Beloved by the Four Heavenly Kings: A High School Love Battle Royale - Night Library and the Shadow of Solitude

One week until the midterm exams. Yuma Kino sat at his desk in the classroom, gazing at the mathematics textbook spread before him. His notebook filled with board notes and an unsolved problem set. At the sheer volume, his breathing unconsciously became shallow. "This is hard." When he muttered this, the student next to him gave a wry smile. "Yeah, right? I don't get this unit either." Even hearing his classmate's equally confused words didn't ease Yuma's mind. It had only been two weeks since transferring. He was still struggling just to keep up with the pace of lessons, let alone prepare for the exam. He felt completely left behind. Outside the window, fresh green leaves swayed pleasantly. Despite such beautiful weather, he was being chased by exam preparation. Such vague dissatisfaction had settled into the depths of his heart. After school. Most students had gone home, leaving only a handful who remained for exam study. Yuma also faced his desk, confronting the unsolved problems. "Kino." The voice came from the hallway. When Yuma looked up, a young man with perfectly arranged silver bangs approached from the direction of the main building's entrance. Soichi Yuzuki. Student council president. Five consecutive first places in national mock exams. His very presence changed the atmosphere of the classroom itself. The surrounding students unconsciously straightened their postures, their gazes turning toward Soichi. But Soichi's clear blue-gray eyes were fixed only on Yuma. "How is your exam preparation going?" At that question, Yuma smiled a little wryly. "Honestly, not well at all. Math is really tough..." Soichi tilted his head slightly and looked at Yuma's desk. The blank pages of the problem set. Traces of attempting to solve problems himself without copying answers were scattered throughout. Yet they remained unsolved. The gap between effort and reality was contained in a single book. "Then allow me to teach you." There was no hesitation in those words. "Really? Thank you so much!" Yuma's face brightened instantly. The moment Soichi saw that unguarded joy, his heart skipped a small beat. "Then, at 6 PM tonight at the library. Is that acceptable?" "Yes. I'll definitely be there." The promise between them was thus decided. --- **Library Building "Seisou Library." First Floor Reading Room.** Exactly 6 PM. When Yuma took a seat at a desk in the back of the library, Soichi was already there. Textbook, notebook, multiple reference books. Soichi's preparation was perfect. "Sorry I'm late." "No. You're right on time." Soichi picked up Yuma's mathematics textbook. In that instant, his expression changed. From a perfect social smile to a purely educational demeanor. "First, let's confirm the fundamentals of this unit." Soichi's explanations were truly easy to understand. Even difficult mathematical formulas, when they came from his mouth, became simple and logical, somehow flowing naturally into Yuma's mind. Soichi's pen moved swiftly across the problem paper, equations accumulating one after another. The movement of his hand was completely habitual. He must have taught this countless times. "Here, we use this formula. Look." Soichi pointed to a section, and Yuma leaned his head closer. That distance. That line of sight. Soichi continued his explanation while gazing at Yuma's profile. Maintaining perfection while, in truth, his consciousness was not entirely there. "With this approach, the next step becomes like this." Polished and perfect explanations. Yet Soichi's mind was not 100 percent concentrated on the explanation. A small portion of his consciousness was directed toward Yuma. About an hour of studying passed. "Let's take a short break." When Soichi said this, Yuma felt relieved from the bottom of his heart. His brain was tired. At the same time, he felt a small sense of accomplishment at understanding Soichi's perfect explanations in just an hour. "You really can do anything, can't you, Senpai?" Those words were innocent praise. But for Soichi, something else pierced his chest. "It only appears that way." Soichi's words sounded powerless. In that moment, Yuma sensed something odd. Something caught in Soichi's perfect expression, just for an instant. It was Yuma's intuition, his ability to perceive Soichi's true nature, reacting faintly. "Are you okay?" "...Yes." Soichi answered thus. But was it true? Since entering this academy, Soichi had been continuously demanded to be "perfect." As the heir to the Yuzuki conglomerate. As student council president. As a student with five consecutive first places in national mock exams. That expectation was like a burden placed on his back, heavy. Every single day, he felt that weight while maintaining a perfect facade. But before this transfer student, that weight seemed to disappear, just for a moment. "Would you like to talk somewhere quieter?" Soichi said this. "Ah, yes." The two moved from the first floor reading room to the second floor special reading room. **Library Building "Seisou Library." Second Floor Special Reading Room.