I saw something blurry, like a glimpse of my past. I remember walking somewhere and then stopping at the sound of a loud noise that grew louder and louder until I woke up. I realized I was still in my room with my rm ringing. It was just a dream.


    I grabbed my phone and hit snooze on the rm. It was already Monday, exam day. My heart sank for a second, thinking the days flew by too fast. But then I took a deep breath and told myself panicking won''t do me any good.


    I decided to jumpstart my day by freshening up, with a quick shower before heading to the library for my exam. As I made my way, I heard the sound of water streaming from the bathroom.


    It was evident that she had woken up before me, which was odd because my rm had been ringing for a good ten minutes but she didn''t wake me up. I didn''t give it much thought, figuring she was upied with something else.


    After she finished, I took my turn in the shower, making sure tother myself with soap and shampoo, letting the warm water wash away any remnants of sleep, and did the rest of my daily routine.


    With a refreshed mind and body, I headed out to the school''s main building and towards the library. The corridor was eerily quiet, with only a few students seen along the way, spaced out in intervals.


    As I took a seat in the library, I snatched up a few of the highest-scoring textbooks and quickly skimmed through their pages. I jotted down what I could recall, using a study method I''d picked up from observing Hasegawa and other students in the library.


    I was trying to remember a few forms and some sentences that I had learned in previous days. I kept repeating them to myself until they stuck in my head, pushing out what I had forgotten.


    It was going well until I realized that the new information was recing the old. As I learned more, the ones I had memorized before started slipping away. Had I reached my limit?


    The bell then rang, signalling it was time for the exam.


    I rushed to my ssroom and took a seat as I watched my ssmates file in. My heart was pounding, I couldn''t shake the feeling of nervousness. I kept fidgeting with my pen, hoping that Fukuda hadn''t skipped a day when he was collecting points.


    Then, the teacher walked in and handed out the test papers and booklets. He didn''t hand them to us directly, instead, he ced them on our desks with the nk side facing up. The paper was crisp and white, with nothing on the back.


    I noticed I wasn''t the only one feeling nervous, my ssmates were too. I even heard some got so nervous they got diarrhoea and couldn''t take the exam. That seemed crazy to me.


    The first subject was math, the subject that I have been studying so hard. Exams followed one after the other, filling the room with students working on test papers for hours on end.


    ***


    It was a gruelling 5 hours.


    I made my way to my dorm room as soon as it was finished. As I walked, all I could think about was copsing onto my bed and getting some rest. When I finally arrived, I threw myself onto my bed with a thud, causing it to bounce and creak under my weight.


    *


    The next morning, I woke upter than usual, feeling nervous about the exam results that were surely posted by now. I knew my sleeping schedule had been poor leading up to the exams, withte nights spent studying in my room and thenzing about in bed.


    As I got ready, I tried to avoid thinking about the results, but my roommate brought it up while I was brushing my teeth.


    "That was rough, huh?" she said. "I just want to pass, I don''t care about the rank."


    "Mphmh…" I grunted a response, still brushing my teeth, but she just chuckled. "...I''m still brushing my teeth."


    "Sorry, haha."


    "You seem pretty rxed, haven''t seen the results yet?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Well, yeah, but I''m trying to stay positive," she replied with a shrug.


    I couldn''t bring myself to feel positive, and we left the dorm together before parting ways at the school''s main building. I made my way to my ss''s bulletin board, dreading what I might find.


    The atmosphere in the crowded hallway was charged with a mix of emotions, ranging fromints and frustration to even tears. I couldn''t help but hold my breath as I made my way through the crowds on the ss bulletin board.


    -


    ss 2-D Exam Total Results


    -


    ...


    8. Akio Murakami - 189


    21. Hanae Kanako - 150


    -


    I couldn''t believe that I had actually managed to pass solely on my own merit. Maybe, it was because of Fukuda, who may have submitted the points he had collected just before the announcement.


    But I guess I should make sure if it''s really, so I pulled out my phone.


    "Kanako, can you move?" A voice behind me asked.


    "Oh, sorry," I mumbled, feeling flustered as I realized I had been blocking the way to the board.


    I stepped to the side, giving others room to pass. With a deep breath, I unlocked my phone and started to type.


    [Have the points been submitted?] I wrote, my fingers hovering over the send button.


    Before I could even lock my phone, a notification lit up the screen. I unlocked the device once more to see a message from Fukuda.


    [Yes, I have submitted one hundred and eighty thousand points that I''ve collected.]


    I stared at the message in disbelief, my mind processing the information. One hundred and eighty thousand points was a significant amount, but I couldn''t shake the feeling that it was simply luck that I had passed. Perhaps it was abination of my own hard work and study that ultimately led to my sess.


    I guess Mizuhara''s influence really changed me.


    Who really are you? Mizuhara Ayato-kun.


    Regardless, I couldn''t deny the relief I felt as I locked my phone and slipped it back into my pocket.