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A few days had passed since Misaki's declaration, and right now, all of them were headed to the hallway, to check the results that were posted there.
"First Place First Place First Place! If not that, then at least let me beat Naoya," prayed Misaki.
"...You are such a good friend, Misaki-chan," said Naoya in a deadpan tone.
"Let me be in the middle. Let me be in the middle," prayed Miyamura.
"...Aim higher, Izumi."
"What about you? Are you not worried?" asked Misaki.
"I am, but what difference would it make now. I did my best, so now I can just wait for results," said Naoya in a sagely tone.
"...You're scared, right?" asked Misaki.
"Very much. If I miss first place, I fear I won't be able to sit properly for a few days," replied Naoya.
"Why does it feel like the punishment level gets higher every time I ask about it?"
"I asked the same thing of my father. I got a smack as a result," said Naoya.
"...I hope you come first, Naoya-kun. Misaki should be second now," said Miyamura and patted Naoya's back.
"Huh?! You are taking his side!! Remember this, Miyamura, if I lose to Naoya now, it will be your fault," said Misaki.
"How is it my fault that you are stupider than Naoya-kun?" said Miyamura and immediately hid behind Naoya after seeing Misaki's glare.
"Good one, Izumi. I'm so proud of you," said Naoya and patted Miyamura's head.
"Hehe. Naoya-kun praised me," chuckled Miyamura with a smile.
The three reached the bulletin board and immediately noticed the massive crowd surrounding it.
"So many people. Mr. Tall, time to put your height to good use," said Misaki and patted Naoya.
Naoya made his way through the crowd and, thanks to his height, was able to see the list clearly.
'Phew, Rank 1 achieved,' mentally thought Naoya.
Ding~
>Secure a top 3 rank in your first exam (+1 point) [Collect]
>Secure 1st rank in your first exam (+1 point)[Collect]
There came the achievement notification. This was another reason he wanted to rank high. The system rewarded almost every milestone, and Naoya wasn't the type to miss out on points.
He quickly scanned the rest of the list and walked back to his friends.
"Izumi 23rd rank. Misaki-chan 2nd rank," said Naoya with a smile.
"...Then that means..." muttered Misaki in despair.
"Bow down to the king! Rank 1, Naoya Zenin!" declared Naoya dramatically.
"Agh! I lost! Miyamura, it's your fault!" complained Misaki.
"No, it isn't! Don't blame me!" shouted Miyamura and immediately jumped behind Naoya, using him as a shield.
"Bleh!" said Miyamura and stuck his tongue out.
"That's it! I will have that tongue of yours!!" said Misaki and launched at Miyamura.
"Now, now, no fighting!" mediated Naoya as he held Misaki back and walked away with her.
"Let go of me! I will teach Miyamura a lesson," said a struggling Misaki.
"Don't do that, he will break. C'mon, leave it. After school, I will treat you both to something on the occasion of my ranking 1st," said Naoya while pulling Misaki away.
"Ugh! I will do it! We made a bet after all," said Misaki bitterly.
"You owe me an ice cream. I will have that after I treat you guys. Don't worry, I will have it from you. After all, I never say no to free food.....unless it is poisoned or tastes bad," added Naoya.
"Hmph, okay," replied Misaki as she finally stopped struggling.
"Good. You are such a good girl, Misaki-chan," said Naoya as he patted her head.
"Hmph!" Misaki pouted, but didn't stop him from petting her. Getting praised always felt nice after all.
"Really? I want yakisoba, then," said Miyamura, finally joining the conversation now that the storm had passed.
"Why do you get to decide…? Hmm. Yakisoba does sound good," said Misaki after thinking it over.
"Yakisoba it is then."
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After School, the three of them gathered together once again and started heading out.
"There you are!!!"
Hearing a familiar yelling voice, Naoya stopped and turned around, only to find Satoru standing there with his arms crossed.
"Satoru? What are you doing here?"
"I went to your home to call you to play. Your father told me that you started going to school. What's going on?" asked Satoru with a confused look on his face. He didn't understand why someone from a prestigious clan like Zenin would bother attending a normal school.
"Noaya-kun?" asked Miyamura.
"Is that your friend?" asked Misaki.
Satoru looked at the two kids and blinked in surprise.
"Homewreckers!" hissed Satoru and immediately grabbed Naoya.
"Mine!" declared Satoru and looked at the two kids warily.
The two looked at the white haired and blue-eyed boy with a confused look on their faces.
"Naoya, are you cheating on me and making new friends?" asked Satoru.
"Yes," replied Naoya flatly.
"Agh! It was super effective!" said Gojo and clutched his chest.
"Done with your drama? Let's go, then we are going to eat Yakisoba. My treat," said Naoya.
"Okay! Let's go!" replied Satoru.
