Chapter 203: The Diagnostic Test!
"Then why are you walking like you twisted your ankle?" Onodera Kayano asked in confusion.
Kikyo rubbed her waist and answered somewhat awkwardly, "Didn't Yuto say yesterday that we were having the diagnostic test today? I stayed in my dorm studying really hard last night."
"I overdid it a little... and didn't sleep very well, so that's why I'm walking strangely."
"I see."
"Mm. That's exactly what happened."
Kikyo answered with an extremely serious expression.
Kikyo studying hard in her dorm last night... wasn't exactly a lie.
Learning intimate exercise postures between a married couple with Yuto could also be considered studying, after all.
After fooling Onodera Kayano, Kikyo, whose steps were unsteady, sat down in her seat and immediately lay down on her desk to rest, her full and perky breasts pressing directly against the desk.
If she didn't have to come for the diagnostic test today, Kikyo really wouldn't have wanted to get out of bed and come to the classroom. With her waist aching and legs feeling weak, she truly wanted to sleep straight until the afternoon...
At around 8:50, Yuto and Kei entered the Class C classroom, each carrying five thick document bags. They placed the document bags filled with exam papers on the teacher's desk at the front.
Standing behind the podium, Yuto looked around the classroom.
The students of Class C had been obedient. Almost everyone had shown up.
There was one exception.
Koenji Rokusuke hadn't come.
Apparently, he had no intention of wasting his weekend on a diagnostic test.
Yuto had expected that much.
Koenji did whatever he pleased and rarely followed anyone else's arrangements.
If he didn't want to come, so be it.
His grades were excellent anyway, so he didn't particularly need a diagnostic test.
Yuto pointed toward the five sets of document bags on the desk.
"Everyone, these are the papers we'll be using for today's diagnostic test."
"Since this is only a test organized by us students, there won't normally be a teacher proctoring us."
"I hope everyone takes it seriously. Don't cheat. Answer honestly and get a genuine measure of your current ability."
"Afterward, you can use your results in each subject to figure out what areas you need to focus on."
"Don't worry, Shimizu-san! We'll take it seriously!"
"Exactly! We won't waste the effort Shimizu-san and Horikita-san put into this!"
"..."
Suzune pressed her lips together.
Could they please stop mentioning her every time they responded to Yuto?
It made her strangely uncomfortable.
After reminding everyone not to cheat, Yuto looked toward Kikyo, who was still lying across her desk.
"Kikyo, why are you lying down? Are you feeling sick?"
Kikyo's lips twitched.
He knew better than anyone why she was exhausted.
"Kikyo-chan isn't sick," Onodera answered for her. "She just studied too hard last night and wore herself out."
"Th-that's right."
Kikyo gave everyone an embarrassed smile.
"Even though it's only a diagnostic test, I wanted to take it seriously."
"As expected of Kikyo-chan. You're so diligent!"
"So you exhausted yourself studying last night?"
Yuto gave Kikyo a meaningful smile. "It's only a diagnostic test, not the actual final exam. Don't push yourself too hard, Kikyo."
Yuto's smile made Kikyo's waist inexplicably feel soft and sore, and she secretly gritted her silver teeth.
Who was pushing themselves too hard!
Last night, she had already begged him so pitifully, but this bad guy wouldn't stop, keeps thrusting at her and bullying her!
Pouting her lips, Kikyo said, "I was wrong, I won't do it next time..."
"Mm, very good." Yuto nodded in satisfaction. He stopped teasing Kikyo, opened the document bags containing the exam papers, and began the diagnostic test.
Since this was only a diagnostic test rather than the official final exam, there was no teacher present at first.
Even so, none of the students chose to cheat.
Everyone seriously worked through the questions.
To their surprise, however, the test had barely begun when Chabashira Sae strode into the classroom.
"Chabashira-sensei, why are you here?" Hirata asked in surprise.
Looking over the hardworking students, Chabashira smiled with satisfaction.
"You're all putting in this much effort. As your homeroom teacher, it would feel wrong for me to spend the day resting."
"So I came to help grade your exam papers."
Yuto hadn't asked Chabashira for help.
After learning that he intended to hold a diagnostic test, she had volunteered on her own.
As their homeroom teacher, she didn't want to simply watch while her students worked hard.
She wanted to help wherever she could.
And Chabashira didn't need to worry about whether she could grade the papers accurately.
Yuto had already given her Manabu's old final exam papers, complete with the correct answers.
She only needed to compare the students' answers against them.
Chabashira looked around the room.
"You don't need to pay attention to me. Continue your test."
"Okay."
As everyone returned their focus to the exam, Chabashira sat at the front of the classroom, crossed her stocking-clad legs, and took on the role of proctor.
Time passed.
Soon, the allotted time for the first subject ended.
The papers were collected and brought to the front, where Chabashira immediately began grading them.
Ten minutes later, the students started the second subject.
Chabashira graded papers at the front while everyone below worked through the next exam.
The soft scratching of pen tips across paper filled the room, creating an unusually focused academic atmosphere.
Chabashira had already finished grading Yuto's first paper.
He had earned a perfect score.
Looking at it, she briefly wondered whether the troublesome brat had seen the questions beforehand.
