Chapter 22

“Well then. You look tired too—want to go back to sleep?”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea, but there’s something I want to take care of first. Is that alright?”

“What is it? If it’s your request, I have no intention of refusing.”

“My recent exam results were pathetic, so I reviewed the questions I got wrong. I want you to take a look.”

“I don’t mind, but… did you bring your notes or anything?”

“Not exactly, but I took some pictures a while back that I intended to show you through messages. Uh, here they are.”

Satoru said this as he picked up his phone, turned it on, opened his photo folder, and showed the images to Reika.

“Let’s see… Hmm, you’ve set up the equations properly, and the steps are all good. No complaints. You really did review—good job.”

“Just like you said, I’ve been slacking too much lately. So I’ve been trying to increase how often I do review and self-study.”

For the other subjects as well, he had her check all the photos he had taken of his self-study and review work.

“You’ve done well on all of them. Well, I already knew you were capable of this much.”

“Sorry, I got complacent.”

“Even so, what’s important is that you felt a sense of urgency and started putting effort back in. That’s what matters. Looks like you’ll be fine for the next exam?”

“Let’s hope so.”

“If not, I’m seriously going to give your hickeys equal to the difference in our ranks.”

“I’ll do my best as if my life depends on it…”

“If you get serious, no one in that school stands a chance against you. I just want you to show the potential of the man who’s mine, okay?”

“I’ll start the engine before the entrance exams.”

“Naturally.”

With that, Reika gently brought a coffee cup to her lips.

Her words matched her cool demeanor perfectly.

“Still… you said you took those photos to show me, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“You sure took a lot of them—and quite thoroughly too. You wanted to show me that badly?”

“Uh, well… I guess so.”

He hadn’t thought about it deeply, but he definitely had the feeling that he just wanted Reika to see them.

“Hehe, did you want me to praise you?”

“Huh?”

Now that he thought about it, why had he been so insistent on showing them to Reika?

Sure, he had been frustrated with himself, but that’s something he could’ve dealt with through self-study.

Maybe he just wanted her to tell him, like she did earlier, “You did well.” That might’ve been enough of a reason.

“I didn’t think it through that much, but… probably. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to prepare like this.”

When Satoru said that, Reika laughed—more openly and happily than usual.

“Wh-why are you laughing so much?”

“I’ve been saying it more lately, but really, you’re just too cute. Innocent and pure.”

“S-sorry for being too pure!”

“For someone who loves you, that’s the best thing. You’re always genuinely with me. That’s why I want to stay by your side, and why I find you even more precious. To the point that it almost drives me crazy.”

As she said that, Reika stood up, walked behind Satoru’s seat, wrapped her left arm around him, and gently patted his head with her right hand.

“You did very well. If you actually put in effort, there’s no one in our school who can beat you, you know?”

Normally, he would’ve said, “Cut it out,” right away.

But this time, he didn’t.

In fact, he slightly leaned his head back into Reika, as if to enjoy her embrace.

“…I really am just a spoiled brat, huh?”

“Yes, a very spoiled one. But when I want to be the one spoiled, you always switch roles and pamper me instead. So there’s no problem.”

“That’s weird. I didn’t think I was like this at all.”

“You’re a big spoiled brat. And the troublesome kind that’s learned some naughty things.”

“I’ll admit I’m big, but what’s this about being a ‘troublesome kind who’s learned naughty things’?”

“Hehe, who knows? If I tell you, we’ll end up going through the same thing as last night. My cute little puppy.”

“…I see. You’re right. Man, I’ve really been taught all sorts of bad things under the excuse of your beauty and kindness.”

“Growing up means learning those things too, doesn’t it? And since I’m teaching them while dyeing you in my own color, you should be grateful.”

“Pretty sure the main goal is to make me mine, though.”

“Hehe. Is that a problem?”

“Nope. You teach me bad things, pamper me, and help me focus when it counts. Nothing but good things.”

“Right? There’s no one else like me around, so you better treasure me for life, okay?”

“…Yeah.”

After that exchange, Reika gave him a long kiss.

※※※

Meanwhile, at school…

“Satoru’s really late today.”

“Takashima-kun usually gets here by now?”

It was about 10 minutes before homeroom started.

The students hadn’t taken their seats yet and were chatting happily with friends.

“Fuu~!”

Just then, their homeroom teacher came into the classroom, already burdened with tons of stuff.

“Huh? Is it already time for class?”

“No, we’ve still got time before the bell…”

Muttering complaints, the students began reluctantly heading back to their seats.

“Sorry, sorry, you’re all still fine! Things are just a bit chaotic, so I came early!”

“Sensei, did something happen?”

“Actually, following Hatsune-san, Takashima-kun also called in sick. We’re in a bit of a pinch with both class reps absent.”

“Satoru’s absent today, huh?”

“And of course, the one job I really wanted a class rep for today suddenly comes up… But oh well, it can’t be helped. The weather’s been all over the place, so everyone, take care of your health!”

After that announcement, the students went back to chatting in their own groups.

“Takashima-kun is out, huh…”

“Too bad. You were waiting for him, weren’t you?”

“N-no, it’s not like that…!”

“Still, he’s missing school at the same time as Hatsune-san again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, even back in our first year, I remember Hatsune-san also being out whenever Satoru was absent.”

“Ew, ew! If you remembered when a friend was out, I could understand. But remembering a girl you don’t even interact with? That’s just creepy…”

“N-no, it’s just something I vaguely remembered people talking about! It’s not like I consciously kept track or anything!”

“Really?”

“Even I know that would be creepy! I’m not obsessing over some girl I’ve got no shot with, no matter how pretty she is.”

“…Well, I guess I’ll let that slide for now.”

“Please do. I don’t want that kind of label. But there is another reason I remember it so clearly.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“This is the third time it’s happened.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah. It happened twice in our first year. So this makes it the third time. I mean, what are the odds?”

“………”

Next to Seiya, who was speaking so casually, Ruri had a thoughtful look on her face.