The morning sun in Tokyo was as relentless as ever, but inside Class 2-A of Tokyo High School, a different kind of tension was brewing. It was Monday—the day most students dreaded, but for Aika, it was the day of reckoning.
Aika sat bolt upright in her seat. On her desk, three sharpened pencils were lined up with surgical precision, her eraser was pristine, and her eyes burned with the intensity of a soldier heading into battle. She had spent the entire night fueled by caffeine, conquering 'Advanced Calculus' and 'Trigonometry' problems. She had only one goal: to drag Renji down from his "Rank 1" pedestal and grind his ego into the dust.
Just then, the classroom door slid open.
Renji walked in. As usual, his uniform was slightly disheveled, his hair messy, and his eyes carried an air of total indifference—as if the high-stakes test today didn't even exist. He walked right past Aika. She held her breath, expecting a glance, a smirk, or even a challenge. But Renji? He didn't even look her way. He walked past her as if she were a ghost, a mere part of the furniture.
Aika's face flushed a deep crimson. "That guy... such unbearable arrogance!" she screamed internally, clutching her pen until her knuckles turned white.
Renji had barely settled into his seat when a pathetic, whimpering voice drifted from behind him. It was Takeo, Renji's only friend—a boy who was as much a disaster in academics as Renji was a legend.
"Arey, Renji-bro! You're finally here!" Takeo leaned forward, placing a trembling hand on Renji's shoulder. "Look, man, today's math test is going to be the death of me. My mom said if I fail again, I'm officially homeless. Please, buddy, help me out. You're my only savior!"
Renji hung his bag on the side of the desk and gave a slight, non-committal nod without turning around. "Hmm... sure. I'll help with what I can."
Takeo let out a massive sigh of relief. "You're a true saint, Renji! Now I can die in peace."
Suddenly, Sato-Sensei entered the room, carrying a thick stack of white papers. "Books in your bags. No calculators allowed. You have 90 minutes. Begin!"
The papers were distributed. The moment Aika glanced at the questions, her heart skipped a beat. The problems were monstrously complex—the kind that would make a normal student faint on the spot. But Aika smirked. "This is it! Let's see how Mr. Genius handles this." She lowered her pen and began writing at bullet speed. The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the aggressive 'skritch-skritch' of pens against paper.
Exactly 30 minutes had passed. Aika was halfway through the test, her fingers aching. She paused for a split second to wipe the sweat from her brow and instinctively glanced toward Renji.
Renji's pen was lying flat on the desk. His paper was folded neatly to the side. And Renji? He had his head buried in his arms, fast asleep.
Aika's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "What... what is he doing? Did he give up? Or is he so stupid that he's sleeping through a mid-term?"
Behind him, Takeo was losing his mind. He was repeatedly kicking the leg of Renji's bench. "Hey... Renji! Psst! Wake up! You said you'd help! I'm stuck on question four and you're dreaming? Wake up, man!" Takeo hissed desperately, but Renji was out cold, sleeping as if the world weren't ending around him. Takeo buried his face in his hands—his dreams of passing were shattered.
Aika spent the remaining 60 minutes in a state of utter confusion. She kept glancing at Renji, then back at her paper. She thought he might be faking it, but his steady, rhythmic breathing proved he was genuinely in a deep slumber.
"Time's up! Pens down," Sato-Sensei announced firmly.
Renji woke up with a start. He rubbed his eyes, let out a long yawn, and casually handed his paper to Sensei. Sato-Sensei took the sheet and gave Renji a strange, unreadable look but said nothing.
As soon as Sensei left the room, Takeo rushed to Renji's side, looking like he was on the verge of tears.
"Renji-bro! What was that?" Takeo wailed. "You said you'd help, but you fell asleep! I was kicking your desk the whole time, and you didn't even flinch!"
Renji slung his bag over his shoulder and gave a slightly sheepish smile. "Ah... sorry about that, Takeo. Honestly, as soon as I saw the paper, the answers just came to me. I finished in 30 minutes, and then I was just so tired I couldn't help it. Sorry, man. I'll definitely help you next time."
"I'll be in heaven by next time!" Takeo continued his dramatic sobbing.
That was when Aika marched over. Her face was a mask of fury and disdain. Takeo immediately scurried away, sensing the impending storm.
"Do you have any manners at all, Renji?" Aika barked. "Sleeping during a class is 'Bad Manners,' but doing it during a test is an insult to the school! Do you think acting like a 'cool guy' makes you impressive?"
Renji looked at her, his eyes still slightly red and heavy from sleep. He gave her a completely blank expression.
"When did I say I wanted to look cool?" Renji replied in a cold, flat tone. "The test was boring, and it was so easy that 30 minutes was more than enough. I slept after finishing the test, not before. So, the question of discipline doesn't even apply."
"Boring?!" Aika's blood boiled. "Disrespecting time has become a habit for you. You just pretend to be a topper to make people think you're a genius."
Renji stopped in his tracks. He looked directly into Aika's eyes for the first time. His face was now dead serious, radiating a "Sigma" intensity.
"Listen, Aika. I don't 'pretend' to be a topper... I am the topper. That's a fact. If you think you can take that spot, then go ahead. Who's stopping you? But stop lecturing me on my sleep or my methods."
With that, Renji walked out of the classroom without a second glance.
"You...! Wait! Hey, Renji! I'm not finished!" Aika shouted after him, but he had already vanished into the crowded corridor. She stomped her foot in frustration. "That attitude... I'll show him! When the results come out, I'll be the one laughing!"
The Staffroom:
Sato-Sensei sat at his desk with a cup of coffee and Renji's paper. He checked the first two questions—perfect. The third, the fourth—exactly right.
But when he reached the final question, his red pen stopped mid-air. He took off his glasses and squinted at the paper.
"This solution..." Sensei whispered to himself. "He used a formula that hasn't even been taught in this grade. And the logic... it's at the level of a senior researcher. In 30 minutes... how is this possible?"
Sato-Sensei set the other papers aside and looked out the window, watching as Renji walked leisurely across the school grounds.