Books make the days long; silence makes them short.
In the blink of an eye, more than a week had passed.
For students anticipating their midterm exams, this was a time to buckle down. The usual after-school outings and playful invitations were temporarily put on hold in favor of diligent, last-minute studying.
Though Natsukawa Kanade didn't really need to cram, he followed the atmosphere and studied a bit more than usual. He wanted to avoid giving others an excuse to complain, like saying, "The student council president looks down on everyone, doesn't even bother studying before exams."
As usual, he headed to the student council room after school, handled some minor tasks, and soon the other council members began to arrive.
It was obvious that the looming exams had dampened everyone's spirits. Even casual conversations kept circling back to the topic of studying. Among them, Fujiwara Chika stood out the most—her entire demeanor was an emotional rollercoaster.
One moment, she was energetically planning where to celebrate after the exams, and the next, she was gloomily moping. Then, almost immediately, she'd shift to a tragic resolve, as though she were marching to her doom.
While the others weren't quite acting normal either, none of them were as dramatic as Chika. Watching her antics, Kanade couldn't resist making a few remarks.
"It's just a midterm exam. No need to act like it's the end of the world, is there?"
"That's nonsense! Absolute nonsense!" Chika suddenly jumped up from the couch, loudly protesting. "People like you, President, wouldn't understand! You don't know what it's like to work so hard studying, only to not see your name on the rankings!"
"...…" Kanade fell silent. She wasn't wrong—he'd never experienced that. Even before he got closer to Kaguya, his grades were consistently near the top of the year. Even missing a subject entirely probably wouldn't drop him off the list.
As for the "rankings" she mentioned, Shuchiin Academy's system was indeed a little unique compared to other high schools. While regular tests didn't count, major exams like midterms and finals came with a public scoreboard. After each exam, a large ranking list was posted on the school bulletin board, clearly displaying the names and scores of students ranked from first place to the middle of the year group.
If your name wasn't on the list, it meant you were academically below at least half of your peers.
At prestigious schools with high academic standards, competition was often fierce, and rankings frequently shifted. But Shuchiin was different. Despite its excellent facilities and staff, the student body consisted primarily of wealthy heirs and children of privilege. Many students lacked a strong sense of academic responsibility, viewing studying as merely a way to appease their parents. As a result, the overall academic performance wasn't particularly high.
So if someone couldn't even rank in the middle, the only explanation was that they hadn't been studying at all. Calling them a "slacker" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"If you care about it so much, why not just study properly during regular class time?" Kanade said, exasperated.
In most schools in Japan, teachers often withheld certain materials, encouraging motivated students to attend cram schools. But Shuchiin was different. The teachers here earned extraordinarily high salaries, with the sole condition that they teach students as much as possible within the moral and academic framework of high school. This meant that even content often omitted in regular schools was covered at Shuchiin. As long as students paid attention in class and completed their homework, it was rare for them to fall behind academically.
Despite his advice, Chika slumped onto the table with a despairing expression.
"Ugh… How was I supposed to know my exam grades would be tied to my allowance this time? If I'd known, I would've studied harder!"
"Studying isn't supposed to be about your allowance…" Kanade shook his head, initially feeling annoyed. But after hearing her reasoning, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Serves you right! That's what you get for slacking off all the time. It's too late to regret it now~"
"Waaah!" Chika let out a wail and dramatically threw herself onto Kaguya's shoulder, pretending to cry. "Kaguya-chan, look at the President! I'm already like this, and he's still making fun of me!"
Kaguya, though looking mildly exasperated, didn't reprimand Kanade. Instead, she gently wrapped her arm around Chika and patted her back soothingly. "There, there… Maybe you should stop talking to the President altogether. He's too mean-spirited to be worth your time."
Chika only started "crying" harder, clinging to Kaguya and snuggling into her embrace.
Watching their interaction, Kanade sighed. He'd been considering offering to help Chika with some last-minute tutoring, but now it felt awkward to bring it up. He'd have to find another opportunity later.
"And what about Ishigami and Iino? What's going on with you two?" Kanade shifted his attention to Yuu Ishigami and Miko Iino, who had been unusually quiet.
Their states were… less than normal. Iino seemed relatively fine—she had her headphones on and appeared to be reviewing while listening to music. Ishigami, on the other hand, was another story. He sat with his head buried in his hands, muttering incessantly under his breath.
Kanade, sitting at a slight distance, couldn't make out what he was saying. The scene was unsettling, making Kanade wonder if Ishigami had studied himself into madness.
Finally reacting to his name being called, Ishigami raised his head slightly, but his hands stayed busy.
"Don't talk to me right now… If I say too much, the words might leak out of my brain…"
"...…" Kanade stared, dumbfounded, his jaw dropping.
It was the first time he'd heard such an excuse, and a strange emotion welled up inside him. So this was the world of "bad students"? It was… eye-opening.
Deciding not to disturb Ishigami further, Kanade shifted his gaze to Iino.
After observing her for a moment and seeing her focused on her notes, he chose not to interrupt. Her academic performance was well-regarded; there was no reason for him to worry about her.
Kanade returned his attention to his own work, intending to finish up quickly so he could relax later.
But just as he refocused, Kaguya suddenly turned the conversation toward him.
"And what about you, President? How's your studying going? If you slack off… I might just surpass you this time, you know?"