After all, Yuto had been responsible for handling the diagnostic test papers.
It wouldn't have been strange if he'd looked through them in advance.
But Chabashira quickly dismissed the thought.
Yuto's academic ability was already exceptional.
A perfect score from him was completely normal.
'There's no way Shimizu got a perfect score just because he saw the questions beforehand.'
As she continued grading, a pleased smile gradually appeared on Chabashira's face.
Everyone's scores were surprisingly high.
"Is everyone's improvement because they personally witnessed the school actually expelling students... or because of the scholarship fund Shimizu established?"
Chabashira murmured quietly.
She thought both factors were responsible.
The fear of expulsion and the desire to earn personal points were both powerful motivations.
While Class C continued taking the test, Chabashira kept grading.
Grading papers for thirty-six students by herself was a considerable amount of work.
Even though she worked quickly, by the time all five subjects had been completed, she had only finished grading three subjects.
Two remained.
After grading three full sets, even the fingers of Chabashira's right hand were trembling slightly from fatigue.
If Airi, Kei, and Kikyo saw the condition of Chabashira's right hand, they would definitely know this was due to overuse.
Because when they were 'playing around' with Yuto in bed, they would often tremble like this too...
Once all five subjects were finished, Yuto returned to the front of the classroom.
"Everyone, the diagnostic test is over. You can head home now."
"As for the papers, Chabashira-sensei and I will finish grading them. We'll hand them back on Monday."
"Okay! Thank you, Chabashira-sensei and Shimizu-san!"
"Mm."
The students gradually left the classroom.
Yuto looked toward Chabashira's slightly trembling fingers and sighed helplessly.
"Chabashira-sensei, you didn't need to push yourself that hard. It's not like we have to return every paper tomorrow. You could've taken your time."
Hearing the concern in his voice, Chabashira raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly.
"I wanted to."
"...Fine. As long as you're happy."
Yuto glanced at her hand.
"But your fingers are already shaking. How are you supposed to make dinner tonight?"
The smile on Chabashira's face froze.
She immediately glared at him.
"Were you only telling me to slow down because you were worried I wouldn't be able to cook dinner for you?!"
"Of course not! Do I look like that kind of person?"
Yes.
That troublesome brat absolutely looked like that kind of person.
Yuto smiled at her narrowed eyes.
"Relax. Airi and I will handle dinner tonight."
"Consider it our way of thanking you. If you hadn't helped, we'd still have all these papers to grade ourselves."
"Hmph. That's more like it."
Chabashira gave a satisfied little snort.
For a moment, Yuto strangely saw a trace of that tsundere snow fox Suzune in her.
Did this mature homeroom teacher have a tsundere side too?
Kei waved toward Yuto from below the podium.
"Yuto, let's go. We can sit at a cafe for a while."
"Mm. Coming."
Yuto looked back toward Chabashira.
"Chabashira-sensei, I'm heading out."
"Go, go."
She waved him away as though shooing a fly.
After Yuto and Kei left the classroom, Chabashira gathered the ungraded papers and placed them into the document bags.
She had no intention of staying here to continue grading.
She planned to return to the faculty dormitory, change into something loose and comfortable, then finish the rest there.
At that moment, Airi walked over and picked up some of the bags Chabashira had already packed.
"Sakura, what are you doing?"
Chabashira looked at the normally quiet girl in surprise.
Airi answered with her usual shy, obedient expression.
"Yuto told me this morning that you were going to help us grade the exam papers, so he said he'd prepare a really nice dinner for you tonight."
"Chabashira-sensei, come back to the apartment with me."
"Shimizu already planned to treat me to dinner this morning?"
"Mm-hmm."
Airi nodded.
Chabashira raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
She had assumed Yuto's dinner invitation earlier had been spontaneous.
"Then let's go."
Airi and Chabashira each carried several document bags as they left the first-year building and headed toward the detached apartment outside the school grounds.
'I think this might actually be the first time I've eaten a meal that troublesome brat cooked for me, even though I've cooked for him so many times. I wonder how good he is.'
Carrying three bags, Chabashira glanced toward Airi.
"Sakura, is Shimizu good at cooking?"
"He's really good! Extremely good!"
Airi answered without the slightest hesitation.
"...Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it."
Chabashira wasn't entirely convinced.
This girl's entire heart belonged to Yuto.
Even if he somehow produced something barely edible, Airi would probably still call it delicious.
Still, although Chabashira hadn't often seen Yuto cook, she had seen the way he handled a kitchen knife.
His movements were extremely practiced, which at least proved he had plenty of cooking experience.
And even if Yuto turned out not to be particularly skilled, Airi would be there too.
Because Airi had set her sights on becoming Yuto's ideal wife someday, she had learned quite a lot of cooking from Chabashira.
By now, Airi was already perfectly capable of handling herself in the kitchen.
...
Since Yuto needed to take care of dinner that evening, he didn't stay out with Kei for very long.
At around 4:30, he said goodbye to her.
Kei wasn't particularly surprised.
She knew Yuto planned to return and help Chabashira finish grading the papers.
If Kei hadn't been somewhat intimidated by the cool and stern Chabashira-sensei, she definitely would have offered to come along and help as well.
…
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