"Emil is…"
"Yes?"
It was additional tutoring after the study group, requested by Mari.
In this space, just the two of us, Mari suddenly spoke.
"You're really good at teaching."
"Am I?"
"Yes, I understand it right away. Hehe."
Mari blushed as she spoke shyly.
I quietly smiled and looked at Mari, and suddenly remembered something from the first timeline.
Even in the first timeline, though I was the one who asked, I had time to study for the exam alone with Mari.
Of course, unlike now, all I could do back then was just be with her.
At the time, I was just a really ordinary background character, so I didn't have the skills to teach Mari.
But even so, Mari in the first timeline accepted my request.
Even though there was clearly no advantage in studying alone with me.
Mari at the time agreed to my request.
And so, we were able to have our own time together, just like now.
And though it was a little different.
I remembered having a similar conversation back then.
'Emil is…'
'Yes…?'
We were studying alone in a classroom bathed in the orange light of the sunset.
'For some reason, you're incredibly kind to me.'
'....'
Mari hid her curiosity behind an indifferent expression and looked at me.
Her question, asked directly and without hiding anything, momentarily flustered me and left me speechless.
And Mari continued to ask.
'Why is that…?'
'....'
'Huh? Why is that, I'm asking?'
Mari grinned as she looked at my speechless form, finding something amusing about it.
As if she already knew the answer.
But as if she absolutely wanted to hear the answer from my own lips, she kept asking.
'We should study, Mari. Wasn't your midterm grade important?'
'....'
At Mari's obvious intention, I pretended not to know and changed the subject.
Then, Mari, who had been grinning and asking questions, closed her mouth and glared at me slightly with a somewhat displeased expression.
And then she focused on her book again and quietly mumbled.
'Coward…'
She was probably sulking because she didn't get the answer she wanted.
Of course, I knew what answer would satisfy her.
But I couldn't say it.
At the time, I thought it wasn't the right moment yet.
According to the plan, the proper capture would end after the midterm exams.
I thought it would be dangerous to give an answer that sounded like I was confessing my feelings now, before the capture was complete.
To me, who avoided answering with such a judgment.
Mari glanced at me and grumbled.
Something quite bothersome.
'Haa…, if it's going to be like this, I should've studied with Malcolm~.'
'...Why bring up Malcolm all of a sudden?'
'But anyway, Malcolm has better grades than you, doesn't he? If we're studying together, of course it's better to do it with Malcolm, who has good grades.'
'Then why didn't you study with Malcolm?'
'...Because you asked, that's why.'
'You could've just refused.'
'…I don't know, you idiot.'
The price for not giving the desired answer was a minor argument.
In that process, Mari tried to provoke my jealousy, and I, knowing the relationship between Mari and Malcolm in the original story, easily fell for it.
Thanks to that, I, who was an ordinary background character, felt quite complicated due to jealousy.
Although we argued, Mari's mood, on the other hand, began to lighten as she saw my jealousy.
'Would you dislike it if I studied with Malcolm?'
'…Focus on your studies, Mari.'
'You can't answer this either? Idiot, fool, coward.'
'...Of course I'd dislike it. Stop asking and just study.'
'Why? Why would you dislike it?'
And Mari, whose mood had improved, repeatedly asked questions that probed my intentions.
It was very troublesome.
My mouth was itching to speak, but I was also frustrated because I couldn't say it.
But at the same time.
Seeing Mari wanting 'that kind of answer' from me, I felt a small joy.
Because it was proof that Mari also harbored feelings for me.
Recalling those old memories from the first timeline, I looked back at the current situation.
"…This is a story unrelated to studying."
"What is it?"
"Well, a few days ago, I asked you about Sierra in the infirmary, remember…?"
"Ah, that, whether I liked Sierra?"
"Ugh…. Yes."
Mari suddenly brought up a topic unrelated to studying.
Her cheeks were flushed, her gaze fixed on the book, as she fiddled with her pencil.
"It just suddenly came to mind. Well, I asked so randomly back then. Hehe…."
"Did you?"
"Yeah, anyway, so… this is also just a sudden thought."
And carefully turning her gaze from the book she had been fixed on.
Her pink, round eyes gently looked at me.
"Emil… what kind of person… do you like?"
"...."
It was a very direct question.
But even so, Mari seemed to be doing her best to make it appear natural.
I could see her gently biting her lip to avoid stuttering or trembling, and her hand's tremor was suppressed by clenching the pencil.
'Then…, what kind of answer would be the best?'
I pondered for a moment, as if choices had appeared before my eyes.
Of course, for a typical capture.
━Hmm, someone a little silly but cute?
━Someone who strives for their goals.
━Someone with big breasts.
Etc.
Answering with characteristics that included Mari's features would be sufficient.
However, my current situation was not like that.
'Unlike the first timeline, my goal isn't to get together with Mari.'
Right now, we were forming a cozy and warm atmosphere together.
But deep inside my heart, there was a festering wound.
I was doing this to excise that part.
And to do that.
I needed Mari's confession.
Therefore, the current answer needed to be cautious.
'If I answer as if I like Mari too much… she'll wait for my confession.'
From the perspective of needing to receive a confession, Mari waiting for a confession would be the worst-case scenario.
Amidst such a brief moment of thought.
The answer I chose was quite ambiguous.
"Someone who gets good grades on this midterm exam."
"...."
Mari was silent for a very brief moment after hearing the answer.
In my smiling gaze, Mari's trembling eyes were clearly visible.
Was she flustered?
Did she think she was caught?
Was she thinking that I knew?
I didn't know her exact thoughts.
Scribble, scribble….
Mari focused on her book again and began solving problems.
"Anything else you're curious about?"
"Uh, no…."
Mari couldn't even laugh at my answer and hung her head low, her face full of tension.
