— — — — — —
The results of the Dengeki Grand Prize would be announced after exams.
High schools tested six subjects: math, physics, chemistry, foreign language, Japanese, and geography/history.
For foreign languages, students could choose from English, German, Chinese, Korean, or French.
Of course, English was still the mainstream choice.
That was what the Oikawa had picked. English had been his subject even before transmigrating here.
Out of the six subjects, he felt confident about all of them except geography/history.
The exams lasted three days.
The last subject was math.
After finishing, Oikawa handed in his paper, stepped into the hallway to jot down his answers, and then headed toward the Literature Club room.
"Oikawa-kun, handing it in that quickly?"
A cool, composed voice drifted into his ears.
A girl leaned by the window, reading beneath the slanting glow of the setting sun.
For some reason, Oikawa had the strange feeling that even if the world were ending, the girl in front of him would calmly finish the page she was on before reacting.
He knew her.
Yukino Yukinoshita from Class 2-J. A well-known figure at school.
Sobu High School had nine regular classes and one international course. The international course had entrance scores two or three points higher than the rest, and most of the students there had either lived overseas or planned to study abroad.
Yukino stood at the very top of that class.
Whether it was monthly exams or mock tests, she always claimed first place in the entire year.
"If I finished it, of course I handed it in," Oikawa replied casually.
As he spoke, he didn't forget to give her a once-over.
Hmm.
There was something there. But compared to Kawasaki Saki… still a noticeable gap.
"Do you always stare so openly?"
Yukino seemed born with an air of quiet superiority, the kind that made people instinctively look up at her.
Being friends with someone like that would be exhausting, Oikawa decided silently.
"Shizuka-sensei told me you're a complete scoundrel," she continued flatly. "Now I believe her."
Black lines practically fell across Oikawa's face.
What nonsense was that old woman spreading? He had merely been appreciating beauty.
"Anyway," Yukino said, closing her book and finally looking at him properly. Only then did Oikawa notice the title in her hands, {I Am a Cat.}
He'd read Natsume Sōseki's novel before. There was a line in it he particularly liked: 'Humans are creatures who talk about morality but rarely live by it.'
"What did you get for the final big question in math?" she asked.
"Angle DBC equals twenty-nine degrees."
As he answered, his mind wandered. Would Kawasaki Saki have solved that last problem?
"Not bad."
Apparently satisfied, Yukino turned and left.
...
"Really?"
"It was twenty-nine degrees?"
"Oikawa, you're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"
In the Literature Club room, Oikawa had never seen Kawasaki smile so brightly before. He found himself staring.
She looked so good when she smiled. So why keep that permanent scowl on her face?
Without thinking, he blurted out, "Kawasaki-san, you should smile more."
She froze. A faint blush rose to her cheeks before she glared at him, face stiff again.
"Are you looking to die?"
Oikawa raised both hands in surrender.
"Just tell me. Was angle DBC twenty-nine degrees or not?"
He nodded with a grin.
"That was my answer. And judging by it, the top student Yukino Yukinoshita probably got twenty-nine too."
"Yukino Yukinoshita?"
"How do you know her answer was twenty-nine?"
She looked at him like a detective interrogating a suspect.
"She told me. Ran into her in the hallway. We chatted a bit. I'm guessing Shizuka-sensei mentioned my math was good."
Otherwise, why would Yukino start a conversation with him? It couldn't possibly be because of his devastatingly handsome face, right?
"Tomorrow's a holiday," Kawasaki suddenly said. "Got any plans?"
"Hm…"
Oikawa pretended to think.
"I'll probably sleep in. Then clear a few of the dating sims on my computer. It's been ages since I visited my digital wives."
"Go die!"
Kawasaki grabbed her bag and stormed toward the door.
"No tutoring today?"
"No!"
"Fine, but I'm not waiving the fee!"
Kawasaki stopped mid-step.
Then silently turned around and walked back.
Oikawa burst out laughing, his cheerful voice filling the Literature Club room.
Naturally, so did his screams.
---
First day of break.
Just like he'd said, Oikawa slept in.
Then he attempted to clear a few of his so-called "life-simulation games."
This game is actually pretty fun → trash story → 2D girls are the best → I'm in love.
And time flew~~~
...By the time he glanced at the clock, it was noon.
Feeling slightly drained in every sense, Oikawa opened the official website of Dengeki Bunko. The results of the Dengeki Grand Prize were being announced at twelve sharp.
The homepage banner was huge.
He clicked it. And immediately saw his work.
Total submissions for this year's "Dengeki Novel Grand Prize": 4,128.
Grand Prize (1): Your Lie in April. Author: Copycat Transmigrator
Gold Prize (2): … Author: …
He took a screenshot.
Opened LINE.
Found the contact with the cat avatar.
Sent the image.
"Don't admire me too much. I'm a legend."
At that very moment, inside a high-end apartment, a girl soaking in a bathtub heard her phone notification.
She immediately reached out to grab it.
After reading the message, a smile of pure delight bloomed across her face.
"I'm really looking forward to the day we meet, Oikawa-kun," she murmured softly.
.
.
.