My Twin Stepsisters Are Way Too Yandere!

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.

---

"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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Question papers flipped.

Pencils scribbled.

Breathe stayed measured.

Even though thoughts tried to interfere.

---

Occasionally...

Moments when fear arose.

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Did you miss something?

Misunderstood the question?

What if...?

---

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.

---

In this repetition, fear lost its space to breathe.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Outside, the students started emerging from the hall.

Opening doors.

Going outside one after another.

Some relieved.

Others exhausted.

And many emotionless.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

"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.

---

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.

---

Yui sat down slowly.

And her body seemed to notice that it was finally allowed to stop.

---

Inhale.

More prolonged this time.

---

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."

---

"No."

"It’s important research."

"Forget about it."

"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.

---

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.