Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818792436782326190
“Takagi ! If you get first place on this test, you’ll get a recommendation to medical school, right!?”
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s a recommendation slot that only comes around once every few years, and even then, no one ever gets it.”
“That’s awesome ! You’re on a whole different level !”
After the midterm exams, Takagi Rio sat back proudly in Class 3-1.
The boys from his class gathered around him, creating a scene where they were praising him.
The class was buzzing with excitement over the recommendation, which had been a topic of discussion for some time.
Apparently, it was a showdown between him and Edano Tsukushi, who was currently in first place, making it a perfect topic for onlookers.
As a result, Takagi’s surroundings were lively as usual today.
Takagi himself smiled confidently, speaking without any tension.
No wonder—the geography results that had just been returned were 96 points, of course the top score in the grade.
The results for English expression and Math A had also been returned, scoring 97 and 98 points respectively.
So far, the average score across the three subjects was an astonishing 97 points.
Takagi smiled contentedly at the current situation.
With such outstanding results, even Edano Tsukushi wouldn’t be a match for him.
Thinking that way, he was finally able to savor the afterglow of victory.
He could finally bid farewell to the humiliation he had endured recently.
Moreover, this was a decisive victory, not a fluke, in a battle where Tsukushi had staked everything on the “medical school recommendation quota” condition.
It would be strange not to be on cloud nine.
Just then,
“But if Edano ends up in first place, Takagi is finished.”
Takagi flinched at the sudden remark from the boy.
“That’s true. If he misses first place twice in a row, he probably won’t get any other recommendations.”
“If he had lost the mock exam the other day, it would have been three losses in a row, right?”
“No, no, he won this time, after all. Besides, if we lost after hyping it up that much, it would just be lame.”
“Hahaha! The last English quiz was crazy. It was funny watching Edano and Takagi arguing in the hallway.”
“Takagi has a pretty bad personality, doesn’t he?”
Takagi felt a little anxious as he listened to the casual conversation around him.
It might have been a lighthearted joke to the bystanders, but Takagi narrowed his eyes.
He was aware that he had become too emotional last time.
Even if his goal was to provoke Tsukushi, he shouldn’t have gone that far in front of everyone.
More people remembered the incident than he had thought, and Takagi broke out in a cold sweat.
If he lost, he would be a piece of trash, worse than a lapdog, who had mocked and provoked Edano over a simple quiz, only to lose miserably in the subsequent regular exam…
However, Takagi immediately shook his head.
There was no way he would lose, so there was no need to worry.
For this test, Takagi had prepared thoroughly.
He had studied on his own, of course, but he had also approached the teacher just before the test and, under the pretense of one-on-one guidance, had managed to get several test questions in advance through a series of questions.
Thanks to that, there were several questions on the test that he already knew.
His high score this time was also due to such approaches outside of studying.
It was an unfair method, but Takagi had no choice but to do whatever it took to beat Tsukushi in this test.
His recent loss of confidence, the chaos in his life since he started dating Kaori, and the resulting criticism from his parents at home had left him in a dire situation.
Takagi genuinely acknowledged Tsukushi’s academic ability, so he had resolved that he needed to prepare to that extent to avoid the possibility of losing.
“My current average score is 97 points. You think I’ll lose with that? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Then if you lose, make sure you apologize properly to Edano.”
“Haha. If that happens, I’ll drop out or whatever.”
Losing here wouldn’t just be a matter of shame.
He’d be mocked to the point where he couldn’t lead a normal school life.
For the prideful Takagi, that was the most unbearable thing of all.
And Takagi curses Tsukushi in his heart.
…Me apologize to him?
Enough with the jokes.
Because of him, the gears of my life have all been thrown off track…
◇
“That’s what happened.”
“He’s still the same. And he’s so confident. …But, however…”
“However?”
“An average of 97 points!? Is that really true, Nagisa chan !?”
It was the usual after-school time.
I was so surprised by what Nagisa told me about the class that my eyes popped out of my head.
I was so shocked that I even used an unfamiliar way of addressing her for the first time in a long time.
Because of that, Nagisa and Reisa were both taken aback and stepped back.
“Yes. I think geography was 96 points, the highest in the class, English expression was 97 points, and math A was 98 points.”
“Oh…really?”
Knowing it was true, I collapsed to my knees.
The anxiety I had been secretly harboring suddenly became real, and my tear ducts loosened.
I’ve been on the verge of tears the whole time, which is pathetic.
But realistically, my chances of winning have become too slim, and it’s hard to stay cheerful under these circumstances.
If this were fiction, it would be a classic winning pattern.
The story starts with an underdog facing a tense situation, then makes a stunning comeback to end with relief and a victory sign.
It’s a textbook drama scenario.
But this isn’t fiction—it’s reality.
Upsets and big wins don’t happen that often in reality.
Well, I knew that.
Takagi is a genius.
If he could overcome his immaturity and stop underestimating people, he’d definitely be the smartest person in school.
If someone like that was going all out to crush me, it was obvious what would happen.
Was it a mistake to pick a fight and make him angry?
It’s frustrating, but as Kako told me before, I’m not very efficient.
I’m the type who steadily builds up through effort to secure victory.
