She’s Handing in Her Test Early Again?!

On her way to the 1-D classroom, Izumi Kotomi nearly ran into Yui Yuigahama, who had just come out of the testing room.

Yuigahama's face lit up with joy upon seeing her. "Kotomi, I was just about to look for you!"

Thank goodness, Kotomi thought, noticing her friend seemed to be in a good mood. It looked like even if the test had been hard, Yui's spirits were intact.

"Yui, what did you think of the Japanese test?" Kotomi asked.

"Hard? Was it?" Yui tilted her head, not seeming to think it was all that challenging.

"What did you think while doing the test?"

"Well…some questions were on pretty obscure topics, but it wasn't too bad. I'm pretty confident about the poetry section! It's only the essay that I'm a bit unsure of—I hope I didn't go off-topic," Yui replied with an easy smile.

Seeing her so relaxed, Kotomi breathed a sigh of relief. Even if she wasn't sure how well Yui had answered, it was good that she was staying positive.

"Do your best in the next test—the math one," Kotomi said encouragingly.

Yui nodded enthusiastically. "I will! I've been reviewing math so hard these past few days! I'm feeling unstoppable!"

"Just don't get too cocky," Kotomi laughed.

"Hehe, just joking. Oh, right, Kotomi, I just heard that someone in the 1-A test room turned in their paper early! They said she was practically flying through the test while everyone else was scratching their heads over it. The monitor didn't even have time to stop her before she was out the door! Did you see her?"

"Ah, well…" Kotomi paused, unsure how to respond.

Seeing her hesitation, Yui assumed Kotomi hadn't noticed and continued her story with animated excitement.

"They said she left in such a hurry, some thought she'd gone to transform into a magical girl to save the world. Others thought she must be some test genius, who would never deign to linger with mere mortals after finishing her exam. And that's not all…"

Yui kept piling on the rumors, while Kotomi grew increasingly anxious. She'd only run out to use the restroom after having too much to drink before the exam.

Why did it have to sound like she'd left on some kind of heroic mission? What was next—her daily routine of waking up, heading to school, going to club activities, hanging out with friends...just a typical high school freshman life. But then—

"Kotomi, High School Hero!" Kotomi could almost see it play out as some anime narrative and had to stifle a laugh at her own ridiculous thought.

"Kotomi, what's so funny?" Yui asked, noticing her friend giggling out of nowhere.

"Oh, nothing. I just remembered something funny," Kotomi replied with a smile. "By the way, Yui, what do you think that student—uh, the one who ran out of the classroom—might've been up to?"

They still had some time before the next test, so Kotomi figured a little banter might help Yui relax. She had been reviewing math tirelessly for the past few days and could probably use a mental breather.

Yui thought for a moment, then answered, "I bet she just drank too much before the test and had to make a mad dash to the restroom!"

Argh! You guessed it! Kotomi thought, wincing internally. But too bad, no prize for you!

She could only force a smile and stifle the truth.

"Kotomi, I'm heading to get a drink—want anything? It's my treat!"

She almost agreed, but the memory of her recent restroom ordeal made her stop. Just thinking about it gave her a lingering sense of urgency…

"Uh, no, I'm good for now. But make sure to use the restroom before the next test!" Kotomi warned her seriously.

"Huh? I know that, Kotomi. It's common sense—everyone knows to go before a test!" Yui laughed, teasing her friend.

"—It's common sense," echoed in Kotomi's mind, and her cheeks reddened slightly as she thought about her own predicament earlier.

So embarrassing! Never again was she going to drink anything before an exam! Not even a sip!

However, during the math exam...

With a concentrated frown, Kotomi jotted down her answer for a domain problem: m = ±4, n = 3.

After another question, she felt a pang of thirst building up. She stuck out her tongue a little, wondering to herself if she hadn't overdone it in the restroom earlier.

Ugh, her throat was dry!

With a resigned sigh, she bent over her paper and began scribbling her next answer.

All around her, students were furrowing their brows, absorbed in their calculations and double-checking every move, scrawling equations over countless sheets of scratch paper. This math test was full of trap questions, designed to throw them off with seemingly simple premises that actually masked tricky variables and conditions.

As the others squinted over the trickier equations, Kotomi's steady, almost rhythmic writing could be heard softly filling the otherwise quiet room.

Though quiet, her rapid writing was clear and constant in the pin-drop silence of the exam hall, catching the attention of a few curious students.

Some couldn't resist and peeked over at Kotomi, but the sight nearly made their eyes pop out of their heads!

There she was again, just like in the Japanese exam, rapidly moving through the questions without breaking pace, as if each new question only fueled her enthusiasm.

Her seatmates, who had only just finished the punishing geometry section after filling up four entire pages front and back with notes, could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Kotomi's scratch paper remained spotless, barely touched!

And if that wasn't enough, they noticed her lips moving slightly as if she were whispering to herself, making the scene even stranger.

At first, they were puzzled by her behavior, but then realization dawned on them: she was mentally calculating each problem.

The students in the room collectively winced as they realized Kotomi was calculating the math problems mentally.

Please, have some mercy!

Even if she was just doodling stick figures fighting on her scratch paper, they would feel better about themselves!

The empty, pristine scratch paper gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting its spotless surface as if it bore the true aura of an academic champion. The brightness was almost blinding.

Hiratsuka-sensei lifted her head and noticed that over half the students had stopped writing, gazing in various states of amazement and frustration toward the window.

