“Is everything set?” Amelia asked me as I revealed the contents of the paper bag I had been handed.
“Yes, my lady. I think this will be enough.”
Lowering her head slightly, Amelia said softly, “I told you not to be formal at school. Well, I trust you’ll do well on your own.”
“Okay.”
I was about to turn away from Amelia and head to the teachers’ office when her hand landed on my shoulder.
“Hyunjin, you don’t have to overdo it. I have no intention of blaming you for being a little late with the retest right now.”
A nod was my only response.
***
I went to the teachers’ office and hurriedly looked for Monjiro Kobayashi.
When Monjiro saw the brand of the paper bags in both of my hands, he called me to the student guidance room.
“Hmm, Kim-kun! What are those, are you trying to smooth things over with something like this?”
It must have been a misunderstanding.
I set down the paper bag and replied, “No, I just wanted to be able to retake the test today.”
Monjiro’s gaze wasn’t on me but on the bag of Japanese sweets I had placed down.
“Teacher?”
“Kuhm, keuhum! You, what are those…!”
“There’s no need to wait three days. If I can do it right away.”
“That should be fine, but where did you get this?” Monjiro asked, eyeing the wagashi.
“Ah, Iori-san’s servant bought it for me. She said to give it to the teacher.”
“I see. Understood. There won’t be any problem with the retest. We’ll do it after school.”
I hadn’t thought a bribe would work so easily, but he seemed to really like it.
“Alright, Kobayashi-sensei. Then I’ll see you after school.”
“Yes.”
As I opened the door to leave, I heard the rustling of paper behind me.
***
I returned to the classroom and explained the situation to my group.
“You mean you got permission to retake the exam, Kim-kun?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank God…” Ohana sighed beside me, patting her chest in relief.
“Hoho, I’m glad. There are times when Kiba-san is actually useful.”
“This great one has always been useful. If it weren’t for the noble lady, wouldn’t we have been enjoying after-school tea time instead of a re-exam?”
“That’s true. This whole operation would’ve been impossible without Kiba-san. Thank you.”
As Amelia politely lifted the ends of her skirt and assumed a formal posture, Sojuro waved his hand dismissively and spoke in a puzzled tone.
“Hey, enough of that! I have done my part, now it’s up to you. Good luck!”
With that, Sojuro left the classroom.
“From now on, all I really want to do is study…!”
“Whoops, let’s do our best!”
“Yeah, let’s give it our all!”
“Otsu!”
The four failing students exchanged determined glances, sharing the same resolve.
***
After school.
There were only a few minutes left until the exam.
We took turns solving problems, and the results were looking pretty good.
At this level, we might actually be okay…!
Or so I thought.
Scratch… Scratch…
The sound of four pens filled the quiet classroom.
Ohana, sitting next to me, quietly slid a note over.
[Sorry, Kim-kun. Because of me, we ended up like this…]
She sounded guilty.
I quickly tore off a piece of paper and scribbled a response.
[It’s okay, Kamiyama. You don’t need to apologize so much—it’s a bad habit.]
As soon as I sent my reply, Ohana wrote back swiftly. Ryunosuke and Amelia didn’t seem to notice.
[But it’s my fault.]
[If you feel that bad, just cook me another home-cooked meal later.]
[Eh? Would that be enough?]
[As long as it’s delicious, it’s more than enough.]
[Hehe, you’re kind as always, Kim-kun.]
Seeing Ohana’s note, I turned my head slightly.
For some reason, the childhood friend—this heroine—looked especially lovely with that bright smile on her face.
I managed to keep my expression neutral, but if I hadn’t been used to controlling my emotions, I might have been caught already.
[How am I kind…?]
[Then, if I have time this weekend, I’ll cook for you. What do you like?]
[Hmm, something with meat or fish?]
[Hehehe, then I’ll put in extra effort! Before summer comes, let’s go on a picnic!]
[Sure.]
She had a way of saying exactly what she wanted, this Ohana.
‘Was she always like this?’ I wondered.
‘A picnic, huh? Sounds nice.’
As I finished organizing my thoughts and reviewing the exam questions—
“Alright, let’s begin the test.”
Monjiro, who had been sitting at the podium, spoke up.
After we spread out across the classroom, we glanced at the test papers.
The exam Monjiro handed out was the same one I had seen this morning—though slightly more difficult.
Above all, the genealogy that Sojuro had given me was exactly within the expected range. If I had just memorized it, it should be enough to pass.
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