I’m a Telepath, but It’s Tough Because the Cool Beautiful Girl Next to Me Is Having Pink Thoughts - Chapter 17

“I honestly didn’t think you’d agree.”

Tatsuki said as we walked side by side.

Just like she said, I’d ended up accepting her invitation to a study session.

I knew it might cause me trouble, but I still agreed so easily. Was it because I’m too nice or because I actually liked her?

No, it wasn’t either of those.

The truth is, I figured that if our relationship turned sour, things would only get more complicated in the future.

She doesn’t seem like the type, but if she ever spread rumors about me being antisocial or rude, my school life would become a pain.

Not that it isn’t already turning into a pain for other reasons.

“Well, it’s not like I had any plans anyway.”

No need to tell her the real reason. Besides, it was partly true.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d ask me either. Aren’t you supposed to be good at studying, Tatsuki-san?”

“…I-I’m not bad at it, but…”

Her reply was strangely hesitant. By now, after spending a few days around her, I could tell what that meant.

That’s the way she talks when she’s either hiding something… or when she’s having pink thoughts.

“I-I just wanted to try studying with a friend for once… but that’s way too embarrassing to say out loud…”

So this time, it was the first one.

Still, every now and then, when she shows this pure, innocent side, it throws me off. I never know how to look at her.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to try something like this, so I’m glad you asked.”

“R-Really? Then I’m happy to hear that!”

“If it’s not a bother… then I’m really glad…”

When she seems uncertain or worried about my reaction, the best move is to reassure her.

Things go smoother that way.

That’s one survival trick I’ve picked up, thanks to this annoying telepathy ability.

Not that I have many friends to actually test it on.

“Though honestly, I’ve never really done anything like this before. I hope I don’t mess it up.”

“M-Me too. But that’s fine. If we do it in our own way… that’s what makes it a study session.”

“If it’s with Itsumi-san… I feel like it’ll go well.”

Her thoughts reached me clearly.

Yeah… I think she’s starting to get attached to me…

—

Apparently, our school’s library doesn’t get many visitors, even right before exams.

I figured people would study anywhere, but if there was one place that felt like the go-to spot, it should’ve been the library.

“It’s kind of empty.”

“It usually doesn’t get many students…”

I’d only ever used it once myself, and even then, it was practically deserted.

Maybe high schoolers these days just don’t read books. And if they do, it’s probably all e-books anyway.

The reason I only went that one time was simple, it was unbearably noisy.

No, not physically. The place was outwardly dead quiet.

But the chorus of inner voices I heard there had been like a construction site in my head.

From every direction came people’s silent reading voices, plus the emotions they felt along with the stories. No way anyone could concentrate with all that blasting through their skull.

“So, does Tatsuki-san actually use this place a lot?”

“Uh, y-yes… I do.”

She was stumbling over her words again.

Which meant… yeah. This was one of those times. The pink thoughts are kind of silent.

The mental image that came through made it obvious that she must’ve been reading something steamy.

I hurriedly forced my focus elsewhere, trying not to think too much about it.

“Anyway, where should we sit…”

The library was unnecessarily spacious, considering how few people came.

There are plenty of books, but also way too many chairs and desks scattered around.

If I counted all the study corners, it was probably overkill.

“Hmm… the back right looks nice.”

Following the hint from her unspoken thought. I casually steered us toward the area near the entrance, a row of long desks.

“Let’s sit here.”

“Yeah, that works.”

She chose the second seat from the back, dropped into the soft, cushioned chair, and then pulled out the chair beside her.

“Go ahead,” she said with a small smile.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

We both smiled faintly as I sat down.

I pulled out my pencil case, notebook, and other supplies.

Tatsuki did the same, taking her study tools out of a small backpack.

“Well then… guess we should get started. I mean, it’s just studying normally, right?”

“Yes. I don’t really know how study sessions are supposed to work, but… let’s just ask each other questions if something comes up.”

“Got it.”

She opened her notebook and immediately began writing.

Other classmates I’d seen trying group study usually spent half an hour talking before they even picked up a pen. But not her.

Which only confirmed it. This really was her first time trying something like this.

I copied her and started scribbling in my own notebook.

Since the place was empty, the only sounds in the library were the scratch of pencils, the rub of erasers, and the faint rustle of turning pages.

Of course, her thoughts still spilled into my head nonstop.

But weirdly enough, I didn’t mind.

If anything, hearing her focus so hard put some pressure on me in a good way.

It made concentrating easier, like I had to keep up with her.

After a while of concentrating…

“Here… should I use that formula from the official method…? No, I can’t use it under these conditions…”

I could hear her struggling silently with the math problem, and her hand holding the pen froze.

Ah, this was from the advanced section of the workbook.

I remembered struggling with it when I previewed it myself…

Should I help her… No, she’ll probably learn better if she figures it out herself…

But hearing her keep getting it wrong was kind of frustrating.

“Are you stuck on this one?”

“Ah, y-yes… it’s this part…”

I peeked at her workbook.

Sure enough, she was working on the exact problem I had in mind.

I decided a little bit of help wouldn’t hurt.

“You want to apply this formula after you first use this one here… and then—”

“Ah… I see!”

“But how does that—”

“Oh, and this part here? We covered it in class last time—”

Whenever a new question popped up in her mind, I could catch it from her thoughts and explain it immediately.

Tatsuki nodded and quickly got back to solving the problem.

“Whoa… thank you so much, Itsumi-san!”

“It’s no problem.”

We both went back to our work, but it seemed math wasn’t her strong suit; she tripped up a few more times.

“Here, substitute this letter here—”

“Use the formula from this chapter for this one—”

“And this number is wrong—”

I couldn’t help myself and kept giving explanations every time.

After a short silence…

“Um, Itsumi-san…”

“I hope I’m not being a bother…”

“Yeah? You can ask me anything.”

I could hear her thoughts, so I casually gave a reassuring reply.

“No, it’s not like that… Itsumi-san, you’re really amazing.”

That was what came out of her mouth.

Haa… was she impressed that I could do math?

“Really? Well, I’ve just always been good at math and arithmetic, I guess—”

“No, it’s not that… well, that too, but—”

She hesitated a little, thinking through what she wanted to say in her head.

Listening to that made me realize I might have messed up a bit.

“You explained things just when I didn’t understand them… and even the parts I didn’t get in the middle of your explanation, you’d clarify right away. That’s what’s really amazing.”

Of course, I’d been giving her guidance purely based on hearing her thoughts.

Now that she mentioned it, she’d never actually asked a single question.

Using my telepathy so blatantly to guide her… maybe that wasn’t the best move.

“I-I’m sorry about that. I just saw you struggling and thought I’d help. Maybe… I overdid it?”

“No, not at all! You really helped me a lot.”

She gave a small bow of thanks.

Hearing that made me feel a little embarrassed… but wait.

Did she suspect anything…?

“I wondered if he was watching me the whole time… but if he were, I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate like this. That’s why he’s really amazing. Like—”

“Sometimes I wonder if you can hear my thoughts.”

Ehehe, she said with a little laugh.

She smiled, and I felt a cold bead of sweat appear on my forehead.

“H-Ha, hahaha. No way.”

Did I manage to fake a smile?

Honestly, I don’t care if anyone finds out about this ability anymore…

Still, it’s a bad habit of mine.

“I’ll be counting on you from now on, too.”

Upon seeing her smile, I felt a small sense of relief, but I also took a moment to reflect on how I should handle this going forward.