An after school affair with an unattainable flower - Chapter 3 (Cleome): Part 2

“Hey~, hey~, hey~, Hana. Let’s go home together today.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t go home with you today as well because of a prior engagement.”

Getting over with the only class and homeroom prior to the final exam, as everyone were on their way home, I saw a classmate walking upto Takamine-san, asking if she would go home with her (today).

“Ehhh~ Hana, you’ve been running errands all these days now. I’m kind of sad how less we get to go home together recently.”

“Ahaha, well you see, since it’s just before the final exam, I’ve been getting asked to do a lot of things by the teachers and others.”

“Un~n, then how about I help you on that as well.”

“Nope, that’s okay. It’s not that hard. Moreover, isn’t Kanami having a hard time studying for the test as well.”

“A~ah, that’s right. I have to go home early and study. Bye~ bye~, Ha~na.”

“Un, Bye bye, Kanami.”

Kanami Koiwai

Kanami Koiwai is a classmate of mine who always seems to be in a carefree mood and takes things at her own pace.

She is closest to Takamine-san and is often seen together with her.

“Bye~bye~ Hana~”

“See you, Hana-chan!”

“Un, See you tomorrow!”

After that, Takamine-san responded to every goodbye from her classmates one by one.

The popularity of Takamine-san among her classmates was clearly evident.

While I was watching this scene, Taichi got up from his seat and said goodbye to me.

“Well then, let’s do our best again tomorrow.”

It was only Taichi who gave a goodbye greeting to me, but for me, it was more than enough.

“A~h yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Usually, I would be invited by Taichi to go home together even when the final exams were approaching, but one time, when I couldn’t get an average score and was studying for it after school, —

 “How about you join me as well, Taichi?” 

—However that instead resulted in a disgusted face from him; and since then, he had not invited me to walk home together ever since.

Eventually, all my classmates left the classroom except for one.

“Fuu~un, well then, let’s get started for today Shall we? Shiranui-kun.”

“I will be in your care, Sensei.”

And with that, the after school private lesson with Takamine Hana, a classmate who stayed back with me again today, began.

“Since tomorrow is the final exam, and Shiranui-kun is also getting better at this, so, I think today we will end it with just a confirmation test.”

“Confirmation test?”

“N~fufu, here~! Takamine Hana’s special test!”

She cheerfully handed me a well-written printout.

“…Could it be that Takamine-san made this?”

“That’s right~. A~h, I’m sorry if there are any typos, ok?

“Eh, no, that’s alright, but…”

Being taken care of so well so far made me a bit uneasy on the contrary.

I was afraid that there might be something behind the scenes.

“Didn’t this take you a lot of time and effort to create?”

“Nope~, I just opened the computer and created it just like that.”

I wonder if anyone can make it this good ‘just like that’ in such a short time…

“I am somehow starting to feel a little apologetic; going to such lengths, for someone like me…”

“No, like really, I just made it really easily, so you don’t have to worry about it, okay?”

“Thank you very much, Takamine-san. I’ll make sure to solve it thoroughly and not waste this print and goodwill in any way.”

“Sure, you’re welcome”

After receiving the confirmation test print, I decided to solve the problem with a feeling of gratitude and a little guilt in my heart so as not to waste her hard work.

I wrote some parts, stopped and then thought a bit, then again I started writing, then again stopped, and started thinking again.

After repeating that process tens and several times, I decided to try to get rid of the small source of guilt in my chest.

“Takamine-san. I’m really sorry on my part.”

“Nn?”

“Today, when I saw the scene where Takamine-san was being invited by Koiwai-san to go home together, I started worrying whether I was interfering with Takamine-san’s social life in any way.”

“Ehh! You don’t have to think like that at all. I’m doing it because I want to. Shiranui-kun, you don’t have to feel guilty about it.”

“Unn, does it really go like that? From what I’ve seen, it seems like you’ve refused her many times since the time you started teaching me though…”

“You really don’t have to worry about it. Kanami will also understand.”

Saying that, she smiled softly at me.

“… Why is Takamine-san.”

“Nn?”

“Why is Takamine-san going this far for someone like me?”

The question that was smoldering in the depths of my chest leapt forward.

“Why? Shiranui-kun… Didn’t you show me a wonderful story?”

Without any hesitation, this girl said such embarrassing words like it was nothing.

“…Let’s put aside whether it’s beautiful or not. Conversely, if I were to say it by myself, that’s all I could really do in the end.”

“I’m also just teaching you some studies.”

“The skill is on a different level.”

“If we are talking about skill, writing a novel is way harder, isn’t it?”

“I also do it because I like it, so it doesn’t feel that hard to me.”

“I am also doing it because I like it, so I don’t feel it is something concerning anyways.”

“The act of teaching me?”

“Yeah, the act of teaching Shiranui-kun.”

—–I can’t beat her in any way.

Unable to respond to her kindness,

“…You’re really kind, Takamine-san.”

I could only manage a cliche reply such as this.

And as soon as I said that, she suddenly stood up rattling up the desk and chair,

“I-Ia- I’m going to the restroom a bit.”

and immediately left her seat as if to forcibly end our conversation.

“… . Did I say something wrong?”

For the past few days, after school, she’d taught me studies, and consequently, as I felt like I was starting to understand the person called Takamine Hana really is, albeit slightly. That person was enough to break that handful of confidence I had garnered from slightly understanding her.

Thoughts such as ‘maybe I am just dull to begin with’ also passed my mind.

If I start becoming snobbish regarding this, it won’t be any fruitful.

Knowing that, I decided to proceed with the printed question paper that she had prepared for me.

After which, I solved smoothly until the last problem, but on coming to the last problem, as the question pertains, it remained a ‘problem’ literally.

Q24: What is your impression of Hana Takamine, or what kind of person do you think she is?

Answer it.

“… ,… ,…TF?”