Seeing that, a soft chuckle inadvertently escaped me.
I liked Mari's troubled reaction to my answer.
Why was that?
After observing her for a moment and pondering.
What came to mind was the memory from the first timeline I had just recalled.
'Would you dislike it if I studied with Malcolm?'
'…Focus on your studies, Mari.'
'You can't answer this either? Idiot, fool, coward.'
'...Of course I'd dislike it. Stop asking and just study.'
'Why? Why would you dislike it?'
She, who knew my true feelings back then, teased me and tried to elicit the answer she wanted.
Perhaps I wanted to take a small revenge for that moment.
. . .
The next day.
After school as usual, I moved to the annex building for the study group.
The door slid open.
"Hello?"
"…Just you?"
"Why? Are you disappointed Mari isn't here?"
"...."
When I opened the door, the only one who greeted me was Sierra.
Neither Mari nor Malcolm were in the classroom.
Only Sierra, who had already opened her textbook and was studying, grinned and teased me.
"Where are the other two?"
I naturally ignored Sierra's question and sat in front of her.
"Well, won't they be here soon?"
"Right."
"So?"
"...What?"
"Are you disappointed Mari isn't here?"
But Sierra persistently asked the question I had tried to ignore.
It seemed she would keep asking if I didn't answer.
"Why would I be disappointed when she'll be here soon?"
I cleverly changed the subject and took my textbook out of my bag, placing it on the desk.
Then Sierra looked at me with her typical sullen expression.
"You're really not very manly."
"What now?"
"It would be manly to answer honestly here."
"What you're displeased about isn't that I'm not manly, it's that you're not having fun."
"It's the same thing."
"...More importantly, it's someone else's business, anyway. …Aren't you taking too much interest?"
I said to her, exuding an annoyed aura.
Of course, I wasn't truly annoyed.
But considering why I was capturing Mari, Sierra's interest like this was quite troublesome.
But Sierra, in response to my words, glared back at me with sharp eyes.
"No, if you're going to be like that, at least hide it."
"...."
"You two are always being lovey-dovey whenever we're in the study group."
"...Hmm."
When she put it like that, I honestly had nothing to say.
Certainly, for some reason, Mari had recently been approaching me without caring about others' eyes during study group.
It seemed very obvious to Sierra, who was a third party.
"Honestly, it's not like everyone's here, it's just the two of us, so it's okay to talk a bit, between us."
"Between us…? You talk as if we're old friends."
"Hehe, we're the top student and second-top student in our grade, aren't we? Isn't that similar?"
Sierra smiled brazenly as she said that.
Of course, her claim was nonsense, but I pondered my answer for a moment.
Should I just say it clearly now?
Of course, what I would say was 'I'm not interested in Mari.'
Because that way, there would be no repercussions later even if I rejected her confession.
'No, but what if Mari somehow hears about it…?'
But such an answer might immediately lead to capture failure, so I fell into contemplation.
Meanwhile.
Sierra sighed softly with a deflated expression and looked at me.
"Are you really not interested?"
"...."
She asked the very thing I was about to say.
And even without me answering, she continued the conversation on her own.
"Haa, this is truly shocking. I can't believe only Mari was serious."
"...."
"Or is there someone else you're serious about?"
"...What?"
"Hehe, for example… me?"
Sierra cutely winked and pointed to herself with her index finger.
Anyone could see it was a joke, but I couldn't laugh.
"How rude, when someone as pretty as me says something like this, you should at least blush."
"Say it again. I'll blush if my heart pounds."
"Alright, then I'm going for real this time, so be prepared."
It seemed she had stopped teasing me about my relationship with Mari.
She must have realized from my previous reaction that I wasn't serious about Mari.
Well, for me, this was actually more comfortable.
I decided to play along with her teasing until Malcolm and Mari arrived.
And as I waited, Sierra's words about being prepared.
Sierra cleared her throat with an "Ahem, ahem."
Then, with a shy expression, she gently looked at me.
It was clearly a feigned expression.
But with Sierra's beauty added to it, that shyness held even more power than genuine emotion.
"Emil…"
"Hmm…"
"I like you…"
"Okay."
"…Hehe, how was that? It worked properly this time, right?"
"Well… about 70 points."
"Are you sure Malcolm didn't hit your head or something? That last one was definitely 100 points."
Sierra's words were not arrogant.
Indeed, as she said, that confession was undeniably perfect.
But if I had genuinely said it was 100 points there, the atmosphere would obviously become strange.
So, I deducted about 30 points for her audacity.
"Honestly, tell me. Did your heart pound 100 points worth?"
"Quiet. Let's start studying soon."
"Why~, let's answer this like a man."
Sierra poked my hand with her pencil as I tried to avoid her gaze.
And then she laughed teasingly.
That look, besides being playful, also seemed like an effort to ease my annoyance from a moment ago.
Perhaps it was because I saw Sierra's consideration.
I chuckled.
"Alright, it was pretty good, so…"
The classroom door slid open━.
"...."
"...."
"...."
The classroom door opened and Mari appeared.
"...Ah, Ma, Mari."
"...."
At Mari's expressionless appearance, Sierra awkwardly laughed and stammered, and I remained frozen, unable to say anything.
Mari wore an expression I had never even seen in the first timeline.
Footsteps.
And she approached without any greeting.
Thud.
She sat down heavily on the chair next to me and looked at us.
And then, a gentle smile.
She smiled as if the rigid atmosphere from just moments ago had never existed.
"Hehe, sorry, I'm super late, aren't I?"
"...."
"...."
That fresh smile felt even more terrifying.
Mari soon began to take out her books from her bag.
In the awkward atmosphere.
Sierra gently looked at me and mouthed words with an apologetic expression.
'Sorry…'
I didn't react to her apology.