A Beautiful Model In My Class Comes To The Coffee Shop Where I Work Part-time Only When I'm On Shift - Chapter 36

Episode 36: Study Session

“Ugh…”

The sound of a groan echoed in Café Mellow.

Shizuku, sitting at a table, had a look of anguish as she spread out her textbooks and notes. Judging solely by her appearance, who would believe she’s a very popular model?

There’s no one else in the cafe except us.

Today is Café Mellow’s regular holiday. Taking advantage of Utahara-san’s kindness in allowing us to use the cafe for studying, we have the place to ourselves.

“I’ve missed a lot of days off… There’s no use making excuses, though.”

Shizuku shook her head as if to clear her mind of distractions.

It seems like she’s struggling quite a bit. With the finals coming up, the scope is vast, so it’s understandable why she’s having a hard time.

I handed her a freshly brewed iced coffee.

“We have time, and I’m sure you’ll be fine, Shizuku.”

“Yeah… Since Juntaro summarized the class material for me, I’ll do my best to make use of it. Thanks for the coffee.”

Whenever Shizuku had to miss school, I summarized the class material within my capacity and shared it with her.

While the school could accommodate her attendance, they couldn’t overlook her test scores. To advance to the next grade, she had to study diligently.

“Now, even a supermodel who’s in demand on TV, magazines, and the internet could be failing in school… There’s a limit to being uncool, you know.”

With determination, Shizuku turned her attention back to her textbook.

Her earnest approach to everything surely moves many people’s hearts. I felt proud to have such an admirable friend.

“Ughhh…”

Well, I’m not sure about that groaning sound…

Leaving Shizuku aside for now…

On the contrary, thanks to summarizing the classes for Shizuku, my understanding of the test material strangely deepened. I’m confident I can score above the average if I take the test like this.

However, I can’t afford to show any laxity.

I’m not the type to be naturally smart, and if I don’t study and truly understand it, the material will slip out of my mind quickly.

Following Shizuku’s example, I decided to focus on my textbooks and notes.

“Juntaro, how do you solve this?”

“You substitute the value of X obtained from this equation into this one…”

I explained the detailed process to Shizuku, who was solving equations.

After such exchanges went on for a while, it seemed like Shizuku ran out of fuel as she slumped onto the table.

“Sorry, I need a quick break.”

“Yeah, take your time.”

I smiled wryly and closed the textbooks for the time being.

We’d been concentrating on studying for about two hours.

Shizuku often asked me questions, but they were all about the parts of the class she couldn’t attend. Apart from that, she didn’t seem to struggle much with the rest.

“What were your grades like when you were in your freshman year, Shizuku?”

“They weren’t bad. I always scored above average on tests.”

“That’s impressive… while also being a model?”

“Yeah, but last year wasn’t as busy. I didn’t fall behind in classes either.”

Saying that, Shizuku glanced at the math textbook in front of her.
“It’s a weird kind of pride… but I don’t want to use work as an excuse. Saying I can’t study because work is busy… feels kind of lame, you know? Even though it’s a path I chose, it feels uncool to complain about it.”

“…Shizuku, you’re amazing, really.”

“Huh? R-really?”

Shizuku looked surprised, her eyes widening.

I believe her efforts deserve praise. It’s rather curious that she seems unfamiliar with receiving compliments.

“If there’s a way out, humans tend to want to escape.”

I don’t particularly enjoy studying. My dream is to undergo coffee training and eventually be entrusted with running a café. For that dream, I spare no effort.

But when I’m attending classes, I sometimes wonder if this is really necessary for my dream. I’d rather practice making coffee than worry about these things.

Even though I know it’s escapism, I can’t help it.

“…I also sometimes think, ‘Since I’m working hard as a model, it’s okay if I slack off in studying,’ you know?”

Shizuku chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“But still, because I’m stubborn, I don’t want to be poked fun at by those people who think, ‘Celebrities seem to have bad grades.’ It feels like they’re mocking me, saying, ‘Oh well, your work is busy, so what can you do?’…It’s really frustrating.”

Shizuku took a sip of the remaining iced coffee.

Then, as she finished it, there was a clinking sound from the bottom of the cup.

“So, if I study hard and do well, I think I can overcome those prejudices from people, you know? I think it would feel good.”

“…You have a good character, you know that?”

“Are you praising me?”

“Of course. Being strong-willed is a good thing.”
“Then, I’m glad.”

Leaning toward me, Shizuku smiled mischievously.