"Hikigaya-kun…" Yukinoshita began massaging her temples as if she had a headache.
I looked at her quickly after hearing my name. Her eyes were closed, and her head was lowered over my answer sheet.
"I'm shocked by your level as a first-year high school student." She didn't bother to look at me as she spoke.
Is it possible that she's shocked because she discovered I'm a math genius?
"Out of 10 equations, you answered 4 correctly." Her tone didn't sound pleased at all as she ran her finger across the paper to count the correct answers.
That's a new personal record for me—definitely worth celebrating with a cup of instant ramen.
Yukinoshita raised her head and looked at me with her cold blue eyes. Her annoyance at my result was obvious.
After classes ended, we decided to study together. Our destination was the library, but after finding out that Hirata's group would be holding a study session there, we settled for using the classroom since no one visits it after school.
I sat at my usual desk while Yukinoshita pulled a chair and sat beside me, correcting the exercises she had assigned me. She was clearly not satisfied with my results.
Meanwhile, I remained stiff in my seat, trying to suppress my smile because of how happy I was with the result.
She'd probably get angry if she knew I was happy… better to pretend I'm annoyed.
She brushed a strand of her black hair back after it fell over her face, then pushed the paper toward me with her slender fingers.
"Redo the equations you got wrong… you're not leaving today unless you complete them perfectly." Her tone made it clear she wouldn't accept any objections.
So I quickly picked up my pen and started solving, while she took out a novel from her bag and resumed reading from where she had left off. I couldn't tell what kind of book it was due to the cheap paper cover, but it was clearly something that suited her taste.
Wait, isn't this supposed to be a study session? Everyone should be studying seriously. Why does she get to enjoy her novel while I have to suffer? That's not fair.
I looked at her with a protesting expression, intending to call her out, but what I saw stopped me.
Her eyes moved smoothly across the lines, and a faint smile appeared on her lips from time to time—as if that smile was her only reaction to her own private world. I feel like even after the end of the world, she'd still be sitting there the same way.
She really seems to be enjoying herself…
I quickly turned my attention back to the equations in front of me.
Well, it's fine to enjoy things sometimes… besides, she's not obligated to teach me.
I tried to understand the numbers in front of me again, but I couldn't do anything except scratch my head desperately, hoping for an idea.
This is really exhausting… I need to think of something to motivate myself…
If only I could get a 50 as well…
Ugh… how did you do it, Ayanokouji? He must be a genius.
I tried to focus on the paper as much as I could, but my mind kept drifting randomly between thoughts…
Until the classroom door suddenly slammed open.
I raised my head quickly and looked at Yukinoshita. She was still in her place, and she looked at me as well. It seemed the sudden noise startled her.
I turned toward the front door, where a girl was standing, only her head visible as if she were cautiously peeking inside.
"Horikita-san…" Yukinoshita placed a bookmark in her book before putting it on my desk and standing up to speak with her.
"Horikita-san, what is it?" It seemed even she didn't expect her to come here.
"Yukinoshita-san, I sent you a message, but you didn't reply." Horikita stepped in and stood in front of Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita took out her phone from her jacket pocket, checked it, then put it back.
"Sorry… I had it on silent so it wouldn't distract him." She pointed at me with her thumb without even looking at me.
That's a false accusation… well, I was about to do something like that, but since I didn't, it's just an accusation.
Wait, since when does Yukinoshita have Horikita's contact information?
"Hmm… so you're actually tutoring him." Horikita glanced down at me while I remained frozen over my paper.
Better pretend I'm studying.
"Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I gave Hirata-kun the summaries you gave me."
"Thank you."
"Huh… summaries?" What exactly are they talking about? Are they planning something?
The two girls looked at me at the same time.
"Hirata-kun decided to tutor students who are struggling, and Horikita-san and I decided to help him with some summaries."
"Yeah… that suits Hirata-kun more." Horikita nodded in agreement.
I see now… they've decided to contribute to the class in their own way.
Horikita seems a bit harsh, so it's hard to imagine her teaching students. As for Yukinoshita, she's definitely bad at teaching… source: me.
Every time I look in her direction, I lose my focus and sense of logic. And whenever I review my answers, I feel like I'm in danger—like she might hit me at any moment.
So Hirata is more suited for this… yeah.
I nodded to myself, agreeing with my own thoughts, but Yukinoshita was glaring at me.
"Hikigaya-kun, why don't you focus on the exercises in front of you and stop having an internal monologue?" Yukinoshita sat back down after exposing my thoughts.
This is exactly what I mean… she's terrifying when it comes to teaching.
I wonder how she'll deal with her kids if they're bad at studying…
Yeah… better focus on studying.
I returned to my pen and paper, but it seems Yukinoshita doesn't plan on going back to her book, as she gestured for Horikita to sit down as well.
