Morning warmth filled Airi's house. Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window, illuminating the clean floor and walls.
Hikari slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning to the side. Airi was already awake, sitting calmly at the edge of the bed.
"Morning," Airi said with a gentle smile.
Hikari smiled faintly, looking a little nervous. "Morning… Mo—uh, I mean, Airi."
Airi lightly patted Hikari's shoulder. "It's okay. Call me whatever you like."
Hikari nodded. Soon after, they got up and prepared for school. Hikari neatly put on her uniform, and Airi did the same.
In the living room, Hikari suddenly stopped and placed a hand on her chest.
"It feels… strange. Like someone is watching me, but I can't see anyone."
Airi looked at her with concern. "Maybe you're still tired. Don't push yourself too hard."
Hikari slowly shook her head. "It's okay. I'm fine."
The two of them then walked toward school. The morning streets were crowded with students, the sounds of vehicles echoed through the air, and a cool breeze surrounded them.
During the walk, Hikari glanced behind her several times. No one was there, yet the feeling of being watched refused to disappear. Airi noticed the tension in Hikari's expression.
"You seem nervous."
"Ah… I'm probably just overthinking small things," Hikari replied with a faint smile.
"Then focus on school," Airi said calmly.
Not long after, the school gate came into view. The day began normally, but far beyond that calm atmosphere, something unseen was slowly moving closer without anyone realizing it.
Hikari and Airi arrived at the school gate. The morning was bright, and students gathered across the schoolyard.
They walked toward their classroom together while Hikari occasionally glanced around cautiously.
The moment they entered the classroom, the atmosphere suddenly changed. The teacher looked at the students seriously.
"Good morning, everyone. Today, there will be a surprise test," the teacher announced firmly while pulling stacks of papers from a bag.
The students immediately looked shocked, whispering among themselves.
Hikari glanced at Airi. "A surprise test?" she whispered.
Airi nodded. "Yeah… it seems the teacher wants to test us today."
The teacher handed out the papers one by one. Hikari received hers, sat at her desk, and stared at the questions in front of her.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Even if it was sudden, she knew she had to focus.
Some classmates immediately began writing, while others panicked. Airi, who sat in front of Hikari, wrote quickly and carefully.
Hikari leaned forward slightly and began reading each question carefully. She felt nervous, but she tried to stay focused.
"Calm down, Hikari," she whispered to herself. "You can do this."
The classroom filled with the sound of pencils scratching across paper, mixed with occasional sighs. Time passed, and Hikari concentrated harder on every question.
After the surprise test ended, the teacher began handing back the results one by one.
Arou looked at his paper and immediately shouted,
"Why is my score only 5?!"
The teacher smiled faintly. "Actually, your score was 0, but I gave you 5 points because you worked hard enough to write something."
The entire class burst into laughter.
Arou panicked even more. "What?! So I basically answered nothing and still got a 5?!"
Lumina looked at her paper and smiled. "Wow, I got 75… not bad."
Haru nodded proudly. "70… acceptable."
Tomo frowned at his paper. "45… I need to study harder."
Other students also started announcing their scores.
"I got 67!"
"Mine's 54!"
"I got 61!"
The classroom quickly became noisy as everyone compared their grades.
Airi received her paper and smiled quietly, hiding it slightly so no one could see. Her score was 81, though nobody knew yet.
Hikari received her paper and smiled softly without immediately showing it to anyone. She sat calmly, staring at her test.
Arou looked at her curiously.
"Hey… why are you smiling to yourself, Hikari? Did you get a good score?"
Hikari only smiled shyly and stayed silent.
Curious, Arou walked over and looked at her paper. His eyes widened instantly.
"H-Hikari?! You… got 100?!"
The entire class turned toward her.
"Huh?! Hikari got 100?!"
Arou suddenly grinned proudly. "Good job, kid. Your dad is proud of you." He gently patted Hikari's head.
Hikari blushed and smiled awkwardly.
Several students laughed in surprise.
"Huh, dad?!"
Arou pointed at them sharply. "Oi, shut up!"
The teacher looked at the class seriously.
"Those with low scores will stay after school and clean the classroom!"
Arou immediately froze.
"Huh?! Me too?"
The teacher turned toward him with a smile.
"Of course. You got the lowest score."
Arou frowned in annoyance.
"Tch… I refuse to clean this classroom."
The teacher chuckled.
"Well, think of it as your reward for getting the highest score from the bottom."
The entire class burst into laughter again.
Not long after, the final bell rang.
Arou and the other students with low scores immediately prepared themselves and started cleaning the classroom.
Hikari looked at Arou for a moment before speaking softly.
"Um… Dad… can I help you?"
Arou looked surprised for a second, then smiled awkwardly.
"Ah… do whatever you want."
The surrounding students were shocked.
"Huh?! Hikari called that weasel 'Dad'??"
Others whispered and laughed.
"No way. Is she joking?"
Arou glared at them and pointed angrily.
"Oi! Who are you calling a weasel?!"
Hikari and Airi simply smiled faintly at the small chaos around them.
Hikari continued helping Arou and the others clean the classroom. The broom in her hands moved slowly while Arou occasionally complained and laughed.
"Tch… this place is such a mess!" Arou grumbled while staring at the floor.
"Huh… why was my score so low?" one student complained while holding a broom.
Meanwhile, Airi sat quietly at her desk, watching Hikari with a faint smile. She deliberately chose not to help, wanting Hikari to act on her own.
Suddenly, an upperclassman appeared in front of Hikari. His eyes were fixed on her seriously, though a teasing smile rested on his face.
"Hey… what's your name?" he asked.
"H-Hikari Mikami," Hikari answered nervously, her cheeks turning red.
"Wow… you're really beautiful," the upperclassman said with a smile. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?"
Hikari froze in panic. "Eh… why me? Aren't you interested in the girls from your own class?"
The boy shook his head with a smile.
"I don't know… they all seemed ordinary to me, but somehow I became interested in you."
Hikari let out a small sigh. "I see…"
"Come on, don't be so nervous," he added.
"I-I've never dated anyone before, so I'm panicking," Hikari admitted shyly.
"Oh…" the upperclassman muttered before glancing toward Airi. "You two look really alike."
Airi looked at him coldly. "So?"
"Are you sisters?" he asked again.
"And why does that matter?" Airi replied casually.
"Can I have your contact information?"
Airi shook her head. "No."
The boy then turned toward Hikari.
"What about you?"
Hikari hesitated for a moment before smiling shyly.
"U-Um… sure."
They exchanged contacts. Hikari stared at her phone for a moment, still shocked and embarrassed.
"Oh right, let me introduce myself. My name's Arthur, Class 3-B," the upperclassman said with a wide smile before walking away.
Hikari smiled shyly as she watched Arthur leave, her heart still pounding. From afar, Airi smiled faintly as she watched Hikari looking confused yet happy.
Around them, the sounds of brooms scraping the floor echoed through the classroom.
"Hey, hurry up and clean that corner!"
"Huh?! Why is the floor dirty again?!"
"Hahaha, Arou, Hikari's helping you. Aren't you embarrassed?"
"Oi, shut up and focus on cleaning first!"
Hikari returned her attention to the broom in her hands, but her heart still raced after that brief encounter.