Standing in the aisle, balancing three books on top of my head while maintaining a standing position was no easy task. If the books were to fall or if my legs touched the ground, I would have to add another minute to the challenge.
"Yujie, how do you feel?" asked Haruki, his face stiff as he turned towards me.
"Like hell, this trial is simply hell," I replied, my legs trembling uncontrollably and my body starting to sway.
"I have an idea, would you like to participate?" Haruki seemed to have come up with something.
"What idea? Tell me, tell me..." I urged.
"I'll stand on your landing foot and take a break, and then you can stand on mine and take a break. How about that?"
"Wouldn't that be considered indirectly touching the ground?"
"I'm not sure, but keeping your legs up all the time won't be comfortable. Besides, I really can't hold on any longer," Haruki explained.
As he finished speaking, the books on Haruki's head fell with a loud thud.
"Add another minute! Haruki," the main teacher, who was teaching, said sternly.
"This is terrible," Haruki said helplessly as he picked up the books and resumed the one-legged stance with the books on his head.
"But when the books fell... didn't you briefly touch the ground?" I asked, sweating profusely and shaking uncontrollably like a crumbling house.
"Yujie, you still have the mood to joke. How long can you hold on?"
"Even a dog will jump over the wall when it's in a hurry, let alone humans," I calmly pressed my toes against the wall behind me.
Feeling the support under my feet and the relief of the sore muscles, I said, "This method is good..."
Haruki also started to imitate me, but to prevent the main teacher from noticing any flaws, we took a rest and resumed the one-legged stance, pretending to be tortured.
In this way, we managed to endure until the end of class. When the bell rang, we finally felt relieved.
The main teacher came out of the classroom and asked sternly, "Do you understand the need for self-reflection?"
"Yes, we understand..." both Haruki and I replied in unison.
"This punishment is a one-time thing...," the main teacher said.
After the main teacher finished speaking, both Haruki and I touched the ground with our feet. It felt incredibly comfortable to have both feet on the ground again.
"You should also study the content of the previous class thoroughly. If you didn't take notes, you can copy from a classmate. If I ask you next time and you can't answer, you will continue to receive this punishment, and it won't be as lenient," the main teacher warned.
"What kind of punishment would it be?" Haruki asked.
"Each of you will have to hold a bucket of water in each hand, without touching the ground or spilling a drop," the main teacher replied.
"....Huh!?" Haruki shuddered at the thought, and I was equally startled.
"As long as you behave well, there won't be any punishment. So... work hard to earn good performance, because the teacher doesn't want to punish you either," the main teacher added.
I couldn't tell if the main teacher was being sincere, but it made me fearful of being questioned by her.
After the main teacher left, Haruki and I returned to our seats feeling dejected.
"That's... really harsh," Haruki said, his face filled with fear.
"...There's no choice," I shrugged.
"Aren't you going to protest against the main teacher's punishment? Look... she wants us to carry two buckets of water without setting them down or spilling a single drop. It's such a strict requirement," Haruki grew more emotional.
"But that's just because you didn't answer her question, right?"
"That's true, but... how can I possibly answer it? You know my grades are bad... and I'm not good at studying," Haruki's confidence waned, and a saddened expression appeared on his face. "I should start practicing carrying two buckets of water."
"If you get questioned, I'll help you," I assured him.
"Really? Yujie..."
"Of course..."
"I'm... I'm so moved, Yujie..." Haruki cried tears of gratitude.
"Exaggerated indeed..." Spring Tree's bald head was just too conspicuous, especially when he lowered his head, it seemed to emit light. It was like a light bulb, and just thinking about it made me want to laugh, but I restrained myself. After finishing a class, it was time for a break.
"Yu Jie, did you have any conversation with Senior Lu Shiyu while seeking shelter from the rain?" Spring Tree asked with a smile.
"I didn't say anything..." I lied.
"What a waste... Yu Jie... if it were me, I would definitely ask for her phone number or introduce myself," Spring Tree said with a grin. Would Lu Shiyu give him a chance? It was hard to imagine.
"Ah... There are many opportunities, you can also go find her, when we're in the third grade..."
"It's not good to suddenly find her... Besides, we are only in the second grade..."
For some reason, Spring Tree seemed a bit timid.
"Are you afraid of going to the third grade?"
"Af... afraid... how is that possible..." Spring Tree spoke firmly, but his face clearly showed fear.
"Then you can give it a try, maybe something lucky will happen..."
"We'll see about that when the time comes..." Spring Tree scratched the back of his head.
"By the way, is Lu Shiyu from a wealthy family?" I asked, feeling that Spring Tree knew a bit about Lu Shiyu.
"Don't you know?!" Spring Tree reacted quite dramatically...
"How would I know..." I said, speechless.
"What have you been doing at school for the past two or three months, Yu Jie?" Suddenly, Spring Tree questioned me.
"What else can I do besides studying?"
"Tsk... Yu Jie... you're wasting your youth like this, and you don't even know much about the information circulating in school. You will be engulfed by ignorance like waves."
"You're exaggerating..."
"I'm not exaggerating at all... According to the latest data, Senior Lu Shiyu's charm is the highest in school. She's the school flower..."
"School flower? Her?"
"What? Yu Jie, don't you believe it? Don't you know how many boys adore Lu Shiyu? Every day, Lu Shiyu receives a box full of love letters in her shoe cabinet..."
"... Those guys are completely deceived, they don't know the true nature of Lu Shiyu..."
"Eh? Yu Jie, are you close to Senior Lu Shiyu?" Suddenly, Spring Tree turned his gaze towards me. It felt like if I said yes, Spring Tree would worship me.
"How is that possible... We haven't even said a word to each other."
"Then why do you want to know about Senior Lu Shiyu?" Spring Tree asked.
"Don't be nosy... I just wanted to know how you guys got so obsessed with her."
"Yu Jie, even though you're my best friend, I won't allow you to insult Senior Lu Shiyu in my eyes..."
Spring Tree's words did not sound like a joke. I swallowed my saliva and smiled, "Just kidding."
"So, is she really from a wealthy family?" I returned to the question I asked before.
"Of course... her father is famously rich... Oh, I forgot to tell you, Senior Lu Shiyu also has a twin sister, Lu Shiyin."
"Lu Shiyin?"
"She is equally beautiful and intelligent as Lu Shiyu, but... her personality is more aloof and eccentric, not my type, so... I know very little about her. I still prefer Senior Lu Shiyu... If I could shake her hand or take a photo with her... that would be great..."
Spring Tree looked infatuated.
"I didn't expect her to have a sister, but... I still don't understand, why did it have to be me to be her punching bag? There are so many people who admire her, why must I endure such humiliation?"
I quietly vented my dissatisfaction, but then the school bell rang, and classes resumed. It felt like the end of the day was getting closer, and I began to feel restless and anxious.
