Takemi stood frozen, her water bottle dangling from her fingertips. Her pulse quickened. Not from the exam or the little walking she just did but from that strange mix of nervousness and curiosity that seemed to appear whenever Kazama was involved.

  Should I go talk to him? We met in the library a few days ago. Would it be weird to approach him again? Especially after it looked like I was stalking him. She bit her lower lip, thinking. But then again, we're both here early. It would be weirder to just ignore him. Right? That would be rude. Or would it?

  Just go. Say hi. It's not that complicated. It will be fine. Or will it be? You know what. I am not a person who would think too much and not do simple things like this.

  Takemi took a breath, straightened her shoulders and walked toward him while shrugging off any doubts about it being weird.

  "Kazama-kun," she said, stopping a few feet away. Her voice came out steadier than she felt.

  Kazama looked up from his book, his expression neutral but not unwelcoming. "Tachibana-san." He marked his place with his thumb. "Finished already?"

  "Yeah." She gestured vaguely behind her. "You too?"

  "About ten minutes ago," Kazama said, closing the book completely and setting it beside him on the grass.

  Takemi glanced down at the cover, squinting slightly to make out the title. "What are you reading?"

  "Math equations. Just reviewing for the next exam," Kazama replied simply.

  At least it's not circus tricks this time. Relief flickered through her, followed immediately by amusement at the memory. She fought back a small smile.

  "Can I sit?" she asked, pointing to the empty space beside him under the tree.

  Kazama shifted slightly to his right, making more room. "Sure."

  Takemi lowered herself down carefully, smoothing her skirt beneath her as she sat. She left a respectful distance between them which was not too close, not awkwardly far. Her back rested against the rough bark of the tree. The shade was cool and pleasant..

  For a moment, neither spoke. It wasn't uncomfortable, exactly, but there was an awareness of the other person's presence.

  "How did you find the Science paper?" Takemi asked, breaking the silence. She kept her eyes forward, watching the empty courtyard.

  "It was fine. Most of it was straightforward." Kazama's tone was matter-of-fact. He turned his head slightly toward her. "You?"

  "Same." Takemi hesitated, her fingers tightening around her water bottle. She debated whether to admit her uncertainty. Then she decided honesty was easier. "Though... there were three Physics questions at the end that I wasn't completely sure about."

  Kazama's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes sharpened with recognition. "The ones about electromagnetic induction and wave interference?"

  Takemi's head whipped toward him, her eyes widening. "Yes! Those exactly." Her voice rose slightly with surprise and relief. "You found them difficult too?"

  "Not difficult, just... specific." Kazama tilted his head thoughtfully. "They required you to apply concepts in ways we hadn't really practiced. I think they were testing whether we actually understood the principles or just memorized formulas."

  "That's what I thought too." The tension in Takemi's shoulders eased, her posture relaxing. She leaned back against the tree more fully. "I tried to work through them logically, but I'm not sure if I got the right answers."

  It's actually kind of nice to know someone else found them challenging. Everyone always expects me to find everything easy. Like I'm some kind of machine that doesn't struggle, Takemi thought while she brushed her hair to the side.

  "If you used logical reasoning and showed your work, you'll get partial credit even if the final answer isn't perfect," Kazama said. His voice held a note of assurance without any pity.

  "That's what I'm hoping for," Takemi said, a small, genuine smile crossing her lips.

  They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Birds chirped overhead. The breeze picked up slightly, rustling the papers of Kazama's textbook. Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed.

  Takemi turned her head to look at him. He was gazing out at the courtyard, seemingly content with the quiet. His face was calm, unburdened. It was... different. Most people she knew couldn't sit still like this without fidgeting or filling the silence with meaningless chatter.

  "Can I ask you something?" The words came out before she could stop them.

  Kazama turned to face her, his expression open. "Sure."

  Takemi hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Why don't you seem nervous? About any of this. The exams, the Qualifiers, any of it." She gestured vaguely with her hand. "Like in the library, you were reading about advanced magnetism. And then the other day, circus tricks." She said the last part with a hint of amusement creeping into her voice. "You just... you don't act like someone who's stressed."

  Kazama considered the question for a moment, his gaze drifting back to the courtyard. When he spoke, his voice was even, thoughtful. "I am nervous. I just don't see the point in showing it."

  Takemi frowned slightly, leaning forward. "What do you mean?"

  "Being nervous doesn't help you perform better. If anything, it makes you perform worse." He paused, organizing his thoughts. "So I try to stay calm and focus on what I can control. My preparation, my approach to the questions, my time management. The rest is just noise."

