"It's fine. Totsuka's grades don't need to be worried about, so I can focus entirely on you."
In the end, considering his purpose for coming, Yuu decided not to inform his fake girlfriend and study with Yuigahama instead.
It didn't matter if he got caught later—his goal had already been achieved. No matter how much Masuzu sulked, it wouldn't matter. To help his friend improve her steadily declining grades, Yuu was ready.
Besides, there was no way he was that unlucky—running into Masuzu here and having her misunderstand that he was secretly dating Yuigahama, right?
In this world, there weren't that many dramatic events. This wasn't a light novel.
"So, it's just you and me?" Yuigahama asked hesitantly. After seeing him nod, she clenched her fist and quietly cheered, "Yay!"
Yuu looked at her. "Totsuka has something at home—why are you so happy?"
"Ah... well..." Yuigahama quickly hid her fist behind her back, her gaze shifting shyly. Her cheeks turned red. "I was just reminded of the past. It's been so long since we studied together... Ehehe, I got a little too excited."
"I'll tell you upfront—I don't need to study at all, so I can spend most of my time tutoring you..." Yuu pushed up his non-existent glasses, his expression serious, cold light gleaming in his eyes. "That means the intensity of my teaching will be about ten times stricter than in middle school... Get ready, you dumb dango."
"So scary!" Yuigahama instinctively raised her shoulders, but the silly, cheerful smile quickly returned to her face. She looked up at him, her tone bright.
"But bring it on! No matter how tough the tutoring gets, I'll endure it!"
"Good. I hope you don't forget this determination of yours." Yuu nodded, then turned and walked into the family restaurant.
About seventy percent of the seats were occupied—still plenty of space. They were quickly led by a short-statured waitress with a surprisingly large chest to a corner of the room. They ordered an all-you-can-eat fried snack set and drinks, and planned to order pasta or another main dish for lunch.
After spotting the waitress—looking like an elementary schooler, maybe middle school—who was hopping around like a hamster with her hair in a ponytail, Yuu couldn't help but exchange glances with Yuigahama. Both of their expressions looked strange.
"...Are they hiring child laborers here too?"
"Not just that, look, Yuu." Yuigahama pointed toward another waitress walking between tables. She leaned in close, her fresh scent filling the air, and whispered nervously, "That waitress—she has a katana at her waist... It looks like a real sword."
"There's no way she'd carry a real sword around. It's probably some kind of cosplay?" Yuu guessed.
At that moment, they heard a loud crashing sound from the kitchen.
They turned and saw someone flying in a parabolic arc, spinning mid-air before crashing behind the counter. The wall even seemed to tremble from the impact.
Shortly after, the hamster-like waitress who had served them frantically dragged the person from behind into the staff break room. Apologies and a scolding could be faintly heard.
Yuu and Yuigahama exchanged glances again.
Most of the restaurant's customers didn't show any surprise. Some even seemed to think today was as lively as usual, and felt reassured by it.
"...So this is what the reviews meant—'the addictive taste of danger'?"
Yuigahama murmured softly, looking around with bright, puppy-like eyes.
"Who knows. Ignore them. Let's start studying." Yuu shrugged, redirecting her attention from unimportant matters, and pulled out study materials from his bag.
Yuigahama immediately focused. She also took out her stationery and notebook, adjusted her dango-style hair, and prepared to give it her all.
This was a rare chance to continue their relationship... no, to reunite... no, not even that—this was a chance to revive the study sessions of the past!
Even though he stood at a level she could only dream of, what Yuigahama had to do had never changed—work hard so she wouldn't disappoint him, so he'd see her seriously.
"Let's start with Japanese. Since back then, your kanji writing has always been weak. I've prepared a small quiz to test you..."
Mid-sentence, Yuu noticed the cream-colored notebook on the table and froze.
"...The graduation gift from me—you still kept it."
"Of course! And I've been using it well!" Yuigahama opened the inside pages—three-quarters filled with notes, her tone slightly proud. "See? I'm serious, right?"
Yuu glanced at her.
"It took two years to fill one notebook, and you call that serious?"
"..."
Yuigahama's expression instantly stiffened. Then she pouted, placing the notebook beside her. Her cheeks puffed up as she flipped open her textbook, as if refusing to talk.
Yuu smiled. "Then let me rephrase it... The fact that you couldn't bear to finish this notebook in two years makes me very happy. It shows how much you value it."
Yuigahama had initially wanted to sulk for a few seconds, but after he said that, a strange joy welled up in her heart—like tasting the sweetest honey in spring, like sucking on a strawberry ice cream in summer.
Unable to hold back her laughter, Yuigahama joined in with his.
"You've always been good at making girls happy, Yuu. I still remember your famous quotes, you know? For example..."
She cleared her throat, mimicking his expression from back then, speaking with deep feeling: "Do you want to live an ordinary life in the crowd, aimless, just becoming background noise... or do you want to be a brilliant firework, even if only for a moment, falling to the cold ground someday, but still telling others that you once shone brighter than anyone else?—something like that."
After finishing, she suppressed her laughter and stared at the man in front of her, but didn't get the reaction she expected.
"If you read a lot, you can even recite a few motivational quotes. That has nothing to do with whether it makes girls happy or not."
Yuu waved his hand casually. Even though his past had been brought up, he didn't feel embarrassed at all—it was too childish compared to the system, so it didn't affect him.
He tapped the small quiz paper on the table, adopting a teacher's posture, his tone growing firm: "Since you've memorized useless things like that, your brain can't hold any real academic knowledge..."
"That's not useless!" Yuigahama interrupted, sounding very serious.
"...What?"
Yuigahama stared straight at Yuu, not backing down. Her soft yet steel-bright gaze was filled with feelings the girl refused to let go of.
"Everything you've ever given me since then has been the most precious treasure to me, the brightest star... Even Yuu isn't allowed to call it useless!"
The first page of the cream-colored notebook lay open, and a sentence in the corner caught his attention:
Some carry burdens for thirty years. Some are trapped in cages. Some walk alone in darkness for a very long time. Fortunately, there's always a star lighting the way in this world—so even if the path is thorny, it's not in vain.
Though two years had passed, though world lines had changed... the traces left from that moment remained unchanged.
Since then, the girl's feelings had never changed.
"..."
Yuu fell silent for a moment.
He lifted his gaze, looking into Yuigahama's clear, bright pupils.
At her sweet face—more mature now, yet still retaining its childish charm.
At this dango girl, whose love the system couldn't take away, Yuu unconsciously grew confused.
"Uh... I didn't mean to scold you. Don't make such a serious face..."
Coming back to his senses at her careful voice, Yuu temporarily set aside unimportant thoughts and smiled resignedly at her.
"I came here to tutor you, not to listen to your love confession, you dumb Yui."
Yuigahama's cheeks turned red. She quickly waved her hands. "I wasn't confessing! Even if it sounded like it, it wasn't at all! I won't give you a chance to reject me a second time... Wait, did you just call me stupid?"
Realizing it, she pouted again and glared at him angrily.
But by then, Yuu had already lowered his head, preparing for today's study session.