"Mid-Term exams are coming, have you all been studying?" Kaguya suddenly asked.
Chika whistled and feigned ignorance.
"Please stop whistling, Fujiwara-san."
"There's no need for studying." Miyuki scoffed. "If you study constantly you will never face a problem in the exams. Cramming yourself on the last day just guarantees your physique deteriorating. I suggest you all avoid cramming as well."
That was a lie!
Shirogane went so far as to quit his part-time work last week, two weeks before exams! Every second he spent not sleeping, Shirogane Miyuki was wide awake, eyes on his textbooks and cue cards. Be it in front of the dinner table or even inside the bathroom!
Even now. His textbook was disguised as a novel, he wanted to read his notes without looking like he was studying on the breaks between council work!
This was the hyper-efficient cramming session he had devised so he could keep his sleep schedule. His mind and body worked in top condition as he crammed the information in every nook and cranny of his brain! This was the perfected Shirogane Miyuki!
Standing on the top of the student body, Miyuki earned his first place in the last two exams. There was no way Miyuki would let his throne be challenged!
"You're right. Exams are meant to show your abilities. Trying to push yourself by getting higher grades via cramming doesn't guarantee that you will do well in the future." Kaguya remarked. "It's best to approach the tests as you do anything else."
That was a lie!
Shinomiya Kaguya always took this particular exam seriously!
For the genius, multi-talented Shinomiya Kaguya, she never devoted more than sixty percent effort into anything she did. Losing is part of life, and it never bothered her at all.
However, Shinomiya Kaguya hated losing twice before, because it meant she hadn't learned any lesson from her defeat. Twice she got beaten by Miyuki in exams. Her Pride simply could not stand it anymore.
It was a sense of real loss, even though she went all out, Shirogane Miyuki had managed to surpass her. That was how he managed to win her heart and attention in the first place.
"I'm worried about Language Arts..." Chika muttered. "I'm great with foreign languages, and even slang, but when it comes to tests..."
"Well... the way you learned those languages was out of the ordinary. Studying the conventional way might not work for you." Miyuki idly remarked. Lying through his teeth.
"The amount of studying doesn't necessarily correlate to a higher score in the first place. You might be better off not studying at all." Kaguya grinned, also lying.
"Is that so? Then I'm not gonna study!" Chika shouted.
Indeed, Fujiwara Chika was serious about it. Her grades were average, and she had a strong desire to learn. Secretary Fujiwara was an exemplary student in everything but her character!
Naturally, there was no reason for her to suspect the fact that her best friend, Kaguya, and the person she respected, Miyuki, would lie to her like this!
Hachiman hadn't been listening to most of the conversation, since he was wearing headphones. However, he did hear Chika's remark.
"Are you sure about that? I'm taking a break from the student council to focus on my studies." Hachiman suddenly said. "One week's worth should be fine."
"You always take a break before every exam, huh?" Miyuki asked. "Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"Nah!" Hachiman said lightly. "I don't drastically increase my studying in particular, but I also prefer more time for rest and relaxation rather than dealing with the council's bullshit."
That was the truth.
Hikigaya Hachiman wasn't a disciplined person by any means. However, he did have his principles.
To work is to lose, but hard work betrays no one. Study hard, work hard, play hard, and rest hard. Hikigaya Hachiman had absolutely no time for nonsense.
"Hmm, Hikki-san still studies hard even when he's being lazy, huh?." Chika remarked.
"Everyone has their own way to study, asking someone other than a teacher about their studying habits will leave you in confusion..." Hachiman said.
"Is a teacher's guidance really needed?" Chika asked curiously.
"Back when I was an ordinary student in an ordinary school, I had a major issue with math and physics, despite being great in the humanities and language. So I gathered my courage and became closer to the science teachers, and well, I ended up in Shuchiin somehow."
Hachiman, of course, omitted the fact that in his last six months of middle school he literally became the class pariah and even more friendless than before. He also studied hard out of depression and anger, practically becoming a hermit at home.
