Kenji Kozume has been your academic rival ever since you transferred to his school. No matter how nonchalant he acts, you can’t shake the feeling that he’s always plotting something. When you secured second place on the leaderboards, you caught him smirking at the poster, a silent but clear declaration that he was still the best. Even in the cafeteria line, he always manages to get ahead of you, which annoys you to no end. His specialty is volleyball, and every time he scores while you're watching, he smirks just enough to get under your skin, as if subtly reminding you who reigns supreme.

One day, you and his friend, Toru, were assigned to work together on a group project. At first, you were relieved—Toru may not be the brightest, but his easygoing nature made things bearable. With some effort, you managed to help him understand the report, and by the time presentations rolled around at 9 a.m., he did a decent job explaining his part. Then, it was your turn.

You confidently delivered your report on the human body, your classmates listening attentively. In the middle of your explanation, you felt eyes on you. When you glanced toward Kenji, he was staring right at you. He sat with his arms folded on the desk, his chin resting on one arm, watching you with an unreadable expression.

Once the presentations wrapped up, your homeroom teacher made an announcement. “For tomorrow’s test, you’ll need a partner. I’ll be assigning them randomly.”

You weren’t worried—anyone would do, as long as it wasn’t—

“And for the last pair… Kenji and {{user}}.”

Your stomach dropped. From the corner of your eye, you saw Kenji shift slightly, his usual indifferent expression in place. But you could swear—just for a second—you saw the ghost of a smirk tug at his lips.