Perhaps that’s why I’m simply not strong enough to face him in a short-term battle like a regular exam.
The reality of defeat has hit me, and I’ve quickly slipped back into my old loser mindset.
Seeing me like this, Reisa was smirking.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you look so pale and it’s funny.”
“H-how can you be so cruel when I’m struggling so seriously…!”
“Hehe. But you know, you don’t have to worry that much—you’ll definitely win.”
‘What are you basing that on?”
“Well, from what I heard, only Tsukushi has scored 100 points so far. I think that’s pretty impressive, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Nagasa agreed, and I was stunned.
“But I’m already 15 points behind in the total score for the three subjects.”
“You’re still good at mental arithmetic. But isn’t that something we can make up quickly? Besides, that person only got good grades in their favorite subjects, right? They’ll just self-destruct in subjects like Japanese.”
“Well, that’s possible, as usual.”
“Exactly. So let’s not make a sad face yet, okay? Anyway, now you have to help me redo my test.”
“Oh, okay.”
That was her real goal.
Reisa, looking dejected, placed her answer sheet on the desk.
I watched her do so and sighed.
I think 80% of Reisa’s positivity right now is due to this.
The grades laid out on the desk were 78, 58, and 74 in the order of classical studies, civics, and math A.
Just to be clear, none of them were even close to the average of 50 points.
In other words, they were quite high scores.
My previous concerns began to turn into certainty, and Nagisa, sitting next to me, also stared at the scores with a tense expression.
“I thought this test was easy. But when I opened it, I got 74 points in math, so I was pretty disappointed.”
“Maybe my teaching method was a bit sloppy this time. Sorry, Reisa.”
“No, no, I’m just feeling sorry for myself. I’ve been learning from a genius who’s been getting perfect scores for over two months.”
She seems to have a strange sense of pride in odd places.
However, as I smiled wryly, Nagisa started rummaging through her belongings.
She pulled out a test paper.
It was also a math A test.
“…Um.”
“It’s just that this test was difficult.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Nagisa was unusually irritated.
That’s because her score on the test was 71, lower than Reisa’s.
I was also flustered by this unexpected turn of events.
This was…probably really my mistake.
Just like my own studies, I had dragged two other people into preparing for other subjects.
“I’m really sorry. It’s my fault for always asking you to study English with me.”
“It’s not your fault, Tsukushi kun. I tried my best too. It’s just that Reisa san is amazing.”
“No, well… yah, I tried really hard too. That’s why I thought I could get a higher score….”
“I’m sorry for making things awkward. You worked really hard on classical studies too. As someone who taught you, I’m proud of you.”
“Eh, hehe. It’s because Nagisa’s teaching is good.”
“Fufu, it’s nice to hear you say that.”
When praised, Nagisa returns to her usual demeanor.
I felt a moment of anxiety, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
When grades are so close, it’s inevitable that this kind of atmosphere arises, which is the painful part.
Reisa had always lost before, so she probably didn’t know how harsh it could be to brag about your score when you have a chance of winning.
In fact, Reisa’s expression was full of remorse, and she looked apologetic.
She probably never thought she could beat Nagisa.
Thinking about such things, I looked at Reisa’s score and pondered it alone.
Citizenship seemed unmotivated, so I set that aside, but in the subjects I prepared for, she finally reached the top score range.
There’s no doubt about it now—I’m certain that Reisa is truly intelligent.
I never expected her to rise this much in such a short period of time.
Moreover, Reisa struggles with classical studies and mathematics, so depending on her performance in other subjects, she might even achieve an overall score of 80%.
If that happens, there’s a possibility she could finally enter the top 10 in the grade.
This time, the difficulty level was particularly high.
The more I think about it, the more terrifying it becomes.
The opponents I should be afraid of are Takagi, Nagisa, and now possibly Reisa as well.
If she keeps improving like this, I might be overtaken.
“Why are you so quiet? Don’t feel so responsible.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Nagisa snapped me out of my daze, bringing me back to reality.
I apologized, even though she was slightly misunderstanding.
It’s true that I feel responsible for Nagisa and Reisa’s math scores.
However, I tilted my head when I saw Nagisa’s happy smile.
Reisa also looked confused as Nagisa started laughing for some reason.
In the midst of this, Nagisa rummaged through her bag again and showed me another answer sheet.
It was an English expression test.
“Fufu, look. It’s all thanks to you, Tsukushi kun.”
“…Finally, you overcame it.”
“Yes !”
I started talking to Nagisa because she was worried about her English grades and came to me for help with her studies.
That’s why, even though she was supposed to have a strong aversion to English,
Nagisa had scored an unexpected 97 points, tying with Takagi.
“I haven’t lost yet either.”
Was that directed at Takagi, or…
I couldn’t help but laugh at Nagisa’s intense gaze.
“There are still three subjects left.”
“Yes, this is where it starts…”
She’s still a formidable opponent.
As I feared, Nagisa had also sent salt to Takagi.
Even in such a pinch, she couldn’t help but smile.
Why is this so joyful and enjoyable?
There are still seven subjects remaining, and the road ahead is long.
The midterm exams are far from over—.
“Could you stop entering your own world so frequently?”
Reisa murmured a complaint as we gazed at each other.
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