Cote: Elite in Action

Competition and Conflict: A Day at School

Ichinose-san was patiently explaining to Shibata, who seemed to have confused the formulas.

—No, that's incorrect, Shibata-kun. I told you before that this formula was from the previous problem. You don't need it for these problems —Ichinose-san corrected him.

—Oh, sorry, I forgot. I'm not good with math —Shibata admitted, sounding defeated.

I assumed it wasn't unusual for many average students to struggle with math.

Kobashi approached me, visibly worried.

—Osawa-sensei, I need help with this problem —he requested.

—Sure, let me help you —I replied, ready to offer my support. While I focused on helping my classmates, I overheard a conversation behind me.

—Sudo-kun, you're doing it all wrong. How many times do I have to explain it to you? Even a primary school student would understand —said a sharp female voice.

Sudo, the red-haired guy, tensed up.

—What do you mean by that, you bitch? —he responded angrily.

The girl with black hair whom I had seen at the entrance ceremony, who was from Class D, continued with her biting comment.

—Exactly what I said, you have a brain smaller than a primary school student's —she replied, showing disdain.

Sudo seemed on the verge of losing his temper.

—Bitch! I dare you to say it again! —he exclaimed, grabbing her tie and ready to make a scene in the middle of the library.

At that moment, another girl with short hair and purple eyes intervened.

—Guys, please calm down. Sudo-kun, please let go of Horikita-san —she said, looking at the redhead with firmness. I realized that Horikita-san was the girl with black hair and probably related to the president, as they shared the same last name. Maybe she was his sister?

Sudo looked at the short-haired girl, who seemed to have some influence over him, and finally let go.

—Tch, I'm leaving. This is a waste of time —muttered Sudo, while gathering his things and leaving.

—Well, I'm leaving too —said the short-haired guy, starting to pack up her things.

—Me too —added another student, following him.

So, only three people remained: Horikita-san, the short-haired girl, and a brown-haired guy who seemed completely indifferent to the situation.

Ichinose-san approached, curious.

—What are you looking at? —she asked, noticing my attention on the students who had caused the commotion.

—Well, I think you noticed it too, didn't you? —I replied, pointing to the Class D students who were leaving.

—Yes, it would be hard not to notice —Ichinose-san said, her tone revealing that she had also witnessed the conflict.

—By the way, did you notice the topics they were studying? —I asked, trying to check if she had noticed the same detail I did.

—Yes, they were the topics from the exam that were changed days ago, right? —Ichinose-san confirmed. I was glad she had noticed.

—Do you think they weren't informed? —I asked.

—Their teacher should have communicated the same information that our teacher told us, right? —Ichinose-san replied, showing a logical understanding of the situation.