"Next month marks the start of May, which means the school festival is just around the corner," the teacher announced with a disappointed tone. "If you two want to participate, you better get your grades up. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in the office doing cleanup duty."
"What?! No way—I've got a date lined up for the festival!"
"Yeah, me too!" They both protested.
"Deal with it. Unless your grades are above 90 by the end of the month, you're missing the festival. There's always next year," the teacher replied flatly.
The two students sighed in defeat.
"Understood…"
Later that day—
"Hey, Shizuka," Mikhailov said.
"What?" Shizuka replied.
"What are you going to do about those two classmates of ours?"
"Who?" Shizuka asked.
"You know—Shuji and Naoki. They both scored below 90, so they're not allowed to join the festival."
"I couldn't care less about them," Shizuka said, shrugging.
"Come on, help them out. They're the only ones who can't participate unless someone steps in."
"Why me?"
"Because you're the only one smart enough to actually pull this off," Mikhailov said with a small grin.
Shizuka sighed. "Fine, I'll do what I can."
"I knew you'd say that! So… what's the plan?"
"I'll probably form a study group," Shizuka replied.
"Hey Naoki, since there's an exam in two weeks… let's cheat," Shuji whispered.
Naoki's eyes widened. "Wait—no way! We'll get caught, Shuji."
"We won't. Just leave it to me," Shuji said with a confident smirk.
"Don't bother with that plan. It's terrible," a voice cut in.
"Huh? What did you say, Shizuka?" Shuji snapped.
"I said your plan's terrible. There are cameras in the corners of the room—you'll be caught no matter what you try," Shizuka replied flatly.
"See? I told you, Shuji," Naoki muttered.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Shuji asked, frowning.
"I can help you," Shizuka said calmly.
"What? You mean it?" Naoki asked, surprised.
"Yes. Meet me in the library after class tomorrow. If you don't want to come, that's fine. There's always next year," Shizuka said as he walked away without looking back.
"You're not actually going, are you, Naoki?" Shuji said, scoffing.
"This could be our chance, Shuji," Naoki replied.
"Then go if you want. I'm not taking help from that guy," Shuji said—only to be interrupted by Mikhailov.
"Oh, but you will. Shizuka's your only chance to make it into the festival. You think you can pull this off without him?" Mikhailov said coldly.
Shuji clicked his tongue. "Tch… fine. Let's go, Naoki."
The school bell rang, and Shuji and Naoki followed Shizuka to the library.
"Come on, what are we doing here?" Shuji complained.
"Isn't it obvious? We're going to study for the upcoming exam," Shizuka replied.
"What!? No way I'm studying!" Shuji shouted.
"If you want to get a high grade and join the festival, then sit down and start paying attention," Shizuka said firmly.
Two hours passed. They had just finished their first study session.
"Ughh, my head is about to explode," Shuji groaned, slumping over the table.
"Well, that's the price of a good grade," Shizuka replied calmly.
"Come on, Shuji, it's not that bad," Naoki added.
"Good for you, Naoki! This better work," Shuji muttered, still holding his head.
"Oh, it will," Shizuka said. "From now on, we're meeting here in the library every day until the exam."
They both let out exhausted sighs, as Shizuka leaned back with a sigh of his own and muttered, "What a pain... This is all your fault, Mikhailov."
Two weeks had passed, and the day of the exam had finally arrived.
"Hey Shuji," Naoki said.
"What?" Shuji replied.
"Good luck on the exam."
"Uh... You too."
"So, are you both ready now?" Shizuka asked.
"We hope so," Shuji said nervously.
"Great. Do your best, I guess."
"Yeah, sure."
"Yes."
The exam began, and both of them were clearly nervous as the test papers were handed out. But to their surprise—
"What? This is easy... I actually know the answer," Shuji thought.
"Whoa, I didn't expect to understand this. Thank you, Shizuka," Naoki thought with a smile. They both answered all the questions with ease.
The bell rang.
"Time's up. Pass your papers," the teacher said coldly.
He stood at the front of the classroom and added, "Just a reminder—two weeks from now, May begins, and with it, the five-day school festival. Anyone who fails this exam will be on cleaning duty for the entire festival. So, keep that in mind. I'll be giving out the scores tomorrow."
He turned and walked out of the classroom.
"YES!" the class shouted in excitement.
Shuji and Naoki exchanged anxious but hopeful looks.
"I really hope we pass, Naoki."
"Yeah, me too, Shuji."
The Next Day
"Good morning, class," the teacher said as he entered. "Today, I'll be showing your scores on the screen. I'd like to congratulate everyone—every single one of you got above 90. No one failed."
Cheers erupted in the classroom.
"YES! Naoki, we did it!"
"Yes, we did!" Naoki replied, grinning.
Mikhailov smirked and leaned over to Shizuka. "I knew you could do it."
"Guess I did," Shizuka said with a calm nod.
"Shizuka, thank you for your help. We owe you one," Naoki said.
"Yeah, what he said," Shuji added.
"Well, congrats to you two. Now it's time to enjoy the festival," Shizuka replied.
As the noise of celebration filled the room, Shizuka leaned back in his seat and thought,
"Wow... They really pulled it off."
It was now May, and the school festival had officially begun. The students were enjoying themselves, exploring the various booths, trying food, playing games, and having a great time.
There were fun attractions everywhere — game booths, a movie theater, food vendors, and countless other activities.
Shizuka and Mikhailov walked together through the festival.
"Hey, Mikhailov," Shizuka said.
"Please stop calling me that. I know you're struggling to pronounce it," Mikhailov replied with a chuckle. "Just call me by my first name — Aaron."
"Fine... Aaron. Wanna grab something to eat?" Shizuka asked.
"Sure."
As they sat in the cafeteria eating, Shizuka's phone buzzed. An anonymous text popped up:
"Meet me in the movie theater."
"Hey Aaron, I need to go to the bathroom," Shizuka said casually.
"Oh, sure," Aaron replied, not thinking much of it.
Shizuka made his way to the theater. Waiting for him was a girl — someone eerily familiar.
"Good morning, Mr. Shizuka," the girl said, smiling politely.
"Who are you?" Shizuka asked coldly. "I can tell you're from the ACF."
"The Advanced Core Facility... otherwise known as ACF," she said with a smirk. "Sensei has a question for you."
"And what might that be?" Shizuka replied calmly.
"She wants to know... why are you wasting your time at this ridiculous school, hiding your true abilities? And she requests that you drop out and return to the facility."
Shizuka stared at her with cold, sharp eyes.
"I just wanna live a normal life, is that so much to understand?
Tell her No"
"Oh, and I haven't introduced myself yet," the girl said, pretending to be polite. "I'm Yumeko Tsukishima. Let me warn you if you refuse Sensei's request... I'll just have to expel you myself"
"Go ahead," Shizuka said, a faint smirk appearing. "I'll play your little game. Let's see how long you last."
Yumeko grinned mischievously.
"Well then, thank you for your time, Mr. Shizuka," she said before disappearing into the crowd.
Shizuka returned to the cafeteria and sat back down across from Aaron.
"So," Aaron said, raising an eyebrow, "who were you talking to?"
"Sorry for lying earlier," Shizuka replied calmly. "But it's confidential."
"It's fine. I'll just figure it out myself," Aaron said, grinning. "Now finish your food. We've got a festival to enjoy."
"Alright,"