"Your Physics teacher didn’t notice you skipped class because I sat in your seat. Even if he realized I was missing, he’d just assume I had permission to leave. But you? You’re the class monitor skipping class first."

"I’d forgotten I was monitor."

It felt utterly unreal.

"You were late because you napped with your sworn sister, overslept, then biked her to school. After all that back-and-forth, you skipped Physics entirely—even though we only have two afternoon classes. Did you forget our wager with homeroom teacher? Today’s lesson covered a major exam topic."

"Guess I’ll self-study," Lin Shu shrugged.

Though afternoon classes were mostly Music, Art, or IT, missing core subjects meant scrambling to catch up—borrowing notes, copying homework. Lin Shu hadn’t feared isolation for bullying’s sake; he’d dreaded having no one to copy notes from. Constantly pestering teachers for assignments would annoy them.

"Let me tutor you. Self-studying blindly won’t help. I took notes for you too—wait till the last study hall period. Finish other homework first." Su Nuan grinned. "Your relationship with your sworn sister’s improved a lot. She doesn’t hate you. She likes you."

"No way," Lin Shu waved his hands. "She’s just using me to keep her mom off her back."

"You napped together on the same bed?"

"No! Just the sofa. I lay down; she curled up."

"She invited you into her home alone. Anything could’ve happened. Only a blockhead like you wouldn’t get it. How’d this even start? Weren’t you just sharing lunch days ago? If it’s private, you don’t have to say."

"Nothing to hide. Her mom and her fight daily. Today was worse—icy silence poisoning the whole meal. I cooked lunch for my dad instead—the same meal I made you. She insisted on eating identical portions, paranoid I’d sabotage hers. What I made for you was always the best."

Lin Shu’s bike only had one passenger spot: the handlebar crossbar. *Her* exclusive throne. What was this? A declaration of war?

"Ho ho! Your sworn sister’s crafty. Can’t underestimate her. Looks like she’s gunning to replace me as your girlfriend."

"You’re overthinking it."

*Ding-ding-ding—*

The bell rang. Su Nuan didn’t budge. She plucked the next textbook from Lin Shu’s pile, flipping to the day’s chapter.

"Let’s swap seats. I wanna try the back row."

Geography teacher entered with his materials. Lin Shu had no choice but to trudge toward Su Nuan’s third-row seat—the golden zone. His height blocked the blackboard for everyone behind him. He hunched low, hiding behind his textbook, praying the teacher wouldn’t spot him in her seat.

Su Nuan’s books carried a faint floral scent. He pulled a cute gel pen from her pencil case. *Everything smells sweet.*

Twirling the pen, Lin Shu faced the board. Clear view. His eyesight was sharp, but the back row strained even him—especially with tiny board notes and cramped PowerPoint text. Instinctively, he scribbled notes in the textbook margins.

His handwriting looked awful next to Su Nuan’s neat script. Rushed cursive, barely legible even to himself. But he feared missing half the notes if the teacher erased the board or clicked to the next slide too soon.

For once, Lin Shu sat through a full class without dozing. Su Nuan’s seat felt too exposed, too tense. Not his space. No room for laziness.

The moment class ended, he grabbed his textbook and bolted to his own seat. Su Nuan was buried under his borrowed uniform—the one she’d worn yesterday. He yanked the jacket up. She jolted awake, blinking sleepily, mouth slightly parted to reveal white teeth. She stretched, palm covering a yawn.

"Back row gives this illusion the teacher can’t see you. Makes you lazy. Scary."

"Now you know how hard it is for me to focus. Sorry—I took notes in your textbook."

"Perfect. I slacked off anyway, only jotting key points. Let me check for gaps."

Su Nuan flipped open the book. Her smile froze at Lin Shu’s messy handwriting, crooked hand-drawn lines, and lopsided mind maps. He’d tried neatening it later, but old habits stuck.

"You need penmanship practice. Still readable though." She handed back the uniform. "Shame I can’t borrow this tomorrow for P.E.—it’s last period."

"Monitor... no, Tian Peng’s transferred now. No need to keep up the act, right?"

"What are you muttering? The obvious rival’s gone, but hidden ones remain. Aren’t you heading to the field? Training starts soon."

"Almost forgot."

Skipping class meant standing in the hallway. Skipping training meant running laps.

After changing in the restroom, Lin Shu slipped into the team lineup on the field. The coach spotted him instantly—no leniency here. He ordered Lin Shu to run the outer track loop. Snickers rippled through the squad.

Lately, Lin Shu had drawn enough attention: two pretty girls massaging his feet after every session, plus rumors painting him as a playboy.

Training ended ten minutes early, but the coach made Lin Shu pay for his lateness with brutal extra drills.

Later, Lin Shu lay face-down on the grass, letting Su Nuan and Gu Chuchu massage his calves with their bare feet.

"Did Da Ben come to class this afternoon?"

*Can’t force another transfer right after Tian Peng.*

"Yeah," Gu Chuchu chirped. "But he lost his basketball. Serves him right for tossing it around."

"Senpai," she pressed, "about what I asked at lunch... Will you let me be your fake girlfriend? I can do way more than Senior Su Nuan. She can’t even kiss."

Su Nuan’s foot pressed down harder.

"Who said I wouldn’t dare?"