After self-study period ended, it was time for the exam.
For Hayashi Maki, tests were a breeze. He finished quickly and put his head down to nap.
Thirty minutes later, he felt a burning stare. Looking up, he saw Tamaki Ako winking hard at him—obvious meaning: she wanted him to send her the answers.
He couldn't help but laugh. This girl really did love shortcuts. Not entirely her fault—her online dependency had bled into real life, so it made sense she struggled to catch back up in schoolwork.
Hayashi Maki used telepathy to feed her enough answers to land a passing grade. With the questions she tackled on her own, passing was in the bag.
Miura Yumiko worked seriously as always; she typically scored upper-middle, no issue passing. Nibutani Shinka was under zero pressure—if not for Hayashi Maki and Shiina Mahiru being monsters, she'd be top of the year. Plenty of outstanding girls made #1 tough to claim.
Compared to the relaxed Shinka, Yumiko, and Mahiru, Yui Yuigahama was scratching her head in panic. Still, Yui's luck was always decent—push a bit and she'd scrape a pass.
Gabriel was fine too. Lazy or not—games after class, manga during—Vignette would still drag her to cram, and Hayashi Maki and Mahiru joined in, so good scores were doable. As for Satania, she wrote with full confidence—but only the graders knew how that'd turn out.
Morning flew by. When the bell rang, classmates clustered to compare answers. Hayashi Maki had no interest; once an exam's done, rehashing only distracts from the next one.
At lunch, "radiant" Gabriel drew a crowd again. She'd reverted to her opening-week persona—helpful angel—and even out-shone Mahiru's usual glow. Mahiru, with Hayashi Maki as family and anchor, had quietly shifted her lifestyle: no longer everyone's angel, just Hayashi Maki's girlfriend—sticking mostly with Shinka, Yumiko, and Yui.
Gabriel, maintaining her image for inspection, had to act helpful—and ran around all period. Satania, seeing that, started bossing her around; naturally Gabriel used the errands to sneak in a little payback. Satania had never actually beaten her.
At noon Hayashi Maki went to the library. The braided, bespectacled beauty Sanshokuin Sumireko was at the desk reading, as always. Hayashi Maki thick-skinned a chair beside her and read along. She was rereading the same book as ever—Kokoro: a first-person battle between selfish desire and moral duty.
"Been reading Kokoro over and over—trying to see through the human heart?" he asked.
Sumireko rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't dare claim that. I just find the conflicts fascinating. People are unpredictable—we can't change others' hearts. Sometimes changing our own brings a little peace."
Hayashi Maki sighed. "So you're still afraid of him? Afraid he'll track you down, so you keep yourself invisible to avoid him?"
Sumireko shook her head. "Don't make me sound timid. Maybe before. Not now."
"Oh? Why?" he asked, amused.
She gave him a dazzling smile. "Because you're here. Hayashi Maki—would you just watch while someone bullied me?"
"Of course not. Only I get to touch you—only I get to tease you. Anyone else tries? I'll erase them first," he declared, slipping an arm around her waist.
Sumireko leaned into him, lips quirking. "You're easy to read."
Her gaze dropped to the restless hand on her thigh.
"So in your eyes, what am I?" he asked, calmly stroking her leg.
"Obviously a lech—shameless and incorrigible. And childish," she sniffed.
"Heh. Men are boys to the end. I'm 'childish' because I relax around you. Or would you prefer I keep a stern face and bully you seriously?"
"Ugh, no… gentle is better," she muttered, pressing his hand still. "Enough teasing. How was the exam? Two more this afternoon."
Hayashi Maki slid his hand to her lower belly and hugged her from behind, inhaling her scent. "I'm fine—if not first, then near it. You?"
She trembled, then relaxed. "Humanities are my strength. I'm a literature girl, remember? But you—not calling yourself #1 this time? Feeling pressure?"
He grinned. "Not pressure—realism. Even if math is perfect and memorization's solid, I can't guarantee a full-score essay. Besides, my Yukino-chan has been grinding nonstop to reclaim #1. I trust her."
"'Your Yukino-chan,' huh? So very fickle," Sumireko pouted, sourness creeping in despite already knowing about him and Yukinoshita.
Hayashi Maki bent to kiss her. "I have to be. Otherwise how would I bring you home?"
~~~
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