Chapter 14: Hellish nightmare.

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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The change in the test came in at the last minute, but it didn’t pose a problem. The only issue was that since the test happened on Friday, I had to go the entire weekend almost biting my nails. To be honest, all I could do was pray at that time, but words can’t express how agonizing was the waiting process.

After an empty weekend, Monday came around. I felt my body being torn apart by the sides. On one hand, I longed to get it over with and see the results. On the other, I felt terribly scared to see it didn’t matter in the end and I’d lost. This was the first day I felt like my stomach would kill me.

I arrived at the classroom as usual and took my seat. However, since the tests were over, I didn’t bother opening any textbooks. I just sat there with glassy and dazed eyes, scrolling through my phone listlessly. Suddenly, that guy plopped himself on the seat right before me with a sh*t-eating grin.

“After school, in this classroom, right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Oh, and don’t run away, m’kay?”

I nodded silently. Matsuyama punctuated his words and returned to his seat. At that moment, the teacher walked into the classroom.

The return of answer sheets takes place all at once during the first period. Then, during the break after the first period, the rankings are posted. So, whether you’ll cry tears of anguish or smile at your success, everything concludes within this one hour.

“Well then, let’s begin homeroom.”

At the teacher’s signal, the test papers were handed back. I gripped mine while silently praying in my heart, I hope I didn’t make any mistakes.

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[Matsuyama’s POV.]

Finally, the day has come.

I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep well last night. Satisfied, I gazed at Iwaki from behind. He was probably within the top thirty at most. So, making him grovel at my feet was basically a done deal.

What’s important is whether I can defeat Saki or not.

Quickly shrugging this dimwit aside, I solely wished to defeat Saki. Pumping myself up, I received my test papers back. I got perfect scores in Japanese and in Science as well. However…

“Tch,” I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

I made one simple mistake in Social Studies. It was a stupid little error that had to do with a kanji character. However, I got a perfect score in English. Unfortunately for me. Math wasn’t a perfect score either.

“Seriously…” I messed up on the extremely challenging question that was added at the end. The calculation mistake was so silly, I felt my shoulders sink onto myself. I truly doubted whether I could defeat Saki or not.

All in all, I scored 493/500.

No matter how skilled a student Saki was, it would be difficult for her to squash the last problem. So, depending on the other subjects, I might have a chance to win. However, I had the conviction that Saki wouldn’t make mistakes in situations like this. A sigh escaped my lips.

As for that Creepy Panda… Nah, there’s no need to bother looking.

I shot a quick glance, but he was sprawled over his desk like a slob. Must’ve been escaping from reality, is all. Seeing him like that, I was convinced my reward after school was a guarantee.

Well, I can take my time and gradually figure out how to beat Saki. After all, I have plenty of time. Even if it didn’t work out now, there would always be a next try.

“Hey, Matsuyama-kun, how did you do?”

A female classmate approached me and asked about the test results. It seemed like they were all discussing scores. I joined the conversation and began boasting as I exchanged my results with theirs.

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[Iwaki’s POV.]

The first period ended, rung by the toll of the bells. I had received a message from Saki saying she would come to my class, so I sat and waited for her.

“Sorry. I’m late,” Saki voiced between ragged gasps. I reassured her with a gesture that I didn’t really mind. “Okay then, let’s go,” she continued after a few seconds to catch her breath.

We both tried to leave for the corridor, only for Matsuyama to approach and interrupt us both.

“Iwaki, could you check my ranking while you’re at it?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“I don’t even need to see the results, right? It’s pretty obvious.”

Is he really sure he doesn’t need to see it? While I was impressed in a rather bad way, Saki interjected with her own answer. “Yeah, right.”

She had been so quick, Matsuyama was caught off-guard. He momentarily froze, but his mood soon raised to the heavens as she’d engaged in a conversation with him, unlike usual.

“As expected of Saki. You understand me well,” Matsuyama remarked.

“Yes. Although reluctantly, I believe I have a certain understanding of you from our year of acquaintance,” Saki replied.

“I-I see,” Matsuyama stuttered.

Matsuyama wore a creepy smile, clearly delighted. It was evident he was disgustingly happy with it all.

“Well then, let’s go, Iwaki-kun,” she turned to me.

“Mhm.”

“I’ll be eagerly waiting for your report~”

Matsuyama sent us off in song.

“How about you, Akito, how did you go?” She asked as soon as we were out of his earshot.

