"He really did get first place..."
Yukinoshita Yukino stood in front of the posted results on the main notice board, her sharp eyes fixed on Haruto's name sitting proudly at the very top of the rankings.
She felt a complicated mixture of surprise and deep contemplation.
It turned out that Haruto hadn't been arrogantly bragging after all.
It seemed she had completely misunderstood him from the start.
Whether it was his uncanny perception or his extraordinary academic abilities, everything he claimed had turned out to be absolute truth.
Yukino had always lived by the belief in painful truths, convinced that harsh honesty was a necessary, sharp blade.
She had held firm to these rigid principles, often isolating herself and getting hurt by the very standards she upheld.
Yet, this was the first time she had ever encountered someone who used the truth not to wound, but to reshape things entirely, bending reality to his favor.
Take Yui Yuigahama, for example.
From Yukino's close observations, Yui hadn't been demoralized or driven away by Haruto's blunt remarks.
On the contrary, she was now more determined than ever to bake even better cookies just to surprise him and win his attention.
"Haruto, what kind of person are you, really?"
Yukino whispered to the empty hallway, a growing, undeniable curiosity about him taking root in her heart.
It wasn't just Yukino who was intrigued by Haruto.
Another person had developed a fierce sense of competition with him.
"Perfect scores in all subjects—how is that even possible?"
In the student council room, Kaguya Shinomiya stared at the printout in utter shock.
Someone had actually surpassed her, and with absolute, flawless scores.
Ever since enrolling in the academy, her unshakeable position as the top-ranking student had never once been challenged.
But now, she had been pushed down to second place!
"Kaguya-chan, I just looked up Haruto's previous results on the school portal. He hadn't even cracked the top 100 before!"
Chika Fujiwara exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Chika leaned in closely, whispering conspiratorially, "Kaguya-chan, do you think he somehow cheated?"
Kaguya shot a cold, indifferent glance down at Chika's voluptuous figure, which was pressing carelessly against her arm.
She couldn't help but feel a sudden pang of envy as she glanced down at her own considerably more modest proportions.
Still, her tone remained icy and composed.
"No, he didn't."
"The teachers aren't fools. They would have checked his papers thoroughly before officially posting the rankings."
"Wow! So, does that mean he's just a sudden, overnight genius?"
"I'm so jealous~"
Chika whined dramatically.
If she could somehow become a certified genius overnight, she'd have so much more free time and allowance to buy all sorts of imported snacks and board games.
She was practically drooling at the mere thought of it.
"..."
Kaguya stared silently at the results sheet, her sharp mind racing as she tried to make sense of the anomaly that was Haruto.
Kaguya ignored Chika's daydreaming.
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on the name at the top of the rankings.
1st — Haruto
Perfect marks.
Every subject.
Not a single mistake.
That wasn't simply talent.
Perfect scores required absolute mastery.
What puzzled her even more...
...was his past record.
A student who had consistently ranked just outside the top hundred had suddenly achieved complete perfection.
It was far too abrupt.
Far too unusual.
"There must be a reason..."
Kaguya murmured quietly.
Her competitive nature refused to accept an answer as vague as he suddenly became a genius.
She intended to discover the truth herself.
Meanwhile...
Chika continued rambling happily beside her.
"I wonder if he's secretly one of those protagonists from a manga."
"Or maybe he found a mysterious notebook that makes people smarter."
"...Or he got abducted by aliens!"
Kaguya slowly closed her eyes.
"...Fujiwara-san."
"Eh?"
"...Please stop watching so much television."
"Ehh?!"
"My theories are perfectly reasonable!"
Class 3-4.
"Wow, Haruto got a perfect score in all subjects and ranked first!" Yui Yuigahama exclaimed, staring at the notice board with absolute astonishment.
"Hmph." Yumiko Miura's lips curled into a subtle, smug smirk.
As expected of the man I've set my sights on, she thought to herself, though she quickly crossed her arms tightly over her chest and feigned complete indifference.
"It's just one first-place finish. It's really no big deal."
"Uh..." Yui awkwardly scratched the back of her head, then hesitantly lowered her voice.
"Yumiko, about your confession to him last time..."
"Tch, don't bring that up. I don't want to talk about him right now,"
Yumiko huffed, turning her head away with a theatrical display of disinterest, acting as if she no longer cared about Haruto at all.
In reality, her face was burning, and she was simply far too embarrassed to discuss her failed or complicated advances out loud.
However, Yui completely misinterpreted Yumiko's defensive attitude, mistakenly thinking that something had gone wrong between them.
Thank goodness! Instead of feeling genuine sorrow for her friend's predicament, a sudden surge of secret relief washed over Yui.
She caught herself immediately, feeling a wave of panic as a triumphant smile threatened to break across her face.
Yui! What on earth are you thinking?!
Looking over at her friend's flushed profile, Yui was suddenly struck by a heavy wave of guilt.
"Yui, why do you suddenly seem so overly interested in Haruto anyway?" Yumiko asked, narrowing her eyes with sudden suspicion.
"Eh?!" Yui panicked, frantically waving her hands back and forth in defense. "No, no way! It's just because of you, Yumiko. I was only asking because I was worried, that's all!"
Yumiko didn't dig any deeper, simply tossing her hair back with a classic tsundere huff.
"Hmph, that guy's nothing but a smooth-talking playboy. Don't go getting too close to him, Yui."
"Oh... okay," Yui replied obediently on the surface, though her racing thoughts and hidden intentions were anything but simple.
*****
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