The classroom buzzed with nervous energy. Pens tapped, whispers fluttered, and even Ryker looked half-serious for once.
Suddenly — SLAM!
The door burst open.
Aria-sensei walked in holding a thick stack of papers, his eyes sharp behind his glasses.
"Good morning, my lovely failures," he said, voice dry. "Today is the day you either shine… or cry."
The room went silent.
He dropped the papers onto the desk with a thud. "This is your Academy Term Exam. Three subjects, two hours. No talking, no excuses, and no copying — unless you want to fight me in the teacher's duel arena."
Sol whispered to Yumi, "He's joking, right?"
Aria-sensei suddenly turned, as if hearing him. "I never joke during exams."
Sol went pale.
Aria-sensei began passing out the papers. "Now then... prove you're not just muscle and magic."
He dropped Ryker's paper with a smirk. "Try not to fall asleep this time, Mr. Genius."
He handed Sol his. "And you… good luck with your 'top 20' dream."
Sol took a deep breath.
The bell rang.
"Begin!" Aria-sensei said.
The room instantly filled with scribbling sounds. Outside, the birds chirped. Inside, war had begun.
"Time's up!" Aria-sensei's voice rang out like a death bell.
Groans filled the classroom as students reluctantly dropped their pens.
"Pencils down, brains off," Celica muttered, stretching.
Sol clutched his paper like it was sacred. "I either passed... or I need a new identity."
Ryker leaned back in his chair, completely calm. "Well, guess we'll see who's eating dessert and who's eating shame."
Next Day – School Hallway
A crowd had already gathered near the results board. Excitement, panic, and dread swirled through the students like a storm.
Yumi dragged Sol through the hallway. "Come on! It's posted!"
"I'm not ready for this spiritual damage!" Sol whined.
"Too bad!"
They reached the board. Everyone stared silently.
And then—
1st – Ryker Tensai
2nd – Aisa Nakamura
3rd – Celica Sora
...
27th – Sol Yoshida
A brief silence.
Then Ryker smirked. "Top 1, huh. Not bad."
Aisa folded her arms. "Don't get cocky. You only beat me by two points."
Meanwhile—
Sol stood frozen, eyes wide.
Yumi blinked. "...Twenty-seventh?"
Sol slumped against the wall, staring at his name: 27th.
"I know Ryker's top..." he mumbled, "...but I promised top 20."
Yumi leaned next to him, arms crossed. "You did."
Sol looked at her like a puppy caught in the rain. "But... but I made it to the top 25! That counts for something, right?"
Yumi raised an eyebrow. "You said twenty, not twenty-seven."
"I really thought I could make top 20..." he muttered.
Yumi stood beside him, her expression unreadable.
Then she sighed softly, looked away shyly, and said,
"You came from 75th to 27th... that's a big jump, dummy."
Sol blinked. "...Huh?"
Yumi turned slightly pink and looked down at her shoes.
"Today's date is your prize."
Sol froze. "W-Wait... for real?"
Yumi gave a small nod, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Don't make me repeat it..."
Sol's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.
Ryker, watching from the side, smirked. "Man's gonna pass out from happiness."
Celica laughed. "From 75th place to winning a girl's heart. Legendary."
Sol pumped his fists in the air.
"Let's GOOOOO! Study power activated!"
Yumi covered her face with her sleeve, muttering,
"Why do I like an idiot like him..."
Outside the Café – Evening
The sky had dimmed into a soft twilight, streetlights flickering on as Sol and Yumi walked side by side down the road.
Yumi still held his hand, casually — but to Sol, it felt like time had stopped.
As they reached the movie theater, neon lights flashing above, Sol lit up.
"Oh! They're showing Shadow Raid: Final War! The action scenes are insane — we have to watch it!"
Yumi raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one where the hero fights 200 enemies with one katana?"
Sol nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly!"
Yumi smirked. "Or… we could watch Starlight Wishes. It's a slow-burn love story between a florist and an amnesiac prince."
Sol froze. "That sounds like… the opposite of explosions."
Yumi grinned. "Come on, action boy. Just this once?"
He sighed dramatically. "I was promised gunfights, not heart-fluttering flower boys."
Yumi looked at him with puppy eyes. "Pretty please?"
Sol caved in immediately. "Fine, but I'm getting extra popcorn."
They stepped into the romantic film — and two rows behind them, hidden behind a newspaper with eyeholes cut in it…
Outside the Theater – Night Air Cool and Calm
Sol and Yumi stepped out of the theater, the soft hum of the ending credits still lingering in their ears. The street was quiet now, glowing under the warm light of nearby lampposts.
Yumi stretched her arms up and let out a satisfied sigh. "Mmm... I loved the movie. It was so sweet and emotional."
Sol nodded slowly, trying to play it cool. "Y-Yeah... despite the, uh, lack of explosions... it was... decent."
Yumi glanced at him, amused. "You mean you liked it, admit it."
Sol rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, okay... I liked it. The prince guy was cool, I guess."
Yumi giggled. "He cried in a flower field, Sol."
"Still cool..." Sol mumbled, looking away.
Then Yumi leaned in a little, her voice softer now. "Thanks for today. I had a really good time."
Sol's heart skipped. He looked at her, eyes wide for a second, then smiled — not nervously this time.
"Me too, Yumi," he said. "Even if I didn't hit top 20... this felt like... top 1."
Yumi blushed, looking down shyly. "D-Don't say cheesy stuff like that out of nowhere..."
They both laughed softly under the stars
On the Road – After the Movie
Sol and Yumi strolled down the quiet street, their shadows stretching behind them in the soft glow of the streetlights.
Yumi's eyes suddenly lit up. "Ooh! Ice cream!" she said, pointing to a small stand across the road.
Sol blinked. "You still have room after all that cake and parfait?"
Yumi gave him a playful pout. "There's always room for dessert #2!"
Sol chuckled. "Alright, let's go—"
Sol and Yumi stood in front of the ice cream stand, happily deciding between vanilla and chocolate.
Yumi laughed, "You always pick boring flavors."
Sol smirked. "Classic never fails."
Just then, a group of older boys passed by. One of them stopped and looked at Yumi, eyeing her shamelessly.
"Hey, girl. You free tonight?" he said, walking up way too close.
Yumi stepped back, uncomfortable. "Excuse me—"
Before she could finish, the guy suddenly reached out and brushed her shoulder.
In an instant—
SMACK.
Sol grabbed the guy's wrist mid-air with lightning speed, eyes sharp and cold.
"Don't touch her," Sol said, voice low but deadly serious.
The boy flinched, trying to pull away — but Sol's grip tightened.
"I said don't," Sol repeated.
The air around them tensed. Passersby started to glance over.
The boy yanked his hand back, muttering, "Tch. Crazy punk."
He turned to leave, but not before throwing a glare at Sol. Sol didn't budge — just stared him down until the group walked off.
Yumi stood frozen for a second, then looked at Sol, wide-eyed.
"Sol..."
He looked at her, calm now. "You okay?"
Yumi nodded slowly. "Yeah... Thanks."
Sol rubbed the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I just... didn't like the way he looked at you."
Yumi stared at him, her face flushing pink.
Then she whispered, "...You're kinda cool sometimes."
Sol blinked. "Sometimes?!"
She giggled. "Okay, okay. Very cool."
They got their ice cream — and as they walked away, Yumi softly held his arm this time.
Sol said nothing.
But he was definitely smiling.
They go home.