Chapter 1
The worst thing imaginable has happened.
Emilia Laurent is no longer number one.
The ranking board outside the main hall of Seiryo Academy gleams beneath the morning sun, fresh sheets of paper pinned carefully beneath the glass display. Students crowd around it, murmuring in the particular tone reserved for gossip and mild academic tragedy.
Normally, Emilia would already be walking away by now.
Normally, she would glance once, confirm what she already knows, and leave before anyone else finishes pushing through the crowd.
But today—
Her name is not at the top.
It is directly beneath it.
Rank 2
Emilia Laurent
She stares at the number beside her name as if it might rearrange itself out of embarrassment.
Second.
The word feels unfamiliar.
Uncomfortable.
Wrong.
Her fingers tighten around the strap of her bag.
This is not a mistake.
She does not make mistakes.
She replays the exam in her mind with clinical precision.
Mathematics — flawless.
Literature — precise analysis.
History — detailed citations.
Even the bonus problem at the end, the one most students skipped, she solved confidently.
There had been no hesitation.
No doubt.
No weakness.
So how—
Her eyes lift slowly to the name above hers.
Rank 1
Ren Takahashi
For a moment, the noise of the hallway dulls.
Ren Takahashi.
She searches the crowd instinctively.
He is standing a few steps away from the board.
Silver hair catching faint strands of morning light.
Hands in his pockets.
Expression neutral.
He isn't smiling.
He isn't celebrating.
He isn't even looking at the rankings anymore.
He glances at the paper once, as if checking the time on a clock, then shifts his attention toward the courtyard windows.
As though first place means nothing.
That might be worse than arrogance.
Emilia's jaw tightens.
Indifference.
It would have been easier if he had smirked.
If he had looked proud.
If he had at least acknowledged what he had done.
Instead, he looks like someone who accidentally arrived early.
Her heartbeat picks up — not with humiliation.
With irritation.
How dare he.
"Emilia?"
Yui's voice cuts through the crowd.
Her best friend appears at her side, slightly breathless from pushing through students.
"Tell me that's a typo," Yui says immediately, leaning closer to the board. "Tell me they swapped the sheets."
Emilia doesn't respond.
Yui's eyes move upward.
Then widen.
"...Oh."
That single syllable says everything.
"Since when is Ren Takahashi capable of this?" Yui mutters. "I mean, he's smart, obviously, but—"
Emilia exhales slowly.
"He's always ranked near the top."
"Yes, near," Yui emphasizes. "Not above you."
Emilia finally turns away from the board.
The hallway feels warmer than usual.
Students whisper in clusters.
She catches fragments of conversation.
"Did you see?"
"First time in two years..."
"Laurent dropped—"
She straightens her posture instinctively.
Second is not dropped.
Second is temporary.
Ren begins walking toward the classroom corridor.
No urgency.
No triumph.
He passes by without looking at her.
Without saying anything.
As if nothing changed.
That is unacceptable.
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere buzzes with low curiosity.
Seating charts haven't changed — Emilia still sits near the front by the window.
Ren sits two rows behind her.
Yui drops into her seat beside Emilia and leans close.
"So," she whispers dramatically, "what's the plan?"
"There is no plan."
"There's always a plan."
Emilia sets her bag down neatly and smooths her skirt with deliberate calm.
Plans imply reaction.
She does not react.
She evaluates.
Still—
Her eyes shift subtly toward the back of the room.
Ren is already seated.
Notebook open.
Head slightly tilted downward.
He looks exactly as he did yesterday.
Which makes today worse.
If he had looked different — surprised, pleased, unsettled — she could measure the change.
Instead, he is steady.
Infuriatingly steady.
Kaito Nakamura drops into the seat beside Ren and slings an arm lazily over the back of his chair.
"I didn't know you had it in you," Kaito says, not bothering to lower his voice.
Ren blinks once. "Have what?"
"First place."
A pause.
"Oh."
Oh.
Emilia's eyebrow twitches.
