The Librarian

Chapter 5: We're going Shopping!

3rd POV

It was an afternoon in Japan. The exams results had returned, and Kiana was fearful. She wasn't sure if she did enough to pass her exams this time around. She didn't want to disappoint her friends, so before the exams she studied extra hard, even going to the library on her own to ask for help from the librarian trio. She had to admit, those three were incredibly intelligent. Particularly Y/N. There wasn't a single question he couldn't solve, though he had to clarify a couple times since Kiana wasn't even asking the questions in a sensible way. Once she asked for the X and Y coordinates of the Pythagorean Theorem...Currently, she was on her way to see her results and placement along with Bronya and Mei.

Mei: Kiana, don't worry! I'm sure you did just fine. All that work you put into studying won't go to waste.

Kiana: It's so scary though! What if I don't get high enough like last time?

Bronya: Subject Kiana should calm down. You have worked hard and there is noticeable improvement, so you should be satisfied, even if you don't pass everything.

Kiana thinks back to a talk that she had with Y/N a couple days ago.

Flashback

Kiana was panicking over her exams. She had just finished them, and felt incredibly nervous. She wasn't able to answer a good chunk of the questions, and it felt like she failed. She was lying in her room, staring at the ceiling.

Kiana: Why can't I answer those? I studied so damn hard, and I still couldn't answer them. Am I just that stupid? No, I'm a born genius! It's just a couple screwups!

???: Is that so? You really are naive. So much failure, and you still think of yourself so highly? Face it, you are an idiot. You could never be a genius. So much effort, yet still you face imperfection.

Kiana groaned as this voice in her head mocked her. This voice was damn loud, sometimes. She didn't even know where it came from!

Kiana: Just shut up! I tried my best!

???: And clearly, your best isn't good enough. Why don't you just-

???(2): Kiana?

Kiana sits up, looks to her door, and sees Y/N standing there.

Y/N: You seem to be in a bad mood...I assume it is related to your exams?

Kiana: Ya...I couldn't a lot of the ones that were on the exams...I studied so hard, though! So why can't I do better?

Y/N walks over to her and sits on the edge of her bed, with Kiana lying back down and staring at the ceiling.

Kiana: I did so bad on my first couple of exams...I wanted to prove to Mei-senpai and the others that I wasn't stupid. But I'm starting to rethink that...

Y/N sighs, and flicks Kiana in the forehead.

Kiana: Ow...what was that for?

Y/N: You devalue the hard work that you put into these exams. Hard work in this day and age is never valued when they don't give good results. They only look at the end, and never the process. Hard work is never wasted in the end, because it goes towards growth in oneself. If your hard work doesn't pay off, then it's a shame, yes. But the effort you put in, the growth and knowledge you gain, in my opinion, make it worth it, whether or not the results are satisfactory.

Kiana stares at him, and then smiles a bit.

Kiana: I...guess you have a point. I put so much work into this, I can't count myself out just yet!