Forty exam questions couldn't be finished in a single day.
In the afternoon, Kaoru spent some time playing with Karuizawa Kei, listening to her share various teenage girl troubles.
By evening, he escorted her back, though he didn't go all the way up to the girls' floor—a man lingering there would be far too conspicuous.
While taking leave wasn't particularly serious, in the eyes of many students, it was shocking enough.
Kaoru received a steady stream of concerned messages.
If even he was getting this much attention, Kei must have been bombarded even more.
Still, no one had likely connected the two of them yet—no matter how you looked at it, the idea was just too outrageous.
.....
The next morning, Kaoru appeared in Class A's classroom.
Naturally, Kamuro Masumi who's sitting beside him, asked.
"Were you in the dorm yesterday?"
Instead of asking if he was feeling unwell, she asked if he had been in the dorm—such a typical question for her.
"Had a bit of a headache, spent half the day lying down in my room." Kaoru glanced at her desk.
"Do you have yesterday's notes?"
Classes weren't completely over yet—the teachers couldn't just rush through the semester's material and then leave the students to self-study for a whole month.
"How rare. So the day has finally come when you ask me for notes." Kamuro Masumi snorted twice before handing over the notes she had already prepared.
"Yamamura wants to meet you in the library this afternoon."
"Why are you the one delivering the message?" Kaoru was puzzled.
"Is that a problem?" Kamuro didn't feel the need to explain further.
"You'd better not stand her up. If you do, I'll never forgive you."
Kaoru glanced at Yamamura not too far away.
The girl sat upright, not showing the slightest hint of anything unusual.
Soon, the first class of the day—Mashima's English class—began.
He gave Kaoru a brief glance but made no further comment.
As time passed, the day's classes concluded without incident.
Kaoru picked up his bag and, right in front of Kamuro, decisively left the classroom.
Kamuro frowned.
...
Perhaps because it was the month before exams, the library was packed with students.
The upperclassmen had taken the best spots, leaving first-years to squeeze into places like the aisles.
"T-there are so many people…?" Miki Yamamura seemed a little startled.
"Is this your first time in the library?" Kaoru wasn't surprised.
During exam periods, the library was always the most crowded place.
"Ah, yes, it's my first time today." Miki Yamamura lowered her voice.
"Normally, I just study alone in my dorm…"
"It's not too late to take a break now." Kaoru led her to find a seat. "Studying alone makes it hard to relax, but when you come to the library and see so many others just as anxious as you, it eases your mind right away."
Miki Yamamura kept a straight face.
Was that supposed to be a joke?
It sounded more like the self-comfort of a slacker.
Before long, Kaoru found a relatively empty spot and gestured for her to sit.
"So… what should I do next?" Yamamura pulled out her textbooks and notes.
To carry out Sakayanagi Arisu's plan, she intended to play the part of someone a little slow.
"Hold on, we're waiting for one more person." Kaoru checked his phone, then glanced around.
Groups from Classes D, C, and B were already deep into their study sessions.
Miki Yamamura tensed slightly, unsure who he meant.
A short while later, a girl with braided hair and black-framed glasses came jogging over, slightly out of breath from the exertion, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"U-um, s-sorry I'm late…" Airi Sakura's face flushed as she immediately apologized to Kaoru.
"Don't worry about it. I only got here a few minutes before you." Kaoru found it a little odd.
Miki Yamamura studied Airi Sakura with curiosity.
Though she herself had low presence and spoke little, she wasn't as severely socially anxious as Airi—at least she could muster the courage to observe others.
Under her gaze, Airi grew even more nervous, fidgeting awkwardly.
"This is Yamamura from my class, my exam partner—she's here for tutoring, just like you." Kaoru motioned for Airi to sit beside him.
"Yamamura, this is Sakura from Class D, a good friend of mine."
The two girls' eyes met briefly before Airi quickly looked away, while Miki Yamamura hesitated on how to respond.
Pairing two similarly introverted girls together clearly wasn't working well.
"Relax, we're just here to review for the exams." Kaoru kept his voice gentle. "I'm the one tutoring, but Yamamura, I'm sorry I didn't mention this earlier. The penalty for failing this special exam is expulsion, and I couldn't just stand by and let Sakura get kicked out."
Miki Yamamura nodded.
She didn't have any objections to begin with.
"I-I'm sorry for troubling you again." Airi Sakura bowed her head, acutely aware of her poor social standing and introverted nature.
Whether it was Hirata Yosuke's study group or Horikita Suzune's study sessions, she never dared to participate.
"I already told you it's fine. I'm the one who asked you to come," Kaoru said.
"Besides, this might change things a little."
Was he talking about making friends?
Airi stole a glance at Miki Yamamura, sensing something familiar in the other girl's demeanor.
"Speaking of which, I don't know your exact academic situations yet. Mind if I check?" Kaoru asked.
Initially assuming Airi's grades were subpar, Kaoru was surprised when she hesitantly handed over her meticulously organized notes and textbooks.
Her handwriting was far neater than Karuizawa.
After asking a few more questions about her grades, he discovered Airi's performance had already surpassed Kei's and was approaching Kamuro Masumi's level from the start of the term.
No wonder someone with her personality hadn't dropped out after all these months.
When Kaoru examined Miki's notes, he found them oddly impressive.
While academic performance couldn't be judged solely by note-taking, hers clearly indicated above-average ability.
The way she highlighted key points and added supplementary material showed a level of sophistication beyond ordinary students.
Just as Kaoru was pondering his next move, someone called out to him excitedly.
"Hey, Kaoru-chan! You're studying in the library too?"
Turning around, Kaoru saw Hasebe Haruka flashing him an unexpectedly delighted smile—clearly a chance encounter.