Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 162

Ichika smiled and said, "Go back and eat. If you don't go now, you won't be able to get any food. You're fast, so you can also help me get some food, just like you."

"Okay! I'll be there as fast as I can."

Yotsuba jumped up as if she had received a command and ran towards the door: "Ichika, take care of yourself!!"

The sound gradually faded as the girl walked away.

She ran quickly down the corridor of the infirmary, but slowed down after turning a corner, and finally stopped in front of a wall, leaning against it quietly.

Yotsuba leaned weakly on her body, her face cold and lonely, remaining silent for a long time.

"This is absolutely terrible..."

……

Hayakawa didn't go back to the classroom, but went straight to the library instead of rushing to the cafeteria like the other students.

He could go a day without eating, but he couldn't go a day without doing his homework. Even if he had to eat someone else's leftovers, he would still go to the library to study first.

As she walked, Hayakawa opened her phone to check the messages she had received.

First, there was a message from Nino, mainly asking how Ichika was doing. Hayakawa replied seriously. Then there was a message from Furuhashi, saying that she had gone to the library and told me to hurry up. She also sent a video saying it was "super interesting," so I'm sharing it here.

"hehe."

Hayakawa didn't even glance at it before exiting the chat. He knew without a doubt that it was one of those cat and dog pet videos; people who like watching these kinds of videos usually drool after being cured.

He walked toward the library, but his mind gradually drifted back to his conversation with Ichika, and he paused slightly.

"She likes me... I guess..."

"Hayakawa, you can't assume Nino likes you just because she's nice to you..."

Hayakawa crossed his fingers in front of his chest, narrowed his eyes slightly, and fell into deep thought, recalling everything he had discovered in the infirmary.

"Misunderstand…"

Hayakawa frowned, pursed his lips slightly, and felt a strange sense of shame.

One of the three great human illusions—she likes me.

Humans are creatures that often fall into a vortex of excessive self-awareness. If a girl is even slightly nice to you, you start to daydream, imagining what it would be like for the two of you to be in a relationship, imagining the envious looks from others, and eventually even thinking of names for your children. In the end, you realize that this is just a routine thing for the girl, and you are nothing special.

"..."

Hayakawa paused for a moment, feeling his face inexplicably hot, a feeling similar to when he woke up at home and was seen by Mimi Nami.

It's truly terrifying how inherent human flaws are. Even someone as great as me can't escape them. Ultimately, it's because my will is too weak, and I'm easily swayed by others.

We need to be more careful in the future.

In short, go and study first.

Hayakawa arrived at the library, where Ogata Rizu and Furuhashi Fumino were already sitting in their familiar corner waiting for him. Ogata was slumped over the table in a semi-conscious state, even the ahoge on his head stood up listlessly, looking extremely tired. Furuhashi was also resting her chin on one hand while scrolling through her phone, her face pale and looking weak.

"You two,"

Hayakawa felt a surge of anger when he saw the two of them being lazy. "I've worked so hard, why are you two being lazy?" he thought. So he quickly picked up his bag, walked over to them, and frowned, saying, "Why aren't you studying?"

"Hayakawa-san..."

Hearing the voice, Rizu Ogata lifted her head from the arms around her and said with difficulty, "I'm sorry, I'm just too tired... I have no strength."

After saying that, she collapsed back down as if dizzy and disoriented, completely exhausted.

"Yes,"

Fumino Furuhashi nodded in agreement, "It feels like all the exercise I did this week was used up in that run. I'm completely exhausted. Even if we were to study, it wouldn't be very efficient. So, we should take a break."

"You guys..."

Hayakawa was both annoyed and amused, saying, "You can't even handle such a small amount of exercise, and you're using this as an excuse not to study? I'm speechless."

Despite saying that, Hayakawa did not continue to criticize the two. Instead, he calmly sat down next to them and read a book. He knew that the two of them were not making excuses to be lazy, but were really tired. After all, he had seen their miserable state on the track with his own eyes, and they really needed to rest.

"Fine, I'll let you lie there for a while then."

