I'm a Kept Man for the Three Most Beautiful Girls in School - Chapter 19: Studying for the Test

Act 03: Attraction

Chapter 19: Studying for the Test

It was early July.

The school had entered the period before the final exams, and the students were creating a tense atmosphere in the somewhat sparse classrooms while diligently attending classes.

Since I also wanted to get the best possible scores on the tests, I had been studying after school with Sakura, who maintained the top grades in our year, following her guidance.

The place was my house.

Tsu-chan and Chikage seemed quite busy with their club activities, so they were passing this time. They apparently had voice recordings and illustration deadlines approaching, leaving them no free time even during the test period.

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Anyway, I aimed to complete the preparations for the final exams to a certain level, if not perfectly, to avoid supplementary lessons during the summer vacation.

“I’ll get us some drinks. Is barley tea okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

So, during the test period, I was fully utilizing the privilege of having Sakura, who was almost like a lover among the four of us, come over to my place.

Since today was Saturday, I was secretly planning to do as much as I could to repay her while studying.

I placed the cup of barley tea on the table and immersed myself in studying with Sakura.

Spending this time with Sakura in her casual clothes was not just relaxing but had reached the level of sheer bliss.

Her usual uniform was, of course, cute, but today Sakura was wearing a sleeveless white dress that radiated pure elegance. The dress accentuated her ample chest even more.

Her soft, wavy bob was tied up in a bun, with a cute cherry blossom hairpin in her cherry blossom-colored bangs. Her clear-frame glasses gave her the refined air of a literary young lady.

“What’s wrong? You’re staring.”

“Well… I just thought you looked really cute.”

When I honestly expressed my feelings, Sakura blushed shyly.

We were sitting across from each other at the table, with only a few dozen centimeters between us.

We could close the distance if we wanted to, but since we were studying, we couldn’t get too cozy. Even though I felt a bit unsatisfied, I enjoyed this time alone with Sakura.

The sounds of our pencils on paper, erasers, pages turning, and sipping barley tea filled the room.

After a while, in the near silence where you could almost hear the ticking of the clock—

“Kei-kun.”

“Hm?”

“Can I sit next to you? It would be easier to teach that way.”

“Yeah, of course. Thanks.”

Sakura placed a chair next to mine and sat down, spreading out the notebook with the test questions. 

She was so close that our shoulders touched, and I could feel her body heat directly. There was a sweet fragrance, probably her perfume, that filled my nose and seemed to melt my brain.

“Which part don’t you understand?”

“Here, it’s this linear inequality. I just can’t seem to remember it…”

“For linear inequalities, move the terms with variables to the left and the constant terms to the right. Think of it as sorting.”

“Sorting, huh.”

“Yes. It’s like sorting burnable and non-burnable trash.”

“I see…”

Sakura’s explanations were very easy to understand and really helpful.

I was bad at math, so having someone smart around was a blessing. The test was coming up soon… I felt bad for taking up Sakura’s study time, but I decided to do my best with what I could right now.

The quiet and pleasant time passed slowly but surely. After a while, Sakura let her mechanical pencil roll onto the notebook.

“Kei-kun. You’re tired, right? How about we take a little break?”

“I’m still fine. Sakura, you’ve taken the time to help me.”

“Taking breaks is also part of studying.”

“Hmm… Okay, let’s take a short break then.”

Taking her advice, I decided to have a short break.

“Then, how about I make lunch? Is there anything you’d like? I can whip up yakisoba quickly.”

“I love yakisoba. I’ll have that.”

“Really? Okay, just wait a bit.”

I stood up and headed to the kitchen.

I took out the ingredients from the fridge and started cooking efficiently. I put some salad oil in the frying pan, lightly sautéed the pork and vegetables, added the noodles, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finally mixed in the sauce, cooking everything until it was well blended.

I served it on plates and sprinkled some aonori and bonito flakes on top.

“Smells great.”

“Sorry it’s simple, but I guarantee it tastes good.”

I placed the two servings of yakisoba on the table and sat down next to Sakura. We put our hands together and said, “Itadakimasu.”

Sakura picked up her chopsticks, blew on the hot yakisoba to cool it down, and took a big bite.

“Delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Do you like to put mayonnaise on yours?”

“Is it good with mayonnaise?”

“…I like it, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”

“Then, let me try some with mayonnaise.”

“Alright.”

I picked up some noodles with sauce and mayonnaise with my chopsticks and brought them to Sakura’s mouth.

“How is it? Tasty?”

“It tastes like mayonnaise.”

“Ahaha, right?”

When you add mayonnaise, most things end up tasting like mayonnaise. 

I know that all too well, but when it comes to dishes like okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and yakisoba, I feel that mayonnaise enhances the tanginess of the sauce, so I like it.

It’s a calorie bomb, so I wouldn’t recommend it to girls much.

“But it’s delicious, so thank you, Kei-kun.”

“You’re welcome.”

After finishing our yakisoba and taking a short break, Sakura and I resumed studying.

Sakura’s way of teaching was really effective, and I started to understand math better. With the formulas in my head, I could solve more problems.

“With this, I might be able to get above average.”

“Overworking can be counterproductive. Take it easy.”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“I want a reward too.”

It was rare for Sakura to ask for something like this.

“A reward, huh.”

“Yes. I have a small favor to ask you, Kei-kun.”

“Depending on what it is, feel free to ask me anything.”

Of course, within reason, I added just in case.

“We haven’t had much time to relax together recently, so I want you to spoil me a little.”

Sakura leaned against me and hugged my arm.

I felt a soft, heavy sensation pressing against me. At the same time, the pleasant scent of her shampoo tickled my nose, making my already nervous heart race even more.

I tried to stay calm and gently patted Sakura’s hair. Each strand was silky and felt like soft powder snow.

“Is this enough of a reward?”

“Yes.”

Sakura’s delighted smile left me speechless.

(That’s kind of unfair…)

In the end, I didn’t resist any further and accepted Sakura’s affection. 

We spent a happy moment together, leaning on each other, kissing, and hugging.

With her face buried in my chest, Sakura whispered “I love you” over and over again. Her ears turned bright red, and I could feel my cheeks heating up too.