A week had passed since the mid-term exam. On this last day before summer break, The students waited nervously for their mid-term exam results.
Mr. Akihiko entered classroom 1F with a serious expression, making the students start talking quietly among themselves. "Why does Mr. Akihiko look so serious? Did many of us fail the exam?"
Elly and Shimizu waited anxiously.
Mr. Akihiko addressed the class, "You guys have disappointed me because none of you have failed this time," then broke into laughter at his own joke.
"What?!" the students exclaimed.
"Surprised? Wasn't my act pretty suspenseful?"
"Geez, Sensei, don't shock us like that," said one classmate.
"You almost gave us a heart attack," said another classmate.
"Does this mean we passed all our subjects?" Elly and Shimizu wondered as they looked at Mizuha, who smiled and nodded at them.
"Good job everyone, many of you improved this time," said Mr. Akihiko.
Mr. Akihiko announced that Mizuha had earned first place in the entire class, with Zul taking second and also being the highest-ranking male student.
"Give them a round of applause!" The classmates clapped enthusiastically.
As I expected, those two got the top places, Shimizu thought. I wonder what place I'll get.
The classmates weren't surprised about Mizuha's performance since she was known for her intelligence. But they were surprised that Zul had secured second place, since he was often laid-back and sometimes napped during class.
"We shouldn't underestimate him anymore," the classmates agreed.
"Congratulations, Zul," said Mizuha, looking at Zul who was sitting behind her.
"Congratulations to you too," Zul replied.
Mr. Akihiko called students one by one to receive their exam result record books. When Shimizu's turn came, Mr. Akihiko said, "Not bad, Toyama; you've improved, especially in Math."
"Thanks, Sensei," replied Shimizu, who had placed 15th.
When it was Elly's turn, Mr. Akihiko said, "Impressive result, Sakamoto! Not only did you pass your weakest subject, but you also scored high in others. I'm glad to see that."
"Thanks, Sensei! This is all thanks to my friends' support," said Elly, who had achieved 9th place.
Mr. Akihiko mentioned that the overall rankings for their entire year were posted in the first-year corridor. "And Mizuha, congratulations again! You earned first place among all first-year students this time; you make me and this class proud," he added.
"That's great, Yuki-san! First place among all first-year students!" her classmates cheered.
"As expected of my best friend Mizuha," said Shimizu proudly. "As your friend, I'm proud of you."
"Good for you, Mizuha-chan," added Elly.
The students of Class 1F were relieved they could enjoy their summer break without worrying about remedial classes.
Before leaving, Mr. Akihiko addressed the class, "I know you're all thrilled with your exam results, but don't forget the summer break homework your teachers have assigned."
A classmate sighed, "Geez, sensei, why did you have to remind us of that? We're just happy about the exam results right now."
During recess, students gathered around the information board Mr. Akihiko had mentioned, eager to see the overall first-year rankings.
"Look at that? Yuki-san from Class 1F got first place overall among the first-years," one student remarked, as Mizuha's name became a topic of discussion.
Another student wondered aloud, "Yuki-san? Isn't she the transfer student who arrived a month after school started? Isn't she also friends with that famous delinquent, Toyama?"
"Yeah, and I heard she's really talented at drawing and also managed to tame Toyama," said another student.
"Oh, she managed to tame me? That's a good story. Can you guys tell me more about it?" Shimizu said as she suddenly appeared behind them, wearing a scary smile and touching their shoulder.
"Erk, she's here! Let's get out of here," they said, quickly leaving the spot.
What do they mean by 'tame me'? Do they think I'm a beast or something? Shimizu wondered.
Shimizu sighed. "Ah, some students still think of me as a delinquent. Looks like that rumor hasn't died down yet," she said as she headed to the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, Akemi and her friends approached the board to check their own rankings.
"Akemi-chan, you're amazing to get first place in our class!" one of Akemi's friends exclaimed.
"I bet you got first place overall among the first-year students too," said another friend.
Akemi replied confidently, "Of course, it must be. I worked so hard for this exam, you know."
"I bet your name will be known later on," her friend remarked.
Akemi scanned the list intently. "Okay, let's see what place I got for the overall first-year rankings." Her face fell suddenly. "What? I only got fourth place...?" she said, turning pale. "Then who got first place?" she added.
Akemi quickly found the top name. It can't be... It's Mizuha-chan? she thought, confused.
That can't be right, out of all people, I lost to her...!?
