(Haruna POV)
***
Haruna stood up shakily, becoming even more nervous when she noticed that the entire hall had locked onto her location, their stares burning with curiosity.
She shuffled out of her row and walked towards the stage, her steps increasing in speed as she got closer.
She could feel her hands trembling, not only because of the nerves, but also the emotions coursing through her at this moment.
Joy, anticipation, relief, and most importantly, hope.
As she climbed the stairs on the side of the stage, she had her full attention on her feet.
Because she knew that if she didn't focus, she'd definitely trip due to the sheer amount of thoughts in her head.
Airi stood at the end of the line being formed by the top rankers, and she gave Haruna a bright grin and a thumbs-up, to which she just nodded.
The hall was silent, and she couldn't bear to look out at the sea of people.
Instead, she approached Noa, who was waiting for her with a warm smile.
"Congratulations," she said, raising her arm for a handshake. "You should be very proud of your achievement."
Haruna took the outstretched hand and shook it.
"Uh....Thanks!" she muttered.
However, Noa's face stiffened instantly.
And so did Haruna's, because she remembered just now that her current voice made her sound like a supervillain.
She chuckled anxiously as she took the certificate from Noa.
"Hehe, sore throat," she mumbled.
The president raised her eyebrows with realization and gave her an understanding look.
But before she could leave and join the line of people on stage while the applause from the crowd began, the Principal opened her mouth.
"Yuzuki-san, would you mind saying a few words to motivate our students? It doesn't have to be anything grand!"
Haruna froze, her smile drooping in horror as she shook her head immediately in refusal, but the ditzy Principal didn't seem to notice her discomfort.
"Oh come on, just a few words," she said, stepping away from the podium without waiting for confirmation.
'What the fuck do I do???'
Haruna teetered in place for a second, and just as she mustered up the courage to just get it over with, the President stepped up to the microphone in her place.
She blinked in confusion at the domineering black-haired girl who gave her a brief nod.
"I believe that everything that needs to be said has already been said by the Principal. It simply boils down to two things. Effort and discipline. As long as you persevere in both, it would be impossible not to rise in the rankings. Believe in yourself and in the work you put in. That is all."
Everyone's gaze flickered between Noa and Haruna, but they just shrugged and clapped after she finished her short speech.
Haruna threw a grateful look at Noa and then bowed to the crowd before hurrying away to join the line.
She peered out at the row in which her class was sitting and clenched her fists when she saw Reiji blocking his mouth to hold back his laughter.
When he noticed Haruna glaring at him, he raised two fingers and placed them on either side of his head, mimicking The Bat's mask.
'...I'm going to kill him.'
***
The ceremony continued, and soon it was Hina's turn to ascend the stage.
She quickly made her way up and collected her certificate without much fanfare, and Reiji readied himself to stand up.
The Principal grabbed the microphone once again.
"And now, let's welcome the Smartest of the Smart, the Brainiest of the Brains, and the Hardworkingest of the Hardworking! Please give a round of applause to the Top Ranker in Year 1, Yagami Reiji-san!!" she announced.
Her arms were raised for dramatic effect, but instead of the loud applause she was waiting for, there was only sparse clapping from the upper-years.
The rest were whispering to each other, for a reason that was quite obvious.
Reiji got up with a wry smile, already expecting such a response.
This entire ceremony was a cutscene from the game after all, and a fairly important one too.
In terms of the relevance to the heroines, it had more depth than one would expect.
If Hina didn't tutor Haruna and she ultimately failed to make the Top 10, then this ceremony would show just Hina receiving her prize, a bit more focus on Noa and her standing within the school, and Haruna herself would just get a cutaway where the player would see her wiping away tears.
Because it meant she failed to earn back the semester's tuition for their rent.
But if she did make the Top 10, like in this case, it would be a turning point in Haruna's mentality, one where she got her first taste of success and finally experienced the thirst for more.
Of course, she still dropped down the ranks after the midterms since Hina couldn't tutor her every time, but the fact that she didn't fall all the way back to the bottom and instead hovered around the upper-middle rank was because of this determination.
But this ceremony also put Reiji in the spotlight as the villain.
In the game, he'd walk up snarkily, make a snarky speech, with a snarky face, and get jeered for insulting the intelligence of the crowd.
Typical villain behavior.
And also the first turning point for Riku's change in temperament, where he started to care more about his studies.
'...But he's not even here?'