Oh?
"That's cool, I guess," Kaito continues. "You're going to enjoy the spotlight?"
Ren shrugs slightly.
"It's just a test."
Emilia's grip tightens around her pen.
Just a test.
Yui leans in again.
"Did he just say that?"
"Yes."
"Is he provoking you?"
"He's breathing," Emilia replies quietly. "That's enough."
Class begins.
But Emilia's focus splinters.
She answers questions correctly.
Takes notes efficiently.
Responds when called upon.
But part of her mind remains fixed on the board outside.
Second.
She hates how easily the word lingers.
During a brief lull between lectures, she hears it again.
Kaito whispering loudly.
"So, Takahashi. Planning to hold onto it?"
Ren's voice is low.
"I wasn't planning anything."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means I studied."
Emilia turns her page carefully.
Studied.
As if that's all it takes.
As if she hasn't sacrificed weekends.
Free time.
Sleep.
Her eyes shift again.
He isn't arrogant.
He isn't mocking.
He genuinely does not seem to care.
And that unsettles her more than defeat itself.
Because competition requires acknowledgment.
If he refuses to acknowledge it—
Then what is she competing against?
Lunch break arrives with a rush of movement and noise.
Students gather in groups.
Conversations spike.
Emilia remains seated for a moment longer than usual.
Observing.
Ren stands, slides his chair in quietly, and steps into the aisle.
He moves without drawing attention.
She watches him in her peripheral vision.
There's nothing flashy about him.
No deliberate charm.
No loud presence.
Just calm.
Yui nudges her.
"You're staring."
"I'm evaluating."
"You're glaring."
"I am not."
Yui grins.
"You are absolutely glaring."
Emilia exhales slowly.
"I simply want to understand."
"Understand what?"
"How."
Yui tilts her head.
"How he beat you?"
"Yes."
Yui leans back thoughtfully.
"Maybe he just had a good day?"
Emilia's eyes narrow slightly.
"No."
Yui laughs.
"You sound like a villain."
"I sound rational."
But deep down—
She doesn't just want to understand how he beat her.
She wants to understand him.
Why he didn't react.
Why he didn't look at her.
Why first place sits on his shoulders like dust.
For two years, she has been number one.
Unchallenged.
Stable.
Defined.
And now—
There is movement.
Change.
Uncertainty.
Her gaze drifts once more toward the doorway where Ren stands talking quietly with Kaito.
His posture relaxed.
Expression unreadable.
And for the first time since seeing the rankings—
A flicker of something else rises inside her.
Not just irritation.
Curiosity.
If he refuses to react...
Then she will make him.
Her lips curve slightly — not into a smile.
Into intention.
Quiet.
Calculated.
Subtle.
The war has not begun.
But it will.
And this time—
She will not be second.
Emilia Laurent does not lose focus.
She refines it.
That is what she tells herself as she closes her notebook at the end of the last class.
The hallway outside buzzes with end-of-day energy. Lockers shutting. Shoes shifting against the polished floor. Conversations spilling over one another like waves.
She steps into the corridor with measured calm.
Ren Takahashi is ahead of her.
Of course he is.
He walks without rush, his bag slung over one shoulder. Kaito says something beside him that makes him exhale softly — not quite a laugh, but close.
Emilia slows slightly.
Observes.
He doesn't look victorious.
He doesn't look relieved.
He looks... ordinary.
That is unacceptable.
"You're doing it again."
Yui's voice floats beside her.
"Doing what?"
"Analyzing him like he's a math problem."
Emilia keeps her gaze forward.
"I'm simply trying to determine how he scored higher."
"You could ask him."
Emilia stops walking.
Yui nearly bumps into her.
"Ask him?" Emilia repeats.
"Yes? Humans communicate verbally, you know."
Emilia resumes walking.
"I do not require assistance."
Yui grins knowingly.
"This isn't about the grade, is it?"
Emilia says nothing.
Which is answer enough.
