I stayed focused on reading to unwind after Yumiko left, since I'd been helping her study. Even so, my day isn't over yet.
My plan was to relax until my next student arrived, but the moment I heard the doorbell, I knew my brief break had come to an end.
"She sure took her time…"
I put the light novel back on the shelf and went downstairs to answer the door.
"You're late," I said, my tone carrying a hint of boredom.
She raised an eyebrow the moment I opened the door and said that.
"Don't blame me. I ran into an annoying person and we ended up arguing," she said, clearly irritated.
"For you to be that upset, they must've really gotten on your nerves."
"Don't even remind me… How can people be so clueless that they walk around glued to their phones without paying attention?"
"Nowadays, that's pretty common."
Technology keeps making people more and more dependent on their phones.
"And the worst part? After bumping into me, do you think they apologized? Not at all. They blamed me and told me to be more careful…" she sighed.
"That person must've had a lot of guts to talk back to you like that."
Kawasaki was wearing a black tank top that, as expected of that kind of outfit, showed a bit of cleavage. Over it, she had an unzipped blue jacket and a pair of black jeans. No matter how you look at her, with her rough, unfeminine style, she gives off the vibe of a delinquent—someone who could knock you out without much effort.
That's why it's hard to imagine anyone daring not to back off after bumping into her.
Of course, there's always that type of guy who gets too confident after being distracted by a "pair of mountains," so he probably underestimated her.
"Just some girl with an inflated ego," she said, snorting.
"A girl, huh?"
That description immediately made me think of a certain person, but then I remembered that time at the mall, where they seemed to repel each other like oil and water, so I dismissed the idea. Besides, Yumiko can't be the only girl who fits that description.
"So, did you teach her a lesson?"
I could easily picture Kawasaki pinning that girl down until she begged for mercy and apologized.
"What do you take me for?" she said, sounding offended by the implication that she was some kind of delinquent stereotype.
"I could list plenty of adjectives, like—" I stopped the moment I noticed the menacing aura she gave off, glaring at me as if she might end my life right then. "Anyway, come in."
I stepped aside so Kawasaki could enter.
"Let's just drop it. I don't want to talk about it anymore," she said grumpily as she walked in.
That girl was really lucky—she narrowly escaped Kawasaki's wrath.
Kawasaki slipped off her shoes and headed toward the living room.
"Second floor. The room with the open door," I said.
Without asking anything, she went straight to my room after I pointed the way.
Quite the contrast from a certain blonde girl.
Comparing them is pointless, so I stopped.
Once in my room, Kawasaki sat down in front of the desk and pulled out some study materials—books and notes on history.
"So, let me guess: you don't like reading, and you're bad at remembering all those complex character names and dates."
"Is it that obvious?" she asked, looking at me curiously.
"It's the most common problem for students who struggle with history."
A lack of interest in reading, combined with the difficulty of memorizing countless dates of important events, makes history a subject that few people enjoy.
"I can't help it—I end up getting bored when I read, and I lose focus…" she said, turning her gaze away from the book she was holding.
Another common problem is not having the habit of reading. Liking books doesn't necessarily mean you'll find every type of text entertaining.
"The same thing happens to me. Even though I enjoy reading works with fun themes, history isn't that interesting when you're not curious about the events of the past."
"If you say it with that much confidence, you must have some way of making it entertaining, right?"
"That's correct."
I adjusted the imaginary glasses I always pretend to wear, trying to give the impression that I was about to say something incredibly important.
"So, what's the trick?"
"There isn't one," I said confidently.
Kawasaki looked at me in confusion.
"Huh?"
It seems she's looking at an idiot—my mistake, I guess I didn't explain myself well.
"The reason some people find reading interesting is because of their ability to imagine the different scenarios described in books."
She nodded, signaling me to continue.
