CHAPTER 4: The Results Are In

Chapter 4: The Results Are In The Next Morning – School Hallway

As I dragged my half-awake self through the school gates, I noticed something off.

The entire hallway was packed.

Students crowded around a bulletin board, their chatter filling the air.

Wait.

Oh.

Right.

The test results.

I had completely forgotten about that.

Now, I wasn’t too worried—I knew I did fine.

But as I approached, I could already hear students freaking out.

"Crap, I barely passed!"
"How the hell did I get a 23?!"
"Who the hell is at the top?!"

I squeezed through the crowd until I could see the rankings.

At the very top, in bold letters—

1st Place: Arata Kasaragi – 100%

…Huh?

…Wait.

WAIT, WHAT?!

The entire hallway went dead silent as everyone turned to look at me.

Aoi Sakuragi, who was standing a few feet away, raised an eyebrow.

Oh. Oh no.

This is not what a mob character is supposed to do.

I messed up.

Classroom – Moments Later

I slumped into my chair, burying my face in my arms.

I could feel the stares.

Whispers filled the room.

"Kasaragi got a perfect score…?"
"I thought he was just some lazy guy."
"Damn, he’s a hidden genius…?"

Please… shut up.

I didn’t want attention. I wanted to blend in, pass through high school like a background extra, and go home to my snacks and bed.

Not… this.

"Congrats on ranking first," a voice said beside me.

I peeked out from my arms.

Aoi was sitting at her desk, flipping through her book as if this was just another Tuesday.

"Uh… thanks?" I muttered.

"You don’t seem happy."

"Because I’m not. I was aiming for mid-tier obscurity, not main character status."

She chuckled.

"Then you probably should’ve intentionally answered some questions wrong."

I sighed. "That thought did cross my mind, but then my ego said no."

She smirked. "I can respect that."

I glanced at her desk and noticed her test paper peeking out from her bag.

72%.

…Huh.

"That bad, huh?" I said before I could stop myself.

Aoi shot me a look. "Tch. Shut up."

For some reason, her reaction made me grin.

Lunch Break – School Rooftop

After dealing with constant "Hey, genius, help me with my homework" requests, I escaped to my new safe haven—

The rooftop.

Surprisingly, she was already there.

Aoi stood by the railing, staring at the sky, just like yesterday.

…Was this her usual spot?

"Yo," I greeted, walking over.

She turned slightly. "Escaping the nerd stampede?"

"Yep. You?"

She shrugged. "Just… thinking."

I leaned against the railing beside her. "About?"

Aoi hesitated for a second before answering.

"…What I want to do in the future."

That… caught me off guard.

I expected something like "what’s for lunch" or "how to win the lottery."

"You don’t know yet?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. I was always just… expected to be good at things. But the truth is, I don’t even know what I actually want to do."

Her fingers tightened slightly on the railing.

I stared at her for a moment.

Then, before I even knew why—

I spoke.

"Well, if it helps… You don’t have to figure it out right now."

She blinked, surprised.

I shrugged. "I mean, we’re just high schoolers. You’ve got time to screw around, make dumb mistakes, and then figure it out. That’s what this phase is for, right?"

Aoi stared at me for a long second.

Then, she smiled.

A small, soft one.

…This was the second time she smiled at me.

And just like before, it messed me up.

"You say some decent things sometimes, Kasaragi," she said.

I scoffed. "Oh wow, such high praise."

She chuckled.

For some reason, it felt… natural.

Like maybe, just maybe—

I was getting closer to her.

And that’s Chapter 4!