As the day went on, Urara was once again inside her classroom, but her head had already surrendered to the desk.
Her cheeks melted flat against the wooden surface as she quietly dozed off, her soft breathing competing with the voice of her teacher.
Unbeknownst to her, the teacher had already approached. Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, her patience thinning.
*Ahem!*
She cleared her throat, trying to rouse the pink-haired culprit.
Urara didn't flinch.
"Urara!" the teacher barked.
With a startled yawn, Urara slowly peeled her face off the desk. "Yes…?" she mumbled, eyes still half-shut.
"Please stop dozing off during classes!" The teacher's voice carried the exhaustion of someone who had repeated this speech far too many times. "Your grades haven't been great ever since!"
Trying to brush off her frustration, the teacher cleared her throat again and straightened her posture. "Anyway—"
"Teacher, is your throat hurt?" Urara suddenly asked with genuine concern, tilting her head.
"That's not the point!" the teacher retorted.
She sighed in defeat before forcing herself back on track. "Anyway, I want you to answer that question on the board." She pointed at the chalkboard, where the words gleamed:
What are the five classics in the Twinkle series?
"Yes..." Urara sluggishly agreed, dragging herself up and swaying toward the board.
Then, soon, she was standing before the board. She mumbled, "O… o…"
Resulting from her repeated offense of sleeping in class, she was indeed clueless about the question, resorting only to stalling for time.
Until then, she slowly pivoted toward her back, toward the class, her eyes scanning for salvation.
And then—she found her target. Mary Jane.
Her pink pupils widened in exaggerated pity, silently begging. Her lips quivered, her tail flicked like a desperate plea.
Upon realizing, Mary quickly dodged it, acting as if she didn't see her. And she was nothing but a wind that passed through.
While thinking she was safe, Urara's plea only intensified when Urara somehow stepped a little bit closer to her.
Sensing her desperate plea, even without looking directly at her.
Without a choice, Mary groaned under her breath, rubbing her temple. Finally, she relented.
With a deep sigh, she scribbled in her notebook, pressing hard enough for the letters to pop bold against the page.
She lifted it just high enough for Urara to see:
Oka Sho, Satsuki Sho, Japanese Oaks, Japanese Derby, and Kikka Sho.
Urara's eyes lit up, her whole body jolting with joy. Her tail wagged fiercely as she quickly copied the words onto the board, throwing Mary a grateful smile while practically turning toward Mary for the answers every few seconds.
The act was so blatant, so obvious, that even the teacher caught it without trying.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling in defeat, feeling that stopping Urara at this point was pointless.
Then, after a few minutes of back and forth scribbling from the answer given by Mary.
Urara finally finished scribbling. She spun around, puffed her chest proudly, and declared, "Here you go, teach! Urara did it!"
But when the teacher leaned in, she released an even deeper sigh from before.
Of the five names, of all the answers given, all of them were written brazenly incorrectly.
Given that, most of it was in Kanji, the very kryptonite of Urara. And for that reason, Urara had butchered them beyond recognition, one even with the considerate attempts.
Mary slid her face down into her palm, groaning. The class laughed at it.
While her teacher was already beaten down by resignation and thanked her nonetheless, "Thank you, Urara, for the answers… Please… head back to your seat."
Meanwhile, Urara beamed as though she'd just solved the mysteries of the universe. She swayed back to her desk, tail wagging proudly, while Mary buried her face deeper into her palm.
This debacle went on for a little more... Before her teacher took back the wheel, resuming her session with the class, while correcting Urara's diabolical handwriting.
...
...
Sometimes later...
The final bell rang, and the school day came to an end. Students cheered, books slammed shut, and chairs screeched as everyone bolted for the door. Urara, too, leapt to her feet, already bouncing with excitement.
But just as she was about to dash out, the teacher's voice latched out, landing right onto her feet.
"Urara. Mary. Stay behind a moment."
Urara froze in place, though her fiasco earlier was expected. But Mary wasn't.
Then, both froze in place. Urara tilted her head in confusion while Mary stiffened.
Something told them this wasn't going to end well.
After a few minutes passed, the classroom emptied, with only the three of them remaining.
The teacher clasped her hands, clearing her throat, and remained seated by the desk in the front of the classroom.
Two of them then stood, side by side, one more eager than another, before their teacher.
"A… I don't know how to put this, but, Mary, I might need you to help tutor Urara." said their teacher.
