Learning Session (2)

Sudo gradually calmed down, deeply regretting his outburst. It was such a trivial matter—why couldn't he control himself?

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

"Sorry, I'm leaving."

He turned his head awkwardly and said this abrupt, disjointed line.

Then he chose to walk away without looking back.

It wasn't clear who he was apologizing to.

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

Ike said sheepishly, and Yamauchi beside him nodded in agreement.

They had no focus left for studying, only wanting to go home early and play games.

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

She sat there, reading her own book as if no one else existed.

"Horikita, don't you think you're going too far? You just drove Sudo away, and now you're reading like nothing happened."

Though Kushida's voice sounded angry, Suzuki Tsubame didn't sense even a hint of genuine irritation from her.

Compared to her earlier outburst, this was nothing—she was probably thrilled right now.

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

Completely ignored her.

"Horikita, you're too much!"

Her voice carried a hint of tears, and after saying that, she ran off just as fast as Sudo had.

What an act. Suzuki Tsubame could already guess what kind of show would unfold tomorrow.

Horikita continued reading silently, showing no sign of wanting to acknowledge Suzuki Tsubame or Ayanokoji.

The two of them could only sit there, staring at each other.

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

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

Ayanokoji nodded without replying.

Returning to the three girls, they tacitly avoided mentioning what had just happened.

Looking at the practice problems in their hands, it was about what he expected.

Their study attitudes were decent enough—Japanese, geography, foreign languages—no major issues there.

Math and science were a bit lacking, which was understandable.

Some problems looked incredibly simple, but the solution methods taught by Japanese teachers were unnecessarily complicated, leading students down long detours.

"Sakura, Hasebe, watch closely and learn well."

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

"Ah... um... okay."

Unlike Hasebe's composed demeanor, just being called by name made Sakura Airi unbearably shy.

Her face flushed red, though it had been that way from the start.

"Hey, Suzuki, do I not get to watch too?"

The girl asked with a smile, though she didn't really care how much she learned. But being overlooked by Suzuki Tsubame stung a little.

"Oh, right, Matsushita, you too."

This one—if she kept up the act, she might even fool herself. This kind of basic, fundamental stuff was child's play for her.

"See, like I wrote here, line up the numbers vertically. Ones under ones, tens under tens. That turns multiplying two two-digit numbers into multiplying single digits and tens."

"Then add the results together, and you get the answer."

Suzuki Tsubame explained while demonstrating.

Japan's foundation in these basic formulas was really weak, as if they were still stuck in the era of counting with knots on ropes.

"What! Multiplication can be done like this?"

What he'd learned in second grade in his past life was a revelation to Hasebe—far better than the methods her vocational school teachers had taught.

Matsushita Chiaki showed little reaction; her family background was likely good enough that she'd already learned this.

As for Sakura, she had no reaction either.

Her eyes were vacant. Cats with that look were all the same—no matter how you taught them, nothing stuck.

Hmm... seemed like she was spacing out.

"Sakura, did you understand?"

Suzuki Tsubame's voice was soft, trying to sound as gentle as possible. After all, this girl was both shy and easily flustered.

"Huh? What?"

Seeing her dazed expression, Suzuki Tsubame knew she probably hadn't taken it in.

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

Suzuki Tsubame demonstrated once more, explaining the key points to them.

Even though Suzuki Tsubame repeated himself, Sakura still seemed distracted.

It seemed the harassment targeting her had already begun. He should make a move himself.

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

"Huh? No... it's fine... thank you, Suzuki."

That snapped her out of it, but her voice grew softer and softer as she buried her head deep into her own cleavage, looking on the verge of tears.

"Hey hey, Little Yan, isn't this harassment? It's harassment, right? Airy, maybe we should report him?"

"I don't recall allowing you to address me like that."

A well-timed joke helped sharpen the students' focus.

But for Sakura Airi, this kind of joke was a bit too much.

The Sakura who had just been looking down was now blushing furiously, waving her hands frantically to defend Suzuki Tsubame.

Her shy reaction only made Hasebe tease her even more.

This was the first time she'd met someone so easily embarrassed, with every emotion written plainly on their face. She loved that kind of innocent nature.

Their personalities really clicked. Hasebe herself wasn't particularly withdrawn—in fact, she was quite outgoing.

But the Class D bunch... well, you get it. The girls were fake, flashy, and selfish. As for the guys... just look at Yamauchi. Calling them all villains would be a compliment.

In an environment like that, finding a little white rabbit hidden away was a delightful discovery.

Back to the main topic. The two girls' foundations were far too weak. Before the official exam, Suzuki Tsubame had to help them build a solid base first.

The study session ended. Matsushita left first; she still had to go socialize with her friends.

Sakura and Hasebe walked off together. It seemed their friendship was about to develop rapidly.

The sky was growing dark.

The vast reading area now held only Suzuki Tsubame and Horikita.

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

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

She ignored Suzuki Tsubame's flippant greeting.

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

Horikita froze mid-motion as she was about to stand up.

Think... of course she was. The reason she came to this school was to prove her growth to her brother.

"Do you think... relying on just yourself, or the two of us, can really get us into Class A?"

Suzuki Tsubame's face was full of mockery. Of course it could. Even with Horikita as dead weight, forty million points was still easy for him.

But... what he wanted wasn't just Horikita.

"I do want to get into Class A, but I have my own ideas. I hope you'll cooperate with me."

Horikita's expression was serious, which made Suzuki Tsubame curious about what good plan she had.

He'd originally wanted to take the chance to persuade her, to make her understand that one person's ability was limited.

But seeing her so earnest and confident, he knew he'd be leaving empty-handed again today.

In Horikita's eyes right now, last month's failure probably meant nothing—just a loss due to an information gap.

"Suzune, no matter when, I'll stand firmly by your side. There's no doubt about that."

Before Horikita could respond, Suzuki Tsubame continued:

"I like your proud demeanor. 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, ask me for help."

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

Suzuki Tsubame's heartfelt confession shook Horikita deeply. Was this a confession? And what was she feeling right now?

Embarrassment? Joy? All she knew was that her pretty face was burning, and her heart was pounding.

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks.

In the end, her tsundere nature turned it into one line:

"I won't give you that chance."

After Horikita left, Suzuki Tsubame remained standing there.

The way she smiled.

It was beautiful.