I Confessed My Sexual Preferences to My Online Game Best Friend, and the Person Who Showed Up at the Offline Meetup Was the Cute Girl from My Class - 32

Chapter 32: A Sudden Study Session

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No sooner had the events for the ball games tournament been decided and the entire class started cheering, “All right! Time to practice!” then… The strongest and worst wall facing students rose up before us: the midterm exams.

“…I forgot. At our school, if you get a failing grade on a test and then fail the makeup classes, you’re barred from participating in the ball games tournament.”

From the seat beside me, Kaito muttered in a voice that sounded like his soul had left his body. This guy was top-tier when it came to basketball, but academically, he boasted grades so catastrophic that people whispered, “Even a golden retriever would do better.”

“…Kaito. I can’t really talk either. After getting picked for badminton, if I end up forfeiting without playing… I can already hear what Ichinose-san would say to me.”

I, Kazuma Sato, collapsed forward onto my desk and let out a deep sigh. My life of nonstop online gaming had caught up with me, and my English and physics were on the verge of death. At this rate, not only Ichinose-san, but Shinonome-san(Haru) would tease me forever with something like, “My partner dropped out because he didn’t study (lol).” I could see it clearly.

Then, from the seats in front of us, two people wrapped in sparkling auras turned around at the same time.

“Nihihi! Kazucchi-kun and Kaito, your faces are totally dead! Guess guys are better at moving their bodies than studying, huh?”

Ichinose-san laughed mischievously. She really did have a talent for casually saying cutting things. What was scary was how she could smooth it all over with a smile. Beside her stood Rin Shinonome, just as composed as ever, but with eyes that looked slightly worried.

“Saki, don’t tease them. …Sato-kun, is it really that bad?”

“…Yeah. Especially Physics. The formulas just look like magic spells to me.”

When I confessed honestly, Shinonome-san thought for a moment, then spoke as if she’d made up her mind.

“…If you end up in makeup classes and can’t compete, the class will lose points too… Do you want me to teach you?”

“—What!? Shinonome-san herself!?”

Before I could even react, Kaito did. In fact, he nearly fell out of his chair. Rin Shinonome consistently ranked near the top of the grade academically. For someone like her to offer to tutor a plain guy like me… I felt the gazes of the other boys in the room shift back into outright hostility, but she continued without caring.

“Nihihi! Rin-rin, great idea! Then let’s make it a study session with the three of us! Oh, and Kaito too, so four people! As for the location… That’s it! Kazucchi-kun’s house!”

“…W-Wait, Ichinose-san. Why my house?”

My heart leaped into my throat. Shinonome-san had actually been to my house once before. But there was no way I could reveal that here.

“Because it’s close to school! And Rin-rin said she was curious what a boy’s room is like, didn’t you?”

“W-What!? I-I never said that!”

Shinonome-san denied it, her face turning bright red.

…Nice one, partner.

We had to stick to the stance that this would be her first time visiting.

…Though that reaction was way too genuine. Are you okay, partner?

“But it’s fine, right? Sato-kun, is it okay?”

Shinonome-san looked at me with troubled eyes. Deep within them, Haru was desperately shouting, “Kazu, play along!”

“…All right. I’ll tell Futaba.”

And just like that, two school angels and a friend would be studying at my house after school.

…Lately, everything felt like it was going exactly according to Ichinose-san’s plans.

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And then, after school. I got home earlier than anyone else and stood in front of my little sister Futaba, who was lounging on the living room sofa, fiddling with her phone.

“Futaba… Can I talk to you for a bit?”

“…What? Onii, did you do something bad again? If you’re turning yourself in, I might go with you.”

“That’s not it. …So, um. Some friends are coming over to study this evening. …Shinonome-san from before, and two more.”

The moment I said that, Futaba’s fingers froze. She slowly looked up at me, staring as if she were seeing an endangered monster.

“…O-Onii… What did you just say? Rin Shinonome-san… and who else?”

“…Saki Ichinose-san, and a guy from the basketball club named Kaito Kadokura.”

The next instant, Futaba sprang off the sofa.

“…I can’t believe this… Rin Shinonome-san alone was enough to threaten our household’s academic level and aesthetics… and now Saki Ichinose-san too!? You’re telling me the legendary ‘Angel’ and ‘Sun’ from middle school are both descending upon this rundown house!?”

“…Hey, don’t call our house rundown.”

“It’s the truth! Onii, you… Are you secretly some otherworldly being who brainwashed all the girls at your school? That’s the only explanation! Even Ichinose-san coming here is totally abnormal!”

Futaba went into a panic, running around the room.

“We need to clean! We need to clean! I’m shredding all the weird books in your room too!!”

“Stop!! I’ll take care of those myself!!”

At that, she froze, then collapsed to her knees in despair.

…She was really busy, emotionally. Apparently, she just couldn’t accept why so many high-status people gathered around me. But I had a more important mission.

“Futaba, listen. …The fact that Shinonome-san came here before is absolutely secret from Ichinose-san and the others. If you let it slip, I’m putting all your favorite figures up on Mercari.”

“…! O-Okay! I won’t say anything— or Shinonome-san’s honor!”

She was surprisingly reasonable. Just as Futaba started cleaning, the doorbell rang.

“They’re already here!?”

“Sorry, but please! Just handle Shinonome-san!”

“…Fine, I get it.”

We looked at each other and headed for the front door with the tension of soldiers marching to the battlefield. When I opened the door, three dazzling figures stood there.

“Gooood afternoon, Kazucchi-kun! Sorry to barge in!”

“…E-Excuse me, Sato-kun. Um… so this is your house?”

“Kazuma! I’m studying all night today!!”

Ichinose-san’s bursting smile, Shinonome-san’s flawless ‘this is my first time here’ performance(?), and Kaito’s overheated enthusiasm.

“W-Welcome…!!”

Behind me, Futaba stood rigid at attention, bowing with a voice so timid it was unrecognizable.

“Wow, Futaba-chan! Long time no see!”

Ichinose-san rushed over and leaned close to her. Reunited for the first time since that basketball clinic two years ago, Futaba trembled with excitement. At that moment, Shinonome-san passed by me and whispered in a voice only I could hear.

“(Hey, Kazu… How was my acting?)”

“(A perfect hundred. Keep it up till the end.)”

Calling it a perfect hundred was generous, but praising your partner was part of the job.

“(Nihihi. Leave it to me, partner. …But I’m worried. What if that cake we had last time shows up again?)”

“(Don’t remind me of unnecessary things!)”

For just an instant, we showed each other the faces of “Haru and Kazu,” then quickly returned to “Shinonome-san and Sato-kun.”

…I hope nothing slips.

Ichinose-san and Kaito followed Futaba into the living room. Shinonome-san lightly flicked my shirt sleeve with her fingertip, then followed them with her usual perfect smile.

At school, she was the popular kid and plain old me. But now, the two greatest angels of the school were gathered in my house. For Futaba, this was a holy pilgrimage. For me, it was an extreme survival trial, being taught how to study while keeping up lies in front of Shinonome-san and Ichinose-san.

“All right! Operation: Avoid Failing Grades—start!”

With Ichinose-san’s declaration, the “hellish study session” in my room began. Textbooks were spread across the desk. Right beside them were Shinonome-san’s slender fingers and the sweet scent drifting from her. And from the hallway, Futaba’s sharp gaze stabbed into me, monitoring me like a criminal to make sure I didn’t slip up.

…There’s no way I can even focus on studying like this.

Letting out a massive sigh in my heart, I threw myself into a battle with no escape.

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