Although the day’s lessons had concluded, for some, the arduous journey of learning was far from over.
This was purely due to a mountain of neglected studies, and without a fervent, last-minute cram session before the impending exams, failure was all but guaranteed.
A prime example was Hoshimori Shion, currently confined to her A-class classroom, gazing out at the beautiful sunlight—weather perfectly suited for leisure—yet forced to grapple with problem after problem.
Half an hour had passed since classes ended, and the rest of their classmates had either departed for club activities or simply headed home.
Only Shion and Iori Shigure remained seated in the classroom.
Shion’s face was a picture of misery; the homework before her felt akin to an execution.
Forget finding a solution, she didn’t even have the heart to doodle a stick figure on her scratch paper.
Shigure, while also somewhat troubled, found her main predicament to be… her inability to effectively teach.
It was undeniably true that Shigure possessed an exceptional knack for solving math problems.
Shion often wondered if Shigure could even absorb lessons in her sleep, a skill Shion desperately wished to acquire.
Imagine, dozing off during class and waking up to find all the knowledge effortlessly imprinted in one’s mind.
Then again, if she couldn’t even pay attention while awake, expecting to learn in her sleep was… well, perhaps a bit too fantastical.
“Shion-san, try not to get distracted,” Shigure murmured, settling beside Shion and leaning on the desk.
“Though I’m not very good with words, and can’t really teach you… I can certainly stay here and wait for you to figure it out.”
She held a math textbook and workbook in her left hand.
While her gaze remained fixed on Shion, she seemed to find a peculiar solace in idly flipping through the pages without actually reading them, a truly stress-relieving act.
The perpetually shy Shigure was indeed terrible at expressing herself, and Shion was, well… an idiot.
Even Shion herself readily admitted this.
Despite it being a simple geometry problem, Shigure had timidly explained the approach and solution for quite some time before Shion finally declared she understood completely.
‘Right, only an idiot who understood absolutely nothing would claim to “understand completely”.’
Although Shion desperately wanted to deny it, what could she do when she genuinely understood nothing?
Idiocy, after all, was incurable!
Witnessing Shion’s renewed head-scratching, Shigure likely understood that she had once again encountered a problem for which she had absolutely no clue.
However, Shigure herself had no brilliant solution at this moment; knowledge wasn’t like a memory-bread that could be consumed and instantly memorized.
She simply pulled up a chair and settled beside Shion.
Perhaps the little angel didn’t know many things, but she would always be there to accompany you.
“Shion-san, try to recall the formula for this problem, hmm…” Observing Shion, whose hair already showed signs of several strands pulled out from frustration, Shigure stood up and, in elegant handwriting, jotted down the formula on the scratch paper.
“Make sure to remember it well; once you understand, you’ll definitely be able to solve it.”
“Mhm…” Under the little angel’s gentle words, Shion truly felt too embarrassed to admit that she couldn’t understand a single thing Shigure had written!
Just then, Shion caught sight of a dark-haired figure passing by the window.
“Kujou-san!” Shion cried out towards the window, as if she had spotted a savior.
Outside, Sakuya heard Shion’s call, turned her head, and saw only Shion and Shigure in the A-class classroom, with Shion looking on the verge of tears.
Sakuya quickly strode into the classroom, covering the distance in just a few steps.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
Upon entering, Sakuya immediately noticed the workbook on Shion’s desk.
“You two are… studying?” Sakuya asked, initially stunned, then visibly relieved.
“No, I thought Shion-san was being bullied, judging by that miserable expression.”
“It’s no different from being bullied!” Shion lamented.
“Huh? I’d say the girl next to you looks far more likely to be bullied *by* you,” Sakuya retorted, arms crossed.
Then, noticing Shigure, she realized she hadn’t introduced herself.
“Oh, right, I haven’t greeted you yet.
Hello, I’m Kujou Sakuya from Class D.”
“H-hello…” With a stranger present, Shigure instantly reverted to her shy, introverted self.
“I’m Iori Shigure from Class A… Um, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“So, Iori-san is tutoring Shion-san?” Sakuya immediately deduced the situation.
“Hey, are you already labeling me as a poor student? Can’t we just be studying together?” Shion protested at once.
Sakuya gave her a speechless look.
“Knowing a person’s face is one thing, but knowing their heart, or rather, their academic standing, is another.
I know exactly where you stand.”
“So my image as a failing student is really that ingrained, huh…” Shion slumped onto her desk, a dark cloud seemingly hanging over her, giving the faint impression of her soul drifting out of her body.
“So, why exactly did you call me in, Shion-san?
Although, if you need me to tutor you, I can.
But let me clarify, my grades aren’t exactly stellar; at most, I can help you with Japanese Language Arts, given how much I read.” Sakuya adjusted her glasses.
“I just… missed you, so I called out,” Shion said with an innocent smile.
“As for tutoring, let’s forget about that, hehe.”
“Miss me?” Sakuya’s cheeks flushed slightly.
She turned her head away, her voice dropping a few degrees, yet her peripheral vision remained fixed on Shion.
“Shion-san certainly knows how to flatter.
Still, if you truly want me to tutor you, it’s not entirely out of the question…”
At that moment, Shigure suddenly reached out, her small, cat-like fist gently rubbing Shion’s hair.
“Shion-san, is my company not enough for you…? I mean, you haven’t even mastered math, will you really have time for other subjects?”
‘Why did Shigure’s words carry a hint of… possessiveness, even if only a slight one?’
Sakuya seemed to realize something then.
“That’s not entirely fair, Iori-san.
Japanese Language Arts grades are still grades, and they can certainly help boost Shion-san’s overall score, can’t they?”
Shigure cast a complex glance at Sakuya, then at Shion.
Being introverted, she was never one to argue, so she ultimately chose to nod.
“Then… alright.”
Sakuya nodded with satisfaction.
“Excellent! Now Shion-san has two teachers! You must study diligently.
I’ll be tutoring you very seriously, you know.”
Shion quickly raised her hand in protest.
“It’s three! Ayane counts too!
And besides, how did you two just decide this? I haven’t even given my opinion yet!”
“Among three people, there must be one who can be my teacher (TL Note: A Chinese proverb meaning one can learn from anyone, even if they aren’t explicitly a teacher),” Sakuya quoted, pulling up a chair and sitting beside Shion and Shigure.
“There’s no time to waste; let me join in too.
After you finish your problems, Shion-san, I’ll read you some of Haruki Murakami’s writings.”
“Eh?! How did I end up with yet another subject for tutoring?!” A pig-like squeal echoed through the A-class classroom.