Why Is the Prettiest Girl in School Trying to Talk to a Loner Like Me during Lunch Break? - Chapter 38 - 100 Points

Chapter 38: 100 Points

“Now then, since the midterm tests have been graded and returned… I’ll announce Asakura-san and Andou-kun’s scores here in the library!”

“Yes, Class Rep!”

“Yay~ clap clap”

(Why is Class Rep running this show anyway? Well, whatever.)

“By the way, if Asakura-san gets a perfect score in math this time, Andou-kun will present her with a reward!”

“”Yay~ clap clap“”

(Andou-kun’s… reward.)

(Crap, I haven’t prepared anything yet… Maybe a Matsuya discount coupon would work?)

“Okay, you two announce your scores for each subject I call out! First, let’s start with the appetizer—’Japanese’!”

“99 points!”

“67 points.”

“Andou-kun, didn’t Asakura-san help you study? You should try harder…”

“No, Class Rep! This is actually an improvement!”

“Next subject is ‘Social Studies,’ somehow the most forgettable of the five core subjects!”

“97 points!”

“56 points.”

“…Andou-kun, did you study?”

“I did! Look carefully! My score is more than half!”

“Next is ‘Science,’ arguably the subject most students hate among the five!”

“Hey, Class Rep! Don’t make enemies of all the science students!”

“92 points!”

“83 points.”

“Oh… Andou-kun, even if it’s not as good as Asakura-san’s, you did work hard.”

“Well, more than half of this test was about electrical currents, right?”

(Ah, I get it…)

“Next is Andou-kun’s weakest subject, ‘English’! What are the results of Asakura-san’s tutoring!?”

“97 points!”

“41 points!”

“…Andou-kun.”

“I really did my best… But Andou-kun couldn’t read any of the words in the textbook…”

“It went up! It really went up! Look, I barely avoided failing! And last time I got 12 points, so this is a huge improvement!”

“Now, for the final main dish!”

“…” gulp

“…” gulp

(Finally, the moment… Andou-kun’s reward.)

(Okay, should I prostrate myself and apologize the moment I hear the score… or just give up and hand over the beef bowl coupon…)

“The final subject! The ‘Math’ scores are!?”

“98 points.”

“100 points.”

“…Huh?”

“Eh? A-Asakura-san…”

(I wanted Andou-kun’s reward…)

“I’m sorry. I… didn’t get the 100 points.”

“Oh no… Asakura-san, why didn’t you say something when I suggested we do the results here in the library? You know, when I mentioned making a public spectacle of Andou-kun?”

“Hey, wait a second, Class Rep!”

“I’m sorry… You and Andou-kun both helped me study, so I just couldn’t say anything…”

“I see… I should have considered you might make a mistake too. That’s on me.”

“I really am… sorry.”

(Asakura-san couldn’t get 100 points on this test? That’s impossible… Honestly, this test wasn’t that difficult. The material covered was exactly what I predicted, and I taught it to Asakura-san during our study session…)

“Hey, Asakura-san. Could you show me your test? I want to see where you made a mistake.”

“Y-yes… here it is.”

“Wait, Andou-kun, that’s… Asakura-san will feel bad.”

“Class Rep, it’s fine. Andou-kun helped me study after all…”

(This is—)

“Asakura-san, is this the problem you got wrong?”

“Yes.”

“This is… the last word problem? But the answer has a ‘○’—wait, the formula has an ‘×’ and points were deducted!?”

“That’s right… In the last problem, I wrote subtraction instead of addition in part of the formula… But since the answer was correct, I only lost 2 points.”

“Oh right, for some reason in math, only the last word problem requires both the formula and answer, and the scoring is split between them, so it’s worth more points…”

“So that’s why it’s 98 points.”

(But this is… knowing Asakura-san—)

“Andou-kun, I’m really sorry even though you helped me study…”

“Asakura-san, you did great.”

“Wah!”

(Wh-what!? Andou-kun is suddenly patting my head…)

“I understand. Asakura-san, this formula error is just a writing mistake, right? You calculated it correctly in your head, but forgot to write the sign change from the previous formula. That’s why even though you multiplied the ‘−’ into the expression in parentheses, the ‘−’ sign didn’t change to ‘+’. Normally that would change the answer too, but the fact that your answer is correct proves you calculated it properly in your mind. You’re probably the type who takes time on word problems, so you rushed and wrote the formula wrong.

But from my perspective, rather than saying you couldn’t get 100 points… I think it’s amazing you got 98 points. Because even with limited time and a formula error, you still solved the problem and found the correct answer!”

(A-Andou-kun… you’re not angry at me? You’re not disappointed I couldn’t get 100 points?)

“B-but… I didn’t get 100 points…” sniff

“Sigh, what are you saying, Asakura-san? You’re… smarter than me but still an ‘idiot.'”

“Wha!”

(Wh-what did you say!? Andou-kun, saying that to me when I’m about to cry—)

“Listen, Asakura-san. Tests aren’t valuable because you get some number like ‘100 points.’ What’s important is ‘confirming’ that you’ve properly absorbed what you’ve learned. So don’t worry about ‘numbers’ on a piece of paper. After all, you solved every single problem on this test, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Then it’s fine. This test ‘confirmed’ that you’ve made everything you learned in class into your own knowledge! Think of the formula error as just the math teacher’s petty complaint. In fact, this test proves that writing out formulas is just a waste of time! You worked hard, Asakura-san. Good job, good job…”

“Andou-kun…”

(Andou-kun’s hand… is so gentle. Every time he pats my head, my chest feels all warm and fuzzy.)

“Asakura-san, my words might not… cheer you up, but if you’re still worried about this test score, I’ll grade it myself!”

“Eh!”

