156. Award Ceremony (1)

Reiji stared at the car keys in his hands, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

'Should I drive the car to school?'

If the school's parking lot had been enclosed, he might've considered it, but instead, it was right next to the main building.

That meant that not only would the car be in clear view the entire day, but other students would be able to see him enter the school gates in his car.

Reiji was far from the showing-off type, and he knew that his reputation combined with the ostentatious size of his car would create a lot of gossip, which he would feel uncomfortable about.

But most importantly, his home was only a 15-minute walk away, and he enjoyed the early morning stroll quite a bit.

So he clicked his tongue and pocketed his keys, deciding to continue walking to school for the foreseeable future.

If he needed to drive other people, that's when the car would come in handy.

As he kicked a rock in his path, he remembered that today would be the award ceremony for the Top Students in each grade, and the Principal would personally hand them certificates to celebrate the occasion.

Reiji didn't particularly care for this ceremony, and even though it was a little cumbersome, the entire event was used as a tool to inspire and pressure the other students to do better, with the actual certificate being an afterthought.

What he was more interested in was being able to meet the Principal finally.

This was a side character that had a lot of mystery behind her, and yet Reiji never managed to find out much about her background or purpose in all of his playthroughs.

Forget him; the entire fanbase hadn't been able to divulge much information, aside from a few hidden quests that didn't help a lot in that regard.

But the reason they all thought there had to be more behind her character was because of how mysterious she seemed.

A typical narrow-eyed, always smiling, riddle-loving woman.

'...This'll be interesting.'

***

The assembly hall was bustling already when Reiji stepped in, with the students lining up according to their classes and taking their seats.

He quickly scanned the large area and spotted Airi and Greeny already sitting next to each other, holding onto three seats beside them.

But just as he was about to walk over, a voice rose up behind him.

A voice so deep that it reminded him of a certain god of war from a game in his past life.

"Morning, Reiji-tan."

Reiji shivered, his body tensing involuntarily.

He turned around slowly, expecting a hulking man towering over him.

Instead, he saw a head of silky blonde hair that was almost glowing under the sunlight sneaking in through the windows.

He lowered his gaze and blinked in confusion at Haruna.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, her throat completely hoarse.

".....What happened to your voice?" Reiji frowned, pushing away the thought of making a joke when he saw how tired she looked.

She flinched, turning her head slightly to avoid his eyes.

"I-Is it that noticeable?"

"...You sound like you smoke cigarettes for a living."

"Huh?? That bad?"

Before Reiji could respond, she coughed.

He sighed and handed her his bottle of water from his backpack, which she clicked open and chugged without reservation.

"Is it from singing?" he guessed.

"Yeah...I practiced all weekend, and then woke up like this."

"You.....Are you crazy??"

Reiji felt like flicking her forehead or messing up her hair, but managed to hold back.

"I....." she paused. "I just wanted to do my best."

"Haruna, I get that, but keeping yourself healthy is the first step in doing so."

"Hmph, like you have any right to speak," she scoffed, zeroing in on his shoulder.

"...Fair enough," he couldn't help but laugh at her adorable pout. "I'll make you some tea with honey at Cooking Club later today, so hang in there for now."

Haruna's face lit up instantly, and she nodded with an eager grin.

"Okay!"

Reiji's brow twitched.

"Also....Try not to speak until you recover. You sound like The Bat," he whispered, referring to this world's version of the masked hero.

Her happy smile froze at his words, glaring at him with a deadpan expression.

"I can fight like him too, you wanna see?"

"....."

Reiji turned around and walked off hastily, leaving Haruna to follow behind while muttering under her breath.

They quickly joined their class and sat down beside Airi and Greeny, but before he could get comfortable, he felt someone staring at him.

He glanced back and almost choked when he saw Ren sitting a few rows behind them with his own class, a lonely look on his chubby face.

Ren raised a hand and waved despondently.

'Poor guy.....'

"Reiji-kun, are you excited?"

Airi shook his arm next to him, her eyes shining behind her thick glasses.

"What for?" he asked.

"For the certificates!"

"Uh...I guess?"

"Tch, so boring."

Since Airi had made it into the Top 10, just barely, she was also set to receive one today.

"Y-You guys are so lucky..." Greeny mumbled.

Reiji wasn't sure how to respond, because cheering him up by saying his 24th place wasn't low would sound like humble bragging, and saying the certificate wasn't a big deal would sound ungrateful.

