Learning Session (2)

Sudo gradually calmed down, deeply regretting what he had just done. It had clearly been such a small matter, so why couldn't he control himself?

But now, he didn't know how to face Horikita.

"Sorry, I'm leaving first."

He awkwardly turned his head and said something so abrupt and out of context.

Then he chose to leave directly.

No one knew who he had been apologizing to.

"Uh, well... I'll go check on Sudo."

Ike said awkwardly, and Yamaguchi beside him was the same.

They had no intention of studying anymore. All they wanted was to get back early and play games.

With the three of them gone, Horikita lost interest in teaching as well.

She sat there, reading the book she had brought as though no one else was around.

"Horikita, don't you think you've gone too far? You just drove Sudo away, and now you're reading as if nothing happened."

Though Kushida looked furious, Suzuki Tsubame couldn't sense even the slightest bit of anger from her.

It was nothing like when she had vented earlier. She was probably delighted right now.

However... Horikita didn't even spare her a glance.

She didn't give a damn about her.

"Horikita, you've gone too far!"

Her voice seemed to carry a hint of tears. After saying that, she ran off as quickly as Sudo had.

Her acting was so good that Suzuki Tsubame could already guess what kind of show would unfold tomorrow.

Horikita continued reading silently, showing no intention of acknowledging Suzuki Tsubame or Ayanokoji.

The two could only remain where they were, staring at each other.

"Uh... I'll head over there first. Ayanokoji, make yourself at home."

Pointing toward Matsushita and the others, Suzuki Tsubame stood up.

Ayanokoji nodded without replying.

When she returned to the three girls, they tacitly avoided mentioning what had just happened.

Looking over the test questions in her hands, the results were more or less what she had expected.

The two had fairly good study attitudes. They had no major issues with Japanese, geography, foreign languages, and so on.

Math and science were somewhat lacking, but that was understandable.

Some question types that looked incredibly simple were taught with ridiculously complicated methods by Japanese teachers, forcing students to take countless unnecessary detours.

"Sakura and Hasebe, watch carefully and learn properly."

Suzuki Tsubame wrote out a two-digit multiplication problem on her scratch paper.

"Ah... Mm... Okay."

Unlike Hasebe's easygoing manner, Sakura Airi became incredibly shy even at the simple mention of her name.

Her face flushed, though it had been like that from the very beginning.

"Hey, Suzuki, don't I need to watch too?"

The girl asked with a smile. Though she didn't care how much she could really learn, Suzuki Tsubame's instinctive neglect still bothered her a little.

"Oh, right, Matsushita, you too."

This girl better not fool him with her act. Something this basic shouldn't even count as child's play for her.

"Look, line the numbers up like I did. Ones place under ones place, tens place under tens place. That turns multiplying two two-digit numbers into multiplying one-digit and two-digit numbers."

"Then add the results together, and you'll get the answer to the problem."

Suzuki Tsubame explained as she demonstrated it for them.

Japan's grasp of these basic formulas was truly weak, as if it were still stuck in the age of counting knots on ropes.

"What! You can do multiplication like that?"

Knowledge she had learned in second grade in her previous life was utterly shocking to Hasebe. This was far better than the method taught by their vocational school teachers.

Matsushita Chiaki didn't react much. Her family background was probably very good, so there was no reason she wouldn't have learned this.

Sakura, on the other hand, didn't react either.

Her gaze was blank. Kittens with that look in their eyes were all the same—no matter how you taught them, they just wouldn't learn.

Hmm... It seemed she was spacing out.

"Sakura, did you understand?"

Suzuki Tsubame's voice was soft, and he tried to make himself sound gentler. After all, this girl was both timid around strangers and easily embarrassed.

"Huh? What?"

Seeing her dazed expression, Suzuki Tsubame knew she probably hadn't listened at all.

"Watch carefully this time. Don't space out again."

Suzuki Tsubame demonstrated it once more and explained the key points to them.

Although Suzuki Tsubame had repeated himself, Sakura still looked distracted.

It seemed the harassment incident targeting her had already begun. It was time for him to take action too.

"If Sakura still doesn't understand, come to my Dormitory tonight. I'll explain it to you privately."

"Huh? N-No, that won't be necessary... Thank you, Suzuki."

That woke her up, but her voice grew quieter and quieter. She buried her head deeply in her cleavage, looking as though she were on the verge of tears.

"Hey, hey, Little Yan, that's harassment, right? That definitely counts as harassment, right? Airy, how about we report him?"

"I don't recall giving you permission to call me that."

An appropriate joke helped improve a student's concentration.

However, that sort of joke was a little too much for Sakura Airi.

Sakura, who had just been looking down, now turned red again and flailed her hands as she defended Suzuki Tsubame.

Her bashful appearance only made Hasebe tease her even more relentlessly.

It was the first time she had met someone so easily embarrassed. Every emotion showed on her face, and Hasebe loved that innocent nature.

Their personalities were indeed a great match. Hasebe herself wasn't particularly withdrawn; she could even be considered very outgoing.

But the people of Class D... Those who knew, knew. The girls were hypocritical, flamboyant, and selfish. As for the boys... Yamauchi was all the reference one needed. Calling them all villains would have been a compliment.

Yet in an environment like that, there was actually a little white rabbit hiding away. Hasebe found the discovery quite delightful.

Back to the main point: the two girls' foundations were far too weak, so before the official exams, Suzuki Tsubame needed to help them shore up their basics.

When the study session ended, Matsushita was the first to leave. She still had to go bond with her sisters.

Sakura and Hasebe left together. It seemed their relationship was about to develop rapidly.

The sky gradually darkened.

In the vast reading area, only Suzuki Tsubame and Horikita remained.

"Yo, Suzune, were you waiting for me?"

The girl closed her book and carefully slipped it into her shoulder bag.

She ignored Suzuki Tsubame's frivolous greeting.

"Suzune, are you still thinking about getting into Class A?"

Horikita froze halfway through standing up.

Did she want to...? Of course she did. The reason she had come to this school was to prove her growth to her brother.

"Do you think... you alone, or even the two of us, can really make it into Class A?"

Suzuki Tsubame wore a teasing expression. Of course they could. Even with Horikita as dead weight, forty million was still easy for him.

But... Horikita wasn't the only thing he wanted.

"I do want to advance to Class A, but I have my own ideas. I hope you can assist me."

Horikita looked serious, which made Suzuki Tsubame very curious about what brilliant plan she might have.

Originally, Suzuki Tsubame had wanted to use this opportunity to persuade her and make her understand that one person's abilities were limited.

But seeing her serious and confident expression, Suzuki Tsubame knew he would return empty-handed again today.

Perhaps to the current Horikita, last month's failure meant nothing. She had merely lost because of an information gap.

"Suzune, no matter when it is, I'll stand firmly by your side. There's no need to doubt that."

Without waiting for Horikita to respond, Suzuki Tsubame continued:

"I like the way you look when you're proud, and I also like the way you reluctantly come to me for help."

"I'll give you enough room to grow. During this time, you can command me and ask me for help as well."

"Until you're utterly defeated, crying and begging me to take you into Class A."

Suzuki Tsubame's heartfelt words greatly shocked Horikita. Was this a confession? What was she feeling now?

Was she embarrassed? Happy? All she knew was that her pretty face felt hot, and her heart was beating fiercely.

The corners of her lips rose slightly, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

In the end, her tsundere response became:

"I won't give you that chance."

Even after Horikita left, Suzuki Tsubame remained where he was.

The way she smiled.

Truly beautiful.