“Andou-kun!? What are you writing on Asakura-san’s test… Ah!”

(Andou-kun wrote ‘100 points’ on my test with red pen—)

“There, now this test is 100 points! No matter what anyone says, I certify this test as a perfect 100. Since I got 100 points, there’s no mistake! If anyone complains, teacher or not, I’ll beat them up!

So… is this okay? Asakura-san?”

“Andou-kun… I’m so happy! My first 100 points in my life!”

(Good. Asakura-san seems cheerful again.)

(Andou-kun… I really do love you!)

“…”

(I wonder why… This should be a heartwarming story, but when you compare their grades—)

Asakura-san: Overall Rank 1st out of 123 students

Andou-kun: Overall Rank 49th out of 123 students

(Andou-kun… you’re not in a position to say those things, you know?)

[Bonus Story] “Asakura-san’s Day”

Chirp chirp… Chiiirp! ← Bird sounds

Morning

6:00 AM – Wake up

“Mmm… Another beautiful morning!”

I’m a morning person. So I always wake up a bit early, take a quick shower, then eat breakfast as my daily routine.

6:30 AM – Shower ~ Breakfast

“Itadakimasu.”

My family prefers bread. So after my shower, the table has sandwiches, milk, and salad that Mama prepared.

7:00 AM – Get dressed, head to school

“Mama, I’m leaving.”

“Okay~ Have a good day. Ufufu~ ♪”

School starts at 8:00, but I go early. It’s not because the commute is long—I always arrive at school early. The reason is—

“At this rate, I’ll reach the classroom by 7:15. Ufufu, I can read light novels for about 30 minutes!”

That’s right, I simply want to read light novels. I could read Narou on my phone or use book covers to hide light novels in class without other students noticing, but I’m known as the ‘school’s number one beauty.’ That’s why I keep my identity as a ‘light novel otaku’ secret by only reading during early morning when few classmates are around.

Plus, when more classmates arrive, I can’t concentrate worrying if they’ll notice I’m reading light novels.

7:30 AM – Reading light novels in classroom

“Fufufu~ ♪ As expected, nobody comes to class until about 7:40.”

Right, I’m alone in this classroom… just me…

“…Nobody’s here yet, right?” glance

After confirming no other students have arrived, I secretly leave my seat… and bury my face in the desk next to mine.

“Haaah~ ♪ Andou-kun’s seat… The desk Andou-kun uses… Andou-kun’s chair…” sniff sniff

This is my recently added daily routine. Simply put: reading light novels at Andou-kun’s desk!

N-no… there’s no deep meaning to this! It’s just… as a maiden in love, isn’t it ‘normal’ to want to bury your face in your crush’s seat and read light novels, the same hobby he enjoys? But while any maiden in love would want to do this… it’s hard to actually do it, right? So I secretly feel Andou-kun’s warmth for just a few minutes in the empty morning classroom!

tap tap ← Footsteps approaching the classroom

“Sniff sniff… Ah, footsteps!? I need to hurry back to my seat!” whoosh

Slide ← Door opening

“Oh, Asakura-san, good morning. You’re early as always.”

“Class Rep, good morning. You’re always early too.”

“As Class Rep, it’s natural I arrive early. Rather, you arriving before me is more impressive.”

“You think so? Fufu~ ♪”

8:30 AM – First period

“So… this English sentence is—”

“…” stare

“zzZZ~” sleeping soundly

During class, I seriously listen to the teacher and take notes. And with my eyes, I perfectly observe Andou-kun sleeping beside me! How perfectly? Well, the left half of my notebook where I’m copying the blackboard is filled with a portrait of Andou-kun peacefully sleeping on a bed of roses!

12:30 PM – Lunch time

“Muu, Andou-kun always disappears somewhere as soon as lunch starts…”

“Sakura ♪ Let’s eat lunch in the cafeteria?”

“Momo, yes. Let’s go to the cafeteria.”

I’d like to invite Andou-kun for lunch if possible, but unfortunately he always goes somewhere as soon as lunch begins. So I always eat in the cafeteria with other classmates to deepen friendships.

2:30 PM – Sixth period

“Alright, this formula here… Making up test questions is too much hassle, so I’m just gonna put this on the test exactly as is. Any idiots who can’t score better write it down.”

“…” stare

“Our math teacher is way too lazy…” scribble scribble

Andou-kun basically sleeps through most classes, but he’s always awake and listening during math. Maybe Andou-kun likes this subject. And while I watch Andou-kun, naturally I’m also paying attention in class. I’ve written notes and perfectly understand what the teacher said. How perfectly? Well, since Andou-kun’s serious profile during class is quite rare, my entire notebook is filled with illustrations of dignified Andou-kun attending class with a rose in his mouth!

4:30 PM – Going home

“Phew~ School was fun again today ♪”

After returning home, I voluntarily open my notebooks in my room to study. After all, a student’s duty is to study. That’s why I must properly prepare and review. Well, after this I’ll read light novels until bedtime.

6:30 PM – Dinner

“Guhehe~… When we get married, I want at least as many children as there are major publishers~ ♪”

knock knock ← Door knocking

“Dinner’s ready~”

“Mama! Oh, it’s already this late. Hmm, I should stop studying here. Yes, I’m coming!”

7:30 PM – Bath, then reading

“Phew, refreshing… Now, I’ve studied, eaten dinner, taken a bath, all that’s left is reading my backlog of light novels!”

11:00 PM – Bedtime

“Mumble mumble… sleepy… should I go to bed? Ufufu… this light novel was interesting. I have to tell Andou-kun tomorrow…” zzZZ~ ♪

And so, my day passes by happily once again.

Translation Notes:

1. 1. 1. • Matsuya – popular Japanese beef bowl chain restaurant