Daiki woke up to Jin shaking his shoulder like a annoyed parent.
"Wake up. Urgent message from Headmaster," Jin muttered, tossing a paper right onto Daiki's chest.
Daiki blinked up at him. "...What time is it?"
"Too early." Jin walked back to his bed and fell face-first into his pillow.
Daiki rubbed his eyes and grabbed the paper.
ALL STUDENTS OF THE FIRST YEAR DIVISION: REPORT TO THE AUDITORIUM AT 8:00 FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING YEARLY PERFORMANCE RANKINGS. — Headmaster Arata.
Daiki blinked once.
Then twice.
"...Rankings?" he whispered.
Jin didn't lift his head. "They grade you and the rest of the first-years individually off of performance, control, and potential. You're probably dead last."
"Why?"
"Because you're you."
"Asshole," Daiki muttered under his breath.
He showered, got dressed, grabbed his bag, and headed out to the auditorium like a ghost.
The campus felt far too alive for how early it was. There were other students spilling out of the dormitory, murmuring nervously, whispering rumors.
It got even louder the moment Daiki had reached the auditorium.
Every class in the First-Year Division filed into the large auditorium in neatly separated rows:
• Class 1-A up front, sharp and confident.
• Class 1-B beside them, competitive and equally confident.
• Class 1-C further back, nonchalant and tired.
• Class 1-F... all the way in the back. The row of outcasts.
Daiki immediately spotted Ren aggressively waving him over. Yui was there with him too. He hurried to go sit with them.
"What the hell is even happening?"
Ren shrugged. "No clue."
"Same," Yui added. "I've never heard anything about rankings..."
Before anyone could say more, the lights dimmed.
A single spotlight illuminated the stage as Headmaster Arata stepped up to the podium. He opened his mouth to speak, his voice effortlessly carrying across the entire hall.
"Welcome, first-years students. As some of you may have hard..."
He paused for a second, letting the tension settle for an uncomfortable amount of time.
"...the Shinyo Institute conducts annual performance-based rankings for every student."
The room erupted into whispers.
"This is the first time you've mentioned rankings!" someone from 1-C shouted.
"Yes. That is intentional," Arata replied calmly. "We do not reveal this system prior to your arrival because your natural behavior, real effort, and your true potential must be observed without bias or pressure."
The room went silent.
Arata continued:
"These rankings are determined by in-class performance, practicality, control over your abilities, discipline, teamwork, and—most importantly—your performance on supervised field tests and expeditions. This includes trip to the Hollow District, the Mushin City investigation you all participated in, and any combat evaluations you've undergone since enrollment."
More whispers came after that.
Arata quickly raised a hand, cutting through the chatter like a blade.
"Understand this: these rankings are far from permanent. They will shift throughout the year as you grow. They are meant to drive you to improve, not discourage effort."
Daiki swallowed.
Ren was leaning forward with a smile on his face.
Yui's hands clenched nervously on her skirt.
"Additionally," Arata said, "we are formally announcing the beginning of this year's Inter-Division Exchange Event[1]."
The room exploded with whispers and gasps filled with excitement, dread, or a strange mix of both.
Arata continued smoothly:
"This exchange event is a competition that pits every Student of the First-Year Division against the Second-Year Division in a series of competitions, games, and drills. You will all be given the opportunity to showcase your abilities and to rise—or fall—within the ranking system."
Daiki blinked, "Competitions?"
Ren's grin stretched ear to ear. "Oh yeah!"
Yui shifted uneasily. W-We're going against upperclassmen....?"
Arata pressed onward.
"This exchange hopes to build school unity, test your growth, and prepare you for future field work you will take during the year. This is only the beginning of what it means to stand among the Shinyo Institute."
The lights behind him brightened, and a massive screen flickered.
A heading appeared:
FIRST-YEAR DIVISION RANKINGS
A series of murmurs slithered through the hall.
Arata continued:
"We will begin by honoring the highest performers. These individuals have stood above the rest of you so far."
The screen shifted again.
TOP THREE — FIRST-YEAR DIVISON
1st — Mei Kanazaki, Class 1-A
A portrait appeared:
Short dark brown hair.
Cold, sharp black eyes.
Posture as tall as a mountain.
Yui let out a small but noticeable sigh.
Daiki leaned in. "You know her or something?"
"She was my partner yesterday," Yui whispered. "...The one that didn't like me."
Daiki winced. "...Oh."
2nd — Riku Shinohara, Class 1-A
A good-looking boy with white hair tied into a short ponytail lit up the screen.
A shiteating grin was on his face.
Honestly, everything about him screamed he was a pain to be around.
Whispers broke out in a flash:
"That's the Shinohara heir..."
"How is he not first...?"
"He's definitely going to be an elite Exorcist..."
Daiki was clearly intimidated. "So... Class 1-A are just... bosses?"
Ren nodded slowly. "Yup, we're in the wrong anime."
3rd.....
Jimmu Ayanami.
Class 1-A.
A silence that heavily contrasted the whispers and murmurs from the previous two rankings slammed across the auditorium.
Jimmu's picture was a photo of his face, as blank as ever, as if someone had just woken him up.
Daiki froze.
Ren was just as shocked.
"Psycho's ranked third...?!"
Daiki's eye twitched. "He has the attention span of a baby."
Yui scratched her head. "They could've taken a better picture..."
Daiki squinted hard, trying to find Jimmu through all the heads in the auditorium.
He had to see the look on his face.
Down in Class 1-A's section, Jimmu blinked once.
Then twice....
Then simply looked away as if he was thinking:
....Why am I on the screen....? I want to go home.
The reveal of the Top Three settled over the room like a brick.
After that, the board continued scrolling downward. Students rank four all the way down to ninety.
But the gap between the elite and the bottom was clear.
Class 1-A dominated the Top 10.
Class 1-B sprinkled in across the Top 15 to 30.
Class 1-C filled the middle.
And Class 1-F?
Mostly hovered near the bottom.
Daiki winced at how long it took for the first 1-F name to appear.
And of all people, it was Yui.
75 — Yui Tsukiko, Class 1-F
Yui immediately flinched at her own ranking, clearly a bit shocked. Her eyes darted around as if she expected someone to comment on it.
Daiki didn't.
He just sent her a small nod.
She caught it, and calmed down a tiny bit.
A few ranks later, another familiar name slid into view:
80 — Ren Takagi, Class 1-F.
Ren blinked, then let out a painful laugh. "Eighty? Seriously? I thought I'd at least crack the sixties...!"
Daiki smirked despite the growing dread growing in his stomach. "...It could be worse."
Ren elbowed him lightly. "Yeah, yeah. At least I'm not completely bottom-tier."
That comment aged quickly.
Until finally:
87 — Daiki Fushino, Class 1-F
Ren froze. "...Oh."
Daiki stared at the number, not knowing whether he should be pissed, sad, or not care at all.
"Eighty-seven. Out of ninety. That's.... harsh."
Yui spoke up, worry tightening her voice. "Daiki... rankings don't measure everything. You're stronger than that."
He tried to give her a grateful smile, but failed.
His pride stung more then he wanted to admit.
Ren crossed his arms, jaw set.
"Whatever. Numbers and shit don't matter. When that Exchange Event starts, we'll prove 'em wrong."
Daiki looked back at the rankings.
Yui at 75.
Ren at 80.
Himself at 87.
Most of Class 1-F was clustered near the bottom along some Class 1-C names.
Underdogs.
They had to live with that.
For now.
[1] Also called the Inter-Exchange Evenr for short.