Three days before the exams, Takamine's daily life hadn't changed.
Morning classes, student council visits at lunch, afternoon classes, fake astronomy club activities, and games after school.
Ishigami came over regularly too, bringing the latest games to play together.
Both of them knew full well neither was studying.
"Ishigami, how many first-years are there again?"
"Exactly two hundred."
"I see… so to stay in the student council, I need to beat Fujiwara. At least not do worse than her."
Takamine calculated: to rank at least 96th in a group of 200.
"If I just score better than half the class, I should make it."
"…I want to encourage you, but Takamine, do you even know how competitive Shuchiin is? Scoring above average is actually pretty hard."
"No problem. I have a foolproof strategy."
"Oh?"
As he pressed buttons on his controller, Takamine smiled faintly.
"Lace the bentos of 104 students with laxatives."
"…I never expected you to come up with a good plan, but let's not go there."
Ishigami was already used to Takamine's nonsense and could now deadpan his retorts.
"You haven't studied at all these past few days. Every day after school, you're playing games with me."
"Yeah, I finally got used to this peaceful life. If I had to study every day, I might as well go back to the old place."
Ishigami didn't know where "the old place" was and didn't ask.
He figured Takamine's grades would end up about the same as his—maybe they'd even bond as fellow underachievers.
And so, exam day arrived.
---
Shuchiin Academy took academics seriously, holding five standardized mixed-subject exams each year.
After each one, results were posted on a public board inside the school.
The results came out quickly after the test.
A crowd gathered around the notice board—cheers from those who rose in rank, sighs from those who fell, and indifference from the rest.
Like Ishigami.
He saw his rank—198th—and just chuckled before scanning the board for Takamine's name.
Takamine stood nearby, nodded upon seeing his rank, and turned to leave.
"Wait a second—"
Before he could take more than two steps, Ishigami suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"What is it?"
"Rinji, have you ever heard of a certain kind of person?"
Ishigami's bangs were long, and when he lowered his head, no one could tell what kind of expression was hidden beneath that hair.
"What kind?"
"The kind of person who always plays with you and says, 'We're all not going to study,' but secretly crams behind your back."
"That kind of person is honestly just too much. Really underhanded." Takamine Rinji said seriously. "They're basically scum and deserve to be harshly condemned and criticized."
"So you think the same, huh."
"Of course I do."
"Then take a good look at your name in fifth place on the grade rankings and ask yourself if you're one of them." Ishigami pointed at the top of the long ranking list.
Takamine Rinji's name sat in fifth place. The number one spot belonged to Iino Miko, who had held it since the start of high school. And fifth—was him.
"...Obviously not."
"Really?"
"Of course. I play games with you every day. You know that."
"Then how do you explain your scores?"
"I owe it to my genius brain."
"…"
"Do I go around telling people I'm a genius? Would I proclaim to others that I'm actually a genius? Even if I knew I was a genius, would I brag about it everywhere?"
"You said 'genius' three times in one sentence."
"That's not weird. Think about it. I used to study in America, so it's only natural my English is good," said Takamine Rinji.
"That's… fair, I guess."
Ishigami recalled Takamine's status as an American-born Chinese. It made sense that his English would be strong.
"I'm also naturally good at the sciences—math and the integrated science subjects are basically full marks."
"Then what about Japanese, world history, and classical literature? Let's leave the first two aside—I distinctly remember you being bad at classical lit."
"Ah, now you're getting to the point."
Takamine Rinji smiled faintly.
"Japanese, world history, and classical literature are my weak spots. But… if I just skim a bit before bed, scoring a pass isn't hard."
"How long is a 'bit'?"
"Three days before the exam, I glanced at them. All together, less than four hours," he said. "You know I didn't attend class for a whole month. I basically self-studied—didn't even revise properly."
"…"
"Told you—I'm a genius."
Takamine spread his hands.
"If I actually tried studying, there's no way that 'School Police' girl would be in first place. It'd be me, Takamine Rinji!"
"I'm not gonna pretend I didn't hear that."
"Hm?"
Takamine turned his head and found Iino Miko walking past with Osaragi Kobachi close behind her.
Miko looked at him, her gaze unusually serious. "If you want to reach first place, you can't do it with a half-hearted attitude."
"Hah?"
"I won't give up the top spot that easily."
After saying those imposing words, the petite Miko—barely reaching his shoulder—strode right past him.
Osaragi quietly added, "Please don't take it personally. For Miko, maintaining the top rank is vital for her authority. So anyone aiming for it is seen as a rival."
"Not gonna be easy, huh."
"Indeed. I hope you understand."
As he watched the two girls leave, Takamine Rinji clapped his hands and said, "Looks like it's time I put in a little effort and increased my authority at this school."
Ishigami: "Oh? You're finally going to study?"
Takamine: "No. I've decided today. I'll start tomorrow."
Ishigami: "...I don't think you'll start at all this semester."