The morning sun gently pierced through the thin curtains of Raku's room. Inside, the atmosphere was calm, accompanied only by the slow ticking of the wall clock. Raku sat on a wooden chair near his study desk, wearing simple home clothes, his hair still slightly messy after bathing. He seemed busy tidying pencils, erasers, and notebooks, though occasionally letting out a small yawn.
The bedroom door was knocked three times.
Knock, knock, knock.
Raku looked up, his eyes still carrying traces of sleep, and replied softly,
"Please come in."
The door slid open. From the gap, a young woman with long soft pink hair appeared, her green eyes nervously scanning the room. Her face looked stiff, clearly showing that she was trying to maintain authority despite her pounding heart.
"Allow me to introduce myself," she said briefly, trying to sound confident, "my name is Mafuyu Kirisu. Starting today, I will be your private tutor."
Raku paused for a moment, staring at her figure. His gaze was innocent, with no other intention, as if simply observing out of curiosity.
"…Private tutor?" he asked softly, as if confirming.
Mafuyu nodded quickly. Her hands were still slightly trembling as she closed the door behind her.
"Yes, that's right. Mr. Issei asked me to help you with your lessons so that you won't fall behind when school starts later."
Raku stood from his chair, then bowed politely like a well-mannered child.
"Nice to meet you, Kirisu-sensei. I am Ichijou Raku."
The simple gesture made Mafuyu a little surprised—she hadn't expected the boy she imagined to be naughty or difficult to be so polite. She reflexively gave a faint smile, though her nervousness had not yet disappeared.
"Very well," she said, pulling a chair closer to the study desk, "for the first day, I want to see how much you already know. Consider this a short trial."
Raku nodded obediently, sat back down, and prepared his notebook.
Mafuyu sat, then placed a folder containing sheets of notes on the desk. Her voice was still somewhat stiff, but the formal tone made the atmosphere feel like a real classroom.
"I will ask some basic questions. Don't be tense, just treat it as practice."
Raku only gave a small smile. "Alright, Sensei."
Mafuyu opened her folder, then looked at Raku with a professional gaze. Yet beneath that, she was still holding back a rapid heartbeat—not because she feared Raku, but because she was still intimidated by the Ichijou residence and the fact that she was teaching the child of a Yakuza family.
A brief silence, then she began:
"Very well, let's start with Mathematics. Raku-kun, what is 135 divided by 9?"
Raku lowered his head for a moment, his index finger moving slowly on the desk as if counting.
"…15."
Mafuyu nodded briefly. That was fast.
"Next, History. In what year did the Meiji Restoration begin?"
"1868," Raku answered without hesitation.
Mafuyu's green eyes widened slightly. 'Looks like he's read up…'
"Good. Now Physics. If an object is dropped from a height with no air resistance, what is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth?"
Raku glanced briefly out the window, then answered again:
"Around 9.8 meters per second squared."
Mafuyu felt her composure nearly falter in surprise. She quickly cleared her throat.
"…Lastly, Japanese Literature. Please name one of the classical literary works from Genji Monogatari."
Raku blinked, then recalled slowly.
"The 'Aoi' chapter, the story of Lady Aoi who became Prince Genji's wife."
Mafuyu paused, her lips slightly parted. She stared at the boy intently. This child—who was said to have just recovered from illness and amnesia—answered everything fluently.
A small smile appeared on Raku's face, innocent and without arrogance.
"Are my answers correct, Sensei?"
Mafuyu slowly closed her folder, then took a deep breath. She finally nodded, saying,
"…Yes. All correct. Well done, Ichijou-kun."
Raku bowed again politely, his expression still simple.
"Thank you, Sensei."
Inside, Mafuyu felt slightly relieved and at the same time puzzled. 'This child… he seems like he won't be difficult to teach. But why do I feel he is calmer than I am?'
The first lesson began, in a unique atmosphere—a young, nervous teacher and a small student who actually appeared more mature than his age.
Raku's study room became calmer after the brief Q&A session. The morning sunlight streaming through the window made the wooden desk appear warm. Mafuyu sat upright in her chair with her folder open in front of her, while Raku waited neatly, pencil ready in his hand.
"Alright, Icjijou-kun," Mafuyu began with a softer tone, "today we will cover four basic subjects: Mathematics, History, Physics, and Japanese Literature. Consider this an introductory class."
Raku nodded, his face serious.
Mathematics
Mafuyu quickly drew a problem on the small whiteboard she brought.
"If a store sells one book for 850 yen, and someone buys five books at once, what is the total price, and if they pay with 5000 yen, how much change do they receive?"
Raku immediately wrote on his paper. His pencil moved steadily, with no hesitation in his calculations.
"850 × 5 = 4250 yen. Payment is 5000, so the change is 750 yen."
Mafuyu looked at his writing. Neat, clean, and clear. She nodded, still trying to maintain a professional expression.
"Correct. And you even wrote it in an easy-to-understand way. Very good."
History
Mafuyu switched, closing the small whiteboard and opening a notebook containing a history summary.
"Now, History. Who was the main commander of the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Tsushima in 1905?"
Raku lifted his head, recalling for a moment.
"Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō."
"Correct," Mafuyu replied, eyes slightly widening. "And the opponent?"
"The Russian Baltic Fleet, led by Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky."
Mafuyu exhaled unconsciously. 'This child even knows the enemy details? Usually high school students still fumble with this.'
Physics
Mafuyu quickly wrote a short problem on paper:
"A car is moving at 20 meters per second. If the car is accelerated to 30 meters per second in 5 seconds, what is the average acceleration?"
Raku lowered his head again, calculating calmly.
"Acceleration = (30 – 20) ÷ 5 = 2 meters per second squared."
"Correct," Mafuyu nodded again. Not only did he remember, but he knew the formula without her explaining.
Japanese Literature
Mafuyu closed her folder and looked at Raku more gently.
"Alright, finally Literature. Have you ever read Oku no Hosomichi by Matsuo Bashō?"
Raku looked at her for a moment, then gave a small smile.
"I don't quite remember the details… but I know it's about Bashō traveling and writing haiku across various places in Japan. One of the famous ones is the haiku about a frog jumping into a pond."
Mafuyu paused for a moment. Her heart softened slightly. 'This boy… even with amnesia, he can still grasp the essence of literature well.'
After more than an hour, Mafuyu finally closed her notes.
"For the first day, I don't have much to correct. You answered all the questions well. Perhaps my task is not just teaching the basics… but also ensuring your knowledge remains consistent."
Raku bowed politely. "Thank you, Sensei. I will try not to disappoint you."
The simple words left Mafuyu speechless. She felt a strange mix of relief, admiration, and warmth. Usually, her students at school were lazy or stubborn, but this boy… welcomed the lessons with seriousness.
As she tidied her folder, Raku lifted his head again.
"Sensei… may I ask something?"
Mafuyu looked up, "What is it?"
"Why has your face looked nervous all this time?"
Mafuyu was startled. Her face instantly flushed red, and she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
"W-What? No, I'm not nervous!"
Raku only smiled innocently, his eyes clear.
"…Then, that's good."
Mafuyu lowered her head slightly, hiding the blush on her cheeks. 'This child… is sharper than I thought.'
The first day of lessons ended with a strange feeling Mafuyu couldn't explain—between relief that her student was smart, and awkwardness because she herself was more nervous than the student.