Chapter 88

" Nakajima~. Narito~ "

When her name was called, Mizuki stood up from her seat and walked to the front of the class.

She received the answer sheet from the teacher in a routine manner and returned to her seat.

She had to be extremely careful with the handling of the item.

Mizuki hid the paper with her hand and cautiously glanced at the score section.

(…M? )

In red ink, the number 92 was boldly written.

For a moment, she doubted her eyes, thinking it might be a mistake in distribution.

But there was no mistake; her name, Narito Mizuki, was clearly written in the name section.

(Ninety-two… points…?)

She had unexpectedly scored over 90.

Thanks to Rion's strategy of focusing on her strong subjects to build confidence, she had concentrated on math. Or rather, she had almost exclusively focused on it. The idea was that if she could score high in one subject, it would boost her confidence later on.

Indeed, she had felt a sense of accomplishment, but she hadn't expected to do this well.

～30 points: Fail!

～30 points: Safe!

～40 points: Not bad.

～50 points: Pretty good.

～60 points: Well done.

～70 points: Very well done.

～80 points: What? You did this?

～90 points: Wow, impressive.

90～: God

(So, I'm a god!)

Usually, she would immediately fold the test paper into intricate shapes, but this time, there was no need.

Mizuki confidently spread the paper on her desk and leaned back in her chair.

(Finally, I've done it…)

The day had finally come when she would become a god.

This would surely make her brother see her in a new light.

However, there was still a pitfall. It was a bit too early to gloat.

She activated her secret technique, Score Steal, to discreetly peek at the scores of the tests around her.

This allowed her to gauge the overall atmosphere and estimate the average score.

72, 64, 88, 77, 95.

(I… won…)

The average was probably in the high 70s.

It wasn't going to be a lame ending where the average was 95.

(They're hiding it, they're hiding it. They're being so sneaky. Poor thing, maybe they're just not good at it.)

She smiled at the seat next to her, separated by the aisle.

Mizuki had unofficially designated this timid, small girl as her virtual rival.

The girl was trying to hide her score by folding the corner, but the fold was too weak to escape the Score Steal.

For someone as skilled at folding as Mizuki, folding the corner to the front was for beginners. Advanced users folded to the back. This way, there would be no accidents. Another secret technique: Hidden Score.

As for the girl's score… 84.

(…What?)

Why did she need to hide a score of 84?

Was it to imply that 84 was unsatisfactory and she could do better? It was really annoying. It could also be seen as showing off while pretending to hide it.

The next test returned was a 45 in Japanese, but that was a no-comment. As usual.

The following test, English, was a 48, also a no-comment. As usual.

Not bad, not bad.

That day, Mizuki hurried home and puzzled over the answer sheet.

Alone in the living room, she gazed at the 92-point test.

(How to make the maximum impact… the maximum surprise…)

How could she show it to her brother?

Just presenting it straightforwardly with a "Ta-da!" would be too unoriginal.

She didn't want to be seen as a small-minded person who would make a big fuss over something like this.

She wanted to create the impression of hiding it but being capable, like that girl next to her.

If she did it, it had to be subtle.

She racked her brain for ideas.

She could stick the 92-point test paper…

On the bathroom wall.

On the table with a snack.

On her back, pretending it was stuck there.

In Yuki's wallet.

Under Yuki's pillow.

In the trash can.

Time passed without a conclusion.

In the end, she went with the first idea and taped the test paper to the bathroom wall.

It was a blank wall, so Yuki would notice the change immediately.

Eventually, Yuki returned home.

He entered the living room, put his bag on the table, and it was bulging, probably from shopping at the supermarket on the way back.

Yuki first took out chicken and onions from his school bag, which always felt strange.

"Got any chocolate anpan?"

"No."

"Shiitake no mori?"

"Buy it yourself if you want it."

There didn't seem to be any snacks. He seemed a bit moody today. The other day, he had inexplicably snapped over the five-yen bag fee.

But once he saw that test, he would surely change his tune.

Yuki took everything out of his bag, sorted it, and put it in the refrigerator before leaving the room.

The sound of water running from the bathroom and the door closing could be heard. Mizuki waited outside the bathroom.

However, Yuki came out after just a few seconds, looking suspicious.

"…What?"

Yuki didn't seem to notice at all. She must have placed the paper in the wrong spot. It might only be visible when sitting on the toilet. That wouldn't do.

Yuki started preparing dinner, washing rice and so on.

She completely missed the timing. Setting traps and waiting for the prey wasn't her style. She couldn't stand it.

Mizuki peeled the test paper off the bathroom wall and brought it to the kitchen, shoving it in front of Yuki's face.

"Can't you see this score!"

"What? You're in the way."

He brushed it aside without even looking. Did he think it was just another prank? The girl who cried wolf. She would have to tone it down a bit in the future.

"Please, look at this score! Please!"

She started to give up and humble herself. She hadn't expected to be ignored to this extent.

Bowing her head and offering the test paper, Yuki finally focused on it.

His half-asleep eyes slowly widened. He dropped the chopsticks he was holding.

"92…?"

"Yuki, you're reacting unusually well."

"Wh-what? No way, that's…"

"You're reacting like when the opponent still has a transformation left."

It was too exaggerated.

He must be joking, but did he really find it so unbelievable?

"Well, it's pretty well done, isn't it?"

"It's not forged, you know?"

Yuki squinted and held the test paper up to the light.

Why did he doubt it so much?

"What's the average score?"

"It's not 95."

He was sharp.

But the average was 76, officially announced during the test explanation.

"What about the other tests?"

"They haven't been returned yet."

Most of them had been returned.

If she showed them now, they would cancel each other out, so she would wait.

"Must be Rion's influence… that's amazing."

"Ugh! Why do you say it like that! I worked hard!"

"Just kidding. You did a good job."

"Your tone is too light!"

"…You did a good job."

He might have been trying to sound encouraging, but it was a bit creepy.

He seemed a bit deflated when she responded a bit harshly. He had been confident.

He also had a bad habit of not being straightforward with his praise from the start.

"Alright, let's have a chocolate anpan festival tomorrow."

Yuki patted Mizuki's head.

Her frustration was relieved, but it felt a bit unsatisfying to end it there.

She decided to show the test to Rion and Yui as a report and to brag a bit.

She sent a photo of the test with a "Don!" sound effect.

After a while, Yui replied with a photo and a "Don!" sound effect.

It looked like Yui's test paper, but it was creased in many places, making the score hard to read. She replied immediately.

"Wow, so many creases, lol."

"You're at the level of a master."

"Why is it so crumpled?"

When she asked, Yui's replies stopped.

Then, another "Don!" and a photo were sent.

It was an English test paper, 84 points.

"Wow, impressive."

"No, it's not that bad."

"Yui is smart."

"Oh, really? Smart like Yui?"

"You need to work harder."

"What do you mean?"

Wow, I need to work harder.

Mizuki renewed her resolve.

I had the idea, but I wrote it all in a rush.

The seat next to her, separated by the aisle, should be named Koyoru. Probably.