Assessment One

The test paper Hayami held in her hands felt like it was mocking her.

“Aww, man. Not again…”

71/100. A solid B.

Not that she’d ever dream of being able to approach an A+, but she felt like she deserved an A at the very least.

Hayami rubbed her tired eyes. It wouldn’t be wrong to say her part-time work took a significant chunk of her time, but she had requested a specific unpaid day off just to study for this.

She lost money for a grade that didn’t even eventuate.

She sighed, letting the paper flutter to her desk. The test was from a few days ago, before her first meeting with Akira.

Getting this kind of outcome the day after Akira’s explosive entrance into her personal life… It was as if the universe was trying to keep Hayami’s luck equilibrium firmly on the unlucky side.

A shadow then fell over her shoulder.

“Maybe you should spend less time playing games.”

That voice immediately made Hayami want to rip her own exam paper into confetti. She slowly turned around to see Hina holding her own test paper, with a perfect 95 displayed casually outward.

“Hina…” Hayami mumbled. “I-It was a hard test.”

Hina merely tilted her head.

“It was hard? That’s news to me. People who barely study might say otherwise, though.” She tapped a manicured nail against Hayami’s score. “If only you could get those 2D husbandos of yours to take the test for you, huh?”

Hayami gripped the edge of her desk. She thought about Akira’s hand on her back. Posture. Occupy space.

She sat up straighter.

“W-We are in the third year of h-high school,” Hayami said. She hated the way her own throat closed up. “And you’re s-still acting like a child.”

Hina’s eyes lit up.

“W-Whoa,” Hina laughed. “I-Is that H-Hayami t-talking buh-buh, buh-buh b-back.”

Hayami’s face went red-hot so fast it made her dizzy. Her damn stutter struck again. The one thing she couldn't control.

Hina leaned down.

“You know, I don’t know what is sadder. The fact that you rely on a white knight…”

She glanced toward the empty seat where Akira usually sat.

“…or that you’re desperate enough to think that person is actually Akira.”

“Heh. This is going to be gold!”

The voice came out of left field.

It was a girl Hayami recognized—one of the hangers-on who hovered around Hina during recess. Miko.

And she had her phone out with a camera lens pointed directly at Hayami’s humiliated face.

“The world oughta know that Akira has questionable taste in friends!” Miko exclaimed. “God, think about the number of views…”

Hayami paled. The stories that Perchance to Dream fans, and non-fans alike, have run on Hayami have already ranged from overly flattering to downright scandalous. This would be merely adding fuel to the fire!

But then the most unexpected person intervened.

“Your phone? In class?”

Hayami looked up.

That sentence came from Hina.

“I need not remind you that goes against school policy.”

“Of course, Class President Hina-san! But it’s Hayami,” the girl laughed. “There’s no harm in slandering the degenerate gacha player—”

“That’s enough.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. The way Hina said it wasn't loud, but it was ice-cold all the same.

“...H-Huh?”

Hina held out a manicured hand. “I am revoking your club pass. Hand it over.”

“W-Wait… Hina, you can’t be serious.”

“I gave you a warning, and you blatantly disregarded it. Actions have consequences. I didn't give you permission to film her. Don’t forget, she’s mine. And mine alone. So get out.”

“W–W–... Waaaaah!!”

The girl shoved her phone in her pocket and practically ran straight toward her desk.

Hayami looked at Hina incredulously.

Hina had never done something like that before. Usually, she encouraged others to join in tormenting her, almost like it was a group activity.

But it seemed that policy had changed.

Was it Akira’s arrival that changed the dynamic? Did Hina want to gatekeep her favorite victim?

Before Hayami could process the horror of being "claimed," Hina walked off as suddenly as she had come, flashing that signature shit-eating grin over her shoulder.

Even after all the pep talk she had three days ago at her apartment, Hayami can’t seem to stand up for herself.

Needing a distraction, Hayami pulled out her phone, wondering if things were any better online.

One scroll on the Journals app was all she needed to regret being born.