So he simply laughed nervously and kept quiet.

He looked over at the second-year students to see if you could see Yui, and saw a small glimpse of red at the far corner on the opposite side.

But then he saw Hina approach them quickly with a sweaty face.

"Sorry, I'm late. I overslept," she huffed.

Riku was not with her, nor was he visible in the other seats in their class, which made Reiji wonder where he was.

At the same time, the lights on the stage brightened up as two people walked onto it, so he just shrugged and focused on them instead.

The first was a charming middle-aged woman who seemed to be in her thirties, with a small smile on her face that was more akin to a smirk.

Her narrow eyes and mysterious demeanor seemed very out of place in this high school setting, but somehow, she made it work.

The Principal walked up to the podium and adjusted her microphone, with the second person behind her placing a set of papers on its surface.

And this girl was precisely the Student Council President, Fujikawa Noa.

When the raucous students noticed these two on stage, they started to quiet down on their own, and within a minute, you could hear nothing except for the microphone that had just been turned on.

"Helloooo~ testing 1,2! Can you all hear me?" The principal asked, her voice echoing through the hall from the speakers.

"YES!" everyone cheered.

With how they all straightened themselves up and replied loudly, one could see that most people here respected this alluring woman.

Of course, for various reasons.

"Great! Then I know how much you all haaaate boring speeches, so let's just jump right into this glorious awards ceremony and bring up the Top 10 students from each grade one by one!"

Her casual and friend-like attitude got a few chuckles from the crowd.

"Let's see here..... Let's start with the First years and work our way up, shall we? Starting from 10th place, please come up, Fujimoto Airi-san!"

Airi shot up to her feet, her jumpiness signaling just how nervous and excited she was.

She fumbled her way out of the seating area and started speed walking to the stage.

"Oh, righty, I forgot to mention! Our wonderful, sweet, and gorgeous Student Council President will be the one handing the certificates to these smart students, so please give her a round of applause."

Reiji pursed his lips to hold back his laughter when he saw Noa stare at the Principal with exasperation, not at all caring about the loud cheers from the crowd.

One brave soul from the second year even confessed.

"Marry me, President!!" he yelled.

Noa's already indifferent face turned even colder as she grasped the microphone from the Principal.

"Suda Michio, you will receive one demerit," she declared icily.

"Worth it!" Suda giggled.

Airi, who had just climbed up onto the stage, stood at the edge with bewilderment, as if she were unsure if she should wait or go up to them.

"My, my. Suda-san, that's borderline creepy, you know?" The principal sighed reproachfully, but her tone was merely teasing. Then she gestured to Airi. "Fujimoto-san, please don't stand there! This is your time to shine, walk on with confidence!"

Airi adjusted her uniform and entered the spotlight, and the applause started again when Noa handed the certificate to her with a nod of acknowledgement and a few words that nobody could hear.

After this, one student after another walked onto the stage to get their certificate, with some folks getting whistles from their friends.

Reiji rubbed his chin thoughtfully in his seat.

'They preach how high-end Souhei High is, and yet this feels more like a vegetable market...But this is also to bring camaraderie, I guess.'

It took him some time to get used to this atmosphere, because his previous school, though not particularly strict, still maintained a level of discipline at such events, especially when figures like the principal were hosting them.

Soon enough, it was Haruna's turn.

But before her name was announced, there was a brief pause.

The principal stared at her sheet and smiled, her lackadaisical attitude turning slightly profound when she lifted her head.

"For this next student, I have to give some special commendations. There are many here who believe that getting into the Top 10 in a school as advanced as ours is a mere dream, an impossibility. Which is why you stop trying, simply coasting through your classes and focusing more on your extracurriculars. But this next student is a shining example that you all should take inspiration from. She clawed her way up the rankings, through blood, sweat, and tears, and managed to secure 4th Place through sheer effort and determination. Please come up to the stage, Yuzuki Haruna-san!"

Haruna, who had stiffened up when she realized that she was being specially addressed, tilted her head towards Reiji.

Her eyes were slightly red, and she sniffled when she opened her mouth to say something.

But nothing came out.

Reiji just grinned and patted her on the back.

"Go on, what are you waiting for?"

"...Mhm."

***

A/N: Principal's character image is now available to see. You know where to go!