With no major issues, the pop quiz was over and would be returned the next day. The content was quite easy, but it would've been a disaster if I hadn't figured out the pair-matching rule.
"Now, we will announce the pairs for the final exam."
As I was relieved, looking at my perfect score, Chabashira-sensei, as usual, posted everyone's pop quiz results on the blackboard. Students sitting next to each other would form a pair. The pairings were Suzune-chan and Sudō-kun, Kushida-san and Ike-kun, and me and Yamauchi-kun. My pairing was fine academically, but Yamauchi-kun seems to dislike me, so I'm a bit worried about that.
"... Seriously?"
As I was thinking this, Kiyotaka-kun was staring at the posted paper in a daze. I thought he was planning to get a score in the middle, but did he fail?
"Who did you get... Oh, wow, what an amazing guy."
The name written next to Kiyotaka-kun's was Satō Maya, the girl he recently exchanged contact information with. He has the talent of a dating sim protagonist to get this pairing. I'm impressed.
"Good for you, Kiyotaka-kun! The world is on your side!"
I said with a smile and a thumbs-up.
"... You say that like it's someone else's problem."
Well, there's nothing more interesting than other people's problems, right?
---------
After the pairs were decided, we talked about how to hold the study session. The conclusion was a two-part system: Part 1 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM with Suzune-chan as supervisor, and Part 2 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM with Yōsuke-kun as supervisor. People without club activities would attend Part 1, and those with clubs would attend Part 2.
"I don't have a job, is that okay?"
"You'll be in charge of the final push starting a week before the exam. By then, club activities will be on break, so make sure you've mastered your own studies by then."
Ugh... that sounds tough. But I guess it's fine.
"Bummer, Tsugumi. Top students have it rough."
"You're totally taunting me."
"It's payback for what you said earlier."
You say that like it's someone else's problem... Wait, that's exactly what I said earlier.
"Well, either way, it looks like we can manage. The pairs were decided as planned, and the study sessions should go well with you guys as instructors."
"Yeah. Even if Yamauchi-kun gets a zero, we'll make it work. Especially since our opponent is Ryūen-kun's class this time, we have to study properly."
By the way, our class's opponent is Ryūen's class. We'll be fighting both offensively and defensively, so if we lose, there will be a 100-point class point difference. The questions will probably be nasty, so if we don't solidify the basics, we might not be able to score at all. As I was making this prediction, an unexpected problem arose.
"... Can I talk to you for a bit?"
The students who came to us were ones I hadn't talked to much in the class. They had a troubled, apologetic look on their faces.
"Miyake-kun? What's wrong?"
It was Miyake Akito-kun, who was a key player in the sports festival, and Hasebe-san, who was a victim of Ike-kun and Yamauchi-kun's stares during the pool class early in the school year. The two of them were surprisingly cool-headed types, which was a rare combination among the noisy members of Class C.
"Oh, are you two a pair for the final exam?"
"Yeah, we're a pair, but our test strengths and weaknesses are exactly the same. We're a bit stuck, so we wanted some advice."
Miyake-kun handed me their midterm test papers. After asking Hasebe-san for permission to look, I opened the folded answer sheets.
"Ah... I see."
"... Their answers are surprisingly similar. Not just the subjects, but even the correct and incorrect tendencies are alike."
Suzune-chan, who was peeking at the answer sheets from the side, had the same impression and muttered in a troubled voice. Suzune-chan looked apologetic, but it would be difficult to pair them up based on strengths and weaknesses, even if they could adjust the scores to some extent. This just couldn't be helped.
"But this is a problem. I don't want to make the study scope and methods too complicated..."
It would be quite a burden for Suzune-chan, who has to supervise the studies of nearly 10 people, to also handle their weak subjects.
"Then I can take a look? There's hardly any burden with just two people."
It would be cruel to send them to Yōsuke-kun's or Kushida-san's groups. They probably wouldn't get along well with the students in those study sessions. I thought this and made the suggestion, but Hasebe-san's reaction was lukewarm.
