Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: End-of-Term Performance Test (3)
"Then I'll head out first. Good luck studying."
"Leaving already?"
"I figured I'd do the rest back at the dorm. If I stay here, I might get too caught up chatting."
Mary smiled back at Emily, who was grinning.
"So, does that mean you won't tease Ken anymore from now on?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right. Before, I was just... being an idiot for a bit."
Emily blushed at Mary's playful jab right up to the end and waved her hand.
Mary waved back, seeing her off.
'They ended up getting pretty close somehow.'
The conversation had gone surprisingly well.
She'd only meant to chat briefly and then focus on studying, but they just clicked so well.
They ended up talking for ages. In the library, of all places.
"Anyway... Ken's really late."
Even though quite some time had passed, Ken still hadn't shown up.
Mary glanced at the clock on the library wall and tilted her head.
The sun hadn't set yet, but he was a little late, so she was starting to worry a bit.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...What's this Wish Ticket thing...?"
Why did it suddenly feel so chilly, even though Mary wasn't around?
I had no idea when she'd picked up a skill like that, but cold sweat was trickling down my spine, making it tingle.
Was this some kind of curse skill?
No, it was just Rafne's glare that was terrifying.
"W-Well, you see, haha, the Student Council President suddenly started this weird event thing..."
I couldn't bring myself to lie in the face of Rafne's stare.
If I did, the fragile trust we'd built might crumble.
Trust is important.
Especially with Rafne—her scary mindset equated "lost trust" with "imprisonment."
"Hmm..."
Rafne peered intently at the parchment with my answer.
"So, Ken."
Then she flashed a bright smile and threw herself into my arms.
She wrapped her arms familiarly around my waist, pressing close and looking up at me.
Squish.
'Urgh...'
Up in the tower, she usually wore those airy dress-like undergarments, so the stimulating texture came through directly.
But I couldn't let myself get distracted.
This was just Rafne's trick.
She was trying to loosen me up with skinship and pry the answer out of me.
Her smiling eyes were still dark, after all.
"This Wish Ticket. Does it mean you'll do anything for whoever wins it?"
"N-No, not at all! Anything? No way I'd agree to that over something like this."
Rafne tilted her head at that.
"Then? Up to what?"
Answer me.
She didn't say it, but her eyes demanded it.
"...A d-date."
"Can't hear you, Ken."
"It's a... date ticket... from the Student Council President."
Crunch.
"Gaaah! It hurts, hurts, hurts! My back's killing me, Rafne!"
"Ah! S-Sorry, Ken! Are you okay?!"
It didn't seem intentional—Rafne looked startled and quickly unwrapped her arms from my waist.
The pain was intense, but thankfully, no real damage.
Diets really were the best.
"Sorry... Sniff, I'm so sorry, Ken..."
Thanks to my pain, Rafne seemed to calm down a bit.
The scary atmosphere lifted, and she was back to her usual guilty, teary self, gently rubbing my waist.
Now that she was like this, I could probably explain it away.
"Anyway, it's just a passing event, so don't worry about it too much."
"...But."
Rafne, still rubbing my waist, turned to face me fully and hugged me again.
Fortunately, this time it was teary eyes, not scary ones, looking up at me.
"It's a date with whoever gets first place."
"I-It doesn't have to be a girl who gets first! And I'll be aiming for first place myself!"
Rafne didn't look entirely satisfied with my response.
It wasn't the angry state from before, though.
Rafne was in a condition where she'd have to stay cooped up in the tower for a while.
If things stayed like this, wouldn't she eventually snap?
"A-And Rafne, your grades are good too, right? You could take first place this time."
"R-Really...? I could...?"
"Of course! You have to take the performance test too."
At my words, the light returned to Rafne's eyes.
"Then... I'll take Ken's Wish Ticket."
"No, no, like I said, the Wish Ticket is strictly limited to a date...!"
"Hehe, hehehe, Ken's Wish Ticket..."
I tried explaining the limitations of the Wish Ticket, but it seemed her switch had already flipped.
"I'll do my best! Ken! I'll definitely win the Wish Ticket!"
"Uh, yeah."
I was worried about what she planned to wish for.
But if she was motivated to win it herself, she wouldn't get upset about the exam event anymore.
Instead, I now had one more reason to absolutely claim first place in this exam.
'Gonna have to study till my nose bleeds.'
Of course, if it was a request from Rafne, I'd grant most anything.
Even without a Wish Ticket.
But those eyes were dangerous.
They were exactly like the ones she'd had recently when betting my ownership on a game.
"Alright, then. I'm off to the library."
"Yeah! Good luck!"
After dinner, I managed to leave the tower safely.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Sorry, Mary. I'm really late."
"No, it's fine. ...Did something come up?"
"Haha, just... you know."
I couldn't exactly be honest about Rafne, so I brushed it off vaguely.
The library was more crowded than I'd expected.
'Everyone's studying so hard.'
Was it because of the Wish Ticket event, or were these kids just naturally studious?
Either way, the only empty seat left was the one next to Mary.
She must've saved it for me.
Scrape.
I pulled out the chair and sat down.
'Alright, for first place, time to study hard starting now...'
Scrape.
And then I felt an oddly intimate distance.
"Um... Mary? Isn't this a bit close?"
"Is it? I thought this distance would be good for studying together."
She'd pulled her chair right up so our shoulders touched. Her expressionless face looked back at me.
Is it? For studying together...
No, did she really need to be this close?
Plus, her scent was overwhelming, making it hard to focus.