  Takemi blinked, absorbing that. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed. "That's... actually really mature."

  "It's just practical," Kazama said with a slight shrug, his tone completely unassuming.

  There he goes again with the practical knowledge thing. Takemi felt a mix of frustration and admiration. But he's right. I spent so much energy worrying about those three questions that I almost forgot to review for Math.

  She looked down at her hands, her fingers tracing the label on her water bottle. When she spoke again, her voice was softer and more vulnerable. "Do you ever worry about not being good enough?"

  Kazama looked at her. For a moment, something shifted in his expression. Not pity, not judgment. Something like understanding.

  "Everyone worries about that sometimes," he said quietly. Then his tone shifted, becoming more analytical. "But I think the better question is: good enough for what? For whose standards?"

  Takemi felt the question settle in her chest, heavy and significant. She broke eye contact, looking down again. "For... becoming a hero, I guess. For living up to expectations."

  "Whose expectations?" Kazama pressed gently. "Your own, or other people's?"

  Takemi opened her mouth to answer immediately, then stopped. The words caught in her throat. She closed her mouth again, her brow furrowing as she actually thought about it.

  Whose expectations? Mom's? Dad's? My teachers'? My brother’s? My own? Takemi thought with conflict in her mind.

  The realization that she didn't have a clear answer unsettled her.

  "I..." She hesitated, her voice uncertain. "I don't know. Both, maybe?"

  "Then figure out which one matters more to you." Kazama's voice was firm but not unkind. "Because you can't live your life trying to meet everyone else's expectations."

  Kazama looked away then, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. I've been trying to do that, and I've been failing miserably, he thought bitterly. The hypocrisy of his own advice wasn't lost on him.

  Before Takemi could respond, before she could process what he had just said, voices echoed from inside the building. Distant at first, then growing louder. Doors creaked open. Footsteps multiplied. The break was ending.

  "Looks like our quiet time is over," Kazama said, picking up his book and brushing a few stray blades of grass from its cover.

  "Yeah," Takemi said softly, standing up and dusting off her skirt. She grabbed her water bottle, feeling oddly reluctant to leave.

  As she walked away toward the main courtyard to find Kana and Sakura, she found herself replaying the conversation in her head. Turning his words over like stones in her hand. What he said about expectations... Maybe he's right. Maybe I need to figure out what I actually want, not just what everyone expects me to want.

  "Takemi! There you are!", Kana's voice cut through her thoughts like a bell. Takemi turned to see her friends rushing toward her, Kana practically bouncing with energy. Sakura followed close behind, more composed but equally curious.

  "How did it go? Heard you left really early!" Sakura asked, slightly out of breath.

  Takemi forced a smile. "It went fine. I think I did well."

  "Of course you did." Kana linked her arm through Takemi's immediately, her grip warm and familiar. "You're literally a genius."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Sakura's eyes, however, had already drifted past Takemi, scanning the courtyard. "Was that Kazama-kun you were talking to?"

  Takemi felt heat rise to her cheeks. "We were just discussing the exam," she said quickly, perhaps too quickly.

  Sakura's grin widened. "Sure you were. Just discussing the exam." She tilted her head, her tone dripping with teasing sarcasm. "Under a tree. All alone. Very academic."

  "We were!" Takemi protested, pulling her arm free from Kana's grip and crossing both arms defensively over her chest.

  "Okay, okay, we believe you," Kana said, though her tone and the sparkle in her eye suggested the exact opposite. She exchanged a quick glance with Sakura. "But you have to admit, you two have been running into each other a lot lately."

  "It's just coincidence," Takemi insisted, her voice rising slightly.

  Sakura raised one eyebrow, her expression utterly unconvinced. "Is it, though?"

  Before Takemi could mount a defense, the courtyard filled with a sudden rush of students. The doors to the building burst open and dozens of exam-takers spilled.

  Some looked relieved, others shell-shocked. A few were already crying quietly, their faces red and blotchy.

  Among the crowd, Kurogane emerged looking absolutely destroyed. His hair stuck up in even wilder directions than before. His eyes were glazed, unfocused. His tie hung completely loose around his neck now, the knot abandoned entirely. He moved like a zombie, shuffling rather than walking.

  "Hey, Kurogane!" Haruto's voice rang out cheerfully from across the courtyard.

  Kurogane's head turned slowly and mechanically toward the sound. Kazama was there too, standing slightly behind Haruto, already absorbed in a book on math equations. He didn't look up.

  "Don't ask what happened in that atrocious exam," Kurogane said before Haruto could even open his mouth. His voice was flat, defeated.

