Episode 33 – Shocking results at the exchange scoring session
Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818622174834588915
After the mock exam, we were supposed to receive the model answers.
After the three-subject exam ended, we waited a little while before the closing ceremony began.
At that time, we were able to receive not only the model answers but also copies of our own answers.
The answer sheet itself must be sent in for grading, but copies may be made at will.
In other words, the school was telling us, “Use these to grade yourselves.”
After the closing ceremony, Reisa came to me with three copies of my answers, written in slightly larger and bolder letters than usual.
“How did it go?”
“…I think it went well.”
My response was a bit uncertain because I was intimidated when I saw the model answers.
It seems that my indecisiveness hasn’t been cured overnight.
“Since we’re here, why don’t we grade ourselves now?”
I hadn’t planned on it, but once I had the answer sheets and model answers, I felt like grading myself.
When I asked, Reisa looked away awkwardly.
Her unusual reaction made me tilt my head.
“Did you not do well?” “
When I asked, she shook her head.
“No, I think I did the best I’ve ever done since I started school. It’s just that I wasn’t mentally prepared…”
“You’re unusually timid.”
“Well, there’s a penalty if I lose.”
“Haha, you definitely won’t lose.”
To be honest, I was quite confident.
Knowing Kako inside out, I couldn’t imagine her beating Reisa, who had studied seriously.
I had noticed it recently, but Reisa was definitely the type with a good natural intelligence.
She remembered what she was taught quickly, and it was strange that she had always gotten failing grades before.
“Anyway, if we don’t check now, I’ll be too anxious to focus.”
“That’s true, but. Haa, I’m so nervous.”
“Fufu, can I join you too?”
Before I knew it, Nagisa had also come to our classroom after school.
She must have been listening to our conversation, and she stood beside the timid Reisa.
“Let’s go to our usual family restaurant. We can also have lunch there.”
“I can’t escape now. …Let’s make sure we don’t crash from a blood sugar spike.”
Nagisa grabbed Reisa’s arm a little forcefully.
Then we left the school.
◇
After having lunch at the family restaurant, we confirmed that the staff had cleared the dishes before getting down to business.
Once everyone had taken out their copies of the answers and the model answers, Nagisa clapped her hands.
“Hey, how about this? Let’s exchange our answers among the three of us and grade each other’s work.”
“! That sounds interesting !”
I was the one who jumped at the idea.
It’s an exciting proposal that sounds just like something from the youth.
I wouldn’t have to prepare myself mentally to face my own answers, and others could judge partial points with a more objective standard.
I thought it was the best suggestion.
But then Reisa gave me a stare.
“I don’t wanna show my answers to Nagisa.”
“Why not !? We studied together so much !”
“That’s why. So, Tsukushi, please.”
“Ah, okay.”
“Kuh, I wanted Tsukushi kun to check mine…”
“I’ll take responsibility for grading Nagisa’s answers.”
It was surprising to see the two of them sparks flying between them.
Were they really this hostile toward each other?
With that, Nagisa graded my answers, I graded Reisa’s, and Reisa graded Nagisa’s.
“Alright, please take care of it…”
“…This is amazing.”
As soon as Reisa handed it to me, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself.
Honestly, I could tell without even looking at the model answer.
This was quite impressive.
To be blunt, I could already tell that it was incomparable to Kako’s.
With Reisa smiling shyly beside me, I carefully checked the math I had taught her.
All three of us remained silent, with only the sound of ballpoint pens echoing in the room.
Everyone was sensitive to the sound of each other’s circles and checks, often smiling wryly.
Before we knew it, about ten minutes had passed.
After checking all the answers, I looked at Reisa.
Both of them had already finished grading and were sitting up straight.
“…Reisa, you’ve been intentionally getting low scores, haven’t you?”
“You’re starting with that !? That’s too harsh !”
“Well, there’s no other explanation…”
I wasn’t joking.
I felt bad for Reisa, who was pouting, but I was completely serious.
After all, her scores were almost the same as my mock exam results from last time.
The exact scores were 61 in Japanese, 74 in math, and 74 in English.
An average of about 70% on this mock exam would probably put her in the mid-60s on the national deviation score.
In fact, considering the broader scope and the change in question trends, this mock exam was harder than the last one.
Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this good.
Confused, I looked at Reisa, who asked me with a worried expression.
“So, how was it?”
“About the same as my last mock exam results…no, I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”
“What !? Are you serious !?”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“No, wait ! ….Was I that good?”
