With only a few weeks left before the entrance exams for various high schools, most students who hadn't dedicated time to studying were finally starting to take things seriously, pushing themselves to learn material they'd had months to review. Still, there were those who took it to the extreme—trying to cram everything in just a few days instead of weeks. Everyone at their own pace.
The registration period for most schools began in January and ended around late February, with entrance exams held in early March.
As for me, I registered at the start of January. I can be a bit careless, so there was a real chance I might've forgotten if I'd put it off—better safe than sorry. I did it a month ago.
And yes, it's February now. January passed by uneventfully—or, well, as normal as my daily life can get.
Except for today. Something out of the ordinary happened—or rather, something I didn't expect.
It all goes back a few days ago, when I was having lunch with Yumiko and the topic of the entrance exam came up. She mentioned that, while she does well in most subjects, she struggles with Japanese literature.
That just happens to be my strong point. Since I like reading, I've never had trouble with Japan's classic literary works. It's not that I'm passionate about them, but I manage well enough—and I'm decent at writing haikus, essays, and so on.
When I was a kid, I wanted to become a light novel author. I'd read enough great works before I died to understand the craft—but like any good writer, I've got a case of writer's block that refuses to leave. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Hard to tell.
Anyway, since I had a decent grasp of the subject, Yumiko suggested that I help her study—and by "suggested," I mean she demanded my voluntary cooperation, which wasn't voluntary at all.
So we agreed to study together today, and since it was almost nine in the morning, she should be here any minute.
We planned to study until around three in the afternoon. I'd probably order some food so we could focus better.
Sure, cooking would be the proper thing to do—but since it was just the two of us, I'd rather use that time to keep studying.
My parents were at work, and my cute little sister went to a friend's house to play and have fun. Must be nice not having to worry about exams… I wish I could go back to elementary school! …No, on second thought, maybe not. Kids can be cruel.
Setting aside my unpleasant grade school memories—one would think that after studying with Yumiko, I'd be able to relax for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
Because, by coincidence or not, the same topic came up when I was talking with Kawasaki. She told me history was one of the subjects she was doing terribly in. Luckily for me, I'm not too bad at it—it's mostly about remembering dates and important figures from Japanese history.
While we talked, she seemed like she wanted to ask me something. After knowing her for several months, I could tell what it was, even if she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Since I'd mentioned I wasn't bad at the subject, it was obvious she wanted me to help her review. Seeing how awkward it was for her, I decided to bring it up myself.
Either way, even if she had asked, I would've said yes—begrudgingly. So I might as well save her the trouble. That's why she was coming over to my house that afternoon to study. If she's the one who needs help, I'm not going to her place. Helping her study is already more than enough.
In short, after finishing my session with Yumiko, it would be Kawasaki's turn. I'm terrible at scheduling.
I could've just studied with both of them at once, but I had a strange feeling—as if putting those two in the same room would spell disaster for me. So that idea was tossed out immediately.
Oh well. At least today, a Saturday in February, I'd be playing the role of sensei for two troublesome girls.
Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I focused on tidying up my room. It wasn't messy, since I always kept it clean—but I cleared some space on my desk and organized the novels and papers I tended to leave lying around.
Why use my room instead of the living room? Am I expecting this to end with a different kind of outcome?
The answer is no—I chose my room because it's a place I'm used to, and I have everything I need close at hand.
Is that a lousy excuse?
Not at all. If I had ulterior motives, I wouldn't have chosen my room in the first place—I'd have gone for the living room. Being a teenager with hormones running wild, having two beauties in my room could be too much for me. But before being a teenager, I'm an adult, so I know how to keep that under control.
Besides, like any teenager, I find my own ways to deal with the urges that come with this stage of life.
Long live technology! Maybe I'll buy a pair of VR glasses. The Japanese sure know how to adapt to new trends fast.
"That should do it."
I glanced around my room—it looked tidier than usual. I'd already set up all the materials on my desk, along with the questions and topics I'd prepared for each of them in advance.
It's harder to prepare study material for others than for yourself…
I yawned as I left my room, having just heard the doorbell ring.
Yumiko was—as expected—perfectly punctual, so I went downstairs and opened the front door.
"Good morning, Raiden," she greeted me with her usual straight face.
"Hey, Yumiko," I nodded.
Without another word, she took off her shoes—black boots today—and walked straight into the living room.
A cream blouse under a fuchsia jacket and brown jeans. That was Yumiko's outfit for the day.
As for me, since I wasn't going anywhere, I was wearing a black tracksuit and blue pants. I'm a simple guy; I prefer comfort.
"Kuro, you're as cute as ever!"
Like always, Yumiko went straight to Kuro, who was lying on the couch, and immediately started petting and cuddling him.
My black cat—hence the name—settled comfortably on her lap, enjoying the softness of her thighs.
