Chapter 1

Contrary to popular belief, Akiyama Sayuri was not a robot.

In every school, every year, there is this one student who towers above all their peers, thanks to their excellent grades and borderline psychotic desire to know everything a subject has to offer. They are the kids who sit in front and remind the teacher the class had homework to do, the kids who hide during P.E. class instead of running and suffering like everyone else.

On the second month of her third year of high school, Akiyama Sayuri was a bundle of nerves. It was the day she would get the results of her beginning of the year exam. She had carefully studied, like always ever since she started going to school, making sure she understood and knew every little details that would never be useful in her future life. She had faced the exams with an armour of confidence that looked like iron on the outside, but really it was like smashed potato on the inside. When the bell rang this Friday afternoon, students gathered under the huge board, trying to find their names and their rank. Some cried in relief when they saw they had passed the exam, barely. Others cried in disappointment because they would have to face the hell that was a retake.

There were a lot of people in front of Sayuri, especially some boys from the basketball or volleyball club or whatever was the game those boys liked to play with balls. They were as tall as trees and after a few minutes trying to bypass them she pushed her way through, ignoring their inquisitive and somewhat offended looks. They only shrugged when the girl didn't look at them at all.

Sayuri did an imaginary little victory dance in her head when she saw her name, ranked first. She was happy and relieved, because once again she was the best student of Aoba Johsai and that was the only thing that mattered. She then walked home happily, sparing sorry glances for the student that failed but she didn't think about it further. As she opened the door to her house, as usual the first to arrive home as her parents worked until late and her sister was currently at university in Tokyo, she picked up a letter at the front door. It came from school and had her name on it. She opened it and smiled when she realised it was only a summary of all the grades she had gotten at the exam. She checked by order of her favourite subjects : maths, best grade of the class, physics, best grade, litterature, best grade, history, best grade, geography, best grade, P.E class, absent because of medical reasons, and finally chemistry…

She gasped, her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and her mind failed to form a logical explanation.

Akiyama Sayuri had the second highest grade for the chemistry exam. She had a heart attack for five full minutes. Then, like a possessed girl, she slammed the door and ran out the street. For someone who hated sports and went as far as getting a doctor to help her skip P.E. class, she had a good running session that day. She arrived again at school as the sky was getting dark. The caretaker she had come to know quite well since she always arrived at school earlier than most people in the morning was closing the building.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked kindly.

"Yes!" Sayuri cried out. She showed her the results. "I just got this, and I found out I am first in all my subjects, except for chemistry where I am second best."

"Oh dear, it's wonderful, congratulations!"

"Thank you! Wait, no, that's horrible! I have never not been first in chemistry, ever! Even though I hate the subject, I always at least managed to get the highest grades. There must be a mistake, please, I have to talk to the teacher!"

"I'm… I'm sorry Akiyama-chan, but I'm closing the school and all the teachers already went home. Maybe you should try on Monday."

Sayuri was on the verge of crying like a baby. In the end she had to agree to go home after the kind woman gave her sweets and tried to comfort her.

That evening, Sayuri barely ate anything at dinner, and spent it sending emails to her chemistry teacher.

On Monday, as soon as lunch break started, she blocked the door with her body before the teacher could get out.

"Well sensei, I'm very sorry to bother you but have you seen my emails and the horrible problem I am facing?"

The old woman sighed.

"Yes, Akiyama, I read all the dozen emails you sent me this weekend."

It had started very polite and enquiring to escalate quickly into desperate demands for explanation.

"There has been no mistake, you obtained the grade of 96/100. You did a serious and very good job."

Very good, not excellent! It really is the worst day of my life! Sayuri thought.

"But how am I only second best?" The girl had turned pale now.

The teacher looked at her curiously.

"Well it's obvious isn't it? Someone did better than you and got a hundred. So, see you in class on Wednesday."

She had said that casually as if she hadn't just told Sayuri of the greatest defeat of her life. The poor girl was crushed. She felt like she had failed her entire life. She felt like a pathetic, ordinary, mediocre student. Because if she wasn't the best student of the school, if she didn't get the highest grades in every single class, what was she good at? Who was she? Was she even Akiyama Sayuri anymore? She felt like dying right now and being burried forever in a coffin would be the best way to avoid the shame of being dethroned. Of course she was still the best of her year, but being only second in one subject put all her hard work to waste. The truth was clear to her: she was not worth anything anymore.

However, after the inital shock of losing her first place, another question quickly rose. Who beat me? There were two high risk suspects in her mind. First, Hara Mitsuko, a soft-spoken girl who always had correct answers for everything. She and Sayuri always had a rivalry going on, but they still liked each other in a way. The other suspect was Matsukawa Issei, a basketball player who always looked sleepy but was actually smart. He and Sayuri sometimes exchanged their ideas when a problem was particularly hard to solve and they both liked to make fun of teachers making stupid mistakes.