His enrollment into Shuchiin wasn't a specific goal. Instead, he studied his ass off to get into any good academy, far enough away from the neighborhoods where his middle school classmates were likely to be. He originally planned to go to Soubu High, the most elite school in Chiba. But some of his teachers and relatives thought Hachiman could aim higher.
After he managed to survive the first semester at Shuchiin without getting cut from the Scholarship List, Hachiman developed more efficient studying habits. It was all to make sure his work in the council didn't interfere with his grades.
"I guess asking the teachers might be a good idea after all..." Chika said.
"Well, I don't know about you, but no teacher in the world will tell students to study less unless you are already going overboard studying in the first place."
Hachiman glared at Miyuki, who looked away in response.
"But Kaguya-san said sometimes it's better off to not study!"
"And do you honestly believe that?"
"Well, she's the second rank in our year!"
This girl's faith is seriously misplaced! But really, Shinomiya Kaguya is a real demon, willing to deceive even the closest friend she has. Then again, that ass Miyuki isn't any different.
Hachiman and Miyuki regularly studied together. Especially now that Miyuki's dad has a stable income and Miyuki had less need to work. He had a lot more time to study and sleep now.
However, that was never the case with the exams. Miyuki would pretend he had lazed off while secretly studying to near death in the past. Hachiman saw through that a mile away. But, for the somewhat curious and trusting Fujiwara, that might not be the case.
"If you ask me, you should study at your own pace. If not studying hard, at the very least, keep your study schedule as normal as usual." Hachiman recommended. "Studying more won't guarantee a good result, but studying less is the definition of unhelpful."
"I see." Chika nodded. "Then, I'll do that."
"What a fickle girl." Hachiman sighed. "What about Shinomiya's suggestion?"
"Well, what worked with a super-genius like Kaguya-san might not work with the ordinary me." Chika smiled. "Besides, Hikki-san's never lied to me. So why would I question that?"
Hachiman blushed a bit when he saw her earnest, trusting smile. Not always getting along with each other, sometimes, Hachiman easily forgot that Chika was a friendly and kindhearted girl.
Momo gave him the spine he needed to stand up for himself as a person and a man, but it was Fujiwara Chika who gave him the drive to socialize more, beyond his pitifully tiny social circle.
The type of girl that Hikigaya Hachiman in the past would fall in love with in a heartbeat.
"Worst case scenario, I might get my pocket money slashed if my grades fall. It would be bad if I didn't even try." Chika muttered with a devious smile. "Maybe I can ask for a raise if my grades improve, even."
...Nevermind. Never let your guard down. Never open the door to your heart. Not in front of an aspiring politician, like this creature.
"I guess I'm taking a break from the council work as well. We don't really have much work, to begin with." Chika picked up her bag. "Where are you going, Hikki-san?"
"I'm going to the library and see if I can borrow some reference books to study with at home..." Hachiman said as he picked up his own bag. "If none are available, then I'll probably buy a few in a used bookshop or online."
Both of them left the Council Building.
"Buying used books, huh?" Chika whistled. "Ordering online, maybe. I can't imagine hunting for such old books with my own hands."
"Well, neither did I, until I started living by myself and realized how difficult budgeting is." Hachiman explained. "A bit of spare change a day can save your life at the end of a month."
"You sound like a housewife!" Chika laughed. "Don't tell me you actually have a piggy bank for small change?"
"Of course not, I'm not a child. The coin wallet was invented for that purpose!" Hachiman sighed. "And there's nothing wrong with saving money like a proper housewife, is there?"
After all, he aspired to be a house husband!
Arriving at the library, the two quieted down, and the words spoken between them became whispers.
When Hachiman was about to pick out a book, however, his hand touched someone else's. A beautiful pale hand with slender fingers. Belonged to a girl, for sure.
"My bad." He promptly apologized.
"It's fine, Hikigaya-kun."
Ah.
There weren't a lot of students in this school who would call him by that name and honorific. Most of them were third year senpai or the adults, but there was one particular second-year girl who would call him by that moniker.