Reiji had kept an eye out for Riku for this reason, and still didn't see him anywhere in the hall. Maybe he was in some corner because he was late, or he had simply bunked the ceremony.
'Hmm.....Strange.'
He didn't particularly care, but it was another signal that the original story had derailed.
While ignoring the searing eyes on him, which held a mix of inquisitiveness, envy, and more commonly, irritation, he climbed up the stairs beside the stage and saw Airi, Hina, and Haruna frowning at the vast disparity in the reaction of the crowd.
Noa herself had a complicated expression, which she quickly put away when he approached her.
".....Congratulations. Keep it up," she said stiffly, handing him the certificate.
"Thanks, I guess."
Reiji chuckled, a little amused at her icy face.
He tried to slink away, hoping that the Principal wouldn't call him out like she was supposed to, but there was no chance that woman was going to miss out on some fun.
"Yagami-san, why don't you say a few words as well? I'm sure the audience would love to hear your preparation process when it comes to studying," she called out, her slit eyes crinkling with mischief.
Reiji sighed and went over to the podium, wondering what he should say.
'.....I should've prepared a speech.'
He had no trouble talking to his friends and those he cared about, but when facing a hall full of people like this, his inner introversion came out.
But at least he didn't have stage fright.
"Well...." he started, his voice echoing through the speakers. "As our amazing President said, the only thing to really look out for is if you yourself are sure that you're putting in enough effort. If you're having trouble with anything, there's nothing stopping you from reaching out to teachers or even your friends if you think they can help. At the end of the day, it's all about studying, studying, and more studying. Thank you."
With that, Reiji headed for the line of students, surprised at the much stronger wave of applause from the crowd.
Especially from one part of the room, where one could hear distinctly loud claps.
He glanced at the source and laughed when he saw Yui's almost frantic attempt at clapping.
Hina, who was standing next to him, noticed this and leaned towards him.
"Don't feel bad, people will slowly come around," she whispered.
Reiji was honestly quite taken aback that this had come from Hina, the girl who had usually kept her distance even after finding out that he wasn't as the 'rumors' described.
"It's fine, I don't even know them, so why should I care?" he replied.
It was Hina's turn to appear surprised, not expecting his indifference.
Thankfully, Reiji didn't have to stay on stage too long, because after a few more words from the Principal, they were dismissed so that they could continue with the second-year students.
The 10 of them hurried back to their seats, and Reiji watched as the upper year students were summoned to receive their certificates.
Reiji didn't really recognize any of them, and Yui obviously wouldn't be on this list, so he was starting to get bored.
Even Tadano Itsuki didn't make it, though Reiji knew it was probably because of how demanding the Student Council's workload was.
Which is why it was even more impressive that Noa had won first place despite being burdened with even more responsibilities.
The Principal smirked suspiciously after the second-place student joined the new line.
"I believe a lot of students have been waiting for this! Let's bring this hall down with a thundering round of applause for the Smartest and Prettiest second-year student, your beloved and respected Student Council President, the leader who is universally worshi-HEY!!"
Her emphatic speech was cut short after Noa grabbed the microphone away from her.
"I've already said what I needed to say, so I'll just say thank you to everyone. Also...stay out of trouble."
With that, she held her own certificate and joined the line of students for the group photo.
"Tch, isn't she a spoilsport, everyone?" The Principal complained.
"Yes!!"
"We want a longer speech!"
"Marry me!!"
Suda tried to propose again, and failed for the second time.
The rest of the ceremony didn't have any more interesting or strange moments like that, and Reiji almost fell asleep during the third-year's award ceremony.
There were a few side characters he'd seen in the game, but none he'd talked to, so the novelty wasn't as high as it was before.
"And with that, this wonderful ceremony comes to an end, which means I can go back to sleep!" the Principal joked. "Unfortunately, you poor little lambs still have classes, so please make your way back to the main building in an orderly manner, otherwise our strict President will have something to say about it!"
All the students started to leave, bustling with noise and chatter, and the unfortunate Ren joined them in a hurry to at least feel like he wasn't completely left out.
***
Meanwhile, in one of the first-year classes, a brown haired boy leaned back in his chair with a contented huff.
"Finally...I'm ready!"
He looked down at the book on his table with an eager smirk on his face as he read the heading on top.
'The Unfailable Plan to Completing The Quest!!'
He cracked his knuckles and closed the book, putting it away in his bag.
"I can't wait for the supervised study, hehe."