"Yeah, of course. --Do you mean now or by Saturday?"

"Oh, whenever. I don't think you're supposed to force art, right?"

Nie Huaisang is a professional. He doesn't need the muse to work any more than you need the muse to lay bricks.

"Oh, that's true!" he says. "I can't work at all without inspiration."

....the thing is pulling at her again. It's very distracting.

Tomonori focuses his attention on the material. His mixed feelings are resolving in favor of being excited, because this seems like exactly the kind of class he was hoping it was. Math, but specifically a kind of math that relates to the order underlying nature. He wonders how you could apply this to architecture. Maybe Nie Huaisang can draw him blueprints...

It looks like no one is angry at each other right now. "How many people in the class want me to make them flashcards?"

"Yes," Nie Huaisang says instantly.

"I'd take them. Does anyone want to study together, I am good at art but hate studying alone." 

"Oh, people can study with us if they want. Right?"

He turns to Nie Huaisang.

That... will be an occasion.

Still. Better than studying on her own, and at least worth checking out before she gives up and begs Mei to let her read her notes out loud.

"I would prefer to study" significant pause "alone," he says to Tomonori.

If Jiang Cheng were dating Nie Huaisang he would never invite anyone else to be in their study group.

"Well, that's fine," Jiang Cheng says. "I'm going to study with Wen Ning and Ayako."

Thaaat does not really sound like less of an Occasion but at least Jiang Cheng will hopefully not be so busy trying to look impressive that he forgets to think about anything else, she'll take it. "Sounds good, we can figure out the scheduling this weekend same as History of Artificing."

-oh, did he do something to offend Nie Hauisang this time? At least no one took out a weapon.

"Okay."

And...that's that??? Tomonori will just do something less complicated like learn about the golden ratio. There's a lot here about the different kinds of structures where it crops up- he wonders if he can find it in magical items if he makes the right spell for it. Is it there too, at the smallest level of magic? Is magic made of atoms, or subatomic particles, or is it nothing that you could ever describe in physical laws at all? The golden ratio doesn't explain that, but it could explain the order behind it, the beauty in magic- because it's more about beauty than it is about truth, and that's what makes it so interesting.

Nie Huaisang thinks he should get as close to Tomonori as possible given their separate desks and draw his own golden-ratio pictures and point out interesting facts about them and share information about other places where the golden ratio comes up.

See. Nie Huaisang does too have skills and abilities. 

He is NOT jealous or angry or upset in any way.

He presses his pencil down so hard that he rips a hole in the paper. 

Is this not objectively the best math class a person could possibly be in. The parts about plants and pinecones are plenty cool but according to the table of contents in their textbook there's going to be a section on music in a few weeks which is the part that Ayako can actually use for spells.

It is. The math to pictures ratio is strongly in favor of pictures which is the most important trait for any math class to have.

Tomonori cannot sketch but he write down ideas for how to build a wizard tower using only smaller and smaller squares!

He appreciates Nie Huaisang's pictures very much, and tells him so.

"They're beautiful."

"Thank you."

Enjoy this blinding bright smile like you're the most important person in the entire world and your approval has filled Nie Huaisang with the most pure delight.

Every time Nie Huaisang says something or Jiang Cheng makes a face she notices, and it's not like she objects to noticing, because there's a reason she's been trained to focus on interpersonal undercurrents, but it is making it very hard to concentrate on anything else.

Nie Huaisang is really nice! Tomonori did not think he would ever make a friend in the Scholomance, so this is a nice surprise.

The golden ratio is also really exciting as a concept, and that makes it easier to pick up the math. This is going to be the best class!

Wen Ning is trying to do his own homework but he keeps getting confused by the numbers. They flip around in his head and it makes him want to cry.