Why...why must it be her and not me!!!
She felt disappointed and angry as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.
"Huh, Yuki-san from Class 1F got the 1st place?" said Akemi's friend, surprised.
"Yuki-san, you mean the one who's always with Hikaru-kun, right?" another friend asked.
"Yes, "I've heard about her, but I didn't know she was so smart," said the friend.
"Akemi-chan, what's wrong? You suddenly went silent," said another friend.
"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry about it," Akemi said, trying to appear calm.
"Too bad, huh? I didn't get 1st place this time, but it's not important to me. I'll do better in the next exam," Akemi said, returning to her usual confident attitude to hide her disappointment.
"You're right, this is just the first exam for us. There are many more to come, and I know you'll do it better and beat Yuki-san in the next one," said her friend reassuringly.
"Hey, Akemi, let's go to the cafeteria. We'll treat you for getting 1st place in our class," said another friend.
"Really?! You two are the best friends I've ever had!!" Akemi exclaimed, her mood improving immediately.
In the cafeteria, Akemi and her friends waited in line for food. Mizuha, who had just paid for her meal, walked past them.
Mizuha noticed Akemi and spoke, "Akemi-chan, it's been a while. How did you do on the exam?"
Akemi replied in a cold tone, not even looking at Mizuha, "Why are you here? Is it important to you?"
Mizuha then said, "But I... just wanted to ask you about it..."
"Enough!! Please get out of my sight now. I don't want to talk to you about it," Akemi replied.
Mizuha responded with a sad smile, "I see, you don't want to talk about it. That's okay, I'm sorry for asking. Please excuse me," she said before leaving Akemi's group.
"Akemi-chan, that was Yuki-san, right? You two seem to know each other," one of Akemi's friends said.
"Well, I used to talk to her once before when I was eating lunch with them," Akemi explained.
"'But you completely ignored her just now. She looked disappointed,” another friend said with a small laugh.
"Yeah, let her be disappointed. That's not my problem," Akemi replied, also chuckling.
I never planned to be friends with her anyway, especially after she took something important from me when she transferred here, Akemi thought.
"Oh, it's almost our turn. Go ahead and choose the food you want. We'll pay for it," Akemi's friends said.
"Then..." Akemi replied.
Mizuha returned to her group while thinking. What happened to Akemi earlier? Why was she so cold? Did I upset her somehow?
"Mizuha, you're late! Why did it take so long?" Shimizu complained.
"Sorry, the line was very long," Mizuha explained as she sat down beside Elly.
"Mizuha-chan, you seem down. Is something bothering you?" Elly asked, concern evident in her voice.
"No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine," Mizuha assured her.
"Cheer up! You're today's star, Miss Number One," Shimizu teased.
"That's right. All the first-year students are talking about you today," said Hikaru as he arrived with Takeru.
"That's impressive, Mizuha. You're the top student in our grade now," Takeru added.
"Hikaru, you came! And you too, Takeru?" Mizuha brightened up.
"Yeah, this guy wanted to join us, so I brought him along," Hikaru explained.
"So, Hikaru, how did you do? What about your results?" Mizuha asked.
"Me? Oh, not bad. I managed to get 6th place in my class, 18th overall."
"That's great! Sixth place is still a good result. How about you, Takeru?"
"I got 7th in my class, one place below Hikaru, and 25th overall."
"That's good, Takeru," Mizuha said with a smile.
"Zul, I heard you got 2nd place in the class. That's great, just what I'd expect from my best friend!" Hikaru said to Zul.
"Of course, he's the top male student in our class," Shimizu added proudly.
"That's really impressive," Takeru remarked.
Zul just smiled at their praise.
"Don't forget about Shimizu and Elly," Mizuha added. "They both improved in most subjects. I'm glad I could help them study."
“Don't say it like that, Mizuha-sensei! You're embarrassing us!” Elly and Shimizu said at the same time.
"Ah!" they both exclaimed when they realized they'd spoken at the same time.
"You both said the same thing together!" Mizuha said with a laugh.
"That's unusual coming from you two," Zul commented.
“Of course, we were friends, after all—right, Elly?” said Shimizu, suddenly grabbing Elly's shoulder. Elly just nodded and smiled in agreement with Shimizu.
All of them laughed together at that.
Mizuha is laughing now. She's not sad anymore, Shimizu thought.
"Anyway, thanks to you, Mizuha, we managed to pass our weakest subjects," Shimizu said gratefully.
