The first few months at Hamikawa High blurred together in a whirlwind of new faces, clubs, and unexpected moments. By the time summer heat settled in and uniforms shifted to lighter fabrics, a quiet tension had taken root across campus—final exams were coming.
When Eadlyn arrived in Class 1A that morning, Ken greeted him with a groan.
"Dude… the exam timetable is out. My soul left my body."
Rin, seated with perfect posture, adjusted her glasses. "If you had listened in math class, your soul would still be here."
Manami stifled a laugh. "Rin-chan, be nice."
Eadlyn glanced at the schedule. "So… the nightmare begins."
Everyone had their weaknesses.
Ken struggled with math and science.
Rin was flawless in every subject except math.
Manami dreaded English.
And Eadlyn—though sharp—still lagged in Japanese and History.
"Study café today?" Ken suggested.
"Agreed," Rin replied before anyone else. "We need a plan."
After school, the four settled into a booth at a quiet café, stacks of textbooks spreading across the table. A warm chandelier glowed above them, the soft clinking of cups filling the room.
Eadlyn took a deep breath. "Alright. Who dies first?"
"You," Manami answered immediately, pushing her history notes toward him.
Rin leaned forward, her gaze sharp but not unkind. "You're improving, but you still confuse the Ashikaga and Kamakura periods."
Manami added gently, "And your kanji writing… let's just say it has personality."
Eadlyn groaned. "Yeah, yeah. Roast me later."
They all laughed before diving into their subjects.
Rin took charge of History. Her tone was strict but thoughtful as she broke down timelines with sharp precision. Yet whenever she explained something directly to Eadlyn, her voice softened, almost unconsciously. He noticed—but pretended not to.
Manami handled Japanese grammar, her explanations patient and clear. She leaned close, tapping sentences with her pen, her hair lightly brushing his shoulder. For some reason, she didn't keep the cautious distance she usually maintained with other guys. There was comfort in her presence, something warm but quietly guarded.
Between them, Eadlyn found himself being pulled in two different directions: Rin's stern intensity and Manami's gentle ease.
Ken, meanwhile, wrestled with math formulas like they were eldritch beings. "Why do letters exist in math? Why?!"
Rin pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because that's algebra."
"Al-ge-bra is evil," Ken declared.
The group burst into laughter again.
Enter the Queen of the School
Just as the atmosphere softened, someone stepped inside the café.
Sayaka.
Immediately, the energy shifted.
Her eyes fell on the group, then on Eadlyn—Rin leaning close, Manami practically shoulder-to-shoulder with him. Something flickered behind her composed gaze.
Jealousy isn't loud. It's a quiet tightening of the eyes, the subtle stiffening of posture. Sayaka hid it well, but not perfectly.
Eadlyn straightened. "Ah—Sayaka. We're studying. Wanna join?"
She approached, her smile polite but strained. "If you don't mind."
Rin and Manami instantly slid to normal distance, their hidden rivalry dissolving under Sayaka's calm authority. With her present, the teasing vanished and the group turned serious.
Sayaka opened her notes. "Let's start from where you left off."
Under her composed presence, they genuinely focused. Eadlyn felt his mind clear; with three different teaching styles, he finally grasped the topics he'd struggled with.
By the end, everyone had lists of what to revise.
Farewell—And New Tension
As they left, Sayaka paused beside Eadlyn.
"You did well today. Keep it up."
Her tone was neutral—but her eyes lingered too long for it to be casual.
Rin watched from behind.
Manami too.
Each processing the shift in silence.
The exam countdown had begun…
and so had the first quiet stirrings of emotional turbulence.