Mary's eyes shot wide. "What?!"
Meanwhile, Urara lit up like the sun. "Whoa!!! Mary-chan, we can finally spend time together!" she squealed, bouncing in place.
"No way! I— I— I have training to attend to!" Mary blurted, searching for any escape.
"Maybe you can visit Urara after school?" the teacher suggested with a calm smile. "I heard you both live quite near each other. And it might be reasonable for you to study together. Besides, based on your recent grades, it shouldn't be a problem for you to guide Urara, Mary! From my experience, teaching others indeed expands the extent of your own knowledge! It should help you deepen your understanding, too!"
Mary opened her mouth, but no sound came out. "I… I—!" Her words choked in her throat. Every excuse that popped into her head shriveled before it reached her tongue.
"I don't mind!" Urara chimed in, her tail wagging frantically. "Urara is excited!"
Mary's stomach sank. She turned to the teacher, still clinging to any last excuse. "But… I… Urara and I… we're not that close!"
"While the fruit isn't borne in one day," the teacher replied smoothly, "consider this an ice-breaking session. Who knows? You two might bond deeper than the roots of a tree."
Mary's mouth hung open, speechless.
The teacher slapped her hands together, pleased with herself. "Excellent. Thank you for your hard work, Mary! This will help me a lot! I promise your hard work will not go unnoticed!" She begged.
Then, immediately, her teacher began to gather her books and papers and headed for the door.
But before she stepped out, she paused, peering back at them with a sly smile.
"Oh, by the way, Mary," she added, "if Urara doesn't score any better from before… I'll be deducting a few marks from your own score."
"What?! That's not fair!" Mary snapped, but the teacher had already vanished down the hall, "See ya!" leaving her words echoing pointlessly in the empty classroom.
Urara, on the other hand, was practically glowing. "Mary-chan! Study buddies! This is going to be so much fun!"
Mary dropped her head from her neck, swaying around in defeat, wondering how her life had come to this.
Mary sighed in utter defeat, dragging a hand down her face. "Why…" she muttered under her breath, "of all people, it had to be her…"
"What's wrong, Mary-chan?" Urara popped up beside her, her trademark grin shining as if she hadn't noticed Mary's growing despair.
"You know what," Mary snapped, turning sharply toward her, "if I end up losing marks because of your mediocre performance, I will never forgive you."
"Yes, sir!" Urara immediately saluted, her tail swishing proudly.
Mary's eyebrow twitched. "…And stop with those silly responses!"
Then, with that, they began to gather and, too, departed from the classroom.
As they left the classroom, Mary's face was clouded with irritation. She quickened her pace, heading toward the training ground.
Behind her, Urara trailed like an enthusiastic puppy, humming a tune as if she had already forgotten the scolding.
Mary stopped at the school entrance, turning back with a sigh. "Stop following me. I'm going to training now. So, it's better if you head home first."
But Urara clasped her hands behind her back, bouncing on her heels. "I can wait for you! Besides, I was thinking about training too! Don't forget—Urara joined the upcoming race!"
Mary groaned, pressing a palm to her temple. "Just… head home already."
But Urara wasn't listening. Her humming grew louder, cheerful, and unshaken.
Mary realized persuasion like this wouldn't work on a knucklehead like her unless she tried something… different.
Minutes passed as Mary schemed in her head, searching for the perfect bait. Finally, she drew a deep breath.
"Urara…" she muttered reluctantly.
"Hm?" Urara tilted her head.
"If… if you go home now, I… I…" Mary stuttered, her cheeks heating up. The words caught in her throat. It was far more embarrassing than she'd anticipated.
"I… I'll consider… training with you too…" she finally managed to force out.
The effect was instant. Urara's eyes widened, glowing like twin suns. "Whoa! Training with Mary-chan?!" she squealed, her entire body vibrating with joy.
"Y-yes…" Mary admitted, her face flushed as she turned away, hiding her expression.
"Alright! Urara understood!" Urara saluted again before skipping off down the street. "See you later, Mary-chan! Bye-bye!"
Then, Urara had faded into the background.
Mary exhaled, her shoulders sagging with relief. She had successfully diverted her.
"…Tch. What have I done..." she cursed under her breath.
"Well, maybe if all I have to do is keep acting busy when she asks again. I can skim through this promise," Mary muttered under her breath, scheaming already again.
"Alright..." Mary nodded to herself, "Let's leave," before advancing back to the training ground.