The second day of exams was less terrifying—but only slightly.
History in the morning. Chemistry in the afternoon.
Leo managed both with steady hands, thanks in part to Sora's endless worksheets and Yuki's absurd mnemonics. Hana, ever the warrior, clenched her jaw and powered through. Yuki? She looked better. Not her usual bubbly self, but… steadier.
Leo had saved her a seat, like he promised.
She took it with a quiet smile.
---
After the last bell, as the students poured out into the halls—many heading home to continue cramming—Leo found himself caught in the middle of a debate.
"Let's go somewhere," Yuki said.
"We still have two exams left," Sora replied, adjusting her glasses.
"Exactly why we need a break," Yuki shot back. "Mental health. Morale boost. Come on. Just one hour!"
Hana stretched, slinging her bag over one shoulder. "Honestly, I'm in. I can't look at another diagram without punching a wall."
Sora hesitated.
Yuki clasped her hands in mock desperation. "Please, smart queen? Let us peasants breathe?"
Sora rolled her eyes but smiled. "Fine. One hour. But no arcades. No karaoke. Nothing loud."
"Deal!"
---
They ended up at the old covered shrine path near the back of town—a quiet place, lined with cobblestones and flanked by ancient trees whose leaves glistened with afternoon rain.
The air smelled like petrichor and fading stress.
They sat beneath the long eaves, just where the shrine met the hill's edge. A soft breeze rustled the paper charms hanging above them.
For a while, no one said much.
Hana lay back on the wooden platform and sighed deeply. "I forgot what silence sounded like."
Yuki pulled out a bag of rice crackers. "Snack?"
Leo took one with a nod. "Thanks."
Sora, to everyone's surprise, accepted one too. Then two.
"…They're good," she mumbled.
Yuki smirked. "Told you. Exam fuel."
They watched the sky shift from gray to a hint of orange. Sunset creeping in.
"Hey," Hana said, eyes still closed, "remember that story the teacher told? About how students used to write wishes on wooden plaques and leave them here before exams?"
"Ema," Sora supplied. "Still a thing, actually. If you go down the steps, you'll see the stand."
"Wanna try?" Yuki asked, her voice suddenly soft.
They did.
---
Each of them took a small wooden plaque, paid the offering fee, and found pens from the little box nearby.
Leo stared at the blank surface for a while.
Then, slowly, wrote:
"I hope I can protect the people who matter."
Yuki peeked over his shoulder. "That's sweet."
He turned. "Yours?"
She grinned. "It's a secret."
Hana scrawled something quickly and flipped her plaque upside down. "No peeking."
Sora took the longest. She wrote delicately, paused, then added a second line.
When they hung the plaques on the rack, the wooden clinks filled the cool air with a strangely comforting rhythm.
They stood there for a while, shoulder to shoulder, under the gentle shade of the shrine.
Yuki finally spoke.
"I needed this."
Leo glanced at her. "You look better."
"I feel better."
Pause.
"Thanks to you."
She bumped her shoulder into his.
He didn't flinch this time.
---
As they walked back down the hill, the first stars peeked through the clouds.
They didn't talk about exams.
They didn't talk about results.
They just… were.
Together.
And that, for now, was more than enough.