I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

"here we go again……"

Aki Tomoya frowned and muttered something under his breath.

Should he admit that he was wrong and accidentally mentioned that Eriri was looking for him, which is not in line with his usual style at school?

If it's up to him to take the blame, Aki Tomo can accept it.

But how many times does he have to say the same thing before Eriri finally understands?

"I was just joking, I didn't mean anything by it."

Aki Tomoya explained it this way, feeling somewhat powerless.

A casual joke might have been taken as sarcasm by the other party.

Maintaining this friendship of more than ten years is much more complicated than Aki Tomoya imagined, and Eriri is now more sensitive than ever before.

"...Isn't that the truth?"

Eriri sighed inwardly.

That's true. At school, didn't the two of them pretend not to know each other?

Even if Eriri believed that Aki Tomoya's words were just a joke, at this moment, she did feel a bit ironic.

"Eiriri?"

Aki Tomoya's voice rang in her ears again, bringing Eriri back to reality.

At his prompting, Eriri noticed the librarian who had returned and was preparing to close the door.

"It's closing time, you two..."

The girl on the other end spoke softly, her gaze shifting between Aki Tomoya and Eriri.

The librarian, who had just returned, didn't know what had happened, but he sensed that the atmosphere in the library was rather tense.

"Sorry, it'll be ready soon."

Aki Tomoya replied to the librarian, while also subtly reminding Eriri with his eyes that it was getting late.

However, at this moment, Eriri felt that the person's gaze was particularly piercing after she noticed it.

This feeling is not much different from when I was in elementary school.

However, back then, the people around them did look at them with prejudice, but now, the girl is at most just curious.

But even so, it's enough to prove how sensitive Eriri is right now.

"excuse me."

Eriri said this and started walking out of the library.

She took a deep breath, recalling how she had maintained the demeanor of a young lady since stepping into this school, and how she had dared not reveal her true self under the shadow of her elementary school days.

Therefore, it is also a measure to distance himself from his childhood friend Aki Tomoya and pretend that they do not know each other.

After that incident in elementary school, she chose to hide herself and didn't want to reveal her relationship with Aki Tomoya, also because of the shadow left over from that elementary school time.

On one hand, she was afraid that her relationship with Aki Tomoya would be exposed and lead to speculation from others; on the other hand, she was still bothered by the isolation she suffered in elementary school and wanted to mend their relationship.

At this point, it's impossible to take off the mask; it's probably impossible until high school is over.

So even if those words were a joke, they were close to the truth.

No wonder Aki Tomoya said before that communication between them was troublesome, and the rift had never been repaired and had always existed.

The boy doesn't care now, only because he's unilaterally relieved, while she's still holding a grudge.

Aki Tomoya frowned as he watched Eriri's departing figure, and slowly walked out after being prompted by the gaze of the girl next to him.

"Nothing has changed from before; I still care about that matter."

Aki Tomoya shook his head and sighed.

A casual remark revealed a sensitive nerve in the other person, and Aki Tomoya would rather not have received such an unexpected reward.

I thought that after knowing each other for over ten years, we could talk things out and remain just friends, but this is how it turned out...

"I'd like to consider your feelings, but who will consider mine..."

Aki Tomoya pushed his bicycle out of the school gate, and in the distance at the station, Eriri had already boarded the last train and left.

The incident in elementary school wasn't just a shadow for Eriri alone; it was also a huge shadow for Aki Tomoya in the past.

Like Eriri, Aki Tomoya could not say he had ever truly let go of the past.

Chapter 55 List Release Day

On the second Friday of July, the final exams at Toyonosaki Academy had already ended, following the conclusion of the last subject, sociology, the previous Friday.

"Rin-ya, today is the day the results are released. How do you feel about your exam?"

"It's a bit bad."

Aki Tomoya wiped the blackboard while calmly replying to Uego Yoshihiko behind him.

After the final exams, the graduation ceremony will be held next week, followed by summer vacation.

After the exams, the students relaxed, because if most of them performed normally, the chances of them having to stay at school for extra tutoring were very small, and they could have a good time during the summer vacation.

Today happens to be the day the final exams are released. The results will be announced on this day, and in addition to the report cards that each student receives, the school year rankings will be posted publicly.

"Don't be so cold. We're comrades who fought together, after all!"

"Kamigo Yoshihiko sighed."

They studied together for the final exams, especially Yoshihiko Kamigo, who was very confident about his results. Although he couldn't say he would do very well, he still had a good chance of passing all the subjects!

"And do you know how much everyone else is expecting from your performance this time?"

Perhaps because of Aki Tomoya's significant improvement in his grades during the last midterm exam, there has been a lot of discussion about him among students in his class and other classrooms after the final exam.

It seems quite a few people want to see how far Aki Tomoya can grow in just one semester.

"Yes, yes, yes, the results will be released at noon anyway, you'll know when you check."

Aki Tomoya's attitude remained indifferent.

It was just the final exam of the first semester, not even a mock exam. In Aki Tomoya's view, it was just a time to see the results.

From the plans made at the beginning of the school year, to attending cram school at his own expense, to further improving with the advice of Mr. Tsubota, to the student who failed the University of Tokyo entrance exam, and now the adult Harumi Junko who failed and is now studying humanities, Aki Tomo has done everything he could.

While focusing on the results of the first semester, Aki Tomoya was more concerned about whether he could finish reviewing all subjects for the national exams before the end of the second semester, and then begin preparing for the University of Tokyo's science exams.

Despite receiving a lukewarm response from Tomoya Aki, Yoshihiko Uego's enthusiasm did not wane.

During lunch break, at his request, Aki Tomoya was still taken to the lobby on the first floor of the teaching building.

The notice board still displays the final exam schedule and has not been replaced with the grade rankings for each grade.

Even so, students from all grades still gathered here immediately.

At Toyonosaki Academy, proportionally, half of the students do not consider further education and half do. Although the universities they aspire to attend vary, quite a few students are focused on their grades.

"Oh no, Tomoya, my heart is beating so fast!"

Yoshihiko Uego pressed his chest, making an exaggerated expression at Tomoya Aki.

It's obvious this guy is very excited. He came to check on his friend's ranking, but Yoshihiko Uego is a hundred times more nervous and excited than Tomoya Aki.

"Calm down, everyone's looking!"

Aki Tomoya wanted to remind Uesugi Yoshihiko not to act silly and embarrass himself, but he found that most of the students were looking at him.

Alas, the reputation of being one of the three great figures of Toyonosaki Academy still has its effects.

However, compared to before, most people are now more curious and expectant.

He made a name for himself in his first year at school, then turned over a new leaf and studied diligently in his second year. The results were already visible in the last midterm exam, and after this final exam, the celebrity effect has made many people have high expectations for him again.

Thanks to his deeds last year and the changes after the start of this school year, Aki Tomoya is still a well-known figure at school.

He himself didn't know what to say about this matter.

"Here comes, Tomoya!"

Yoshihiko Uego suddenly pointed to several teachers who were coming down the stairs.

The students automatically made way for the teachers holding the lists for each grade to walk to the bulletin board.

First up is the third-grade class leaderboard. Since there's not much suspense, apart from the third-grade students who are concerned about their own grades, the other students don't pay much attention to it.

After all, Kasumigaoka Utaha's position as the top student in her grade is still quite secure.

The key is the second-grade student ranking list; the number of students around it is gradually increasing.

Yoshihiko Uego held his breath, watching the second list slowly unfold after the third-grade report card was posted. His exaggerated expression infected everyone around him, who also held their breath. Would they be able to witness a miracle?

However, Aki Tomoya's attention was not on that at all; instead, he was looking around aimlessly.

Outside, he saw several familiar faces: upperclasswomen, his childhood sweetheart from the same grade, and an inconspicuous girl from his class.

Aki Tomo glanced at Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha without leaving a trace. During final exams, he often saw that pair of girls studying in the school library with Kato Megumi and Uesugi Yoshihiko. Their pairing had even caused a sensation at school.