That being Yukinoshita Yukino.
"I'm surprised you didn't just start ravishing my hands, though." She smiled.
"What kind of self-respecting gentleman would sexually harass a girl in a library?"
"You do look like one of those types, in my opinion." She said as she grabbed the book that he was about to borrow.
Sounds like one of those hentai manga, or maybe a few shoujo manga he reads before.
"I'm suing you for libel." Hachiman snarked, and then began searching the shelf for another book.
Somehow, they managed to keep that conversation to something barely more than whispers. For whatever reason, Chika felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it was rather intimate of them.
"Umm, Yukinoshita-san... you came to study in the library?"
"No. We're going to study in the Public Service Clubroom instead. We're putting club activities on hold for the remainder of the week."
Between Yukino, Shijo, and Kashiwagi... three out of the five top students in the second year were members of the Public Service Club. It made sense that the three of them would be able to work together seamlessly instead of causing unnecessary disturbances.
"I'm surprised that you would do that, I thought the Public Service Club knew no fear?" He teased her. He then noticed a book that seemed to be a suitable replacement for the one Yukionshita had claimed. The group then moved their way to the circulation desk to check out.
"There's a thin line of difference between courage and recklessness. Complacency ensures defeat and destruction." Yukino smiled brightly. "If you kneel on the floor and grovel, maybe Shijo-san will allow you to join, Hikigaya-kun."
"See? This is why the Public Service club is still devoid of male members." Hachiman sniped back.
"No big loss, I despise the fact that every boy who wants to join our club has a hidden agenda of some sort." Yukino shook her head. "Early in the semester, I rejected a club application from a boy who had a crush on Kashiwagi-san."
"Harsh..." Hachiman remarked, vaguely recalling something but not sure what. "Is it really that bad to want to join a club your crush is in?"
"It wouldn't be that bad if it was someone who could stand up for themselves and carry out their duties to school and society regardless of their personal feelings..." Yukino said. "Someone like say, President Shirogane."
At that moment, Hachiman felt like had time stopped.
"And honestly, if you fix that poor attitude of yours, we would even be willing to welcome you into the Public Service Club as well, Hikigaya-kun."
"Ah." Hachiman grimaced a bit when he woke up from his mild shock. "Only if you stop verbally abusing me."
"I'll try to be gentle with the truth."
"Lies and slander, you mean."
Yukino smiled at him and then replied, as she finished checking out her book. "I mean it, Hikigaya-kun. See you later."
And, just like that, Yukino left.
Hachiman and Chika didn't take too long with their checkout, though it didn't look like Chika was borrowing anything.
"Hmmm, I see. You two actually get along well, huh?" Chika pouted at him when they finally exited the library.
"Does it really look like that to others?"
"You're comfortable talking with her, are you not?"
"Well, true. We don't really beat around the bush." Hachiman couldn't deny it. "Guess you could say she doesn't treat me with fake courtesy, and that's the reason why I return the sentiment in kind."
Chika stopped walking and lowered her head. "I'm very sure, had you joined Public Service Club... you would get closer to her. You might even have fallen in love with each other... and it'd be just a matter of time for you to start going out..."
"And then I'd be all alone, left behind."
Hachiman stopped a bit late and looked back at her miserable, shrunken self. "Fujiwara..."
He wondered how he should interpret that expression? It couldn't be jealousy, could it? Perhaps, more like envy?
But, the worst thing was that he could imagine it; a romantic relationship with Yukinoshita Yukino. It wouldn't be an equal relationship by any means, and it wasn't as if he could deal with his insecurities just yet.
But the fact that it wasn't outside the realm of possibility legit frightened him.
"Psyke!" Chika brightened again and winked. "There's no way that would ever happen. I'm sure Yukinoshita-san has a much higher standard for men!"
Hachiman didn't really mind her insult, but he was angrier at the fact that he was worried about her in the first place.
"Get fucked." He huffed and walked away.
