When the midterm results went up, the last thing I expected was to see my name sitting at 10th in the class.
I mean… sure, English and history carried me a bit, but still. A 72 mark in maths is nothing to scoff at.
Yamashita was first, obviously. Suzuki landed 5th, which made me wonder how she even managed to juggle idol work and still study like that.
Mori took 2nd. I could practically feel the frustration coming off him—he always aimed for the top spot. Guess that's why he kept trying to use Yamashita being close to me against her.
Which was kind of funny.
He adjusted his glasses, staring at the rankings like they'd personally insulted him.
"…How am I still not first?" he muttered, voice tight, like he was holding himself together by a thread.
His gaze shifted until it landed on me.
"And how is Shiba tenth?"
Kenta leaned over, took one look, and let out a loud laugh.
"Yo—no way, that's actually real?!" he said, grinning. "Man really leveled up overnight. Careful, Mori, at this rate he's coming for your spot next."
"…Well, Mori," I said, already looking past him, "this is what it looks like when I bother."
Mori clicked his tongue, adjusting his glasses again—more out of habit than need.
"…I see," he said after a moment, like he didn't enjoy admitting it. "Not bad, Shiba."
A faint smirk crossed his lips.
"But don't get ahead of yourself. You're still a delinquent."
I didn't bother replying.
Oh—and Inazuki was 15th.
Last I remembered, she used to rank higher than me.
My phone buzzed.
Yamashita texted me first.
"C-Congratulations, Shiba-kun… 🌸✨ I'm really happy for you. I knew you could do it."
I wrote back.
"Nah, I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks, President-chan. 🙏🖤"
She replied almost immediately.
Yamashita: You're welcome, Shiba-kun. I'm glad I could help, even a little.
But this result is your effort. Please don't forget that. 🌸
Me: Thanks. I wasn't kidding when I said I would've been a top student if all that shit in middle school didn't happen, I guess. 🙃
Yamashita fell quiet after that—the typing bubble popping up, disappearing… then coming back again, like she couldn't quite find the right words.
But before she sent anything, another message came through.
Inazuki: Oi, Shiba-kun—seriously?! How are you beating me now?? 😭✨
Another message right after.
Inazuki: Don't tell me you've been hiding brain cells this whole time, that's so unfair 💅💢
Yeah, figures.
I saw Yamashita's message pop up too, but I left it for later, focusing on Inazuki instead.
Me: Eh, you know how it is. Kinda hard to give a fuck about school when everyone's busy calling you a delinquent. If they'd just left me alone, I probably would've smoked Yamashita and Mori in the rankings anyway. 😈
She replied almost instantly.
Inazuki: EH?? Excuse me?? Since when are you that confident, Shiba-kun?! 💢✨
Another message popped up right after.
Inazuki: And "smoked Yamashita"? Lol, keep dreaming~ she's built different 😭💅
A third one.
Inazuki: But okayyy… 10th place delinquent-kun acting all smart now?? That's kinda scary ngl 😏
Inazuki: Oh… by the way, is Yamashita-san the secret girlfriend you mentioned in the interview? 🤭
…The fuck?
I nearly choked on my own spit, eyes snapping straight to her desk.
Inazuki was already looking at me. She grinned and gave me a little wink before casually turning back like nothing happened.
Me: …You're insane. 💀
Inazuki: Ok then, it must be Suzuki-san 😊 Those two have been around you a lot lately, you know? Everyone's noticed 😉
…This girl is going to get me killed.
Me: You're really committed to being wrong on purpose, huh 💀
Yeah.
Let's switch back to Prez, damn.
Yamashita: …It must have been hard for you.
💔
But… please don't let your past define you, Shiba-kun. You've already proven that you can move forward. 😌🌸
Me: You're an angel, you know that? 🙈
Yamashita let out a small squeak—barely audible—quickly covering her hands so no one else in class would hear. Her face went as red as a tomato.
Inazuki noticed immediately. Her gaze moved between me and Yamashita, a slow, mischievous grin spreading across her face.
…My girl classmates are going to be the death of me.
Yamashita: Angel…?! Please don't say things like that in class, Shiba-kun…
Another message followed shortly after.
Yamashita: …I'm not anything like that. 😳
I sighed. Sometimes I thought she might be better for me than Kurumi. But then I always ended up at the same conclusion—I'd probably be the worst thing for her.
We live in different worlds.
She had a future laid out in front of her—academically clean, socially intact, bright in a way I could see but never really touch.
Same with Suzuki and her shiny idol career. Or Inazuki, with her gyaru lifestyle and that delinquent boyfriend of hers.
No one has any real idea what I'm carrying.
And honestly… no one should get too close.
After reassuring Yamashita that her help meant a lot to me, I apparently got a message from the idol herself.
Suzuki: Hey. Congrats on the ranking. I didn't think you'd do that well, Shiba-kun. 😳
A second message popped up right after.
