At Paldea's most prestigious academy, there were many talented students, but even among them, one stood at the top. Turo glanced at the girl sitting in the front row. Since the day they enrolled, she had consistently held the number one spot in their science class. Meanwhile, he was perpetually second, always trailing behind her. Turo let out a quiet sigh, careful not to disturb the other students busy with their studies. His grades were already excellent, but he was determined to claim that top spot, even if just once. Was it stubbornness? Pride? He wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it haunted him throughout the exam period.

That's when he came across a prank post on the school's online forum.

[Remember that old trend about "confessing love to the top student to throw them off their game"? Has anyone actually tried it?]

ㄴ [Are you crazy? You should be studying, not pulling pranks.]

ㄴ [I heard some guy tried it once and ended up embarrassing himself. Don't even think about it.]

ㄴ [The top student in liberal arts is so full of themselves. Should I try it on them?]

ㄴㄴ [Oooohhh~]

ㄴㄴ [We support you.]

"Hey, aren't you coming to lunch? They're serving something special for exam week, and I want to see what it is." One of his friends snapped him back to reality; Turo had been lost in thought.

"Huh? Uh… yeah, I should eat. You go on ahead." Turo replied absentmindedly and sat back down. The top student in his science class—Sada—was still diligently writing in her notebook, even though the lunch bell had already rung. On impulse, Turo stood up and approached her.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

Despite sharing several classes since enrolling, this was the first time they'd ever spoken. Sada, however, didn't seem bothered and smiled brightly at him. Whether it was her smile or the lingering influence of the forum post he'd just read, Turo's next words bypassed all logic.

"I love you."

"...!"

Sada shot up from her seat, knocking over her chair. Pens scattered across the floor, but she didn't notice. Startled, Turo tried to retreat, but she grabbed him firmly by the shoulder. Her grip was surprisingly strong, making him wince.

"What... strength..."

"I love you too."

"...What?"

"I said, I love you too. You."

"...Excuse me?"

This is a disaster, Turo thought. This was going in a direction he hadn't anticipated. Whether she understood the situation or not, Sada was smiling like a fisherman who'd just caught the biggest fish.

Several days passed.

The two of them tied for third place in their graduation rankings. The reason? Well, everyone knew.