Chapter 162: The Result of the Bet
Monday.
Lunch break.
Sakurai Saki, along with the student council members, went to check the scoreboards.
Shinomiya Kaguya stared intently at the ranking list, silent for a long while.
This time, Sakurai Saki had successfully taken second place, pushing Shinomiya Kaguya down.
"Kaguya-san, Kaguya-san, I'm nearsighted and can't see clearly. Could you tell me who's in second place?" Sakurai Saki rubbed his chin.
He'd been nearsighted since he was young—mostly couldn't read scoreboards well, everything else was fine.
Sakurai: (≖⩊≖)
Kaguya: (ꐦㅍ _ㅍ)
"Got lucky and now you're smug." Shinomiya Kaguya snorted coldly, her expression still calm.
It seemed like wearing a maid outfit all day and following Sakurai Saki's every command was something extremely simple for her.
...That was just an act!
At this moment, Shinomiya Kaguya was so furious she could cry!
She absolutely couldn't accept losing to Sakurai Saki—absolutely not!
Kaguya inside: ༼;´༎ຶ ༎ຶ༽
If she had a time machine, she'd definitely go back to before the exams and punch her novel-reading self in the face!
"Kaguya-san, please remember that I'm the victor now. In ancient arenas, the victor had the right to behead the defeated."
On the surface, Sakurai Saki looked perfectly calm.
But inside, he was so thrilled he could barely contain himself!
After losing for over half a year, he'd finally—through his own effort and not any superpower—defeated the proud Ojou-sama worshiped by all of Shuchiin Academy. You could imagine what Sakurai Saki was feeling now.
If the other student council members weren't there, he probably would've shouted "WOOHOO!!" already.
"Uooh~" Ishigami Yuu looked at his ranking and let out that sound.
170th place—not down, but not much improvement either.
At least he passed all subjects, even if just barely over the red line—it still counted. Ishigami Yuu was satisfied, feeling the days of cramming hadn't been in vain.
"It's just an exam, not some life-or-death duel. Sakurai-san, you won this time—why are you acting so confident? I didn't perform well, that's all. Next time I won't lose again," Shinomiya Kaguya said coldly.
"Not willing to admit defeat?" Sakurai Saki raised an eyebrow.
"Who's not willing? The Shinomiya family doesn't do things like refusing to admit defeat!" Shinomiya Kaguya replied seriously.
"Then I look forward to your service, Ka-gu-ya-san~." Sakurai Saki smiled.
Kaguya threatened: "If you dare to request anything weird, then just wait to be wrapped in cement and dumped at the bottom of Tokyo Bay tomorrow!"
"Please watch your language, maid. At present, I am your master," Sakurai Saki reminded.
"Dear Boss-san, you do not have the right to order me around at will, nor can you act against my will." Shinomiya Kaguya replied.
Even maids need human rights, need freedom!
Hayasaka: (≖ - ≖)
"A sharp-tongued maid like you... I really don't want one." Sakurai Saki was speechless.
"Hmph!"
Next to them, Shirogane Miyuki listened to the two bicker and didn't dare say a word.
He could be sure that if he stepped in as a mediator, both of them would immediately snap at him.
"Iino ranked first this time," Shirogane Miyuki glanced at the first-year scoreboard.
That kouhai was seriously impressive.
Rumor had it she had always maintained excellent grades since junior high.
"Umu, I was just about to text her."
On Sakurai Saki's phone, the chat window with Miko-chan popped up.
He had once told Osaragi Kobachi that he would try to fill the gap in confidence and affection that Miko lacked.
Sakurai: Miko-chan ranked first again this time—seriously impressive! [ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧Orca Like.gif]
A few seconds later—
Toy #2 (nickname note):
Eeeeeehhh!! A message from Sakurai-senpai! I'm seriously super happy (￣︶￣).*
The test results—hmhm~ I studied really hard this time, you know~ I feel sooo satisfied with getting first place again. [( //>///
Thank you for the praise, Sakurai-senpai, I'll keep working hard next time too! [(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)]
Sakurai Saki held the phone, unsure of how to respond.