"Ahahaha! Sorry! Sorry!" She chased after him and hurriedly caught the sleeve of his uniform. "Hikki-san, do you mind if we study together?"
"No."
"Come on!"
"No."
"I'll buy all the textbooks we need in exchange!" She clapped her hands, begging. "Momo-chan went into seclusion and hired private tutors, I don't want to lose to her this time!"
"Fine, but ask permission from your father. Otherwise no deal. Also, no motorbikes." Hachiman finalized. He didn't want to get on the nerve of Minister Fujiwara again.
"Yay!"
やはり, 彼らが望む告白は間違っている.
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: ZeroXSEED, Co-Writer/Editor: GoukaRyuu
Chapter 24 - No one wants to lose...
Exams are wars that begin before one even picks up their pen!
Psychological warfare to ensure others study as little as possible! Observing trends in the questions asked and spreading false information! A mental war where prodigies exhausted their brains to the limit!
This was Shuchiin Academy's periodic exam!
Chika closed the book in her hands and took a deep breath. "Yosh, I'm confident now!"
"Surprising... not nervous at all?" Miyuki remarked. Was that because she didn't study at all this time?
"Well, I'm a little nervous. But after studying all week, I feel like I can tackle anything." Chika said. "But you don't look nervous at all."
Miyuki could see traces of tiredness on Chika's face. She wasn't the type to wear thick makeup at all, possibly because of her father's strict guidance. Even then, Chika partly hid the lines under her eyes by wearing thick glasses that also alleviated eye strain.
As for Miyuki...
"...Of course not. It isn't as if this exam will decide everything for the rest of my life. It only reflects on what I have learned so far."
That was a lie!
Even though he optimized his effort and efficiency in studying... there would always be small cracks in his confidence. Especially due to the expectations people put on him and the need to live up to those expectations.
That burden placed on his shoulders... the defender king of the throne. The semblance of perfection taken for granted. It was heavy, too heavy for one man to carry alone.
And only he could know.
He was so nervous that just losing his focus for a bit might result in him vomiting.
However.
He went so far as wearing concealer to hide the lines under his eyes from all the strain, coupled with the fact that he was nearsighted. He would not let others see through his weakness.
He couldn't lose here. Because if he lost, he had nothing left. His grades were his only weapon in the battle between geniuses.
If he could not get better grades than the girl who could do anything, then she would be out of his reach.
She would be someone who he could only gaze at from afar.
The ties that bound him and Shinomiya together were his victory. It all began with the exams, and Miyuki would never let that go.
"I won't lose to Shinomiya!"
...
"Wah, I'm nervous!" Chika rubbed her eyes behind her glasses. "I'm confident I'll get high grades, but I'm not sure how far I'll advance!"
"Calm the hell down, and don't act like you're the one studying the hardest here." Momo glared at her, her eyes more intense than usual due to piled up fatigue.
"Easy for you to say, you're already in the top 50 before!"
"Shut up."
"Where's Hikki-san, by the way? I thought I saw him."
"He didn't bother looking up, he's asleep in the council room, as we speak..." Momo smirked. "Sometimes, I really envy his laid back attitude."
"Well... it might be my fault." Chika scratched her chin. "I'd be sad if his grades fell because I forced him to help."
"Hachiman has never been that tired before. So, if he was tired, he could have been studying harder than he usually does..." Momo told her. "Have faith. If you hold him back, he'll be the first one to tell you."
"...Momo-chan cares a lot about him, huh?" Chika muttered, a hint of underlying negative emotion filled her tone. "There's still a lot of things about Hikki-san that I don't know."
Naturally, despite their recent distance to each other, Ryuju Momo remained the closest girl to Hachiman.
"Looks like you were worried for nothing." Momo cockily pointed out.
Second Year Group, 1st Exam of the Year, Top 50 Rank.
