My Twin Stepsisters Are Way Too Yandere!
Chapter 144 - 143 - The Longest Eight Hours
There was no such thing as time during the test.
Just a series of questions that broke the silence between each other.
---
Yui stopped counting time in the hall.
She stopped thinking about any kind of measurement.
All that mattered was the next question.
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Outside, time behaved strangely.
Each second weighed down heavier than it should.
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The first problem was Akari.
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She paced since the moment Yui stepped into the test hall.
Left, right, turn, stop, repeat.
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"I swear, this is worse than the exam."
she said under her breath.
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Mina glanced at her.
"That makes no sense." she said.
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"Emotionally."
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"You’re just stressing yourself out."
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"It is stress management." Akari clarified.
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"It is not."
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"And that is how stress management works." Akari insisted.
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They didn’t argue with her anymore.
It wouldn’t make things better.
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Mina took a step toward the bench once.
Spent thirty seconds on it.
Then jumped off and kept pacing.
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"I think I left my lucky charm in my bag." she said.
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"You gave it to Yui." Aoi remarked without lifting her head.
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"...Right." Mina repeated and took her seat.
Then immediately got up.
Then sat again.
Then rose again.
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"Oscillation." Aoi noted.
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"Medical term?"
Rika wondered.
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"Anxiety." Aoi clarified.
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Rika nodded seriously.
"I’ll draw it."
Nobody tried to change her mind.
It was too late for preventative measures.
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And Rika already sketched something.
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Conspiracy Theory #1 – The Exam Has Consciousness
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Akari looked at it.
"Why did you give the exam eyes?"
"Because it needs to judge us." Rika declared proudly.
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"That’s not helpful." Mina whispered.
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"I need something." Rika protested.
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Aoi put her book down.
"The exam doesn’t have eyes."
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"You don’t know that." Rika argued instantly.
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Aoi looked at her intently.
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"...I do."
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Meanwhile, Kuro stayed on the distance from the rest.
Observing the entrance to the hall.
His expression stayed calm.
Almost as silent as he was.
---
Minami stood next to him.
Arms crossed.
Her face remained controlled.
Way too controlled.
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Kuro looked at her.
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"She’s fine." he said at last.
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Minami didn’t say anything for a while.
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"That’s not what worries me." she finally confessed.
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Kuro glanced at her questioningly.
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"What worries you then?"
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"For a second there..."
Minami stopped herself.
Then finished.
"If she panics again..."
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Kuro nodded.
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"She won’t."
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"That’s not something you can guarantee." Minami said sternly.
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"And I know it." Kuro replied.
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Silence ensued.
But it was an honest silence.
---
Yui lost any kind of time perception in the test hall.
Though time continued passing anyway.
Slowly but steadily.
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Question papers flipped.
Pencils scribbled.
Breathe stayed measured.
Even though thoughts tried to interfere.
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Occasionally...
Moments when fear arose.
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Did you miss something?
Misunderstood the question?
What if...?
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But Yui interrupted these thoughts before they could finish forming.
Without fighting them.
Without denying them.
With the help of repeating.
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Again.
And again.
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At some point, the test stopped feeling like a challenge.
And started feeling repetitive.
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In this repetition, fear lost its space to breathe.
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Not entirely disappeared.
Just decreased in size.
Was limited.
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On the outside, Mina suddenly glanced around.
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"We’ve been here for a long time." she noted.
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"It’s been three hours."
Aoi corrected her politely.
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"That’s quite a bit of time." Minami added.
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"Yes, it is." Aoi agreed.
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"...She’s still in there."
Akari said quietly.
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They didn’t comment.
Since it was obvious.
Saying it out loud made them feel it.
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Rika added new pages to her drawings.
Conspiracy Theory #2: Yui is FIGHTING THE EXAM DIMENSION.
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"Pleasant, please stop drawing." Mina pleaded.
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"I cannot." Rika denied.
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"Why?"
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"It’s becoming a good piece." she admitted.
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"...This is why education system fails." Aoi sighed.
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Hours blended into each other eventually.
Lunch break happened unnoticed.
Students were arriving and leaving.
Some announcement reached their ears.
But the group stayed.
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Waiting.
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Now in silence.
Just steady waiting.
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Once, Akari suddenly took a seat.
Uncharacteristic behavior.
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"My legs are sore." she confessed.
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"That’s because you were pacing aggressively." Aoi pointed out.
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"No, I was supporting her."
"You were pacing like a wild predator."
"That’s still called supporting her."
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Mina handed her bottle of water without words.
And Akari drank it without making a comment.
That was already an unusual event.
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Kuro stood still.
And kept observing the entrance.
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Minami noticed.
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"Aren’t you worried?" she asked.
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"Yes."
Kuro answered without hesitation.
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"But it won’t help her." Kuro added.
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"Of course." Minami agreed quietly.
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Inside, Yui turned the last papers.
Her hands remained steady.
Neither fast.
Neither slow.
Just steady.
Confident.
---
The last part appeared.
She paused.
Briefly.
Then answered.
And stopped.
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The test was over.
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"Stop writing."
Papers were collected.
The test hall started waking up.
Shifting chairs.
Scratching feet.
Breathing became audible again.
