NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: Yuki, a hikikomori student, becomes unexpectedly top of her class but quickly realizes the pressure and attention that come with it.
An hour had passed, and Yuki's patience was wearing thin. The hallway was still packed, the students gathered around the notice board like a flock of excited birds. But Yuki? She was hiding out of sight, her anxiety bubbling up with every passing second. To distract herself, she had wandered over to the vending machine, feeding it coin after coin. It was her usual coping mechanism—stress eating. The snacks had already started to dwindle, a collection of chips, cookies, and even a can of iced tea slowly disappearing as she tried to shove down her nerves.
"Okay, okay," Yuki muttered, glancing at her now-empty snack wrappers. "Just a little longer, then I can check the results. Breathe, Yuki."
She took a deep breath and glanced at the board again. The students were still clustered around, too loud, too many. Her stomach twisted, a reminder that this wasn't her world. She didn't belong in this crowd, this spotlight.
After a while, the group began to thin out. Yuki could see her chance.
She approached the board cautiously, her heart pounding in her chest. The names on the list seemed like a blur, but after scanning a bit more, she stopped—her eyes locked on the very top of the list.
"Yuki Hageshi."
Wait. Yuki Hageshi?
Her pulse quickened as she read it again. The name was so close to hers. Could it really be...?
With her heart racing, Yuki did a double take. It wasn't just any "Yuki." It was her. Top of the list. Number one. She had done it.
"Oh my god, I'm number one!" she gasped, feeling a surge of excitement. Her head buzzed with a mix of disbelief and elation. She wanted to jump up, scream, and dance like she had just won the lottery, but she couldn't contain it all. A grin spread across her face as she tried to steady her breath.
Before she could process everything, her fingers automatically reached for her phone. She was desperate to call her mom in California, to share the big news. She tapped the screen, dialing her mom's number with shaky hands, her excitement clouding her thoughts.
The phone rang a few times, and Yuki impatiently paced back and forth, still staring at the result board. She barely noticed the call connecting.
"Mom, Mom!" she whispered to herself as she fumbled with the phone. She tapped the screen, oblivious to the fact that the front camera was now on. As the call picked up, she didn't even look at her phone.
Meanwhile, her mom's voice echoed from the speaker. "Hey, Yuki, how's the first day—oh my god, what is—Yuki, what's wrong with your face?!"
Yuki froze. What? She wasn't looking at the phone. The camera had already captured her stunned, wild-eyed expression staring back at the notice board.
"Ah!" Yuki jumped, realizing her mom was staring right at her panicked face. Her wide eyes, mouth slightly agape, frozen in the middle of a hyper-stressed, shocked moment. Her mom's teasing laughter filled the air.
"Oh my god, you look like you just saw a ghost!" her mom teased, still giggling.
Yuki's heart skipped a beat. "Wha—no!" she exclaimed, panicking, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "I—uh—I wasn't—I mean, it's—!"
Her hands fumbled to change the camera view, shaking as she accidentally held the phone in all the wrong positions before finally getting it right.
There. Finally, she was on camera, her face flushed from the embarrassment, and she let out a relieved sigh, trying to compose herself. "M-Mom... I'm... I'm number one! I passed the entrance exam... I did it!"
Her mom's voice was filled with pride and a bit of laughter. "Oh honey, that's great! You're amazing! Just make sure you don't overdo it... You know it's gonna be tough, right?"
Yuki let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah... I know."
After hanging up, Yuki stared at the phone in her hand, her mind racing. She had made it to the top. But suddenly, it didn't feel like a victory.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
Being number one... in a school full of strangers... meant that now, all the attention would be on her. The students would talk, they'd look at her, maybe even expect something from her. The pressure of being the top student—being noticed by everyone—felt like it could swallow her whole.
This was not the life of a hikikomori.
For the first time, she wished she could just disappear back into her room.