The Upcoming First Exam

Despite her young age, little Yuka Yuigahama was sharp and quick-witted.

Sometimes, her words were astonishingly on point for someone her age.

After Yui let her down, Yuka was still persistent, wanting Kotomi to hold her. It wasn't out of any bad intent; she simply found Kotomi's soft and fragrant presence so comforting and loved being held by her.

However, a little cuddle was fine—Kotomi couldn't tutor Yui while holding Yuka in her arms, could she?

It was time to bring out the big guns!

Kotomi silently mused to herself while pulling out three boxes of chocolate cookies from her bag—Yuka's favorite brand.

During lunch, Kotomi had some extra time before heading back to school, so she swung by the supermarket to pick up these three large boxes of chocolate cookies for Yuka. While a single cookie might not weigh much, carrying three of these big boxes made her bag noticeably heavier.

As expected, the effect was immediate.

Yuka's eyes lit up with excitement, practically sparkling like little stars.

"These are my favorite chocolate cookies!"

"Here, take them. They're a gift from your sister. But you have to be a good girl and listen, okay? Only good girls get rewards. And remember, after eating, you have to brush your teeth."

"Thank you, Penguin-neechan!"

Seeing her sister's joyful expression, Yui couldn't help but remind her again, though with a smile of indulgence, "Yuka, don't eat too many, or you'll lose your appetite for dinner again."

Whether Yuka heard her or not was unclear—she had already dashed off to the living room, clutching her cookies and ready to watch TV.

"That little rascal," Yui said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. She adored her clever and lovable, yet sometimes mischievous, little sister.

Ah, the common woes of being an older sister!

"By the way, Kotomi, let me pay you back for the cookies," Yui offered.

She knew how much Yuka loved that brand of cookies, but because they were a bit pricey, Yui could only afford to buy a small box once a month with her saved-up allowance. And each time, Yuka would ration her cookies, eating just half at a time to make them last longer, though she never hesitated to share them generously with her mother and sister.

Just the other day, she had even shared them with Kotomi.

When a child is so mature and thoughtful, it tugs at your heartstrings.

Kotomi smiled and waved off Yui's offer, "I wanted to buy them for Yuka; she didn't ask me to. How could I possibly take money from you?"

"But three large boxes of those cookies must've been expensive, right? I remember a regular-sized box costs over 3,000 yen," Yui said, a bit worried.

It was true.

When Kotomi had taken the three large boxes to the register and saw the price pop up, even she had been momentarily stunned.

A total of 26,000 yen for three big boxes of chocolate cookies.

Good thing I don't like chocolate, Kotomi thought wryly at the time as she paid.

Kotomi never liked chocolate herself, so she didn't understand the appeal of these expensive cookies. But Yuka loved them, so she bought them anyway. After all, this clever and sweet little sister had thoroughly won her over.

"Just think of it as a gift for Yuka. Don't worry about it," Kotomi said, patting Yui on the shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Besides, I'm waiting for you to ace your exams next week and treat me to a big cake as a reward!"

Yui, feeling a bit better after hearing Kotomi's words, nodded. From a young age, her mother had always taught her not to accept too many favors from others and to repay any kindness quickly.

After heading upstairs, the two girls began their tutoring session. Since it was Friday, Kotomi had extended the usual one-hour session to two hours. She had informed her mother, Izumi Akina, about it during lunch, and her mother had agreed, reminding Kotomi to call her on her way home so she wouldn't worry.

Even though Kotomi, with her experience from her previous life, felt she didn't need such precautions, she reminded herself that in this world, she was still a 16-year-old high school girl. It was better to listen to her mother's advice about safety.

"First, solve this step like this, then continue like that. Got it?"

"Got it. First like this, then like that," Yui repeated, diligently following Kotomi's instructions.

As the final tutoring session before next week's exams began, Kotomi started by reviewing common mistakes and tricky questions, then left Yui to solve problems on her own.

After all, as the saying goes, a good memory is no match for a worn-out pen. No matter how well you understand something, you need to practice it yourself to truly master it.

Yui didn't disappoint. While she wasn't the fastest, she worked steadily, and it was clear that all the effort she had put in over the past week was paying off.

Kotomi mused to herself that if she had been sitting next to someone like Yui during an exam, she might have been tempted to glance over and 'borrow' some answers.

But when the seating arrangements for the upcoming exam were posted, Kotomi saw that she and Yui would be in different rooms.

Yui's exam room was assigned to Class 1-D, while Kotomi's was in Class 1-A—the top-performing class.

Exam seating arrangements were based on a few factors. One was the student's middle school entrance exam scores, and the other was their academic performance since starting high school. As each exam concluded, seating would be adjusted based on rankings.

Kotomi figured that her placement in Class 1-A must've been due to her stellar performance in class over the past few months, as the teachers likely disregarded her entrance exam scores.

For the teachers who had taught Class 1-F, or heard about Kotomi's reputation, they were eager to see how she would perform in her first major exam. There was a sense of anticipation—who among the top students gathered in Class 1-A would come out as the victor, securing the coveted title of first place?

In many ways, the Class 1-A exam room was—

The battlefield of the elite!

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