Midterm exams began just like always.
Kotomi Izumi arrived at the Year 1 Class A exam room, and as soon as she walked in, the sound of several students nearly falling out of their chairs echoed through the classroom. It couldn't be helped—during the last monthly test, Kotomi had earned not just respect but also a bit of fear from some of the Class A students.
Who would have thought that a girl who didn't even bother to check her answers, choosing instead to sleep during the exam, would end up becoming the top student in all of Tokyo at Sobu High School?
And she was stunningly beautiful on top of that...
"Senpai Izumi is here! I knew it, she's taking the midterms in Class A again."
"Hey Senpai, how many minutes are you planning to take to finish this one?"
"I don't know why, but the moment I saw her, my knees went weak. I feel like kneeling."
"Word is, when Senpai walked past Year 1 Class B earlier, they sealed up all the doors and windows, terrified she might glance their way. They're salting the threshold now."
"Well... after the homeroom teacher confiscated every single phone in the class, the students in Class B probably see Senpai like someone dying of thirst in a desert spotting Anubis himself."
"I want to be Miss Kotomi Izumi's loyal dog."
"Good morning, Senpai!"
Kotomi returned the greeting with a smile. "Good morning. How's the midterm prep going for everyone?"
"Of course, I reviewed everything thoroughly. You better watch out, Senpai—I might surpass you this time!"
"Hey, hey! You were playing Apex until 2 a.m. last night. Don't make such shameless claims about doing well on the exam, alright? If I hadn't called you this morning, you'd still be in bed and late by now."
"Ugh... Please, spare me the humiliation in front of Senpai..."
Kotomi gave a dazzling smile, one that seemed to outshine everything around her. Anyone caught in her smile was hopelessly captivated.
"Oh, you play Apex too? What a coincidence—I play as well. Let's add each other after the exams, I'll carry you guys."
Kotomi glanced at the girl in front of her—great figure. No way she wasn't adding her!
Girls who liked gaming were rare anywhere, and even rarer were girls like Kotomi: beautiful, kind, with a lovely voice, and a passion for gaming. Unsurprisingly, a commotion stirred among the classmates.
Soon enough, Kotomi's Line app received multiple friend requests. Since no one had access to a computer at the moment, they couldn't add her directly on Origin or Steam, so Line would do for now.
If, during the monthly exam, the students in Class A had still clung to some pride,
Now, at the midterm, those who had been ruthlessly crushed by Kotomi's performance had become far more humble. Everyone respected the strong. Even when that strength brought pressure, it also inspired determination.
Moreover, Kotomi had excellent social skills. Even before the monthly exam, she had already built good relationships with most of her classmates in Class A.
Some of the students who used to dread her presence in Class A now felt regret: What a shame she didn't transfer to our class.
After chatting with a few classmates, Kotomi finally returned to her seat. As soon as she sat down, someone poked her back.
"Wow, Arisu, we're actually sitting one in front of the other this time," Kotomi said in surprise as she turned to see Arisu Sakayanagi.
"They say this seating arrangement was based on our rankings from the last test. You're ranked first, I'm second, and we're in the same exam room—naturally, we ended up sitting front and back." Arisu gave a soft smile, as gentle as a spring breeze meant only for Kotomi.
"I didn't review very well for this midterm," Kotomi shrugged helplessly. "Might be your turn to sit in front of me come finals."
If anyone else had heard that, they'd have mentally cursed her out. It sounded humble, sure, but on second thought—wasn't she just saying she could slack off and still rank second in the entire grade?
Such a humblebrag princess.
But the thing was, Kotomi did have the credentials to say that.
Arisu Sakayanagi, of course, picked up on the hidden meaning behind Kotomi's words. She couldn't help but smile brightly, looking nothing like the class president of Year 1 Class A:
"If you said that out loud, you'd absolutely max out your aggro with the whole year. But still, no one could say you're wrong—after the performance you gave on the monthly exam, people might be bitter, but they can't say anything."
"Then I should tone it down. I really don't want to keep holding on to that first-place spot—it's exhausting."
Kotomi gave a wry smile and shrugged again. For this midterm, she decided to just casually answer the questions and even intentionally make a few mistakes.
The bell rang.
First subject: Japanese Language.
Kotomi received the test paper.
Kotomi picked up her pen.
Kotomi started writing.
Kotomi finished.
Kotomi fell asleep on her desk!
The proctor walked over silently, gently shut the nearby window, and took out a pre-prepared blanket, draping it lightly over Kotomi's shoulders, careful not to wake her.
Both morning exams—Japanese and Math—ended.
Kotomi answered each test in about 30 to 40 minutes. Finished early, then slept soundly. It made people wonder... do penguins hibernate?
Even the proctors, instead of waking her, would kindly cover her with a blanket. Despite having seen this during the monthly exams, even the top students who had mentally prepared themselves couldn't help but feel a sting of envy.
All morning, the Year 1 Class A exam room practically turned into a lush lemon tree, brimming with sour fruit.
"Finally done. The questions were so hard—I'm exhausted. Arisu, let's go grab lunch... huh? Where is she?"
"Senpai, the class president Sakayanagi turned in her paper and went out just now," a Class A girl answered.
"Oh, that's too bad. I wanted to have lunch with her."
"Senpai, want to grab lunch with me instead? There's a new ramen shop near school. Their tonkotsu ramen with sausage fried rice combo is amazing." The well-endowed girl who liked Apex invited Kotomi.
"Sure!" Kotomi nodded without hesitation.
Sobu High School allows students to leave campus during lunch, but Kotomi usually preferred the convenience store. This time, she figured she'd go out for once.
Mainly because she was craving ramen and fried rice. She loved scooping noodles onto her fried rice and eating them together.
Sobu High School.
Old School Building.
This was the school's original academic building. Only three stories tall, it lacked even an art room back then. The new building was constructed just five years later.
Compared to the current campus, the old school was from another era. Built mostly of wood, it was originally considered for office space, but the aging structure couldn't handle renovations.
Any attempt to refurbish it might just cause the building to collapse, potentially with people inside.
So they left it standing as a commemorative structure—a landmark of the school's beginnings.
Students often sneak in at night to hold courage tests and ghost story gatherings.
If the school allowed it, the Occult Club would definitely claim this place as their activity room.
Arisu Sakayanagi, leaning on her cane, arrived at the front of the old building and spotted Megumi Kato waiting ahead.
"You're early. Don't tell me I actually scared you this morning? It's annoying, but I admit—you really care about Kotomi. If I told you you'd never see her again, it'd probably be worse than death for you."
Arisu sneered coldly. Her warmth was for Kotomi alone.
Megumi took a deep breath and met Arisu's gaze, replying firmly, "If you really do that, I'll drag you to hell with me, even if it means dying together."
"Oh my, how terrifying~" Arisu said with a smile.
"Why did you bring me here? What do you want to say?" Megumi asked.
Arisu pointed to the entrance. "Let's talk inside."
The two girls entered the old school building together and made their way to an empty classroom.
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