** From the window, the cityscape of Hoshigaoka could be seen. The night view was beginning, lights illuminating various parts of the city. Soichi and Yuma sat facing each other at the desk. Silence. Soichi tried to say something, then closed his mouth. This repetition continued many times. The hesitation of a perfect young man, imperfect. "Senpai?" When Yuma called out with concern, Soichi quietly exhaled. "I have always been demanded to be perfect." Those words were Soichi's true voice from the heart. "As the heir to the Yuzuki conglomerate. As student council president. As a talented student who has taken first place in national mock exams multiple times. Everyone demands that I be 'perfect.' But..." Soichi's clear eyes wavered. True emotion, seen for the first time. "But no one sees the real me. The true me beneath this perfect shell." That confession, coming from the mouth of such a perfectly composed young man, was surprisingly weak words. "Sometimes I grow tired of this weight. Of continuing to be perfect." Soichi's hands quietly clenched on the desk. His nails turned white from the pressure. The trembling of his hands told the story of what he was doing now. Allowing cracks to form in his perfect exterior before someone for the first time. When Yuma heard those words, something changed. He sensed intuitively what Soichi was trying to say. "You're amazing enough as you are, Senpai." Yuma said this. His voice contained no artifice. "But you don't have to be perfect, do you? I... I like you just as you are." Those words. The word "like." Soichi didn't know what degree of meaning it held. But in that moment, his heart began to race rapidly. The human emotion hidden within his perfect self. It felt like it was surging to the surface all at once. "Kino..." Soichi's hand extended across the table toward Yuma's hand. And then—it touched. Soichi's fingers were gently placed on top of Yuma's hand. Warm. Soft. With just that sensation, Soichi felt like he could hear his own heartbeat. The real self hidden within perfection. Yuma also noticed that touch. Thump-thump. His own heart pounded as if he were seeing it for the first time, beating intensely. The sensation of Soichi's fingers. That distance. That atmosphere. Everything was concentrated in this moment. The bittersweet time flowing between them. The distance between them drew closer, invisibly. Soichi's blue-gray eyes gazed into Yuma's amber eyes. That gaze. That silence. That moment. "...I'm sorry." Soichi suddenly withdrew his hand. His face was slightly flushed. An imperfect reaction from a perfect young man. The real self had shown itself, just for an instant. "N-No, it's fine." Yuma was equally flushed. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Awkward. Yet that awkwardness was somehow sweet. Soichi stood up. "Let's head back, shall we?" Those words were meant to lighten the heavy air that had settled between them. When they returned to the first floor reading room, the two gathered their belongings. "Thank you for today..." Soichi said quietly. His voice was not that of the perfect student council president, but something more human, warmer. "Thank you for teaching me, Senpai." "Let's have another study session soon." At those words, Yuma nodded softly with a "yes." As they left the library, the night breeze of Hoshigaoka enveloped them both. --- **Student Dormitory "Gekka Dorm." Second Floor East End, Room 218.** In bed before sleep, Yuma stared at the ceiling. The sensation of Soichi's hand. Its warmth. That distance. "Why did that happen..." Each time he recalled that moment, his chest tightened. Not in a bad way, but with a sense of being drawn in, a bittersweet feeling. It was the beginning of something precious that Yuma had yet to understand. The starry sky outside the window continued to shine quietly. Yet within that radiance, something new was certainly beginning to sprout.

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Episode 3

Name: Beloved by the Four Heavenly Kings: A High School Love Battle Royale
Author: Novelia

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