"Granted, just as you said, we could both easily get perfect scores on the actual exam questions. In terms of points, we've tied. By the usual logic, this bet should end in a draw."
"But..." He changed tack.
"A 'draw' often means 'both sides lose.' I don't like losing, and I imagine you feel the same way, Classmate Sakayanagi."
His twisted reasoning had successfully piqued Sakayanagi Arisu's curiosity.
She said nothing, simply watching him in silence as she waited for him to continue.
"So, I have a new proposal. One that can turn our bet, which has no winner, into a 'win-win' for both of us."
"A win-win?" Sakayanagi Arisu raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly."
Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, looking relaxed. "What are the terms of our bet? If I lose, I become your right-hand man and serve you. If you lose, you become my girlfriend. Right?"
"Now, we'll most likely both get perfect scores, which means a 'draw.' Since it's a draw, why don't we each get what we want?"
He leaned forward, moving closer to Sakayanagi and lowering his voice. His warm breath almost brushed her earlobe.
"I work for you, and you become my girlfriend. That way, we both get what we want, and nobody loses. Isn't that the perfect 'win-win' situation?"
Sakayanagi Arisu was so amused by his shameless argument that she nearly laughed.
"Classmate Kagihara, your thick skin has made quite an impression on me."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Packaging your own desires as a 'win-win' proposal... You really are a born con artist."
"I'm merely pointing out a possibility that benefits us both." Kazehara Tetsu's smile didn't falter.
"Well, I reject this 'possibility.'"
Sakayanagi Arisu said without hesitation, "There has to be a winner. A draw is the one outcome I find utterly unacceptable."
Kazehara Tetsu looked into her violet eyes, blazing with the fire of competition and leaving no room for doubt. His smile slowly faded.
He understood that no attempt to blur the outcome of their bet with clever words would work on this woman.
She didn't care about the result alone. What she wanted was the undisputed satisfaction of completely defeating her opponent along the way.
"I understand."
Kazehara Tetsu slowly straightened, his expression returning to its usual calm. "It seems I underestimated how committed you are to 'victory,' Classmate Sakayanagi. In that case, let's stick to our original agreement."
He turned around and stood beside her again.
At last, a satisfied smile returned to Sakayanagi Arisu's lips.
This was the kind of contest she wanted.
Not some vague "win-win," but a true duel with everything they had at stake.
"But, Sakayanagi..."
Kazehara Tetsu spoke again. He didn't look at her, simply speaking as though to himself. "Even though the rules are settled, I still have one thing to remind you of."
"This victory will be mine."
His words sounded less like a declaration than a statement.
A statement of fact, delivered without the slightest emotion.
Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled, the sound crisp as cracking ice.
"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it, Classmate Kagihara."
Her voice brimmed with absolute confidence. "I can't wait to see your face when the results are announced."
She said no more. Leaning on her cane, she turned and headed for the rooftop door.
Kazehara Tetsu stood motionless, watching until the iron door leading to the stairwell slowly closed in front of him.
At last, a playful smile replaced the calm expression on his face.
"My face, huh...? I'm afraid you'll be very disappointed."
The midterm exams continued as scheduled.
Each exam was much like the one before it.
The students of Class A entered the exam rooms, copied answers they already knew by heart onto their papers, then waited out the exam in boredom until the bell rang.
At last, the long exam period came to an end.
When the bell rang to mark the end of the final exam, the classroom erupted in cheers.
It was the heartfelt joy of finally being freed from tedious work.
Groups of students streamed out of the classroom, chatting about their plans for the weekend.
Sakayanagi Arisu packed up her things and headed unhurriedly for the door.
As she passed Kazehara Tetsu's seat, she paused.
Kazehara Tetsu was leaning back in his chair, gazing out the window as though oblivious to the commotion around him.
"The exams are over, Classmate Kagihara." Her voice drew his attention back.
Kazehara Tetsu turned to look at her and smiled easily. "Yeah, they're over. It wasn't exactly an entertaining pastime."
"I found them quite entertaining. Especially when I think about the results that are coming. It only gets more exciting."
A confident smile curled Sakayanagi Arisu's lips. "I can hardly wait to see the report card and then... exercise my rights as the winner."
Her words drew curious glances from several people nearby.
"Is that so?"
Kazehara Tetsu's expression didn't change in the slightest. He even yawned. "You're that certain you'll be the winner, Classmate Sakayanagi?"
"Of course. Do you really think your score could be higher than mine, when I've memorized every answer perfectly for an exam that was practically open-book?" Sakayanagi Arisu countered.
Her logic was flawless.
With a perfect score as the ceiling, the two of them could at most tie—and after her earlier refusal, a tie was no longer an option.
Mathematically speaking, she was in an unbeatable position.
"Who knows?"
Kazehara Tetsu shrugged, his tone so casual it was almost provocative. "Maybe a miracle will happen."
"'Miracle' is a word the weak use to comfort themselves. The truly strong believe only in the power they hold in their own hands."
"Then let's wait together for the results."
Sakayanagi Arisu gave him a long look, then turned and left the classroom.
She was absolutely confident.
She had checked every subject with the utmost care.
A perfect score was the only possibility.
And no matter how much Kazehara Tetsu tried to play mysterious, there was no way he could get a score higher than a "perfect score."
From the moment he had shared the actual exam questions with the class, his defeat had been all but certain.
So Sakayanagi Arisu simply couldn't understand.
Where did Kazehara Tetsu's baseless, almost foolish confidence come from?
She walked out of the Teaching Building into the somewhat harsh afternoon sunlight.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, but Kazehara Tetsu's last words kept echoing in her mind.
"Then let's wait together for the results."
Before you continue