As expected, no matter how many times he saw it, he was still startled.
Miko online and Miko in real life were completely different people — one was so shy she couldn't even talk to strangers, would tremble in crowds, and sometimes struggled to breathe; while the other dared to chat with strangers online, using LINE with expressive stickers and kaomoji like fireworks.
Miko, once she shed her burdens and outer shell online, was kind of scary.
As for that nickname noted in the contact… let's just all pretend we didn't see it, that was just Sakurai's "concern" for Kouhai-chan.
"Miko-chan's message is suuuper long huh…" Fujiwara Chika leaned in next to Sakurai Saki.
She had just finished checking her score — ranked 97th — quite an improvement from the last time.
Monthly test scores didn't affect her allowance, but midterms were a different story — Chika didn't want her pocket money cut. Otherwise, she wouldn't have any money to hang out with Sakurai Saki, plus the Boardgame Club's budget was lacking. They had to pay out of pocket for many games.
She had requested President Shirogane increase the budget several times, but was rejected flatly every time — for reasons still unclear.
Just who the hell is getting in the way?
Detective of love Chika-chan will definitely not let him off!
Chika: (◣ _ ◢)و
Sakurai: (ᵕ—ᴗ—)
Sakurai Saki suddenly felt a chill down his spine, not knowing why.
All of Chika's rejected budget proposals were because Sakurai helped Shirogane make the firm decision to say no.
"Feels like she's a completely different person~" Chika still didn't have Miko's LINE account.
Actually, Sakurai Saki had only recently received Miko's account.
"How should I reply?"
In the end, Sakurai Saki chose to respond with a sticker.
[Orca spraying water.jpg]
Unclear meaning, but very cute.
He liked Orcas — aside from Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika, there weren't many things Sakurai Saki liked, and the things he loved were even fewer.
————
"Kobachi, what does Sakurai-senpai mean by this?" In the hallway, Miko held her phone and asked her close friend.
Whenever she was troubled, Miko would unconsciously rely on Osaragi Kobachi.
Osaragi Kobachi, too, enjoyed the feeling of being relied on — she yearned to be needed.
Their relationship was like mistletoe and oak — Miko was unhealthily dependent on Osaragi Kobachi, while Osaragi Kobachi didn't want to lose this friend. She wanted to rise, but couldn't do it on her own, so she borrowed Iino Miko's height to soothe herself.
"Probably… showing he's happy?" Even Osaragi Kobachi didn't know what Sakurai Saki's sticker meant.
In truth, it didn't mean anything.
Sakurai Saki simply liked Orcas, so his LINE was full of Orca stickers.
That entire afternoon, Iino Miko was busy deciphering the mystery behind the sticker, distracted several times even during class.
Miko: (╭ರ_•́)
————
"The rankings of the people you tutored this time show quite a disparity," said Shinomiya Kaguya.
Shirogane Miyuki was nearsighted and couldn't see things from afar. The Nakano sisters' ranking board was placed in a rather low area, plus there were too many people blocking the view, so he couldn't see at all.
He wasn't someone who used electronic devices often; his poor eyesight was simply due to his daily study environment.
"Miku is ranked 155, Nino 146, Itsuki 161, Yotsuba 164." Sakurai Saki glanced over. The one with the lowest rank was Ichika, ranked 168.
Last time, the average ranking of the Nakano sisters was about 175.
Compared to before, Ichika had clearly improved, but compared to her younger sisters, she had indeed fallen behind a bit.
Mainly because her acting work had gotten increasingly busy — so much so that she even used classroom time to catch up on sleep. This was something Nino told Sakurai Saki, as she was the one most concerned about her sisters' condition.
I need to find time to talk to Ichika — Sakurai thought.