A Liar's Truth [UNDER FINAL REVISION]

Ch 6: Fear of being average

Third person point of view 

 "It's Seiun-chan! Yay!"

"I told you she was in our class! I checked the list like, a hundred times!"

"Welcome to Kunugigaoka!"

In an instant, the room burst into life, students crowding around her with excited chatter. Ginka, ever the performer, kept her smile bright, waving to each of them as if she were at a fan event. She had expected the attention—welcomed it, even.

But as the noise surrounded her, one thought lingered in the back of her mind. They don't see me as their classmate.

They saw her as Seiun-chan—the idol. Not Asano Ginka.

Though that didn't bother her as much as it is not within her plans to stay in Class 3-B for long.

"Settle down, everyone."

Their homeroom teacher, Sawatari-sensei, tapped the desk for silence, and the students rushed back to their seats.

Ginka exhaled softly, smoothing down her uniform as she sat. At least now, she could breathe.

"As you all know, Kunugigaoka operates under a strict academic hierarchy." Sawatari-sensei continued, tapping the table to catch their attention. "Your standings are determined by exam scores. The top 50 will be publicly posted after each test."

A ranking system. A competition.

The kind of environment where you were either exceptional—or invisible.

Ginka felt her stomach twist.

With the current number of students per class, she would have to be within the Top 40 to even reach Class A. And that wouldn't even be enough. If she only barely makes it, then her father would only deem it meaningless. She lets out a deep sigh. It already took so much of her to make it to Class B. How much more should she need to exert herself to meet them at their level?

She raised her hand, flipping her notebook open before writing, ["So it's the same format as the entrance exam?"]

"Correct. We encourage healthy competition, after all."

Healthy?