Ren slows as the crowd thins near the shoe lockers.
He bends slightly to change into his outdoor shoes.
There is nothing remarkable about the motion.
Nothing dramatic.
Yet Emilia finds herself pausing a step away.
He senses it.
He looks up.
Their eyes meet properly for the first time that day.
His gaze is steady.
Neutral.
Curious, maybe.
There is no mockery.
No smug satisfaction.
Just quiet acknowledgement.
He speaks first.
"Congratulations."
Emilia blinks once.
"On what?"
"Second place."
It is not said sarcastically.
Which almost makes it worse.
"Congratulations to you as well," she replies smoothly.
He nods slightly.
Silence lingers.
Students move around them.
Noise continues.
But there is a strange stillness between them.
"You did well," he adds.
Emilia's posture straightens instinctively.
"I always do."
A faint pause.
"I know," he says.
That answer unsettles her.
He knows?
What does that mean?
Before she can press further, Kaito calls out from the doorway.
"Hey, Takahashi! You coming?"
Ren shifts his bag.
"Yeah."
He looks back at Emilia once more.
No smirk.
No challenge.
Then he leaves.
Just like that.
Emilia stands there longer than necessary.
Her pulse feels slightly off-beat.
That interaction did not go the way she expected.
He didn't gloat.
He didn't apologize.
He didn't challenge her.
He acknowledged her.
As if they were equals.
Her fingers curl slightly.
That may be the problem.
Outside the school gates, the late afternoon light softens the air.
Seiryo City is calm at this hour.
Students scatter toward buses and side streets.
Emilia walks in the opposite direction of Ren — at least for now.
Yui walks beside her.
"So?" Yui presses.
"So what?"
"Did he seem different?"
Emilia hesitates.
"No."
"Did that bother you?"
"...Yes."
Yui beams triumphantly.
"I knew it."
Emilia exhales sharply.
"He treats it as insignificant."
"Maybe it is to him."
"It isn't to me."
That is the truth.
She worked for that position.
Protected it.
Defined herself by it.
And he disrupted it without effort.
Or without showing effort.
Which may be worse.
Later that evening, Emilia sits at her desk at home.
Books neatly arranged.
Lamp warm against the quiet room.
Her French textbook lies open — though she isn't studying from it.
She runs her fingers along the margin absently.
French has always felt comfortable.
Elegant.
Controlled.
A language that allows softness without vulnerability.
You can say dangerous things in another language.
And they feel distant.
Protected.
Her mind drifts to the way Ren looked at her.
Steady.
Calm.
"I know."
That phrase echoes.
What exactly does he know?
Her pen taps lightly against the desk.
She replays his expression.
Not indifferent.
Not exactly.
More like...
Unmoved.
A small, irrational spark ignites in her chest.
If he refuses to react—
Then she will give him something to react to.
Not cruelly.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Her lips part slightly as a quiet sentence slips from her thoughts.
"Tu es vraiment étrange..."
(You're really strange...)
She pauses.
Then adds softly,
"Mais intéressant."
(But interesting.)
The words hang in the quiet room.
And for the first time since the rankings were posted—
A faint smile touches her lips.
Tomorrow will be different.
Across Seiryo City, in a quieter residential street, Ren sits on the floor of his living room helping Mina stack plastic blocks into a crooked tower.
"You're distracted," Mina says seriously.
Ren blinks.
"I am not."
"You are."
He pauses.
She's right.
He stares at the blocks in his hands.
Second place.
He didn't expect it.
He didn't aim for it.
He simply studied.
But what unsettles him isn't the rank.
It's Emilia's expression.
She didn't look angry.
She looked... disturbed.
He rests his chin lightly on his hand.
She has always seemed untouchable.
Confident.
Composed.
Today—
There was something sharper.
More focused.
He exhales quietly.
If this changes something, he isn't sure how.
He only knows one thing.
Tomorrow, she will not ignore it.
And somehow—
That thought makes him more nervous than the exam ever did.