The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 35: Guidance For A Failed Debut.

Guidance For A Failed Debut.

The First Day of Tests.

Nothing about our morning routine has changed.

I get up as usual, eat breakfast as usual, and—just like usual—Mikami-san shows up.

But… Mikami-san is radiating energy today. The usual routine has only one difference: her aura as a beautiful girl seems even more dazzling than ever.

If she scores higher than me on these tests, she gets my spare key. This has been a battle I couldn’t afford to lose… or at least, that’s how I felt at first.

Then again, if I win, I get the right to tell Mikami-san what to do. When I put it that way, it feels a bit mischievous… and I can’t deny it makes me a bit more motivated.

“You seem pretty calm, Kirishima-san.”

“Do I? Well, I studied enough. Unless the teachers decided to throw in a bunch of ridiculously hard questions, I should score well.”

“That’s true. The teachers can’t be happy if everyone scores perfectly, so I’m sure they’ll throw in some tough questions.”

I don’t know much about making tests, but I hear it’s a challenge. If everyone scores high, the average goes up too much. But if the test is too hard, the average drops too low.

Just as Mikami-san said, there are probably questions designed to trip us up.

Then again, no matter how much we try to predict the questions, predictions are just that. We’ll have to wait and see. Still, I think we’re both feeling pretty confident.

“If only you’d gotten a bit anxious and stayed up late cramming… my chances of winning would be a lot better.”

“Pulling an all-nighter, huh… I’d do it if I had to, but since I’ve been studying consistently, there’s no need.”

“That’s true.”

“Besides, those last-minute crams and all-nighters are more of a popular-kid specialty, so that’s not my thing.”

“…Do you have something against popular kids?”

“Nope. If I had to say, maybe it’s just lingering resentment from my failed high school debut.”

A clean and simple grudge, born from my failure to remake myself as a popular kid. So please, don’t look at me like that.

“…Well, I’m glad you didn’t make that ‘debut,’ Kirishima-san.”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“No, don’t mind me.”

I thought I heard her murmur something with a soft expression, but I couldn’t quite catch it.

Well, whatever. I’m just relieved she’s not looking at me with that frosty stare anymore. I almost collapsed right before the tests…

“All right, let’s do this.”

“I’ll be rooting for you… but I’m not going to lose.”

After we quickly tidy up and get ready to leave, Mikami-san stands up, too.

The usual warm, gentle air around her is now charged with something sharp and focused. It’s clear she’s seriously determined to win my house key.

***

Today is finally the first day of midterm exams.

But nothing has changed about my… no, our morning.

I wake up as usual, get ready as usual, and head over to Kirishima-san’s house.

Once I’m inside, the aroma of coffee fills the room. Opposite him, where he’s having breakfast, sits my usual cup, prepared just for me. Kirishima-san knows exactly how I like it, cooling it to the perfect temperature by the time I arrive.

As we enjoy this coffee filled with care, we chat about various things. Today, the topic naturally turns to exams.

Both of us prepared steadily, so we’re not in a rush or pulling all-nighters, avoiding the kind of reckless study that sacrifices sleep.

Like he said yesterday, those “desperate measures” are the specialty of popular kids, as he calls it. Kirishima-san’s got quite the opinion on them; I wondered if he had a grudge against popular people, but… turns out it’s just a bit of resentment from his failed attempt to become one.

Sure, it was unfortunate that he missed the start of high school because of poor health. It must have been a letdown for him, wanting to make a “high school debut.”

But… I’m actually glad Kirishima-san’s attempt didn’t work out.

After all, because he was slipping out of class, he was there to help me when I needed it that day.

Now, his favorite quiet spot has become our regular meeting place. And he wouldn’t have found that spot if his high school debut hadn’t failed. It’s probably a bitter memory for him, so I won’t say this out loud… but I feel very lucky.

And that’s not all.

At first, I did make him stand out a bit, but now he’s content with blending in, or so he says. I almost asked if that’s a good thing, but he said he’s “fully enjoying the life of a loner,” so I didn’t press further.

But thanks to his low-profile school life, I get to have him all to myself. With a wide social circle, he’d have to divide his time, but with Kirishima-san, that’s not a concern.

Ah… but don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t want him to make friends.

It’s just that… I’m glad to be his number one.

Though, since he doesn’t want to stand out, it’s a bit disappointing that we can’t talk much at school. But we make up for it in the mornings, after school, and on weekends, so for now, I’ll let him be.

For now… for now.

Well, anyway, it’s time to focus on the exams.

Once they’re over, there’s a celebration date waiting, so I’ll do my best to get through this.

And with the spare key on the line, I’m putting my all into it…!