If by some chance they did fail their entrance exams, the reason was guaranteed to be “distracted by love,” but I knew they were smarter than that, and I trusted them to exercise some restraint.
On my way out, I checked the clock on the classroom wall. Still some time left. Guess I’ll keep walking around campus.
Our school was known for its laid-back, fun-loving atmosphere, but we still knew when to put our noses to the grindstone. During this time of year, studying took place not just in the library and designated study areas, but in the classrooms, too. There were even people studying at the tables and benches set up just outside the staff room.
“Y’know, Yui, I still don’t get the formula they want me to use for this problem. I’m gonna go ask sensei one more time!”
“Don’t! Please, have mercy! If she finds out there’s still a third-year at this school who hasn’t learned basic algebra, she’ll cry for hours!”
“Wait, but... Is it really that bad...?”
“It’s bad. It’s, like, reeeally bad. It’s so, so bad.”
“Oh god, Yui’s turned into a broken record!”
It was Aoki Yoshifumi, a rowdy guy who loved to stand out, and Kiriyama Yui, a girl whose natural talents made her stand out whether she wanted to or not. They were a fairly infamous couple in these parts, and today they seemed to be having a fun time. Uh, guys? Shouldn’t you be taking this seriously?
“Oh my god, Iori! You’ll never believe this!” Yui called out as soon as she laid eyes on me. “Turns out Aoki might not be able to graduate high school, let alone pass a college entrance exam!”
“No, that’s not true! Gossan said so! And he’s my class advisor, so he would know!”
You see, in Class 3-A, our advisor was one Gotou Ryuuzen.
“Yeah, but... it’s Gossan,” I replied with an uncertain frown.
“...Oh god, you’re right!”
He wasn’t a bad guy, but he was notoriously incompetent.
“Maybe you should double-check with a different teacher... Crap, I need to be focused on my own work!”
“You said you gotta talk to someone about your math scores, right? How bad is it?”
“I... I’m fine, okay?! Unlike you, I picked a college that’s kind of hard to get into!”
“I mean, math isn’t that important for the humanities course, but you still have to reach a certain threshold, or you might not qualify...”
“Mind your own business!”
Yui was planning to pursue a foreign language program, while Aoki was trying to major in business, believe it or not. Ultimately, they were planning to enroll at two different colleges... and if everything worked out according to plan, they would inevitably part ways.
“Hnn... Man, I can only imagine how your parents must be feeling right about now.”
“Yeah, no kidding. I mean, my little sister’s even dumber than I am... Hey, wait a minute!”
“So tell me, Yui, are you feeling better these days?”
“Well, everyone kept commenting about how ‘depressed’ I looked, so...”
Yui’s mood swings had gotten a little dramatic lately, possibly from the pressure of college prep.
“My folks tried their damnedest to make sure I could go to college. I’mma do it for them! And for my big sister, too! No gap year for me, no sirree!” Aoki declared.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe this man is serious! I can see the fire burning in his eyes!” I shouted in a theatrical voice.
Obviously I wanted all my friends to be able to pursue their dreams, but I couldn’t help but relate especially hard to the Aoki family’s financial situation. Hang in there, buddy.
“Anyway, don’t mind me. I’ll see myself out.”
“Awww, you’re leaving? Girl, we should hang out sometime!”
“We will! Just as soon as you ace your exams.”
And by the time I parted ways with them, it was finally time for my rendezvous.
When he asked me when I would be available to talk, I chose a time between the end of the school day and before campus closed. Our meetup location: a blind spot out behind the East Wing.
Come to think of it, this was the same place where I once spied on a romantic confession between Aoki and Yui.
“Sorry about that. Were you waiting long?”
“Nope! I only just got here myself.”
Not long after I arrived, student council president and fellow student representative Katori Jouji jogged over.
With perfect looks, talent in both schoolwork and sports, and innate charisma, he had won over a majority of the student body during his time in office. And with a great personality, there was really nothing more anyone could want in a guy. Not only that, but rumor had it he’d already ranked in the 90th percentile at a prestigious elite university. He was basically flawless.
Supposedly he used to date someone from a different school, but at some point this year I overheard some gossip that they’d broken things off.
“Smart cookie that you are, you may have already figured it out, but...”
“Smart cookie that I am, I tend to figure out a lot of stuff. What’s up?”
“...Right. I suppose I need to be direct about it.”
He didn’t seem scared or nervous, but he didn’t seem cocky, either — a rare breed.
“What say you and I go on a date sometime?” he asked, casually running a hand through his hair. I could tell he wasn’t putting on airs, and his natural confidence was attractive.
My skin tingled, and my heart churned.
“Why?”
Was it rude of me to ask? Still, I wanted to know.
“Because I have feelings for you... and because I think it might be fun.”
The second part was probably his real reason. I could tell he had yet to discover the real Nagase Iori.
After winning the Couples’ Battle Royale, he and I had been selected as “student representatives” of Yamaboshi High School. In practice, this meant we were obligated to give speeches whenever there was some important event. It was by no means hard work, and supposedly it looked great on my academic records or whatever, but anyway. As a result, I naturally ended up spending a lot more time with Katori, and I had sensed that he was starting to take an interest in me. Less of a crush and more like innocent curiosity, if I had to guess.
“Okay, and you waited until December of our third year to ask?”
“Well, this is my last chance, is it not? And it’s not like it would be much of a distraction, since you don’t need to worry about college prep anymore.”
Dating was generally a pretty big deal for us teenagers. Supposedly it could change your whole life. Katori still had studying to do, so he wouldn’t be able to hang out that often, but maybe having a boyfriend would add some rosy color to this whitewashed world.
Was it time to put the brush to the canvas and see what sort of picture we could paint together?
“If you need time to think about it, I don’t mind waiting.”
“I’m really flattered. Especially coming from a guy as great as you.”
I’d been through this a dozen times before, but it never got any easier. My blood always ran cold, and my heart always ached. It never, ever came naturally to me.
“It’s just... I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
I couldn’t pretend I didn’t hesitate, but in the end, the answer was always the same. Katori was a charming, attractive guy, but as fun as it might be to hang out with him... I couldn’t imagine myself ever falling for him.
He looked at me in mild surprise.
“Uhhh, I mean, to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with you or anything!” I continued hastily.
“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t need you to sugarcoat it,” he laughed, waving a hand dismissively. “I had a feeling this was coming.”
“Sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize. You’ll make me feel bad.”
“Right... Sure thing.”
“I was thinking we might have a fun time together, but you disagree. That’s all there is to it.”
“...You just don’t want to accept that you got rejected, do you?”
“Quit reading my mind!”
“Wahaha! I bet this is your first time getting shot down, huh?”
“My second, actually. So if you think you’ll always be my ‘girl who got away,’ then think again!”
“Gee, want some fries to go with all that salt?”
“Urk...”
“I don’t consider myself to have high standards or anything, but... man, whoever I do end up with is gonna have to work their ass off if they’re gonna be better than you.”
“Not sure when that will be, but I eagerly await the day.”
And with that, we set off in opposite directions.
This was purely supposition on my part, but... something told me Katori was concerned about me staying single this long. Not to suggest he had only asked me out as a pity gesture, but I could sense a hint of “what’s wrong with you?” in his tone.
What’s wrong with me? Good question.