The classroom was quiet. Everyone looked at Jin Haru and the cold girl, Seo Mirae.
She stood with her arms crossed, her face calm but eyes sharp. Her long black hair fell over one shoulder like a dark river.
"You're too confident," Mirae said. "Let's see if you're actually smart."
The teacher raised an eyebrow. "Are you challenging him to a test, Seo Mirae?"
She nodded. "Yes. A written test. Right now."
Whispers spread through the classroom.
"No one beats Mirae in tests..."
"Is Jin Haru smart too?"
Jin Haru scratched his head. He didn't plan to stand out again. He just wanted to sit quietly and blend in. But this cold girl had other plans.
"Fine," Haru said. "Let's do it."
REI spoke in his mind.
"Are you sure, Creator? You asked me to stay low."
Haru replied in his thoughts, "I know. But if I back down now, everyone will keep bothering me."
The teacher brought out a stack of difficult test papers from her desk. "This is from last year's national academic exam. Very hard. You'll both take it."
The students gasped. Even the top kids struggled with that test.
"Ready?" the teacher asked.
Haru and Mirae sat in separate desks at the front.
"Begin!"
The timer started. Pens moved. Papers rustled.
Mirae's eyes focused as she solved each question quickly. Her hand moved fast, never stopping.
But Haru leaned back slightly. Inside his eyes, data flowed.
"Scanning complete," REI said. "Would you like assistance?"
"Yes. Let's go," Haru thought.
REI began feeding the answers into Haru's mind. Not just the answers—but how to solve them. Step by step. Haru's pen moved like a machine.
Ten minutes passed.
Mirae glanced at him. Her eyes narrowed.
He was already flipping to the last page.
How? she thought. Even I'm not that fast.
Haru finished in fifteen minutes. He leaned back and put down his pen.
Mirae finished in twenty. She looked serious now, not cold. For the first time, her expression changed—just a little.
The teacher collected both papers and graded them right away.
The students waited, tense.
Ten minutes later, the teacher stood.
"Seo Mirae… 97 points."
"Wow!"
"Still the best!"
"And Jin Haru…" the teacher paused. "100 points."
Silence.
Then gasps.
"WHAT?!"
"No way!"
Mirae stared at him. Not angry. Not jealous. Just confused.
"Who… are you?" she asked in a quiet voice.
Haru smiled awkwardly. "Just a guy who studies a lot."
She didn't smile back. But she walked past him and whispered, "This school is small, Jin Haru. But the world is big. If you're not careful, someone will notice you."
Then she left.
Haru sat down, feeling everyone's eyes on him.
REI whispered, "You made a strong enemy… or maybe an interesting ally."
Haru sighed. "I just wanted to study quietly..."
But inside his chest, he felt something strange.
Excitement.
For the first time in his life… he felt alive.