My Ex-Girlfriend Who Dumped Me, the Top Student, Is at Risk of Failing and Repeating a Year—but I’m Too Busy Tutoring a Former Shut-in Beauty To Get Back Together With Her - 3

Chapter 3: Special Lessons and the Countdown to Destruction

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Before I knew it, the world outside the window had been completely dyed in madder red. The faint light leaking through the gaps in the blackout curtains illuminated the dust in the room, making it sparkle.

“—Alright, that’s correct. Perfect.”

As I drew a large circle on the notebook with a red pen, Kotone Kisaragi let out a long, deep breath.

“I—I solved it…. It would have been absolutely impossible alone….”

“It’s because you understood the logic rather than just memorizing formulas, so you could apply it. You should have confidence in yourself.”

“Yeah…! Thank you, Sensei!”

She hugged the notebook to her chest, a radiant smile spreading across her face. That smile possessed a destructive power that seemed to instantly brighten the dim room. Inadvertently, my heart let out a small throb.

This is dangerous.

I cleared my throat and looked away. Her concentration was incredible. Once she grasped the knack for it, she absorbed my explanations like a sponge soaking up water. As I thought, it wasn’t that she “couldn’t study.” She had simply become afraid because she didn’t know how to study. It was the same as my past self. That was exactly why teaching her was fun.

“Let’s call it a day. If I cram too much in, you’ll burn out.”

“Ah…”

As I started packing up my writing utensils, Kisaragi’s expression clouded over overtly. As if her smile from a moment ago had been a lie, she looked up at me with eyes like a deserted puppy.

“Are you… going home already?”

“It’s already past six. If I stay any longer, your mother will worry.”

“I think Mama would tell Sensei to stay the night.”

“Don’t say such ridiculous things.”

I stood up with a wry smile. At that, she hurriedly stood up as well and grabbed my sleeve.

“Um, Sensei. …Will you come again?”

“…It was a request from Saejima-sensei, after all. I have to report back, so I’ll come again.”

When I answered like that, she patted her chest as if slightly relieved. However, the hand clutching my sleeve didn’t let go.

“Um… tomorrow too?”

“Tomorrow… I wonder. I have my own things to do.”

Honestly, I had no plans at all. The time I had kept open for dates with my ex-girlfriend had all become a blank slate. However, I hesitated to answer immediately, fearing I’d be seen as a person with too much free time.

Kisaragi looked down, hesitating and fidgeting, but then she raised her face as if she had made up her mind. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

“In that case… ‘LIME.’ Can we… exchange LIME IDs?”

“Eh?”

“If there’s something I don’t understand, I want to ask…. And I want to know when Sensei can come….”

A request made while looking up at me with an upturned look. If there was a man who could refuse that, I’d like to meet him.

“…Alright. I’ll answer any study questions you have anytime.”

“Really!? A phone, where is my phone…!”

She rustled through the floor piled with books and pulled out a smartphone of the latest model. It was cute how the fingers tapping the screen were trembling. I scanned the QR code, and the friend addition was complete. Her account name was “Kotone.” The icon was a photo of a black cat.

“I’ve added you. Well, I’ll be in touch.”

“Yeah. …I’ll be waiting, Sensei.”

She poked only her face out of the room’s door and watched me until I finished heading down the stairs. 

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When I went down to the first floor, the mother came flying out from the living room.

“Kashiwagi-san! Um, how was it…? How was Kotone?”

“We finished about half of the assignments. She catches on quickly, so I think she’ll catch up in no time once she gets the hang of it.”

“Is that true…?! That child wouldn’t come out of her room at all, and it seemed like she had given up on studying….”

The mother bowed deeply while tearing up.

“Thank you so much. For the first time in a while, I heard talking voices from her room… I’m so happy.”

“No, it was a learning experience for me as well.”

“This is a small token of my gratitude. Please, do come again.”

Handed a package of expensive-looking sweets, I left the Kisaragi residence feeling quite humbled. Once outside, the night breeze felt pleasant. I felt as if the blockage in my chest—the kind I felt a few hours ago when I was insulted as a boring man in that classroom—had been cleared.

“…Well then.”

I pulled out my phone and opened the LIME screen. The talk history with my ex-girlfriend, Rina. I saw that I had been blocked, along with a final message saying, 『Don’t contact me anymore.』 Before, I would have been in despair. But now, strangely, I didn’t feel anything. Instead, I opened a new talk room. There, a message had already arrived from “Kotone,” whom I had just parted with.

『Thank you so much for today』

『Thanks to Sensei, I’m not afraid of studying anymore』

『What time can we meet tomorrow? (Sticker of a cat bowing)』

As if I could see her desperate face behind the text, a smile naturally formed on my lips. I typed a reply while walking.

『I’m free after school. I’ll go around 16:00』

A “Read” receipt appeared not even a second after I sent it. 

That’s way too fast. 

And immediately after, a sticker of a cat crying for joy was sent back. I put my phone in my pocket and started walking the night path. My gait was much lighter than when I had arrived.

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Meanwhile, around that same time. In a room of a karaoke box in front of the station, the laughter of a man and woman echoed.

“Whoo-hoo! Rina-chan, you’re a great singer!”

“Oh stop, Hasegawa-kun, you’re too good! As expected of the ace!”

Rina Aikawa was clinging to the arm of Hasegawa from the soccer club sitting next to her while hitting a tambourine. Empty juice glasses and snack wrappers were scattered across the table.

“Man, seriously, I’m so glad Rina-chan became single. Dating a nerd with glasses like that was a total waste of time, right?”

“Seriously! Even when we talked, it was all ‘deviation values’ this or ‘efficiency’ that, I seriously didn’t get it. Just as I thought, a boyfriend with a good vibe like Hasegawa-kun is the best!”

Rina leaned her head on Hasegawa’s shoulder and glanced at her phone. The time was almost seven. Usually, this was the time an meddlesome LIME would come from Kashiwagi, saying something like, “I summarized the material for tomorrow’s quiz.”

“…Hmph.”

Naturally, there were no notifications. Since she was the one who dumped him, it was only natural. Even if a convenient tool like him was gone, she had found a boyfriend with much higher specs, so there was no problem at all.

“…Wait?”

Suddenly, Rina tilted her head while looking inside her bag. Tomorrow’s math assignment. The notebook that Kashiwagi usually handed over saying “I did it for you” wasn’t there.

Ah, that’s right. We broke up. Whatever.

Rina thought, abandoning the idea. She could probably just ask Hasegawa-kun to let her see his, or in the worst case, just copy someone else’s. Since she was cute, anyone would surely help her.

“Hey, hey, Hasegawa-kun, let’s do a duet for the next song!”

“Oh, sounds good!”

Rina gripped the microphone again. She hadn’t realized it yet… That Hasegawa’s grades were right on the borderline of failing… And that tomorrow’s quiz was an important unit that would significantly affect her internal records.

The countdown to destruction was drowned out by the heavy bass of the flashy karaoke, having begun in silence.

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