The Kansai Villain’s Rebirth: I Accidentally Ended Up With a Harem. - Chapter 25: The Kansai Guy Hits the Books.

The Kansai Guy Hits the Books.

Tennouji Daiki’s POV.

Ever since the sports festival ended, I can’t help but feel that Imamiya’s glares have gotten sharper by the day. Honestly, if anyone has the right to complain, it’s me. Those passes of his were like fastballs straight to the gut. My fingers still sting just thinking about them. Well, at least I managed to keep up until the very end, but still…

After that, though, something about my classmates started to change.

It all began when Tenma and Momodani invited me to the team’s post-game celebration at a family restaurant. After that, more people began talking to me, saying things like, “You’re actually easy to talk to!” or “I thought you were scary at first!” Before I knew it, everyone was chatting with me more freely. Thanks to that, being in the classroom has become a whole lot more comfortable.

And then there’s Natsume-san. For some reason, she’s started calling me by my first name—Daiki-kun. I have no idea why, but… it feels like the distance between us has shrunk again.

Not that I’d know how to measure distance with women anyway. At my age—old enough to call myself a “wizard,” as they say—I’ve got zero experience in that department. Still, Natsume-san is definitely standing way too close. She holds my hand, loops her arm around mine… thanks to her, my heart’s been in constant danger of exploding. And every time she does it, Imamiya looks at me like he’s about to murder someone.

***

“Hey, hey, Daiki-kun! Since I’m calling you that, you should call me Shina, okay?”

“That’s a pretty bold request, y’know…”

“Eh? It’s easy! You just say Shina! Come on, try it!”

“Uh… w-wait, hang on…”

“Come on, hurry up!”

“Umm…”

Man, this is embarrassing. I don’t have any sisters, and I sure as hell don’t call my mom by her name. I’ve never even had a girlfriend—of course I haven’t. A guy like me calling a girl by her name feels harder than trying to beat the Demon Lord with a wooden sword.

“Do you… not want to call me that?”

“N-no! That’s not it! Just… gimme a second to prepare myself, alright!?”

“Hmm…”

Damn it, she’s starting to look disappointed… all right, fine! To hell with it!

“…Shina-san.”

“Hehe. What is it?”

She says that—and immediately throws her arms around me. She’s way too close! Her sparkling eyes look up at me, and I swear, she’s so cute it’s almost unfair. There’s something a little devilish about her, too.

“T-this is fine, right, Shina-san?”

“Well, I’d really prefer if you just called me Shina or Shina-chan, but… I’ll let it slide for now! Ehehe!”

She’s so damn cute. My idol is too adorable—it’s enough to keep me going for another week. Wait, hold on—she’s pressing her chest against my arm again!?

“Shina-san…”

“Nihihi~ What is it?”

“Uh… your arm… something’s been… touching it…”

“Oh? What could that be, I wonder~?”

“I-I mean… your… chest, it’s…”

“Yup~ I’m doing it on purpose! Ehehe, I’m gonna get even closer now!”

“Y-you can’t be doing stuff like that!”

“Boo~ Daiki-kun, you’re such a meanie!”

This little devil…! Still, she doesn’t mean any harm. Ah—she’s hugging me again. Well… I guess it’s fine.

***

A few weeks after the sports festival, midterms were just around the corner. My first exam in… what, over ten years? I was nervous, sure, but there was a strange thrill in it too. I’d always been a diligent student in my previous life, and I wanted to see if my old study skills had gone rusty.

But self-study can only take you so far. If push comes to shove, I’ll have to ask the teachers some questions… or maybe study in the library. That’s what I was thinking when—

***

“We’ll be holding a study group again this time! Anyone who wants to join, come see me after class.”

After homeroom ended, Fuyuki-san addressed the whole class.

A study group, huh? Interesting.

***

“Hey, Shina-san, what’s this study group Fuyuki-san mentioned?”