Trending: #AkiraXCommoner #ForbiddenLove; The Controversial but Hit New Fanfiction:

The Prince’s Muse

Tags: [Enemies to Lovers] [Yandere MC]

Hayami locked her phone and shoved it face down on the desk.

“Ughhhh… at least come up with a more original name…”

Then, a shadow fell over her. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. The scent of expensive cologne gave him away.

“Saw all that, did you?” she mumbled, burying her face into her arms.

“To be fair, the whole sequence was a fascinating mix of pathetic and adorable. But never let it be in doubt that Sato Hayami is an entertaining person to watch, especially when she’s fumbling through the weeds she cultivated herself.”

“Glad I made at least one person's life better,” she grumbled.

Akira carefully examined her miserable face. “You look like you have a request.”

“I do. I-I am tired of b-being a punching bag,” she said with conviction. “So why can’t we start lesson two, already?”

“Because we aren’t there yet,” Akira laughed.

He leaned down.

“Like any curriculum worth its salt, this study needs a capstone project. I don't teach advanced techniques to students who can't clear it.”

He tapped the table.

“You need to pass my practical first.”

“I-Isn’t this all a l-little bit unnecessary?!” Hayami cried.

“That girl who got shoo’d off is going to come running back for that pass. She’ll beg. And Hina will give it back, because Hina feeds on the attention.”

Akira’s eyes narrowed.

“From my perspective? Hina’s really barely any better than you. I need you to think about how.”

Hayami blinked. “You knew this from spending all of two days in this school?”

“Do you want my help or not?” he questioned. “Because from staying in your bubble your whole life, you don’t seem to notice the obvious. Anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence can tell what’s going on between you two, and I need you to understand it too.”

Hayami gritted her teeth. What did this out-of-touch rich boy know about multi-year-long friendships breaking down?

“I need you to think about why she acts like that. Then I need you to act. Think… think really hard about it,” he continued without missing a beat. I will observe what happens next. The rest is up to you.” Akira winked. “Besides, I think you need this more than you realize. Because until you move past this yourself, whatever I teach you will be useless.”

Several students walked past him and returned to their seats just as the next subject teacher came in. With a wink and a flourish, Akira casually walked back to his seat.

At this point, a dagger wasn’t enough.

\\

Lunch time, Golden Brooch High.

Osaka summer cicadas wafted through the greenery that surrounded the open cafeteria.

The usual rabble of students flooded into the premises.

None of them sat next to Hayami, despite her new celebrity status.

She guessed that nobody wanted to climb the barrier of potentially meeting Akira by suddenly making friends with the school pariah.

She sighed, opening her bento box alone as she was accustomed to.

For the longest time, Hayami was fine with being a pariah. Now, by managing to tame someone like Akira, she was starting to second-guess whether even that fundamental part of her existence was true.

So when Hina walked up to her table like usual, Hayami didn’t freeze like she usually did.

Per Akira’s sage advice to think—really think… Hayami had realized one of two things about Hina.

Firstly, Hina was obsessed with her. More than she had any right to be. It didn't make sense if Hina simply hated her guts—any rational person would just avoid the "loser" entirely. Hina sought her out.

And secondly, Hina’s whole personality was built around being a leader. Someone that popular tied her self-worth to people revering her.

So when the girl trailing behind Hina—Mika, the one that Hina had publicly shoo’d away before recess like a stray dog—walked behind Hina’s stride…

Hayami knew Hina was as bad a loser at life as she was.

And one thing Hayami hated more than losers… were losers who refused to accept who they really were.

“Hayami, Hayami, Hayami,” Hina drawled, scooching up beside her. “I should’ve guessed your relationship with Akira was only skin-deep. He didn’t even care enough to sit beside you during lunch.”

Hayami knew that Hina was wrong, at least about the skin-deep part. Akira’s presence was so strong that she could feel his eyes bore into the scene before her.

Hina smiled, breaking her out of her thoughts. “So there’s no one else here now to protect you.” Hina snapped her fingers. “Mika!”

“H-Huh?” Mika started.

“You always said whenever we were kids that sharing was caring, Hayami. So go ahead. Share your minced pork dish.”