"Ah... I'll pass. I'm scared of the other girls' jealousy."
"... I see."
"... Heh, heh heh."
So that's a factor too. My perfect suggestion was rejected. Kiyotaka-kun was holding back laughter behind me. Why does that make me so annoyed?
"But the two of you have very similar weaknesses. If you go into the final exam like this, you might clear the total score, but you could still fall below the required minimum of 60 points for each subject."
"Yeah, but still."
Hasebe-san looked slightly displeased, turned her gaze away from Suzune-chan, and started to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"Miyacchi. I appreciate the invitation, but I guess this isn't the right approach for me."
Hasebe-san said this and left the classroom alone.
"Sorry, you two."
"I'm fine. Should I teach just you, Miyake-kun?"
"... I guess so. If I start getting taught, maybe Hasebe will be motivated to join. Can I ask you to do that?"
"Okay."
Hmm, he doesn't seem very enthusiastic... He just seems uncomfortable, but will it be okay?
"Thank you, Saitō. I'll try to convince Hasebe again myself."
Miyake-kun said this and returned to his seat. I'm a little worried, but there's nothing we can do but try.
"We might need to think about what to do if Miyake-kun can't convince her. I'll try to adjust my schedule to make time."
"You're working too hard, Suzune-chan. You have to make problems for the first study session, too."
"But what else can we do if there are no other options?"
"Well, that's true..."
From her expression, she probably wouldn't want to go to the study session that Kushida-san is teaching, and I can't teach them one-on-one. Just as it seemed Suzune-chan would have to take care of Miyake-kun and the others, another student, who hadn't been in the discussion circle, approached us. The person who interrupted our conversation was Yukimura-kun.
"Yukimura-kun, I'd welcome your cooperation. You have the right attitude toward studying and the academic ability to match. But are you sure? I thought you didn't like this kind of socializing."
"At the very least, if we don't cooperate, we won't be able to get through this exam perfectly. It's the same for you, Horikita. That's why you tried to take on everything yourself."
Perhaps inspired by Suzune-chan's change, Yukimura-kun offered to take on the study session himself.
"That's a huge help, Yukimura-kun. I can trust you with them."
"And Saitō, you won't be able to study much during the last week, will you? Then, until then, study to make sure you don't get expelled. After all, your partner is Yamauchi. Even you're in danger, right?"
Yamauchi-kun, who was last with a passing grade by a hair during the last midterm, has an ironclad reputation.
"But there's one other problem. I can teach them, but I don't have a connection with Miyake or Hasebe. Judging by how the two of them looked, it won't be easy. You guys need to figure out how to persuade them and get them to the study session."
"Then I have a great idea!"
"...? What is it, Tsugumi-kun?"
I felt the corners of my mouth rise at the perfect plan I had come up with, and I whispered into Suzune-chan's ear.
"I see. That's a good plan. With that, someone who isn't a top student could handle it."
Suzune-chan laughed quietly after hearing it. It seems we were thinking the exact same thing. Our gazes turned to Kiyotaka-kun, who had been silently watching the whole time.
"... Huh? Me?"
Kiyotaka-kun pointed at his own face. When Suzune-chan and I nodded in response, he looked up at the ceiling and put his hand on his forehead.
"Seriously?"
"Dead serious."
---------
"... Why me?"
"Well, I think it's the optimal solution, really. You seem to get along well with Miyake-kun and the others, and you and Yukimura-kun are close, right?"
Tsugumi said this while patting me on the back... I guess I have no choice. I have my reservations, but I'll cooperate with them on this much. After school, I immediately started preparing. I called out to Yukimura, and then to Miyake. We were going to hold a study session. Tsugumi had gotten their prior consent. According to Hasebe, Yukimura was fine... It's a cruel statement, but it's better than having someone get expelled.
Despite the hiccup of Hasebe leaving the classroom early, we all arrived at the study session's designated location, Pallet.
"So... well. I guess, nice to meet you."
Yukimura sat next to me, Hasebe across from me, and Miyake next to Hasebe. I have no idea how such a group came together, but we were an incongruous group of four.
