Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Taking the Top Two Ranks
It was Wednesday, during school hours. The class had just started.
As the school bell rang, Shizuka Hiratsuka entered the classroom, holding the exam papers she had marked the previous day. However, her expression wasn't exactly friendly.
"Bang!"
She slammed the stack of exam papers onto the desk, sweeping her gaze across the class with a cold sneer.
"It seems like spring break made you all go completely wild, huh? None of you seem to have remembered my warning before the holiday about the start-of-term mock exams. Even with an extra day, most of you still didn't get it together! The majority of you scored noticeably lower in this test. If you don't get your act together, expect me to load you with a ton of homework!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka was usually quite easygoing, but when she got strict, she was scarier than any other teacher.
Of course, there were some students who were completely unfazed, and those were Ichin and Utaha Kasumigaoka. Both of them were extremely confident in their scores, and there was no way they could have messed up.
As expected, Hiratsuka continued, "Fortunately, there are at least a few of you saving me from popping a blood vessel and needing blood pressure meds. This time, our class holds both the first and second ranks in the entire grade. Especially Ichin, who recently transferred here from overseas and immediately secured the top rank. The rest of you should learn a thing or two from him!"
Hiratsuka's words left the entire class in shock as they turned their gazes toward Ichin.
Here was this guy who always seemed to be distracted during class, yet he had somehow managed to rank first in the entire grade?
Are Chinese students all this scary?
Even Utaha looked at Ichin in surprise. He really was as confident in his scores as he had claimed.
If Ichin took first place, then she was probably second.
"First place goes to Ichin, and second place to Kasumigaoka. Her scores haven't dropped either. In Mathematics, both of them scored full marks—very well done. Now, I'll start handing out the Japanese exams. When I call your name, come up and collect your paper!"
Hiratsuka started calling out names, individually glaring at the students as they came up to collect their papers.
"Ichin."
When it was Ichin's turn, he naturally didn't receive such a treatment. As he took his paper, Hiratsuka said, "You did well this time. Keep it up."
Ichin smiled and nodded. "No problem."
"Okay, go back. Next up, Kasumigaoka."
Once all the papers were handed out, Hiratsuka began explaining the answers to the test questions.
As the day went by, period after period, the news of Ichin and Kasumigaoka taking the top two spots in the grade spread like wildfire among the teachers of the sophomore year.
By the afternoon, even the freshmen were abuzz with the news, making Ichin, the transfer student, somewhat of a celebrity.
During a break in the afternoon, Ichin noticed quite a few first-year students passing by his classroom, peeking curiously inside.
Utaha also noticed and smiled at Ichin. "Looks like you've become quite famous, Mr. Top-Ranker."
"Was it really necessary to react this way over a single exam?" Ichin sighed. "I just wanted more free time for myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done this well. A rank in the top ten would've sufficed."
Utaha laughed softly, resting her chin on her hand. "You're sounding a bit like a humblebragger. To you, even a top-ten rank is something you can achieve effortlessly. If the hardworking students heard you, they'd definitely be upset."
"If that happens, I'll apologize," Ichin said, spreading his hands. "But I think they're just curious about me being a transfer student. Hopefully, everything will calm down in a couple of days. By the way, didn't you hold the top rank last year? Did you have this many people coming to stare at you?"
"Hmm..." Utaha thought for a moment. "Even when there were no exams, people would still come by. But after half a year, it got a lot better."
"Did they all get scared off by your sharp tongue?" Ichin teased.
Utaha narrowed her eyes at him. "Ichin-kun, are you implying that you'd like to experience it firsthand? I don't mind putting my verbal skills to the test."
"I think I'll pass. I'm not a masochist, so I'm not into that sort of thing."
While sharp-tongued and sadistic girls are entertaining in anime and games, Ichin wasn't interested in experiencing it in real life.
"Hmm..." Utaha scanned him curiously. "So, does that mean you prefer sweet and obedient girls?"
"Not really. I just don't like being the target of sharp remarks."
After a brief pause, Ichin grinned. "But it is pretty amusing to watch someone else being roasted by sharp-tongued comments."
"Ah, I see. So you enjoy finding your amusement in other people's misery. Quite the interesting hobby you have."
"Something about the way you're phrasing that feels off."
Inside the classroom, many of their classmates were observing Ichin and Utaha's conversation with gossip-filled eyes. It was well known that in the entire past year, Utaha had never held a conversation of more than three sentences with any boy.
Was Ichin about to change Utaha's sharp-tongued nature completely?
While the girls seemed quite intrigued by this, the boys felt a sense of despair. After all, they knew what would happen if they tried to join in themselves—getting roasted by Utaha wouldn't end well.
However, over the following days, Ichin and Utaha's interactions remained casual, with no signs of any further developments.
Others might not have known, but as their homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka was well aware of their busy schedules beyond studying. Utaha was preparing for the release of her new novel, while Ichin was deep into developing his game.
In the teacher's office, Hiratsuka glanced at the class roster, focusing on the photos of Ichin and Utaha. She couldn't help but sigh.
Having to deal with Utaha alone had been troublesome enough, and now there was also Ichin. And on top of that, they were both top students whose grades remained consistently excellent, making it impossible to scold them.
Just then, a female teacher from the neighboring seat slid her chair over and whispered, "Hiratsuka-sensei, we're having a mixer on Friday. Would you like to join? The guys attending are all quality men!"
"Hmm?" Hiratsuka perked up. "Where's the mixer being held?"
"In an izakaya in Shinjuku."
The mention of an izakaya, where she could enjoy some drinks, piqued Hiratsuka's interest immediately. Smiling, she agreed, "Sure, let's go together on Friday."
Her students were giving her enough headaches. It would be nice to unwind and have a drink for a change.
...
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