Since lunch break had already begun, and as the basketball team liked to eat on the rooftop, Sayuri made her way to Hara Mitsuko who was sitting with two friends, eating their bento.

"Hi, Hara-san" she started awkwardly. "Sorry to bother you, but can I ask you something quickly?"

The other girl was a little surprised but she smiled nonethelesss.

"Of course! What's wrong?"

Sayuri bit her lip then took a deep breath.

"Did you get 100 for the chemistry exam?"

In Sayuri's mind, it sounded exactly identical to "did you freaking beat me at chemistry?"

However Hara only looked embarassed.

"No, I got 90."

"Oh... okay, congratulations." So it was Matsukawa after all. Sayuri could not help feeling relieved. Even if Matsukawa was good at sport, and she was not, well she could accept being beaten by him at chemistry as well. After all, all his family members were scientists.

It didn't make the defeat sting less, but at least it was easier to swallow she guessed.

Unfortunately, Akiyama Sayuri didn't stop there. On Wednesday, when they were finally given back their chemistry papers, all graded, she found out her only mistake was in the last question. Actually it was not a mistake, Sayuri had skipped the question entirely because she had had no idea about the answer. They were asked to give the mechanism of the Cannizzaro reaction, something they had never seen in class. To think that Matsukawa knew the answer! It was very surprising and Sayuri only had to admit that his victory was only fair. However… she wanted to know what textbooks he used ouside of school, since they had proved efficient for the exam, that way she would not lose again.

That afternoon, after classes were over and students were expected to spend a few hours doing club activities, despite being the leader of the maths club, Sayuri decided to show up at the gym instead. She would be late for her own club, but she really did not want to go to a gym smelling of sweaty boys after basketball practice was over.

As she entered the gym, she realised a few things that she had gotten wrong previously (being wrong seemed like a horrible new habit of hers. Was she doomed to being ignorant now?!)

First, Matsukawa had never played basketball. He played volleyball. She felt betrayed by herself, after all these hours of boring classes challenging Matsukawa by giving him papers under the table where she had scribbled equations for him to solve, only for him to respond with more complicated equations, after all this, she had never known what sport he played. What a horrible girl she was. Now, on top of being a stupid student, she had also become an awful classmate (she had never dared to call him a friend, what if he laughed at her?).

Second thing she learned today, do not under any circumstances stand daydreaming in the middle of a gym when there is a volleyball practice going on. Mortal danger. Dangerous. Boom. Ouch.

It was like being hit in the face by a bullet.

Without realising what was happening, she fell to the floor, bright spots in her eyes and contusion in her head.

"Oh my god!" a boy said.

"Again? Trashykawa, how many random girls have you hit in the head for the past month?"

"So mean! I never do it on purpose, I don't know why it always happens!"

"Are you okay, Akiyama?"

Sayuri finally saw Matsukawa crouched in front of her, trying to check if she was badly injured.

"I'm fine" she said, although she felt like throwing up on whoever had hit her.

"I'm so sorry" the culprit finally appeared. It was Oikawa Toru, team captain, notorious flirt, and very, very bad at maths. She had seen his paper accidentally, and needless to say, his grade had made her want to cry. "Can you stand? I will take you to the infirmary."

But Sayuri ignored him and turned to Matsukawa.

"What chemistry textbook do you use?"

Several members of the team were now surrounding them, the girl on the floor and the two boys beside her. Sayuri felt like she was suffocating in this forest of long legs. Matsukawa only gaped like a goldfish. Then he looked at his captain.

"We have to get her to the nurse."

"Agreed. She's nuts."

She gave both of them a nasty look.

"I am not crazy. Well at least not more than usual. You got a 100 at the chemistry test, Matsukawa, congrats. I just wanted to ask you how you study outside of school."

Her classmate looked surprised and scratched his neck.

"I didn't get a 100. I thought you did, Akiyama."

"What? No, that's impossible. If it's not me, or you, or Hara, then who?"

They looked at each other, confused.

"That would be me" an unexpected voice answered.

Slowly, confused, horrified, Sayuri turned to Oikawa.

"You?"

He winked at her.

"Yeah, surprising right? I learned the Cannizzaro reaction in 101 questions about chemistry. Very informative and well explained, I strongly recommend this book!"

Sayuri looked at Matsukawa to know if his friend was joking. The boy only smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Sayuri looked at Oikawa.

"Call the nurse!" she snapped, dizzy.

So, to conclude, after this magnificently terrible week, Oikawa Toru had dethroned her in chemistry, made her feel like an idiot and hit her in the head with a volley ball, damaging many of her precious brain cells. It was decided then, there was no going back, he would hear about her again, because Sayuri would definitely get her revenge on him.

AN: here's to all the OCs who received a ball in their heads.