"Your omurice is ready."
Tatsuya Sakuya brought out two steaming bowls of omurice and set them on the dining table.
The golden, tender omelets wrapped the chicken inside, while a layer of ketchup coated their surfaces. The rich aroma of eggs and the sweet-and-sour scent spread through the room.
"Give it a try. Let's see how my cooking is."
Tatsuya Sakuya casually handed her an iron spoon.
"Sure. I'm hungry anyway."
Karuizawa Kei took the spoon. She first gave the puffy omelet a gentle poke, then scooped up some omurice and put it in her mouth.
The fragrance spread throughout her mouth. The perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour ketchup offset the greasiness, while the egg and pleasantly chewy chicken thigh meat mingled across her tongue.
Karuizawa Kei slowed her chewing, savoring the omurice carefully.
"How is it?"
Seeing that Karuizawa Kei had been silent for so long, Tatsuya Sakuya hurriedly asked. After all, it was his first time making omurice too.
"Mmm, it's delicious."
"I see."
After hearing her reassuring evaluation, Tatsuya Sakuya also began digging into his own food.
The room fell silent, leaving only the sound of spoons scraping across bowls and the two of them chewing.
Halfway through the meal, Karuizawa Kei suddenly spoke:
"Do you think I might get expelled? I've realized I completely can't understand math."
Karuizawa Kei was still extremely worried about her math grades, to the point that she was distracted by the matter even while eating.
"Don't worry. No matter what, I won't let you get expelled. I'll do my best to whip you into shape."
"Before, I simply had no idea how much you understood, so I couldn't tailor my teaching to you properly."
"As long as you spend more time on math from now on, you'll definitely manage. After all, you really did get into this elite school through the entrance exam."
Tatsuya Sakuya was very confident in improving Karuizawa Kei's math.
For a student who scored ninety points, raising that score even higher in a short period was obviously very difficult.
But for a student with a weak foundation, any improvement was still improvement. They couldn't possibly get worse than they already were, so every step forward became positive feedback.
"You really don't want me to get expelled?"
Karuizawa Kei was a little happy. The anxiety weighing on her heart had dispersed considerably.
However, the gyaru's restraint made her quickly rein in her expression as she retorted:
"What do you mean, 'whip me into shape'? And 'teaching'? It's just simple math tutoring."
Although she sounded disgusted, she mumbled indistinctly:
"I'm not paying you extra for the tutoring, you know."
Tatsuya Sakuya couldn't help laughing at her expression.
"Don't worry, I won't charge extra. Just remember to study seriously."
"Got it, got it, got it. You're so naggy."
"Fine. We'll start the tutoring now."
Tatsuya Sakuya closed the test paper and looked up at the clock on the wall.
"Alright, it's getting late. We'll end today's tutoring here."
"Phew... Is it finally over? I feel like all my brain cells are dead."
Karuizawa Kei collapsed onto the desk like a deflated balloon.
Beside her lay a stack of draft paper covered in formulas, densely marked with red circles and corrections. It proved that she had indeed been tormented by math for the past several hours.
Although she had complained bitterly the entire time, compared with how she had initially stared at math problems as if they were written in a heavenly script, her eyes now held a little more confidence.
"Your foundation is terrible, but you can surprisingly stick with it, Karuizawa."
As Tatsuya Sakuya tidied the scattered stationery, he teased her:
"With this level of intensity, I believe you should have no problem clearing the passing mark."
"I'm naturally very smart. It's just that my intelligence isn't very obvious when it comes to math."
"Today's tutoring service ends here. I'll walk you back to your dormitory. Safely escorting the client home is part of the basic service."
Tatsuya Sakuya finished gathering the stationery and casually picked up his schoolbag.
"It's not like I don't know the way myself..."
Karuizawa Kei let out a soft snort. Although she habitually argued verbally, her body honestly followed him along.
The two of them took the elevator to the girls' dormitory floor and walked through the quiet corridor.
They continued until they stopped in front of Karuizawa Kei's room.
"Here, your schoolbag."
Tatsuya Sakuya stopped and handed the schoolbag over.
"Thanks for everything today."
Karuizawa Kei took the schoolbag and lowered her head to search for her key card inside her skirt pocket.
Suddenly, the door diagonally across from them was pushed open with a soft click.
The girl who stepped out had highly distinctive long, wavy dark-pink hair, the ends fading into a gentle light purple.
She wore a loose, casual, light-colored sweatshirt, revealing a pair of long, fair legs below. In her hand was a can of cola.
She was clearly planning to visit another girl's room on the same floor.
It was Maya Sato, who belonged to the same small group of gyaru in their class.
She had only intended to pay someone a visit, but when she looked up and saw the two standing side by side in front of the door, she stopped.
Her bright blue eyes widened, and she looked excited, as if she had discovered some incredible secret.
"Eh? Karuizawa, and Sakuya too?"
The sudden voice startled Karuizawa Kei so badly that she shuddered, and the key card in her hand nearly fell to the floor.
A blush spread visibly across her fair cheeks, making her look like a perfectly ripe red apple.
Before Karuizawa Kei could explain, Maya Sato hurried over and leaned forward, looking back and forth between the two of them. Her eyes were filled with anticipation, as if she had caught wind of some huge news.
"Wow, what a handsome man and beautiful woman. Wait... you two haven't already started officially dating, have you? You've progressed so quickly."
Not only that, she pointed at the clock in the corridor with a beaming smile, her tone full of teasing:
"Sakuya, you've got some nerve. It's already past eight in the evening."
"After eight at night, boys aren't allowed to enter the girls' dormitory floor."
"If the dorm supervisor catches you, you could be in a bit of trouble."
Tatsuya Sakuya raised a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture.
"It's not what you think, Sato."
"We, we're just... doing some math tutoring. This guy is leaving right away."
Karuizawa Kei immediately put on her usual gyaru attitude to hide her guilty conscience, planting both hands on her hips.
"Eh? Does tutoring require escorting someone all the way to the door? How thoughtful of you~"
Maya Sato drew out the last syllable, the smile on her face growing increasingly suggestive. Clearly, she hadn't believed a word.
"Since Sato reminded me, I should leave too. It wouldn't be good if the dorm supervisor caught me. Well then, I'll be going."
Tatsuya Sakuya took the opportunity to leave this troublesome place. If he stayed any longer, he might really cause trouble.
"Got it. Hurry up and go."
Karuizawa Kei's words were filled with signals urging him to leave quickly.
Tatsuya Sakuya gestured goodbye to the two of them, then turned and walked toward the elevator.
Behind him, Maya Sato immediately began firing off questions in an extremely excited voice:
"Come clean, Karuizawa! When did you two start? How far have you gotten?"
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