"We couldn't have done it without you," Elly added.
"Thank you very much," said both of them.
“Stop it, you guys—you’re making me blush!It's nothing special. I only helped you a little. Your hard work is what made it happen," Mizuha replied.
"Hikaru, can I ask you something?" asked Mizuha.
"Yes, what is it, Mizuha?" said Hikaru.
"How is Akemi doing in this exam? What place did she get in your class?" asked Mizuha.
"Akemi? She got first place in my class, right, Takeru?" said Hikaru.
"Yes, she was first in our class, but why are you asking? Did something happen between you two?" asked Takeru.
"No, nothing happened. I just wanted to know. Thanks for telling me," said Mizuha, not revealing her real reason for asking.
If she got first place, why did she look disappointed and act cold to me earlier? thought Mizuha.
Stop thinking about it, Mizuha. Don't feel sad about it or your friends will worry, she thought to herself.
Shimizu suddenly thought of celebrating their exam success after school.
"Hey, you guys, we all did our best during our exam this time, so let's celebrate the exam achievement after school today. What do you guys think?"
"That's a good idea, but where should we go?" Hikaru asked
"I didn't think about that, sorry," Shimizu admitted.
"How about you, Mizuha? Do you have any ideas, Miss Number One?" Shimizu asked.
"You suggested that, but you never thought about it?" Mizuha pointed out.
"I also have no idea where to hold it," Mizuha continued. "But I think I'll pass it to Zul for today. Let him decide our destination today."
"Huh, why are you suddenly passing it to me?" Zul complained.
"Before this, you passed your decision to me once, now I'm returning it to you," Mizuha said, recalling their previous outing in town.
"Oh, I remember that, it was when we were playing bowling before, right?" Elly said.
"Yes, that's it," Mizuha confirmed.
Zul sighed. "Oh, I see, so it's back to me, huh? Alright, let me think about it."
They waited while Zul considered their options. After a moment, he gave his answer. "Then, let's have it at the family restaurant nearest to the school. It's been a while since I've been there."
"So, it's decided, we're having it at the family restaurant after school today," Shimizu declared.
Just then, Takeru spoke up. "Umm, what's wrong, Takeru?" Hikaru asked.
"Sorry, you guys. I suddenly remembered I have something to do today after school. Sorry, I can't join you guys," he said.
"Oh, too bad. We thought you'd want to join us too," Mizuha said.
"I'm really sorry, maybe next time, okay?" he said before leaving the group.
"Sorry, you guys. Actually, I don't have anything to do today, but I think I'll just let you guys be together today like you usually do. I don't want to disturb your group. Sorry, Mizuha-chan," Takeru thought to himself.
After school, the five friends made their way to the family restaurant as planned. They discussed their exam results as they walked. Zul, Shimizu, and Elly walked in front while Mizuha and Hikaru followed behind.
"I can't wait to show this exam result to my mother," said Elly.
"Yeah, I bet she'll be proud of you with this result since you managed to do so well in almost all subjects," replied Zul.
"I wonder if that old hag will say something good about my results," said Shimizu.
"She might compliment you for that, Shimizu-chan, because you're doing very well," said Elly.
Behind them, walking beside Mizuha, Hikaru observed, "They all seem happy with their exam results, right?"
"That's right, especially Elly and Shimizu who managed to pass their weakest subject and also improve in other subjects. That's why they are happy," Mizuha explained.
"As their instructor, I'm proud of their performance this time," said Mizuha.
Hikaru nodded thoughtfully. "It must feel good to see them do so well."
"So, Mizuha, what are your plans for the summer break? Are you going anywhere?" Hikaru asked.
"My family and I plan to visit my grandparents for a few days at the beginning of the summer break, I think. How about you?" Mizuha replied.
"Hmm, I don't have any plans for this summer break. Maybe I'll just stay at home, except if our leader at the front calls us to do some activities as usual," Hikaru said, glancing at Shimizu.
Mizuha chuckled. "You're right, Shimizu always plans the best activities for us."
Suddenly, Shimizu turned back to join them. "Were you guys calling me?" she inquired.
"None of us were calling you, go back to the front," Hikaru replied.
"Tch!! I thought I heard my name," Shimizu muttered before returning to the front with Zul and Elly.
A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. "Oh, we're here already," Hikaru announced. "Let's go inside, Mizuha."
"You guys just order what you want; it's all my treat today," Hikaru offered.