“I did well,” I replied.

“Oh, that’s good to hear!”

And then, we headed to check the posted rankings.

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[Matsuyama’s POV.]

“By the way, Matsuyama-kun is amazing,” one of my classmates began.

“Scoring 493 points on that test is incredible,” another chimed in.

“And thanks to him pointing out the irregularities, our scores improved too,” someone else said.

“Yeah, if we hadn’t studied in advance, it could have been dangerous,” one other smiled at the results.

One by one, my classmates praised me. It was all thanks to me that their scores had improved. The class average had gone up, and my reputation would surely rise as well.

“Going this far almost makes me feel sorry for that Creepy Panda,” someone remarked.

“Indeed, haha,” another person agreed.

“We definitely need to film him getting down on his knees,” someone else added with a snicker.

“I’m really looking forward to after school!” another classmate exclaimed.

I interjected just to make it clear. “But speaking of that, if he actually comes to apologize, I’m planning to forgive him,” I feigned the words of a saint.

“Huh? Why?” someone asked.

“Well, everyone makes mistakes, right? If he shows genuine remorse and tries to change, let’s just treat him as we have been until now,” Matsuyama replied.

“Matsuyama-kun…” someone murmured.

“Matsuyama…” another classmate added their own whispers.

This is my true intention. While I do want to punish the villain that’s harmed my Saki, as long as they cut off contact with her, I have no interest in dealing with that loser anymore.

Maybe he’ll serve as a slave for the whole class, at most.

I smirked inwardly as I contemplated what would happen after Saki and the runt returned. Just in case they made false reports or tried to escape, I sent some of my classmates to keep an eye on them.

Ahh~ I can’t wait for them to not come back soon.

Joyfully anxious, I was like a child waiting for an amusement park ride. However…

“Hey! Something’s wrong, Matsuyama!”

The person I had sent to monitor came back in a panic. It brought me back to reality abruptly, dampening my mood all the while. I frowned at their excessive agitation.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s bad! It’s the Creepy P—”

“Iwaki-kun and I will handle it from here,” Saki’s voice echoed from behind the classmate I’d sent to monitor them, and the creeper appeared alongside her.

“Hey, hey, I was tired of waiting~” To ensure they wouldn’t escape, I welcomed the two to the center of the class. “Welcome back. How did it go?” I smiled, already knowing the outcome.

Still, I wanted to hear it from their own mouths.

“It went just as I expected.”

“I see.”

Well, I guess that’s that. It was so expected that it left me feeling anticlimactic.

“So, what was Saiki’s score?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She scored a perfect 500, of course.”

The class buzzed with excitement. I clicked my tongue in annoyance, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

As expected.

If she can achieve a perfect score even on topics outside the test scope, I’ll have to come up with even more strategies to win next time.

“It’s truly impressive how she handled the irregular questions beyond the test scope,” I praised her.

“I’m not comfortable being praised by scum, so just drop it,” she spat vitriol.

I suppressed the urge to explode with anger. With this, she would finally be liberated from Iwaki’s grasp, and be finally free. I reassured myself that even this prickly side of Saki would someday become a fond memory when we look back together.

“Well then, I’ll have Iwaki kneel and apologize after school, is that alright?”

“Huh? Why?”

Iwaki defiantly resisted and responded to me with feigned innocence. His expression, as if he understood nothing, infuriated me.

He really is a despicable guy…

“Iwaki, didn’t you say that if you couldn’t beat me, you would kneel down in apology? Or are you suggesting sticking to the original plan and making Saki do it?” I said in utter disbelief.

“That’s despicable!”
“It’s not right to make a girl kneel down!”
“You’re the worst…”
“Don’t go back on your promise!”

A supportive fire was sent from the entire class. Next to me, Saki had been trembling and looking down since earlier.

Just wait. Your big bro will come to save you!

“Hey, Iwa—” I was interrupted before I could even utter his name.

“I can’t take it anymore! It’s unbearable!” Saki suddenly burst into loud laughter. We were taken aback by her excessively vulgar way of laughing. “Hehehe, I’m sorry. I went overboard with the clownish act, so I couldn’t stop laughing.”

Saki said something that made no sense.

I feel sorry for her… Has that b*****d pushed her this far?

“Saki, are you okay?”

“Iwaki-kun, why don’t you tell her your score?” She ignored me and turned to that thing. It was unclear why she would engage in such a futile act.

