The auditorium buzzed with excitement, rows upon rows of shiny new uniforms filling every seat. Banners of Reniki High School fluttered above the stage like flags declaring victory.
At the very back—where no one bothered sitting—Akatsuki Fujimoto dropped into a chair with all the energy of a dying cat.
"Eh… speeches," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "The ultimate test of not falling asleep midway."
He slouched deeper, arms crossed, eyes halfway open. The student council president—a tall, well-combed senior—stepped up to the podium and launched into what Akatsuki could only describe as the "Sucker Speech of the Century."
"Fellow students, we at Reniki High strive for excellence—"
"Yeah, yeah, 'excellence,' got it," Akatsuki whispered to himself, fighting a yawn.
Then came the part that perked up even the sleepyheads: the top-ranker announcements.
"Now, we shall honor this year's top three performers in the entrance examinations," the president declared, voice echoing through the hall.
Akatsuki tilted his head lazily.
"Oh great, the 'who's smarter than you' segment."
"Third place—Haruto Minami! Second place—Reina Takahara!"
Scattered claps. A few murmurs.
"And in first place—our top ranker with a perfect score… Yuki Shibata!"
The hall lit up instantly. Gasps, whispers, the sound of pure admiration.
"Eh? Who… top ranker… who top ranker?" Akatsuki mumbled, his half-asleep brain lagging behind.
Then the name clicked.
"Wait—Yuki? That Yuki?" He blinked rapidly, now fully awake. "She's the top ranker? That's why those people were swarming her, huh…"
He leaned back again, eyes half-closing. "Not like I care anyway."
And just like that, the boy who didn't care drifted right back to sleep.
Up on stage, Yuki Shibata walked gracefully to the podium. Her every step was perfect, her uniform immaculate, her expression calm and composed—the angelic top student everyone expected.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm honored to be here today as the top student of our new year…"
Her voice flowed like music through the auditorium. Every head turned, every pair of eyes watched her like she was made of starlight.
Every pair—except one.
From her vantage point, Yuki scanned the rows. Her gaze slipped over the sea of students, searching almost unconsciously for that one boy who had grabbed her hand and run with her not so long ago.
And there he was—last row, head tilted, completely asleep.
For a heartbeat, she just stared. The corners of her lips twitched.
"Honestly…" she whispered under her breath, barely audible even to herself. "Still sleeping, huh?"
But the faintest smile ghosted across her face—soft, genuine, unseen by anyone else.
The angel spoke her lines flawlessly.
But in that single stolen glance, her perfect world had cracked—just a little.