Chapter 89: Tactical Study Session
Saturday afternoon. A study group at a family restaurant.
This family restaurant is a hidden gem; they're lenient as long as you order something, even if you study for a long time.
Of course, that doesn't apply when it's crowded, but today it's not too packed.
Koji "Oh, casual clothes... no, pure bliss..."
Hiroshi "Amazing. So vibrant."
"..."
Class Rep Takahashi-san is wearing a knit set-up, right? Brown on top, white on the bottom, a cute fluffy outfit.
Top clique girl Ninomiya-san is in a black dress with boots, looking like a mature lady.
Nagase-san is in a beige knit with tight denim pants, wearing a trench coat over it.
Cheers erupt over the girls' casual outfits.
I'm fine.
Wall
Kousuke Hiroshi Koji
Window Table Hallway
Takahashi Ninomiya Nagase
※ It's a bit hard to understand, but this is the seating arrangement. You can't get out from the window side.
Based on the order of entering the table, I ended up in the innermost spot.
The girls are seated in a similar way.
Class Rep Takahashi-san keeps staring at me, making me uncomfortable, so I talk to Hiroshi next to me.
Koji is talking to Nagase-san across from him.
Ninomiya-san is chatting with the girls on both sides of her.
Nagase "Let's switch seats!"
Koji "Isn't it fine like this?"
Takahashi, Ninomiya "Agreed!"
Wall
Takahashi Hiroshi Koji
Window Table Hallway
Kousuke Nagase Ninomiya
※ As per the girls' scheme, Nagase Aya is next to Kousuke, Takahashi is across, and Ninomiya is next to Nagase Aya, a perfect formation. Hiroshi is beside Takahashi, and except for Koji, everyone got their desired spots lol
"Nagase-san, about this part in English...?"
Nagase "Ah! This part? It's like this... And also, just some info from other classes..."
"As expected of Nagase-san... you know a lot, huh...?"
I mainly study English with Nagase-san next to me.
☆ ☆
Takahashi "Hiroshi-kun, are you good at math? Teach me!"
Hiroshi "...O-Of course! Then teach me social studies?"
Things are surprisingly calm and the atmosphere is nice here.
☆ ☆
Ninomiya "Hey, Aya! About science!"
Koji "Hey, Ninomiya-san? Could you teach me this part?"
Ninomiya "I'm not so sure about that part either. Hiroshi-kun! Can you teach Koji-kun?"
Koji "Haven't we already done enough guy-to-guy teaching...?"
Koji was struggling.
Koji's cut-in and penetration were met with an iron wall! Ninomiya-san blocked everything!
He tried to coordinate with Hiroshi, but Hiroshi was completely pinned down by Takahashi-san, not even eye contact could get through!
Let alone one-on-one with Nagase-san, she's completely free to focus on Kousuke as much as she wants!
Time to regroup! Koji requests a timeout!
Koji "How about we switch seats again soon?"
Ninomiya "Ah, Koji-kun, can you get drinks from the drink bar?"
Koji "Okay!"
(Ninomiya-san is also on the hallway side, so why am I the only one...?)
However, when the girls rely on him, Koji happily complies lol
The match is a one-sided domination by the girls!
☆ ☆
Nagase "Kousuke-kun, about this part in Japanese...?"
"This part is..."
As a return for English, we teach each other what we know.
Nagase-san is in a low-exposure, pants-style outfit that doesn't overly emphasize femininity, so she feels easier to talk to today.
But since it's tight-fitting, I can tell her legs look nice, so I try not to look.
It's a productive study session, and I've understood a lot of things I didn't before.
Especially English. I was really impressed by Nagase-san.
☆ ☆
Koji "Nagase-san!"
Koji gives up on close-range intrusion and attempts a long-distance shot.
If it lands, it's a big deal! But the success rate is low...
Ninomiya "Aya! I don't get this part."
The weakness of one-on-one... when there's a skill gap, you just can't win in a direct matchup.
Plus, since the other teammates are also man-marked, it's hard to get support.
Ninomiya-san tells the stunned Koji.
Ninomiya "From there... isn't that an overstep (offside)?"
Koji learned the hard way that interactions with girls come with a lot of rules and fouls lol
☆ ☆
Clink!
New customers enter, Osada-san and her friends.
Probably here for a study group as well.
Osada "Hey. Oh, Nagase."
Nagase "Oh, Ai-chan?"
"...Ai-chan?"
Osada "It's fine, right? See ya."
Osada-san headed to a seat further back.
"Osada-san is smart too, right? It would've been nice to study together, no?"
I didn't mean anything special by it, just that it could've been a way to improve efficiency, you know?
Nagase-san looked annoyed and said,
Nagase "Hmph! Ai-chan is all about her boyfriend! She'd never do anything that could be misunderstood! Ai-chan and her boyfriend Ryo-kun have been lovey-dovey since middle school..."
Kousuke "...Misunderstood by her boyfriend... Yeah, you're right. I'd hate it if my girlfriend studied with another guy. You've got a point."
It totally makes sense.
A lovey-dovey girlfriend since middle school...
Nagase-san hurriedly said,
Nagase "Sorry, I didn't mean to remind Kousuke-kun of anything... I'm sorry..."
Nagase-san looks dejected... No, it's just that I have too many personal landmines lol
We both end up apologizing to each other.
I get to talk a lot with Nagase-san, who sits next to me.
Even so, it's rare to talk this much outside of school.
The conversation pauses for a bit.
While I'm focused on solving problems, I feel a gaze and turn to see Nagase-san resting her cheek on her hand, staring blankly at me.
In the noisy, bustling restaurant, across from us, Hiroshi and Takahashi-san are in their own little world.
On the hallway side, Koji and Ninomiya-san are silently working through problem sets solo.
Nagase-san keeps staring at me without getting bored.
I get embarrassed and end up saying something without thinking.
"...Don't stare at me so intently..."
Nagase "Pfft! You noticed?!"
Nagase-san, letting out a strange squeal and slightly lifting off her chair, looked comical and cute.
"Hahaha!"
Nagase "Geez!"
Nagase-san slapped my shoulder repeatedly.
...It kinda hurts.
Next week is finally the test.
I'll finish preparing tomorrow on Sunday and face the finals; if I rank high here, the special advanced class is almost guaranteed!
I'm getting pumped!
☆ ☆ ☆
Today's Yukari
On a day off, with Mother absent, the sisters order takeout.
Two dishes per person.
Yukari "They say rice doesn't make you fat, right? Since rice is white, it resets calories to a blank slate, so it's ZERO calories, right?"
Kaori "Older sister, cut it out already! I finally lost weight! It'll come back in an instant! You're ruining everything!"
The one snapping like that is my little sister Kaori, two years younger.
My little sister is sensible and an utterly proper young lady.
Yukari "But if I don't get some sugar, my brain won't work. In the West, rice is categorized as a vegetable..."
Kaori "Even so, ordering two rice-based dishes is just wrong, isn't it? That's crazy!"
The sisters ordered Chinese food.
My little sister got ramen and gyoza.
The older sister ordered fried rice and curry rice. Both were quite hefty portions lol
"What about you, Kaori? Why not order rice too? Ramen, gyoza, and rice make a ramen set, so you could've ordered another dish, right?"
※The ramen set has been decided to count as one dish when combined.
Kaori "No way... I've got to do something about this person soon..."
Though she was a bit chubby, she was a laid-back and kind older sister... After losing weight, she became shockingly beautiful but incredibly warped, and now, still warped, she's gaining weight again—my little sister watches her with growing anxiety.