Friday finally came. It was after school, exactly one week after the final day of the midterm exams.
The midterm answer sheets that had been returned throughout the week were spread out across my desk. Standing before me was Akise, holding her own graded papers with a radiant smile.
"Well then... shall we get started?"
"Yeah."
We began with Modern Japanese and Language and Culture.
"A 100 and a 97. How about you, Yanagida-kun?"
"I got a 91 and an 82. Wait... a hundred? Seriously?"
"Hehe."
"Man, that’s impressive..."
Next up were Mathematics I and Mathematics A.
"I got a 98 and a 97. I could have had a perfect score if I hadn't made those careless mistakes."
"I feel like that's the kind of thing the loser is supposed to say as an excuse... I got a 75 and a 77. After all that tutoring you gave me, I feel pretty pathetic."
"You did great for a subject you struggle with! Don't you think you’ve overcome your aversion to it at least a little bit?"
"I’ve actually started to feel like I could’ve raised my score even more if I’d had more time. Thank you so much for teaching me."
"Mm-hmm!"
Next were Communication English and English Expression.
"Hehe... I actually got perfect scores on both! Pretty great, right?"
"That’s beyond great. Do I really have to show you mine? The result is already obvious... I got a 77 and an 82."
"Those are still plenty high, aren't they? Hmm... do you feel like you're weak at listening?"
"I just can't seem to shake the feeling that I'm bad at it."
"I think it helps to try reading the passages or vocabulary words out loud when you're studying at home. That's how I did it in the beginning."
"I see... I'll give that a shot."
Then came Basic Biology and Basic Chemistry.
"A 92 and a 93... I messed up a little bit."
"If you call those scores a failure, I don't have a leg to stand on. I got an 81 and an 83. For what it’s worth, those are my highest scores ever. It’s all thanks to you helping me during our study groups."
"I'm just glad I could be of help!"
Finally, Public, Comprehensive Geography, and History Grand.
"I got hundreds on both. They're memorization-heavy subjects, after all."
"Don't act like it's that simple... I got a 95 and a 90."
"You did amazing too, Yanagida-kun!"
"Well, they are memorization subjects, so this much is expected... ah."
"Hehe."
Those five categories and ten subjects, totaling a possible one thousand points, made up the breakdown for this midterm.
When we tallied the totals, I had 833, while Akise had 977. It was her overwhelming victory.
"Ninety or higher in everything... I shouldn't be surprised, but still. Following the Freshman Test, you're probably on track for first place overall again, aren't you?"
"Hmm, I wonder. A girl in Class D named Togo is apparently quite the scholar; she was only one point behind me on the Freshman Test. More importantly, you did great too! Now Yui-chan can stop worrying!"
"Why did Yui's name come up? Wait, did she say something to you?"
"She messaged me on LINE. She said, 'My brother is pretty lazy, so I'm worried about whether he's actually studying.'"
"That girl..."
What did she think her brother's privacy was for?
As I reflexively made a sour face, Akise laughed cheerfully.
"It’s okay! I told her we were working hard together at our study groups. She said, 'Please keep taking care of my brother from now on.'"
"It's a bit annoying to play along with her meddling... but as far as my studies go, I think I really will be relying on you from now on. So, I look forward to working with you."
"Hehe, why are you being so formal?"
Even after that specific study group session, I had frequently received her help during breaks and after school.
Without Akise’s help, I wouldn't have been able to achieve scores like these. I also felt that being able to approach the exams with high motivation—feeling that I couldn't show her a pathetic result after all the help she’d given me—had been a good thing.
That said... a loss was a loss.
"Now then, Yanagida-kun. Are you ready?"
Akise’s lips curled into a smirk.
I quickly glanced around. About half the class remained in the room, chatting or preparing for club activities, so it was still fairly crowded.
Was anyone watching us? Actually, quite a few people were, both guys and girls.
"Yanagida-kun."
"Yes."
Feeling a soft but undeniable pressure, I immediately looked forward. Her smile hadn't changed, yet it carried a certain sense of intimidation.
"You remember our promise, right?"
"...If Akise-san won the midterm scores, I would call her by her first name."
"That’s the one. But... it’s not 'Akise-san,' is it?"
She tilted her head with a beautiful, beaming smile.
Honestly, it felt like something that had been forced on me, and I felt like I could probably have pushed back. But then again, it was my fault for not firmly declining back then, and I had no desire to make her angry or sad over something like this.
Besides... it was just embarrassing. It wasn't that I actually disliked it.
I let out a breath and braced myself. Across from me, she wore an incredibly excited expression, even though her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Alright, I'm doing it. Just say it!
