After-School Tutoring

The school bell rang as usual, but for Class D, it sounded like a royal decree, shattering the silence that had persisted all afternoon. Yet, what followed was not a sense of relief; instead, it acted like a key, unlocking the panic and confusion suppressed deep within everyone's hearts. Recently, everyone had been feeling incredibly stifled due to their points being wiped out, causing the atmosphere in the class to become heavy and oppressive. The figures that used to rush out of the classroom in a hurry were now few and far between; most people were just numbly packing their bags, their faces shrouded in an inescapable gloom.

In this suffocating silence, Hirata Yosuke stood up. He took a deep breath, his handsome face set with unquestionable determination, and walked to the front of the classroom. His voice was as gentle as ever, yet it carried a weight that was usually absent.

"Everyone, please listen to me for a moment."

The eyes of his classmates, filled with either doubt or expectation, converged upon him.

"I know that everyone is very uneasy about the current situation." Hirata's gaze swept over the listless faces. "Without points, life ahead will be very difficult. However, Chabashira-sensei also said that class points can be increased! Our most urgent task right now is to ensure that no one is expelled for failing the upcoming midterm exams!"

He paused, his tone becoming more earnest: "Therefore, I propose that starting today, I and a few classmates with decent grades will organize a study group! It is primarily to help those who are struggling with their studies. The location will be the classroom after school. I don't want to see a single person from Class D leave! Please... for your own sake, and for the sake of this class, let's work hard together!"

His words were like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, stirring ripples in the hearts of those in the class. Most of the students who knew their grades were in jeopardy felt a glimmer of hope ignite in their eyes and stood up one after another, gathering toward Hirata. Hirata's girlfriend, Karuizawa Kei, along with several girls who were close to him, also expressed their support and called for their own social circles to join in.

However, some people reacted coldly. Koenji Rokusuke was, as always, immersed in his own world, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him. Humming a nameless tune while looking in a mirror, he was the first to leave the classroom. Others, perhaps out of inexplicable confidence or an instinctive rejection of collective activities, simply watched silently before grabbing their bags and slipping out the back door.

In the corner at the back of the classroom, Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki exchanged a look, their faces showing clear signs of being moved. Ike nudged Yamauchi with his elbow, lowered his voice, and said with a wink: "Hey, the study group... Kushida-chan will definitely go, right? And maybe we'll even be able to meet other girls..."

"That's right!" Yamauchi's eyes lit up, but he immediately looked hesitantly toward Sudo Ken, who was packing his things and planning to head to his club. "But, that guy Sudo..."

The two looked at Sudo simultaneously, their eyes filled with hesitation. They both knew that because of the incident at the start of the term, Sudo was at odds with Hirata, who always played the role of the "good guy." However, Sudo only gave a cold glance at the crowd gathering around Hirata, let out a harsh 'humph' through his nose, and then shouldered his bag and strode out of the classroom without looking back.

"Tch..." Seeing this, Ike and Yamauchi felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The enthusiasm that had just ignited was extinguished for the most part, and they stood there dejectedly, caught in a dilemma.

Horikita Suzune sat quietly at her desk from beginning to end, like a proud ice sculpture. She watched coldly as Hirata organized the study group, watched the division of the crowd, and then saw the state of Ike and Yamauchi, a flash of mockery crossing her raised eyebrows. When her gaze swept over the class and landed on Natsukawa and Ayanokoji beside her, her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she simply shifted her gaze to Ayanokoji, finally withdrew her eyes, picked up her book, and stood up to leave.

Ayanokoji looked at Natsukawa silently and poked Natsukawa's back with his pen. "Are you going to join Hirata's study group? I remember your scores in Japanese and Social Studies on the pop quiz weren't very good."

Natsukawa turned back and shook his head at him. "Hirata's method doesn't suit me. I plan to go to the library for self-study later; you should head back to the dorms first."

Ayanokoji then silently picked up his bag and, like a ghost, merged into the flow of people leaving without a sound.

The classroom gradually quieted down, leaving only the dozen or so people gathered around Hirata still discussing the details of the study group, and...

Natsukawa's gaze passed over the empty desks and landed on the figure still curled up in a seat in the back row.

Sakura Airi.

She kept her head down, the thick lenses of her glasses reflecting the daylight from the window, making it impossible to see her eyes. Her hands were tightly gripping the straps of the bag on her lap, her knuckles turning white from the force. She was like a sculpture forgotten in a corner, as if an invisible, thick wall stood between her and the group around Hirata.

Natsukawa stood up and walked toward that corner forgotten by the sunlight. His footsteps were very light, but in the near-stagnant air, they were still clearly audible.

Hearing the footsteps approach, Sakura's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and she lowered her head even further, almost burying it in her chest.

"Sakura." Natsukawa stopped beside her desk, his voice very gentle.

"Ah... yes, Natsukawa-kun..." Sakura looked up abruptly like a startled rabbit, her large, deep blue eyes behind the lenses filled with panic and confusion. Her cheeks quickly flushed, and her eyes darted around, not daring to meet Natsukawa's gaze.

