CHAPTER 27- A... special exam? Part 7.
(Pov- Saik.)
Wednesday's classes are over.
It is 4:35 in the afternoon. Most of the students have already gone home, only the students who belong to a club have stayed.
On Friday the soccer and basketball teams will have an official game. I'm pretty sure we'll win first place, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
Before I went to watch the soccer club train, I went to my locker to drop off my books.
I get lazy carrying my books all over school.
When I'm done watching the teams practice, I'll come back for my things and go home. I still have to study.
"Ah... What laziness I have."
"You're always lazy, Saik!"
"This is how I was born... I guess."
I opened my locker.
"Oh!"
Ignoring Yuki's surprise, I left my books in the locker and took only a notebook to write down my observations.
"Ready. Let's go."
"Huh?! Won't you read the letter?! It's a pink letter! It's a love letter!"
"I see... So?"
"Read the letter!"
Ah... She will not leave me in peace if I don't. I'd better listen to her.
I opened the letter and started reading it.
"Blah, blah, blah. I fell in love with you. Blah, blah, blah. I like your personality. Blah, blah, blah. I love guys like you. Blah, blah, blah... This letter makes no sense."
"Yes... Even I can realize that, Saik. Did she really fall in love with you because of that? Sounds very stupid... What are you going to do?"
"It says here that she will wait for me behind the library lounge. I'll go tell her I'm not interested in her or in having a romantic relationship and I'll go watch practice."
"Mmm... What if you accept her? Maybe she really fell in love with you."
"Huh? Would normal people agree to date someone they don't know?"
"No, but..."
"Then I won't do it."
If it were normal, I would accept her, but it's not normal. Even I, a stranger, know that.
•
•
Mmm... Yeah… I admit, she's beautiful... Not beautiful, rather... fiery? I guess. I don't know much about women and beauty. I prefer the adorable.
"H-hello…"
"I don't know you and I don't care to know you. Goodbye."
I dropped the letter in front of her and walked away.
"Huh?"
"Uwaaaah! Saik, that immediate rejection even hurt me! Don't be so cruel!"
Cruel? But I did it so I wouldn't waste any more time.
"W-wait! Are you serious?!"
She took my arm... Wasn't she a shy girl? She got aggressive... Oh, a girl with a strong personality? I like that... But not much.
"Why are you rejecting me so quickly?! Are you gay?!"
"No. Not to my knowledge."
I've never been attracted to any man, so I think I'm straight... Although I haven't been attracted to women either... I don't know.
"Hey, I don't know you, and I don't have time to get to know you either."
"Why?!"
"Hey, don't be offended, but you're very annoying. Goodbye, I'm in a hurry."
I walked away from her.
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
Ah, this school has a lot of crazy girls.
•
•
After I got away from that crazy woman, I went to watch the members of the soccer club train.
"They look good to me, Saik."
I don't know much about soccer, but from what I can see, they are doing very well.
I wonder if they will have much stamina to withstand a full game.
"We're going to help them anyway, Yuki."
"Yes!"
We have to make sure we win those points.
"Kya! Come on, Akito! You are the best!"
Mmm... A beautiful girl is cheering for a boy, and 2 other girls are by her side... Oh, will he be a popular guy?
I hope his popularity is justified by his performance on the court.
Ah, that's right, I have to go.
I can't stay long, so I'll go quickly to...
"Be careful!"
A ball headed towards me... What was the probability that this would happen to me?
According to my knowledge of soccer, I should do the next.
I caught the ball with my chest and kicked it hard towards the goal.
"Huh?!
An excellent goal.
Well, I'm leaving.
I walked away and pulled my smartphone out of my pocket.
"It was a great goal, Saik! The goalkeeper couldn't even see the ball!"
Ah... Then I exaggerated with my strength... I am an idiot.
Well, it doesn't matter.
"Yuki, you must make the opposing team stumble. You're a ghost, so you won't get tired, unlike them."
"You can count on me, boss!"
"Don't call me that."
"Saik, wait!"
I stopped and turned to see Ludius.
"What's wrong?"
"The club captain wants to talk to you."
"I don't have time."
"I do not recommend you to reject him."
"Why?"
"His personality is... annoying... Please, come on, we'd both save ourselves a lot of trouble."
Ah... What laziness.
"Ok. Let's go."
•
•
I followed Ludius to the club captain, a third year boy from class A.
From what I heard from Ludius, he is on the student council and he is their vice president.
What is that? I have no idea.
In my previous school I never cared anything about that. I was just attending school and that's it.
What does a student council do? I don't know, and I don't care either.
But, as far as I know, the members of that student council are in charge of managing the clubs and organizing the school events. Sounds very boring.
