"Yukino, I'm done with the test!"
Not long after, as Yukino faced the math exam Hoshimi had handed in, she began grading with a heavy heart.
Grading the math test was much easier than the language one, especially since the accuracy of the answers was astonishingly high.
In just over a minute, Yukino finished grading Hoshimi's math test.
"Math: 100."
A perfect score! How could it be a perfect score?! How could Hoshimi be this good?!
Damn it! That jerk Hoshimi must have been pretending not to know anything just to trick her!
Otherwise, how could he be this capable?!
"Mmm..." Yukino bit her lower lip, her delicate face alternating between pale and flushed.
At this point, whether Hoshimi had studied or was faking it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was the promise they had made. As long as Hoshimi reached the target score, she had to keep her word!
Could it be that on the very first day, Hoshimi had already won the highest-level reward?!
Wouldn't that mean the next few days would be...?
Yukino's breath hitched, her legs subconsciously pressed together, and her body began to feel strangely warm. Her mouth also felt unexpectedly dry.
She instinctively moistened her lips, feeling unsure of what to do next.
She had to keep the promise, but what if Hoshimi made an outrageous request? Would she really have to go through with it?
No, no, he probably wouldn't. Hoshimi knew his boundaries, understood what was appropriate and what wasn't.
But... they were officially a couple now, so certain boundaries could be crossed, right?
Should she go along with it? If it were Hoshimi, maybe...
No! Absolutely not! This was a matter of dignity! If she went along with it, Hoshimi would definitely mock her later!
But the promise...
No means no!
But Kotoko already...
No way!
But...
"Mmm..."
Because of this vague possibility, the cool and composed second Miss Yukinoshita found herself deeply conflicted.
It was as if her mind had split into two parts, each arguing with the other.
As she "listened" to their argument, Yukino felt an eerie realization: she had changed. She was no longer the same person.
She had never been this torn over something before. Even when dealing with her sister's problems, she had never wavered like this.
But now, she was so "indecisive." Was this change a good thing or a bad thing?
The little voices in her mind kept bickering, while Yukino herself started contemplating life.
"Yukino, I'm done with the test!"
It wasn't until Hoshimi handed in another test that Yukino snapped out of her mental spiral.
Her head still fuzzy, she took Hoshimi's test and began grading.
Soon, the result was in.
"Science: 98."
Not a perfect score?
For some reason, Yukino felt a twinge of disappointment...
"?!"
In the next moment, she woke up with a start.
Not a perfect score?! That's great! Now I don't have to worry about all those things!
I knew it! Even Hoshimi can't get a perfect score that easily!
Now it's safe, no problem at all.
Thinking this, the second Miss Yukinoshita didn't realize that at some point, she had already started to accept the idea of giving rewards for scores in the 80s and 90s...
The pre-test continued...
An hour and a half later, Hoshimi finished the last test.
"Yukino, done with the test!"
The last test he handed in was English. Since the English test had the most multiple-choice questions, it didn't take long to grade.
Two minutes later, Yukino finished grading the English test.
With that, Hoshimi's pre-test scores were as follows:
"Language: 94."
"Math: 100."
"Science: 98."
"Social Studies: 92."
"English: 99."
All subjects above 90. According to their agreement, Hoshimi had earned the right to control Miss Yukinoshita's feet.
Sigh.
Yukino let out a soft sigh, set the tests aside, and covered her forehead in resignation. "A promise is a promise. Hoshimi, what do you want?"
"Don't rush. First, we need to fix a loophole in our contract," Hoshimi said with a mischievous smile.
Meanwhile, the sky in the dream had unknowingly cleared, and the warm sunlight bathed the two sitting by the window in a radiant glow.
"A loophole?" Yukino looked at Hoshimi in confusion.
"Yes, a loophole," Hoshimi rested his hands on the table, smiling. "When we set the reward and punishment rules, we forgot something. When I reach the high-level reward threshold, I should also receive the lower-level rewards. For example, since I scored 90 in all subjects, I should also get the rewards for scoring 80 and 90 in all subjects."
"...." Yukino was speechless as she stared at Hoshimi.
This jerk, he won't even let a small reward slip through his fingers?
Fine. There's not much difference between hands and feet, so if Hoshimi wants it, let him have it.
"Alright," Yukino agreed calmly.
"Then, let's begin." Hoshimi extended a finger, his smile deepening. "Yukino, please hold my finger."
"Huh?" Though confused, Yukino complied, tightly grasping Hoshimi's slender finger.
She thought Hoshimi would make an outrageous demand, but all he wanted was this?
Holding his finger? What does that even mean?
"Hehe~" Hoshimi let out a cryptic chuckle, baring his teeth in a grin as the sunlight shone on him. "The moment of magic has arrived."
"Huh?" At first, Yukino was puzzled, wondering what new trick Hoshimi was up to.
The next second, a tingling, electric sensation coursed from her palm where it touched Hoshimi's finger, spreading throughout her body.
She jolted upright in her seat, instinctively trying to pull her hand away, but no matter how hard she tried, it was as if her hand was glued to Hoshimi's finger.
At the same time, the tingling sensation continued to flow through Hoshimi's finger, making its way into her body.
"Hoshimi... what are you doing... let me go..." Yukino's voice trembled as her entire body tingled.
"Yukino, how does it feel? Tingly, right?" Hoshimi teased.
"Hoshimi... what did you do?" The constant tingling left Yukino slumped in her chair.
"I got a little inspiration and developed a fun new trick," Hoshimi retracted his finger and explained with a broad grin. "I call it the 'Electric Baton'... Pfft~"
As he spoke, Hoshimi couldn't hold back his laughter. "Yukino, you'll understand after you experience it yourself. Now, the real game begins."
As soon as he finished, Hoshimi transformed the library into Class 2-J's classroom.
He and Yukino sat in their usual seats, surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of their classmates' playful antics.
On the podium, a phantom of their teacher, Hiratsuka-sensei, stood, kindly watching over the class.
With the stage set, Hoshimi's grin widened mischievously as he looked at Yukino. "Yukino, follow my instructions. Step one..."
That was just a small teaser. Now the real fun was about to start.
"Hoshimi Kiyokawa! You just wait until tomorrow!"
As Hoshimi gave his instructions, Yukino's face flushed bright red in an instant.
But a promise was a promise. No matter how unwilling she was, Yukino chose to comply with Hoshimi's demands...
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