Kanade looked up at her. At some point, Chika had released Kaguya and was now standing beside her, pouting and glaring at him in frustration. Meanwhile, Kaguya blinked at him innocently, her tone playful yet challenging.
"Last time, you only beat me by two points. This time, though… who knows?"
Her sly smile and the gleam in her eyes revealed her intentions.
For Kaguya, being surpassed on the leaderboard was a point of pride and embarrassment. However, because the one who had beaten her was Kanade—the person increasingly occupying her thoughts—she had managed to set aside her obsession with being first.
That didn't mean she didn't want to reclaim her position. If given the chance, she wanted to be at the top again.
And not just in academics. In love, too, she aimed to take the lead. Dominating every arena was the essence of her aesthetics!
This was her chance.
Kaguya nodded to herself, her competitive spirit flaring.
From Kaguya's observations, it seemed that the president hadn't been prioritizing his studies much these days. He maintained perfect attendance as usual and appeared to dedicate all his energy to student council work, so much so that he hadn't even noticed that Kaguya had quietly reduced her own workload over the past few days.
If the president wasn't studying, it meant that Kaguya had effectively outpaced him by doing just a bit more!
On top of that, she had adjusted her nightly routine to maximize study time. Instead of sleeping at 10 p.m., she stayed up until 11, squeezing in an extra hour of study every day. This also meant the president was falling behind by an hour daily.
With this steady advantage, she was convinced that the top spot on the leaderboard would be hers this time!
And this couldn't be considered underhanded at all—after all, she hadn't done anything to actively hinder the president's studies. In fact, she had even issued a fair and open challenge days before the exams, just like this:
Kaguya felt very satisfied with her plan.
But reality wouldn't unfold as she imagined.
If this had been the past, back when Kanade was still actively pursuing her, he wouldn't even need her to issue a challenge. He would have taken the initiative to compete with her and would have been well-prepared long before the exams.
Now, however, Kanade had entered a new mindset: indifference. Complete indifference.
Every game needs a loser, so why couldn't it be him?
Unlike Chika, who had her allowance on the line, Kanade had no such stakes. His continued studies were simply out of habit rather than any real attachment to his grades. Even if his rank dropped, his study rhythm wouldn't change—habit had already solidified it.
Moreover, he'd actually ended up studying more recently because of his role as a tutor for Eriri and Megumi. Preparing materials for their review sessions had inadvertently reinforced his own understanding of the subjects. In the end, he was likely better prepared than usual.
So when Kaguya issued her challenge, there was no way he could refuse. After all, he was standing in a position where he didn't care about winning. And if he didn't care about winning, he could never lose!
With a composed smile, Kanade accepted her challenge.
"Alright, I'll look forward to it."
Kaguya's smile brightened at his response—she was convinced he had taken the bait.
As their agreement was finalized, Chika suddenly interjected, eager to make her presence known.
"Great! Then I'll be the official witness to this competition between the president and Kaguya-chan!" Chika declared enthusiastically. Then, as if she had a brilliant idea, she added, "And since it's a competition, there should be a penalty for the loser, right?"
She continued dramatically, "I hereby declare: the loser of this contest must grant the winner one request!"
Hearing this, Kaguya was overjoyed. She thought to herself, What a wonderful friend! Chika truly is my best friend!
But her elation was short-lived.
"And since Kaguya-chan and I are a team," Chika added with a smug grin, "if she wins, it means I win too! The president will have to grant me a request as well!"
Kaguya: "…"
Excuse me? What are you up to, you plague of the earth?
Before Kaguya could voice her dismay, Kanade beat her to it, his tone laced with disbelief.
"Wait, what does this have to do with you? You're not even part of the competition!"
To be fair, Kanade wasn't being dismissive of her abilities, but if things went as usual, even skipping one exam wouldn't drop his total score below Chika's.
But Chika, hands on her hips, shot back with righteous confidence, "I'm the official witness! Besides, even though it's just Kaguya-chan competing against you, if she loses, I can still offer you a request in her place!"
"Oh?" Kanade raised an eyebrow, intrigued. If that were the case, accepting this condition didn't seem like a bad idea. Winning would mean holding a trump card over Chika—a valuable tool if she ever pulled another ridiculous stunt like that time in the infirmary.
And even if he lost, it wasn't a big deal. Kaguya's requests would never be unreasonable—her integrity was beyond question. As for Chika… well, she was unpredictable, but ultimately a good person at heart. She probably wouldn't make any truly outlandish demands.
Probably.
The more Kanade thought about it, the more it seemed like a win-win situation. After all, his consistent effort was already there. Even though Kaguya seemed confident, the outcome wasn't set in stone. There was no reason for him to feel anxious.
With that, Kanade nodded.
"Alright, I accept the terms. Just make sure you stick to your word."
"Of course! A promise is a promise!" Chika declared, nodding vigorously.
Kaguya, meanwhile, stood silently, her face devoid of expression.
She had been running through a whirlwind of thoughts. She even suspected she was being used. But the one who proposed this whole thing was none other than Fujiwara Chika…
So it's true, then? Chika really is…
As Kaguya pondered this, Chika sidled up to her and leaned in to whisper something.
"Here's the plan… then this… and finally that…"
"…!" Kaguya's eyes lit up with sudden realization.
As expected, Chika really was… truly her best friend for life!
Notes-Read all chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X