Suzuki: Don't get the wrong idea though. I'm still not impressed or anything. Just… surprised. That's all. 🙄✨
Me: Thanks, Suzuki. And your "not impressed" comment aside—which I definitely didn't ask for 🙃—
You remember when you told me to leave geopolitics to people opening textbooks, and I said academic ability doesn't always equal intelligence? 😅
Suzuki: You were the one bringing up American bases in the middle of Kyoto… I just responded normally, Shiba-kun. 🙄
Me: The topic was the rise and fall of empires. Context matters. But yeah… I guess my big mouth will be the death of me sooner or later.
I wasn't even kidding. That was the worst part.
Honestly, I had no idea how I'd gotten away with talking back to yakuzas. If there was a god out there, maybe he just liked watching me suffer.
Suzuki: Yeah, genius 🙄 I wasn't questioning your intelligence as much as your recklessness.
I know you're smart. You just don't always show it. ✋
Me: …Guess I'm used to playing the idiot until the bitterness leaks out. 💀
Suzuki didn't reply immediately.
The typing bubble appeared once.
Then disappeared.
A few seconds later, it came back again—longer this time.
Finally:
Suzuki: …That's not you being a fool.
Suzuki: That's you saying things before you decide you're allowed to feel them. 🙄
Me: Yeah, yeah, thanks for the psychological lecture. Anyways… how do you do it? Staying on top while being this popular idol, I mean.
There was a short pause before she replied.
Suzuki: I don't "do it" like it's easy, Shiba-kun. 😅
Another message followed almost immediately.
Suzuki: I just don't let myself fall behind. There's always something to improve, so I focus on that instead of thinking about everything else.
A final line appeared after a moment longer.
Suzuki: Also… I don't complain about it online like you do. 💅
...Ok, where the fuck did that come from?
Me: Yeah, you're making stuff up now. Best Fanfiction Writer Award goes to Ai-chan, hands down.
Suzuki: I'm not "making stuff up." I'm answering your question properly. You just don't like the answer. 💅
Me: Stfu, bitch. 💀
Suzuki: …You really switch moods fast, don't you, Shiba-kun. 🙄
I left her in seen and pocketed my phone.
After a few minutes, it buzzed again.
Suzuki: …Alright, that was a bit much. Sorry. 😅
Suzuki: I've just had a rough day. That's all.
Me: Don't worry about it.
I thought that was the end of it. But she tried to keep the conversation going anyway.
Classes dragged by like they always did.
After the last bell, though, I found out I'd been put on cleaning duty.
…And apparently, skipping it like I usually did wasn't an option anymore. My homeroom teacher made that very clear.
Fuck.
I pulled out my phone and called the manager.
"Yo, I'm gonna be late today," I said. "Got stuck on cleaning duty. Skipped it too many times, so now they're not letting me off the hook."
A low chuckle came through the line.
"School got you on a leash now, huh?" he laughed. "Didn't take you for the obedient type, kid."
He paused, like he was taking a drag out of a cigarette or something.
"Fine. Be late. But you're paying it back. Clock doesn't stop just 'cause you're sweeping floors... Might run you past midnight. Try not to fall asleep on me."
Yeah… figures.
"Roger that, boss. I'm coming over as soon as I finish," I said.
He let a low grunt and the convo kind of ended at that.
I turned around to see a girl standing there, blinking. Chestnut hair reaching down her shoulders, black eyes staring at me, intrigued.
"Shiba-kun?" she asked. "You're on cleaning duty today?"
Oh yeah. I remember her. She's always stuck to Inazuki like a shadow.
They'd probably just call each other besties, though.
"Yeah," I said. "And you are?"
She gave me a look like I'd just said something obvious.
"I'm literally right here."
I let out a short chuckle.
"No, I mean your name."
She paused.
Not a dramatic pause—just a normal one where her brain clearly took a second to process it.
"…Wait," she said slowly. "You don't know my name?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't really remember classmates' names unless I've actually talked to them," I said flatly.
"And… can you blame me? When everyone's been calling you a delinquent just for breathing, you stop bothering to separate people."
I shrugged slightly.
That includes you.
I remembered it—how she whispered to Inazuki back then, when the Kyoto trip came up. Something about me being a delinquent, like I didn't belong there.
It wasn't even worth bringing up now. Just petty.
She went quiet for a second.
"…Oh," she said after a while.
She moved her gaze away for a moment, like she was replaying something in her head.
"I didn't mean it like that," she added, a little slower now. "I mean… I didn't know you heard that."
Oh. So, she realized it was about her.
"I just thought… you were kind of scary, I guess," she admitted honestly, scratching her cheek. "Everyone was saying stuff, so I kinda went along with it."
"But I didn't think you didn't belong with us or anything. That part's just…" she trailed off, shrugging weakly. "That was dumb."
She hesitated for a moment, then scratched her cheek again.
"…Well, Mika-chan talks about you sometimes," she added.
Inazuki talks about me? Wow.
She shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal.
"Not in a bad way. More like… 'he's annoying but funny' kind of thing. And that you're not actually what people say you are."
She looked away briefly.
"So yeah," she finished, a bit awkward now. "I don't really think that anymore."
A beat passed.
"…I'm Nakamura Haruna, by the way."