Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 30

Shen Ruanruan?

What a coincidence.

On second thought, it makes perfect sense.

The mythic top student of the grade, a favored child of destiny, and the leader of the math competition group.

Her résumé is as impeccable as her ever-clean and tidy school uniform-absolutely flawless.

I didn’t devote any extra computational resources to this.

The homeroom teacher added a few more words.

The main point was that we didn’t need to stay in our classroom for the last self-study period-we could go directly to the math competition group’s dedicated classroom and get acquainted with the members there in advance.

I responded respectfully and left.

**

Time slipped by steadily amidst the sound of pages turning and the soft scratch of pen on paper.

The bell for the last class rang out, like the signal for a gate to open.

Books were packed away into heavy turtle shells, and I stood up to make my way to the competition classroom.

The corridor on the top floor of the teaching building was much quieter than the lower floors, and the light was even brighter.

The setting sun slanted through the glass windows on one side, making it easy to spot floating motes of dust in the sunbeams.

My steps were unhurried, moving with my usual energy-saving rhythm.

Two sets of coping protocols were being compared and analyzed.

Being in the same room as Xia Shiyu felt like playing a high-risk game of Minesweeper-

Every action had to be precisely calculated; any tiny mistake could trigger a chain reaction.

But Shen Ruanruan was different.

In front of that gentle Saintess, the painstaking “true self” persona I maintained could be set aside for a while.

All I needed to do was keep to my usual lazy, easygoing, and unobtrusive self.

By comparison, this state-where I didn’t have to stay constantly on guard against invisible hooks-was a rare respite.

Hoo…

Even the air seemed fresher and freer.

The competition group’s classroom was on the east side of the top floor.

It was secluded and far from the noise.

At the entrance, a thick wooden door was hung with a plaque reading “Math Competition Group,” the calligraphy bold and powerful.

The classroom was even more spacious than I’d imagined.

A dozen or so desks were scattered around, taking up less than a third of the room.

In the center was a long conference table for group discussions.

One entire wall was a giant whiteboard, filled from top to bottom with densely packed formulas and geometric diagrams in colorful markers-impenetrable to struggling students.

Around ten group members were scattered in small clusters.

Some scribbled away, heads buried in thick problem sets or laptop screens; others quietly discussed different solution methods.

My entrance caused only a negligible ripple on the surface.

A few glances flicked in my direction, then returned to their own problems without pausing.

They showed little curiosity about a new unfamiliar face joining them.

What a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere for studying.

Is this really the world of a brainless novel…

For a moment, I felt as if I’d returned to my student days on Blue Star.

I quietly closed the door, swept my gaze across the classroom, and looked for an empty seat.

As I searched, I unexpectedly caught sight of a familiar figure.

Xu Hao?

That energetic sports committee member from the basketball court was now sitting by the window, troubled over a difficult problem.

I never expected you, the thick-browed, big-eyed guy, to be here too.

Not only are you a main player on the school basketball team, but also a hidden academic ace.

Well then.

God didn’t just open a door for you, He threw open the windows too, huh.

He noticed me at the same time.

His frustration was instantly replaced by obvious surprise. Xu Hao grinned, flashing his white teeth.

He tossed his pen aside and strode over, breaking the quiet atmosphere without a care.

“Xiao Huihui, look at you, not bad!”
Xu Hao’s fist landed on my shoulder, neither too hard nor too soft.

“Teacher Zhang just notified us in our group chat that a new member would be joining. I didn’t expect it to be you-welcome, welcome!”

His naturally outgoing energy seemed a bit out of place in the cool, quiet atmosphere of the classroom.

“And ninth place in the class for this month’s exam! Amazing! You’re improving at rocket speed!”

Xu Hao was generous with his praise.

My mind started turning, searching for a memory fragment from a quick glance at the bulletin board last week.

His name seemed to be in fifth place.

“Come on, I just guessed a few multiple-choice questions right.”

I replied half-jokingly, using my usual social tone.

“Getting praised by a fifth-place big shot-someone like me, a total rookie, can’t handle it.”

“Hey, no need to pretend with me.” Xu Hao waved his hand, his righteous face beaming with a cheerful smile.

“I’m standing still while you’re sprinting ahead-our momentum is totally different! From now on, we’re teammates in the same group. If you have any questions about math, just ask me!”

Our pointless mutual compliments drew a few impatient glances from other students in the room.

Xu Hao didn’t care at all.

Just as I was about to continue the small talk, a gentle female voice came from the front side.

“Xu Hao, this is the competition group’s study room. Please keep quiet.”

Xu Hao’s booming voice automatically dropped in volume.

He scratched his head awkwardly and didn’t say anything more.

I saw Shen Ruanruan stand up from the very front of the classroom and walk over to us.

She wore a blue-and-white school uniform, perfectly ironed without a single wrinkle.

Her long hair was tied back with a simple hair tie, revealing a smooth, full forehead and a graceful, snow-white swan neck.

“Lin Classmate, I heard you did well on this month’s exam.”

Her voice was soft, not disturbing anyone else. “You’ve improved quickly.”

I switched to compliment mode, “Just lucky, really. Shen Classmate, you’re the truly impressive one-being first in the grade is no easy feat.”

“You’re still so humble.”

The girl came to stand in front of me.

A delicate fragrance drifted faintly into my nose.

This scent was completely different from Xia Shiyu’s bold, aggressive perfume.

“Getting into the top ten takes more than just luck.”

Her praise was certainly unique, warming my heart, but… why does she keep staring at me like that?

Xu Hao, standing beside me, didn’t notice anything unusual and chimed in quietly.

“That’s right, Xiao Huihui, Goddess Shen said so herself, so stop hiding your skills. The three of us should team up and tackle problems together-let’s aim to win a medal at the National Competition!”

“Mm, okay.”

I replied perfunctorily.

Then Xu Hao, carefree as ever, grinned and turned back to his seat to tackle more problems.

Shen Ruanruan stayed where she was.

Her face wore the familiar gentle Saintess smile.

It seemed as if she was born to look this way-

Kind, poised, never out of line.

Her clear, beautiful eyes watched quietly, without the cold, deep illusion from our last encounter at the stairs.

Nor the earlier panic and embarrassment.

Like a lake illuminated by warm sunlight.

Warm, but unfathomably deep, making it impossible to see what lay beneath the surface.

It felt as if, in that moment, the whole classroom contained only the two of us.

Being looked at by her like this, I couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.

“Lin Classmate.”

The gentle curve at the corner of Shen Ruanruan’s lips lifted a little higher.

Her voice wasn’t loud, yet somehow it drowned out all the background noise in the room.

“Welcome to the math competition group.”