"Speaking for myself, whenever I read—whether it's history or light novels—I always try to picture the scenes clearly. For example, when reading about the wars during Japan's feudal era, it becomes entertaining because I imagine the battles and clashes that took place. So…"
"That way, once you're interested and create a little story in your mind, remembering the names of important people and the dates of those events becomes much easier, right?"
Kawasaki cut me off, taking the words right out of my mouth.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," I nodded, noticing she understood.
When something is hard to grasp, it's best to relate it to something you like. I, for example, am a fan of action anime and manga, so when I read about Japan's civil wars, I visualize the scenes of those battles in my mind.
"That makes a lot of sense… hmm." Kawasaki looked thoughtful. "But how do I stop myself from getting distracted?"
It's a problem I have too—sometimes I get distracted easily, especially by my own thoughts, drifting away from the topic.
"It's something you overcome with time. Once you get used to reading consistently, you'll be able to concentrate without getting distracted—but it's normal, so don't overthink it."
You don't develop a love for reading overnight. It's something you acquire slowly.
For example, in my previous life I hated reading as a kid—whether it was stories or short tales. I thought it was stupid to waste my time on books.
That changed in high school, when a friend recommended a movie. I really enjoyed it, but he told me the adaptation was weak and the book was a hundred times better. If I liked the movie that much, how good would the book be?
The next day, he lent me the book. It wasn't too large, but it had over 400 pages. That very night, I finished it. I got so absorbed in the story that I didn't realize how fast time went by.
That's how I developed a deep interest in books, and later on, I discovered light novels.
The downside was having to wait for translations, since obviously, in my previous life I wasn't Japanese—so I depended on others translating them.
Even though I have no issue reading light novels now, the only limiting factor is how long authors take to release new volumes.
"I don't think I have any other choice. I'll take your advice," she said calmly.
Her words brought me back to reality. It seems I still have the problem of drifting off into my thoughts…
Kawasaki picked up one of the history books she brought and started reading.
I guess I should do my part as well.
The book Kawasaki is holding is one recommended by schools, so I have a copy too.
Stretching out my arm, I grabbed my phone, flipped it open, and skimmed through the contents.
Sure, I'd already gone over everything before, but my mind isn't exactly prodigy-level enough to retain every detail. If it were, I'd probably remember everything that's supposed to happen in this story I'm stuck in—how ironic. Still waiting for my cheat abilities to appear.
With a small shake of my head, I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present.
There's no point thinking about things that have no solution—something I know perfectly well, even if part of me refuses to accept it.
I started taking notes as I turned the pages. My reading speed is that of someone used to reading, so it's faster than Kawasaki's, giving me enough time to prepare some quizzes.
Maybe I'll be a great sensei someday? Hahaha.
I laughed internally at the thought; with luck, I'll end up as your average office worker.
…
"Your result was better than I expected. That's a big improvement."
"That was unexpected…"
For the past few hours, Kawasaki focused on reading while I asked her questions about the material. This time, I made sure to give her breaks every now and then—I don't want her falling asleep too.
Once she finished the most important sections, I handed her the quizzes I'd made, and her results were above average.
"Just keep doing it like this and you shouldn't have any trouble getting used to the reading habit."
Subjects like history depend mostly on reading and your ability to retain information, so it's not something you necessarily need another person to explain to you.
"I didn't expect to get a better result… I still can't believe it," she said thoughtfully.
"Is it really that surprising?"
I know Kawasaki doesn't look like the smartest girl on the planet, but I don't think she's an idiot.
"History has always been one of my worst subjects. I've barely passed it with the minimum score."
"You're exaggerating."
"You say that like you've never had a subject that gave you trouble."
She's right—I'm not perfect, just another human being, and I've got plenty of flaws. And if we're talking about school subjects, there's one in particular.
"In my case, I hate math."
Vague memories from my past life surfaced—how I despised that subject.
If math were just reading, I'd be a brilliant mathematician, but reality isn't that simple.
Having to memorize formulas is hard enough without adding letters into the mix. Who was the degenerate who came up with that?
