Chapter 36 - The Decisive Battle
Due to the seating arrangement during the test, I was able to keep an eye on Fusegawa Raito even while taking the exam.
He was in top form.
From the moment the test papers were handed out and the chime rang, his mechanical pencil never stopped moving. I could tell from his posture that he was solving problem after problem without hesitation.
And he wasn’t letting his guard down at all. It seemed like he was thoroughly reviewing each question and answer to avoid any careless mistakes.
As expected of the protagonist. His focus during critical moments is beyond what any ordinary person is capable of. There’s no doubt he’s awakened to defeat the unreasonable existence that is me.
But I can’t afford to lose either. I cannot lose.
Using the knowledge I’ve accumulated until now as my weapon, I carefully solved each problem one by one.
Thanks to the thorough review I did during the preparation period, all the knowledge from my previous life had come back to me.
I concentrated that knowledge solely on the test material, honing it to a razor-sharp edge. There wasn’t a single question I couldn’t solve, and I was sure I could arrive at the correct answer.
I focused entirely on the problems before me, solving them continuously while checking the questions and answers to ensure there were no mistakes. Even I was exhibiting an extraordinary level of concentration.
What was driving that focus was the support of my friends. Images of Reo, Nishikawa, and Mashiro’s radiant smile flashed through my mind, giving me strength.
Filled with hope, dreaming of the future I desire, I continued solving problem after problem.
And then the chime rang—.
The first test was over, and the tension in the classroom immediately eased as the students began to relax.
While everyone breathed sighs of relief after finishing the test, I silently waited for the next one to begin.
Then I started to listen to the conversations around me.
“How did it go, Raito-kun? How was the test?”
“It was perfect. The test questions matched Yuna’s predictions exactly. It was almost fun how easily I could solve them.”
“That’s great! Keep up the good work on the next test!”
“Of course. The next one’s math, and I’m aiming for a perfect score. Yuna, Karen, I’m counting on your support.”
“Yeah! You can do it, Raito! You can definitely get 100 points!”
“We’re here for you. Don’t worry, Raito-kun.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Fusegawa Raito was brimming with confidence. Then, he shot a sharp glance at me.
‘You get it now, don’t you? You’re not fit to be the protagonist.’
‘I’ve got the best heroines on my side. You’re just a villain pretending to be a protagonist, so get lost.’
That’s what it felt like he was saying.
But I understood.
This test was rigged in Fusegawa Raito’s favor, bolstered by what I call “protagonist bias.”
Just earlier, he had said that Yuna’s predictions for the test questions were spot on.
From the start, this battle had been set up for the protagonist, Fusegawa Raito, to win. No matter how much of a genius Hanasaki Yuna is, it’s impossible for her to perfectly predict every question that would appear on the test.
But the protagonist bias made it possible.
Protagonist bias refers to the narrative’s tendency to create overly convenient outcomes for the protagonist. The protagonist can never lose. Fate will always ensure the protagonist wins.
As the heroine, Hanasaki Yuna subconsciously understood which questions would appear on the test and conveyed that to Fusegawa Raito in the form of predictions. It’s as if the world itself had handed him the answers in advance to ensure his victory.
All of this was orchestrated by the world to make sure the story followed the original script. The girl in love with Fusegawa-kun was merely another tool, and the protagonist, Fusegawa Raito, was using her to crush the villain, me.
I had also realized why he wasn’t confronting me directly. He wanted to utterly defeat me at my full strength, to crush me completely and leave me no doubt that I was nothing more than the villain. He wanted to break my spirit, convincing me that there was no escaping the original ending.
In such overwhelmingly favorable conditions, the protagonist couldn’t possibly lose.
Fusegawa Raito believed that. The heroines believed that. Even the god of this world didn’t doubt it.
But you know, I know the truth.
I know that the god of this world isn’t perfect. I learned that through Mashiro.
The failure of the fateful encounter between the protagonist and Mashiro proved that.
So, nothing is certain.
The possibility that I can defeat Fusegawa Raito isn’t zero.
(Sorry, Fusegawa Raito… but I have no intention of losing.)
I have my pride. I have my reasons for not losing.
No matter how desperate the battle may be, I will never give up.
Mashiro, Reo, Nishikawa.
Wait for me. I’ll win this for sure.