When I walked into the classroom looking like a wreck, quite a few people were worried about me. My face was swollen. My legs were dragged. It was obvious to anyone who saw me that I looked abnormal, so they asked me what had happened.\n
Injuries don’t heal so easily. The pain didn’t go away after a day of sleep.\n
The worst part was my face. My eyes were squeezed shut and my cheeks were puffed up to the level you see in comic books. It was so bad that whenever my classmates came up to me and looked at my face, they would say, “Wa!”\n
Of course, the teacher noticed my abnormality.\n
He was worried that I was involved in some kind of crime or being bullied or something.\n
(You should go to the nurse’s office.)\n
That’s what my homeroom teacher, Shiroyama-sensei, told me.\n
I had no choice but to take my midterm test in the nurse’s office.\n
I was so sorry that I caused so many people to worry, not just my family.\n
But at the same time, I felt happy.\n\n
In junior high school, this was unthinkable. They clearly hated me. No matter what I looked like, not a single person cared.\n
But now, it’s different.\n
Many people care about me.\n
Saito, Shindo, Fujisaki, Nishikawa …… and even Enami-san.\n
I felt so grateful for the people who cared about me so much.\n
I don’t remember much about my week of tests. Anyway, I was very focused during the test and studied all the time after I got home.\n
My wounds were sore the whole test, but it didn’t matter. I had prepared for the test, and I wasn’t going to take it lukewarmly.\n
During the test, my consciousness dives into the answer sheet.\n\n
The concentration I’ve developed in the room pulls me into the problem at hand.\n\n
It was the day the test results were announced.\n
We were gathered in front of the bulletin board in the hallway.\n
Soon, the test results would be posted.\n
About a minute later, the teachers brought a large piece of paper in front of the board. They opened the rolled-up paper little by little, fastened the four corners with thumbtacks, and left the place.\n
On the far right of the paper. As usual, my name was inscribed on it.\n
1st place: Naoya Ookusu, 778 points\n
No surprise there. I was a little relieved, but I was sure that I would be.\n
Saito, standing next to me, said.\n
“You’re in first place again, …….”\n\n
He sounded dumbfounded.\n
…… It had already been about ten days since the midterm exams had ended.\n
The answers to the test had already been returned to each student. There was no difference between my calculations and the overall score posted on the board. On the bulletin board in the hallway, the names of only the top 50 students were posted. Of course, Saito’s and Shindo’s names were not on the board.\n\n
“What kind of study do you really do?”\n
Saito asked me, but I could only reply with a wry smile.\n
Anyway, I’m really just hardworking. I just concentrate hard and solve and solve and solve.\n
I’ll always be in the first place. I had already decided this before entering high school.\n
I couldn’t allow myself to be beaten by anyone. It was the least I could do.\n\n
“It’s nice, isn’t it? If I could get even a tenth of that, I could avoid red marks.”\n
“Well, then, why don’t you just try to do one-tenth of what I do?”\n\n
Apparently, Saito had a few subjects that he got red marks in. If you have red marks, you have to take a make-up exam to get a passing grade.\n\n
“I’m sorry. I know. Serious people are different.”\n\n
With that, Saito left the area.\n
He always comes to see the announcement of the top performers, even though his name is not supposed to be on it. He used to say that he was curious if I would get the top grade again.\n
Well, every time I do, he gives me a sarcastic look.\n
Suddenly, I looked at the name of the second-place winner and noticed that it was a familiar name.\n
And that person came up to stand next to me, replacing Saito.\n\n
“I didn’t win. ……”\n
Fujisaki was slumping her shoulders.\n
She had studied harder than usual, and her ranking had risen from fourth place to second place, which was unusual for her. It looks like she’s been putting all her energy into the match with me.\n
I said,\n
“No, but it was close. It is just a little more”\n
“It’s frustrating that you look so comfortable. Of course, you could say that when the scores are 50 points apart.”\n
” …….Sorry”\n
Yes, the names are lined up in first and second place, but the difference is overwhelming.\n
It doesn’t matter how much study Fujisaki has done. she can’t break my stronghold that easily.\n
“Ah~a. I lost the match. I’m the one who proposed the match, so I need to adhere to it.”\n
She looked at me sideways. To be honest, I didn’t care either way, but if I said so, she would be disappointed again.\n\n
“Right. I wonder what I should order. I can give any order I want, right?”\n
Fujisaki hugged her shoulders and stepped back.\n
“Eh? What? What are you going to order Ookusu-kun!”\n
“Well, what should I do……?”\n
“No, you can’t order anything weird, okay?”\n
I laughed at Fujisaki’s panic.\n
I was not going to order anything weird, of course. But I found her reaction amusing, so I decided to tease her for a while.\n
“I don’t know what’s weird. Tell me.”\n
“Oh,tha..that. I can’t tell you that!”\n
” So, Fujisaki, were you thinking of something erotic?”\n
“Ookusu-kun!”\n\n
It was very cute to see Fujisaki with her face all red.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: Well..Next is the last chapter.. Honestly.\n\n