“Please, Kujou-san, if I have to do any more homework, I’m genuinely going to pass out!” Shion rapidly typed on her phone.
“This homework is inhuman!”
“Only you aren’t human,” Sakuya retorted, her words remarkably sharp and merciless, instantly piercing Shion’s heart.
Well, after learning this afternoon that she needed to study diligently, it was highly improbable that Sakuya would let her copy homework again.
In fact, Sakuya would likely scold her past self for having lent her homework to Shion in the first place.
“Kujou-san, this is my lifelong plea!” Shion exclaimed; if not for the screen separating them, she would have probably knelt before Sakuya.
“Shouldn’t a ‘lifelong plea’ be reserved for your wedding?” Sakuya replied.
“Then Shion-san must surely have a hundred ‘lifelong pleas’ at her disposal.”
Shion slumped in dejection.
It seemed Sakuya wouldn’t provide any solutions to help her survive the night’s academic ordeal.
Currently, Shigure was also aware of her upcoming tutoring, making it impossible for her to lend her homework to copy.
While Shigure possessed a gentle nature and was generally compliant, she was unlikely to concede on this particular issue, as it genuinely concerned Shion’s well-being.
Consequently, only two potential targets remained: Rie from the second year and Nanami from Class C.
Nanami… Shion wasn’t sure if her math teacher assigned the same homework as her own.
As for Rie, it was out of the question, obviously.
Yet Rie seemed capable academically, so perhaps asking her for the answers…
‘Hmm, I’ll give it a try.’
Shion sent out SOS messages to both Nanami and Rie.
– Kazama-san, please, the math homework, and any other assignments, please let me copy them all!
– Igarashi-senpai, help! I have homework problems I can’t solve!
With a sense of trepidation, Shion had just pressed the send button, intending to turn off her screen and await replies.
However, the moment her screen went dark, the notification bubble on her smartphone lit up, indicating new messages.
“Huh, that fast?” Shion quickly unlocked her phone.
To her surprise, Rie and Nanami had replied almost simultaneously, immediately after she sent her messages.
“Homework? Sure,” Shion first tapped into Nanami’s reply, finding her agreement remarkably prompt and cheerful.
On the other side, Rie also responded generously: “No problem.
If you have any questions about your homework, just come to me.
I’ll certainly tell you everything I know, without holding anything back.”
‘You two are the best, unlike that idiotic demon Ayane!’ Shion felt tears welling up in her eyes.
After a brief second of thought, she realized copying the homework directly from Nanami would definitely be faster than asking Rie question by question.
Moreover, heaven knew when Ayane would wake up.
If she couldn’t finish these assignments before Ayane awoke, she was certainly in for a severe beating from her sister.
– Tonight’s math homework answers, quickly! Shion sent the message to Nanami first.
Then, Shion thought, ‘Perhaps I should try a two-pronged approach.
I’ll ask Igarashi-senpai for her answers too.
That way, comparing both their solutions would be a splendid idea.
If the answers turned out correct, I could even use a good result to persuade my sister…’
Just as Shion was photographing each problem to send to Rie, she received a message from Nanami.
– I haven’t done it yet.
Those five words felt like a bucket of ice water, brutally dousing Shion’s head.
‘No, Kazama Nanami-san! It’s already nine o’clock at night!
What kind of normal student hasn’t done their homework by nine PM?’
‘Well, let’s exclude Hoshimori Shion first.
Even though she’s a normal student, it’s perfectly normal for her not to finish her homework.
Yes, indeed.’
In a moment of exasperated haste, Shion typed, “What are you talking about, you idiot!”
However, only after she hit send did she realize her message had seemingly gone to… Rie.
‘Oh my god!’ Shion quickly tried to recall the message.
Yet, before she could press the undo button, the gray “Unread” status preceding the message instantly turned into a bright “Read.”
– ?
Igarashi Rie sent the message above.
‘How did that get sent to Igarashi-senpai!’ Shion frantically tried to edit a message to explain the situation to Rie, but at that very moment, she suddenly received a message from Nanami: – Shion-san, don’t worry, I’ll ask someone else for you.
Then, as she switched to Nanami’s chat interface, she inadvertently sent the apology message she had just edited.
– I’m sorry, I was just looking for help from someone else!
Predictably, just as Shion attempted to recall the message, the “Unread” status before it also switched to “Read.”
And, equally predictably, Nanami on the other end sent a “?”.
Shion entertained the thought of slapping herself, but hitting her own face might wake Ayane, so she restrained herself.
Nevertheless, the white-haired girl was now drenched in sweat.
– Shion-san, who are you chatting with? Why are you suddenly apologizing to me?
– Shi-on-san, so you weren’t just chatting with me? What’s with that flirtatious tone! Explain yourself!
As Nanami and Rie’s messages arrived simultaneously, Shion felt her hands begin to tremble.
Nanami, with her carefree personality, would probably be fine after a quick explanation.
But Rie… Shion couldn’t shake the feeling that Rie exuded a strong yandere (TL Note: A Japanese term describing a character who is initially loving and caring towards someone, but whose affection turns into a violent and destructive obsession.) vibe…
– Um, Kazama-san, I was just… also looking for help from other classmates.
– Igarashi-senpai, I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! That wasn’t flirting!
After frantically sending the messages, Shion glanced at the chat names again.
‘Sent it to the wrong person again!!!’
– Oh? So it was Kazama Nanami-san.
Well, then I suppose I’ll have to pay attention. Rie’s message came through.
For some reason, despite the black text on a white screen, it conveyed an undeniably chilling sensation.
– Shion-san actually flirts with other people? I really didn’t expect that… Nanami also replied with a suspicious tone.
‘Ahhh, what do I do, what do I do, what on earth do I do now!’ Shion began tearing at her hair.
Not only had she failed to get the answers, but it seemed she had also managed to upset both of them!
As Shion frantically racked her brains for a solution, she failed to notice a dark shadow approaching her from behind.
“Ow!” Shion felt a heavy blow to her head.
Then, the phone in her hand was confiscated.
Wincing, Shion clutched her head, only to discover Ayane behind her, face flushed, arms crossed, staring at her, and holding Shion’s phone.
“Idiot big sister! I thought you had some ulterior motive towards me, but it turns out you just wanted to use your phone to ask for answers!” Ayane brandished a small fist.
“The former is acceptable, the latter is not!”
‘So that’s what Sakuya meant by “losing the wife and losing the army” (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘pei le furen you zhe bing,’ meaning to suffer a double loss, or to embark on a venture hoping to gain something but ending up losing even more.)!’