'But if I scoot away, she might get hurt...'
Having lived as fat Ken, I knew how painful it was to be avoided.
And unless it was out of outright dislike, getting misunderstood would be trouble.
"This part here? You substitute the third mana formula term into..."
"Ooh...!"
Still, it was definitely convenient for studying together, just like Mary said.
Being so close meant we could easily glance at each other's textbooks without leaning over.
Of course, because we were so close, whenever Mary leaned in to jot something on my notes...
Squish.
She'd grab my arm with one of hers, leading to more accidental touches.
'...Hmm.'
...Probably an accident?
Maybe she'd let her guard down around me because I felt comfortable, like a pet.
Like how you'd kiss a pet or rub your face against it.
'No, but I'm not exactly looking like that anymore.'
Even to me, my current reflection looked pretty handsome.
No way anyone would see me as a cuddly pet beast.
'Doesn't matter to Mary, maybe?'
She'd acted the same even when I was fat.
She'd even sat on my lap sometimes, snuggling close.
Maybe my looks didn't affect how she treated me much.
"Ken, I have something I'm curious about this time. Is that okay?"
"Sure. Anything I know well, go ahead."
We were studying together, filling in each other's knowledge gaps.
We reviewed the likely exam scope, explaining the parts we knew well to each other simply.
Of course, Mary knew more, so I was mostly the one learning, but...
I did teach her the occasional thing she didn't know.
'Good, time to repay the favor.'
It'd feel bad if I was just mooching, so I resolved to help.
"What're you curious about? Ask away!"
I declared confidently, but Mary went quiet for a moment.
She stared at her notes, seeming hesitant.
Then, after a bit, she glanced up at me and spoke.
"...What kind of ideal type is Ken?"
"Oh, that? Well, someone kind to me, and... wait, what?"
What did I just hear...?
"Uh... um... You mean for studying, right?"
If I'd misheard and answered accordingly, it'd be super embarrassing, so I double-checked.
This time, Mary looked straight up at me, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she replied.
"I'm curious... about the kind of woman Ken likes."
I hadn't misheard.
"Would it... be a problem to ask?"
Her usual expressionless face showed no emotion, but for some reason, her eyes trembled with shyness.
Was it the moist look in her eyes, or her flushed cheeks?
She felt different from usual.
'Maybe just genuine curiosity...'
I didn't want to misread her, so I tried interpreting it normally.
'...No, but I'm not fat anymore.'
And I wasn't ugly either.
Of course, Mary's attitude toward me hadn't changed at all from when I was fat.
But now that I was handsome, her behavior was sparking overly positive imaginations.
That Mary might...
"I'm not totally sure myself... But I think I'm drawn to kind people who like me."
"That's a pretty playboy ideal type."
"Th-That's why I said I wasn't sure...!"
Flustered by her sudden jab, I stammered an excuse, and Mary—rarely—let out a smile.
She covered her mouth cutely with her hand, giggling softly.
'Ah, she was joking.'
It was her way of teasing.
As I scratched my cheek awkwardly, Mary gazed at me with a subtle smile and odd look in her eyes.
"I like kind people too."
"...Pardon?"
Her abrupt words left me staring blankly, and Mary, back to expressionless, tapped her notes with her pen.
"Then, could you explain this next problem?"
"Ah, sure. This one..."
We dove right back into studying, so I couldn't dwell on her words.
We kept at it until the sun set and night grew late.
"There are so many stars out tonight."
It felt refreshing after burning the midnight oil.
Mary seemed to feel the same, swaying lightly as she looked up at the sky and talked about the stars.
"But why are you studying so hard, Ken? Even if you get first, there's no prize for you."
She asked curiously out of the blue.
"Well, I'd rather I get first than some stranger."
"Aiming for first with no reward?"
"...Yeah, pretty much?"
Now that I thought about it, yeah.
Others got to make one request of me if they won first.
But I was aiming for first just to block those requests.
It seemed fine at first glance, but now it felt kinda unfair.
Being top of the whole school was its own reward, sure, but still, I was the only one without extras.
"Then if Ken gets first..."
Thud.
Mary, walking beside me, bumped her shoulder against mine.
She hooked her arm through and looked at me.
"Shall I grant your wish?"
Her usual emotionless face, but somehow it always conveyed different feelings.
I just couldn't pinpoint them exactly.
'...Mary granting my wish.'
For a second, my mind veered to trashy thoughts, but I shook my head to clear them.
"More importantly, what about you, Mary? Didn't you say you had a request for me too?"
It felt like it might veer into weird territory, so I hurriedly changed the subject.
This exam event had started with Mary and Emily, after all.
I was mildly curious what their requests were.
That's why I'd asked casually.
But—
Mary stopped in her tracks.
"We're here."
"Oh, yeah."
We'd arrived at the girls' dorm, chatting as we walked.
"See you tomorrow, Mary."
She'd head into the dorm, and I'd go to the boys', so I waved.
But Mary didn't move.
She just stared at the dorm quietly.
Then she turned back to me.
"A date..."
"...Huh?"
And suddenly answered.
"If I get first place, I'll ask Ken out on a date."
Her usual expressionless face, betraying no emotion.
But her eyes trembled, revealing her true feelings.
Those moist eyes seemed to plead sincerely with me.
"...See you tomorrow."
With that, Mary—who'd unilaterally dumped those ambiguous feelings on me—turned sharply and entered the dorm.
"...Huh?"
Stunned by her sudden demeanor,
I stood there blankly, feeling my face heat up.