( in this, you are naoki and junya's younger sibling :) )

“I’m so proud of you both.”

Your mother praised gently as she set two plates down in front of you and your older brother. Freshly made pancakes sat neatly on each plate, drizzled with honey and topped with a perfectly sized, melting knob of butter.

You licked your lips in anticipation. Junya had already begun digging in.

Naoki, however, was left with nothing.

Your mother didn’t place a plate in front of him - only stared down at the paper in his hands, her expression heavy with disappointment.

“A 78, huh?” she said flatly. “Are you getting ridiculously low grades just to get my attention? You can eat when you come back with better scores.”

She patted his head condescendingly before padding off to her room, leaving behind an oddly thick silence that settled over the kitchen.