  Haruto's face lit up with barely suppressed laughter. "Kazama here told me you slapped yourself after looking at the questions. Hahahaha!" He doubled over slightly, clutching his stomach.

  Kurogane's face went through several emotions in rapid succession with embarrassment and resignation. "That was for the caffeine to kick in," he muttered defensively. Then his eyes snapped to Kazama, narrowing. "And Kazama, you bastard. I winked at you twice. Twice! You didn't get the gesture? That means 'what's the answer for the second question.'"

  Kazama finally looked up from his book, his expression completely neutral. "The invigilator said no cheating." He paused. "Besides, if you wanted the answer for, let's say, the twentieth question, by your logic you would have blinked twenty times?"

  Kurogane stared at him, mouth slightly open. Then he threw his hands up dramatically. "Forget it, man. I saw it. I saw how much our friendship is worth." He placed a hand over his heart, his voice taking on a theatrical quality. "I trusted you. With everything." He turned away, as if overcome with emotion, though his shoulders were shaking.

  Haruto shook his head, grinning. "That's a bit too dramatic, Kurogane."

  Kurogane waved him off dismissively, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite his best efforts.

  ************************************************************************************************************************

  The thirty-minute break passed in a blur. And now it was time for the Maths exam.

  Takemi flipped her exam paper over and felt a wave of relief wash through her like cool water.

  This is my territory.

  The questions ranged from basic algebra to calculus, geometry to trigonometry. She recognized patterns immediately, saw solutions forming in her mind before her pen even touched the paper.

  Question 1: Solve for x: 3x2 - 12x + 9 = 0

  Question 5: Find the derivative of f(x) = 4x3 - 7x2 + 2x - 5

  Question 10: In triangle ABC, if angle A = 45°, side b = 10cm and side c = 8cm, find the length of side a using the cosine rule.

  Her pen moved swiftly, confidently. Numbers flowed from her mind to the page. This was what she had trained for. This was what she was good at.

  In room 2-C, Kazama was having a similar though slightly less confident experience. Mathematics wasn't his strongest subject but he was methodical. He worked through each problem step by step, double-checking his calculations.

  Some questions took longer than others. A calculus problem involving limits gave him pause and he had to work backward from the answer options to verify his approach. But overall he was managing.

  Kurogane surprisingly was calmer this time.

  The panic from the Science exam had taught him a lesson. This time he read each question carefully. He didn't rush. When he encountered a problem he didn't immediately know how to solve, he skipped it and moved on instead of spiraling into anxiety.

  Start with what you know. Build confidence. Come back to the hard ones, Kurogane repeated this mantra inside his head.

  He managed to complete a fair amount of questions maybe not perfectly but completed nonetheless. His handwriting was messier than Takemi's, his work less elegant than Kazama's, but it was there. Effort. Attempt. Progress.

  ************************************************************************************************************************

  "Time!"

  The invigilator's voice rang out. The Maths exam was over.

  Another break.

  This time, Takemi didn't go outside. The courtyard would be crowded, noisy, filled with people comparing answers and second-guessing themselves. She didn't need that energy right now.

  Instead, she headed to the cafeteria.

  The large room was already packed with students, their voices overlapping into a dull roar. Conversations about the Math exam dominated every table.

  "Did you get question fifteen?"

  "That calculus problem was insane!"

  "I'm pretty sure I failed that."

  "No way, the geometry section was like that. Who is designing these papers?"

  She found a seat near the window, away from the densest clusters of people.

  She unwrapped a rice ball slowly and started taking small bites. She needed to calm her mind before the final exam. Literature wasn't her strongest subject, but she was confident enough.

  One last exam today. And then tomorrow... the bonus exam.

  The thought sent a small thrill of nervous anticipation through her stomach.

  "Mind if I join you?"

  Takemi looked up, blinking in surprise.

  Akito stood there, holding a tray with his lunch. He looked awkward with his shoulders slightly hunched, his eyes not quite meeting hers. He glanced around the cafeteria as if searching for other options, but every table was packed.

  "Sure," Takemi said, gesturing to the empty seats across from her.

  "Thanks." Akito sat down carefully, setting his tray down. He adjusted his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose. "You finished both exams really early," he said after a moment, his voice quiet. "That must feel nice."

  Takemi shrugged lightly. "It's less about finishing early and more about being confident in my answers." She took another bite of her rice ball. "Finishing early doesn't mean anything if you got everything wrong."

  Akito let out a small, surprised laugh. "I doubt you got anything wrong." He lifted his glasses again, even though they hadn't slipped. "You're the top student in our year."