"...Ha, Haruka... san."
...Way too quiet!
It was a thin, frail voice like the buzzing of a mosquito—enough to make me want to face-palm.
As expected, Haruka gave me a failing grade, saying, "I can't hear you!"
I cleared my throat once and tried again.
"Haruka-san..."
"Didn't I say no honorifics? Call me properly. One more time!"
"Guh..."
What was I hesitating for? It was just a name.
Where did the courage go that I’d had when I fought that guy who tried to lay a hand on Yui, or when I stood up to Makabe and the others?
Forcing my cramped throat and trembling lips to move, I squeezed the word out.
"...Ha."
"'Ha'?"
"...Haruka."
"I still can't hear you."
"Ha... Haruka."
"A little more!"
"Haruka!"
Maybe it was a reaction to my earlier hesitation, but my voice came out much louder than I intended.
As expected, the eyes of every classmate left in the room snapped toward us.
I flinched under those gazes of curiosity and jealousy, but Haruka simply closed her eyes as if soaking the sound in. Then, she quietly spoke.
"Call me again."
"Haruka."
"Again... this time, like a whisper."
"Haruka..."
"Now loudly, one more time!"
"Haruka!"
"Ehehe."
What the hell was even happening right now?
I felt unbearable as I sensed the atmosphere around us shifting toward exasperation, as if the whole class was thinking, What are these two even doing?
I turned a grimace toward Haruka, the culprit forcing this mysterious ritual on me, intending to complain—
"Hehe... What is it, Tatsumi-kun?"
The words were whispered in a voice as sweet and thick as honey, completely blowing away all my thoughts.
My heart rate spiked, and my face set on fire.
Haruka’s voice echoed in my head over and over, feeling as if it were being seared into the deepest part of my consciousness.
In the midst of my extreme confusion, a strangely calm thought occurred to me.
Ah... so this was why she was so obsessed with being called by her name.
Just by changing how we addressed each other... something had changed, more clearly than anything else.
It was likely the psychological distance between us. Even though the physical distance remained the same, I felt her presence much closer than before.
Before I knew it, my mouth was moving on its own.
"...You're the one who made me say it, Haruka."
"But you're the one who called me, Tatsumi-kun."
"That's because you told me to, Haruka."
"But you still called my name, Tatsumi-kun."
"...Because you looked happy, Haruka."
"I am happy. Because you called me, Tatsumi-kun."
"Do you really want to be called that much, Haruka?"
"Yes. How about you, Tatsumi-kun? Aren't you happy?"
"...I'm happy you're calling me too, Haruka."
"Ehehe, I thought so. Hey, Tatsumi-kun."
"What is it, Haruka?"
"It's nothing, Tatsumi-kun."
"...Haruka."
"What is it, Tatsumi-kun?"
"I just wanted to say it, Haruka."
"You're a strange one, Tatsumi-kun."
"You too, Haruka."
"How mean, Tatsumi-kun."
"...I've said 'Haruka' so many times I'm starting to lose track of what I'm saying."
"Hehe, true. But it's fun, isn't it, Tatsumi-kun?"
"...Haruka."
"Tatsumi-kun."
"Haruka."
"Tatsumi-kun."
"That's enough already, Haruka."
"No it's not, Tatsumi-kun."
"...Haruka."
"Yes, Tatsumi-kun."
I no longer even knew what I was saying. Haruka was probably in the same boat.
It was a hollow conversation with no purpose other than to utter each other's names. I had become so accustomed to calling her "Haruka" that the name felt like it would spill out the moment I opened my lips.
My brain was so fried that I was having nonsensical thoughts like my mouth is taking the shape of the word 'Haruka.'
Just as we were about to lose our sense of time and immerse ourselves completely in our own world, a loud, sharp cough interrupted us.
When I snapped my head up, I saw Takamiya standing there with flushed cheeks, looking down at us with eyes full of utter exasperation.
"You two... it's fine to flirt, but could you at least be mindful of the location?"
"......"
Only then did I finally remember that we were in the middle of a classroom, being watched by our classmates.
However, my head, boiled by the atmosphere, wouldn't quite return to sanity.
Haruka and I just looked at each other.
"We got scolded because of you, Tatsumi-kun."
"Why is it my fault? You're the one who started it, Haruka."
"You were the one who called me first, Tatsumi-kun."
"If you're going to put it like that, Haruka, you—"
"Both of you."
"Yes."
In the end, it wasn't until I got home that I finally regained my senses.
I spent half the night writhing in bed over the fact that I’d made such a public spectacle of myself, which meant I’d be heading to the karaoke session on quite a bit of sleep deprivation.