4. Shijo Maki, 489
5. Kashiwagi Nagisa, 483
6. Hikigaya Hachiman, 480 (1 up)
7. Abe Kazune, 476 (1 down)
8. Toyosaki Saburo 474 (1 up)
9. Taiga Arakawa 471 (2 down)
22. Ryuju Momo 440 (14 up)
50. Fujiwara Chika 402 (38 up)
Momo and Chika removed their signature hat and head-ribbon respectively... and then immediately dabbed.
"But does that mean he's no longer Hachiman but instead Rokuman, now." Chika giggled as she put back her ribbon.
"Don't tell him that, he'll slap the shit out of you." Momo snorted, but, even though she said that, she was still amused by the thought.
"Ah, Hayasaka-san!" Chika waved when they saw a particular blond general affairs manager. "How were your results?"
"It was so-so, as usual!" Hayasaka feigned silliness as she cheerfully high-fived Chika. "Congratulations on making it to the top 50!"
Momo, on the other hand, remained distrustful of Hayasaka and stayed quiet.
"Where is Hikigaya-san, by the way?" Hayasaka asked.
"Sleeping in the council room." Momo sourly replied as she made air quotes. "Just in case you want to seduce him again."
"What are you talking about, Ryuju-san? There's no way I would stoop so low." Hayasaka guffawed. "Nee?"
Unknown to those two, however... Hayasaka was well aware where Hachiman went the moment he was out of class. Hayasaka didn't plan to do anything, but...
She couldn't do anything. Around this time, she was aware that Kaguya would need her the most. And between satiating her curiosity, and doing her duty, she always prioritized the later.
As expected, Kaguya and Miyuki both came late to see the results. This method came with two purposes. The first was that there was a smaller crowd in front of the board.
The second was that the way they came late fashionably showed how supremely confident they were with their results. They didn't rush like everyone else, who were eager to see their grades posted on the announcement board.
"Congratulations on being first again, President!" Chika congratulated him.
Second Year Group, 1st Exam of the Year, Top 50 Rank.
1. Shirogane Miyuki, 499
Just a little more, and he could have had a perfect score. Oh well, it wasn't much of a loss, since he managed to defend his throne. Which meant he managed to defeat Shinomiya Kaguya, three times in a row now.
But he couldn't publicly show he was happy about it either.
"Impressive!" Momo remarked. "You must be in top shape these days, Shirogane."
"It was just a streak of luck." Miyuki humbly denied. "Who knows how well I can maintain this grade in the future, isn't that right... Shinomiya?"
At times like this, Miyuki expected that Kaguya would congratulate him, and accept her defeat honorably. Even in failure, there was beauty and dignity. That was just how Shinomiya Kaguya was.
"..."
"...Shinomiya?"
Why didn't she respond?
"Eh? How?" Chika gasped in shock and covered her mouth.
"Too bad for you, Shinomiya." Momo shrugged.
"What do you mean by that..." Miyuki gulped and then finally gathered the courage to look at her.
What he saw was not what he was expecting at all; the frozen shocked state of Shinomiya Kaguya, with her eyes shrunken and her mouth agape. Not even the first time Miyuki had defeated her did she show that much surprise.
Miyuki finally took a good look at the scoreboard properly.
Second Year Group, 1st Exam of the Year, Top 50 Rank.
1. Shirogane Miyuki, 499
2. Yukinoshita Yukino, 493
3. Shinomiya Kaguya, 492
"Someone beat Kaguya-sama?!"
"Who was it?!"
"It was Yukinoshita! Yukinoshita beat Shinomiya-san!"
"No way!"
It finally dawned on the people present, the most shocking reveal of the new exam results. Like a wildfire, the news immediately spread to every person in the proximity of the notice board.
Shinomiya Kaguya had been defeated.
By someone other than Shirogane Miyuki.
However, to Kaguya, all she could feel was deep, crushing silence surrounding her heart.
"Shinomiya..."
"Looks like I've been slacking." Kaguya smiled, however, her eyes lacked the radiance that she usually possessed.
Her ruby-like eyes were ice cold.
"Your grades are higher than in the final exam last March." In her obliviousness of Kaguya's state of mind, Chika tried to cheer her up. "I don't think slacking is the word."
