Chapter 109: 1st year, 2nd semester start(3)

Back home, I stared blankly at the notebook I’d scribbled in Korean when I first realized I was in the novel.

Okinawa Typhoon
Retreat Wolves
Nishizono Shizue
Kirihara Arisu

“…”

Everything written in the notebook were events from the novel. Events that had also happened in reality.
I checked the items listed below those entries.

Debate Tournament
Midterm Exams
Sports Festival
Cultural Festival

I drew a line through “Debate Tournament.” Originally, it was supposed to be a showdown between Arisu and the protagonist to determine who would stay in the student council, but since I’d already proven my worth with my first-semester grades, Fujimoto had withdrawn.

Below that…
were general school events. And under each heading, I’d jotted down notes about the corresponding events from the novel.

My immediate concern was Kirihara Arisu.
Arisu was… a female prince charming.
Popular with girls, and seemingly enjoying that popularity.

She’d fallen for the male protagonist in the novel, which made me think, ‘Isn’t this character development a bit off?’ If this were a Korean web novel, the comments section would have been flooded with complaints about the inconsistency.

But the problem with Kirihara Arisu in reality was…
that she seemed interested in me, a girl, not the male protagonist.

Originally, Arisu was supposed to fall for the male protagonist… but since I, a girl, had taken his place, perhaps I’d inadvertently become the target of her affections.

‘Seriously… this isn’t some kind of delusion, is it…?’

What was I supposed to do if Arisu was genuinely interested in me?
I already had Aya.
Aya’s anxious expression flashed through my mind.

‘You only have me, right?’

The memory of her question made my heart pound.

“Of course… I only have Aya…”

I murmured to myself. After a moment of contemplation, I jotted down a note in my notebook.

[Kirihara Arisu – Possibility of liking me ↑ / Be mindful of potential conflict with Aya. I only have Aya!!!]

I’d become more accustomed to writing in Japanese.
I sighed deeply after finishing the note.

The next event was the sports festival. The midterm exams were unavoidable; I had to take them as a student. Anyway, in the sports festival arc of the novel, Arisu received a string of confessions from girls but rejected them all coldly.

But what if my presence changed that?
A sense of foreboding washed over me.

Knowing the events of the novel would be useless if my presence altered them. The gap between the novel and reality was already widening, and Arisu seemed poised to accelerate that divergence.

That’s when I realized the nature of the strange feeling I had towards Arisu.

It wasn’t excitement.
It was fear.

Not fear of the diverging storyline…
but fear of my own heart wavering.

I closed the notebook and buried my face in my pillow.

“Whatever. I only have Aya.”

I repeated it to myself, as if trying to convince myself, and closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep.
But the image of Arisu’s gentle smile as she caught me at the convenience store kept flashing through my mind.

****

The next day, during break time after the second period.

I was absentmindedly doodling in my notebook when a teacher’s voice suddenly came over the intercom.

[Students on classroom duty, please come to the hallway in front of the staff room immediately. I repeat, all students on classroom duty, please gather in front of the staff room immediately.]

Classroom duty…?

It was my and Nishimura Kenichi’s turn again. I remembered Nishimura covering for me last time when I wasn’t feeling well.
I went over to Nishimura, who was about to leave for the staff room, and said,

“You covered for me last time when I was sick, so I’ll go this time.”
“Oh, uh… Okay, thanks…”

Nishimura scratched the back of his head and sat back down. I could feel the other boys nearby snickering and nudging Nishimura, but I ignored them. I knew all too well the kind of reaction a girl at the top of the social hierarchy elicited from boys simply by talking to them.

The staff room was in a separate building labeled “Faculty Offices.”
I vaguely remembered my homeroom teacher mentioning an IQ test this morning. That was probably why they were calling us.

But perhaps I’d arrived too early.
There was… no one in the hallway.
Well, not exactly no one. There was one person.
A girl with short, black hair, leaning elegantly against the window.

‘Arisu…?’

Kirihara Arisu was staring blankly out the window. Even just standing there, with a blank expression, she exuded an almost artistic aura. She was clearly wearing a girl’s uniform, yet she didn’t look like a typical schoolgirl.

Just as described in the novel, she had the aura of a “prince charming who captured the hearts of many girls.”

Even though Aya held a special place in my heart… even though my ideal type was clearly Aya, with her silver hair and blue eyes… I couldn’t understand why my gaze kept being drawn to Arisu.

As I stood there, lost in thought, Arisu seemed to sense my gaze and turned to look at me. A small, elegant smile bloomed on her face.

“Rina, you’re on duty too?”
“Uh, yeah. My friend was supposed to come with me, but I said I’d come alone…”

Arisu stepped closer. My heart skipped a beat.
Why was she coming so close?!

“You’re that type of person, huh?”
“Th-That type?”
“The responsible type.”

Arisu looked at me quietly and smiled faintly.
Th-This… was flirting! Back off! I had Aya…

“Rina, you’re cute.”
“No, I’m not…”

My heart started racing. My face flushed involuntarily. Why was I reacting this way to her words? Because Arisu was a girl? Or because she fit Kurosawa Rina’s ideal type?
Arisu, watching my flustered reaction, smiled again.

“Will Aya get mad if I keep getting this close to you?”

Arisu asked playfully, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Just then, I heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching from behind. The other students on duty had arrived.
I quickly took a step back.

Arisu smiled knowingly and turned away, as if nothing had happened. So smoothly, so naturally.

“Let’s talk later, Rina.”

There was nothing to talk about!
I resolutely turned away and waited for the teacher to appear.

****

I returned to the classroom with the IQ test papers.
My cheeks were still flushed, but seeing Aya again made the warmth dissipate. Right, I only had Aya.

Besides, another reason why I was able to calm down was… the IQ test.
It wasn’t as important as academic tests, but IQ was a matter of pride.

My IQ in my past life was 135. I wondered what it was now, with a supposedly smarter brain. Curious, and eager to achieve a higher score, I felt a surge of determination as soon as I saw the test papers.

‘Okay, time to see what I’m really capable of!’

I focused and started working through the questions one by one.

The initial questions, involving shapes and patterns, were easy. But the questions gradually became more complex.

‘Huh, is this… number 3? No, wait…’

I racked my brain, but I couldn’t figure out the pattern. This test felt different from the ones I’d taken in my past life.
As I struggled, I heard the almost mechanical sound of a pencil moving rapidly beside me.

Scratch, scratch, scratch—

I glanced over and saw Aya, with a blank expression, effortlessly filling in the answers. So smoothly, so naturally, as if this wasn’t a “test” but a “very easy practice exercise.” She glanced at the next question, thought for two or three seconds, and then wrote down the answer.

“…”

I blinked, wondering if I was seeing things. Was it even possible to solve those questions that quickly?
I tried to redo the calculations in my head, but there was no way I could solve them at that speed without guessing.

‘Just how smart is Aya…?!’

I’d always known she was smart, but seeing it in real-time like this… the difference in our abilities was staggering.

But that was just Aya, wasn’t it?
I quickly looked away and back at my own test paper. I had to focus and maintain my own pace.

I was curious to see what my score would be…

****

After the surprise test, I felt completely drained.

“Aya, how did you do?”
“Well, it’s not an important test, is it?”
“Th-That’s true…”

Aya shrugged nonchalantly, resting her chin on her hand, but then Mizuki spoke playfully,

“Aya-ring’s IQ was 172 in middle school, wasn’t it?”
“Whaaat? Really?! What about you, Mizuki?”
“Mine is… a secret.”
“Mizuki’s was 175.”
“Whaaat…!”

Seriously… they were both incredible geniuses.