Mind your Midterms

The dreaded first midterm test has arrived. After spending the first week of April crashing clubs to make a name for myself, it was about time to start focusing on grades. How was I planning to cheat my way through all the studying to take the easy way to the top?

Obviously, by doing my homework. I made sure to spend as much time as I needed to flawlessly complete any assignments that could affect my grades. Many brave evenings were lost in this effort, and I hope they can enjoy movie dates or five-hour gaming sessions in their next life.

No, the real homework I’ve been focusing on has been finding good victims. When I call them victims like that, it really does make me sound like a villain, but stolen test answers have to come from somewhere. If I’m sitting at that desk, reading just anyone’s mind for answers, I might end up worse than average.

Picking my targets well is the key to success here. The reason I had to spend about two entire months on this, is because of how obnoxious student study groups are. I know I’m the last person that should be saying this, but when people get together for something called a study group, they should be focusing on studying. Is that really too much to ask for?

The me from last year would have loved the idea of girls asking me to study with them as an excuse to get close. But at this point, I’ve heard so many scheming internal voices at these things that I have to force myself not to groan whenever I hear another. Even the guys that invite me to them get distracted and like to slack off. I know a part of this new popularity thing is acting friendly with everyone, but I have a goal here!

One out of maybe every five study groups were actually serious, and it let me evaluate exactly who had good studying habits and tended to be right about their answers. Some were better at certain subjects than others, so I knew who to focus on for each.

The hardest part was training myself to hone in on and read the thoughts of each victim from across the school as I needed them, drowning out a raging sea of mental voices between us in the process. Once I’m accustomed to how a particular person’s inner voice sounds though, it isn’t too difficult to focus solely on them. I think it’s why I keep hearing Kaori’s not-so-verbal abuse even when she’s surrounded by large crowds of people. It was so striking and distinct that it’s fresh in my mind even months after I first heard it. Use her answers to cheat on these tests? No way, the less I have to hear from her the better.

Now that I’m sitting with the first test of the day in front of me, I’m ready. I have multiple of my victims for each test to compare their answers, and at least one of them is in the same class as me, so I can be sure they’re focused on the same questions as I am. Time to crack open some heads! Not literally, though!

Concentrating, I extend my telepathy’s range and begin to sort through the chorus of focused and panicking voices now filling my mind.

Mom was right, I should have studied more…

Why are we still here? Just to suffer? Every night, I can…

This is a battle between me and the test!

How am I supposed to know this stuff?

I have no choice but to rely on the power of my Evil Eye~!

I better not see a single phone today or I’ll…

Mnn, I’ll just close my eyes for a sec… Mnnn…

Right, single term algebraic expression… Oh, easy, Monomial. Next is…

There you are! One down, everyone else stop thinking please. After the first, locating my other targets becomes easier. Soon enough, I’m jotting down all of their answers next to each other and comparing. When one seems to be wrong, the others fill in, and I get to choose which seems better. It seems like a lot, but it’s really only as difficult as writing down notes from a lecture or trying to type along with the dialogue from a movie. Once I’m in the swing of it, I barely even have to think.

Rinse and repeat, again and again, all day. From Math to English, from Japanese to History, listening, writing, erasing, handing in. Athletes like to mention a “flow state,” where they completely immerse themselves into their sport without even considering things like distraction or ego. Before now, I had never experienced it for myself, but it made the day fly by.

The next morning, I only had to follow the tide of fellow students to find the scoreboard. The towering list of names and scores only showed the top 75, but that was enough to draw in all sorts of onlookers.

After all of that work, armed with the knowledge of the best students in the school, there’s no way I can be anything but number one on that list.

“Hey man, way to go!”

A pat on the shoulder.

“Looks like that study group I dragged ya to paid off, eh?”

A nudge from a pretty boy’s elbow.

“As expected of the Kei Kamiya!”

A smile from a girl in oversized glasses. The stream of encouragement reached me before I could find my results. People make way for me bit by bit, and my gaze naturally shoots to the top.

[1 | Kaori Asano | 500]

[2 | Kei Kamiya | 492]

The name of the enemy sits directly above mine. Not only did she manage to keep me from taking her spot, but she somehow scored a 100 on all five tests. A score so perfect it’s unbelievable. Even with the combined answers of the next 10 or so people on the list, a perfect score was out of my reach. So how did she manage that?

“Oh, it’s Kei! Your score is really high, I had no idea you were so smart.”

I know who spoke before I even turn to look. That lighthearted smile, those beautiful violet eyes, the way she seemed to happily bounce with each step closer… It was the person I was trying to avoid at all costs, Kaori Asano herself. When she moved, the crowd literally split to make way, as if her radiance

“Well, I just studied a lot this time. Thanks, though.”

I rub the back of my head this time, chuckling nervously. That part isn’t an act, I’m actually nervous here! It’ll be okay, just be diplomatic and find an excuse to leave soon. Hang in there, me!

Ugh, yeah right. There’s no way a dumbass like you scored so high without cheating. And you still couldn’t get first place? Pathetic.

My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Right, this is why I’ve been avoiding her. That pretty face and kind voice knocks my guard down just for her to speak daggers into my heart with her thoughts.

“Ohh, I see!” She moves closer, about an arm’s length away now. The sweet scent of roses wafts toward me, and I can feel that I’m dangerously close to the thorns. “My name’s Kaori Asano, I’ve heard a lot about you! Hope we can get along.”

Her eyes close happily as her smile broadens, leaving me to wonder if she practiced the motion in a mirror before this.

I’ll have to put up with this waste of life until I can prove what he’s up to. He could get away with the clubs, but the midterms are too far. I’m on to you, damn it!

And with that, I finally understand why she was following me around so much. She knows. Somehow she picked up on the fact that I’m cheating. And since she’s the student council president, that makes her a threat. A big one. This girl whispering into a teacher’s ear about how strange my sudden improvement is could flip my plan on its head entirely. Calm down, me! From the thoughts I’ve picked up, she definitely doesn’t know how I’m cheating in life, and my mind reading doesn’t leave evidence. Still, if she was perceptive enough to pick up on it all a whole two months ago, I can’t be too careful. Yup! Keeping my distance is the best strategy after all!

“That’s flattering, coming from you. I guess that means I don’t have to tell you my name then?”

Wow, I didn’t know I had another nervous laugh like that in me. I’m really at the end of my rope here. At least I don’t have to shake anyone’s hand right now.

“Nope! Got it memorized!” She tapped the side of her head and giggled cutely. I can hear the guys in the crowd swoon from that one. I mean literally, I have to focus on drowning out the maelstrom of fawning and horny thoughts spewing from their minds. As if I don’t have enough to deal with already.

Hah, when I learned your name meant ‘intelligent’ I almost burst out laughing. Too funny.

Yup, my parents are world-famous comedians, I’ll have to get you their autograph or something. On a more serious note, I have to come up with some excuse and get the hell out of dodge now. It’s hard to think with her dual voices bouncing around my head.

“Well, hey, I’d love to keep chatting but I got, uh, this thing, and it’s super–”

–unimportant. You’re not getting away.

“I was wondering if we could talk alone! Just you and I…” She cuts me off, talking over my flimsy excuse. Her skirt flutters along with her as she closes the distance, even closer. Her perfume grows stronger and I can tell that it’s already too late. The thorns on this rose are already drawing blood.

“Please come with me? It can’t be anyone else.”