What Hayami said was not what Mika expected at all.

“Sure.”

Hina nearly gasped in shock.

Hayami wiped her chopsticks with her handkerchief and presented them to Mika. “It’s a new recipe for a dish called Pad Kaprao.”

Hesitantly, under Hina’s glaring pressure, Mika took the chopsticks. She grabbed a generous piece of the dark, saucy meat and put it in her mouth.

It took three seconds.

Mika’s eyes bulged. Her face turned a violent shade of beet red.

“I w-was too liberal with dark soy sauce. Fish sauce, too. C-Come to think of it, I put in three bird’s eye chili, rather than the recommended two.”

“W… Wa…” the girl stammered, but the words died in her mouth. Tears of pain streamed down her face. But Hayami could tell Mika was caught between wanting water and wanting to save face for Hina.

“W-What was that?” Hayami smiled wobbly. “Water? Gladly.”

She handed her bottle over, and Mika gladly accepted.

Hayami soon faced Hina.

“I-I know what you’re going to say. I am a terrible cook. Well… I am. But you know what? I d-don’t regret it. I-I don’t regret setting my mouth on fire. Because finally… f-finally, after so many years, I ventured out of my comfort zone.”

She gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white.

“When was the l-last time, Hina… did you venture out of yours?”

Hina stared at her. “What?”

“You s-surround yourself with people who make y-you feel good about yourself,” Hayami rushed out. “People who praise you for the w-way you walk. It… it gets to a point where it’s a b-bit embarrassing, you know? I-It’s like without others, you are nothing.”

Hina slammed Hayami’s bento shut.

“Hayami, I don’t know what you’re trying to say or prove here, but it’s getting embarrassing.”

Tears pricked Hayami’s eyes.

“Not being c-comfortable in your own skin… that’s more embarrassing.”

Mika looked at Hayami now; truly looked at her. Her eyes darted to Hina, with an incredulous expression dawning on her face.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, but you’re shaking,” Hina replied.

“I’m s-shaking because I’m scared of you!” Hayami screamed.

Their side of the cafeteria went silent.

“But even though I’m scared, I’m saying it anyway. Because at least I’m trying. At least I’m trying to make the effort,” Hayami admitted. “But what are you doing with your life besides putting down others just to make y-yourself feel better?”

Then, Hayami turned her head toward Mika. “You don’t owe someone like Hina a t-thing. H-Hina, the second someone like Akira—someone better than her—talks back, r-runs away like a coward. C-Can’t you see she needs you m-more than you need her?”

Hina opened her mouth, but Mika—still red-faced—suddenly stood up.

“She’s right.”

“W… What?” Hina stuttered.

“She’s right,” Mika reiterated.

“You’d let someone like her convince you?”

“I don’t need someone fake like you to speak for me. You’re not as cool as you portray yourself to be. You never liked me. You used me just so you can show Hayami you have more friends than her. You're obsessed.”

Mika began to walk away, slowly at first, but her steps began to cover more ground.

“W-Wait… Mika,” Hina called out.

Eventually, those steps became strides.

Hina paled. “L-Look… I am sorry about all those things I said to you. I was lying, they were… they were just to test your loyalty!”

“I don’t need you anymore.”

Then, Mika turned her back.

“Wait…” Hina cried. She looked around the cafeteria. Everyone was looking at her now. “Don’t… please…!”

Soon, Mika left her sight completely.

The fact everybody in the school now knowing Hina was a fraud, combined with the fact she let Hayami showed her up, proved too much. 

Hina ran out of the cafeteria with both hands covering her face.

\\

Off in the distance, Akira looked on as Hayami happily returned to eating her inedible food.

Her eyes were swimming with tears, her nose was a shade of red he was coming to realize was uniquely hers, and her face was burning from the spices—but as she chewed, she did a subconscious happy wiggle in her seat.

Her cheeks puffed out round like a chipmunk as she swallowed the pork whole and she looked… radiant.

For some reason he cannot describe, in his cynical life, Akira finally wanted more.

LESSON ONE: RESPECTING YOURSELF

CLEARED!