"Renji, when are your results coming?"
Mom asked the question casually while arranging vegetables on the kitchen counter.
I leaned against the doorframe and scratched the back of my head.
"Uh… the 6th of this month."
"Oh, that's great!"
Her face brightened immediately.
"If you score well in the exam, I'll prepare all your favorite foods."
She sounded so confident that it almost hurt to hear it.
"Yeah… about that," I muttered.
"I think I'm going to fail this time."
Mom froze mid-movement and slowly turned toward me.
"…Why?"
"I don't actually know."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"If you fail," she said calmly, "I'll admit you to a kindergarten as punishment."
I blinked.
"That's impossible though."
She folded her arms proudly.
"Nothing is impossible for your mother."
Then she added with absolute confidence,
"And I know very well that my son will never fail any exam."
I forced a small smile.
{Hmm… I want you to say that again after my results come out…}
Mom suddenly grabbed her bag from the table.
"Anyway, I'm going shopping. Do you want to come with me?"
"Sure… if you want."
And just like that, we left the house.
That was the day after my last exam.
I had tons of free time then. Normally that should feel great… but somehow it didn't. I felt strangely bored. Maybe because my brain had gotten used to studying nonstop.
Anyway,
On the last school day before the exams, Himari and I went to the canteen together.
I still remember how shocked I was.
She ate five sandwiches by herself.
Five.
Meanwhile I was still halfway through my second one.
"How are you eating so much?" I asked, staring at her plate.
She looked slightly embarrassed.
"…I skipped breakfast."
"That doesn't explain five sandwiches."
She quietly took another bite.
I just stared.
"…That's impressive."
Before I finished my meal and returned to class, she suddenly called my name.
"Renji."
"Hm?"
She hesitated for a moment.
Then she said,
"Let's make a promise."
"A promise?"
"Yes."
"What kind of promise?"
She smiled a little and said something that I won't repeat here.
Because the truth is…
She forgot about it the very next day.
The results came soon after.
In the final exams, Himari ranked in the top three in the entire school.
She even surpassed me.
For two years straight, I had always held 3rd place.
So when the rankings were announced, the teachers were shocked.
"Renji dropped in rank?"
"That's unusual."
But honestly…
I wasn't jealous.
In fact, I was happy for her.
Seeing her improve made me feel proud somehow.
But what I didn't know at the time…
was that this achievement would completely change her personality.
The first day of third year arrived.
Students filled the hallway with the usual noise of a new school year.
Unfortunately for me, I had been given a punishment.
Since I lost my ranking, the teacher assigned me to clean the hallway.
So there I was.
Holding a mop.
Cleaning the floor.
"Great start to the year," I muttered.
As I worked, I noticed someone walking down the corridor.
It was Himari.
She was heading toward the classroom.
I looked up briefly but kept mopping.
"Good morning," I said casually.
She didn't stop walking.
She didn't even slow down.
"Morning," she replied coldly.
Then she walked past me and entered the classroom.
I paused for a moment.
"…Huh?"
Something felt wrong.
Over the next few days, I tried talking to her multiple times in class.
"Hey, Himari."
No response.
"Did you finish the homework?"
Nothing.
It was like I didn't even exist.
I was confused.
The shy and quiet girl I knew had disappeared completely.
Her introverted personality was gone.
Like it had never existed.
Then, after a few days, she joined the student council.
At first, I thought,
"Wow… she's gotten arrogant."
But soon I noticed something strange.
She had formed her own friend circle.
And with them…
She laughed.
She joked.
She talked normally.
Almost cheerfully.
Meanwhile, when it came to me…
I was completely invisible.
I remember thinking,
"What the heck is going on?"
"And why am I even concerned about her?"
But eventually, I figured out the answer.
She was the first female classmate who ever talked to me.
Maybe that's why it bothered me so much.
But then something happened that made everything worse.
Much worse.