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 - 4

Chapter 4: While My Ex Fails Her Quiz Right Next to Me

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The next day. The moment I entered the classroom, the sickly sweet scent of perfume and exaggerated laughter rushed into my ears.

“Oh stop it, Hasegawa-kun! You’re going too far so early in the morning!”

“It’s your fault for being too cute, Rina-chan!”

In the center of the classroom, Rina Aikawa and Hasegawa from the soccer club were flirting. Their desks were pushed together, and they were clinging to each other without any regard for being in public. The classmates kept their distance with looks of “Ugh…” on their faces, but the two seemed not to notice, lost in their own world.

When I sat in my seat—just diagonally behind the two of them—Rina pointedly looked back toward me.

“Ah, good morning, Kashiwagi-kun. Did you sleep well yesterday?”

An air of superiority was plastered on her face. Her expression seemed to say, “You were lonely without me, weren’t you?”

“…Good morning. Thanks to you, I slept like a log.”

“Hmm? Look at you, acting tough. Well, I guess spending a lonely night by yourself is just part of your studies, right?”

Rina giggled. Hasegawa also looked at me, the corners of his mouth curling into a smirk.

“Hey now, Rina-chan, don’t bully your ex. Kashiwagi, was it? Don’t sweat it. Well, if studying is the only thing you’ve got going for you, you might as well go all out being a nerd.”

“…Thanks. I appreciate the support.”

I brushed it off casually and pulled my textbook out of my bag. If I were the person I used to be, I probably would have bitten my lip and looked down. But now, their attempts to flex on me looked incredibly pathetic.

The phone in my pocket vibrated. I knew who it was without even checking the screen. It was a LIME from Kotone. Messages had been arriving every five minutes since morning: 『Good morning, Sensei』, 『What time are you coming today?』 and 『I’m waiting with snacks ready』.Just feeling the vibration of those notifications gave me a sense of peace.

Sorry. My schedule is a lot more packed than you guys think.

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First period, Math II. Simultaneous with the chime, the math teacher’s stern voice echoed.

“Alright, take your seats. As announced, we’re having a quiz today. The topic is vector equations.”

While a stir ran through the classroom, Rina alone was fiddling with her nails with a relaxed expression. It made sense. Up until now, I had always summarized the points that would be on the test and drummed them into her during the break right before. In her mind, a test was likely nothing more than a task where you could get points just by writing what Kashiwagi said.

However…. The moment the test papers were distributed, Rina’s expression froze.

“…Huh?”

I heard a small shriek. I observed the situation out of the corner of my eye while solving my own problems. Rina was gripping her mechanical pencil, staring intensely at the question sheet.

There’s no way she can solve it.

This unit consisted of applied problems that you couldn’t even touch if you didn’t understand the basics. To Rina, who thought “I just need to memorize the formulas,” it must have looked like nothing but an unknown code.

Rina looked toward Hasegawa next to her in a panic. She was likely seeking help. However, Hasegawa had long since given up and was sleeping face-down on his desk. That was the extent of his grades, after all.

“Wait, uh… no way…”

Greasy sweat broke out on Rina’s forehead. I felt her gaze directed at my back as if clinging to me. 『Show me the answers!』 That silent pressure was being projected at me. I pretended not to notice, smoothly finished solving the last problem, and put down my pen. Twenty minutes remaining. It was quite an elegant finish if I could say so myself. Looking out the window, I began to plan today’s lesson for after school. Kotone might need a slightly more intuitive diagram.

In the end, Rina continued to stare at her nearly blank answer sheet until the final chime rang.

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After school. As soon as the closing homeroom ended, I grabbed my bag and stood up. I wanted to get to Kotone’s house even a second sooner.

“Ah, wait a second, Kashiwagi-kun!”

A sharp voice flew at my back as I tried to leave the classroom. Looking back, Rina was walking toward me, looking irritated.

“…What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’?! Why didn’t you tell me about today’s quiz?! Thanks to you, I couldn’t solve anything at all!”

Her opening words were an unreasonable outburst of misplaced anger. The students around us were looking over with exasperation, but Rina didn’t notice.

“What do you mean, ‘why’…? We were only dating until yesterday. An ex-boyfriend has no obligation to help you with test prep.”

“Hah? That’s so cold! You could at least help me out as a friend!”

“I don’t recall us becoming friends, though.”

“Wha-…!”

Rina’s face turned bright red, and she was at a loss for words. She probably never expected that I, who would usually say “I’m sorry” and apologize, would actually argue back.

“A-anyway! As an apology for that, take my place for cleaning duty today!”

Rina forcibly tried to switch the subject.

“I have a promise to go to karaoke with Hasegawa-kun now. Kashiwagi-kun, you’re free anyway, right? You’re not in any clubs, and you don’t have a girlfriend.”

This was it. This was how she always treated my time as someone worthless. She believed I had nothing to do other than study and that it was only natural for my time to be used for her sake. But now, I had a place where I belonged.

“Sorry, but I can’t.”

“Hah? Why?”

“I have a prior engagement.”

I told her shortly and turned my back on her.

“Hah?! There’s no way you have plans other than studying! Don’t lie to me!”

“It’s not a lie. …I have an important student waiting for me.”

Leaving only that, I walked out of the classroom. Rina’s hysterical voice shouting “Hah?! What is that supposed to mean?!” echoed behind me, but I didn’t look back.

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I passed through the school gates and walked quickly through the residential area. Twenty minutes later, I was standing in front of the Kisaragi house, out of breath. Before I could even press the intercom, the front door swung open.

“—Sensei!”

With a bouncy voice, Kotone Kisaragi came flying out. She looked different from the jersey she wore yesterday. She wore a pale pink frilled blouse and a soft long skirt. Her long black hair was neatly combed and tied in a half-up style. And above all, a radiant smile was blooming on her face.

“I’ve been waiting…! I’ve been waiting the whole time…!”

Those eyes looking up at me at the entrance were shining like jewels. It was a 100 percent pure display of affection, the polar opposite of the disdain or the intent to use me look directed by Rina.

“…Sorry I’m late. I got a bit held up at school.”

“No! I’m just happy you came!”

She took my hand and pulled me into the house. Her hand was warm and seemed to be trembling just a little.

“I made sweets today! Cookies! I want you to teach me while we eat them… is that okay?”

“…Yeah, that’s fine. Replenishing sugar is important, after all.”

Being begged with that upturned gaze, there was no way I could refuse. We walked down the hallway side-by-side. Suddenly, when I heard the sound of the front door closing behind us, I thought to myself:

Karaoke? Dates? Go ahead and do whatever you want. Because the best time for me is undoubtedly right here.

And so… From this day on, my sweet “secret after-school time” with the beautiful girl would begin to accelerate.

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