"You may start."
As the teacher's voice echoed through the room, the students sprang into action, flipping their examination papers over in unison. I also followed suit slowly, revealing a set of mathematical problems that, upon first glance, appeared to be of easy difficulty.
I skimmed over the questions, the math questions seemed relatively straightforward to me. As I took in my surroundings, I noticed that most of them seemed to be grappling with the questions, their faces contorted in concentration. Some gazed fixedly at their papers, while some others nervously chewed on the caps of their pens.
I began to methodically work my way through the questions on the exam paper. At times, I found myself pausing for a moment, before proceeding with my next calculation. Despite being capable of solving the questions with greater speed and efficiency, I deliberately held back, ensuring that my answers did not appear overly quick.
The day was filled with back-to-back exams, with students sitting in the same room for hours, pouring over their test papers. The entire exam lasted for 5 long hours.
I retreated to my dorm room and crashed onto my bed to sleep. The following morning, I made my way and arrived at the bulletin board where the results of the exams were posted. The other students were already gathered around, studying the names and scores listed.
-
Class 2-C Exam Total Results
1. Kaoru Hiroto - 220
2. Kobayashi Lucy - 210
~~
4. Furukawa Kai - 202
5. Hamasaki Aiko - 202
6. Mizuhara Ayato - 201
~~
22. Honoka Airi - 168
~~
24. Matsura Shinichi - 152
~~
29. Iruga Kato- 50
-
Sixth. Since my score was just slightly above average, it still garnered attention. Kato, on the other hand, received a score of a mere fifty, which was not a perplexing outcome given the reason that he had placed a substitute in the study group. Nonetheless, I paid it little mind.
A dozen students from my class were met with expulsion, with four of them getting caught cheating, and the rest unable to attain a passing grade.
***
◤━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━◥
[Kanako Hanae POV]
***
"Hmm?"
As I played with my phone on the bed, I noticed that I have an unread notification. I quickly reached for it, and unlocked the screen. My eyes fell upon the notification.
*
I couldn't believe what I was reading. 'Midterm?' I thought to myself, scanning the message once again for any signs of a mistake or miscommunication. But as I read it over and over, I was forced to accept the harsh reality - the midterm exams were right around the corner and I was far from prepared.
How was I going to survive this exam, let alone score well enough to pass? As I lay in bed, a thought dawned on me - extra marks could be earned by accumulating ten thousand points for every mark. I quickly unlocked my phone and sent a message to Fukuda.
[You know what to do, right?]
And sent.
I made my way to the library, the early hour providing me with the chance to roam the aisles for the most pertinent reference books in subjects such as math and science. Carrying my stack of books to an empty table, I was faced with a dilemma - where to begin my studies? After a moment of hesitation, I reached for one of the books, only to be disappointed by its overwhelming difficulty.
I tried another book, a history textbook, and was relieved to find its contents much easier to comprehend. But as I delved deeper into the pages, I struggled to find the relevance of ancient civilizations to my current life, and my thoughts kept wandering.
My phone rang, breaking the silence of the library. It was a message from Fukuda.
[Understood, I will try my best.]
I quickly typed out my reply.
[Don't try your best, you must do your best.]
I hit send with a firm press of my thumb. With that, I returned to the pages of my book.
But after thirty minutes of studying, I was at a loss for what to do next. I closed the book and looked at the clock, I was taken aback to find that it was time for class. Reluctantly, I left the book and its peers on the table and exited the library, the fear of failing the exam and facing expulsion looming over me like a shadow.
As I walked through the schoolyard, I tried to shake off the fear, but it only intensified, fueling my inner turmoil. I couldn't bear the thought of facing the future, and the fear continued to grow.
Upon my arrival at the classroom, I observed that the majority of my classmates had already taken their seats. I made my way to my designated seat and took my place among my peers.
As I settled in, I noticed a low buzz of chatter in the room.
"Did you see the notification?"
"That's really brutal."
"I heard that…"
Topics of discussion appeared to revolve around the upcoming midterm exams, and the perceptible sense of anxiety and anticipation was palpable in the air.
Moments later, the teacher entered the room, clutching a stack of papers in one hand. "Class, please settle in your seats," he spoke in a commanding tone. "Class representative, kindly distribute these papers to each student."
With the teacher's entrance and direction, the chatter in the room simmered to a hushed whisper. Recognizing the importance of focusing on the lesson at hand, I made a conscious effort to tune out the murmurs and concentrate on the teachings.
"Here."
With an outstretched hand, I accepted the proffered paper. A cursory examination revealed it to be a biology quiz.
"Please fill out the exam papers to the best of your ability. I'll be reviewing your answers and returning them with any necessary corrections. Remember, even though it may seem simple, put in your best effort," the teacher announced.
The teacher said that the task at hand should be a breeze… but I can't help but feel daunted by it. I'll do my best to answer the questions I am certain of and take a guess at the ones that stump me.
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