"You have a good leg, Saik."
—... "Hey, no offense, but you're not my type."
He laughed and patted me on the back.
"You're funny, kid."
Did I say something funny?
"I can see that you are in excellent physical condition. Why don't you play a game with us? I want to see your abilities. Not just anyone can score a goal from the distance you did, and the movement of the ball was simply beautiful."
"I'm not interested in joining. I have more important things to do."
"How to expel someone from third grade again?"
I felt a strong pressure.
Akito, the captain, is furious, but he doesn't seem so.
I can tell that from the look on his face.
"Yes, it is very easy to fool third-year students. They were overconfident simply because I am a first year student."
"Don't be so arrogant, kid."
This guy hates me for some reason... Oh, I can take advantage of that.
"Mmm... What if we bet? If you score five goals, you win. If I score five goals, I win."
"Fufu. Do you really want to do it? How much are you willing to bet?"
"Let me see ..."
I pulled out my smartphone and opened the app to see my points.
"Mmm... I have 5,803 points... I bet all my points."
"Saik, what the hell are you doing?! He is the best player on our team!"
Don't worry, Ludius, I have a plan.
"Fufu. I like that about you, kid. I'll bet the same amount."
"Wait, let me record the bet."
"Don't you trust me?"
"Should I trust someone I barely know?"
"Excellent answer, kid."
That boy's smile is weird. I admit he's handsome, that's why he's popular, but he seems like a weird guy to me.
•
•
"Come on, Akito, win!"
"Defeat that weird boy!"
"Yes, you can!"
... Many girls support him and belittle me, even insult me.
Wow... Popular guys are very supportive.
I'll feel more satisfaction if I win.
"S-Saik, you're an idiot! Why did you bet all your points?!"
"Our victory will be assured if I win."
"But he's the captain! Do you even know how to play?!"
"I've never played."
"Never?!"
"But I guess I just have to catch the ball and put the ball in the goal. It is not as difficult as it looks."
"You are an idiot!!!"
"Ludius, go away, we'll get started!" Akito said.
I put myself in the goal. I feel uncomfortable having so many eyes on me, but it doesn't bother me that much either. I'm used to attracting attention by being Shadow, so I'm already experienced with attracting attention.
Well... I guess I'm in the right position.
"Are you ready, Saik?!"
I nodded.
"Let's start!"
He kicked one of the balls.
Oh, no wonder he is the captain, the distance and speed of the ball is perfect. Only a human with incredible reflexes could catch it.
And that human is me.
I jumped and caught the ball with my hands, which was heading towards the top left corner of the goal.
"Huh?!"
I left the ball on the ground and returned to my position.
"You have 4 balls left to kick."
"Tsk."
Oh, his fury increased.
Perfect.
He kicked the ball and again I caught it.
"Damn it!"
He kicked another ball, but the result was the same.
It's not hard for me to catch the balls. I have the reflexes and the strength to do it.
Ball after ball, I managed to catch them all.
"Ready, it's my turn."
All the girls who supported him were silent. Absolutely no one said anything.
"Tsk."
He stood in the goal and I put the 5 balls on the ground, in the same position as he was.
If I am correct, I simply have to put the balls into the goal and prevent him from catching them.
I have to trick him into thinking I'm going to kick the ball in another direction.
I took some momentum and kicked the ball.
The ball was headed toward the lower right side of the goal.
He reacted and tried to catch it, but his fingers only managed to touch the ball and I scored.
"First goal."
"Come on, Saik, you can!"
"Defeat that braggart!"
Ah, the only ones who support me are Ludius and... Who's the other girl...? Ah, the tomboy who tried to convince me to change classes.
What is she doing here?
Well, it doesn't matter.
I kicked the ball and scored another goal, just above him.
"Second goal."
That infuriated him more.
I was going to kick the ball with my right foot, but at the last moment I stopped and kicked it with my left foot.
He didn't expect that and jumped to his right, managing to score a goal on his left side.
"Third goal."
"Damn it!!!"
I kicked the ball and it managed to pass between his legs.
"Fourth goal."
His face is red. Where's that cute face, kid?
... Oh, I know. This will be fun.
I kicked the last ball and it hit the left post.
The ball bounced off the post and crashed hard into the boy's face.
The ball fell to the ground and slowly entered the goal, scoring the last goal.
"Fifth and final goal. I won."
"Damn it!!!"
Oh, his nose is bleeding. I think I exaggerated a bit.
"You did it, Saik!"
Ludius hugged me... This is weird... But I guess he's very happy. With this we secure our victory.
"Hey, pay me, kid. I beat you."
"Tsk. I know."
He pulled out his smartphone and a few seconds later I got a notification... Well, all the points came to me.
