Rivals Are My Friends (YanSim Male Rivals)

Soaked Cotton Candy

2006

Shisuta Town

"Alright, now that I've given you some time to solve the questions in section two, let's go over the answers." Mr.Ebina tosses the chalk into the tray and faces his class. "Who wants to answer the first problem in the second section, number fourteen?" His eyes scan his class of junior first-years (7th graders).

No one raises their hand. Everyone avoids his gaze by looking up at the ceiling, off to the side, or down at their desk and burning holes through their papers.

A pink reader pointer jets into the air. A chorus of exasperated sighs and sucked teeth follows its rising like an orchestra following the conductor's wand.

"No one wants to answer? Not even give a guess?" Ebina throws his class a lifeline to save themselves. Still, no flesh hands go up.

The comically large white-gloved finger crowning the pink pointer lightly sways, beckoning to be picked.

The teacher breathes a defeated sigh and calls on the pointer's owner. "Mujo, what did you get?"

"8.574737, Ebina-sensei~!" A six-year-old with cotton candy colored curls eagerly answers.

"8.574 or 8.6, that's correct." Ebina writes the rounded answer onto the board. "Remember, you don't have to say every number verbatim. Rounding off to the nearest tenth, hundredth, or requested number place will do."

Mujo blushes, "Hu-Hai, Ebina-sensei! I won't forget next time."

"Hu-hai, Ebina-sensei. 8.12345 l-m-n-o-p, Ebina-sensei." One of the students mockingly imitates Mujo with an exaggerated high-pitched voice. The joke drew a string of chuckles and snickers from the class and a scolding gaze from their teacher. Mujo's nose wrinkles, more at the blatant wrong answer than the mockery.

"I think you did the problem wrong, Matsui-senpai. It's 8.574737, not 8.12345."

Matsui groans and rolls his eyes, "I knew that smartass!"

"But...if you know the right answer, why did you say it wrong? Why didn't you raise your hand?" Mujo innocently inquired, genuinely curious and confused. "Ebina-sensei asked twice if anyone knew the answer. No one else knew the answer because they didn't raise their hand. I knew the answer and quietly raised my hand-" He waves the pink pointer, "--and Ebina-sensei picked me."

The boy may not have been in this class long, but he was pretty sure the rules were the same as ; Quietly raise your hand and wait to be called. That still applies in 7th grade as it does in 1st, right?

"Ebina-sensei, did I do something wrong?"

"No, Mujo, you didn't do anything wrong." Ebina calmly reassures the boy. "However...do try and give your classmates a chance to answer some questions. Share the wealth, okay? You've answered more than enough questions in section one. Take a break."

Ever since Mujo was bumped up to his math class, his young mind mimicked a sponge, soaking up every little piece of information Ebina had to offer. To say he was impressed by the boy's intelligence would be an understatement, and he would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate the boy's enthusiasm and active participation. It was obvious Mujo enjoyed Ebina's class. Ebina didn't want to deprive the boy of joy or engagement-nor did he want to lose one of the very few actively participating students in his class-but that shouldn't come at the expense of the entire class. Even if they rarely participated.

His resident 7th graders were less than pleased about the arrangement and were not making the teacher's peacekeeping easy. While there's no shame in unknowing, Ebina didn't like them shaming another student for knowing. Mujo didn't do that to them...at least not intentionally. Mujo's mere existence in the class stirred insecurity. They've been in the class since the beginning of the school year and they're getting outshined by a kid barely out of Kindergarten, who picked up the material quicker in a shorter amount of time? Yes, Mujo was very warmly accepted by his seniors