[Scene: Classroom 2-B – Morning]
The students were buzzing with excitement. The first round of the Fiancée Challenge had ended with Aoi winning the cooking battle, but now it was time for the second round—Academics!
And everyone knew Miyu Kanzaki was the undisputed top student in their grade.
Ryo sighed as he slumped into his chair, his head already hurting from the chaos surrounding him.
Hina skipped over, grinning. "Ryo, are you ready for the next round?!"
"No."
Aoi smirked as she leaned against his desk. "Don't worry, Ryo. I got this."
Miyu, sitting elegantly at her desk, let out a small, amused laugh. "Oh, Aoi… are you sure about that? I'd hate for you to embarrass yourself."
Aoi grinned. "You're pretty confident for someone who lost round one."
Miyu's eye twitched. "Tch… that was just luck. This round is different."
Hina clapped her hands. "Alright, listen up! The second round will be a quiz battle! Whoever gets the most correct answers wins!"
Ryo groaned. "Why am I even part of this?"
Hina giggled. "You're the prize!"
Ryo: "I hate this."
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[Scene: School Library – Quiz Battle Begins!]
A large whiteboard was set up in the middle of the school library, with desks arranged for Aoi and Miyu to sit across from each other.
Ryo sat at the judge's table, feeling incredibly out of place.
Hina stood at the front with a stack of questions in her hands. "Okay, here's how it works! I'll ask a question, and whoever answers first and correctly gets a point! The first to five points wins!"
Aoi stretched her arms. "Sounds easy."
Miyu smirked. "You're going to regret agreeing to this."
Aoi smirked back. "Try me."
Ryo sighed. Here we go again…
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[Round 1: First Question]
Hina read from the card. "Question one! What is the powerhouse of the cell?"
Miyu immediately slammed her hand on the desk. "Mitochondria!"
Hina grinned. "Correct! Miyu gets one point!"
Aoi groaned. "Ugh, obviously it's the mitochondria… I just wasn't ready!"
Miyu smirked. "Excuses, excuses."
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[Round 2: Second Question]
Hina continued. "Next question! What year did World War II end?"
Miyu instantly responded. "1945."
Hina nodded. "Correct again! Miyu: 2, Aoi: 0!"
Aoi pouted. "Ughhh, I knew that one too!"
Miyu laughed softly. "This is too easy."
Ryo leaned over to Aoi. "You did study before coming, right?"
Aoi grinned. "Pfft, who needs studying when you have gut instincts?"
Ryo's face went pale. "We're doomed."
---
[Round 3: Third Question]
Hina smirked. "Alright, next question! Solve this math problem: 12 × 8?"
Miyu didn't even blink. "96."
Hina nodded. "Correct again! Miyu: 3, Aoi: 0!"
Aoi groaned. "Okay, that was just unfairly fast."
Ryo sighed. "Aoi… can you at least try?"
Aoi pouted. "Math is a scam."
Miyu smirked. "Face it, Aoi. You can't win this round."
Aoi suddenly grinned. "Oh? We'll see about that."
Ryo blinked. Wait, why does she look so confident now?
---
[Round 4: Fourth Question]
Hina grinned. "Alright, next question! What is Ryo's favorite food?"
Miyu's face went blank. "Huh?"
Aoi instantly responded. "Easy. Curry rice with extra spice."
Ryo blinked. "...Wait, that's actually correct."
Hina laughed. "Ding ding ding! Aoi gets a point! Score: Miyu – 3, Aoi – 1!"
Miyu frowned. "Tch. That wasn't real trivia."
Aoi smirked. "What's wrong, Miyu? You don't know something important about Ryo?"
Miyu glared. "That was just one question."
Aoi grinned. "Then let's keep going."
---
[Round 5: Fifth Question]
Hina smiled mischievously. "Alright, next one! What is Ryo's most embarrassing childhood moment?"
Miyu blinked. "What kind of question is that—"
Aoi smirked. "Ohhh, I know this one. It's when he got stuck in a tree trying to save a cat, but the cat climbed down and left him up there crying for an hour until the fire department had to save him."
The entire class burst into laughter.
Ryo turned bright red. "WHY IS THAT A QUESTION?!"
Hina giggled. "Aoi's correct! Score: Miyu – 3, Aoi – 2!"
Miyu clenched her fists. "Tch… that doesn't count as real knowledge."
Aoi smirked. "Oh, but it does. If you were Ryo's real fiancée, wouldn't you know these things?"
Miyu flinched.
Ryo gulped. Why do I feel like Aoi's actually winning somehow?
---
[Final Round: The Deciding Question!]
Hina smiled. "Alright, final question! Whoever gets this right wins the round!"
Aoi and Miyu both leaned forward, eyes locked onto Hina.
"Final question: What is Ryo's dream for the future?"
Miyu hesitated. "His dream…?"
Aoi didn't even pause. "To live a quiet life, free from unnecessary drama."
Silence.
Ryo stared at her in shock. "Wait… how did you know that?"
Aoi grinned. "Duh. You've been my best friend since childhood. Of course, I know."
Hina clapped her hands. "And the winner of the academic challenge is… Aoi!"
The classroom erupted into cheers.
Miyu's face was a mix of frustration and disbelief. "T-This is rigged…!"
Aoi smirked, turning to her. "Nah, you were just asking the wrong questions."
Miyu clenched her fists. "Tch… fine. But the next round is Romance." She smirked. "And there's no way you'll beat me in that."
Ryo's face went pale. "Romance…? What does that even mean?"
Aoi grinned. "Guess we'll find out."
Ryo groaned. I don't think I'm emotionally prepared for this…
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