---
The time came back to normal flow.
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Outside, the students started emerging from the hall.
Opening doors.
Going outside one after another.
Some relieved.
Others exhausted.
And many emotionless.
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Yui appeared.
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Her steps were steady.
But somehow slow.
Like her body knew that the test was over
long before she realized it with her mind.
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Her expression showed fatigue.
Not emotions.
Not anything.
Just exhaustion.
Pure and simple.
Like all the energy burned out inside the room
and nothing was left behind.
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Akari straightened immediately.
Mina held her breath.
Rika closed her notebook.
Aoi raised her head.
Kuro shifted his gaze.
Minami kept silent.
---
Yui blinked.
Then looked at them.
---
And waited for a while.
Because she couldn’t find appropriate words.
Not joyful ones.
Not relieved.
Not scared.
Not confident.
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Only exhausted ones.
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"...It’s over."
They held their breath for a few seconds, as if waiting for the world to react in a specific way.
Or more precisely...
As if afraid that their reactions might make Yui lose her balance.
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Akari couldn’t take it any longer.
She stepped forward, hesitated halfway, and finally decided to try a completely different approach.
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"...You look terrible."
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Slow blink from Yui.
"...Thanks."
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"Compliment."
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"But..."
"...But what?"
"It IS a compliment."
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"..."
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Mina rushed towards Yui but suddenly froze in place.
She raised her hands uncertainly.
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"Are you ok? Did you pass? Do you need to eat something? Drink something? Sleep? Hospital?"
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"I don’t need hospital."
Yui answered quietly.
"That’s great!"
Breath that left Mina’s lungs loudly enough.
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"Hold on..."
Curious tilt of head from Rika.
"You have an expression of a girl that has just completed the hardest battle ever."
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"...Feels like I did."
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"Then did you win?"
Rika asked seriously.
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Yui hesitated for a second, not considering passing or failing grade, not thinking about the right answer, not even analyzing what she had to do.
Just recalling the feeling.
"...Yes. I did."
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"That’s great news."
Rika nodded. And immediately started writing down something.
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Aoi approached her carefully and analyzed Yui.
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"Posture stable, no collapsing. Cognitive function seems to be fine."
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"Not patient."
"Might become one after eight hours."
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It made Yui manage to force a smile.
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Kuro reached her too, looking at her without hesitation.
Not at her clothes.
Not at her posture.
Not at her face.
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"...You’ve made it."
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Yui nodded once, slow and deliberate.
"Yes."
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Pause.
Not awkward one.
Not embarrassed one either.
---
Minami watched Yui closely but kept staying slightly away from the rest.
She observed silently.
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Yui’s eyes shifted towards Minami for a moment.
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And Minami addressed her softly:
"You didn’t freeze."
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It wasn’t a question.
"No."
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Silence.
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And then Akari abruptly slapped her hands together, almost frightening everyone around with loud noise.
"Ok! Emergency recovery plan!"
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"What now?"
Kuro cautiously asked.
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"Food."
Akari declared with confidence.
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"...Plan?"
"And only that?"
"Yes."
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"That’s reasonable."
Aoi agreed.
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"...Snacks?"
Rika raised her hand. And nobody was surprised anymore.
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Yui was somehow transported to an area near the exams center where a couple of benches were.
Food appeared suddenly too.
Nobody even remembered who got it.
Probably Mina.
Or possibly Akari.
Maybe Kuro.
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Yui sat down slowly.
And her body seemed to notice that it was finally allowed to stop.
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Inhale.
More prolonged this time.
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The burden that Yui carried for hours didn’t disappear.
But it did shift a bit.
No longer crushing her chest.
Just sitting somewhere nearby.
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Mina gave her a drink carefully, like holding some fragile piece of porcelain.
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"Drink."
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"...Thanks."
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While Rika was busy drawing on the other side.
"Should document this phase."
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"No."
"It’s important research."
"Forget about it." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
"I don’t."
"Embarrassing."
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"That is important information too."
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Akari lay down on the bench and sighed.
"So...How was it?"
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Yui looked at her drink for some reason and finally answered.
"...Long."
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"..."
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Kuro finally burst into light laughter.
"That feels like right answer."
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Soft but definitely laugh escaped Yui’s lips, surprising both of them.
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And Mina was visibly relieved.
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"That means you are still alive."
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"I think so."
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Finally Minami came close enough to say:
"You’ve done what you had to."
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"...Yes."
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Pause.
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Then Akari stood up with an enthusiasm of an excited little kid.
"OK, let’s announce it!"
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Everybody sighed in unison in advance.
But Akari ignored it.
"Exam Arc is over!"
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"It’s not over until results are announced."
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"Emotional."
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"It’s acceptable."
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Mina smiled.
"...She tried her best."
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Kuro observed Yui intently, saying simply:
"She managed well enough."
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This sentence hung in the air a bit longer than usual.
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Yui didn’t reply immediately.
For once today...
She didn’t really feel like doing it.
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She lay down a little bit on the bench, closed her eyes for a couple of seconds...
And started breathing.
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Not as a genius.
Not as failure.
Not as someone who was expected.
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Just as somebody who successfully completed very hard task.
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And survived it.