Because of Hayashi Maki's flirtatious texts, Aoyama Nanami unsurprisingly couldn't sleep.
The next day she headed out with dark circles under her eyes. Exhausted, she nodded off in class and had zero motivation to go to her part-time jobs.
Thinking about how she'd collapsed from overwork lately, Nanami decided she really needed to rest for a while.
Hayashi Maki was right—your body is your capital. If she got sick, never mind chasing dreams; the hospital bills and medicine alone would be expensive.
And the only way she could earn money was by taking on more shifts. If she kept pushing herself and ended up ill, it would all be counterproductive.
Thinking of Hayashi Maki, Nanami's cheeks warmed as she lay on her desk. She remembered that strange feeling when he kissed her. It had been an accident, but she really had lost her first kiss…
…
As for Hayashi Maki—he was already in his classroom, sitting at his desk.
First thing in the morning, Kirisu Mafuyu walked in to make an announcement.
"Class, there will be a test tomorrow. Anyone scoring below the class average will be deemed failing, so please take this seriously."
As she finished, Kirisu shot a pointed glare in Hayashi Maki's direction. That brat had been pestering her whenever he had free time—otherwise he was glued to other cute girls. If his grades slipped too far, she'd give him a proper teacher's "lesson," and not the fun kind!
Hayashi Maki just arched a brow, calm as ever. A test was no pressure for him. He was a quick study—a genuine top student. Besides, Shiina Mahiru and Yukinoshita Yukino at his side were both consistently in the top three of the year.
After Kirisu's announcement, the strong students were full of confidence. Those who'd been slacking wailed in despair—especially Yuigahama Yui with her pink "dumpling bun" and Tamaki Ako; both girls hunched their shoulders and clawed at their hair, faces full of worry.
Miura Yumiko laughed and couldn't help teasing. "Yui, do you really need to panic this much? I remember you passed last time, didn't you?"
You couldn't always tell, but Yumiko actually studied seriously in private, so her grades were in the upper middle tier. As the class's acknowledged "queen of normies," solid grades certainly boosted her appeal.
"Yumiko, I'm just not confident… I've either been working part-time for pocket money or playing around…" Yui said, on the verge of tears.
"Okay, okay, don't freak out. Even if you don't pass, we'll study properly and nail the retake. I'll do it with you," Mahiru said with a warm smile.
"Uuu, Mahiru, you're the best!" Yui clutched Mahiru's hand, eyes brimming.
Mahiru just shook her head and smiled. "Let's do our best together."
Ebina Hina listened, then shot an excited glance at Hayashi Maki, then at Hayama Hayato. She turned to her friends and murmured, "Forget reviewing—what if Hayashi-kun and Hayama-kun teamed up to study? Sparks would fly—mmph!"
Yumiko, quick as lightning, clapped a hand over Ebina's mouth, then gave a guilty glance toward Hayashi Maki. She knew his hearing was sharp; it wouldn't be good if he heard Hina pushing BL fantasies on him and got mad.
"Hina, you're still cute—when you're not talking. Please don't drag Maki-kun into this. He'll 'teach' you a lesson!"
Ebina nodded helplessly. The evangelism road was long and arduous…
Naturally Hayashi Maki heard Ebina's comment, but he didn't get angry. His phone buzzed with a notification; he checked it and grinned. It was a declaration from Miss Yukinoshita No. 2.
Yukinoshita Yukino: "First place on this test is mine."
Hayashi Maki: "Oh? Feeling that confident, Yukino-chan?"
Yukino: "Of course. I've been reviewing hard whenever I have time and worked through several sets of problems. You, on the other hand, have been busy being a philanderer and pestering Mahiru and the others, so you definitely haven't studied properly!"
Learning is like sailing upstream—if you don't advance, you retreat. In Yukino's view, she'd improve because of her effort, and Hayashi Maki would regress because of his "activities."
Miss Yukino was a little too confident—borderline cocky. Hayashi Maki chuckled and replied in kind.
Hayashi Maki: "Since Yukino-chan already knows I'm going to 'fall behind,' I'd better hurry and drag you into my cram sessions."
Yukino's shoulders visibly trembled; her cheeks warmed. "This jerk—by cram sessions, he just means doing bad things and derailing my studying!"
Yukino: "You're not allowed to come 'disturb' me. Otherwise… for the next month—no, week—you're not allowed to touch me!"
She had her pride. Even if she'd been out of school for a month, she'd never stopped working to catch up. Yukinoshita Yukino would reclaim the top spot fair and square and prove her excellence.
Hayashi Maki: "Alright, alright, I won't bother you. Honestly—threatening me with something so terrifying."
Never touching Yukino for a week? That was asking a lot.
Seeing his reply, Yukino's mouth curved in a tiny smile, warmth blooming inside.
She fired back:
Yukino: "Hmph. Know your place. And don't hold back—I want your full strength. I'm going to defeat you and Mahiru fair and square on this test."
Hayashi Maki: "Don't worry. I'm looking forward to tutoring you afterward. I won't hold anything back."
Yukino's intense competitiveness left Hayashi Maki half amused, half impressed. Still, it was fun.
Yukino: "It's a deal! If you sandbag it, I won't forgive you."
Hayashi Maki: "Heh. I can't wait to 'tutor' you."
Yukino: "Pah! Is that tutoring? Pervert-san."
Hayashi Maki: "Oh? You're calling me a pervert again? Just wait for tonight."
Yukino: "You are a pervert. A big pervert!"
Thinking of the things he'd made her wear—the maid outfits, alternating white and black stockings—Yukino's face flamed. The guy was the worst.