“Yeah, you scored close to 70% on average, and I think you’re easily in the top ten at school.”
“Huh ! …Hehehehehehehe.”
At my words, Reisa collapsed as if she had fainted.
Then she started laughing hysterically.
When I looked at Nagisa’s face, which had suddenly malfunctioned, she returned a smile like a mother’s.
“Reisa san, you worked really hard.”
“Y-you’re right.”
Of course.
If my prediction is correct, her school ranking alone has improved by about 200 places from the previous proficiency test.
The moment when effort pays off is always filled with emotions that are too overwhelming to contain.
It’s only natural to be this happy.
As I was thinking about that, Nagisa showed me my completed test paper.
“Why don’t you check your results too?”
“Oh, right.”
I looked down and checked the scores first.
Japanese: 92 points, English: 96 points, Math…100 points.
“Phew… At least I got a perfect score in Math.”
“Fufu, that’s an interesting reaction. I’d be more excited than that.”
“Well, to be honest, I knew it was unrealistic, but I was aiming for a perfect score in all subjects. There are many areas for improvement in Japanese and English. I can’t just celebrate freely…but that would be a lie, wouldn’t it?”
I tried to act cool, but I’m still happy.
I just wanted to tell myself not to be satisfied with anything less than a perfect score because my target school is too high-level.
If I can be honest, I want to say it.
Of course, I’m super happy.
Because, if I calculate it quickly, the average is 96 points, right?
It’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but isn’t this essay section a bit too genius?
“I think it’s okay to be happy about it. Tsukushi kun, you’re smiling.”
“Haha, I can’t compete with Nagisa chan.”
I called her that, feeling a bit shy about the unfamiliar name, and Nagisa smiled happily in response.
Then, the returning overseas student who had just returned intervened.
“Nagisa, haven’t you forgotten about your own results?”
“You’re grading them properly, right? I’ll get angry if yout’re messing around.”
“What do you mean? Ah, this answer was hard to read, so I’ll just mark it wrong. Tsukushi, can you read it?”
“Nooooo ! That’s not fair ! I wrote it in a hurry because I was running out of time !”
It felt refreshing to see the two of them arguing over the answer sheet.
As I had thought earlier, the distance between them was still off.
They seemed to have become so distant that I wondered if something had happened between them that I didn’t know about.
However, that was beside the point.
As for the competition between Reisa and Kako, there was no need to wait for the results to be returned.
Since it was an essay exam, there might be some discrepancies in the scores depending on the grader, but even taking that into account, there was no doubt that Reisa had won by a landslide.
On the other hand, if Kako has surpassed her, then I’ll have to reevaluate her.
Looking at the copy of the answer sheet with a small note from Nagisa, I clenched my fist in both joy and regret.
I was so close to getting a perfect score in all subjects, so I do have some regrets.
But I can fix that by the next time.
If I’m being greedy, there’s no end to it, but I did score more than enough on this mock exam.
My recent intensive studying paid off, and I can finally take a breather.
Right in front of me, Nagisa slumped her shoulders at the results.
“Ah, I lost to Tsukushi kun again. 94 points in Japanese, 92 points in math, 88 points in English, for a total of 274 points…”
“Don’t be upset about scoring over 90% on the national mock exam～. Are you trying to rub it in?”
“Alright ! Nagisa is a worthy rival, so I’m relieved I won. But I lost by 2 points in Japanese… I guess I can’t beat her there.”
“Fufu, it’s refreshing to see you so happy. It makes me happy to know I’m being treated as a rival. But I won’t lose next time.”
“Hey. Stop getting carried away with your high-level battle without me, okay?”
Reisa interjected with a wry smile as Nagisa and I argued.
Then the three of us looked at each other and burst out laughing.
I’m looking forward to getting the test results back.
Furthermore, once October arrives, that thing will be here soon.
“Tsukushi, it’s that time again, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Reisa and I exchanged glances.
It felt like our hearts were connected, and we were both thinking the same thing, which made me happy.
“The midterm exams !” “The cultural festival !”
I thought we were in sync, but something sounded off.
As I looked around in confusion, the two of them gave me a stern look.
“The first event in October is the cultural festival !”
“That’s right. Studying is important, but make sure to participate in the events too, okay?”
“Y-yes.”
Right.
I remembered.
High school life wasn’t just about studying.
Looking at the two of them, who seemed exasperated, I felt a new challenge ahead.
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