Seeing the sudden change in attitude, Misaki and Miyamura blinked in surprise.
'This kid is weird...' were the thoughts of the two of them.
"Misaki-chan, Izumi. This is my friend Satoru Gojo. He's a few loose screws, so he might come as a bit weird," said Naoya.
"Satoru Gojo, the loose screwed friend of Naoya's. He is mine first. Keep that in mind," Satoru possessively, hugging Naoya tightly.
'Yup, definitely weird...' thought the two of them and introduced themselves as well.
After Satoru joined them, the four of them headed to the Yakisoba place that Miyamura recommended.
While they were eating, Gojo moved a bit closer to Naoya and asked, "So why are you going to civilian school?"
"To get out of my house as much as possible. It's very boring in there. I thought I would die if all I did was training," whispered Naoya.
"Hmm...if that's the case, then I can understand. Your place is very lifeless. How did you convince your clan, though?"
"Long story, complicated deals. Just glad that they agreed," replied Naoya.
"Hmm....should I join you too....forget it, mt clan won't agree, plus my free time would reduce if I go to school," muttered Gojo.
"How free are you? Does your family not train you?"
"What will they teach me? I learned what they could teach already," replied Gojo.
"..."
Naoya immediately felt envious of his friend's talent. Just how much of a gap was between them?
Unaware of the jealousy, Satoru simply ate and ordered a few more plates since it was Naoya's treat.
Naoya looked at his friend, who was burning through his allowance with a happy smile on his face.
'Sigh, I will take revenge the next time I go out with him.'
After they were done with Yakisoba, Misaki bought an ice cream for Naoya, just like they promised. After that, all of them headed back to their homes.
"So should I now come on weekends?" asked Satoru.
"Yes, I will be slightly less busy those days. Though, come in the afternoon. I have to train in the morning since most of the time is spent in school now," said Naoya.
"Got it. I will see you this weekend. Bye"
"Bye"
The two kids waved at each other, and Satoru soon joined the Gojo clan's bodyguard and headed to his home.
Naoya then headed back as well and soon reached his home, only to spot a lady standing in front of the Zenin clan's entrance.
The lady was not alone, as a nice car was also parked in front of the gate, and a few people carrying what seemed like gifts stood behind her as well.
Naoya decided to stay back and observe the situation from the side. He didn't know who these people were, but if they were dangerous, then he didn't want to be the first one they target.
Soon, the clan's gates opened and out came his uncle Ogi Zenin.
The lady and the servants bowed to him, seeing which the man snorted. His gaze then immediately moved to the side as if noticing something.
"Who's there?" asked Ogi in a cold voice.
"Good afternoon, Uncle," greeted Naoya and walked towards them. His bag, tie, and lunch box were in his shadow, so right now he looked like a normal kid who had just come back from somewhere.
"Naoya, huh. Good afternoon," replied Ogi in a cold tone.
Naoya nodded and then looked at the lady and the people behind her.
"Good afternoon to you as well, onee-san", greeted Naoya with a smile. Toji had taught him how to speak to older women, and Naoya followed that advice.
"Good afternoon," said the lady while the people behind her, most probably her servants, just bowed.
They heard him call Ogi Zenin his uncle, so deducing his identity was not a difficult task.
Naoya nodded, bowed to his uncle, and turned to head back into the estate.
"Are you curious about her?" asked Ogi.
He had never seen a Zenin talk so politely to someone before.
"Hm? She's your guest, right? I just greeted her out of respect," replied Naoya.
Zenin? Respect others? Who was this kid?
Ogi gave Naoya a weirded-out look, but soon coughed to change the topic.
"Good. She's Misae Minagawa, my fiancée. Treat her with respect since she will be your aunt," said Ogi.
Naoya nodded.
"Your fiancée is beautiful. Congratulations, Uncle," said Naoya with a smile.
All of them looked at Naoya weirdly.
Was this how a Zenin acts these days?
"I am Naoya Zenin. Nice to meet you, onee-san....I should call you Minagawa-san, right?" asked Naoya.
"Nice to meet you, too, Naoya-kun. You can call me Misae if you like. I will get your family name soon," replied the lady kindly.
Naoya nodded and then headed back. He didn't want to intrude much on the 'couple'.
However, the moment Naoya was gone, Ogi glared at the woman and scolded her right in front of the servants for getting friendly with his brother's/ rival's son. The two were competing for the position of clan head, and yet she dared to speak fondly with that hateful brother's kid.
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"Dear father!!! Look at this and be amazed!" declared Naoya and marched right into Naobito's room with his report card in hand.
"Hmm...good. Now go and prepare for training," said Naobito as he gave a glance at the report card.
"..."
Naoya stared at Naobito, who dismissed his achievement just like that and sighed.
He took the report card back from him and went back to his room.
For a moment, he forgot how his clan was.