The Midterm Exams Continued

On Monday morning, two days after the midterm exams, Class A wasn't exactly tense, but there was still a hint of nervousness about the results.

The moment Mashima Tomoya walked into the classroom, he felt countless expectant gazes land on him.

He cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Looks like everyone's eager to hear their midterm results. I won't keep you in suspense."

As he spoke, he took a sheet of paper covered with names and scores from his folder and pinned it to the center of the blackboard.

"First, congratulations to everyone on your good results. No one in the class failed, and more than half of you got perfect scores." As soon as he finished speaking, he started clapping.

Applause immediately broke out across the classroom. Some students finally relaxed, while many others broke into excited smiles.

"Your scores are on the blackboard. You can check them in a moment, but be careful not to hold up class." After giving them a reminder, Mashima Tomoya turned and left the classroom. The moment he was gone, the students of Class A rushed over, chattering as they searched for their own scores and those of their classmates.

"Uesugi, aren't you going to check your score?" Kamuro Masumi asked when she saw Uesugi Hara still slumped over his desk.

"Kamuro, don't tell me you couldn't even get a perfect score by copying the answers?" Uesugi Hara looked up and asked, puzzled. They'd been given the Archaeology Exam Paper, after all. Surely getting a perfect score shouldn't have been hard.

Kamuro Masumi: I really am an idiot. I shouldn't have asked him!

She took a deep breath, ignored Uesugi Hara's infuriating remark, and headed for the blackboard, leaving him sitting there, completely baffled.

Uesugi Hara scratched his head, looking confused. What was wrong with her? Had he said something wrong?

(;￣Д￣)—Was copying the answers really that hard? He couldn't make sense of it.

"Uesugi Hara is surprisingly dense," came a helpless voice from the front, as if someone had already given up on him.

"Morishita, that was a bit harsh," Uesugi Hara said, but he wasn't angry. "Looks like Kamuro didn't get a perfect score after all. Did what I said just get to her?"

"...Even if Kamuro Masumi relied on the Archaeology Exam Paper, she still studied hard for a long time. If you open with 'copying the answers,' of course she won't like it." She looked at Uesugi Hara without expression.

Uesugi Hara paused. Thinking back to Kamuro's reaction, he finally caught on. "Oh... So that's the problem."

"I feel so sorry for Kamuro Masumi. Not only does Sakayanagi Arisu exploit her, she has to put up with you, too. She's really strong." Morishita Ai glanced at Kamuro Masumi sympathetically and sighed.

Uesugi Hara: Where did this sudden guilt come from? Whatever... I should be a little nicer to Kamuro from now on.

He changed the subject. "Morishita, you're surprisingly perceptive."

"Of course. Don't lump me in with a gloomy loner like you." Morishita Ai gave a soft snort.

"'Gloomy loner'? You mean someone who hangs around in the shadowy corner of the class? Aren't you one, too, Morishita?"

"No, no, no!" Morishita Ai wagged her index finger and eyed him mischievously. "Uesugi Hara, you don't just hang around in the gloomy corner—you look gloomy, and even your thoughts are gloomy."

"Morishita, I think we need to have a samurai duel." Uesugi Hara blankly swatted her hand away, his tone flat as he "threatened" her.

"Uesugi Hara, you're not getting all worked up because you're embarrassed, are you? You're not, are you? You're not, are you?" Morishita Ai drew out the words to provoke him.

"One punch from me, and you might cry for a long time."

"I'm going to check my score." With that, Morishita Ai jogged over to the blackboard.

Uesugi Hara stayed in his seat and watched her go.

But Morishita Ai had barely stood in front of the blackboard for a few seconds before she glanced back at him. Their eyes met, and she quickly turned around again, pretending to study the scores.

Uesugi Hara counted silently to himself. One, two... three.

The instant he reached three, Morishita Ai glanced back again. When she saw he was still watching her, she immediately turned away.

Uesugi Hara: ...Whoever came up with Morishita Ai was a genius!

"Kamuro, did all that studying pay off?" Uesugi Hara asked, feigning nonchalance when Kamuro Masumi returned from the blackboard.

"It did. Why?" Kamuro Masumi sat back down, her tone a little less sharp than before.

"Really? That's great." Uesugi Hara nodded with a friendly expression.

"Of course. I did that Archaeology Exam Paper myself once. Do you think I'd have felt so confident after the exam otherwise?" Kamuro Masumi raised her chin, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Impressive!" Uesugi Hara immediately praised her. "If you ever need help studying, just come to me."

Kamuro Masumi eyed him suspiciously, disbelief written all over her face. "Uesugi, are you feeling okay? Since when are you this nice? You're not plotting something, are you?" As she spoke, she shifted her seat farther away.

Uesugi Hara: ...So that little bit of guilt I felt really was an illusion!

"Kamuro, do you know what this is?" He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the emotions surging inside him.

"What?" Kamuro Masumi asked warily.

"You're high-jumping in a toilet."

Kamuro Masumi frowned. "Speak English."

"That's too much!"

Kamuro Masumi: "..."

She rolled her eyes and turned away. Trying to communicate with this guy was a complete waste of time!

Uesugi Hara: As expected, I can't be too nice to Kamuro. I just got led around by the nose by Morishita, too. Tch.