NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 79: Authority of Turtle Head
On weekends during evening self-study sessions, especially in the first semester of their freshman year, and not long after the monthly exams, teachers generally didn't exert tight control over the students.
Even for Emmanuel, the stern class teacher known as one of the "Four Great Terrorists", he needed his rest and couldn't monitor the students every minute.
However, on this particular day, he directly assigned Lilim, the vice class monitor and discipline committee member, to sit at the lectern and supervise everyone during self-study.
Students who naturally tended to report on others had a certain deterrent effect. Even if they held some disdain for her, they had to hold back because she had Emmanuel as her backing.
As for why Emmanuel didn't ask Ryan, the tall and sturdy class monitor, to sit in, it was because Ryan wasn't keen on administrative tasks. Apart from carrying out tasks delegated to him effectively, he avoided unnecessary responsibilities whenever possible.
If Ryan were in charge, the students would likely slack off, rendering this weekend's self-study completely ineffective.
Emmanuel didn't blame Ryan for being irresponsible; after all, his academic performance was outstanding, especially in the sciences. He also attended competition training classes in the evenings, leaving him with little time to focus on class affairs.
Fortunately, Lilim, as vice monitor, could step up. She was enthusiastic about managing the class and almost wished to replace Ryan as the true class monitor.
However, Lilim's tendency to curry favor rather than gain widespread respect hindered her. Her popularity in the class was lacking. If she were forcefully elevated, it might provoke resistance among most students, ultimately backfiring.
Therefore, Emmanuel believed that since the current arrangement was running smoothly, there was no rush to change anything.
At that moment, the evening self-study had already begun.
Lilim sat upright at the lectern. Because she was quite short, only her head was visible to everyone, giving her the appearance of a turtle poking out from its shell, her body largely concealed by the lectern...
Despite this somewhat comical appearance, Lilim's sharp features were filled with pride, as if she sat not on a lectern but on a throne!
After the bell signaling the start of self-study rang, she cleared her throat, stood tall at the lectern, and, emulating the class teacher, tapped the lectern with a yellow triangular ruler. She asserted forcefully that even though no teacher was present tonight, everyone must maintain discipline just as if there were!
As the discipline committee member, she took full responsibility for maintaining order in the class.
"Anyway, all of you better behave, or I'll report you to the teacher!"
With a stern expression, Lilim delivered her ultimatum before sitting down, leaving only the head of a turtle visible on the lectern...
Below, a few stifled laughs could be heard, clearly some students felt that Lilim, who looked more like a "monkey wearing a crown" than a leader, was completely unfit to sit on the lectern.
Lilim stood up abruptly, slammed her hand on the lectern, and stared fiercely at a boy who had laughed at her. "Troy, what are you laughing at? If you don't follow the rules of evening self-study, I'll tell Teacher Emmanuel tomorrow!"
Troy's smile froze. He wasn't the rebellious type; he just found Lilim's behavior of "brandishing authority with a chicken feather" rather ridiculous. But now that she dared to report him to the teacher, he couldn't ignore it, even if it was just out of peer pressure...
His mind raced. Suddenly, he noticed the empty seat in front of him, which belonged to Yannis. "I wasn't laughing. I just noticed Yannis was late and wanted to remind you about it. If you want to report someone, report that."
One had to admit, Troy knew well how to turn the tables without getting implicated himself. Even if he didn't remind Lilim, she would eventually notice Yannis's tardiness.
Sure enough, after Troy mentioned Yannis, Lilim frowned upon seeing the empty seat where Yannis should have been.
If Yannis was a day student, she probably wouldn't bother to pursue this further. Day students had more freedom compared to boarders.
"Crissante, do you know why Yannis was late?" Lilim asked Yannis's desk mate, Crissante.
"I don't know. I didn't go back to the dormitory," Crissante replied succinctly, having spent the evening walking around campus after dinner, unaware of the drama unfolding in the neighboring dormitory.
"Forget it. Being late is being late. Whatever the reason, she'll have to explain it to Teacher Emmanuel later."
With a cold snort, Lilim felt that Yannis didn't show her the respect she deserved. Whether early or late, it was inappropriate for her to be late while Lilim was on duty. She mentally noted this against Yannis.
After Lilim's "cold and ruthless" performance and her intimidating threat to report misbehavior to the teacher, despite resembling a turtle head on the lectern, she managed to silence the entire class.
In reality, during the three periods of evening self-study, students were usually focused on their homework during the first two periods. It was during the last period, approaching dismissal, that restlessness set in, leading to inevitable chatter and time wasting.
This study format was commonly seen in some parts of Europe particularly in this country where meritocracy is highly valued while the same is already integral part of culture across in East Asia.
By the way, day students could finish two periods of evening self-study and leave school around 8:30 PM to go home.
This wasn't a privilege but rather a safety measure. If you lived nearby, like Xanthia who lived in an apartment not far from school, you could finish all three periods of evening self-study and then go home, provided you were responsible enough.
Although Xanthia's apartment was close to school, she usually left after two periods of evening self-study, taking a bus ride of about fifteen minutes to reach home. It was not even nine o'clock by then, and sometimes she could catch a comedy movie at Cardinali Plaza before returning to her apartment to sleep...
Choosing a comedy for a movie was to ensure more happiness. Unfortunately, the quality of comedies varied, and some low-quality ones failed to make her laugh, only leaving her feeling awkward.
But regardless, after finishing evening self-study, she could still go to the mall cinema to watch a movie, which was already a win compared to many other high school students!
This relaxed and leisurely high school life was exactly what she envisioned!
In terms of academics, with the boost from "Study Expert" and "Wisdom Root" abilities, her efficiency was maximized, and she had her own set of study methods, allowing her to carve out more time for enjoyment.
For example, even during the first period of evening self-study today, she was relaxed. She had finished her homework during the morning self-study session, as assignments for Sundays were typically given on Saturdays.
However, today she wasn't reading random books as usual but was studying the "Malicious Notebook" she had recently acquired.