"Are you sure about this, Hikaru? We can pay for ourselves," Mizuha said hesitantly.
"Yeah, this is the second time you've paid for all of us. The last one was for the rent for the BBQ equipment earlier," Shimizu added.
"Don't worry about it; it's my treat for today. Don't hesitate to order whatever you want, okay," Hikaru insisted.
"But..." Elly began.
"Elly, don't worry about it, just order what you want," Zul interrupted.
"Zul, you're very calm about this, like you're used to Hikaru treating you," Elly observed.
"Well, nothing can stop him if he wants to treat you. He did it so many times for me in middle school back then," Zul explained.
"Really!? Even Zul said that?" Mizuha exclaimed, surprised.
"Then go ahead and order what you want," Hikaru encouraged.
"Alright, thanks, Hikaru," Elly, Mizuha, and Shimizu said in unison as they began choosing their meals.
After the waiter delivered their orders, Hikaru turned to Shimizu. "Shimizu, do it. Let's begin."
"Huh? Why me? I'm not the star today; Mizuha is," Shimizu protested.
"But you're the leader, right? Then it's your job to do it," Mizuha replied with a chuckle.
"Alright, if you say so, then it can't be helped. Let me start it," Shimizu agreed.
"Let's have a toast to celebrate our star today, Mizuha, and Zul, as well as everyone who did so well on the exams and for our upcoming summer break!"
"Cheers!!!" Shimizu announced, raising her glass.
"Cheers!!!" everyone responded in unison, clinking their glasses.
After the toast, the table came alive with laughter and conversation as they celebrated their success in the midterm exams.
After separating from his friends at the family restaurant and walking Mizuha home as usual, Hikaru was now walking alone on his way to his house.
"Many good things have happened recently. I wonder what's coming next," Hikaru pondered. As he neared his house, he suddenly encountered a woman wearing a coat, hat, and sunglasses walking past him.
"Who is this person? I've never seen her around this area before," Hikaru thought.
Suddenly, the woman suddenly said, “I see, you've grown up, huh? It looks like that woman raised you properly. Good for you, right?”
Hikaru was shocked by those words and turned to look at the woman, but she was already gone.
"Where did she go?" Hikaru said, looking around but not finding her.
Suddenly, someone approached him. "Onii-chan, what are you doing?" said the middle schooler who had just come back from the convenience store.
"Shiori? What are you doing here?" said Hikaru. It was Shiori, his little sister, who had approached him.
"I just came back from running an errand Mom asked me to do. What are you doing? Are you looking for something?"
"Oh, yeah. Did you see any strange woman walking past you?" asked Hikaru.
"Strange woman? No, I haven't seen anyone here since then," said Shiori.
"This is so strange. Where did she go? Anyway, let's go back to our house now," said Hikaru to his little sister.
The two siblings walked together until they arrived at their house. Hikaru kept thinking about the mysterious woman's words and why she disappeared so quickly.
"That woman, it can't be her, right? If that was her, what was she doing around here earlier?" thought Hikaru again.
As they arrived at their house, the Takumi Residence, their family maid opened the door for them and greeted them, "Welcome home, Hikaru-sama, Shiori-sama."
"Thank you, Maid-san," said Hikaru.
"Mom, we're home!" called Shiori.
"Oh, you came back together? That's unusual," replied their mother, who was sitting in the living room reading a book.
"Well, I met onii-chan when I was coming back from my errand earlier," said Shiori.
"Hikaru, you're coming home late today. Did you go somewhere?" asked his mother.
"Well, I went to a family restaurant with my friends to celebrate our exam results," said Hikaru.
"Oh, your results were announced today? I totally forgot about that. How did you do? Can you show them to me later?"
"Well, I did well on my exams, but I'll show them to you later," replied Hikaru.
"Understood, but don't worry. It's fine if you don't want to show me - I'm not forcing you," replied his mother.
"By the way, your face looks a bit pale. Did something happen?" asked his mother.
"Really!? Maybe I'm just too tired today. Let me rest in my room for now," said Hikaru, smiling and hiding the fact that he was actually thinking about the strange woman they encountered earlier.
"Understood. Go back to your room and rest. If you need anything, please ask me, okay?" said his mother.
"Okay, Mom. Thank you for your concern," said Hikaru before leaving for his room on the upper floor.
Even though he seems cheerful and happy lately, something about him makes me worried, thought his mother.
ns216.73.216.149da2
然後按「加至主畫面」