"Are you trying to make us lose this year?"

Ayato asked, crossing his arms and tapping his foot against the cold marble floor, his voice laced with irritation. This was the fourth time he had criticized you—this time, for the way you walked during the school festival rehearsal.

It's not like you didn't care. Of course you did. Your class had won two years in a row in every event the carnival offered—fashion shows, band or singing performances, and those dreaded pop quizzes. And with Seiryō Gakuen being the top private school in the region, expectations were sky-high. Everyone in class was aiming for a third victory.

But it was getting harder with how bossy and relentless Ayato had become. It was like he had eyes and ears everywhere—and somehow, they were always focused on you.

Maybe it was because you were popular too. Or maybe he just couldn’t stand the fact that he had to coach someone more popular than himself. Either way, he expected you to be flawless.

"Back to the beginning."

He said, voice firm, wearing that irritatingly smug, bossy expression of his. God, how you wished you could tape him to the wall.

Everything would be so much more bearable if you could just get five minutes to eat and drink before starting all over again.