"If you have any questions, I'll take them first."
As soon as I asked, Hasebe, the only girl in the group, lightly raised her hand and spoke.
"Ayanokōji-kun is surprisingly quiet."
"... That's the first question you come up with?"
Hasebe looked at me with some interest. I was speaking in my usual, unchanged tone, but...
"Because you were always with Saitō-kun and Horikita-san, right? And you were amazing at the sports festival. I thought you were the complete opposite type from us."
... I'm usually quiet in the classroom, though. It's true that I was splashing around with Tsugumi in the river during the uninhabited island exam and was having fun at the sports festival, but I'm surprised she had that impression of me.
"Were you in the track and field club in middle school, Ayanokōji? And didn't you get scouted by track and field clubs when they saw you like that?"
"Ah, well, I did get some offers. But I turned them down. Tsugumi seems to have participated in a competition as a substitute."
Apparently, he got first place by a landslide in the 100m and 200m at the prefectural tournament. He happily talked about the upcoming national tournament. I wondered why he didn't just officially join the club, but he just wanted the points that came with good results.
"To be honest, I've never been in a club, so I don't know anything about it."
"Is that so? What a waste."
As the conversation continued about me, Yukimura listened without saying a word. Without caring about his reaction, Hasebe shifted the topic to Miyake.
"Miyacchi, you're in the archery club, right? Is it fun to shoot a bow every day?"
"I wouldn't do it if it wasn't fun. And by the way, you shoot arrows, not bows."
"I'm not interested in clubs. As long as I can have fun every day, that's enough for me."
The two of them are quite different from the impression I had of them. They talk more than I expected.
'The quiet ones are surprisingly noisy, Kiyotaka-kun, and you're no different.'
Tsugumi's voice in my head taunted me. It sounded so much like something he would say that I felt a shiver of fear at my own imagination. To get the atmosphere back on track, Yukimura cleared his throat and started talking.
"Sorry to interrupt, but let's begin. Did you both bring your test papers from the first semester and the last midterm, as I instructed?"
"We did, yeah."
Hasebe replied, and Miyake nodded. They took the papers out of their bags and handed them to Yukimura. I glanced at the papers and checked the contents at the same time.
-To put it bluntly, they were both complete science and math types. The math scores were around 70 points, which was high compared to the average, but their scores in Japanese and world history were around 40 points, a very delicate line. It was no wonder they were worried.
"I understand your tendencies. I'll take some time to think about a study method."
"Got it. I guess we'll just have some tea and wait?"
Hasebe immediately took out her phone and relaxed. In this day and age, you can easily kill time with just a phone. Should I just play with my phone too, or what?
I suddenly felt a gaze on me, and I casually looked in that direction. A few male students were looking at us and making a phone call. I recognized the three students from Class C. I only knew the name of the one in the middle, Ishizaki. I hope it's not trouble... Is it just a coincidence?
"Can't you do something about it?!"
As I was thinking that, Ishizaki suddenly shouted. From what I overheard later, they were arguing about a cake reservation. Were they celebrating someone's birthday?
"What was that?"
Hasebe twirled a pen and looked at Ishizaki and the others with a slightly disgusted expression.
"No idea. It has nothing to do with us."
Yukimura wasn't interested and was writing something down while looking at their midterm tests. He was probably figuring out their weaknesses and what measures to take.
"Cake..."
I wasn't interested in what Ishizaki and the others were talking about, but it reminded me that tomorrow was my birthday. To be honest, I have no image of how a normal person spends their birthday. It was just another year passing. I wasn't ignorant. I knew that a birthday was a day to be celebrated by family, lovers, and friends. I just didn't understand the emotions behind it.
"What's wrong, Ayanokōji-kun?"
Lately, videos of people doing birthday surprises have been popping up on video sites. I never had any interest in them before, but now I feel a little bit envious.
"No, it's nothing."
-With those complicated feelings, I drank the lukewarm coffee left in my cup.
============
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