  "That's what everyone keeps saying," Takemi said, her voice softer now, almost tired. "But rankings don't mean I'm perfect. I just... try to do my best."

  Akito nodded but didn't have a follow-up. The conversation stalled. Silence settled between them.

  Takemi took a sip of water, her mind drifting. Then she remembered something. Something she had been meaning to say but hadn't found the right moment for.

  "By the way," she said, setting down her water bottle and looking at him directly. "I wanted to thank you."

  Akito blinked, confusion crossing his face. "For what?"

  "For standing up for my brother the other day." Takemi's voice was earnest now, her expression sincere. "I couldn't say anything at the time because... well, we don't really talk that much. But seeing you hype him up, seeing you defend him like that, it was one of the reasons I felt like I had to say something too."

  Akito's face flushed slightly, turning pink around his ears. He looked down at his food, suddenly very interested in his sandwich. "Um... you're welcome." His voice was barely above a mumble. "I just couldn't see the strongest person on this planet get slandered like that."

  Takemi smiled a genuine, warm smile. "You were way more confident that day. I guess talking about superpowers really had you riled up."

  "I guess so," Akito said, a small, sheepish smile appearing on his face.

  "Well, whatever the reasoning, it was really nice of you." Takemi's tone was kind, appreciative.

  Akito nodded, his smile growing just a bit.

  Across the cafeteria, Kurogane was in line buying a sandwich when he spotted them. His eyes narrowed, then widened. He elbowed Haruto sharply in the ribs.

  "Ow….what?" Haruto followed Kurogane's gaze. "Oh."

  "Would you look at that?" Kurogane said, his voice filled with surprise and amusement.

  Haruto tilted his head, observing. "That's an interaction I would have never guessed."

  Kurogane turned to face Haruto more directly, his expression suddenly serious. "You better get more marks than him tomorrow." He pointed subtly in Akito's direction. "He's a god when it comes to superheroes' knowledge. But you..." He paused, then grinned. "You're also the best."

  Haruto let out a tired laugh, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's just finish up and get done with today."

  They finished their snacks in relative silence. The energy in the cafeteria had shifted. Everyone was tired. Two exams down. One to go.

  Eventually, the announcement came again, calling students back to their rooms.

  The final test of the day was about to begin.

  The Literature exam was divided into two parts: English first, then Japanese.

  The English section included reading comprehension passages, grammar exercises and a short essay prompt. Most students found it manageable.

  Takemi’s vocabulary was strong, her grammar solid. The essay prompt asked students to analyze a poem about nature and change. She structured her response clearly: introduction, three body paragraphs, conclusion.

  Kazama, too, handled the English section well. His writing was concise, direct. He didn't waste words.

  The Japanese section was more challenging.

  It consisted of excerpts from classic literature and traditional poetry forms like haiku and tanka. The questions required not just understanding but interpretation, cultural context and analysis.

  Takemi had studied hard for this but some of the references were obscure, pulling from historical periods she hadn't focused on as heavily. She found herself second-guessing a few answers, rereading passages multiple times.

  Still, she persisted.

  Then came the final essay prompt, printed at the bottom of the last page in bold letters:

  "What responsibility do heroes have to society?"

  Takemi stared at the question for a long moment, her pen hovering over the blank space.

  Everyone's going to write about protecting people and upholding justice. That's the obvious answer. I need something more nuanced. Something deeper.

  She thought about her conversation with Kazama earlier. About expectations. About standards. About figuring out what actually mattered.

  She began to write.

  Her essay argued that heroes had a responsibility not just to save people from immediate danger, but to inspire society to be better. That heroism wasn't just about physical strength or flashy powers but it was about accountability, about acknowledging mistakes, about working within systems while also being willing to question those systems when they failed people. She wrote about how heroes needed to be more than symbols. They needed to be human. Flawed. Real. Because only then could they truly connect with the people they were meant to protect.

  Kazama's essay took a different approach. He wrote about the balance between power and responsibility, acknowledging that the current hero system had structural flaws. He discussed how heroes were sometimes prioritized for their public image over their actual effectiveness, how media narratives shaped perceptions more than actions did.

  He got a bit too political, perhaps. He questioned whether heroes were accountable enough, whether the regulatory systems in place were sufficient, whether society placed too much faith in individuals rather than building stronger communities.

  "Time. Pens down."

  The invigilator's voice cut through the room one final time.

  Students set down their pens with a mixture of relief and exhaustion. Papers were collected. The first day of written exams was over.