Hayakawa took out his study books from his bag and said generously, "Anyway, judging from your expressions, you probably won't be able to study."

"Thank you very much, Lord Hayakawa."

Fumino Furuhashi feigned a touched expression, and Ritsu Ogata's ahoge (cowlick) twitched, as if she had regained some strength.

"this is for you."

Fumino Furuhashi opened her schoolbag and handed a plastic bag to Hayakawa.

"Ok?"

Hayakawa frowned as he looked at the plastic bag. Inside were a fried noodle bread roll, a sandwich, and two bottles of water, clearly a lunch prepared for Hayakawa.

"You haven't gone to eat yet, have you? This won't do,"

Fumino Furuhashi looked at Hayakawa and said with concern, "You still need to eat a proper lunch."

"It's that same excuse again,"

Hayakawa glanced at the contents of the plastic bag and said nonchalantly, "You don't need to buy me any special lunch. Isn't eating during lunch break a waste of time? I'm used to it. Anyway, once I'm at the library, the study time will pass quickly."

Fumino Furuhashi shook her head vigorously and said seriously, "Skipping lunch will give you stomach problems, so you have to eat properly."

"..."

Hayakawa paused for a moment, then silently opened the plastic bag, took out a piece of bread, and tore it open: "Fine, I'll eat some then. It'll be good to replenish the brain's sugar levels, and it'll make me more efficient."

"Ok!"

Fumino Furuhashi's eyes lit up slightly, then she decisively slumped onto the table: "I'm going to sleep now~"

As she spoke, she hugged her head, closed her eyes, and fell fast asleep.

Hayakawa: "..."

She fell asleep so quickly; she must have been really exhausted.

Good afternoon.

Hayakawa looked at Fumino Furuhashi's peaceful sleeping face, said something softly, and then gently turned her hand over, eating her bread while studying.

That's it, that's the picture he wanted.

I am studying and working hard, while they are being lazy, indulging, and squandering their talents.

Your arrogance and domineering waver, while I bow my head in silence, yet remain steadfast.

"Humph…"

Hayakawa's lips curled slightly, a faint look of smugness on his face.

He admitted that there was a huge gap in talent between himself and Fumino Furuhashi and Rizu Ogata. The gap was so large and obvious that there was no point in denying it. He even thought that he might have a talent gap with Umaru Doma and Masuzu Natsukawa, since he had never seen them study. Hayakawa had long understood this cruel reality.

so what?

Once upon a time, there was a race between a rabbit and a tortoise. Their speeds were vastly different, but the tortoise ultimately defeated the rabbit and won.

My talent is far inferior to theirs, but could it be greater than the talent gap between a tortoise and a hare?

Diligence can make up for lack of talent. Hayakawa believed that as long as he continued to work hard, he would one day be invincible and ascend the throne as emperor.

As Hayakawa thought about this, his resolve grew stronger, and even the hand holding the pen became more powerful.

"Hayakawa-san..."

At that moment, Fumino Furuhashi suddenly started talking in her sleep, murmuring, "You never watch the videos I send you..."

Hayakawa replied calmly, "Sorry, that's the thing I care about least this century, so I don't look at it."

"You never watch it..."

Fumino Furuhashi frowned in her sleep, muttering with dissatisfaction, "That's too much..."

Hayakawa studied the questions with a blank expression, then a slight smile appeared on his indifferent face. He then sat down next to the two sleeping girls and calmly began to read.

……

After lunch break, Hayakawa left the two girls and returned to the classroom. The time spent studying always seemed incredibly short, and the afternoon of classes passed in the blink of an eye. Soon it was time for the last class before school ended.

The afternoon sun shone on the classroom windowsill, casting dappled shadows inside. Outside, a tabby cat strolled leisurely along the edge of the flowerbed outside the school building, like a king surveying his territory. The teacher's rambling lecture echoed in the warm air. The playground's rubber track was deserted, with only the lush cypress trees rustling in the sunlight.

