The note read:
Because I'm not the creator of mystery novels in the first place!
When Hoshino Ai saw those words, a surge of irritation flashed in her eyes. She lifted her head and shot Hiro Saitou a piercing glare, muttering under her breath, "Bastard…"
Hiro didn't take offense. In fact, hearing Ai call him that in such a soft, casual tone—like a breeze brushing by—made him feel oddly pleased.
He flipped to a blank page in his notebook and scribbled:
So, what did you think of the story just now?
He passed it to Ai.
Ai caught his intent, set the notebook down, tapped her pen thoughtfully, and began to write. A moment later, she slid it back.
Hiro read her response:
The plot started off normal but got more and more bizarre. Some parts were so outrageous it made me feel weird… even a little sad. I don't know why.
Hiro had thought the story was fairly ordinary. It hadn't stirred any emotions when he told it. But thinking about certain scenes now… they left an uncomfortable weight in his chest.
Maybe having too good a memory isn't always a blessing…
Seeing Ai's note, he quickly tried to shift gears and wrote:
This story was based on a prototype. I only tweaked it slightly.
He passed the notebook back, then grabbed his copy of The Grammar of Film Language, flipping through it to refocus his mind.
Editing Types:
A scene can be shot in one long take, but to avoid monotony, directors use different editing methods—in the film, in the picture, or within the shot.
Reading technical theory calmed his thoughts.
Ai glanced at the book and then at Hiro, his serious expression catching her off guard. She wrote a new note:
There's an original? What's it called?
But seeing how focused he was, she didn't press him. Instead, she returned her attention to the board, though she had no idea how far the class had gone.
She tried copying the teacher's notes, hoping to catch up.
Eventually, Hiro looked over and noticed her frowning at her textbook.
Studying, huh?
He assumed her "aura" might help with learning—but maybe her basics were weak.
Ai pointed at a geometry problem and whispered, "Look at this…"
In triangle ABC, ∠A = 36°, ∠C = 72°, point D lies on AC, and BD bisects ∠ABC. Find the angles measuring 72°.
Hiro glanced at it and explained, "The 72° angles are ∠ABC, ∠BCD, and ∠BDC. Since triangle angles add up to 180°, and you're given two, the rest is just deduction."
He kept it simple, knowing over-explaining might just confuse her more.
"Ohhh… I get it now," Ai nodded, her eyes brightening.
"Any others you're stuck on?" he asked.
"I'll try first. If I get stuck, I'll ask," Ai said, but Hiro noticed her quietly skipping the tougher problems.
So her grades really were bad…
He recalled the concept of the "curse of knowledge"—how once you know something, it's hard to understand what it's like not to. That made teaching harder.
What was easy for him might be completely foreign to Ai.
He watched her silently struggle. Her progress was slow.
January 22nd… Exams are right around the corner.
If she bombed the exams, she might lose her shot at class president—and worse, might not be able to keep balancing school and idol life.
Hiro sighed and grabbed the math book again.
"Your fundamentals are too weak. I'll teach you from the start."
"Okay," Ai said softly, nodding.
He began whispering explanations page by page but quickly noticed she had trouble memorizing. After just a few pages, she looked up and said she'd rather review it on her own later.
This isn't going to work…
He thought of the old rumor that fish only had a seven-second memory. Of course, it wasn't true—but still, fish weren't exactly known for intelligence. Yet even fish could be trained.
If fish can learn, so can Ai.
The key was repetition: writing, practice, and more practice until it stuck.
But maybe that wasn't the best method for her.
He decided to let her choose.
After all, she had bigger dreams—she was about to stand under stage lights, dazzling the world.
Academics wouldn't bring the same glory or income as her idol career.
"You're juggling so much… School, practice… What's your game plan?"
Ai looked at her math book, her eyes soft.
"The idol work hasn't officially started… I'm not sure if I can manage both."
"But I want to try." She met his gaze with determination.
"If I don't even try… how will I know if I can do it?"
"…Fair point." Hiro smiled. "You'll never know unless you try."
He nodded. "Alright. I'll help you plan your study schedule."
Hiro made a quiet vow—if things didn't improve soon, he'd take it upon himself to break everything down and tutor her properly, step by step.
(P.S. Leave a comment in the notebook if you want.)