Learning Session

"Uh, anyway... please, help yourselves."

"Ah, thanks."

"What do you mean by 'anyway'?"

Hoshino set down the instant coffee he had just brewed. Of the two people in front of him, Sato on the left held the coffee with both hands and whispered her thanks, while Matsushita on the right raised an eyebrow to express her dissatisfaction.

"And this—why is it a bowl?"

Matsushita looked at the bowl in her hand and Sato's with a look of utter disgust; Hoshino was using rice bowls to serve the coffee.

"Uh, in terms of size and shape, I don't think there's much difference between this and a coffee cup."

"There's a huge difference! I've never heard of anyone drinking coffee out of a bowl. Plus, there isn't even a handle!"

Naturally, a bowl has no handle. That was why Sato had no choice but to hold it carefully with both hands.

They say that drinking coffee is about the atmosphere, and in that regard, the difference between holding a cup with one hand and cradling a bowl with both is like night and day.

"It couldn't be helped. I never imagined I'd be hosting so many people at once, and I ran out of cups..."

At this moment, inside Hoshino's dorm room, there were three other people besides Hoshino, Sato, and Matsushita.

Two people were sitting on Hoshino's bed. On the left, Sakura sat with her head bowed and back hunched, her hands resting on her tightly pressed knees, looking extremely reserved. Beside her, Hasebe rested her chin on one hand, shaking her leg out of sheer boredom. Karuizawa sat on the room's only chair, arms crossed, lost in thought.

Sato and Matsushita were kneeling on cushions beside a small square table. Hoshino didn't even have cushions, so he sat cross-legged directly on the floor.

A room meant for one person was now packed to the brim with six.

"So, are you all here to hold some kind of... study session?"

After hearing Sato explain their intentions, Hoshino wore an expression of disbelief.

"The midterm exams are coming up soon, and according to Teacher Chabashira, if we fail, we'll be expelled. I absolutely don't want that to happen!"

"So, you rounded up five people and brought them to my room?"

Hoshino's gaze swept across their faces one by one. Sakura kept her head lowered, while the others averted their eyes with complicated expressions. Only Sato looked at him with excitement.

"It was my idea! Hoshino-kun, your grades are super good, right? So I thought if we asked you to tutor us, it would definitely be fine!"

Hoshino didn't quite understand why she looked like she was expecting praise. But that wasn't the point that needed addressing right now.

"First, I have zero experience tutoring others. Second, I have no interest in tutoring others. Third, even if we were to hold a study session, it shouldn't be in my room, right? As you can see, six people in this room is a bit too cramped, and we don't even have enough tables and chairs."

He paused slightly, and seeing that Sato was about to interrupt, Hoshino raised a hand to stop her.

"Let me finish. Fourth, it's eight o'clock at night. This is hardly an appropriate time for a study session, nor is it appropriate for a group of girls to be caught off guard in a boy's room."

"What, are you planning to assault us?"

Matsushita looked over with a cold gaze.

"That's a tempting proposal, but I don't have the confidence to take on five people at once. If you were willing to help me, Matsushita-san, that would be a different story."

"Are you kidding me!"

"Fine, forget it."

Hoshino shrugged.

"Then, let's begin the study session."

"Eh? After saying all that, I thought Hoshino-kun wouldn't agree..."

"I thought about it just now. If I can improve your grades through this study session, it could be considered my contribution to Class D. However—"

He changed his tone abruptly.

"However, since you've asked me to tutor you, you must follow my instructions. If you do, I guarantee your grades will improve by at least twenty points."

The girls were silent for a moment, then Matsushita said defiantly, "You're just bragging..."

"I can sign an agreement with you. If I fail to fulfill my promise, each of you can make one request of me—whether it's points or anything else, as long as it's within my power," Hoshino said firmly.

Sato was moved. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Wait, Maya. This is a gamble. If he actually succeeds, he'll definitely make some outrageous demand."

"If I succeed, each of you pays me 5,000 points as payment for the study session. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

Sato and Matsushita exchanged glances. In reality, these terms were actually quite generous.

"U-um..."

Sakura, who had been invisible until now, suddenly raised her hand weakly.

"Even if my grades improve by twenty points, I'm afraid I... I might still be at risk of failing..."

"Ah, that's right. Me too..."

"I'm not that safe either..."

After Sakura, Sato and Karuizawa spoke up one after another. Hoshino's face darkened; he had never paid attention to such things before and never imagined anyone could be doing so poorly.

"Let me ask just one thing: what was your average score on the last quiz?"

"T-twenty-nine..."

"Thirty-four."

"Forty."

The three of them reported their scores in turn. The results were far lower than Hoshino had imagined.

If Sato and Karuizawa had poor grades, Hoshino could have accepted it to some extent; after all, neither of them looked like the type who enjoyed studying. However, Sakura, who appeared quiet and honest, actually had the worst grades among all the girls present.

"Stare—"

"Wuu..."

Just by being stared at by Hoshino, Sakura's expression looked like she was about to cry. He had no choice but to sigh.

"Forget it. I never intended to be harsh about your grades, but from now on, you must study according to my instructions. Can you do that?"

"Oh!"

Needless to say, Sato provided more feedback than the other four combined.

"Wait a moment."

Hoshino stood up and walked to the desk, pulled a folder from a thick stack, and distributed the papers inside to Sakura and the others.

"This is a collection of exercises for each subject that I've organized. Each of you take a copy home, finish them tonight, and hand them to me tomorrow morning."

"Is... is it that simple?"

"I believe this set of exercises covers every possible test point. As long as you can fully master these problems, I am confident that a mere midterm exam will be no problem at all."

The girls looked at the test papers in their hands and then exchanged glances.

"Is there something I said that wasn't clear enough?"

"No..."

"Then, are you planning to spend the night here? Hmm, although it would be quite tiring, it's not impossible..."

"Pah, pah, pah! You pervert!"

Matsushita shouted loudly and was the first to stand up. The others left the room one after another. Hoshino grinned and followed them all the way to the door.

"Sakura-san."

"Eh? Yes!"

Suddenly called out, Sakura answered in a hurry.

"No need to be so nervous. I can guarantee you that you will definitely pass this midterm exam. Trust me."

"O-okay."

Sakura replied in a low voice while bowing to thank Hoshino. Hasebe tilted her head and stared at Hoshino for a while, but without saying a word, she took Sakura's arm and left.

Hoshino watched the girls until they reached the end of the hallway and took the elevator. Just as he was about to return to his room, a voice came from the side.

"Good evening."