Reiji was humming a tune as he wrapped his shoulder again, his upbeat mood unaffected by the still-painful cut that was healing slowly.
'It's results day!'
The ranking of the Top 50 was probably already posted on the bulletin board, and they'd also get back their test papers after that.
He was confident in himself, but he was looking forward to Haruna's result instead, to see if his extra efforts were worth it.
'I don't really want to lick my foot after all!'
After putting on the freshly washed uniform on his bed, Reiji made a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee for himself.
Yesterday's bombardment of questions from his friends was tiring, though he'd managed to 'fend' them off somewhat by distracting them with delicious food.
But it still felt good to get some of that weight off his shoulders and not have to pretend he was perfectly fine anymore, not to mention the warmth he felt from their worry.
However, his previously good mood soured a little bit when he remembered that he might even be called over by the syndicate again now that the midterms were over, even though he'd been adamant about not doing anything else for them until he got an explanation.
'Well, that's a problem for later.'
Reiji rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher after he was done, swinging his bag over his shoulder to leave for school.
On the way, he got more and more excited as he got closer, with a myriad of thoughts going through his head.
Would his interference lead to the same result as when Hina helped her out?
What would he do if she really didn't end up making the Top 10?
But if she did well, as he suspected, would she be able to maintain that momentum?
'Ugh..... I'm overthinking this. Let's take it one step at a time,' he sighed internally as he stepped into the school grounds.
There was a weight of gloom, despair, and anticipation in the air, with each student around him wearing different expressions.
Some were downright terrified, some looked eager, but most of them were forcing indifferent faces as if they didn't care about the results.
But Souhei High was a school that prided itself on its academics, even though extracurriculars were just as important, so the students knew that doing well here was important for them.
Especially for the upper-years.
Reiji blended into the crowd seamlessly, a little surprised at the fact that there weren't as many people avoiding him like the plague.
'Then again, nobody's even looking around with how distracted they are.'
He turned to the first-year's row of classes with a deep breath and saw a sea of people already crowding around the bulletin board, a cacophony of chatter deafening the surroundings into chaos.
He heard a mix of surprised gasps, angry shouts, and disappointed sighs.
There were very few people with happy smiles, making them less than a minority.
Reiji walked over calmly, but his inner state was anything but.
Because there were so many students, he couldn't see the board clearly, with many of them using their fingers to follow the list without losing track.
His eyes wandered over them, trying to find any familiar faces, but he realized that he was the first one here.
The rest of the gang were nowhere to be seen, and he considered waiting for them so that they could check the results together.
But he decided against it, purely because he didn't want to live in the suspense any longer.
So he tried to push through, lifting his right arm in the air, hoping that it wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.
But the people ahead of him didn't budge, and some looked back with irritation.
And then they saw who exactly was trying to go past them.
"Shit, it's Yagami!" one of them yelled out, moving out of the way as fast as he could.
His voice was loud enough to be heard despite the clashing voices, and many of them turned to look at him.
Their initially excited or nervous faces turned fearful as they instantly made way, a clean pathway forming towards the board.
'.....Am I Moses?'
He felt a hint of exasperation, but was mostly amused.
At the very least, it was useful for now, and he stepped up to the ranking list with no one obstructing him anymore.
Hushed whispers were being exchanged, and though they were still mostly scared, there was a hint of something else which he didn't notice due to his focus.
Reiji saw the names of the Top 50 students, which were spaced out for an easier read, and started right from the top.
As he read the rankings, his eyes narrowed with confusion and disbelief.
'....What the fuck???'
***
(Haruna POV)
"Do you need something to eat?"
"....No."
"You have all your things packed, right?"
"....Yes."
"Look at you, you haven't even tucked your shirt in!"
"....Oh."
The door opened, and two figures stepped out with different demeanors.
"Good luck, sweetie!" Granny waved, an encouraging look on her wrinkled face.
Though she looked like she wanted to say something else, she held it in and simply smiled.
Haruna, in contrast, was completely pale.
Her forehead was sweaty even though today was relatively cool, with the sun obstructed by the thick clouds.
She mumbled back an incoherent reply and stumbled out of the apartment, her steps a little unsteady.
'.....Oh god, I'm freaking out! How am I more nervous now than when I was in front of a Yakuza Boss?'
Her hands were gripping onto her backpack's straps, rushing towards school at a faster pace than ever before.
She was both anxious and excited.
Scared and eager.
Gloomy and hopeful.
A range of emotions she didn't know how to process.
This was the culmination of her hard work, the result of the combined efforts of her and Reiji.
And she didn't want to fail.
Most importantly, she didn't want to let him down.
Not after all of this.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
A loud, furious shout snapped her out of the rollercoaster of thoughts, and she hastily stepped back from the busy road, where the traffic lights hadn't turned red yet.
'What the hell is wrong with me??'
She slapped her cheeks with both hands, causing her fair skin to turn red from the impact.
With a firm face, she utilized the Box Breathing method Reiji had taught her before, managing to calm down her nerves somewhat as she continued onwards.
Hina was standing at the same intersection as before, waiting for her with a comparatively tranquil look.
"Haruna-chan, good morning!" she greeted.
"....Yes."
"Huh?"
"Ah? Hina-tan, when did you get here?" Haruna blinked with confusion.
Hina frowned and placed her hand on her friend's forehead.
"Are you sick? What's wrong with you?"
"N-Nothing, I'm just worried about the results!"
"I'm sure you did well!" Hina laughed. "And it's just the midterms, no need to freak out like it's the graduation exams."
'....No, this is probably even more important,' Haruna thought grimly.
But she didn't know about her personal situation, so Haruna's discomfort must've looked a little strange.
"Y-Yeah," she brushed it off, and they both headed to school together.
This time, the journey was mostly silent, with only a few regular exchanges here and there.
And when they reached the school gates, Haruna's heart started thumping again, so loud that she swore she could hear it.
The other students had similarly disgruntled expressions, and they joined in quietly.
The first-year area was somewhat quiet, which was strange because they could hear the shouts from the upper years even though they were on separate floors.
But when they turned the corner, they knew why.
Reiji was in front of the bulletin board alone, surrounded by the students with a sizeable distance between them, almost like they were there to watch him read the rankings instead of checking for their own results.
"Pfft, he looks so goofy," Haruna chuckled, her tension lightening at the strange sight.
She took a deep breath and made her way through, having an easy time since no one tried to stop them.
Soon, she stood behind Reiji and tapped his shoulder, making him turn around.
"Reiji-tan, good morning," she said softly.
Reiji nodded, but didn't respond, his eyes darting around instead.
Haruna's face fell.
"Wh-What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly.
"Um....."
Her heart sank, and it seemed like her deepest fear, one that she had been forcibly trying to suppress, resurfaced with full force as she suddenly felt dizzy.
'.....Did I not make it?'
She bit her lips and looked at Reiji again, her hope shattering piece by piece when she saw his downcast face.
Reiji stepped aside, giving her access to the list tacked on the bulletin board.
Haruna clenched her fists and started reading it from the top.
***
~ Souhei High School 1st Year Midterm Examinations ~
~ Top 50 ~
1. Yagami Reiji
2. Sakuraba Hina
3. Ogura Nanami
4. Yuzuki Haruna
***
"....Huh?"
Haruna froze.
Her brain crashed.
Her hands trembled.
And she turned around with wide, slightly wet eyes that held equal parts confusion and joy.
Reiji stood there with his arms crossed and a stupidly happy grin on his face.
"Congratulations, Ms. Genius! You made the Top 5!"