"Ugh…"

Hayakawa sighed at how quickly time passed, resting his chin on his hand as he sat in his chair, lost in thought. The reason for his daydreaming was not because he was being lazy, but because he had already heard the content of the teacher's lecture from Misaki, so there was no need to listen to it again.

There's not much left for him to study in the first year of high school; he's already looking at the books for the next semester and researching the second year's content.

Suddenly, a crumpled piece of paper was thrown from the side and hit him on the head.

Hayakawa's expression changed drastically, and he glared angrily at the girl next to him. The only response was a smiling Natsukawa Masuzu, who made an apologetic gesture and pointed to the crumpled paper, indicating that he should look at it.

Hayakawa frowned and unfolded the crumpled paper. On the creased paper, written in delicate square characters, was the message: "Let's go out for dinner after school?"

"Hmmmm?"

Hayakawa was immediately filled with confusion, looking at Natsukawa Masuzu with a puzzled expression.

Although the two were indeed deskmates at school, Hayakawa genuinely didn't know when their relationship had become so close that they could eat together.

"Hmm,"

Hayakawa sneered and casually tossed the crumpled paper aside, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Upon seeing this, Natsukawa Masuzu's pretty face immediately hardened, but then she regained her gentle smile, quickly wrote another note, and tossed it towards Hayakawa.

Hayakawa's head was hit again, and his face turned as black as coal. He turned his head slowly, staring blankly at the nonchalant Natsukawa Masaki, his bloodshot eyes reflecting the dead man before him.

"Cough cough."

The teacher who was lecturing on the stage had already noticed the two's little actions, but only coughed lightly and didn't say anything. After all, Hayakawa and Natsukawa Masuzu were both among the top students in the grade, and teachers tend to be more lenient with good students.

Natsukawa Masaki stopped moving and turned around to sit up straight, looking at the blackboard as if she had been studying.

Pretend.

"Humph,"

Hayakawa sneered, his heart filled with disdain. He secretly hated people who pretended to study the most. They would appear to be listening attentively in class every day, and they would do their homework diligently and do a lot of practice problems. They would always appear hardworking and diligent in front of others, but their grades were always mediocre. Why?

The reason is simple... Effort is never something to be shown to others; it's something you do yourself. Always appearing as a good student in front of others doesn't mean you're truly putting in the effort; only you know whether you're actually working hard.

High school knowledge is neither particularly difficult nor easy. If you study diligently and use effective methods, anyone who isn't intellectually disabled can at least achieve excellent grades. Hayakawa is the most qualified person to speak on this matter. He's not intellectually deficient, but he's certainly not particularly bright either. Yet, through hard work, he still manages to rank among the top students in his grade, aiming for first place. This speaks volumes.

But Natsukawa Masami is not like that. She really doesn't study anything. She pretends to listen in class but doesn't listen at all. She does her homework carelessly. Her schoolbag has everything except a workbook. Her behavior is completely unrelated to the word "student".

However, the fact that such a person could achieve results comparable to his own filled Hayakawa with immense shame.

hateful…

Hayakawa's heart sank. He forcibly blocked out these thoughts, regained his composure, and continued studying.

……

Soon the bell rang, the teacher gave a few instructions, assigned homework, and then announced the end of school. The students cheered and left in twos and threes.

Hayakawa remained silent, slowly packing his textbooks from his desk into his schoolbag. The once empty schoolbag was instantly stuffed full, becoming a huge and bulky burden.

"Bye-bye, Hayakawa-kun, see you tomorrow."

See you tomorrow, Hayakawa.

"Well, see you tomorrow."

Hayakawa put on a fake smile and greeted each of his classmates until everyone had left before he stopped smiling and continued packing his things.

"Oh dear, what a hypocrite."

An annoying voice came from the side. Natsukawa Masuzu walked over with a pout, looking like she had seen right through Hayakawa's true nature.

"It's you again,"

Hayakawa's face darkened, and he said, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"I'll wait for you to eat."

Natsukawa Masaki said it was only natural and proper.

Hayakawa: "..."

After a two-second silence, Hayakawa said in a hollow voice, "Did I not make myself clear? I don't think I agreed."