Sato spent the entire afternoon helping Nishimiya Yuzuru with practice problems. Her grades were improving at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After explaining the contents of the notes, Nishimiya Yuzuru had roughly mastered about a third of the material.
"Not bad at all!"
Sato set down the workbook in his hands and nodded in satisfaction. Looking up at Nishimiya Yuzuru, he continued, "In a bit I'll give you a few more example problems. That should help deepen your memory and problem-solving ability."
Nishimiya Yuzuru was lying across the desk watching Sato. Those bright, luminous purple eyes flickered slightly, soft black short hair scattered across her fair cheeks.
"Does that mean I'll be free soon?"
"Far from it!"
Sato glanced at her and said lightly.
"The hard part is always what's left. You'll find that once you've grasped some of the knowledge, the remaining parts become harder and harder to master."
"But that's normal. Otherwise there wouldn't be something like a passing line."
"Besides, what you're making up now is only the first-year material, and only in math. There's still a lot you need to learn!"
"Tsk!"
Nishimiya Yuzuru clicked her tongue and turned her head away, her face written all over with irritation and annoyance.
"Then can I just choose to give up?"
"For that you'll have to get Shouko's opinion first."
Sato shrugged.
"Tch!"
Seeing Nishimiya Yuzuru's expression, Sato couldn't help laughing. He stood up and said, "All right, let's take a break. We'll continue studying later."
"What do you want to drink? We've got barley tea, happy water, and orange juice for you to choose from."
"What's happy water?"
"Carbonated drinks, like cola and that sort of thing."
"Why is it called that?"
Sato looked thoughtful at the question, then glanced at Nishimiya Yuzuru a bit uncertainly. "Maybe because drinking it makes you happy?"
"Mm… or it could be that people drink it when they're already happy. Either way."
"So you're just brushing me off?"
"Hm? You noticed!"
Sato first looked at Nishimiya Yuzuru with an expression of surprise, then smiled and ruffled her hair.
Finally he headed toward the kitchen, calling over his shoulder without looking back, "Decide before I come back out, or it'll just be plain cold water."
"Orange juice! I want orange juice!"
"Got it. Want ice?"
"Yes! It's way too hot today!"
Before long Sato came back out carrying two glasses of drinks—one orange juice and one happy water, both in clear glass cups.
"Here!"
After handing the orange juice to Nishimiya Yuzuru, the two of them sat down together on the tatami in front of the television.
The front door, the door to Sato's room, and the windows were all open, so the breeze could freely pass through the rooms.
A cool wind swept across the corridor, carrying away the summer heat and bringing a refreshing chill.
Sitting on the tatami, they could see the deep blue sky through the window of Sato's room. Pale blue wind chimes hung from the windowsill.
The two of them sat on the tatami with their hands propped behind them, looking up at the sky.
Nishimiya Yuzuru touched the bangs on her forehead. Even though it felt cool sitting here, her hair still had that sticky sensation from sweat, and the breeze blowing in couldn't lift the strands or make them flutter.
"It really feels like summer's here."
She gazed into the distance at the sky and murmured.
"Summer's still a long way off. The temperature should drop a bit more once today passes."
Sato replied.
After all, the cherry blossoms hadn't even finished falling yet. How could summer arrive so quickly?
"O… Onii-chan!"
Just then a soft, sweet voice came from the doorway, carrying a hint of shy bashfulness.
Turning to look, they saw Izumi Sagiri standing at the entrance wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt that left a strip of snow-white, translucent midriff exposed. On her lower half she wore a pair of blue short denim shorts that didn't cover those two slender, fair legs. Her tender skin looked especially radiant under the bright light of the day.
Sato looked a little surprised at Izumi Sagiri and waved her over. "Come on in."
"Oh, okay!"
Izumi Sagiri nodded, then carefully glanced at Nishimiya Yuzuru sitting beside Sato before stepping inside.
Nishimiya Yuzuru raised an eyebrow. "The kid from upstairs."
While gesturing for Izumi Sagiri to sit down, Sato answered, "Yeah. What do you think? Cute, right?"
Silvery hair gradually transitioning to a purplish-pink, smooth and soft; emerald-green eyes like jade; a delicate, adorable face like a work of art; and a petite, endearing figure.
At those words Izumi Sagiri's face immediately flushed red, and she lowered her head a little awkwardly.
Nishimiya Yuzuru looked at Sato with a half-smile. "l𝚘licon?"
Sato answered without the slightest hesitation. "Is there anyone who wouldn't like a girl as cute as Sagiri?"
"O… Onii-chan!"
Izumi Sagiri, face bright red, looked up at Sato. Even her pupils seemed to be trembling slightly.
"This 'like' isn't that kind of 'like.' I have no intention of ending up in a cell."
Sato explained while looking at Izumi Sagiri's expression, though neither Nishimiya Yuzuru nor Izumi Sagiri seemed particularly convinced by his words.
"I think we can already call the police!"
Nishimiya Yuzuru said, looking at him.
"Call the police for what?"
"There's a l𝚘licon here!"
"Who am I 'correcting'? You or Sagiri…"
"Of course it's… wait! What do you mean by that?"
Nishimiya Yuzuru's gaze turned a little dangerous as she narrowed her eyes at Sato.
"Sagiri's in her second year of middle school now, right?"
Sato turned the question back to Sagiri. Looking a bit dazed and confused, Izumi Sagiri nodded. "Mm!"
He then looked back at Nishimiya Yuzuru. "So… do you think there's that big a difference between you and Sagiri?"
Although their personalities and mental ages were different, their builds were actually about the same.
Nishimiya Yuzuru froze for a moment, then suddenly looked at Sato with vigilance. "So you've been plotting something against me this whole time?!"
"No!"
Sato shook his head. "I'm just saying that you've been here this long and I haven't done anything, so you're both perfectly safe. I won't do anything to l𝚘lis!"
Nishimiya Yuzuru nodded thoughtfully, but she quickly caught on and narrowed her eyes at him again. "But you didn't deny that you're a l𝚘licon!"