A strange silence hung over the classroom. Everyone was anxiously waiting for the exam results.
Maria: Yuki, who do you think will come first?
Yuki: I think it'll be you.
Boy 1: Maria always comes first anyway.
Sitting calmly on the last bench, Miki spoke without any change in expression—
Miki: Is that so?
Just then, the teacher entered. The whole class went completely silent.
Teacher: Alright, I'm going to announce first, second, and third place.
Everyone held their breath.
Teacher: Third place… Yuki.
Yuki looked a little surprised.
Teacher: Second place… Maria.
Whispers started spreading through the room.
Teacher: And first place… Miki.
For a moment, the entire class was frozen in silence.
Maria: What?!
Boy 1: How is that even possible?!
Yuki: Miki… first?!
But Miki simply sat there calmly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Beside him, the invisible ghost floated and smirked lightly.
---
Answer Sheet Scene
Even after the results were announced, whispers filled the room.
Maria slowly walked up to Miki's desk.
Maria: Miki… can I see your answer sheet?
Miki: Of course.
The teacher handed out the papers.
As Maria opened Miki's sheet, she froze.
Maria: Every… single answer is perfect…
Yuki leaned over from the side.
Yuki: Really? Let me see!
Yuki looked, and just like Maria, she fell silent.
Boy 1: Impossible… not a single mistake?
Boy 2: He's always so quiet…
Maria: You never told us you were this good!
Miki smiled faintly.
Miki: There was no need to say it.
At that moment, the invisible ghost floated closer and whispered—
Ghost: They still don't know anything.
Miki looked down and said softly—
Miki: Quiet…
Maria blinked in surprise.
Maria: Did you just say something?
Miki: No… nothing.
Math Class
In the next period, the teacher returned for math class.
Teacher: Since Miki came first in the exam, let's see if he can solve this on the board.
The teacher wrote on the board:
x^2 - 5x + 6 = 0
The whole class turned to watch Miki.
Maria: That looks… really hard…
Yuki: Let's see if he can do it.
Miki slowly stood and walked to the board.
He picked up the chalk and calmly wrote
(x-2)(x-3) = 0
Then he said clearly
Miki: So, x = 2 or x = 3.
Teacher: Exactly right.
Whispers started again in the classroom.
Boy 1: That fast?!
Maria: There's definitely something… unusual about him…
Miki returned to his seat, calm as ever.
The invisible ghost floated nearby, murmuring
Ghost: They're slowly starting to understand.
Miki gazed silently out the window, his expression unreadable.