"Why didn't you go over to Hirata's side?" Natsukawa gestured toward the group in front. "Are you very confident in your grades?"

"No, it's not that..." Sakura shook her head hurriedly, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum, carrying a tremor that was hard to detect. "I... my grades aren't good either... but, there are so many people... I..."

Her words were intermittent, her hands unconsciously twisting the straps of her bag, almost twisting the poor straps into a knot. The way she wished she could shrink into a ball and hide completely said everything—for someone who suffered from an extreme fear of crowds and unfamiliar environments, joining a study group of over a dozen people was no less difficult than having Bocchi-chan perform a guitar solo at the school festival without being part of Kessoku Band.

Well, that would also be quite a heavy-duty task.

Natsukawa looked at her shoulders, which were rising and falling slightly due to nervousness, and at her helpless expression, like a fledgling bird soaked by the rain. He had actually understood Sakura's situation from the beginning, but he had to go through this process to lead into what followed.

"I understand." He nodded, his tone calm, without a hint of reproach or coercion. "In that case, let me tutor you."

"Eh?" Sakura looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with a light of disbelief. Those blue eyes that always hid behind her lenses were slightly widened in shock, like two sapphires wiped clean of dust, flickering with a faint yet moving luster in the dim light. "Na, Natsukawa-kun... help me... tutor?"

"Yeah." Natsukawa's tone was matter-of-fact. "I can't just watch you get expelled for failing, can I? Besides, aren't we friends?"

"Friends..." Sakura repeated the word, the flush on her cheeks deepening, as if the sunset had dyed the white snow. She lowered her head, her fingers nervously picking at the fabric of her bag, her heart clearly engaged in an intense internal struggle. On one hand, she was afraid of causing trouble for others; on the other hand, Natsukawa's proposal was like a lamp handed to her in the darkness, full of irresistible temptation.

After several seconds, she asked timidly in a voice that was almost inaudible: "Bu, but... Natsukawa-kun, are your own grades... okay? I... I saw your pop quiz earlier..."

Her words carried a cautious probe; she clearly still remembered Natsukawa's less-than-stellar performance in certain subjects. She didn't want to drag Natsukawa down because of her own situation.

Hearing this, the corners of Natsukawa's mouth lifted in an imperceptible arc. Of course, he couldn't say he was cheating. So, he found a reasonable excuse: "It's fine. I actually need to consolidate my foundations as well. We can go to the library together; I'll teach you while I study, and we can supervise each other."

He paused, looking at Sakura's eyes, which were still filled with hesitation and unease, and added: "The library is very quiet, and there won't be many people. Just the two of us."

"Just... the two of us..." Sakura repeated softly, as if the words carried some kind of magical power. She secretly raised her eyelids and took a quick glance at Natsukawa. Seeing the peaceful and earnest expression on his face, the heavy barrier in her heart seemed to have a tiny crack pried open.

A warm current, accompanied by an indescribable sense of relief, quietly surged into her heart, dispelling the panic and cold that had been entrenched for so long. She pressed her lips together tightly, as if she had made some huge decision, and finally gathered the courage to nod gently.

"Mm... tha, thank you, Natsukawa-kun... really... thank you very much!" Her voice was still very small, but much clearer than before, carrying a hint of relief-filled choking, as well as heartfelt, pure gratitude.

The sunlight shifted slightly at this moment, passing through the window and spilling softly onto her slightly raised face. Even those thick glasses could not completely hide the glimmer in her eyes at this moment—a complex emotion mixed with hope, trust, and reliance. She seemed to be enveloped in a pale golden halo, and the previous sense of fragility, as if she could shatter at any moment, quietly melted away, replaced by a hint of indescribable... vitality.

Natsukawa felt a slight stir in his heart as he watched this scene. He felt as if he were seeing a flower bud that had curled up cautiously in a dark corner for a long time, finally testing the air and stretching its soft petals toward the ray of sunlight spilling through the crack.

"Then it's settled." Natsukawa's tone became more relaxed. "You pack up first, and we'll head to the library. Remember to bring your textbooks and exercises."

"O, okay!" Sakura replied hurriedly, beginning to tidy up the things on her desk in a flurry. Although her movements still carried a hint of panic, they were no longer as helpless and stiff as before.

Natsukawa turned around, his gaze sweeping over the sunset gradually sinking in the west. Helping Sakura was both out of compassion for this purity and fragility, and to fulfill the system's "four hours of daily study" requirement. After all, there were too many distractions in the classroom, and Natsukawa still had nearly an hour of reading tasks left to complete; this was killing two birds with one stone.

And he did not notice that the moment he turned away, Sakura, who was hurriedly stuffing a notebook into her bag, secretly raised her eyes to look at his tall and slightly thin back. In the eyes behind the lenses, that gratitude was like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake, rippling out in gentle circles, long refusing to subside.