The third wheel

The day of the exam

I stood outside the exam hall, staring at the building, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was about to come. Today was the big day—the dreaded exam we'd all been preparing for. Well, *I* had been preparing for it. Whether or not Jun had been doing the same was another question entirely.

"Can you believe it's finally here?" Jun's voice cut through my thoughts, and I turned to see him bouncing on his feet, as if he had more energy than a person should have at 8 a.m. on an exam day.

Haruki, of course, was standing beside him, as calm and composed as ever. He had a relaxed smile on his face, his bag slung casually over one shoulder. "It's not that bad," he said, giving Jun a reassuring pat on the head, a habit he never seemed to stop.

Jun pouted dramatically, brushing Haruki's hand away. "Says the guy who's going to ace it without even trying."

I rolled my eyes. "You had plenty of time to study, Jun. Don't act like you didn't have Haruki tutoring you every other day."

Jun stuck his tongue out at me. "Yeah, well, maybe I need another *round* of tutoring this morning. Haruki~," he sang, sidling up to him with wide, puppy-dog eyes. "Help me out, just one more time?"

Haruki chuckled, clearly amused. "You're going to be fine, Jun. We went over everything last night, remember?"

I crossed my arms, watching the two of them with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "I'm amazed you didn't somehow distract him the entire time."

"Hey!" Jun spun around, pointing at me in mock offense. "I can be serious when I need to be!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. That's why you spent half the study session laying in Haruki's lap, right?"

Haruki's cheeks flushed just a little, though he kept his usual calm demeanor. "Well, he did pay attention... most of the time."

Jun flashed a cheeky grin, clearly unbothered by the jab. "See? I'm a great student! Haruki's a great teacher."

"Too bad Haruki's not the one writing your exam," I shot back, smirking.

Jun made a dramatic groan, throwing his hands in the air. "Alright, alright, I get it. You two are ganging up on me. But I'll have you know that I'm going to crush this exam. No distractions. Full focus."

I highly doubted that, but I didn't say anything. Knowing Jun, he'd probably scrape by with enough charm and sheer luck to pull through, like always.

We walked into the exam hall together, the mood suddenly shifting as the enormity of the test started to sink in. Even Jun quieted down as we found our seats. I could see the nervous energy in him, though he was doing his best to hide it under his usual bravado.

"You've got this," Haruki whispered to Jun as they sat down, his hand brushing lightly against Jun's arm in that reassuring way he always did. It was a small gesture, but I could see the effect it had on Jun. His shoulders relaxed just a little, and he gave Haruki a quick smile before turning to face the front.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of fondness for the two of them. They had this way of calming each other, of making everything seem less overwhelming, even on days like today. It was something I admired, even if it sometimes made me feel like the permanent third wheel.

Not that I minded. They were my closest friends, and watching the way they supported each other always made me feel like I was part of something special.

As the exam papers were handed out, I stole a quick glance at Jun. He was tapping his pen against the desk, his lips pressed into a determined line. Haruki, on the other hand, was already scanning the first page, his face calm and focused, like this was just another normal day.

I knew Haruki would be fine. Jun, though... I wasn't so sure.

The first hour of the exam passed in relative silence, the sound of pens scratching against paper filling the room. Every now and then, I'd look up to check on Jun. To my surprise, he was actually focused—his brow furrowed in concentration as he scribbled down answers. Maybe he was pulling it together after all.

Haruki, of course, looked completely unfazed, his hand gliding smoothly across the page as he worked his way through the exam. I had no doubt he'd finish with time to spare.

By the time the proctor announced that there were only fifteen minutes left, I felt a knot of tension in my chest. I had a few more questions to answer, but I was on track to finish. Jun, however, was sitting back in his chair, staring at the last page with a look of pure concentration. His pen hovered over the paper as if he was deep in thought.

Come on, Jun, I thought, silently willing him to pull through.

Just when I thought he might give up, Jun suddenly snapped out of his trance, his eyes lighting up as he hurriedly scribbled down an answer. Haruki must have noticed too because I saw him glance over at Jun, a small smile of relief crossing his face.

When the proctor finally called for us to put our pens down, I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. Jun, too, exhaled dramatically, slumping back in his chair as if he'd just run a marathon.

"That... was brutal," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Haruki smiled at him, leaning over to whisper, "You did great, I'm sure."

Jun groaned again, but this time it was softer, more playful. "If I pass, it'll be because of you."

"You did the work," Haruki said, always quick to give Jun credit.

As we left the exam hall together, I couldn't help but ask, "So? How'd it go?"

Jun looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned. "I think I might've actually done okay."

I blinked in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded, grinning even wider now. "Yup. I mean, I guessed on some parts, but hey, I used my brain for once!"

I snorted, shaking my head. "I'll believe it when I see the results."

Haruki laughed softly, his hand finding its way to the back of Jun's head, ruffling his hair affectionately. "You did great, Jun."

Jun leaned into Haruki's touch, his grin softening into something more genuine. "I couldn't have done it without you."

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but smile at how sweet they were being. "You're lucky you have Haruki. Next time, though, maybe you should start studying earlier."

"Next time?" Jun said, his eyes wide with mock horror. "Don't even say that word, Tatsuya! Let me bask in my post-exam freedom for at least five minutes."

Haruki chuckled, and I sighed, shaking my head again. It was hard to stay annoyed when Jun looked that happy. And besides, we were done. The exam was over, and now we could relax.

As we made our way outside, Jun was already talking about what we should do to celebrate. Haruki, as always, listened patiently, a soft smile on his face. And me? I just felt relieved. Relieved that we'd all survived and, somehow, ended up exactly where we always were—together.