Even Today, the Genius High School Programmer Cashes In on Day Trades, Completely Flustered by Beautiful Girls' Growing Affection. - Chapter 13: Study Session.

Study Session.

One week before midterms.

After school, we commandeered an empty classroom for our study group.

At home, I prepared predicted problems and model answers covering the midterm scope on my PC. Similar problems are easy enough to find online; I just tweaked a few and pulled others straight from the textbook range. It wasn’t much trouble at all.

I compiled everything into a PDF, sent it to Shingo via Line, and had him print out enough copies at the convenience store first thing in the morning to bring to school. If he was going to benefit this much, the least he could do was handle the printing.

The format was straightforward: everyone solves the problems first, then we check answers against the model solutions. After that, I explain whatever anyone got wrong, and finally go over related problems, formulas, sentence patterns, vocabulary—whatever seemed useful.

Day one of the study session. Five of us gathered in the empty room; I handed out the printouts.

We started with mathematics.

Watching people solve problems is surprisingly revealing. Their posture, the way they move (or don’t), the speed and confidence—it all shows how seriously they take studying, and how much they’ve actually absorbed.

Ryuusenji and Sakuraba were models of focus. No wasted motion, no fidgeting. They probably studied at home exactly the same way: quiet, efficient, laser-like.

Then there were Shingo and Yamano.

They couldn’t sit still. Groaning “Aaaah” and “Uuuugh,” erasing and rewriting constantly—the eraser shavings were piling up like snowdrifts. Clearly, most of the problems were beyond them.

After about forty minutes, Ryuusenji and Sakuraba finished. We had everyone self-grade in the order they completed.

From the side, I could see their answer sheets. Ryuusenji and Sakuraba had nearly every blank filled. They were probably strong students in general.

Shingo had maybe seventy percent filled in. Yamano… barely a third.

“Damn, these problems are really well made,” Ryuusenji said, genuinely impressed. “They cover the entire test range evenly. The basics are gentle, but the applied ones are legitimately tough.”

Only someone with real ability would notice that so quickly.

“Hey, Ooyama-kun… is this way of solving it wrong?”

Sakuraba showed me her work, tilting the paper slightly toward me.

“It’s not wrong—you can arrive at the answer that way. But the calculation steps get messy, it takes longer, and you’re far more likely to make an arithmetic error.”

“You can tell that just by looking during the actual test? In that short amount of time?”

“I can tell.”

“How?”

“…I don’t really know how to explain it beyond that I just do.”

In my head, every possible solution path appears as a completed flowchart the instant I read the problem. All I have to do is follow the cleanest route.

“For now, just memorize the main solving patterns for each type of problem. Once you have the patterns down, you can apply them to almost anything else. Avoid careless mistakes, and you should be able to score decently in math.”

“Okay. Thank you!”

Sakuraba’s smile was soft, radiant—modest, yet unmistakably angelic.

“Right. Now for the problem children.”

Shingo and Yamano.

Shingo actually understands most of the content, but he’s riddled with careless errors—sloppy finishing touches. It’s frustratingly close; fix those and he has plenty of room to grow.

Yamano, on the other hand… barely grasps the fundamentals. Her basic calculation ability is shaky. At this rate, she’s headed for disaster.

“Shingo, just watch the careless mistakes. Even after you fill in the answer sheet, go back and double-check every step of your working.”

“Yeah, I know… The second I finish filling it out I feel done and stop thinking.”

“Yamano… there’s a lot we could fix, but for now, just repeat these predicted problems every day until the test. Go slowly, one by one. No calculation errors. Do them over and over until the patterns stick.”

“Got it～. But math is seriously impossible to understand. Like, who’s ever going to use these equations in real life?”

“Maybe no one. But training mathematical thinking helps with tons of things. Problem-solving ability? That comes straight from mathematical thinking.”

Amid the cheerful chatter, we spent the full week grinding through predicted problems for every subject.

I only hoped something—anything—would stick.

During that same week’s lunch breaks, I unavoidably became the target of quite a few heated stares. Mostly from the boys.

“Here you go—for today.”

Sakuraba handed over the bento with a shy, radiant smile. Today she was breathtaking.

The contents were elaborate: asparagus wrapped in pork, shrimp tempura fritters, bite-sized teriyaki chicken, a Caesar-dressed salad, and a small piece of yokan for dessert.

“Everything looks so carefully made. It’s seriously delicious.”

“Thank you…”

She looked faintly embarrassed, cheeks tinged pink.

“Sakuraba… you’re going to make someone an amazing wife someday.”

The classic line slipped out before I could stop it.

“Mou!”

She puffed her cheeks, blushing deeper. A textbook reaction—and yet, knowing exactly what was coming didn’t make it any less devastatingly cute.

But the stares from every direction… they hurt. They really hurt.

“Homemade bento again today…?”

“So jealous.”

“I want some too.”

“At least let me smell it.”

“Ooyama, you bastard—!”

And just before we started eating, Yamano suddenly clapped her hands together and began chanting “Become delicious～ become delicious～” right there in the classroom.

I stopped her with everything I had.

Afterward, Ryuusenji brought the promised durian cider.

One sip and the lingering bliss of Sakuraba’s cooking was obliterated. I nearly regurgitated the entire meal.

From the next day onward, we quietly switched her contribution to oolong tea.

And Shingo…?

Shingo contributed exactly nothing.

“Just consider it credit for now. I’ll definitely pay you back～,” the handsome idiot said with his usual carefree grin.

Fine. When the time comes, I’ll collect with tenfold interest.