Kanao Can't Communicate

•~chapter thirty: the end of term exams~•

After loads and loads of preparation, stress, and studying, the time dreaded by many students had finally arrived.

Yes, it was time for the end of term exams for winter.

Each and every student sat at their desks silently, clutching pencils, erasers, and a test packet for the subject of math. Almost all the students were quailing under the strict gaze of Shinazugawa Sanemi, their math teacher who was giving this test.

"You have two hours to take this test." he said, clicking the button on a manual timer. "If you drop your pencil or eraser, raise your hand and I will have to go and get it for you."

He scowled at the students after he said this, as if he was thinking, Don't you dare waste my time by making me pick up your pencils. You dropped it, it's not really my fault.

He clicked his timer again and he said, "Begin."

And, at that cue, all students in the classroom began scribbling feverishly on their papers. They were all sweating profusely and they all hoped to do well on this exam, not only to get good grades, but also to avoid an angry lecture from Sanemi.

After about thirty minutes into the exam, Kanao shifted her arm to the side a little bit, knocking her second pencil off her desk.

She didn't think much about it at first, because she was doing just fine writing with her first pencil.

However, bad luck was on her side as she pressed the tip of her pencil to her paper. The graphite tip of the pencil suddenly bent, and it fell onto Kanao's test packet.

Kanao blinked, to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her. However, the breaking of her pencil was very much real.

She began to sweat frantically because she had only prepared two pencils. She had no sharpener, the other pencil was on the ground, and the pencil that she held in her hand now, was, well, pointless.

She looked up and she tried to catch her sensei's eye. However, he didn't look up from the magazine that he was reading.

Kanao began to silently panic because she was really in a pickle. She didn't want to draw attention to herself by raising her hand, but she couldn't think of any other solution.

Meanwhile, Tanjiro, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine as he worked on his test. He suddenly caught a scent of frantic anxiety coming from Kanao's desk, so he turned his head to the side to see what was going on.

He saw Kanao's hands shaking as she tried to insert her pencil lead back into her pencil. It kept falling out, and her panic was increasing by the second.

Tanjiro looked around for her second pencil, because he was sure that he saw her prepare a second one beforehand. His eyes scanned her desktop and the classroom floor until he caught sight of her pencil lying a few feet away from her desk.

His eyes suddenly widened, as he came up with an idea that would help Kanao get her pencil back.

If I did that, I'd draw lots of attention to myself... he thought hesitantly. Then he looked over at Kanao's panicked expression, and then he changed his mind. Never mind...Kanao really needs help, otherwise she won't be able to finish the test.

Tilting his head a little bit, Tanjiro closed his eye and he aimed his hand in the direction of Kanao's pencil.

I just have to aim properly.... hee thought. I only have one shot at this...

He tossed his own mechanical pencil, and fortunately, it landed a few inches away from Kanao's normal pencil.

He then raised his hand into the air, and after a few seconds, he finally caught the attention of Sanemi.