As soon as the teacher reached the board, there was silence in the class.
With a quick flick of his wrist, he wrote it in large, bold letters:
Midterm Exams.
A wave of fear ran through the entire room.
"And," he added, turning back with an overly sweet smile, "if anyone scores below 70% will be attending extra classes during the summer vacation."
Gasps. Groans. A few dramatic wails.
"What?!"
"Nooooo—"
"My summer just died," Rika mumbled, slumping face-first into her desk.
"Mine didn't even get a chance to live," Ren sighed.
Hikari blinked at the board. "Seventy percent?"That wasn't impossible, but it definitely wasn't friendly.
Beside the window, Yuuto was unreadable as usual, tapping his pen slowly.
Ren leaned over to him. "You're probably the only one who isn't panicking, huh?"
Yuuto didn't look up. "Why would I panic?"
Rika chimed in, "You always get like, what? 74.8 in every subject?"
Yuuto glanced over, voice flat. "Exactly. Average."
"That's suspiciously consistent," Ren said, narrowing his eyes. "You're not just average. You're perfectly average."
After class, the group gathered near the shoe lockers. Students around them were still panicking about midterms, but Hikari was already scheming.
"Group study," she declared. "This weekend at my house, so be there."
Rika blinked. "You're volunteering your house?"
"There's air conditioning, snacks, and a sofa we can all crash on. Plus..." She grinned. "I have a secret weapon."
They followed her gaze.
Yuuto, who had just finished putting on his shoes, froze mid-lace. "What?"
"You," Hikari said, smirking. "You're joining us."
He stood up slowly, suspicious. "Why would I do that?"
"Because we need help," Ren said dramatically. "And you, my friend, are the Average King."
Yuuto frowned. "That's not a compliment."
"It is when the rest of us are below average," Rika said, tossing her hair. "You always get like 73, 75, 74... It's freaky how consistent you are."
Yuuto crossed his arms. "I'm not smart. I just passed."
"Exactly," Hikari stepped closer. "And we need someone who helps us to barely survive."
Yuuto looked skeptical. "Why me? There are other people—"
"Because I don't want other people," Hikari interrupted, voice low and playful. "I want you, sensei."
Ren gasped. "Oh my god, she just dropped the S-word."
"She did," Rika whispered. "And Yuuto.exe has stopped responding."
Yuuto's face flushed bright red. "D-Don't call me that..."
"Why not?" Hikari teased, leaning a little closer. "If you help me, I might reward you~"
"Reward?!" Ren and Rika echoed in unison.
Yuuto stared at the floor like it might swallow him.
"I-I really don't think I'm qualified—"
"Too late," Hikari said, looping her arm through his. "We're kidnapping you this weekend. Bring your brain."
Ren leaned over Yuuto's other side. "And maybe bring a first aid, bro. She's gonna flirt you into a nosebleed."
Rika giggled. "You're not studying. You're surviving."
Yuuto sighed, utterly defeated.
"…Fine. But I'm not touching anyone's homework but my own."
"Deal," Hikari winked. "But if I get an 80, I'm hugging you in front of the whole class."
Yuuto's heart skipped. "You wouldn't."
"Watch me," she whispered.
Ren howled. "I give it ten minutes before he combusts."
Rika gave Yuuto a thumbs-up. "Good luck, sensei."
At the weekend - Hikari's living room
The room was cluttered with textbooks, half-empty snack bags, and empty soda cans - it was chaos by any definition, but it was the perfect place to study.
Hikari sat close to Yuuto, purposely bumping her shoulder against his as they leaned over a math problem. "Are you sure this is the right formula?" she whispered, voice soft but teasing.
Yuuto blinked, trying to concentrate, but her breath tickled his ear. "Y-Yeah, I think so..." His fingers twitched as he pointed at the paper.
Ren smirked from across the table. "Bro, you're blushing again. Seriously, this study session's more like a romcom."
Rika giggled. "Honestly, Hikari's flirting skills should be classified as a weapon."
Yuuto tried to keep his eyes on the notes, but every time Hikari smiled or lightly teased him, his heart hammered louder. "I'm focusing," he muttered, but his cheeks were bright red.
"Uh-huh," Hikari grinned. "Sure you are."
Hikari watched Yuuto as he helped Ren with a geometry problem. His bangs shifted just enough for her to see the concentration in his eyes—soft but sharp, calm, focused.
"You look kinda cool when you're explaining stuff," she said, almost without thinking.
Yuuto paused mid-sentence. His pen hovered in the air.
Then he slowly looked at her, face unreadable—but his ears turned just slightly red."…Don't say weird things."
Hikari grinned. "It's not weird if it's true."
Ren laughed. "Bro, I think you're getting flirted with."
"Hard," Rika added, munching chips. "It's getting spicy in here."
At one point, she "accidentally" dropped her pen, right next to Yuuto's hand. When he reached down to pick it up, their fingers brushed, and she gave him a wink.
"Careful, sensei," she said softly, "or you might get distracted."
Yuuto's brain short-circuited. "Distracted? That's an understatement."
Ren leaned over again, smirking. "Bro, if you go down, I brought first aid. Just say the word."
"I don't need first aid," Yuuto said quickly.
Seconds later, his head jerked back as a sudden warmth flushed his face—Yuuto's nose began to bleed.
"Y-Y-You're—!" Rika gasped.
Ren grabbed a tissue box and shoved it toward Yuuto. "Bro, I said bring first aid. Now you need it!"
Hikari laughed, delighted. "You're so cute when you panic."
Yuuto grabbed the tissue awkwardly, mumbling, "I'm fine. Totally fine."
But his racing heart told a different story.
At Results day
The result board was surrounded by students buzzing with nerves. Hikari pushed through the crowd, heart pounding.
She found her name, scanned the numbers.
80%.
Her mouth fell open. She stared at it for a full five seconds, then let out a tiny, disbelieving laugh.
"I... I actually did it?"
She turned—and saw him.
Yuuto was walking down the hallway, quietly checking his own score, probably already on his way out.
"Yuuto!" she called.
Before he could react, she ran up and threw her arms around him in pure excitement.
"I GOT 80! I ACTUALLY GOT 80 PERCENT!! THANK YOU!!"
Yuuto froze.
Literally froze. Like someone had hit pause on his body.
His arms hung awkwardly midair, and his entire posture went rigid.His eyes were wide, his brain visibly short-circuiting.
The hallway went silent.
Someone gasped.
"Wait, did she just hug Kurokawa?"
"No way."
"Look at his face. Bro's buffering."
Ren, standing a few feet away, cracked up. "Didn't know he could turn to stone."
Rika laughed, "He looks like he's seeing god."
Hikari didn't care. She held on a second longer, beaming.
"I seriously couldn't have done it without you," she said, voice softer now. "Really. Thanks."
Yuuto's mouth opened, but no words came out.
He just stood there—still frozen, still wide-eyed—as her warmth settled into his chest like a spark he didn't know he needed.
To be continued....