When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade.

I ended up needing to contact Ayano.

With my smartphone in hand, I start typing a message.

Almost immediately, a message comes back.

“Sounds good! Let’s do it!”

Is Shirakawa just really quick to respond, or does she have good timing? Ayano’s participation was confirmed in no time. It seems she doesn’t have any other plans.

“Kuroda~ Did you manage to invite Ayano-san?”

Mimura asks me in a casual tone.

“I asked her, and she said it’s okay.”

“Well done!! I’m gonna learn a lot from her.”

“Hey, don’t bother her too much.”

“I know, I know.”

Mimura says “I know” in a light tone, but I’m a little worried when he’s this carefree about it.

***

“Alright, shall we get started?”

After school, we gather in the library, where not many people usually come.

After all, it’s a quiet and nice place. The library might just be the best room in the whole school, don’t you think?

The approach is simple and probably the most effective – each of us studies and asks those who understand when we have questions.

“Hey, you’ve got that wrong, Kuroda-kun.”

“Huh? Where?!”

“Well, you see…”

Otori stands up to teach me, but for some reason, she glances at Shirakawa, then sits back down in the chair she was just in.

“Huh? Otori-san?”

“I changed my mind, I won’t teach you.”

“Huh…?”

Wait, is Otori secretly a sadist? Or does she just dislike me? I’d rather not entertain the latter idea as it would be hurtful, so I decide she must be teasing me with the former.

“I’ll teach Souta-kun. That’s the deal, Ayano-chan, teach him.”

“Sure, fine by me.”

“Huh? But…”

“What’s up? That dissatisfied expression. Oh, do you mean you think I’m not up to it?”

“N-No! I’m not dissatisfied… Ayano-sensei, please teach me.”

She pats her chest as if saying “Leave it to me.”

Gosh, she’s cute… Can I really concentrate like this?

“That’s… that’s easy to understand.”

“Why the surprised look?”

“W-Well, to be honest, I was quite surprised.”

“Hehe~ It’s amazing, right?”

Ayano seems to be in a good mood after being praised.

“Shirakwawa-san, I don’t get it either.”

“Oh, sure!”

This time, Ayano goes over to Mimura to teach him.

It’s kind of like a study group where Otori and Ayano are teaching us three guys. However, for some reason, whenever Otori teaches me, she hands it over to Ayano if Ayano’s free.

Could it be… she really dislikes me or something?

“Well then, shall we call it a day?”

“Aww, I want to continue a bit longer!”

“Hahaha, I guess we can’t do that.”

Ayano gently turns down Mimura’s request to extend the study session with a smile.

“Aww, Kuroda’s bullying Shirakawa~”

“Mimura, don’t be a bother.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Although it’s usually the other way around, actually, but this time I really got it, so we could do more.”

I honestly express my thoughts, and the words flow so smoothly, it’s almost like I’ve written them down beforehand.

“Ehehe~”

“I’m happy to hear that. It feels worth it when you say that. We put effort into teaching you.”

The two of them are in high spirits. Since we used our after-school time to teach each other, I’m really grateful to them.

I pack my things into my bag, and we leave the library.

After that, we decided to have dinner together at a nearby family restaurant.

These moments are the most enjoyable, and I secretly really like them.

After satisfying our post-study hunger, Souta and Otori head home together, and Mimura and I part ways at the restaurant.

Ayano and I are heading in the same direction, so we naturally walk home together.

“I’m so relieved! I was worried if I could explain things properly.”

“You made it really easy to understand.”

Ayano lets out a sigh of relief.

“Uh, hey!”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Um, are you free this Sunday?”

“…”

“If you’re not, don’t force yourself, though.”

“I’m free!”

She responds with a big smile. This time, I’ll try to invite her more naturally. I was too nervous earlier and felt like I was stumbling over my words.

“But why all of a sudden?”

“Well, that’s, um…”

As she asks, I wonder. Did I want to go somewhere together with her? Is there something I want? My thoughts were in turmoil.

Ayano tilts her head as she looks at me like that.

“It’s a, it’s a secret…”

“Huh? What’s that?”

Those were the words that came out without thinking. I’m such a coward. I regret not just saying I wanted to go somewhere together with her.

“Well, whatever! So, this Sunday!”

“Sure, see you then.”

“Hehe, I might be so excited I won’t be able to sleep.”

“Well, we do have school tomorrow, so get a proper rest.”

“I know~ Geez!”