Time flew rapidly, and the day of the exam had arrived.
“I’m so nervous~.”
“How’s it going? Did you study well?”
“Come on, being number one is a bit much, right? I gave up halfway.”
Amid the chatter of relaxed students, those who weren’t chatting settled in with serious expressions. At first, everyone seemed determined to give their best effort towards exam preparation, but the pressure of being the top student in the entire academy made most students give up easily.
So, what about me, the one directly involved?
Of course, I hadn’t given up yet.
That’s because, unlike the other students, I had a confident area.
“Please let it be just like the game.”
In [Epiris Academy], the exam event occurs every semester.
Of course, since it’s a game, not all exam content is taken, but problems with high scores create a mini-game where players figure out the answers to gain high points.
So, I technically know the high-score questions in advance.
The problem lies with the other regular questions that rely purely on skill. I did study, but as someone who suddenly transferred here, there were certainly many questions that were tough to grasp.
“Did the others prepare well?”
I briefly turned my head to glance at Emily, who sat in the same class.
Emily was intensely focused on memorization questions. She seemed to be reviewing what she needed to memorize for the last time.
Then suddenly, as if she sensed my gaze, our eyes met.
“Oops, I interrupted her.”
Startled, Emily blushed and averted her eyes, flustered but quickly glanced back at me.
“Good luck.”
She cheerily mouthed encouragement.
I couldn’t help but smile and waved my hand.
Emily, who had been flustered, cautiously smiled back and resumed staring at her materials.
“I wish it would be either Emily or Mary who comes in first….”
Otherwise, it would be nice if Raphne grabbed the top spot.
Of course, considering Raphne might rampage with a wish right if she won, I’d prefer it to be the other two.
‘If I come in first, I’ll ask Ken for a date.’
Suddenly, Mary’s words from a while back popped into my mind.
“…Hmm.”
Just pondering the moment made my face flush.
‘…Did Mary want to date me?’
It surely didn’t feel like a joking atmosphere.
Before that, I had sensed something strange since the library. There was a hesitance mixed with a cautious yet enthusiastic vibe.
“…Huh?”
While lost in thought, I suddenly felt a gaze on me. Looking up, I saw someone staring at me intently.
No, it felt more like a resentful gaze!
The identity of that gaze belonged to Enzo Rotirix.
He was a guy characterized by his orange hair and earrings.
When our eyes met, he quickly turned away and resumed focusing on his own affairs.
‘…Why is he looking at me?’
He was a character who dropped out of the academy due to issues with Adrian early in the game.
With Adrian gone, replaced by altered history, he was the one who stayed at the academy.
I hadn’t thought much about him since he didn’t have much connection with Ken Feinstein.
Yet that earlier gaze…
Crack!
“Alright, everyone, please take your seats.”
While I was lost in thought, the professor walked into the classroom, and the exam began, leaving no room for me to ponder that matter any longer.
The most important exam was now right in front of me.
Ding ding ding…
Top student.
[Siegfried Gardner]
“Oh wow~! I never expected a guy to take the top spot~! Are you asking him out on a date?”
“Are you messing with me?”
Alisha teased me as we looked at the overall ranking posted on the bulletin board.
The day after the exam, the results were released surprisingly quickly.
This time, unlike usual, the ranking included all grades.
I have no idea what the criteria were, but the number one on the list was Siegfried.
‘Now that I think about it, he’s characterized as a hard worker who does well academically, right?’
He might not have all the important skills to get strong, but Siegfried is certainly academically gifted, just like a game character tailored for it.
Who knows what the result would have been if Adrian had still been at the academy?
“Hmm, should I wish for Ken?”
“Zig…, do you mean a date… or something?”
Beside Siegfried as he looked at the score sheet, Elise asked anxiously.
As if it made logical sense, it shouldn’t happen, right? Between guys.
However, maybe it’s the norm that common sense does not apply.
There were often girls squealing in excitement as they looked at the score sheets.
From what I overheard, they figured they had no chance themselves, so why not enjoy guys being all cute with each other?
Elise’s expression seemed to darken even more as she heard their chatter.
“Zig…! No, right? You’re going to wish for something else, right?”
“Why are you talking weirdly since earlier, Elise?”
Ziegfried looked at Elise in confusion, probably feeling the same way I was.
By the way, my score was 23rd.
Considering it was a score across all grades, it was quite impressive.
Yet, it seemed it just wasn’t enough to grab the top spot.
Looking up the rankings of others:
Emily was 10th, and above her… Alisha?
“Why did you get 6th?”
“Oh dear, I aimed for first place to get a date with Ken senior but missed it… Waah.”
As I asked, Alisha pretended to wipe away tears and said she was disappointed.
