Revisiting Familiar Places
Most people would feel comfortable returning to familiar places.
But Sakurai Saki, standing in front of the tall building, only found it a bit troublesome.
He had just dealt with a love rival. After a moment of relief, he rode his bike to the Nakano Five Sisters' apartment. Since he had an agreement with four of them, it was time for his weekly visit.
He pressed the doorbell in the hallway. Once the call connected, he spoke:
"Please open the door, thank you."
He didn't have a room card, so someone upstairs had to let him in.
"Teacher-chan~" came Ichika's voice over the intercom.
Then a more energetic voice followed: "Eh?! Is that Sakurai-kun?"
Yotsuba.
"We've opened the door for you, come in," said Itsuki.
As soon as she finished, the automatic door clicked open.
Sakurai stepped into the elevator lobby and pressed the call button. Once inside, he hit the 30th-floor button. While the elevator ascended, he pulled out several test papers — ones he hadn't given them last week.
They were all junior high level — far easier than the test Ishigami Yu had coming up this Thursday. It was just to establish a baseline, so there was no need to make things difficult. In fact, Sakurai doubted the sisters would even do well on this paper.
He counted the test papers again. Five?
Connecting it with what he'd guessed last Friday, Sakurai figured it out.
The mysterious "Two" must be one of the Nakano sisters.
But he didn't dwell on it. According to Yakumo Bai, the girl's erased presence would gradually return to normal. Probably tomorrow — exactly one week later.
Everything would become clear then.
There was no reason to overthink it. When the car reaches the mountain, there's a road. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten. Sakurai never worried about such things.
If that girl — the one whose existence had been erased — ever questioned him, he'd answer her honestly:
"I did it. The abnormality that happened to you is related to me."
Sakurai never denied what he had done, whether good or bad.
As he always believed — the decision he made in that moment was the best choice he could have made. Don't cling to the past. Look forward. If you keep drowning in yesterday's bitter waters, you'll lose clarity and eventually sink.
Ding. The elevator reached the 30th floor.
Sakurai stepped out—
And froze.
What… was all this?
"Welcome~ Teacher-chan~" Ichika clapped her hands, smiling.
"Hi hi!! Sakurai-kun!!" Yotsuba cheered as she pulled a paper party popper.
Bang! A shower of golden confetti filled the hallway.
"Good afternoon, Saki-kun," Miku greeted calmly, opening her own party popper.
More glitter filled the air.
"Good afternoon, Sakurai General Affairs," Itsuki added, bowing slightly.
Sakurai stared at them, utterly confused.
"…You guys really like studying that much?"
Also, what about all this golden rain on the floor? Wasn't that going to be a pain to clean?
At his words, three of the girls' expressions shifted.
Only Itsuki nodded earnestly. "I like studying!"
Despite their misunderstanding last week, Sakurai had explained things clearly, and the air between them had cleared. Still, she had been surprised when he threatened to quit as their tutor. It was understandable—anyone would be angry when wrongly accused—but it still stung.
Thankfully, after she apologized, Sakurai agreed to continue tutoring them. That meant a lot to her.
Sakurai lived alone in Tokyo, which was why he had taken up that kind of work. It might not sound dignified, but she couldn't deny the reality behind his choice.
None of the four Nakano sisters had special powers. They weren't confused by the corrected memories that had quietly entered their minds.
Yotsuba put down her party popper and said apologetically, "Um, Sakurai-kun, I have to help the Girls' Basketball Club later, so I might need to skip tutoring until tomorrow."
"I'll cooperate with Teacher-chan~" said Ichika, winking playfully.
Sakurai looked at Miku.
Miku set her party popper aside. "If it's content I'm interested in…"
So, she didn't want to study anything that wasn't history.
Typical.
At Shuchiin Academy, the subjects were plenty: Japanese, Mathematics, History, Social Studies, Natural Sciences, Physical Education, Home Economics, and Foreign Language.
Sakurai sighed quietly, mentally bracing himself.