Could it be... again?

A thought jolted through Hiratsuka's mind as she looked towards the window. Sure enough, just as she'd suspected, while some students were still locked in a staring contest with their test papers, Kotomi's pen hadn't stopped for a moment, filling the page with what sounded like the graceful rhythm of soft classical music.

Wait…she's writing so quickly—she wouldn't be handing in her test early again, would she? Hiratsuka's internal monologue barely had time to complete itself before Kotomi "graciously" made her assumption a reality.

Finishing the last problem, Kotomi set down her pen, double-checked her name and student ID, and prepared to submit her paper early once again.

Her writing, although cramped with calculations, had a crisp and structured appearance. The formulas and calculations, dense as they were, still looked visually pleasing.

Kotomi smiled to herself, feeling pleased; that 100,000 Fame Points spent on unlocking the Calligraphy skill had truly paid off. Not only would it come in handy at future book signings, but it also meant she didn't need to worry about losing points for messy handwriting during exams.

But not everyone was convinced; a few students were sure she was just scribbling randomly, playing up her image to get attention.

Their skepticism lasted only until a familiar face walked into the exam hall: Nakamori-sensei, the renowned math teacher.

Some students assumed Nakamori was here to supervise, but, to their surprise, he ignored the rest of the room entirely, making a beeline for Kotomi's desk, even tiptoeing over as if not to disturb her.

Those who thought Kotomi might be faking it watched in astonishment as Nakamori's expression changed from surprise to admiration, his face breaking into a rare, approving smile.

Seeing the usually stern Nakamori-sensei leave the room with such a pleased expression, the entire class was left slack-jawed.

They'd all taken Nakamori's math classes and knew firsthand how strict he was. No one could recall ever seeing him smile, much less looking proud!

And before they could fully process this shock, another teacher, Yakawa-sensei, entered the room. Upon seeing her, many students instinctively ducked; after all, they'd all had painful encounters with her expertly aimed chalk missiles.

Just like Nakamori, Yakawa-sensei went straight to Kotomi's desk. She leaned in, whispering questions, and upon receiving Kotomi's consent, carefully examined her paper, occasionally nodding and muttering praises.

After finishing her review, she, too, left the room smiling, clearly satisfied.

Two renowned math teachers had entered, both heading directly to Kotomi's desk, leaving with nothing but smiles of approval—it was impossible to doubt her now.

As for Kotomi…

Just as she stood up to submit her paper early and make a dash for a drink, Nakamori-sensei appeared, silently going through her answers while occasionally muttering, "Impressive, really impressive… this approach is brilliant…ah, a novel solution!"

When Nakamori left, Kotomi tried again to hand in her paper early, only for Yakawa-sensei to show up next. She, too, reviewed Kotomi's work, showering her with praise before finally encouraging her to keep up the good work.

Do they have nothing better to do? Kotomi wondered helplessly. Wasn't it a bit much for teachers to be drifting from class to class just to check her answers?

Sometimes being too good just attracts too much attention, Kotomi thought to herself, understanding for the first time the subtle burden that came with being the type of student every teacher loved.

For now, though, her mission was a cold drink!

"I'm done!" Kotomi declared, walking up to Hiratsuka-sensei's desk to submit her paper.

"Wait, are you handing in another test early?" Hiratsuka-sensei's voice wavered slightly, though not without its usual edge.

"Yup!"

Kotomi placed her paper on Hiratsuka's desk and, without further ado, strode out the door, leaving the teacher and her fellow students gaping.

The queen of early submissions, reigning supreme.

Her first early exit had been because she had to use the restroom after drinking too much. Now she was racing to the school store, thirsty after "draining her reserves."

"I'll take a Pepsi!" she announced, bursting into the store.

"Sorry, we're out of Pepsi. How about Coca-Cola?"

"Eh, never mind, give me an ice-cold water."

"Sure thing."

She downed half the bottle in one go, feeling her parched throat finally soothed.

"Aah… bliss," she sighed, giving a small belch of satisfaction.

With fifteen minutes left until the end of the test, Kotomi took her time, wandering around the store and buying a large bag of snacks and drinks—yogurt, juice, a self-heating bento—all things she thought Yui might like.

Yui was still taking her test and probably wouldn't make it in time for lunch, but with Kotomi's head start, she could pick up both their meals.

As for Megumi and Yukino, they both brought homemade lunches.

"Test over! All students, please put down your pens. Continuing beyond this point will be considered a violation," the broadcast announced, signaling the end of the math exam. Students trickled out of the rooms, ready to recharge with some food, regardless of whether they'd fumbled the exam or not.

Kotomi, now with lunch in hand, strolled over to the 1-D exam room just as Yui emerged, heading toward the school store.

"Yui!" Kotomi called out.

"Kotomi! Are you coming to buy lunch? If we don't hurry, we won't have any choices left," Yui said urgently.

"No need; I already bought ours. Yours, too." Kotomi lifted the stuffed plastic bag.

"Wait, you already bought it? And mine too? Thank you, Kotomi! How much? I'll transfer it to you," Yui said, visibly delighted.

Kotomi had anticipated the mad rush and had stocked up early.

"Don't worry about it for now. Let's find somewhere to eat—I'm starving. We can't eat in the classrooms, so let's head to the field."

"The field will be packed. I know a spot with way fewer people."

"Oh? Where's that?" Kotomi asked, intrigued.

"The rooftop!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven