A week had passed since the mid-term exam, and today was the last day before summer break. The students were nervous as they awaited their mid-term exam results.

Inside classroom 1F, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Akihiko, entered the classroom with a serious expression, causing the students to speculate among themselves. "Why does Mr. Akihiko look so serious? Did many of us fail the exam?"

Elly and Shimizu waited anxiously. Mr. Akihiko addressed the class, "You guys have disappointed me because none of you have failed this time," before breaking into laughter at his own joke.

"What?!" the students exclaimed in shock.

"Surprised? Wasn't my act pretty suspenseful?"

"Geez, Sensei, don't shock us like that," said one classmate.

"You almost gave us a heart attack," said another classmate.

"Does this mean we passed all our subjects?" Elly and Shimizu wondered before looking at Mizuha, who smiled and nodded at them.

"Good job everyone, many of you improved this time," said Mr. Akihiko.

Mr. Akihiko announced that Mizuha had earned first place in the entire class, with Zul taking second and also being the highest-ranking male student.

"Give them a round of applause!" The classmates clapped enthusiastically.

"As I expected, these two would get those places," Shimizu thought. "I wonder what result I'll get."

The classmates discussed how they had expected Yuki-san's performance since she was known for her intelligence. They couldn't believe Zul had secured second place, given his laid-back attitude and occasional naps during class.

"We shouldn't underestimate him anymore," the classmates agreed.

"Congratulations, Zul," said Mizuha, looking at Zul who was sitting behind her."Congratulations to you too, Zul replied.

Mr. Akihiko called students one by one to receive their exam result record books. When Shimizu's turn came, Mr. Akihiko said, "Not bad this time, Toyama; you've improved, especially in Math."

"Thanks, Sensei," replied Shimizu, who had placed 15th.

When it was Elly's turn, Mr. Akihiko said, "Impressive result, Sakamoto! Not only did you pass your weakest subject, but you also scored high in others. I'm glad to see that."

"Thanks, Sensei! This is all because of my friends' support," said Elly, who had achieved 9th place.

Mr. Akihiko mentioned that the overall rankings for their entire year were posted in the first-year corridor. "And Mizuha, congratulations again! You earned first place among all first-year students this time; you make me and this class proud," he added.

"That's great, Yuki-san! First place among all first-year students!" Her classmates praised her achievement.

"As expected of my best friend Mizuha," said Shimizu proudly. "As your friend, I'm proud of you."

"Good for you, Mizuha-chan," added Elly.

Class 1F students were relieved they could enjoy their summer break without worrying about remedial classes.

Before leaving, Mr. Akihiko addressed the class, "I know you're all thrilled with your exam results, but don't forget the summer break homework your teachers have assigned."

A classmate sighed, "Geez, sensei, why did you have to remind us of that? We're just happy about the exam results right now."

During recess, students gathered around the information board Mr. Akihiko had mentioned, eager to see the overall first-year rankings.

"Look at that? Yuki-san from Class 1F got first place overall among the first-years," one student remarked. Mizuha's name had become a topic of discussion among the first-year students.

Another student wondered aloud, "Yuki-san? Isn't she the transfer student who arrived a month after school started? Isn't she also friends with that famous delinquent, Toyama?"

"Yeah, and I heard she’s really talented at drawing and also managed to tame Toyama," said another student.

"Oh, she managed to tame me? That’s a good story. Can you guys tell me more about it?" Shimizu suddenly appeared behind them, wearing a scary smile touch their shoulder.

"Erk, she's here! Let's get out of here," they said, quickly leaving the spot.

"What do they mean by 'tame me'? Do they think I’m a beast or something?" Shimizu said.

Shimizu sighed. “Ah, some students still think of me as a delinquent. Looks like that rumor hasn't died down yet," she said before heading to the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, Akemi and her friends approached the board to check their own rankings.

"Akemi-chan, you're amazing to get first place in our class!" one of Akemi's friends exclaimed.

"I bet you got first place overall among the first-year students too," said another friend.

Akemi replied confidently, "Of course, it must be. I worked so hard for this exam, you know."

"I bet your name will be known later on," her friend remarked.

Akemi scanned the list intently. "Okay, let's see what place I got for the overall first-year rankings." Her face fell suddenly. "What? I only got fourth place...?" she said, turning pale. "Then who got first place?" she added.

Akemi's eyes quickly found the top name. "It can't be... It's Mizuha-chan?" she wondered, perplexed. "That can't be right, out of all the people, I lost to her...!?" She felt a bit of disappointment mixed with anger as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

"Huh, Yuki-san from Class 1F got the 1st place?" said Akemi's friend, surprised.

"Yuki-san, you mean the one who's always with Hikaru-kun, right?" another friend asked.

“Yes, I’ve always heard about her, but I never expected her to be this smart,” said the friend.

"Akemi-chan, what's wrong? You suddenly went silent," said another friend.

"Ah, nothing happened, don't worry about me," Akemi said, trying to brush it off.

"Too bad, huh? I didn't get the 1st place this time, but it's not important for me. I'll do better in the next exam," Akemi said, regaining her usual self-assured attitude and covering her earlier disappointment.

"You're right, this is just the first exam for us. There are many more to come, and I know you'll do it better and beat Yuki-san in the next one," said her friend reassuringly.

"Hey, Akemi, let's go to the cafeteria. We'll treat you for getting 1st place in our class," said another friend.

"Really?! Yeah, you two are the best friends I've ever had!!" Akemi exclaimed, her mood brightening at the thought.

At the cafeteria, Akemi and her friends were in line to get their food. Suddenly, Mizuha, who had just finished buying her own food, passed by them.

Mizuha noticed Akemi and spoke, "Akemi-chan, it's been a while. How did you do on the exam?"

Akemi replied in a cold tone, not even looking at Mizuha, "Why are you here? Is it important to you?"

Mizuha then said, "But I… just wanted to ask you about it…"

"Enough!!, Please get out of my sight now. I don't want to talk to you about it," Akemi replied.

Mizuha responded with a sad smile, "I see, you don't want to talk about it. That's okay, I'm sorry for asking. Please excuse me," she said before leaving Akemi's group.

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"Akemi-chan, that was Yuki-san, right? You two seem to know each other," one of Akemi's friends said.

"Well, I used to talk to her once before when I was eating lunch with them," Akemi explained.

"But you totally shut her down just now. Look at her face, she seemed really disappointed," another friend said, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah, let her be disappointed. That's not my problem," Akemi replied, also chuckling.

“After all, I never had any intention of being friends with her, especially since she took something important from me when she transferred to this school,” wondered Akemi.

"Oh, it's almost our turn. Go ahead and choose the food you want. We'll pay for it," Akemi's friends said. "Then…" Akemi replied.

Mizuha returned to her usual group, lost in thought. "What happened to Akemi earlier? Why did she seem so cold? Did I make her upset somehow?"

"Mizuha, you're late! What took you so long?" Shimizu complained.

"Sorry, the queue was really long," Mizuha explained, taking a seat beside Elly.

"Mizuha-chan, you seem down. Is something bothering you?" Elly asked, concern evident in her voice.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine," Mizuha assured her.

"Cheer up! You're the star of the day, Miss Number One," Shimizu teased.

"That's right. Your name is the talk of the first-year students today," said Hikaru, arriving with Takeru.

"That's amazing, Mizuha. You're now the top student in our grade," Takeru added.

"Hikaru, you came! And you too, Takeru?" Mizuha brightened up.

"Yeah, this guy wanted to join us, so I brought him along," Hikaru explained.

"So, Hikaru, how did you do? What about your results?" Mizuha asked.

"Me? Oh, not bad. I managed to get 6th place in my class, 18th overall."

"That's great! Sixth place is still a good result. How about you, Takeru?"

"I got 7th in my class, just one place below Hikaru, and 25th overall."

"Not bad at all, Takeru," Mizuha smiled.

"Zul, I heard you got 2nd place in the class. That's amazing, just as I expected from my best friend!" Hikaru said, greeting Zul.

"Of course, he's the top male student in our class," Shimizu added proudly.

"That's really impressive," Takeru remarked.

Zul just smiled at their praise.

"Don't forget about Shimizu and Elly," Mizuha chimed in. "Both of them have improved in most of their subjects. I'm glad I could help instruct them earlier."

"Don't say it like that, Mizuha-sensei! You're embarrassing us!" Elly and Shimizu protested in sync.

"Ah!" they both exclaimed, realizing they'd spoken together.

"What was that? You both said it in sync!" Mizuha chuckled.

"That's a rare scene coming from you two," Zul observed.

All of them laughing together with that.

"Oh, Mizuha's laughing. She's not feeling down anymore," Shimizu thought to herself.

"Anyway, thanks to you, Mizuha, we managed to pass our weakest subjects," Shimizu said gratefully.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without you," Elly added.

“Thank you very much” said both of them.

"It's nothing special. I just helped you guys a little. Your hard work is what made it happen," Mizuha replied modestly.

"By the way, Hikaru, can I ask you something?" asked Mizuha curiously.

"Yes, what is it, Mizuha?" said Hikaru.

"How is Akemi doing in this exam? What place did she get in your class?" asked Mizuha.

"Akemi? She got first place in my class, right, Takeru?" said Hikaru.

"Yes, she was the top one in our class, but why are you asking that? Did something happen between the two of you?" inquired Takeru.

"No, it's nothing. I just wanted to know. Thanks for telling me," said Mizuha, hiding her curiosity.

"If she got first place, why did she look a bit disappointed and act cold to me earlier? " wondered Mizuha.

"Ah, stop it, Mizuha. No need to think about that anymore; don't feel down about it, your friends will worry about you", she thought to herself.

Shimizu suddenly had an idea to celebrate their exam success after school. "Hey, you guys, we all did our best during our exam this time, so let's celebrate the exam achievement after school today. What do you guys think?"

"That's a nice idea, but where do we want to hold it?" Hikaru asked.

"Ah, I never thought about that, sorry," Shimizu admitted.

"How about you, Mizuha? Do you have any ideas, Miss Number One?" Shimizu asked.

"You suggested that, but you never thought about it?" Mizuha pointed out.

"I also have no idea where to hold it," Mizuha continued. "But I think I'll pass it to Zul for today. Let him decide our destination today."

"Huh, why are you suddenly passing it to me?" Zul complained.

"Before this, you passed your decision to me once, now I'm returning it to you," Mizuha said, recalling their previous outing in town.

"Oh, I remember that, it was when we were playing bowling before, right?" Elly said.

"Yes, that's it," Mizuha confirmed.

Zul sighed. "Oh, I see, so it's back to me, huh? Alright, let me think about it."

They waited while Zul considered their options. After a moment, he gave his answer. "Then, let's have it at the family restaurant nearest to the school. It's been a while since I've been there."

"So, it's decided, we're having it at the family restaurant after school today," Shimizu declared.

Just then, Takeru woke up. "Umm, what's wrong, Takeru?" Hikaru asked.

"Sorry, you guys. I suddenly remembered I have something to do today after school. Sorry, I can't join you guys," he said.

"Oh, too bad. We thought you'd want to join us too," Mizuha said.

"I'm really sorry, maybe next time, okay?" he said before leaving the group.

"Sorry, you guys. Actually, I don't have anything to do today, but I think I'll just let you guys be together today like you usually do. I don't want to disturb your group. Sorry, Mizuha-chan," Takeru thought to himself.

After school, the five friends made their way to the family restaurant as planned. They discussed their exam results as they walked. Zul, Shimizu, and Elly walked in front while Mizuha and Hikaru followed behind.

"I can't wait to show this exam result to my mother," said Elly.

"Yeah, I bet she'll be proud of you with this result since you managed to do so well in almost all subjects," replied Zul.

"I wonder if that old hag will compliment me on these results," said Shimizu.

"She might compliment you for that, Shimizu-chan, because you're doing very well," said Elly.

Behind them, walking beside Mizuha, Hikaru observed, "They all seem happy with their exam results, right?"

"That's right, especially Elly and Shimizu who managed to pass their weakest subject and also improve in other subjects. That's why they are very happy," Mizuha explained.

"As their instructor, I'm proud of their performance this time," said Mizuha.

Hikaru nodded thoughtfully. "It must feel good to see them do so well.

"So, Mizuha, what are your plans for the summer break? Are you going anywhere?" Hikaru asked.

"My family and I plan to visit my grandparents for a few days at the beginning of the summer break, I think. How about you?" Mizuha replied.

"Hmm, I don't have any plans for this summer break. Maybe I'll just stay at home, except if our leader at the front calls us to do some activities as usual," Hikaru said, glancing at Shimizu.

Mizuha chuckled. "You're right, Shimizu always plans the best activities for us."

Suddenly, Shimizu turned back to join them. "Were you guys calling me?" she inquired.

"None of us were calling you, go back to the front," Hikaru replied.

"Tch!! I thought I heard my name," Shimizu muttered before returning to the front with Zul and Elly.

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. "Oh, we're here already," Hikaru announced. "Let's go inside, Mizuha."

"You guys just order what you want; it's all my treat today," Hikaru offered.

"Are you sure about this, Hikaru? We can pay for ourselves," Mizuha said hesitantly.

"Yeah, this is the second time you've paid for all of us. The last one was for the rent for the BBQ equipment earlier," Shimizu added.

"Don't worry about it; it's my treat for today. Don't hesitate to order whatever you want, okay," Hikaru insisted.

"But..." Elly began.

"Elly, don't worry about it, just order what you want," Zul interrupted.

"Zul, you're very calm about this, like you're used to Hikaru treating you," Elly observed.

"Well, nothing can stop him if he wants to treat you. He did it so many times for me in middle school back then," Zul explained.

"Really!? Even Zul said that?" Mizuha exclaimed, surprised.

"Then what are you guys waiting for? Let's order what you want, okay," Hikaru encouraged.

"Alright, thanks, Hikaru," Elly, Mizuha, and Shimizu said in unison as they began choosing their meals.

After the waiter delivered their orders, Hikaru turned to Shimizu. "Shimizu, do it. Let's begin."

"Huh? Why me? I'm not the star today; Mizuha is," Shimizu protested.

"But you're the leader, right? Then it's your job to do it," Mizuha replied with a chuckle.

"Alright, if you say so, then it can't be helped. Let me start it," Shimizu agreed.

"Let's have a toast to celebrate our star today, Mizuha, and Zul, as well as everyone who did so well on the exams and for our upcoming summer break!"

"Cheers!!!" Shimizu announced, raising her glass.

"Cheers!!!" everyone responded in unison, clinking their glasses.

After the toast, the table came alive with laughter and conversation as they celebrated their success in the midterm exams.

As he separated from his friend at the family restaurant and walked Mizuha home as usual, Hikaru was now walking alone on his way to his house.

"Many good things have happened recently. I wonder what's coming next," Hikaru pondered. As he neared his house, he suddenly encountered a woman wearing a coat, hat, and sunglasses walking past him.

"Who is this person? I've never seen her around this area before," Hikaru thought.

Suddenly, the woman quickly said, "I see, you've grown up, huh? It looks like that woman did her job properly raising you. Good for you, right?" Hikaru was shocked hearing those words and turned back to look at the woman, but she had already disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Hikaru said, looking around but not finding her.

Suddenly, someone approached him. "Onii-chan, what are you doing?" said the middle schooler who had just come back from the convenience store. "Hikari? What are you doing here?" said Hikaru. It was Hikari, his little sister, who had approached him.

"I just came back from running an errand Mom asked me to do. What are you doing? Are you looking for something?" "Oh, yeah. Did you see any strange woman walking past you?" asked Hikaru.

"Strange woman? No, I haven't seen anyone here since then," said Hikari. "This is so strange. Where did she go? Anyway, let's go back to our house now," said Hikaru to his little sister.

The two siblings walked together until they arrived at their house, Hikaru mulling over the mysterious woman's words and her sudden disappearance. “That woman, it can’t be her, right? If that was her, what was she doing around here earlier?” thought Hikaru again.

“Mom, we're home!!” said Hikari, coming home along with Hikaru.

“Oh, you came back together, huh? That's so unusual,” replied their mother.

“Well, I met onii-chan when I was coming back from my errand earlier,” said Hikari.

“Hikaru, you’re coming home late today. Did you go somewhere?” asked his mother.

“Well, I went to a family restaurant with my friends to celebrate our exam results,” said Hikaru.

“Oh, your results were announced today? I totally forgot about that. Can you show me them after this?”

“Sure, I’ll show them to you after this,” replied Hikaru.

“By the way, your face looks a bit pale. Did something happen?” asked his mother.

"Really!? Maybe I'm just too tired today. Let me rest in my room for now," said Hikaru, smiling and hiding the fact that he was actually thinking about the strange woman they encountered earlier.

"Understood. Go back to your room and rest. If you need anything, please ask me, okay?" said his mother.

"Okay, Mom. Thank you for your concern," said Hikaru before leaving for his room on the upper floor.