Ranking Pressure

First day is over.

In the quiet of the courtyard, Takumi waits as Rei finishes putting her books away in her locker. His mind drifts to Sakura, her carefree smile lingering in his thoughts. His heart quickens; there’s something about her presence that makes him feel lighter.


He shakes his head, trying to push the thought away—just as Rei’s locker slams shut. Takumi turns his focus back to her. She stands beside him, silent.


Finally, Rei breaks the silence, her voice softer than usual.


“Takumi… do you think I’m too bossy?”


He is caught off guard. He glances at her, noticing her hunched posture and the way her fingers nervously play with the hem of her sleeve. It's a side of her he rarely sees.

“What do you mean? You’re… just being yourself, Rei.”

She frowns slightly, a small pout forming at the edge of her lips. Takumi realizes she isn’t looking for reassurance. She’s questioning herself, something he’s never seen from her before.


“Last year... they called me ‘Ice Queen.’ Do you remember? I can come off as cold.”


Her words hang between them. Takumi’s heart tightens.


“You’re not cold. Not really. You just… have high standards. You expect a lot from yourself—and from others. T-that’s what I like about you. Well, I think...”


Rei looks up at him, her gaze soft. Her lips part as though she wants to say more, but nothing comes out. Then, without warning, she leans in slightly, her voice barely above a whisper.


“Do you ever... see me as more than that? I care, Takumi. I don’t want you to think I’m just... distant.”


Takumi’s breath catches. For a moment, he sees past her rigid shell—a soft, warm Rei he hasn’t allowed himself to consider before.


“I don’t think you’re cold, Rei. It’s just... sometimes, you seem to expect so much from yourself. You don’t give yourself room to breathe.”


Their eyes meet. Rei’s expression softens, but she doesn’t reply immediately. Instead, she pulls back slightly, regaining her composure.


“I guess I have a lot to learn... maybe I don’t have to be so hard on myself.”


Takumi watches her, unsure if this conversation has brought them closer or made things more complicated. The distance between them feels just a little smaller.


“But I’ll make sure you catch up on your grades. Don’t fail the first test.”

Takumi winces. He doesn’t respond, and as they walk home together, only remains silence.

Takumi arrives early. The campus is still quiet under the shining sun.


He notices Sakura struggling with a mikan crate. A stack of boxes beside her shows she's been at this for a while. Despite the weight, she hums a little tune, pausing to wipe her forehead with the back of her wrist.


For a moment, Takumi watches, struck still by his rapid heartbeat. There’s something oddly natural about her—working hard yet still radiating that same easy warmth. He takes a step forward, when another student calls out for her help. She flashes a quick smile and moves to assist.


Takumi's heart finally calms. He tries to find them, but they're already gone. Maybe, next time?The morning bell rings, and students shuffle to their seats. Tetsuji-sensei enters, his serious gaze sweeping the room.


"Today, we’ll cover how the ranking system at Star Paradise works."


He pulls out a sleek, black device, holding it up. It looks like a sleek smartphone.

"This is your Star Paradise Device. It tracks your Star Paradise Credits (SPC)—the currency of this school. Your rank, from D to A, depends on how many credits you accumulate. The S Rank is determined by the Headmistress or a committee."


He pauses, eyes gleaming.


"Now, how do you gain or lose credits? Simple—grades. The better you perform, the more you earn. But before you top-scorers get too comfortable, let me make this clear—stagnation is not an option. Dropping to average will cost you points. Decline too much, and your rank follows."

A murmur spreads through the classroom.


Tetsuji smirks. "And then, we have teacher discretion."


A few students sit up straighter, sensing the unspoken warning.

"We can award or deduct SPC at our whim. Usually for chores, behavior, or—" he looks around the room with an eyebrow raised, "special contributions to school events." He pauses for effect. "Speaking of which, the Fire Lantern Festival is coming up soon. Keep that in mind."


Another murmur.


"Lastly, SPC can be spent." He taps his device, bringing up a holographic list of services. "You can use it to buy items, favors, or even trade between students. Small transactions can be done freely through your device, but anything significant requires teacher supervision."


With that, he claps his hands together. "Any questions?”


No one dares to speak under Tetsuji-sensei’s ‘discretion’.


“Fine by me! Let’s see who’s already at risk of falling behind."


Takumi exhales slowly. His rank isn’t looking great.

Takumi slumps over the library table, eyes dull as he stares at his chemistry textbook.

"Alright, let's go over it again." Rei’s voice is calm but expectant. "What happens when sodium reacts with chlorine?"
Takumi sighs, pressing his fingers into his temples. "They… make salt?"

"Yes. But how?" she asks, hiding her impatience.

"Something about… ions?" His voice lacks confidence; Rei sighs—not in annoyance, but exasperation.

"It's an ionic bond," she corrects. "Sodium gives up an electron, chlorine takes it, and they form a stable compound. Salt."

"Right," Takumi mutters, but the information slips away like sand through his fingers. He stretches out groaning. "Why do I even need to know this? It's just salt."

"It’s not just salt," Rei says, a flicker of interest in her eyes. "In Shinto, for example, sacred salt is used for purification rituals."

Sakura perks up. "We don’t use salt for that back home, but we put it in a lot of food. Especially gravlax—cured salmon with salt and dill! Have you ever had it?"

Takumi half-smiles, watching how Sakura lights up when she talks about her home. It’s a moment of warmth, but his attention is still on Rei, who’s explaining the lesson with the same intense focus.

"In Shinto," Rei continues, "salt is offered to appease spirits. The priests scatter it at shrines to cleanse spaces. Some believers offer it during ceremonies."

"That’s cool," Sakura says, thoughtful. "Salt is used to preserve food too. It helps survive long winters."

Takumi sighs, sensing the conversation slipping off track. "I think we’ve left chemistry behind."

Rei frowns, but Sakura giggles.

"You might not think it’s important now," Sakura adds with a playful smile. "But salt has influenced so many cultures."

Rei softens a little. "Sakura’s right. There are all kinds of salts used in different dishes. You could learn a lot about a culture just by their salt."

Takumi nods, the conversation drifting away from the textbook. It feels... lighter.

Sakura smiles, turning to Takumi. "So, what’s your favorite salt, Takumi? Let’s make a game of it."

Takumi blinks. "I’ve never really thought about it. Maybe regular table salt?"

Sakura grins. "That’s boring, Takumi! You need to try sea salt sometime. It’s a whole different experience."

Rei, distracted, chimes in. "Sea salt’s good. There’s a subtlety to it."Takumi raises an eyebrow, surprised by her warm voice. "You actually know a lot about salt, Rei."

"I know a lot about a lot of things," she says with a half-smile, before her focus returns to the chemistry book.

For once, it doesn’t feel like Rei’s trying to win over Takumi’s attention. They’re simply… talking.He glances at his chemistry textbook again. The equations blur, his frustration mounting."Right. Salt," he mutters, running a hand through his hair. "I’m going to fail this test, aren’t I?"

Sakura laughs softly. "Don’t be too hard on yourself, Takumi. You’ll be fine."

Takumi sighs deeply. "I just feel like I’m already behind."

Rei’s gaze softens, then hardens again. "You’ve been slacking. You’ll need to put in the work if you don’t want to fall behind."

Takumi winces. "Yeah, I guess... but it’s just hard to keep up with everything."

A long silence settles. The test is tomorrow.

Takumi can’t shake the feeling that failure could cost him more than just a poor grade.