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Chapter 28: When It Comes to the Top Student, It’s a Bet
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 20:28:01 +0000 UTCAs Aoki Kei’s words hung in the air, Yukinoshita Yukino stared at him one part confused, two parts shocked, and three parts stunned. Unlike
As Aoki Kei’s words hung in the air, Yukinoshita Yukino stared at him one part confused, two parts shocked, and three parts stunned.
Unlike before, the system's response was instant.
Just as his final word landed, a crisp notification chimed in his ear:
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[Option 2 complete. Language Learning Talent has been granted.]
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He didn’t yet know what exactly this "Language Learning Talent" did, but right now, that wasn’t the most pressing issue.
Sure, that verbal comeback had felt incredibly satisfying, but the consequences... yeah, not so much.
"To go straight to personal insults without offering an explanation, Aoki-san, don’t you think that’s a bit inappropriate?" Yukinoshita’s voice had grown colder—like an arctic wind passing through a quiet forest.
Her already piercing tone now carried a sharp chill.
She wasn’t wrong.
A personal attack wasn’t exactly the most civilized move.
A calm explanation would’ve been far more rational.
But this wasn’t the time to back down—and Kei wasn’t completely in the wrong either.
"Jumping to conclusions and accusing someone, is that appropriate action, Yukinoshita-san? Actually, I did explain, I said I wasn’t interested in your body. My eyes wandered subconsciously while I was thinking."
Her eyes narrowed for just a split second.
What he said made sense.
She had jumped the gun with her accusation, and if his gaze had landed on her unintentionally while deep in thought, she didn’t really have solid ground to stand on.
Whether or not it was truly unintentional didn’t matter—if Aoki Kei stuck to his story, the burden of proof was on her.
Yukinoshita took a deep breath and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.
As annoying as it was, she had technically been the one to cast the first stone.
"...You’re right. I apologize for accusing you. But even if you were upset, resorting to an immediate verbal attack wasn’t the right way to handle it. I expect an apology from you as well."
Her original line had been: “If you keep staring at me any longer, I’ll call the police.”
Yeah, a little cold and a little threatening, but not exactly nuclear.
A simple explanation would’ve smoothed things over—but Aoki Kei had chosen to escalate instead, dragging their tension to its boiling point.
Which made him suddenly realize something important:
These "Love Obstacle Simulation Game" choices were always a bit... off.
Option one had been to play dumb.
Option two, fight back.
Option three, explain and apologize.
But the real mature move would’ve been to explain calmly—without groveling.
Guess the system got him again.
He let his guard down and picked the impulsive route. And now, he was here.
Still, whining about it after claiming the reward would be lame.
He didn’t even know what the “Language Learning Talent” did yet.
Knowing that Yukinoshita had the moral high ground in this second round of their argument, Kei decided to play it straight.
“...Sorry. I guess I overreacted. I’ve always thought of you as a rival, so I snapped when you targeted me.”
"...Rival?" Yukinoshita frowned slightly, visibly puzzled.
That irked Kei more than he expected.
Was she really this surprised?
Back in Shirose High, he’d been the top student for two straight years.
For her to look this baffled... felt like she wasn’t even considering him worthy.
So, he raised his chin and made it clear.
“Yukinoshita-san, you’ve held the number one spot for years. But this year, I’m going to beat you.”
It had been nearly a week since he joined the Service Club, and even Yukinoshita’s sharp memory couldn’t instantly recall every detail about him.
Still, with that clarification, she quickly pieced together what he meant by "rival."
And so she asked, calm but intrigued:
“You’re that confident you can defeat me, Aoki-san?”
Confident? He was more than confident, he’d even fantasized about dozens of perfectly immoral ways to keep her from taking the test altogether.
But... considering the Yukinoshita family’s on of influence in Japan, not to mention the likely criminal charges, he had sensibly abandoned all those “creative” options.
Which meant, if it was going to come down to test scores alone...
Was he sure he could win?
Honestly? Not at all.
But still, he couldn’t afford to back down—not with his pride on the line.
“Of course I’m confident,” he said firmly. “I’ll definitely win.”
Yukinoshita raised the paperback she was holding, just high enough to cover her lips.
Through her long dark lashes, she looked at him—quiet, but piercing.
She didn’t reply right away.
A soft breeze wafted through the open window, lifting a few strands of her midnight-black hair like silk in the wind.
Then, ever so faintly, she smirked.
“If you’re so confident, then let’s see who scores higher on the next exam.”
Her voice was like clear ice—beautiful and razor sharp, edged with fierce determination.
But unlike Aoki Kei’s stubborn pride, hers was real confidence.
“If I win, I expect you to offer me a proper, sincere apology... for what you said earlier.”
Still holding a grudge about the "body" comment, huh...?
Kei internally winced.
What the hell was up with this girl?
The thing was, he wasn’t trying to beat her out of some petty rivalry—he needed the scholarship money.
That was the whole reason.
And besides, even though he’d just declared he’d win, he wasn’t entirely sure he could.
So he shook his head.
“No need for that, Yukinoshita-san.”
He glanced at his phone—over thirty minutes had passed.
According to the rules they’d set, he was now free to leave.
Standing up, he added:
“I’m not interested in this kind of bet. If you want to challenge someone, find someone else.”
He turned and headed for the clubroom door.
Then— “Are you afraid, Aoki-san?”
Her voice echoed behind him—calm, cutting, unmistakably provocative.
Really? That kind of bait was so crude a preschooler wouldn’t fall for it...
And yet, he froze mid-step.
He’d studied hard for more than ten years.
She really thought she could taunt him like that and he’d just walk away?
Taking a deep breath, Kei turned slightly and replied:
“Fine, I’ll accept. But if I do score higher than you…what will I get?”