"Even so, you still have high grades."
"For now, I can barely keep up. But in high school, the required level shoots to the sky, and I won't be able to match it."
"Isn't it just a matter of putting in time and studying?"
A perfectly reasonable thing to say—anyone would come to that conclusion.
"That's true, but I'm not the type to put time into something I don't like."
"When you put it like that, you sound exactly like the guy I first met."
"Incredible and talented?"
"Honest and stupid."
As usual, she didn't hold back.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
She kept a straight face before bursting into laughter, and I followed right after.
Like a pair of idiots, we found it funny.
As time goes on, Kawasaki behaves with more confidence around me—a huge change from the first time we spoke.
A clear example of that is her asking me for help studying—and even agreeing to come to my house.
"Tsurumi, I want to thank you."
Her sudden words pulled me out of my thoughts.
"No need," I said, showing no interest.
She stood up and bowed.
"I'm sure you'd rather be doing something else with your time, so… thank you."
She had a point.
"Yeah, I wish I'd spent my day relaxing and messing around," I sighed. "But if you ask me for a hand, I'll help."
Before, I would've refused without a second thought, but after these past few months… maybe something in me has changed. I'm not sure.
"That's why I hesitated to ask, but you were faster. I didn't want to be a bother," she said, looking away.
I've noticed this ever since I met her, but I never thought much of it since we were just acquaintances. Now things feel a bit different—at least, I think they do.
"You must think you're pretty important to imagine you could ever bother me," I said with arrogance.
When I think of the word bother, another girl's face—not Kawasaki's—shows up in my mind.
"Huh?" She looked back at me. "I didn't mean it like that…"
"Subtlety doesn't suit you, Kawasaki. You're more of the straightforward, action-type girl."
Ever since I met her, she's always been like that. But thinking about it now, there's one thing I've consistently noticed: she never asks anyone for help.
"Am I that easy to read?"
"I'm a good observer."
"Isn't that something a stalker would say?"
"Who knows." I shook my head with a small smile.
"There are times when I can't tell what you're thinking." She sat down again.
"I think about a lot of things, and I don't mind saying what's on my mind."
Sure, sometimes I try to be subtle, but most of the time I don't hold back.
"I know. You're too honest." She smiled, as if remembering all those times I just said whatever I thought—which is most of the time.
"I heard it's something girls like."
Oh, yeah. I read that on some internet forums.
"I don't know what world you live in, but being completely honest isn't as good as it sounds."
"Mmm." I brought a hand to my chin. "Honesty is something they teach us as kids. Just like how, if we need something, we can ask others for help. Don't you think so, Kawasaki?"
She looked at me and hesitated before answering.
I'm no mind reader—though sometimes it seems like it—but I can guess there's a specific reason why Kawasaki hates asking others for anything. It's something I've picked up after all the time we've spent together.
Maybe I'm wrong and it's just her personality, but seeing her now reminded me a bit of myself.
"Haven't they told you you're too observant?" She raised an eyebrow.
"More times than you think. Someone even called me a stalker not long ago."
"Seriously…"
She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, as if unsure about something.
I'm not someone who should poke around in her life, and I have no right to know things that don't concern me. I'm aware of that.
But… seeing her reminded me of a certain part of myself—specifically when I was a kid in my previous life. You learn and change through experience, even more when you've lived twice.
Knowing Kawasaki, she's not the type to share certain things. Even so, her expression tells me she's not unwilling… she just doesn't know how.
I'm starting to think she doesn't really understand what words are for.
A hidden reason for wanting to know more about her? There isn't one—just simple curiosity. After all, humans are curious creatures.
A bad excuse? Who knows…
"Since we've got time before sunset, want to hear a story about a friend of mine?" I asked with a light tone.
Kawasaki looked at me with curiosity.
"That's unusual coming from you."
"I'm used to it," I said casually.
"I don't have anything better to do right now, so I'll listen."
With her agreement, I started to tell a short story.