"11,606 points in two weeks... It must be a record... Yes, it is. It was a pleasure doing business with you. Goodbye."
I walked away while looking at my smartphone.
I must admit I didn't plan this, but I'm glad this happened. I would be more satisfied if I managed to expel him and gain another protection point, but I doubt he would be that stupid.
"I wonder if there will be another idiot at the basketball club who agrees to gamble with me."
"Fufu. You really have guts, Saik."
The tomboy stood in front of me, but I ignored her and went on my way.
But unfortunately, it won't be so easy to get rid of her.
"Hey..."
She took my arm and I turned to see her.
"What's wrong?"
"Have you thought about what I asked you?"
"Mmm... Hey, it's not to offend you, but with the amount of points I have, and added to the points from my classmates, it's very likely that we'll be the new class A. Why should I change to your group?"
"Fufu. You became a big challenge for me, Saik. You're not the only one who can expel another student."
"And what do I do with that information?"
"Fufu. Soon you'll know what I'm capable of."
"Hey, can I give you some advice?"
"Oh, of course."
"You are very beautiful, but do not sell your body for points, it is not worth it."
"Y-you think I'd be able to do that, you idiot?!"
"No, but I wanted to see you angry. You look more adorable."
"W-what are you talking about, you idiot?!"
I offered her a lollipop.
"Do you want it?"
"Tsk. Thank you."
She took the lollipop and I walked away.
Well, I officially became the weirdest first year student. I will definitely get the attention of those pesky ghost hunters... Ah, I didn't want to use that, because it's very annoying, but I have to.
•
•
I walked into the place where the basketball club members train. As with soccer, my knowledge is just as basic. I understand that players are only supposed to put the ball in the basket, but I think there are more rules to follow.
This will be the easiest to cheat.
"They play... decent, I guess. I don't know much about this, Saik."
"I know less."
In physical education, when everyone was playing soccer or some sport, I would run away to improve my powers to control ghosts. I didn't need to exercise more than I already did, I didn't need to be in those classes.
I sat on the bleachers and started recording with my smartphone. Later I will analyze the strengths of all of them and tell Naok how they can improve.
"Naok plays well... I think... Is the best player the one who has the ball the longest?"
"No, the best player would be the one who has the most resistance, the one who has the most reflexes and, of course, the one who knows how to play as a team."
There is a certain player who does not pass the ball and always tries to score without help.
I've been here for only 2 minutes, but even I know that the ball must be passed constantly to advance and score.
—... "That boy is very conceited, Yuki."
"Yes, it is."
As he heads to the basket, he hits the opposing team with his elbows.
Naok tried to take the ball away from him, but that boy moved away from him, gained momentum and hit him in the right shoulder with his shoulder. A hit that doesn't hurt, but it made Naok angry.
"Yuki, float to the basket and prevent him from scoring. It won't hurt, you just have to use your hands to deflect the direction of the ball."
"I'll do it !"
Yuki headed toward the basket flying and I stopped the recording on my smartphone.
I've seen enough.
"So close..."
Yuki is in position and the boy threw the ball towards the basket.
An excellent shot that goes to the center of the basket.
Before the ball entered the basket, Yuki gave a small blow to the ball, it was hardly noticed that it deviated its direction and collided with the edge of the basket, which caused its rebound and failed to score.
The ball bounced and headed towards me.
I approached the ball and took it with my hands.
"Pass me the ball, please!"
... Ah, he said please... He is not as rude as I imagined him to be.
"Hey, you have to play as a team. If you're going to play like a show-off, at least try to score well."
"Huh?"
I threw the ball from my distance and scored.
"Don't play individually, you idiot. Even I, who don't play this, manage to score. Don't act so arrogant."
The boy came up to me and looked me in the eyes.
"Oh, you think you're better than me?"
"Mmm... I guess yes."
"Have you ever won a championship or at least a trophy?"
"I've never played before, not even in school."
"And you still think you're better than me?"
"Yes. You wanna bet?"
—... "I know that technique. You're pretending not to know how to play to try to score points by scamming."
"I assure you that I have never played in school. I am willing to give you permission to look at my file and you will realize that I was always missing physical education classes at school. But I have confidence in my control with my strength, I'm sure I can score a simple ball in the basket... Oh, I see, you're scared of me. Don't worry, I understand."
—... "I don't need points. How much do you want to bet?"
"Well…"
I pulled out my smartphone and showed him the number of points I have.
"I have 11,606. I'll bet you all my points. Well... If you dare. Although, considering your show-off personality, I doubt you're not confident in your abilities."
"I warn you, I've played basketball since I was a little boy. I have trophies that can prove my abilities on the court. Do you still want to continue?"
