—don't go telling anyone else."

"Okay..." Teshigawara felt a cold sweat break out across his back, slowly and uncontrollably seeping from his pores drop by drop.

*Thud!*

Just as Teshigawara was caught in his embarrassment, a basketball flew straight in from outside.

With a sharp smack, it struck the dazed Teshigawara square in the face, ricocheting directly toward Liu Mengchao.

Reaching out with one hand—

*Smack!*

Liu Mengchao caught the ball effortlessly.

"Sorry, sorry!" A boy drenched in sweat and wearing a basketball jersey walked in through the back door. "Are you okay, Teshigawara? And you are..."

Liu Mengchao met his gaze and said slowly, "Liu Mengchao."

"Ah, sorry about that! Please don't tell the teacher I was playing basketball in the hallway, or I'm dead meat."

"Don't worry too much. I saw the class rep and Izumi Akazawa still in Ms. Mikami's office, so I don't think anyone will snitch on you."

Another unfamiliar voice echoed from the back door.

Liu Mengchao looked in the direction of the voice.

A pale face, a thin frame—even thinner than the boy with asthma. Although he carried a schoolbag, it was completely deflated, containing pitifully few books.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ikuo Takabayashi." The pale Takabayashi smiled and extended his hand to Liu Mengchao. "The one playing basketball in the hallway just now is Takeru Mizuno. He used to live in Yomiyama South, but this year..."

"This year, because of my sister's job, I transferred here too," the basketball boy, Takeru Mizuno, said openly without the slightest hint of embarrassment. "So actually, just like you Chinese exchange students, I'm a complete newcomer here too!"

"A newcomer?" Liu Mengchao smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm a newcomer too."

*Ring!*

Just as Liu Mengchao finished speaking, the bell rang.

It was an old-fashioned bell, harsh and noisy, but at least it was loud. The students in the classroom sat down one by one.

Even the reincarnators sat down.

Liu Mengchao noticed that apart from the old, unoccupied desk next to him, there were only two extra seats left in the very front row.

"The first class of the new term!" Teshigawara slumped over his desk, saying to Liu Mengchao beside him, "Liu Mengchao, I wonder if it's the same for you Chinese guys—thinking about holidays the moment school starts. That's definitely me right now. I don't want to stay in school for even a second. I just want to go home and play video games to my heart's content."

"On that note, I think everyone in the world feels the same way." Liu Mengchao looked around the classroom; everyone showed varying degrees of annoyance.

In Liu Mengchao's view, this annoyance stemmed from many reasons—reluctance to let go of spring break, and dissatisfaction with their new class.

After all, who would want to stay in a class rumored to have so many deaths every year?

Liu Mengchao smiled.

Sometimes, human emotions were like a magnetic field, quietly interfering with others' thoughts. Perhaps the people around you said nothing, but a single glance or even an impatient yawn could affect your mood, pulling you into the same atmosphere.

Perhaps to dive into an ocean of joy with them, or to plunge into the despair of death together.

*Clack, clack...*

The sound of high heels approached from a distance.

Red hair tied into two long twin-tails, a slightly haughty expression on her face—though to Liu Mengchao, she looked like she was trying too hard, forcing herself to appear strong.

*A girl who loves to put on a brave front.*

Just as Liu Mengchao made this assessment, Teshigawara's big mouth next to him blurted out the girl's name.

"It's Izumi Akazawa. Eh, is that Yukari behind her?! Why did they come in together?"

"Izumi Akazawa—she's the one you like, isn't she?" Liu Mengchao turned to Teshigawara.

Teshigawara froze instantly. He wanted to move but didn't dare to, nor did he dare to answer Liu Mengchao casually, fearing that another offhand remark from Liu Mengchao would expose the deepest secrets of his heart.

Fortunately, someone saved him.

It was the sound of high heels.

*Clack, clack, clack...* echoing from outside the door.

From Liu Mengchao's vantage point, the newcomer wore a black pantsuit paired with a beige shirt. She had a slender figure and a delicate face.

Her fair, youthful complexion belonged to a woman at her most beautiful age—neither naive like a high school girl nor showing the maturity and cunning of a woman who had spent years navigating society.

Her long, straight hair fell over her chest, occasionally fluttering gently in the breeze blowing from the hallway.

"Hello, everyone."

With the clicking of her heels on the floor, the newcomer walked to the center of the podium with a smile.

"I am Reiko Mikami, the homeroom teacher for Class 3-3 this year."

*Not bad.*

Liu Mengchao made a silent judgment, but his brow suddenly furrowed.

Because the prize pool in front of him had suddenly surged.

Which idiot was it...?

Squinting his eyes, Liu Mengchao quickly scanned the classroom for his target, finally stopping on a fat boy.

Zhao Weijie.

The otaku's body was shaking uncontrollably. As if feeling Liu Mengchao's gaze, he turned his head tremblingly, offering Liu Mengchao a smile that looked worse than crying.

"The weather is lovely today," Reiko Mikami said with a smile to the class from the podium. "It's a great day for studying. The sky is perfectly clear, just like our moods right now!"

Following her words, the students looked out the window. Sure enough, vast sheets of sunlight poured down from the sky.

It was as beautiful a day as anyone could ask for.

*Boom!*

A sudden, deafening roar echoed as a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky.

Before Liu Mengchao could even turn his head back, he realized the weather outside had changed.

Rain was pattering down.

It was as if someone were weeping.

Weeping at a funeral.

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Author's Note:

Someone in the review section keeps dropping spoilers, don't they?

I definitely won't reveal the answer... probably... yes! Also, I've uploaded a picture of Ms. Reiko Mikami. It should be there. She's really beautiful, I really like her.

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