Ring, ring, ring-
The bell signaling the final class of the afternoon rang out. Logan rubbed his eyes and maintained his posture of lying on the desk, gazing out the window.
'I successfully coasted through another day of classes.'
The winter in Fresno sometimes gets warmer. At this time, occasional warm spells could bring back a golden glow to the air, as sunlight rejuvenated the old tree branches between the school buildings.
The sound of the door opening hushed the classroom. Logan glanced over and saw the homeroom teacher enter, snuffing out his idea of continuing his nap.
Slacking off was an art, but the homeroom teacher's class was strictly off-limits for such endeavors. Logan opened a notebook, preparing to look busy while secretly using the quiet time to refine his plans for Japan.
Since the funds from the Blue Gang had been transferred, now was the time for him to map out his actions upon arriving in Japan. Random scribbles quickly filled half a page of blank paper.
As the class recited classical literature with rhythmic tones, Logan discreetly pulled out a calculator. Thanks to his hard work over recent weeks, his account balance had already half-way to six figures.
Though still far from his initial, naive estimates, he realized that regular expenses wouldn't require as much money as he had thought.
'The manga publisher company's address...' Logan fished out the scrap of paper on which he had recorded information during his trip to Lost Angeles.
He recalled the twists and turns he'd endured to gather intelligence at the hotel building. His gaze accidentally landed on David next to him, and Logan froze.
At this time, David was a far cry from his usual self. Instead of playing on his phone or goofing off, he was sitting upright with textbook in hand, eyes shining with fervor as he followed the teacher's lecture and immersed himself in the sea of knowledge.
Logan chuckled at the sight, recalling the recent events at Napa.
David seemed to feel something. He turned his head and shot Logan a quick glare before resuming his studious demeanor.
That day's unexpected antics from the group of male classmates had genuinely surprised Logan. Fortunately, he had remembered to use a shadow clone as a last resort.
Feeling triumphant after what they believed was a defeat of evil forces, David and the others had cheerfully returned, recounting their heroics and their internal struggles after 'bumping into' Olivia.
Finally, someone had asked the most critical question: "Hey, Senior, what are you even doing here?"
After snapping back to reality, Olivia smoothed her disheveled hair and replied, "What else do you think we're doing? Of course, we're..."
"Here to drag you all back!" The class monitor said viciously as Diane couldn't help but cover her mouth.
What followed was relatively simple, albeit somewhat amusing. Returning late, the group had bumped into the teacher on night patrol.
At this point, having good grades and a pleasing appearance proved invaluable. While David and the other boys were reprimanded for not adhering to bedtime rules, Olivia and Diane were deemed innocent, praised for their dedication to looking out for classmates.
Logan also escaped unscathed. In addition to David standing up impartially and saying that he is not part of their group, the girls' help and good looks are undoubtedly important reasons.
"Logan, if you laugh again, I'll tell the teacher you're one of the culprits too!" David threatened in a suppressed voice.
The scene returned to the calm, scholarly classroom atmosphere.
"I wasn't part of your group to begin with, okay? If you guys weren't so clumsy and got caught, I wouldn't have been dragged down with you." Logan retorted indifferently, entirely unbothered by the threat.
"And by the way, you should be grateful the night patrol teacher didn't peg you as sneaking out. Otherwise, you'd have earned a permanent mark on your record, and there goes your manga-reading time in class."
David shivered at the thought of such a grim scenario and quickly began reading the text aloud with the homeroom teacher, unwilling to continue arguing.
After the 'parental education of love' that followed the notification of his parents, combined with the homeroom teacher's fury upon discovering multiple boys from her class had violated school rules, David had no choice but to keep a low profile for a while.
After all, he needed to preserve his future opportunities for sneaking novels and surfing the web during the dull stretches of class.
The clock, hanging beneath the school motto 'Love Learning, Think Deeply, Unite and Strive', ticked tirelessly. Time swiftly moved forward, and the last period of the day came to an end.
The dismissal bell rang, sending a subtle ripple of noise through the surrounding school buildings. Suddenly, the homeroom teacher casually remarked, "Just a few more minutes.".
The spirits of students, who had already begun to rise from their seats, deflated directly.
The dense clouds overhead dulled the once-brilliant afternoon sunlight, leaving behind faint golden outlines. The early onset of dim winter light reminded everyone of December's chill creeping closer.
Students filtered out in small groups. Logan glanced at David, who lay slumped on his desk, drained of energy. Smiling, Logan packed up his bag, gave David a hearty slap on the shoulder, and darted out of the classroom.
"See you."
"I'm so jealous!!!"
David's despairing cry echoed behind him, but Logan was already descending the stairs, feeling refreshed.
At the stairwell's exit, Logan unexpectedly encountered a familiar figure.
"Logan, fancy seeing you here." The other party said with a gentle smile.
It was none other than Diane. Bathed in the remnants of sunlight, her pristine school uniform seemed to shimmer.
Logan raised a hand in casual greeting, "Oh, hey there."
He looked at the cute shoulder bag the other party was carrying in confusion, noting the absence of her usual group of friends.
"Why are you alone and why are you carrying a schoolbag?"
Since the 'wonderful' casino night, their relationship had shown signs of mending, possibly even regaining the level of casual friendship they once had.
However, Logan was no longer the naive, self-conscious eighteen-year-old who romanticized rekindling childhood bonds in some light novel-style harem plot.
He remained indifferent, steering clear of illusions or fostering any misleading impressions.
"The school's over, so I'm heading home." Diane replied with an almost mischievous air, her cheerful tone accompanied by a sly glint in her crescent-like eyes.
"You're going home?" Logan was even more surprised. Today was only Monday, and he had the impression that the other party had been a boarding student since middle school.
"I have become a day student now." Diane explained, clearly expecting his reaction.
Tugging at her backpack straps, she swayed slightly, her petite frame outlined by the tree-lined campus path stretching into the distance, "I submitted the request after the autumn field trip. My parents didn't mind."
Her light-hearted tone matched the carefree atmosphere as a few other day students passed by. The freedom of finishing the day's classes lifted everyone's spirits. Diane's eyes sparkled with an unfamiliar glee, "So now, I just go home after classes."
"Oh, I see." Logan took a moment to process the change, "Then, are your parents picking you up?"
"Nope, I'm taking the bus myself."
Logan nodded absently, then suddenly thought of something, and asked the changed girl, "Why the sudden switch to being a day student?"
When Diane heard this, she glanced at Logan and felt a little shy, "Didn't I tell you about this a few days ago."
"… Uh?"
The potentially awkward misunderstanding didn't last long. With a playful yet determined gesture, she raised a small fist, "I signed up for a Karate classes at the martial arts school you mentioned."
"..."
Logan was momentarily at a loss for words, 'Martial arts school? Had I really suggested that?'
Seeing how certain she looked, a twinge of guilt crept into Logan's thoughts. As they walked toward the school gates, he scrambled to continue the conversation, "Haha, then you should train harder..."
"Thanks! Hopefully, one day I'll be able to kick a bad guy away with one blow."
The short journey to the gates passed quietly. Time seemed to flow gently, as Diane stared at her shoes, her face growing slightly flushed.
"Um, actually…" She started, her voice softening, "If you're free, you could teach me a few moves."