An Unexpected Rank

“Can everyone sit with one desk’s worth of space between you?”

At Miyuki’s words from the front of the classroom, the students moved their desks apart.

Everyone was drained since it was exam day, and watching them sluggishly drag their desks and chairs around was kind of funny.

Tetsuya was staring intently at his notes beside me.

I gave one of the legs of his worn-out desk a nudge.

“Did you study hard?”

“Yeah. I studied hard while getting tutored by Miyuki on weekdays.”

Miyuki had told me about it.

After tutoring me, she’d found a little free time to go to a café and study with Tetsuya.

If they hadn’t known each other for so long, Miyuki wouldn’t have looked after him, but what was it with that childhood-friend bond...? It was nothing but a shackle...