The weekend passed, and Monday arrived. The results of last week's regular exams would all be announced today. For this very reason, the atmosphere in the classroom was a bit oppressive.
Laughing one class, not laughing the next. In short, some were happy, some were sad. And those who had planned their review in advance and whose grades were already excellent had to put on a pained expression in this atmosphere, acting as if they hadn't done well in order to fit in with the group.
However, Mori Shinra was clearly not in the above category. He had always been the type to laugh when he could. The less others laughed, the more he laughed.
Thanks to this, his popularity had never been very good, neither in his first year nor now.
"Hikki, Shinra-san, my history grade improved a lot! And math too! The last time I scored this high was probably in elementary school! The study sessions really paid off!" Yuigahama's tone was exceptionally excited.
Shinra reasonably suspected that she had been suppressing herself for too long in Yumiko's clique and had come over to their side to vent her excitement.
After all, their Service Club was different from the normie group. They were all high-scorers, which was completely different from the normie group, where the skill level was uneven and the low-scorers tended to stick together. Therefore, the atmosphere within the groups was also very different.
But that being said, Yuigahama's efforts these past few days were plain to see, and the progress she made was well-deserved. Shinra still congratulated her.
"Omedetou."
"Hehe, it's all thanks to Yukino-chan, Hikki, and you, Shinra-san."
"By the way, what about your bet with Yukinoshita? The total scores should be calculated by now, right?" Hikigaya asked.
Although Sobu High attached great importance to student grades, they did not publicly post the exam rankings. You had to ask the teacher for your specific rank.
"I'll go ask." Shinra's essay score this time was much higher than he had expected, so he was quite confident in winning the bet.
It was clear that the grading teacher this time was quite fond of 'formulaic' essays. After all, they were easier to grade, which greatly reduced the workload...
Hearing him say this, the remaining two fell silent, their gazes simultaneously focusing on his phone.
The funny thing was, although the bet only involved Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuigahama and Hikigaya seemed to be more concerned than the parties involved.
Even the ghost member, Kawasaki Saki, who had noticed their conversation from a distance, quietly perked up her ears, seemingly wanting to be the first to know the outcome of the match between Yukinoshita and Mori Shinra.
If you were to ask how he knew... in his Emotion Perception radar, the 'curiosity' on Kawasaki Saki was as strong as if it had a signal amplifier.
Although her actual expression was still as 'calm as a cloud,' and when she occasionally met his gaze from paying too much attention, she would pretend to be indifferent and look away. One could only say that she understood contrast.
Unfortunately, even by the time class started, there was no reply from Yukinoshita. It was unclear if it was because her phone wasn't with her, or if, as a good student, she was strictly abiding by the practically non-existent school rule—no playing on your phone during breaks.
Fortunately, the next class was the last one for the day. He wouldn't need to contact her by phone after that; he could just go to the Service Club activity room and ask her in person.
After class, after school, in the Service Club classroom.
"The total scores are actually the same?"
Yuigahama held the report card that Yukinoshita had printed out from Hiratsuka-sensei's office. Looking at the score in the total column, she said in a tone of disbelief.
"Does this count as a draw?" Hikigaya asked, then suggested, "Should we consider a tie-breaker?"
Hearing this, Yukinoshita shook her head, her voice cool. "No need for a tie-breaker. I lost."
In her view, even if Mori Shinra's total score was the same as hers, it was still her loss.
Competing on grades was, in essence, a competition of learning ability. A month ago, his overall grades were only in the lower-middle tier of the class, but now he could tie with her for first place. This undoubtedly showed that his true learning ability was stronger than hers.
Therefore, she believed that the winner of this bet was Mori Shinra. There was no such thing as a draw, and there was absolutely no need for a tie-breaker.
But admitting defeat was one thing. In reality, this loss to him had dealt a significant blow to her pride.
After all, before this, Yukinoshita had never lost to a peer in terms of grades. His appearance had directly taken her first time.
However, Mori Shinra had no intention of accepting her concession.
"We agreed from the beginning that the outcome would be decided by the scores. Now that our total scores are the same, the final result should naturally be a draw."
"Our starting points were different," she said.
Her meaning was simple. The difficulty for her to get first place and the difficulty for him to get first place were completely different. At the very beginning of the bet, she was the one with the advantage. Now that their scores were the same, it was naturally the side with the greater difficulty that won.
"They were actually about the same." Shinra knew his own situation. If it weren't for 'Photographic Memory,' no matter how smart he was, it would have been impossible for him to catch up to her in just one month.
He was already using a cheat. To still demand to be on the same starting line as her was truly a bit 'shameless'.
"Then I admit defeat. That should be fine, right?" Yukinoshita insisted.
"Then I admit defeat too," Shinra did not back down.
"Um..." Yuigahama weakly raised her hand. "How about you each grant the other one condition?"
Hearing this, Yukinoshita and Shinra exchanged a look. Neither of them spoke, clearly weighing the pros and cons.
"Let me ask first. How were you planning to use the condition, Yukinoshita?" Shinra asked.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to record a video of you in a maid outfit," she said lightly, uttering words that sounded quite terrifying to him.
After hearing this, Shinra's pupils quaked. He asked tremblingly, "If, as Yuigahama said, we each grant the other a condition, would you still maintain your original idea?"
Yukinoshita sighed. "Although I'd love to, if I did, you would definitely propose a similar condition, or just use your condition to reject mine. But that would make the bet meaningless."
"Indeed," Shinra agreed with her thinking.
"So, to avoid a situation of mutually assured destruction, we must discuss a condition that is acceptable to both of us," Yukinoshita said calmly.
A win-win is always better than a lose-lose.
Mori Shinra strongly agreed.
And Yuigahama, Hikigaya, and Kawasaki Saki, who had snuck in at some point, all showed disappointed expressions upon seeing the two reach a consensus.
The fun was over.