Puzzle box

Part 5 The first test done

It was now the following Monday, and Nishikata was more than a little nervous about his exam that they were about to get the results to. "Okay, I'm good, I did good, right?" He said as the teacher was handing back tests.

"You're more nervous than I thought you'd be." Takagi said as she returned to her seat with her test in hand. "Don't tell me you forgot everything we went over during the weekend."

"No, I remembered it all." Nishikata began. "I remember it now, I remembered it during the test, I'm just ... worried."

"Well, don't be, there are still a few more opportunities to pick your grade up before the entrance exams."

Nishikata nodded as his mind began to drift to the previous day; they had studied at Takagi's again, though this time, they worked on the floor instead of Takagi's bed, though Takagi was even more of a tease than she was the day before. "By the way Nishikata, I was thinking about where we should study today, and I think that it might be best if we stay at school."

"At ... school?" Nishikata slowly remembered the kind of people that normally stay after school to study. "But ... didn't you say that it's mainly couples that stay after?"

"Well, yeah, but it's the best place to study, there will still be some teachers here, so we could ask questions if there's something neither of us know. Though, we could do it at my place again, though I'd have to tell my mom you're coming, and she can be a bit ... suspicious of boys, especially if she thinks I'm dating them."

"Wait, you've brought other boys to your house?"

"I haven't, my older sister has though. That's how I know."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah, she's studying overseas in the states, so I don't see her that often."

"Oh ... well I'd like to meet her some day."

"I'm not so sure you would."

Before Nishikata could say anything, he heard his name get called and stood up. 'Well, this is it.' He began walking towards the front and reached out to receive his test result. Nishikata stared at it, and quickly spotted a giant 80 circled in the upper right-hand corner. 'I'm ... seeing things.'

"Much better than last time." The teacher said, as if confirming that what he was seeing was real.

"T-thanks." He continued to look at it, all the way back to his seat.

"So?" Takagi asked. "What'd you get?"

"I ... you said it would be better if we studied here, right?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind that people might start considering us as a couple."

Nishikata put his paper down and closed his eyes. 'It's definitely working, and it's worth it.' "Well ... if they ask us if we're dating, then we can just tell them the truth."

"So that means you're all for it?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes."

"Great, now what did you get?"

"Hmm ... try and guess."

"This again?" She shrugged and looked ahead. "If you insist." She turned back to him and smiled. "It's definitely higher than seventy, otherwise you wouldn't be so eager to continue studying with me." Nishikata glanced to the side. "But, I don't think it's a perfect score, how about ... ninety?" Nishikata didn't respond. "So it's lower than a ninety."

'How did she know?!'

"Eighty?" Nishikata tried to remain calm, but ended up squirming in his seat. "How about ... Eighty one? Or maybe ... seventy nine? Seventy eight?" Nishikata still didn't respond as a sly smile formed on Taakgi's face. "Okay then, I'm going with seventy nine."