"Nya~" he purred.
I wish I were a cat…
"If you're done spoiling my cat, can we start our study session?"
She was supposed to be here to study. Hopefully she wouldn't notice I was jealous of my own cat.
"Are you jealous of your cat? How adorable."
To make things worse, Kuro meowed again, as if laughing at me.
"I am," I admitted without hesitation. "I'd like to be in his spot too."
Yumiko blinked at my honesty, then burst into laughter.
"Maybe in another life—if you're a cute little kitten~"
Completely rejected. Not that I expected anything else. Still, maybe I'll reincarnate as a cat someday—could be worse.
"Kuro, go somewhere else. You're distracting Yumiko."
My cat might look lazy, but at least he listens. He jumped off her lap and slipped through the back door into the yard. Since he used to be a stray, roaming around was still part of his routine.
"You're so strict…"
"You're the one who begged me for a review session. Don't start calling me strict now." I sighed.
"Such a grump," she teased, standing up from the couch. "So, where are we studying?" she asked, tilting her head the way she always does.
"In my room. It's upstairs."
"Oh? How bold of you," she said with a smug little smile.
"If you want to leave, the door's right there. Saves me the trouble," I said, already heading toward my room.
"You love teasing people, but you can't handle being teased yourself. How cute~"
Honestly, this girl doesn't care where we study. Her level of trust in me is… almost concerning. I've noticed that since last month.
"Oh, your room is kind of… ordinary, isn't it?"
The moment we stepped inside, Yumiko gave her brutally honest opinion.
"Should I take that as an insult?"
"I don't think so."
I chose to ignore her.
"Let's not waste time. Sit on that side and let's start."
I sat at my desk and began organizing the study materials.
Yumiko ignored me completely and crouched to look under my bed.
"Is this where you hide your dirty magazines?"
"Where did you even get that idea?"
Is she out of her mind?
"I saw it on some forums," she said in her usual calm tone.
"Maybe focus more on studying than reading nonsense online."
"Don't be shy, it's normal for someone your age."
I grabbed a thin notebook, rolled it up, and walked toward her.
"Ouch! Why'd you do that!?"
I gave her a light tap on the head.
"Did you come here to inspect my room or to study?"
I'd really prefer she stopped snooping, even if I had nothing to hide.
"Both, maybe?" she said, standing up with a guilty look.
I tapped her once more with the notebook.
"Ouch—okay, okay, stop hitting me…"
"Then sit down and let's start."
She sat reluctantly.
"You're so boring. So, you really don't have any of those magazines?"
I needed to clear this up or she'd just keep going on about it.
"I don't know what forum convinced you guys that people my age keep erotic magazines, but nowadays we have technology. You can watch any kind of video online without hiding anything."
Technology really changed the world—you can find anything if you know where to look. And if you can't afford memberships, there are always those other sites that, in exchange for flooding your computer with malware, give you plenty of free content.
Not that I'm speaking from experience… it's not like I ever had to reformat my computer for something like that…
"That's disgusting…" she said, giving me a look of pure disgust.
"You're the one who brought it up."
"But the way you said it, like you're proud of it, is just weird."
"You were the one who said it's normal and happens to every guy my age, so it's not exactly shocking."
"When you put it like that, I guess it makes sense."
I glanced at the clock—it had only been twenty minutes since Yumiko arrived, and all we'd talked about was adult magazines.
"Let's drop the topic."
If she doesn't study enough today, she'll definitely ask me for help again next Saturday—and I'm not signing up for that.
"By the way, what about Rumi?"
"She's at one of her friends' houses."
"I see… so it's just the two of us?"
"That's right."
"Alone, in your room."
"Correct," I replied.
"Is this some plan to seduce me or something?"
I tightened my grip on the notebook, and Yumiko instantly flinched.
"I'm kidding! Don't hit me with that—it'll really hurt!" she said in a panic.
"If you've got time to joke around, use it to read!"
This girl really tests my patience.
I'm well aware she's beautiful—slim, graceful, and it's no wonder she's considered the most attractive girl in school. How did I ever manage to ignore her before?
Any other guy would be nervous right now, maybe even fantasizing about certain scenarios, but that's not me. I know her too well.
If anyone else knew Yumiko the way I do, their illusion of the perfect girl would shatter instantly.
"Alright, alright, Raiden-sensei~"
A strange chill went down my spine when she used that tone—way too sweet to be normal for her.
"So you're the type who learns better with… special methods?"
"Raiden… I was joking. Put that notebook down—it looks like it's about to snap…" she said, clearly frightened.
"Guess I'll have to use some old-fashioned teaching methods."
Shame I don't have a bamboo sword handy.
"That's not allowed anymore…" she muttered, trying to back away—only to bump into my bed and fall onto it.
"We're all alone. No one will hear you scream," I said with a sinister grin.