“Hm? Oh, I got a 500,” he mentioned casually.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course, you got only… Wait, 500?!”

“What?!” The entire class boomed along with me.

I wondered if I was hearing things, so I asked again.

“What did you just say you got?”

“500 points.”

“Who did?”

“Me,” he pointed to himself.

“Wha—?”

I furrowed my brow. I couldn’t believe how shameless and deceitful he was. Instead of anger, I felt a tinge of pity toward Iwaki. However, that pity soon boiled to anger as it welled up inside me, almost bursting out.

“Iwaki, it’s not good to blatantly lie just because you don’t want to bow down, you know?”

“Huh? I-I’m telling the truth, though.”

“I told you not to lie, didn’t I?”

I asked the classmates who went to monitor and told them to speak the truth. However, they responded with pale faces.

“It’s not a lie! I also confirmed it with my own eyes multiple times!” One of the eyes I’d planted said, desperate.

“I-I thought it was an illusion too…” Another added.

“He was tied with Mizumoto-san for the top position…” The third one said.

Wait, Iwaki is the top scorer apart from Saki? Not me?

I couldn’t believe everything that was happening, and I felt like I was overheating. Saki stood beside me.

“Saki…”

“Sorry, Matsuyama-kun,” Saki approached me with a solemn expression, apologizing.

That’s right, this must be a prank!

Then, her expression suddenly warped, as if the devil himself had possessed her very being. “I’ve been saying misleading things all along just to see that foolish expression on your face. But I’m satisfied now. See you later for the bowing, dear stepbrother…”

At that moment, the thread called reason within me snapped.

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[Iwaki’s POV.]

Saki delivered the final blow to Matsuyama.

She has such a lovely smile, I mused. At the same time, I realized that I need to seriously consider correcting her personality.

Matsuyama remained motionless, however. The classmates all approached him with concerned expressions. But—

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu—!”

“M-Matsuyama-kun?” I called out to him after he started making a strange noise. Then, his face burst into a hellish red as he bellowed his next words.

“That’s riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!!”

“M-Matsuyama?”

“Where are you going, Matsuyama-kun?”

While knocking over desks and chairs everywhere, throwing a tantrum like a child, Matsuyama continued to make strange noises and stormed out of the classroom. The classmates, in unison, went after him to chase him down. The only ones remaining in the classroom were Saki and I.

“It’s almost pitiful to see him go that far…”

“Yeah…” I agreed completely.

“Well then, I’ll go back to class since we still have lessons to complete. I have a few things to take care of during lunch break, so let’s meet here after school.”

“Okay.”

With that said, Saki went back to her own classroom, and I was left alone in mine.

“I should at least clean up my own desk…” I muttered to myself.

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[Matsuyama’s POV.]

“GhhrhghhhhhhaaAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it! I won’t accept it!

“Stop Matsuyama!”

“Matsuyama, come back to your senses!”

My classmates were chasing after me, but I didn’t care about that motley bunch. I dashed down the stairs. The speed felt as if I were freefalling.

“GhrhghhaaaAAAA!!!”

That’s a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie, a lie!!!!!!!!

“Whoa! Who the hell was that…?”

“Yuck, he was drooling.”

I didn’t care about the people I passed along the way. I might’ve bumped into some of them, but I didn’t care about anything else. My feet took me along, and I followed my own instinct, disregarding the attention of others. I ran. I ran. I kept running!

No matter how much other people tried to stop me, I kept going. And then, I saw my destination.

“Ggggggggaaaahhhhhh!!!!!”

There it is!

It was a place where the ranking chart was posted. If I looked at it, I would be liberated from this foolish prank. Startled by my fierce dash, the students who were standing in front of the bulletin board scattered like a flock of sparrows. And just as I was about to stop in front of the bulletin board, an incident occurred.

“Hm? Whoa!”

“Ghrhhgh?!”

Suddenly, I collided with the social studies teacher who suddenly appeared from around the corner of the hallway. To make matters worse, I ended up with my face directly into the globe the teacher was holding. And then, my vision gradually darkened.

“Hey, are you okay!?”

“Matsuyama!”

“Is Matsuyama alright!?”

I couldn’t hear the jumbled voices anymore. The last thing I saw were the words written on the ranking chart. There, above the names of Iwaki Akito and Mizumoto Saki, was written “First Place.” Upon seeing that, my consciousness completely faded away.

I hope I wake up from this hellish nightmare.

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