Another long day ahead.
High School Division and Academic Struggles
In their first and second years, high school students weren't yet divided into liberal arts or science streams. That separation only happened in the third year, based on whether they pursued external university admissions or internal promotion.
External admissions generally followed the science path, while internal promotions leaned toward liberal arts.
For advancement, there were two main options: Shuchiin University, or the prestigious Imperial Universities — including Tokyo University, Kyoto University, and Tohoku University.
The upcoming midterm exam would cover five subjects: Japanese, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and English.
Sakurai Saki had already looked into the girls' grades and discovered something frustrating: there wasn't a single subject in which all four excelled. Not even two shared the same strength.Yotsuba was best at Japanese.Miku excelled in Social Studies, thanks to her passion for ancient history.Ichika's strength was Mathematics.Itsuki was more solid in Science.…Which left English.
Maybe the mysterious "Two" — the erased sister — was good at English?
If there was a pattern, it might fit that way. But honestly, Sakurai Saki felt this tutoring job was far from easy.
He'd also pondered why their grades were so poor. There's always a reason someone struggles.
Ichika, most likely, couldn't juggle her studies with her acting work.
Miku had overly skewed interests and lacked balance in her learning.
Yotsuba… probably spread herself too thin helping other school clubs, leaving no time to study.
Itsuki…
Wait a second. Itsuki had clearly been studying diligently the whole time.
So why were her grades still so bad?
Was it simply the wrong study method?
They entered the apartment together.
Yotsuba grabbed a bottle of matcha drink for Miku, poured juice for the others, and after taking a phone call, quickly left.
It was already past four. By the time she got to school, it would be nearly five. The Girls' Basketball Club must be seriously short-staffed if she was rushing that much.
"Everyone," Sakurai said, placing his bag on the table, "even though Yotsuba isn't here, I think it's best to do a baseline assessment first."
He pulled out a stack of papers.
"This is a comprehensive test — a mix of questions from all five subjects. You can skip the ones you don't know and answer only what you feel confident about."
Without a word, Itsuki accepted her paper.
Miku took hers too, her eyes scanning it quickly. Her expression softened when she noticed some history questions right at the top.
Sakurai Saki had planned that, of course — placing history first to catch Miku's interest.
Ichika, lounging on the sofa, raised an eyebrow.
"There's no reward? If Teacher-chan doesn't give us a reward, how can we be motivated?"
Sakurai was just about to say no — but then noticed Miku and Itsuki also staring at him, waiting.
He sighed and took out a sticky note.
After scribbling something on it, he placed it on the table.
"This is a wish ticket. As long as it's something I can do and it doesn't go against my personal values, I'll fulfill it. I'll give it to the person who impresses me the most on this test."
At that, the atmosphere changed.
Each girl had her own thoughts.
Itsuki wanted to use the wish to learn Sakurai Saki's study secrets. She'd heard rumors: when he started school last year, he was near the bottom — even lower than her and her sisters. Yet within a year, he had risen to third in his grade, just behind President Shirogane and Vice President Shinomiya.
President Shirogane hadn't been strong academically at first either. One person making a rapid improvement might be chalked up to talent or effort. But two? That hinted at something else — maybe a shortcut.
There had to be a method behind their success.
Miku, on the other hand, had a simpler wish.
She wanted Sakurai Saki to teach her how to make matcha cake.
Last year, during a home economics class, she'd tasted a cake he made — and still remembered it vividly. His family ran a traditional wagashi shop, and his skills were top-tier.
Miku loved anything matcha. Even when buying drinks, she always chose "Matcha Soda."
Ichika, as always, smirked playfully.
"Really? Anything?"
"Of course," Sakurai replied confidently. Sakurai Saki never regretted.
"Even if it's…" Ichika leaned in, pausing for dramatic effect, "…asking you to date me?"
Sakurai Saki suddenly regretted it a little.
He glanced away and muttered:
"If I fall in love with you, then when you use this ticket on me, I won't refuse."