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 - 33

Chapter 33: The Former Gyaru and the Nerdy Honor Student

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The library after school. The shouts of sports clubs and the laughter of students heading home happily could be heard from outside the window. At the edge of the reading area, separated from that hustle and bustle, Rina Aikawa was alone, gripping a mechanical pencil.

“……Ugh, it makes no sense.”

A small groan leaked out. In front of her was a basic math problem set. She had managed to finish reviewing middle school-level material during the summer vacation. However, the moment she entered the high school curriculum, she felt like the height of the wall had suddenly jumped.

(Even when I read the explanations, I don’t understand the meaning of the words in the explanation itself…….)

In a fit of frustration, Rina used her eraser. The paper tore with a crumpled sound. It was miserable. In the past, Kashiwagi had done all of this tedious work for her. He would hand her beautiful summary notebooks, saying, “Rina, you only need to memorize this part.” Now that she had lost that “magic wand,” she was reminded every day of how powerless she was and how hollow her foundation had been.

(……If only Kashiwagi were here.)

Suddenly, a sweet temptation crossed her mind. She flicked her gaze upward. On the opposite side of the library, in the prime seats by the window, were Kashiwagi and Kotone Kisaragi. The two were leaning close to each other, studying while smiling at one another occasionally. The scene, illuminated by the setting sun, was as beautiful as a scene from a movie, and cruelly distant.

(……No. I can’t look.)

Rina shook her head and dropped her gaze back to the problem set.

(I don’t have the right to go back there. Clinging to them would only make me miserable. I’ve decided to do this alone anyway.)

However, if problems could be solved with resolve alone, no one would struggle. Faced with the reality that not even a single question had progressed after an hour, Rina’s eyes began to sting.

(As I thought, maybe it’s impossible for me. An idiot in 268th place, even if I struggle now—)

“……Um.”

At that moment…. A hesitant voice spoke to her from the seat next to her.

“Eh?”

When Rina looked up, there was a petite female student wearing thick glasses. Her hair was in plain braids, and she wore her uniform neatly without any messiness. It was her classmate, Yui Tachibana.

(If I recall, she was a regular in the single-digit school rankings. She’s a typical “nerdy” character.)

If it were the old Rina, she would have looked down on her in her heart, thinking, “What? Don’t talk to me, you gloomy loner,” and ignored her. “We live in different worlds. There’s no merit in interacting with someone like you,” She surely would have made that assumption.

“……What?”

When Rina answered a bit warily, Tachibana pointed timidly at Rina’s notebook.

“There…… the way you’re using the formula is wrong.”

“Eh?”

“In the case of this problem, the domain moves, so you need to divide it into cases. ……Your pen had stopped there for a long time, so I became concerned.”

Tachibana shrunk back, saying, “It was none of my business, wasn’t it? I’m sorry.”

Rina looked at her own notebook. Calculation formulas scribbled until they were pitch black, which ultimately produced no answer. Had this girl been watching that?

Her face grew hot with embarrassment. She thought she was being made fun of. She thought she had come to laugh, thinking, “Even though you were at the top of the caste, you can’t even solve a basic problem like this?”

But… In Tachibana’s eyes, there wasn’t a trace of mockery. There was only the worried gaze directed by someone who purely knew the pain of not being able to solve something.

(……Ah.)

Rina remembered. Kashiwagi had those same eyes at first, too. When she said she didn’t understand, he had taught her kindly and patiently. The one who utilized that and trampled over it was her.

(Am I going to repeat the same mistake again? Am I going to brush away the hand reached out to me just to protect my pride?)

Rina clenched her fist and took a deep breath. Then, she deeply bowed her head, something she had never done before.

“……Teach me.”

“Eh?”

“Because I’m an idiot…… I don’t understand this at all. ……Please, teach me.”

It was a trembling voice. Words that were true to herself, having cast aside pride and caste. Tachibana’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise, but she soon gave a soft, kind smile.

“……Yes. If you’re okay with me.”

Tachibana pulled her chair closer and began to draw diagrams smoothly in Rina’s notebook.

“Please don’t overthink it. First, draw a graph and imagine this part moving.”

“……Ah, Kashiwagi might have said something like that too.”

“Kashiwagi-kun’s explanations are like magic, after all. I’m not as good as he is, but…… See, doesn’t it become visible like this?”

Tachibana’s explanation was polite and easy to understand. Above all, it came across that she was thinking on the same level as her.

“……Ah, I solved it. ……Is the answer 3?”

“Correct! That’s amazing, Aikawa-san. Your calculations are fast!”

Tachibana was as happy as if it were her own success. Seeing that smile, Rina felt as though the cold lump deep in her chest melted just a little.

“……Tachibana-san, was it?”

“Yes. Yui Tachibana. ……You can just call me Yui.”

“Then, Yui. ……You can call me Rina, too.”

When Rina said it clumsily, Tachibana—Yui—nodded happily.

“Yes, Rina-chan. …Fufu, this is actually the first time we’ve spoken, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. …I’m sorry. Until now, I assumed you were just a ‘serious nerd’.”

“Ahaha, it’s a fact, after all. But the current Rina-chan is very serious and cool.”

(Cool.)

At that word, Rina was startled. Back when she was dressing up her appearance, she might have been told she was “cute,” but she had never been told she was “cool.” Ragged nails, black hair, light makeup. This girl had affirmed the current her.

“……Thanks.”

Rina muttered softly and turned back to her notebook. On the other side of the library, Kashiwagi and Kotone were still creating a world for only the two of them. But she was no longer envious.

(I have my own battle. And now, I have a new “comrade-in-arms” who supports that battle.)

The flashy gyaru and the plain honors student, who were never supposed to cross paths. The moment the two lines intersected in a corner of the library… Rina Aikawa’s lonely battle had come to an end.

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