The problem was that her acting was so poor it was obviously a tease.
Still, 6th place? That’s not an ordinary achievement through effort…
“Seriously, if I had gotten my wish right, I could’ve sold it for a nice profit. It’s such a shame.”
Clearly, money was her motive.
“Let’s see, who’s above that…”
In 3rd place was Raphne’s name.
It was certain from the game that Raphne was a top scorer.
Powerful enough to be the top in her grade and aiming for high scores in academics—an excellent villain.
With that determination, she walked into the exam, achieving a splendid 3rd place.
Above that in 2nd place…
‘……Mary.’
The name written in 2nd place was Mary Hyde.
“She really did work hard.”
2nd place.
Truly by a narrow margin, she might have actually snatched first if circumstances had been slightly different.
Though just a number, it was hard to doubt her sincerity after seeing those results under the overall score across all grades.
‘If I come in first, I’ll ask Ken for a date.’
Mary’s words from days ago outside the girls’ dormitory lingered in my head.
‘But in the end, the top spot went to Siegfried…’
Mary probably checked the rankings on the board too.
She genuinely aimed for first and was sad to settle for second.
I wondered if she might be feeling down.
While I was in thought, suddenly…
“Ken, could you come with me for a moment?”
Mary suddenly grabbed my arm and started pulling me away.
“Whoa…! M-Mary?”
When had she been nearby?
I didn’t even realize she was close because my eyes were glued to the ranking sheet.
Mary held my arm and strode ahead confidently.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem gloomy from behind, but there was a hint of anxious urgency.
And we arrived at a location.
It was the rooftop.
‘This place is still the same.’
The rooftop garden that Siegfried managed.
It was just as beautiful, filled with vibrant flowers, as I remembered from the last time I was here.
A gentle breeze blew comfortably.
At the center of the rooftop garden, we reached our destination, and Mary released my hand.
“…Mary?”
But instead of turning to face me, she held her hands over her chest as if taking a deep breath, shoulders rising and falling, then turned to face me.
When I looked directly at Mary, her expression was anything but her usual poker face.
Anxiety and bashfulness mingled on her blushing face as she cautiously looked at me.
That shy gaze made my heart involuntarily race.
For some reason, the tension was contagious, and I felt restless too.
“…Ken, how did you find the exam?”
She turned her hands behind her back, tapping one foot lightly on the ground.
Then Mary slightly lowered her head and avoided my gaze as she asked.
“I tried my best, but… haha, being number one is indeed tough.”
“Right? Siegfried senior is amazing.”
There was a hint of disappointment in her tone.
“B-but Mary, you’re amazing too! You ranked 2nd across the entire academy! If the situation had changed a little…”
“But I still came in 2nd.”
My attempts to comfort her only left me at a loss for words with her brief response.
“…2nd place is different from the promise.”
With her head down, Mary spoke regretfully.
As impressive as 2nd place might be, the wish rights she coveted belonged to the 1st place prize.
Even if 2nd was merely a sheet of paper away from 1st, you still couldn’t earn the wish right in 2nd place.
Because of that, I could no longer offer words of consolation.
I could only gaze at Mary, whose head hung low.
“So, here’s the thing, Ken.”
But contrary to my thoughts, Mary’s voice wasn’t downcast or sad.
She lifted her head, looking directly at me.
Her trembling eyes, flushed cheeks, were not the visage of someone who had lost.
Though her usual expression was blank, she was now showing determination, revealing her feelings openly.
She was genuinely looking at me.
“Regardless of the grades in this exam, I’m personally asking something of you, Ken.”
Originally, it was a promise to grant a wish if she became number one.
Since it was a promise, if she secured first, she could ask me without any risk.
But Mary was asking me regardless of that promise.
“Will you… go on a date with me?”
It was a risk she took, knowing she could potentially be rejected easily by asking outside of their agreement.
With every word she spoke, her gaze that had been so assertive now shyly turned downward as she finished her statement.
It seemed difficult for her to face me and hear my response.
But Mary mustered her courage to say it aloud.
Her actions were filled with sincerity.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
Thus, I could only respond with a smile.
“……”
Upon hearing my positive reply, Mary lifted her head in surprise, her eyes widening.
Then she blushed furiously, quickly averting her gaze again.
“Then… I’ll let you know the details—time and place—this weekend.”
Mary hurriedly continued her words.
“I’ll go ahead first, then.”
Unable to hold back any longer, she brushed past me, leaving the spot.
As she walked by, a soft smile crept across Mary’s face.
“…Oh, what do I do?”
After Mary departed, I held my racing heart in disbelief, leaning against the railing and gazing at the sky.
