The day of the grade announcent dawned.
After relieving the past week’s stress in our own ways, we gathered in one place before checking our individual grades.
We t in an old classroom in the school building, surrounding a single desk, looking at each other with tense gazes.
Only Ashillya sat in a chair, looking at us with a smiling face.
Since no one had checked their grades yet, we didn’t even know our chance of winning.
Who would be the winner of the bet?
It wasn’t such an important bet that we needed to be overly anxious about it. Still, we couldn’t help feeling tense nonetheless.
“Shall we check now?”
Ashillya was still the only one relaxed here. Seeing her attitude made us feel a bit deflated, but the match wasn’t decided yet.
.
Although we hadn’t checked yet, it was possible that Ashillya had made a mistake and lost the top spot, or that all the questions I had guessed were luckily correct, and I had taken first place.
It was extrely, extrely unlikely, but the possibility existed nonetheless.
“...Sure.”
As I answered while swallowing dryly, Ashillya, with a relaxed smile, placed her grade report on the desk first.
I felt a drop of sweat running down my spine at Ashillya’s consistently relaxed attitude.
As expected...
‘Is it impossible to beat Ashillya?’
Since Ashillya had been the hardest opponent to beat from the start, I smiled bitterly as I placed my grade report on the desk.
Starting with Sylvia, then Helena and Pala, they all began placing their grade reports on the desk with tense expressions, seemingly similar to .
Thus, all five grade reports were placed on the desk. Seeing that the seals on the envelopes were still unbroken, it seed certain that no one had checked their grades yet.
“Phew...”
As I let out a long breath, everyone looked at and chuckled softly.
Feeling sowhat embarrassed by their reaction, I awkwardly smiled back. Ashillya slowly picked up her grade report first.
“I shall open mine first. Any objections?”
“Go ahead.”
“...Yes.”
Since everyone agreed with Ashillya’s suggestion, she nodded once and slowly began to open her grade report.
Ashillya’s grades were the most important. If Ashillya hadn’t gotten first place, there would be a possibility for the rest of us.
Of course, the probability of Ashillya not getting first place was extrely rare.
Opening her grade report with relaxed movents, Ashillya, still smiling leisurely, placed it down for everyone to see clearly.
“First place.”
[1/278]
With those clearly engraved letters, everyone’s hopes vanished.
‘We’re screwed.’
Seeing that number, I sensed we were done for.
I was already in a situation where Ashillya had one wish ticket. If I were to lose this bet as well...
Two whole wish tickets.
I started to worry about what kind of wish Ashillya would make. I couldn’t help but recall once again that she had never fought a battle in which she would lose.
While I was floundering in despair, the grade reports were revealed individually.
My grade was 12th out of the entire first year.
It wasn’t bad. No, to be precise, it was good. I felt pretty good about the results of my hard work.
‘If only there wasn’t this bet.’
If there hadn’t been a bet with Ashillya, it would have been a grade to be purely happy about. After all, my diligent studying for the written exam and consistent training had paid off.
“...Ugh.”
Sylvia was 49th out of the entire first year.
Sylvia’s grades were also in the upper ranks, but they seed to have dropped a little compared to when she entered.
Whether she lost the bet or her grades had dropped since admission, Sylvia clutched her head in frustration.
“Wah...!! My grades improved so much...!!”
Anyone watching might think Helena’s grades were higher than Sylvia’s, but Helena’s grade was 97th out of the entire first year.
Of course, from Helena’s perspective, who was in the middle ranks when she entered, this was a trendous achievent.
“It was worth studying...!!”
Seeing Helena rejoicing, forgetting even about the bet, I smiled broadly. She looked back at with a bright smile.
She seed happy just for the fact that her studying had paid off.
“At this rate, it seems to be my victory.”
Of course, Helena, who was purely rejoicing, and I, who was sympathizing with her joy, couldn’t help but co to our senses at Ashillya’s voice.
I wanted to give Ashillya, smiling leisurely throughout, a taste of her own dicine, but it was frustrating that I couldn’t.
