The holidays are over and the results of the midterm tests are posted on the bulletin board at school.
Since this was a so-called college-preparatory school, the top fifty students would have their names posted on the bulletin board.
When I turned my eyes to the posted rankings, I saw my name written in the 33rd place.
I guess Iâm not that bad.
I usually study hard, but I canât seem to take it seriously.
However, I canât afford to lose my grades, because I wonât be getting any money from my parents.
After checking the rankings, I quickly went back to my seat and put the earphones in my ears, playing my usual music.
A reference book in my hand. Itâs not that I donât have friends, but I donât have enough to talk to them.
Suddenly, I am tapped on the shoulder.
âDid you see the rankings?â
The person who calls out to me is Yuki Takayama in the seat behind me.
Since high school, heâs been a rare breed to talk to me about anything.
I took the earphones out of my ears and turned around.
âHmm?ãI just saw it. Itâs not a ranking Iâm particularly concerned aboutâ
âThatâs great. Thatâs what a man who can study would sayâ
The content of the exam this time was similar to a review of junior high school.
âIf you canât get a score on that, you shouldnât be on this school, right?. It was a simple question.
âWhat about Takayama?â
âMe? I mean, I scored decent, but Iâm not rankedâ
Takayamaâs score was not bad at all, as he showed me his answer sheet.
If his average score was a little higher, he would be about the same as me.
Takayama puts the answer sheet on his desk with a little smile.
âWell, itâs no match for the Nadeshikoâ
Takayamaâs eyes follow a girl.
Itâs Anri Himekawa.
The only daughter of Yuzo Himekawa, the president of Himekawa Industries.
Written at the top of the bulletin board, Himekawa is surrounded by female students, interacting with each other in a friendly manner.
The boys in the class are watching the scene from a distance.
Himekawa is a beautiful girl with black hair and a beautiful face.
She is also the daughter of the president and has excellent grades. She definitely stands out.
At first glance, I knew I didnât want to get involved with Himekawa.
Weâre not the same kind of people. I thought it would be better for me if I didnât get involved.
âWell, with her looks and the test results, Sheâs great by all accountsâ
I turned my attention back to the reference book I was reading and decided to reread it.
âOh? Youâre not interested in Nadeshiko, are you Tendo?â
With a reference book by my side, I answer in an annoying way.
âIt doesnât matter to me. Itâs better to read a reference book than thatâ
âNadeshiko is one of the best-looking girls in the class, if not the school. You know how popular she is?â
I know about such things. Iâve heard the guys in my class talk about it a few times.
The number of people that have confessed to her and been rejected is in the double digits. It seems that all of them have been rejected.
In addition, one of my seniors, who is also a good-looking guy, was also rejected confession with one word.
He has a good reputation and is well-liked in his class. An impeccable kind of person.
There was even a guy from another class who came to see Nadeshiko every time there was a break.
Just having this guy in my class is exhausting for me.
Regardless, you just have to not get involved.
I watch the news in the morning. Every morning, I run a few kilometers and have breakfast.
Then, after watching the news while having breakfast, I head to high school. Itâs my daily routine.
Thirty minutes to school. I ride my bike from home to the station and take the train.
And from the station, itâs just a short walk. Itâs not that far.
Itâs not that bad, because I can spend some time reading reference books while swinging on the train.
What caught my attention in the news this morning was that the president of Himekawa Industries was caught on charges of embezzlement.
It was probably the company of Himekawa, who was also in my class. People with money want more money.
You have to save and spend your money properly.
When I arrived at the school, there were usually several people crowded around Himekawa, but today there was no one.
There was no one talking to her, only people talking about Himekawa in whispers.
Everything else is as usual. I put the earphones in my ears and unfold my reference book.
âHave you seen the news?â
Takayama talks to me immediately.
Of course, I watch the news, but itâs annoying to talk about it.
Besides, I have nothing to gain or lose by talking about it. Itâs a waste of time.
âI donât know. I havenât seen the news this morningâ
Takayama spoke carefully from the beginning to the end of the news reported this morning.
Of course, what he said was something that I knew too.
âNadeshiko, will she go to school as is? What is she going to do with school?â
I donât know what will happen to her after her father is caught.
Youâll have to make a living. What are you going to do now?
âWell, there are plenty of ways to do that, like relying on relatives or having the government take care of us. Weâre still minorsâ
While being half forced to listen to such stories, time passed by.
No one spoke to Himekawa until after school.
No one came to see Himekawa during recess, either.
After all, thatâs how people are, right? They get close to you and then betray you.
Before you know it, theyâre gone. I didnât do anything, but the people around me are making noise all by themselves.
Thatâs why itâs so annoying. People betray you, even more so when you trust them.
As I watch Himekawa walking alone down the street from the classroom window, I too am on my way home.
Today is Friday, and tomorrow is Saturday. I have to work on Saturday and Sunday, so I decide to go home early today.
Did she go home? Well, I guess it doesnât matter to meâ¦
The reason I donât work on weekdays is so that I can study and take care of my family.
If I work on weekdays, my studies will be neglected.
I need to concentrate on both my studies and my part-time job.
After I got home, I got ready for the next day and went to bed early.
What would happen to the child if the parents were caught?
Would he or she not be able to go to school?
With these thoughts in mind, I fell into a deep sleep, not bothering to look up anything on the internet. [TLN: He was going to search about what will happen to her on the internet, lol]
TLN: This is a new series Iâm taking on, every chapter is longer than my first series so Iâm probably gonna be a bit slower in releasing chapters (Iâll still try to do it daily).
I need ideas on the time jumps transition line.