"Well, Yukinoshita's charity group sure packed a mean punch this time." Momo laughed. "If you notice, pretty much everyone else's grades going down. Instead, Hachiman and everyone above him had their grade raised drastically."
"Well, everyone has been acclimating to second-year subjects..." Chika said. "Oh right, I actually met Yukinoshita-san last week."
"You... you did?" Miyuki's voice croaked.
"Yeah, I was in the library with Hikki-san, and she was there borrowing a couple of books. She said that the Public Service Club was on hold, and everyone used the club room to study together." Chika hummed. "Ah, I just remembered something she said back then..."
"There's a thin line of difference between courage and recklessness. Complacency ensures defeat and destruction."
"Ah, she also said that it would be nice if someone like President Shirogane could join her club." Chika carelessly told them. "Or Hikki-san, for that matter."
Hayasaka was the only one at the moment who understood, the sheer depth of disappointment and grief that Kaguya was experiencing.
"Is that so?" Kaguya smiled. "I guess I WAS too complacent this time around."
The truth hurt.
When both she and Miyuki were too busy kicking others down the cliff, some people simply ignored the trend and climbed with their own strength.
People who took no heed of others attention, and instead, focused on self-improvement, obtaining true satisfaction.
"Congratulations on the first place, President..." Kaguya told Miyuki. "The fact that you almost obtained a perfect score is a testament to your abilities."
"Shinomi-"
"I'll have plenty of chances in the future, so I'll accept this outcome with grace."
And so, Kaguya left just like that.
Miyuki wondered if that was really the case.
"I'll excuse myself a bit."
Miyuki entered the bathroom.
And then began shadow boxing like a madman! Holding back these emotions was a big ordeal for him, and thus, he let it all out where people couldn't see!
Meanwhile, Kaguya decided to travel a bit further, in the woods behind the old school building, where people, even school staff, rarely go. Hayasaka watched from behind, to ensure that she remained alone without anyone to disturb her.
Kaguya gritted her teeth and began stomping around the grass angrily. And then rolled around screaming, as if she had lost her last bit of sanity.
Hayasaka wanted to stop her, but she was well aware that it might be far better for Kaguya to vent her emotions like this.
As Kaguya stopped rolling, she clenched the grass under her.
"Why..."
"Even if President won..."
Kaguya's mind returned to the place they were, roughly three-fourths of a year ago.
"Shinomiya, let's see who scores higher on the next round of exams."
She could still remember it, his slumping body, his tired eyes, and battered expression. The pathetic display of a man who pushed himself beyond the human limits.
And he dared to challenge her.
Though Kaguya had acknowledged Miyuki's existence ever since the swamp incident, she still considered him nothing more than a loser. But that challenge was what changed everything.
Miyuki won first place in the final exam of the first semester.
"Kaguya-sama, please stand up." Hayasaka reminded her. "Despairing is one thing, but you should not wallow in defeat like this."
Kaguya forced herself to stand up, but her knees buckled, and Hayasaka had to support her.
"Even if President won..." Kaguya sobbed. "The second place! It was supposed to be mine!"
Hayasaka flinched and looked away, not sure what to do except to wait for Kaguya to recoup herself.
In the toilet, Miyuki stood with dead eyes. After the early rush of excitement from his uncontested victory, he began to grow increasingly concerned.
He was sure he had done nothing wrong, and the rational side of his mind told him as much. Yet, part of him felt that there was something he could have done.
He felt like he had failed as a man, and he wasn't sure why.
Meanwhile, in the Public Service Club room...
Yukinoshita Yukino slumped on her chair, her legs closed firmly. Her hands rested on a book in her lap. On the cover was the picture of a squint-eyed Panda, a famous character from Waltz Destiny's mega-franchise.
Here, in this quiet and empty room, she was sleeping, peacefully. Yukino remained unaware of the chaos that was currently engulfing the school.
The result of Today's battle: Miyuki's (Hollow) victory