Chapter 14 - Midterm Tests!
(1)
7:25 AM
The smartphone alarm blares.
I stop it and sluggishly pull myself up.
Five more minutes. I have to hurry and change!
Five minutes later
"Good morning, Toya-kun... huh?"
Airi looked surprised to see me already dressed and standing.
"So you can wake up if you actually want to."
"I'm not looking forward to getting hit with a frying pan or an elbow to the solar plexus."
"Then, shall I give you a good morning chu?"
"...Let's just go downstairs."
Airi nodded and left the room.
I also grabbed my things and left the room.
She stared intently at me while I ate breakfast.
"What is it?"
"No, it's just that your vibe is different, starting with how you woke up this morning."
"You think so?"
"Could it be... are you nervous about today's tests?"
"No way! It's the usual."
"As long as that's the case, but remember, keep a calm mind during tests!"
"I'll be fine."
"He'll be fine. Toya just wings it and manages to get decent scores."
Mother cut in.
"Mind your own business."
Besides, who actually gets nervous for midterm tests?
Usually, everyone agrees in unison, thinking up excuses first, like "Ugh, I didn't study!" or "I spent all my time gaming!"
It's always those types of people who actually studied, though.
As long as you listen in class, you generally know the range of what's likely to appear, and teachers often tell you.
In short, as long as you listen in class, you can make an educated guess.
Conversely, Kanna, who sleeps during class... is worrying.
As I was finishing my preparations, the doorbell rang.
"Ah, it's Kanna."
I went to the entrance faster than Mother.
"Morning..."
"You seem lacking in energy."
"No, I'm just nervous, so I was staring at my vocabulary book until morning."
She's overdoing it.
"Kanna-chan, are you okay? Your complexion is pale."
Mother was worried.
"I'm fine. I'm used to all-nighters."
Though she sleeps at school.
"Well, as long as you're okay..."
"Well then, I'm off."
When Kanna said that, the two of them left the house together.
As I tried to leave last—
"Please take care of Kanna-chan."
I wonder what she's worried about.
"Kanna, it's dangerous to look at a vocabulary book while walking."
"Ah, right."
Kanna hurriedly put away her vocabulary book.
"There's no need to be that nervous. Just do as you normally do."
"But you two helped me out so much, it'd be bad if I didn't improve at least a little, right? I've decided to go to high school..."
"If you're this nervous now, you'll make mistakes during the actual thing."
"I-I guess so."
Kanna took a deep breath.
I wonder if she calmed down a bit.
I felt like her pace became lighter.
(2)
When we arrived at school, as expected, Kanna was asleep.
I wonder where all that nervousness went.
On the contrary, this is more reassuring.
But I can't say that.
"Kanna, wake up! The test is starting."
"O-oh. Thanks."
Then, the handouts were distributed.
Along with the sound of the chime, the test began.
Midterm tests cover five subjects over two days.
They are usually held on the weekend, and the results are announced the following week.
Our middle school had a system where rankings were posted for each grade.
I wonder who thought up such a redundant thing.
The time limit for each subject is 50 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break, and then the next subject begins.
To explain simply, it's the same timing as a normal class.
There are 50 minutes, but I usually finish in about 30 to 40 minutes.
From there, people check for careless mistakes, but I don't because it's a waste of time.
It's possible to convince yourself you were wrong, rewrite it, and then check later only to find the first one was correct after all.
There's no point in thinking too much about things that have already passed.
And so, I sleep.
Kanna also finished quickly and was sleeping with her face slumped on the desk.
The moment the chime rang, some people let out sighs or breaths of relief.
The handouts were collected, and that test ended.
From there, conversations like "How was that part?" or "Damn! So that's what it meant!?" could be heard.
I tried talking to Kanna in the next seat.
"Kanna, how was it?"
Kanna, who had been sleeping, looked over and grinned.
"Yeah! I could solve about half of it!"
Kanna spoke proudly.
...Well, considering how the last one went.
"That's good. Keep it up."
The tests had only just begun.
I didn't want to do anything that would dampen her motivation.
"Yeah!"
Having said that, Kanna slept again...
Well, I can just wake her up when the chime rings, right?
When a test ends, people take one of three actions.
Those who self-grade the test, those who check for the next test, and those who relax without doing anything.
The three of us seem to be the relaxing type.
Looking behind me, Airi was reading a novel as if nothing had happened.
Where does that kind of composure come from...
The teacher in charge of the next subject entered.
I took my seat and tried to wake Kanna.
But Kanna was already awake.
She probably noticed the commotion around her.
The first day of tests ended.
The test period finishes in the morning.
Most people prepare for tomorrow's tests, but some take the opportunity to go out and play.
We were the former.
As usual, we gathered at my house for a study session.
"Airi, about that problem..."
"Here, this one."
We were allowed to take the question sheets home.
The question sheets Airi brought home had the answers clearly written in.
"Geh! It was that kind of trick?"
Watching them, Kanna's expression changed busily between joy and disappointment.
In contrast, Airi had a somewhat vacant expression.
"I'm not confident, though."
These were not the words of Airi, who had scored 500 points on the previous academic achievement test.
Day two.
Kanna was not as nervous as she was on the first day.
She must have gotten used to it.
As usual, I was chatting with Airi.
And then, the tests ended.
"Finally finished!!"
Kanna said, stretching her arms.
"Good work, Kanna."
Having finished packing up, Airi came over.
"Shall we take a break from studying today and go play?"
"Boo. Save that for tomorrow or the day after. We have to have a review session today. Right, Toya-kun?"
Usually, it was just the two of us, but today it would be three including Kanna.
"I don't want to look at problems for a while..."
Kanna's shoulders slumped.
And so, the three of us compared the test questions with textbooks and such at home.
That's when I noticed.
Airi was making careless mistakes here and there.
Did something happen?
As for me, well, I was the usual.
Kanna apparently got half of them right.
Though that's not precise.
(3)
The following Monday.
The rankings were posted.
Everyone was in an uproar at the results.
I wonder what happened?
"I did it!!"
Kanna, who had raised her rank significantly, was frolicking.
"I'm glad! Kanna. Your studying paid off."
"Yeah, Airi, Toya, thanks a lot."
Honestly, it wasn't a result that deserved that much praise, but the effect of studying was certainly there.
I also breathed a sigh of relief.
My grades were upper-middle, as usual.
However...
"I wonder if you have the luxury of being happy about someone else's results."
Everyone looked at the owner of that voice, Saeki Yuka.
A black bob cut and sharp eyes.
Those eyes were looking at Airi.
Airi didn't answer.
That's right, Airi's grades had consistently kept 1st place since entering middle school, but...
"Are you trying to say you held back this time?"
"No, I'm always giving it my all."
"Didn't you drop your grades because you were taking care of others? Is this the time to be happy?"
"Is it wrong to be happy when a friend's grades go up?"
"I wonder how long you can keep saying that."
"I can say it anytime."
The tone was bright, but a tense atmosphere drifted between them.
Saeki Yuka's rank was 1st.
And 2nd was...
"Katagiri-kun... was it? Do you have a moment after school?"
The one who spoke to me was the 2nd place, Nakama Shuji.