Jiang Cheng is in this fake math class for stupid people because the Scholomance thinks he's an idiot and he hates it.
...Tomonori sits there, trying to puzzle this out. So there's a number in nature that just arises when you...hmm. Smaller and smaller square, squares inside squares...it's really not his fault his mind immediately goes back to the tower, the image of it that he has in his head- it's only natural!
"Can you draw the tower," he whispers to Nie Huaisang. "I mean- a tower. A skyscraper like they have in some of the biggest enclaves?"
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...
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.
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.
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!