Chapter 5 - The Test

A few days passed.

“Alright everyone,” the teacher announced, standing in front of the class. “Our next exam will be held this week.”

The classroom immediately reacted.

“EHHHHHH?!”

Groans echoed everywhere.

“Already?!”

“I’m not ready!”

“This is too soon!”

Papers shuffled. Heads dropped onto desks. Some students even looked like they had just received terrible news.

But in the middle of all that—

Two people had completely different reactions.

Kyosokei leaned on his hand, looking out the window without saying anything.

And beside him—

Soyoki Tokito’s eyes sparkled.

“An exam?!”

She looked genuinely excited.

“I’m looking forward to it!”

Kyosokei slowly turned his head toward her.

“…You’re excited?”

“Of course!” she said cheerfully. “It’s been so long since I’ve taken one!”

Kyosokei stared at her like she was a different species.

Who gets excited over exams…

Suddenly—

Two shadows loomed behind him.

“Kyosokeiii…”

“Help us…”

Kyosokei didn’t even need to look.

Oku Ryoukichi and Gojo Suzuki leaned over his shoulders like desperate ghosts.

“Let us see your answers…” Oku whispered dramatically.

“We’re begging you…” Gojo added, looking like he hadn’t slept since the announcement.

Kyosokei sighed.

“…No.”

“PLEASE!” Oku cried.

“WE’LL DO ANYTHING!” Gojo added.

Before Kyosokei could respond—

A hand gently placed itself between them.

“No cheating.”

The three boys froze.

They slowly turned.

Soyoki stood there with a calm but firm expression.

Oku blinked.

“…Huh?”

Gojo straightened up.

“Uh… we were just joking…”

Soyoki shook her head.

“That’s not good.”

Her tone wasn’t loud.

But it carried a quiet seriousness.

“If you cheat, you won’t learn anything.”

Kyosokei stared at her.

Why is she acting like a teacher…

Soyoki suddenly smiled again.

“But—”

She clapped her hands once.

“If you both get good scores without cheating…”

Oku and Gojo leaned forward.

“…I’ll cook for you again.”

Silence.

Then—

“WE’LL STUDY.”

“WE’LL DO OUR BEST.”

The two answered instantly.

Kyosokei blinked.

That was fast.

Soyoki nodded happily.

“That’s the spirit!”

She placed her hands on her hips proudly.

“I’ll do my best too. I want to get a high score!”

Oku grinned.

“Then it’s a competition!”

Gojo adjusted his posture.

“…A fair one.”

For a brief moment—

It didn’t feel like they were strangers anymore.

It felt like…

A small team.

Kyosokei looked at them quietly.

Then his gaze shifted toward Soyoki.

For a second—

He remembered something.

A much younger version of himself.

Sitting at a small table.

Struggling with homework.

And beside him—

Soyoki, patiently helping him.

Smiling the same way she was now.

Kyosokei blinked.

The memory faded.

“…Tch.”

He turned his head back toward the window.

Doesn’t matter.

Then time goes forward...

The following days turned into a strange kind of preparation.

A montage of effort.

At the library—

Oku slammed books onto the table.

“I’m going to pass this exam even if it kills me!”

Gojo, already surrounded by notes, looked half-dead.

“…It might actually kill me.”

At home—

Soyoki studied seriously at the table, flipping through textbooks with determination.

“I won’t lose to high school questions!”

Meanwhile—

Kyosokei laid on his bed.

Sleeping.

Or wandering around outside.

Or staring at the sky.

“…”

It’s just an exam.

Everybody does the same thing until finally...

The classroom was silent.

Completely silent.

Only one sound filled the room.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

The clock on the wall echoed like a countdown.

Every student stared at their test papers with intense focus.

Pens moved quickly.

Pages flipped.

Even Oku and Gojo looked unusually serious.

Kyosokei rested his cheek on his hand.

He doesn't even looks like he is well prepared but his expression looks nonchalant as she stared at the test.

He then casually wrote his answers without much thought.

Across the room—

Soyoki stared at her paper.

Her brows slightly furrowed.

“…This is harder than I expected…”

She whispered quietly to herself.

Her pen paused.

Then moved again.

She was trying.

Really trying.

Suddenly—

A chair moved.

Kyosokei stood up.

Without hesitation, he walked to the front.

Placed his test paper on the teacher’s desk.

And turned to leave.

The entire class noticed.

“…Already?”

“He finished that fast?”

Soyoki looked up.

Her eyes widened in desbilief at how fast her son can finish the test is.

"Wait what?"

Then a girl sitting beside her leaned closer and whispered.

“Your cousin is always like that.”

Soyoki blinked.

“Always?”

The girl nodded.

“Ever since first year, Kyosokei can finish his own test paper in less than five minutes.”

Soyoki looks again more surprised.

"Wait, that's too fast!"

Soyoki looked toward the door where Kyosokei had just left.

Then she glanced around the room.

Oku looked like he was fighting for his life.

His hair was messy.

His eyes were heavy with dark circles.

“Why… is this… so hard…”

Gojo wasn’t any better.

He stared at his paper like it had personally betrayed him.

“…I studied… I really did…”

Their condition looked worse than before.

Soyoki almost laughed.

Then—

She looked back at the door.

A soft smile appeared on her face.

“…You’ve grown a lot, Kyosokei.”

She gripped her pen again.

“Alright.”

And returned to her test.

Determined not to lose.

Then next day—

The classroom buzzed with tension.

Students gathered near the front wall where the test results would be posted. Some stood nervously, others whispered anxiously, while a few simply closed their eyes like they were praying.

Kyosokei Tokito sat in his seat.

Calm.

Unbothered.

He just looks out the window as always.

At the front—

A list was already posted.

Students crowded around it.

“Move! I can’t see!”

“Where’s my name?!”

“Ah—! I passed!”

Soyoki stood among them, carefully scanning the paper.

Her eyes moved down the list—

Then stopped.

At the very top.

1st Place — Kyosokei Tokito — 100%

Soyoki’s eyes widened.

“…100?”

Her expression slowly softened into a proud smile.

“Not a single mistake…”

She placed a hand over her chest.

You really have grown…

Around her, students murmured in amazement.

“He got perfect again?”

“That’s insane…”

“He’s always at the top…”

Soyoki looked at the name again.

Her son.

At the very top.

Then—

Her attention shifted.

A few steps away—

Oku and Gojo stood side by side.

Both had their hands clasped together.

Eyes closed.

Muttering under their breath.

“Please pass…”

“Please pass…”

They looked like they were praying for their lives.

Soyoki couldn’t help but smile.

They really tried their best…

Then—

THUD.

The classroom door suddenly opened.

The teacher walked in, holding another stack of papers.

Everyone turned.

Without saying a word—

He walked to the front.

And stomped another list onto the board.

SLAP.

The room fell silent.

“…Finally we got all the list.” someone whispered.

“Wait… what’s that?”

Students slowly gathered again.

Curiosity replaced relief.

Confusion filled the air.

Soyoki stepped closer.

Her eyes fixed on the newly posted list.

Oku and Gojo opened their eyes.

“…What now…?”

Kyosokei, from his seat, glanced toward the front.

Something felt different.

Soyoki scanned the list.

Her expression—

Changed.

The room held its breath.

And just as the tension reached its peak—

The results revealed themselves.

To be continued…