Letting out a long sigh, I looked at Ashillya waving the last grade report, then turned my gaze to the owner of the previous grade report.
Pala was looking at her grade report with a sowhat dark expression. It seed she hadn’t done well on the exam.
Seeing Pala like this, hope began to fade even more. Of course, even if Pala won, I would have to give her the wish ticket, but it would still be better than Ashillya, right?
At least Pala didn’t seem like she would make unreasonable demands.
As for Ashillya...
‘Honestly, I’m scared of what she might demand.’
I was just plainly terrified.
Of course, she wouldn’t make overly unreasonable demands, but it seed like she would demand the maximum within reasonable limits.
Ashillya must have seen Pala’s dark expression, too, as she leisurely began to open the grade report.
After checking the grade report first, I saw that her expression had not changed. Seeing this, I realized that Ashillya had won this bet.
Thud.
As Ashillya put the grade report down on the desk, she calmly said,
“I have lost.”
As expected...?
“Huh?”
At Ashillya’s calm voice, I unconsciously let out a surprised exclamation and looked at Pala’s grade report.
First place in the entire first year.
[1/302]
The number written there was truly astonishing.
Pala had achieved first place in the entire first year. As I couldn’t help but admire the number on her grade report, I heard Pala’s sowhat sulky voice from beside .
“What? Did you think I couldn’t get first place?”
“...No, your expression was so bad I thought you ssed up.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t confident.”
Pala said in a sowhat shy voice.
Looking at the grade report again, I couldn’t help but laugh dryly, feeling she looked different now. Ashillya was amazed too.
Even though she had clearly lost the bet, there wasn’t a trace of regret in her expression.
As if it was sothing that could happen.
“Thou hast won.”
As Ashillya calmly spoke to Pala, everyone’s gaze turned to Pala.
She nodded, calmly looking down at her grade report. A strange sense of pride was in her eyes.
“Congratulations.”
Although losing the bet was disappointing, I couldn’t help but congratulate her on the achievent she had made through her hard work.
“Congratulations...!!”
“Congratulations.”
Following my congratulations, Sylvia and Helena congratulated her, and Pala smiled naturally as she brushed her hair back.
Seeing Pala’s pure smile after a long ti, I couldn’t help but smile too.
“So, how dost thou plan to use the wish ticket?”
Ashillya asked leisurely as if she had known she would lose, and Pala nodded and turned her gaze to .
“I’ll use the wish now.”
***
Felix couldn’t co to his senses due to the wish ticket Pala had used, and everyone was leaving the old school building. Left alone in the classroom, Ashillya was silently looking at her grade report placed on the desk.
Pala’s wish was already an agreed-upon content, so it wasn’t surprising.
She was just silently looking down at her grade report.
Ashillya hadn’t expected to lose. She simply thought there was a possibility of losing.
She thought that everyone would work hard to get a wish ticket they could use on him... and that they might be able to take first place.
But she thought the possibility was very slim. As slim as the probability of her losing first place.
Looking down at her grade report, Ashillya showed a strangely bitter smile.
“...I lost.”
It wasn’t that she felt nothing.
Even though she had one wish ticket, she was greedy.
She felt regret at first. That’s why she couldn’t leave her seat.
Creak.
As Ashillya was sitting there thinking, she raised her head at the sound of the door opening.
Thinking that a teacher had co to the old school building, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) she unconsciously opened her eyes wide when she saw Felix entering through the door.
Felix peeked his head in with a smile and said to Ashillya,
“Good job. Congratulations on getting first place.”
“...”
Ashillya said nothing and slowly stood up.
She doesn’t do things to be acknowledged by others. Simply, everything is for ‘perfection’—just for her own satisfaction.
However, even so,
“Let’s go.”
Being congratulated by the one she loved was simply joyful.
As Felix, smiling at Ashillya’s unchanged, calm appearance, started to walk first, Ashillya, looking at his back,
Showed a faint smile.
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