“Rin-chan’s study group? Before the midterms or finals, she organizes these sessions where everyone studies together. If there’s something you don’t get, Rin-chan will teach you. Or sometimes, other people help out too. Rin-chan gets suuuper busy during these things.”

“Ohh… so it’s a study group where everyone helps each other. Sounds fun.”

Mutual help in studying, huh? That way, both the teacher and the learner improve together. It’s a great way to grow.

“Tennouji-kun, would you like to join us too?”

Fuyuki-san came over and asked. Perfect timing. I was just about to volunteer anyway.

“A study group, huh? Sounds great. I’d really appreciate the help with anything I don’t understand.”

“Good. We’re starting tomorrow—it’s exactly one week before the exams.”

“Got it. Thanks for organizing this, Fuyuki-san.”

I should be able to handle most of the math problems if I look through the textbook or a reference book. Guess it’s time to see what Tennouji’s ‘specs’ can do in this world too. Maybe I can even teach a few people myself. All right, let’s give it my all.

***

“Alright then, today we’ll focus on math! Don’t hesitate to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand!”

The next day, the study group began—and wow, Fuyuki-san was immediately surrounded by questions.

“Fufu, Rin-chan’s always been ranked first in our year, after all!”

“That so? That’s amazing.”

“During breaks, people always ask her to explain things, so she figured it’d be more efficient to just hold group sessions. That’s how the study group started.”

“Sounds just like her. She’s got that earnest, teacher-like vibe to her.”

“Right? Rin-chan’s so thorough and patient—everyone loves her.”

“I can see why. Doesn’t look like she’s got a free moment, though.”

Well, not that I have any questions yet. Looks like there are about ten people here—Shina-san, Akitani-san, and even Imamiya. Tenma and the others are studying separately with the basketball team.

Shame—they missed a good time at the last afterparty. That was actually pretty fun.

Anyway, back to studying.
Man, it’s been ages since I did this, but it feels nice. Some of these formulas are still the same as back then. In my old life, I used to be the top student, though I got bullied for being a “nerdy shorty.” That just made me work harder to stay number one. You can try all you want, but you’ll never beat me! —yeah, I used to be an arrogant little idiot. Thinking back, it’s kinda embarrassing.

While I was lost in my thoughts, I suddenly sensed someone approaching. It was Shina-san.

***

“Um, Daiki-kun, sorry to bother you… do you have a minute?”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Shina-san?”

“There’s this problem I don’t really get… if you don’t mind, could you help me?”

“Oh, sure! Let’s see what you’ve got there.”

She smiled brightly and pulled her chair right next to mine—way too close again. Her cheek brushed against my arm as she leaned in.

“Ah, this one? Yeah, it’s a bit tricky. But take a look at this formula in the textbook. See? This part here matches up with this equation, and then this one goes over here.”

Good thing I understood this one. Looks simple at first glance, but it’s actually pretty tough. I tried to explain it as clearly as I could.

“I see, so this goes here, and then this connects like this?”

“Right, right. And next, you move this part over like so—”

“Oh! Then this one goes here?”

Whoa, she’s quick. Just a bit of guidance and she’s already working through it on her own. Maybe she’s been struggling not because she’s bad at studying, but because she’s been using the wrong methods. I should share some of my efficient study tricks with her later.

“Yup, that’s it. And then you just follow through like this.”

“So that means… ah! The answer’s this!?”

She got it. Nice. Almost too easy.

“I did it! Daiki-kun, is this right?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

“Yay! Daiki-kun, you’re amazing! That explanation made so much sense!”

Nah, it’s mostly thanks to her comprehension. Her eyes are practically sparkling.

“Haha, glad it helped. But you figured most of it out yourself, didn’t you? Once you understand the method, it’s not so bad, right?”

“Uh-huh! Then let’s do the next one!”

And just like that, Shina-san moved even closer, working eagerly on the next problem. I could feel a few stares on me—but between her scent and the softness pressed against my arm, I couldn’t focus on anything else.