The announcement came just before lunch.
"Final exams will begin in eleven days," the teacher said, her voice steady, almost casual. "Make sure you're reviewing everything. This will decide your rankings."
Reiji didn't react. He just sat there, eyes on the board, as if the words hadn't reached him.
But Shirakawa glanced at him anyway. She knew they had.
When the bell rang, the classroom erupted with chatter—complaints, groans, jokes. People talked about study plans they wouldn't follow, cram sessions they'd forget, and dreams of somehow passing by luck.
Reiji stood up slowly, picking up his bento box without a word.
Shirakawa followed behind, falling into step beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You don't seem worried," she said.
"I'm not," he replied. "There's no point in worrying. Time moves whether I do or not."
"That's a good way of thinking, but it has no weight."
He looked slightly annoyed when she said that.
She continued before he could respond. "Anyway, I have someone to introduce to you."
And then… she appeared.
Reiji blinked—his voice escaped before he could hold it back.
"Shion?"
Shirakawa tilted her head. "So you already know her?"
Reiji responded, almost too quickly, "Who doesn't?"
"That makes sense," Shirakawa said with a small shrug. "Anyway, she'll be helping you study for this exam."
That caught both Reiji and Shion off guard.
"What did you just say?" Reiji blinked. "Who are you to decide that?"
Shirakawa just shrugged again. "The teacher asked me to, so…"
Reiji turned to Shion. "What do you think about that, Shion? Don't you want to stop her?"
Shion answered calmly, "I'm okay with it. I owe her once anyway."
"Well, let's start by making a group chat first," said Shirakawa.
"Heeegh… whatever helps you sleep at night, Boss," Reiji muttered.
And with that, the scene quietly came to a close.
Reiji stepped out of the shower, towel slung over his neck, and reached for his phone.
"What the hel—" he muttered under his breath.
The screen was flooded with messages. It was from his first ever group chat.
The last message stood out:
"Okay then, meet you at 8 PM here."
It came with a pinned location.
He glanced at the clock—8:25 PM.
"…Why do they always decide things about me without asking?"
He sighed, tossing the towel aside. "No point getting mad. I'm the one who gave them meaning, after all."
Without a second thought, he grabbed his school backpack and rushed out the door.
Reiji arrived at the location fifteen minutes later. Two figures were already waiting—Shirakawa and Shion.
Both looked confused.
"Why are you here?" Shirakawa asked.
He blinked. "What do you mean? …It's not today?"
Shirakawa crossed her arms. "No. We just wanted to talk."
His voice came out louder than intended. "Then why don't you message each other privately?!"
His frustration boiled over.
"Do you even know I had plans after this?"
He said it firmly, even though he didn't have any plans at all.
Shion suddenly turned and ran off, her face twisted in quiet sadness—as if his words had hurt her more than he realized.
Shirakawa didn't hesitate. "Go after her. Take responsibility."
He clicked his tongue. "Do you know I have plans after this?"
He said it to protect his ego.
But Shirakawa just stared at him, serious and still. It was almost like… she knew he was lying.
Reiji looked away, irritated. "Whatever you say," he muttered.
---
He saw Shion sitting on a bench and slowly approached her.
"I'm sorry for my attitude earlier," he said quietly.
She didn't look at him. "I'm tired."
He paused. "May I ask why?"
"I'm tired of the expectations people put on me…" she murmured. "Do you know how it feels to be born with high intelligence but a weak mentality? I may be the smartest… but I'm also the weakest."
Reiji thought to himself, It's almost like she's flexing… but I'll let it slide.
He sat down beside her and replied, "I don't know how that feels—and I don't want to know."
He looked ahead, then continued.
"But let me tell you one thing. Those who start from the weakest place become the strongest—because their path was longer, harder, and built with every step others never had to take."
"…Don't take life too seriously. It's not like you'll get out of it alive anyway."
Her eyes widened, as if she'd just realized something valuable.
"I have a plan after this, so I'll leave you here," he said, standing. "Just message me if you need something."
Then, without looking back, Reiji walked away.
---
The next day at school, Reiji sat alone during lunch, absentmindedly poking at his food. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular—just letting the silence settle.
Then, someone sat down across from him.
It was Shion.
"…Mind if I sit here?" she asked.
He shrugged without looking up. "You already did."
She gave a faint chuckle. "True."
A quiet moment passed.
"You didn't reply to my message last night," she said.
"I was asleep," he lied.
"I see…" she looked down for a second, then back at him. "Thanks for yesterday."
"…Don't mention it."
She hesitated, then added softly, "I've always felt like I had to be perfect. And I'm not. But when you talked to me like that… like I wasn't some kind of genius, but just a person… I felt lighter."
Reiji blinked. It wasn't the kind of thing he expected to hear.
He didn't say anything back. Just nodded.
They sat like that, the air between them calm. No pressure. No performance.
Before she left, Shion smiled. A small, tired smile—but genuine.
And as Reiji watched her walk away, something in him shifted.
> She still looked exhausted… her face still carried that lifeless weight.
But today, she smiled.
And somehow… that felt like enough.
For a moment, I forgot my own philosophy.
---