I started recording an audio.
"Yes, I want to continue. You choose how we play."
"Fufu. Easy points."
•
•
After accepting the bet, he gave me a couple of minutes to prepare.
I sat on the bleachers and sighed.
"I'll definitely get in trouble if I keep earning so many points."
"Hey, Saik."
Naok stood in front of me.
"How did you get more points...? No, most importantly, have you really never played before?"
"No, I never played this. But I just have to put the ball in the basket, it doesn't have much science."
"Ah... You're definitely weird, Saik."
"And I bet all my points with the captain of the soccer club and I beat him, so I have double points."
—... "At this point, I'm not surprised. You definitely like to take too many risks, Saik... Do you think you could win?"
"Mmm... 50/50. We'll find out soon."
•
•
I met with that boy in our position.
The game will consist of reaching 21 points.
If I score, I win a point. If I score without touching the basket, it's 2 points.
Something simple.
"Superior, you first."
"I would not want to expel a new student. Do you really want to continue? This school is more interesting than you think."
"Stop feeling sorry for me and get started."
"Ah... Okay."
He threw the ball and scored without touching the basket.
"2 points. Your turn."
I threw the ball and got two points as well.
"Draw, superior."
He smiled.
"This is gonna be fun."
We kept playing and both the women's and men's teams stopped training to watch us play.
"8 points."
He was really good. If I were a normal human, I would definitely be being humiliated, but, unfortunately for him, I'm not normal.
"12 points."
Everyone is silent, watching.
"15 points."
I failed to get 2 points on purpose. I don't want them to think I'm that good.
"19 points."
"I have 20 points. If I get two points, you lose... I am sorry."
Did you let your guard down? That is a big mistake.
He threw the ball and came close to scoring those two points, but Yuki used her right arm to deflect the ball in the air, causing it to hit the basket and not go in.
Everyone was surprised to see that and I took a ball.
"You shouldn't have been overconfident."
I threw the ball and managed to score two points.
"21, I won."
He smiled and extended his hand to me.
"You won fairly."
... He really is a good person. I think I'm bad at judging people.
I took him by the hand.
"Now pay."
"Yes, yes... Ah, that's more than half of my points... It hurts, but a bet is a bet."
I got my points.
I managed to double my points.
Nice.
"By the way, would you like to join the club? Your abilities are excellent."
"I fall asleep in class because I'm a lazy guy who doesn't like to socialize or cooperate. If I join, you guys will probably end up expelling me from the club for missing all the training sessions. Goodbye."
I walked away and Naok hugged me with his arm.
"We'll definitely win first place! I don't think anyone can beat us, Saik."
"At this point, they would only be able to reach us if a student expels another student and sells the protection point. Would anyone be able to take a risk? I don't know... I have to go now. Goodbye, Naok."
"We must celebrate! Let's go eat something together and invite the others."
"Eating something doesn't sound bad at all... Will you miss training?"
"Ah... It is true… Shall we meet in an hour?"
"Okay, send me the location by message."
"See you later! Invite Sylphie and me to the others!"
He walked away from me and I sighed.
"I wonder if I'll get privileges with my points."
Maybe on school trips they'll give me a better room or something.
"Whatever."
I left the place and kept walking. There's nothing to do here anymore, I can go now.
Now all I have to do is call Sylphie and invite her to the party.
I called Sylphie and waited.
"H-hello, Saik!"
"Hi, Sylphie. Good afternoon. I gave my virginity to a teacher and thanks to that I now have 23,212 points. The others and I are going to celebrate. Do you want to join us?"
—... "Huh?!! What did you do?!!"
"Sorry, it was a joke. I got those points by betting with the captain of the soccer club and the captain of the basketball club. We will go to celebrate, because it is very obvious that we will win the first place."
"Ah... T-that took me by surprise... Wait… Did you bet all your points again?!"
"Yes. Twice to be exact."
"S-Saik, you really like to take risks."
"Will you go with us? We're going to grab a bite to eat in an hour. Would you like to go?"
"O-of course! Where?"
"I don't know, Naok will tell me in an hour. I don't know the city that well."
"T-that's right, you studied in another city. Thank you very much for inviting me, I will gladly go."
"I'll call you when I have the location. Bye."
"Bye, Saik!"
I hung up and put my smartphone in my pocket.
"Saik ... Did you make a joke, Saik?! That really surprised me! Who are you and what did you do to Saik?!"
"Can't I make jokes?"
"You make jokes in the most unexpected moments, Saik."
"And is that good or bad?"
"I don't know... I guess that's good."
"Then that's fine... Let's go home and play video games."
"Let's go!"
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