Katsumi sat quietly among the other students, his mathematics paper resting neatly against the surface of his desk while the classroom slowly settled into an uneasy silence.
The surprise test had caught most of the class completely off guard, and the expressions surrounding him ranged from panic to despair.
Katsumi, meanwhile, had already finished the first few questions.
The mathematics itself wasn’t particularly difficult.
He had encountered most of the concepts before, and although he wasn’t interested enough to boast about his ability, solving the problems required little more than a few calculations and a reasonable understanding of the formulas.
He could have simply completed the test and spent the remaining time staring out the window.
Instead, a strange thought entered his mind.
It was stupid.
Completely unnecessary.
And, for reasons Katsumi himself couldn’t explain, increasingly tempting.
Maybe because the teacher thought of doing a pop quiz and disturbing his peace.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the mathematics teacher.
The teacher was standing at the front of the classroom with his arms folded, watching the students with the stern expression of someone who had already caught three people cheating in his imagination.
“Everyone,” he announced, his voice cutting through the remaining whispers, “this is a test, not a group discussion, so there will be absolutely no talking, and I mean absolutely no cheating, understood?”
“Yes!”
The entire class responded together, their voices echoing through the room.
Katsumi lowered his eyes toward his paper.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He quickly hid it.
Unfortunately, Blue noticed.
Why wouldn’t he notice?
He is Katsumi’s spirit dragon.
The invisible dragon was floating beside his desk, his translucent body completely imperceptible to everyone else in the classroom.
He leaned closer, studying Katsumi’s expression with the curiosity of someone who had already recognized the signs of stupidity.
‘Father.’
Katsumi continued writing.
‘Father.’
His pencil moved steadily across the page.
‘You’re smiling.’
“I’m not.”
‘You are.’
“No.”
Blue narrowed his eyes.
‘You’re planning something.’
Katsumi paused.
“…Perhaps.”
Blue’s expression immediately brightened.
‘What are we doing?’
Katsumi glanced toward the teacher again, then lowered his voice.
“I’m going to bathe the teacher in fear.”
Blue blinked.
‘Why?’
“Because I can.”
Blue stared at him for several seconds.
Then his mouth slowly curled upward.
‘That’s a terrible reason.’
“I know.”
‘Can I help?’
Katsumi’s smile widened.
“That’s why I told you.”
The two exchanged a glance, and although neither of them said anything else, the agreement between them was immediate.
A few minutes passed.
The classroom gradually returned to the quiet rhythm of pencils scratching against paper, pages turning, and the occasional frustrated sigh escaping from a student who had reached a question they couldn’t solve.
The teacher walked between the rows, checking that everyone remained focused.
When he passed Katsumi’s desk, Katsumi kept his eyes fixed on his paper.
Nothing happened.
The teacher continued walking.
Blue floated behind him.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then Blue suddenly drifted directly behind the teacher’s shoulder.
The dragon leaned close to the man’s ear.
And whispered.
“Boo.”
The teacher stopped.
His shoulders stiffened.
He slowly turned around.
Nothing.
The students continued writing.
Katsumi lowered his head, desperately suppressing the laughter building inside him.
Blue floated back toward him.
‘Did you see his face?’
Katsumi’s shoulders began trembling.
“Don’t…”
He covered his mouth with one hand.
The teacher looked around suspiciously before continuing his patrol.
Blue followed him.
This time, he floated directly in front of the teacher and waved.
The teacher ignored him.
Blue waved harder.
Still nothing.
Then Blue tilted his head and whispered again.
“Behind you.”
The teacher immediately spun around.
Nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
A student in the front row looked up.
“Sir?”
“Nothing.”
The teacher adjusted his glasses and continued walking, although his pace had noticeably increased.
Katsumi’s shoulders were shaking now.
A strange sound escaped his throat.
“Kek…”
He immediately coughed.
The student sitting beside him glanced over.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
“Kekek…”
Katsumi pressed his fist against his mouth.
Blue floated beside him, visibly delighted.
‘Father.’
“Stop.”
‘You sound like a duck.’
Katsumi’s eyes narrowed.
“I do not.”
‘You do.’
Katsumi tried to suppress another laugh.
It escaped anyway.
“Kwa…”
He froze.
The student beside him stared.
Katsumi slowly lowered his pencil.
“…Cough.”
Katsumi glared at him.
The teacher suddenly stopped.
His eyes moved toward Katsumi.
“What was that?”
Katsumi straightened immediately.
“Nothing, sir.”
The teacher stared at him suspiciously.
Katsumi maintained a perfectly innocent expression.
Blue, however, had already moved behind the teacher again.
‘Father.’
Katsumi looked down at his paper.
‘Ready?’
Katsumi’s lips twitched.
“…Go.”
Blue’s spirit surged forward.
The teacher suddenly felt something brush against the back of his neck.
He froze.
A cold shiver travelled down his spine.
Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head.
Blue was hovering directly behind him.
The dragon opened his mouth.
“Teacher…”
The teacher’s eyes widened.
Blue leaned closer.
“You forgot to check the answer key.”
The teacher’s face went pale.
“What?!”
Several students looked up.
The teacher spun around so quickly that his papers nearly slipped from his hands.
There was nothing behind him.
The room fell silent.
Katsumi’s head dropped toward his desk.
His shoulders began shaking uncontrollably.
“Kekekekek…”
Blue was laughing so hard that he nearly lost altitude.
‘Father!
His face!”
Katsumi finally broke.
“Kwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
He clapped one hand over his mouth, but the damage had already been done.
The teacher turned toward him.
“Morikawa!”
Katsumi straightened.
His eyes were watering.
“Yes, sir?”
“What are you laughing about?”
Katsumi stared at him.
For perhaps the first time in his life, he genuinely had no answer that wouldn’t make the situation worse.
“…Mathematics?”
The teacher’s eyebrow twitched.
“Get back to your test.”
“Yes, sir.”
Katsumi lowered his head again.
The moment the teacher turned away, Blue floated beside him.
‘Worth it.’
Katsumi glanced toward him.
A tiny smile returned.
“…Completely worth it.”