Are they going to talk? This is going to ruin my concentration…
But wait… I feel like Yukinoshita resembles Horikita—same communication issues she had before meeting Yuigahama, and the same sibling problem.
Do they get along because of that? I guess this is what they call negative plus negative equals positive.
I finally understand math.
"Are you struggling with him? He seems like a bad student." Horikita sat in the seat in front of me and began talking to Yukinoshita.
"Well… he's improved a lot. He used to be worse." I could feel Yukinoshita's gaze piercing through me. If I lift my head, I might lose it.
"So, as I expected, you two knew each other before this school."
"Yes… we were in the same middle school." Unlike her usual reserved nature, Yukinoshita didn't seem to mind talking about the past.
Hey, miss, don't tell strangers about me—that's bad. Why doesn't Horikita just leave?
Silence filled the classroom again, as if they were allowing me to focus on my work.
But suddenly, Yukinoshita decided to speak again.
"Horikita-san… may I ask? You seem to have changed a little recently… I didn't expect you to be the type to accept your new class so easily." It's not surprising for Yukinoshita to be so sharp and observant. She can notice even the smallest changes.
Horikita seemed slightly tense after the topic was brought up, adjusting her posture before answering.
"Even I didn't think I'd accept it so easily. I was planning to go to Chabashira-sensei to check if there was some mistake… but now things are different." Her tone at the end carried a hint of happiness.
That must be the influence of her older brother.
"Yukinoshita-san, you also seem like a capable student who deserves to be in a higher class… I didn't expect you to accept this so easily either." Horikita seemed to be wondering about the same thing she had asked earlier.
"Well…" Yukinoshita cleared her throat as if searching for the right words. "I suppose a trivial system can't fully measure a person's abilities—it might make mistakes… and perhaps because I've associated with someone who has reached the peak of self-abasement, I've started to accept some failure." Unlike Horikita's tone, Yukinoshita's voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
Self-abasement… who is this wise person? I should meet him soon.
"I think I understand that a little…" I felt Horikita's gaze piercing through me.
Why does she think it's me?
"I think reaching Class A from the bottom would prove my worth even more." Horikita's tone was filled with determination.
If she wants to catch up to her brother and prove herself, rising from the bottom is the best way.
But why do I suddenly feel like the temperature has risen?
I looked at Yukinoshita. She was still sitting in her place, but a competitive fire had ignited within her.
Horikita's words had sparked her motivation as well.
"Yes… that seems suitable for me too." Yukinoshita didn't hesitate to agree.
What is this, some kind of alliance? I slowly raised my head to observe their expressions. Both of them were smiling in a strange way.
This is scary.
A strange alliance?
"First, we need to get through this exam with minimal losses." Horikita, who used to see her classmates as obstacles, was now thinking about how to help them pass.
Interesting.
"I was thinking we could use past exams as a reference." Yukinoshita placed her hand on her chin as she proposed the idea.
"But how would we obtain something like that?" Horikita didn't seem surprised by the idea.
She still doesn't understand how this school works.
"We can buy them from older students using personal points." Yukinoshita had already thought of the method.
"Is that possible?" As expected, Horikita still doesn't know much about the system.
Things like deals between students are almost normal here.
But there's still a problem.
"If we rely on that method, we'll face a bigger issue…" I slowly raised my head from the paper and looked at them. "If we start relying on past exams now, they'll depend on them every time. It's not reliable and it's expensive."
There's no guarantee midterms and finals won't change, and buying them every time would cost too much. The best option is studying.
Horikita looked at me with a confused expression, while Yukinoshita didn't hesitate to frown.
"Hikigaya-kun, no one asked for your opinion. Focus on your studies first." Yukinoshita sounded irritated by my laziness and shot me a burning glare.
I quickly returned to my paper and focused, while Yukinoshita simply sighed.
"He's right… it's better to rely on study sessions to improve their academic level." Yukinoshita understood that this solution might work short-term, but not for long-term development.
"Ah… I just remembered." Horikita seemed to recall something after a long silence. "I brought Sudou-kun to a study session with Ayanokouji-kun's help… but it didn't go well." She expressed her disappointment.
But Ayanokouji, who seems unmotivated, helped her? How did that happen?
"So he still refuses help from everyone…" Yukinoshita began tapping her fingers lightly on the desk.
Hirata mentioned this problem before, and she had already decided to deal with it.
I slowly raised my hand to ask for permission to speak.
"Yukinoshita-san, may I say something?"
Horikita looked at me in surprise, while Yukinoshita gestured for me to continue.
Good… better than getting attacked.
"I think the problem is that he believes we don't understand him and are trying to force our ideas on him…" After observing him for a while and even talking to him a bit, I started to understand how Sudou thinks.
He's not necessarily just a delinquent or violent student—he probably just feels misunderstood.
Yukinoshita sighed softly and placed her hand on her chin.
"So what should we do in that case…?"
I shrugged slightly as I looked at them.
"Find someone who understands him."