Chapter 18: Midterm Tests
The first semester’s midterm tests were approaching.
The atmosphere in the GJ club had changed. With textbooks and notes spread everywhere, it had become a study room.
“Ah, jeez. It would be great if there weren’t any tests.”
Mao muttered while diligently writing down an English translation. She tightly held her mechanical pencil with an unusual grip, writing in strange sinuous letters. At the same time, her hair also flowed sinuously on top of the table.
“You don’t like tests, president?”
Kyouya asked while grinding his way through factorizations.
“Just look at me. Do I look like someone who likes studying?”
“I really like them, though. Tests and stuff.”
“That part of you is really detestable, you know? You ask a person a question just so you can talk about yourself?”
“In something like a foot race, even if I give it my all, no matter what I do I can’t beat someone with better reflexes. But when it comes to studying, if I dedicate myself, my rank will rise.”
It was his first test since entering high school. His spirit was fired up.
“That’s right, in our school…”
Megumi joined in the conversation too.
“…they put announcements such as rankings in the corridor, but it looks like that’s very unusual.”
Megumi’s weak point in school was physics, and she was particularly diligent about it. Contrary to what one would expect, she was a very sore loser; it came as no surprise that she had the same opinion as Kyouya on tests.
“The hierarchy(1) is decided on the first midterm examinations after all.”
Shion affirmed.
They didn’t understand that expression very well though.
“…hierarchy is… the structure in… the ranking… social ranking?”
Carefully referencing to a dictionary, Kirara translated Shion’s unintelligible term to them.
For some reason, after she finished her translation, Kirara kept referring to the dictionary all the time.
“Are you going to be alright not studying at all, Shion-san?”
Kyouya asked Shion, who was the only one in the room not studying.
“Huh? But I am studying. Fiction teaches us good lessons about life.”
The girl said with a paperback book in hand.
“No, I’m talking about studying for the tests.”
“Ah, that’s what you meant. I always think of it this way, isn’t the purpose of the inst.i.tution known as exams supposed to be measuring precisely your normal abilities? The act of studying will then end up distorting the observation of your usual knowledge.”
At Shion’s words, Mao snorted with her nose.
“So you’re going to get into college without studying, huh? You’re getting into Tokyo University, huh?”
“Well, that’s my intention.”
Shion plainly replied.
She didn’t seem to realize that Mao was both mocking and provoking her.
“…”
At that, Mao sunk in silence.
Amidst that silence, Kyouya had the definite impression he could hear Mao saying “gyafun”(2). He thought he was hearing things.
Measuring a genius against an ordinary person had been a mistake in the first place.
“Gyafun. …means. …there’s nothing.”
It seemed as if Kirara had heard it too. It wasn’t just his imagination.
“That’s a problem. If Shion-san is a person who doesn’t study, there’s no one to teach me.”
“I was wondering why the h.e.l.l you had your notes spread out across the room. Were you planning this from the start? You sure know your way around things, don’t you?”
“You say that, but you had the intention of being taught by Shion-san too.”
“Gifted people aren’t suited for teaching anyway. Ordinary people who get there through their own great effort are better at that, like Nerd-kun from our cla.s.s… even if he always has snot dripping from his nose; crying over his constant losses to Shii.”
“Couldn’t you just ask this guy to teach you then?”
“No way! That guy likes to pat me on the head.”
“Just try to control yourself and don’t bite him, and please bring this wonderful person here.”
“Boys are not allowed in our club.”
“Then what does that make me?”
“Harmless beings are not men.”
“Shinomiya-kun is a nice guy, isn’t he?”
“See?”
The president was triumphant.
Gradually, the talking died down, only the studying continued.
Nothing but the sound of the mechanical pencils sliding against paper could be heard in the room.
Without even the tea, it was an unusual day for the GJ-club.
“Not so good…“
QUICK FACTS:
The School
A coed public school. Traditionally a laid back and care free place.
Currently, it has an unusually high number of freshmen, with over ten cla.s.ses.
Club activities are very popular.
Ever since the old wooden school building became the Culture Club’s building, any other minor club was able to get one of it’s s.p.a.cious rooms for itself.
TRANSLATOR’S NOTES
(1) Shion says hierarchy in English here, hence the other characters’ confusion.
(2) The term “to say gyafun” in j.a.panese means to be argued into silence or to be made speechless. Gyafun doesn’t really mean anything and people don’t actually say it, it’s just an expression.