Monday. Lunch break.
Sakurai Saki went with the Student Council members to check the results.
Kaguya Shinomiya stared at the rankings, silent for a long time.
In this ranking, Sakurai Saki had successfully secured second place, placing Kaguya Shinomiya below him.
"Kaguya-san, my eyesight isn't very good." Sakurai Saki rubbed his chin. "I can't see clearly. Could you tell me who took second place?"
His eyesight had been poor since childhood—mainly, he couldn't see the rankings clearly. Everything else was fine.
"The triumph of a petty person." Kaguya Shinomiya snorted, her expression still calm.
It seemed to her that wearing a maid outfit for a day and obeying Sakurai Saki's every command was a very simple matter.
This was a disguise.
Kaguya Shinomiya was so upset at this moment that she wanted to cry. She could not accept losing to Sakurai Saki—absolutely not. If she had a time machine, she would definitely go back to before the exam and punch her past self, who was still reading novels instead of studying.
"Kaguya-san, please remember—I am the victor now." Sakurai's voice was calm, but his eyes gleamed. "In ancient arenas, the victor had the right to cut off the loser's head."
He appeared composed on the surface, but his inner excitement was indescribable. After losing for more than half a year, he had finally defeated Shuchiin Academy's recognized genius by his own efforts—not superpowers. Sakurai Saki's mood at this moment was unimaginable.
If the other Student Council members weren't present, he might have let out an "iku!" shout.
"Iku~" Ishigami Yu looked at his ranking and made the sound.
Iku—it was over. His ranking was 170th. It hadn't dropped, but it hadn't improved much either. He had at least passed all subjects; passing by the skin of his teeth was still passing. Ishigami Yu himself was very satisfied with this—it wasn't in vain that he had studied hard for a few days before the exam.
"This is just an exam, not a duel, Sakurai-kun." Kaguya Shinomiya's voice was cold. "You only won this once. Why are you so confident? This was my mistake. Next time, I won't lose again."
"Can't you be a sore loser?" Sakurai raised an eyebrow.
"Who's a sore loser?" Kaguya's eyes flashed. "A Shinomiya family member won't be a sore loser."
"Then I look forward to your service, Kaguya-san." Sakurai smiled.
Kaguya's voice dropped to a threatening register. "If you dare make any strange requests, you can expect to be sunk to the bottom of Tokyo Bay tomorrow."
"Please mind your tone, Miss Maid." Sakurai reminded her. "I am your employer now."
"Mr. Employer, you have no right to order me around freely, nor can you go against my will." Kaguya lifted her chin. "Maids also have human rights and freedom."
"I really don't want a sharp-tongued maid like this," Sakurai said, exasperated.
"Hmph!"
Beside them, Shirogane Miyuki listened to their exchange, not daring to interject. He was certain that if he tried to mediate, he would be attacked by both of them simultaneously.
"Iino Miko got first place this time." Shirogane glanced at the first-year results. This junior was truly amazing. He had heard that her grades were consistently excellent during middle school.
"Hmm. I'm about to message her."
On Sakurai Saki's phone, the chat history with Miko was displayed. He had told Oko Kōhai that he would try his best to give Miko the confidence and care she lacked.
Me: Miko got first place again this time. She's really amazing! [Orca thumbs up.gif]
A few seconds later.
Toy Number Two (Note): Eh eh eh eh!! A message from Sakurai-senpai! I'm super happy (￣︶￣). Exam results, hehe I studied super hard this time I'm very satisfied with getting first place.* [Emoticon: shy] Thank you for the praise, Sakurai-senpai. I'll continue to work hard next time! [Emoticon: smile]
Sakurai Saki held his phone, unsure how to reply.
Indeed, no matter how many times he saw it, he was startled. Miko was two completely different people online and in reality: one was so shy she dared not communicate with strangers, trembling and even having difficulty breathing in crowded places; the other dared to chat with unfamiliar netizens, using LINE stickers and emoticons freely. Miko, having shed her burdens and disguises online, was a bit scary.
As for that nickname—he chose to ignore it. It was Sakurai's way of caring for his junior.
"Miko's message is so long…" Fujiwara Chika leaned close to Sakurai Saki.
She had just checked her results—97th, a significant improvement from last time. Monthly exam results wouldn't affect her pocket money, but midterms were different. Chika didn't want her allowance to decrease; otherwise, she wouldn't have money to go out with Sakurai Saki. The Tabletop Game Club's budget also wasn't enough—many tabletop games had to be self-funded. Several times, she had requested a budget increase from President Shirogane, but she had been firmly rejected, and she didn't know why.
Who was sabotaging this?
Love Detective Chika-chan would absolutely not let them off.
For some reason, a chill ran down Sakurai Saki's spine.
Chika's previous failed budget applications were all due to Sakurai Saki helping Shirogane make up his mind.
"She feels like a completely different person~" Chika didn't have Miko's LINE account yet. Sakurai himself had only recently gotten it.
"How should I reply?"
In the end, Sakurai chose to reply with a sticker.
[Orca spraying water.jpg]
Meaningless. But cute.
He liked orcas. Besides Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika, there weren't many things Sakurai Saki liked—and even fewer that he loved.
"Xiaobo, what does Sakurai-senpai mean by this?"
In the hallway, Miko held her phone, asking her friend for her opinion. She subconsciously relied on Oko Kōhai when encountering problems. Kōhai also enjoyed this feeling of being relied upon—she craved to be needed. Their relationship was like mistletoe and an oak tree. Miko pathologically relied on her friend, and Kōhai didn't want to lose her; she yearned to climb high but couldn't do it alone, so she used Iino Miko's height to find solace.
"Probably expressing happiness?"
Kōhai also didn't understand the meaning of Sakurai Saki's sticker.
Actually, it had no meaning. Sakurai Saki simply liked orcas, so all his LINE stickers were orcas.
For the rest of the afternoon, Iino Miko spent her time deciphering the orca's secret—getting distracted several times during class.
"The rankings of those you tutored this time have a significant gap between them." It was Kaguya Shinomiya speaking.
Shirogane Miyuki's eyesight wasn't very good—he couldn't see distant objects clearly. The Five Sisters' rankings were quite low on the list, and there were many people around, so he couldn't see them. He didn't often use electronic devices; his poor eyesight was simply due to his usual study environment not being very good.
"Miku is 155th. Nino is 146th. Yotsuba is 161st. Ichika is 168th." Sakurai Saki looked at the lowest ranking.
Last time, the Five Sisters' average ranking had been around 175. Ichika, comparatively, had undoubtedly improved, but compared to her sisters, she was a bit behind. Mainly, her acting work was getting increasingly busy, and she often chose to catch up on sleep even during school hours. Nino had told Sakurai Saki about this—she was the most concerned about her sisters' situations.
He needed to find some time to talk to Ichika.
Sakurai Saki thought so.
Patreon Rene_chan