Volume 2 - CH 1.4

The next day, and also the day after that, the same routine passed. And using the time to walk her home, Sandai continued helping Shino study without even wasting a second.

Sandai had a slight feeling about whether she could avoid failing even after coming this far, but he would just have to help her study what he could help her with.

“The scope of mathematics for the finals is focused on differentiation and integration, but we’ll leave out integration. Differentiation is what we’ll do, since you can get the answer with mathematical calculation and all. You don’t have to understand it. Anyway, you can get points if you get used to solving problems.”

“Uwh.”

“For English, we’ll give up on listening. It’s impossible to train your ears now. We’ll focus everything on reading comprehension of long texts. Long texts can easily confuse you with its amount of words, but there’s a lot of cases where the answer is already written in the question. In a sense, English is the easiest. As long as you understand the intention of the question, it’s just whatever.”

“K-Kay.”

“As for other subjects… It’ll mostly be memorization. I guess it’ll be just memorizing using flashcards and vocabulary apps.”

“…”

At some point, vigor had disappeared from Shino’s eyes, maybe because of the demanding, high amount of information.

Even Sandai, he didn’t want to see his girlfriend making such a face, but he steeled his heart for the goal of avoiding failing.

Just about everyone doesn’t want to do something that could get them hated. That said, precisely because there is love in it that it could be harsh as well.

Time passed by in a flash, and the day of the finals arrived.

“We will start the finals. Not to reiterate, but cheating of any kind is prohibited. Alright, pass the question and answer sheet to the back.”

As if tossing it, their homeroom teacher Nakaoka placed the bundles of papers on the front row students’ desks, and sat down on the teacher platform’s chair together with a sigh.

Perhaps because in a test there would be no classes, nor anything to do but monitor the students, Nakaoka scratched her back with a back scratcher she had brought from somewhere and yawned.

“Haaaaahh… the test is already starting.”

“I kept telling myself to prepare for the finals, but I ended up doing nothing and now here we are.”

“Everyone, please refrain from whispering!! You’re supposed to take the test quietly!!”

“You’re the nosiest, Pres. Look, now Nakaoka is awake ’cause you’re so loud. Just let her sleep, man.”

“Urgh… I’m just saying the right thing, though…”

“I wanna go home.”

“I wonder when during the winter holiday the supplementary class starts. I’d hate it if it’s the first day. Christmas Eve will be at that time.”

While ignoring the murmurs that could be heard coming from all over the classroom, Sandai carried the sheets passed from the seat on the front to Shino on the seat behind him—only to get startled.

As a final push, Sandai had been the most harsh yesterday, but Shino’s eyes had become bloodshot because of that.

“Y-You okay…?”

“Yeah? I’m okay, though?”

As the one who had helped Shino study, Sandai knew better than anyone else that she had been working hard for this day.

He was reflecting that he had gotten a little bit too spartan, however, that had also been to fulfill Shino’s request to avoid failing.

“…Good luck,” Sandai told her and lightly patted her head.

And then Shino’s ghastly expression softened slightly, seemingly to have regained some of her vigor back.

4

The sound of writing and the ticking of the clock resounded in the classroom. Without any particular problem cropping up, the test proceeded. Modern Japanese came to an end, English came to an end, and mathematics came to end end.

As for the questions showing up on the test, there also had been many parts which Sandai had taught Shino. With this it seemed like Shino could somehow avoid failing.

While patting himself on the chest in relief, he decided to concentrate on the test as well.

It was a not-at-all-hard test for Sandai who was already done with the scope for high school. Without a doubt he could get almost a perfect score.

However, Sandai was purposefully making some mistakes or leaving it blank. There was a proper reason for this act of deliberately lowering his score.

Sandai had previously overheard a certain conversation between the class president Shihouin and a female student Takasago, but that was the reason.

That had been a conversation about how, if the Pres were to take the first place, his relationship with the timid Takasago could seemingly develop further.

Sandai had been taking the first place in the school year ever since enrollment, but he had the personality who had no intention to hold onto the rank, and wouldn’t mind giving it up if it could help someone’s life go smoothly.

Also because incidentally the failing mark would also go down if the average were to go down, and that could make it easier for Shino.

Well, the failing mark would change because of the average, but the influence of Sandai alone would be very insignificant, so in the end the result would be depending on Shino’s hard work, however…

Anyhow, the two-day finals came to an end just like that.

Sandai turned his head to look back after the answer sheet had been collected—only to find Shino weekly lying face down on her desk.

“The test is over~.”

“It sure is. And so how did it go?”

“…I feel like I did pretty well. By the way, the test questions were all the parts you taught me. I’m a bit surprised.”

“It’s because I kind of know the tendency of the teachers. It’s just, even if I know that, we were on a tricky line where we couldn’t be sure if we had enough time. That’s why I had to considerably cram it into you—at any rate, you’re surprised it was all the part I taught you that came out? That sure sounds like I’m usually saying things randomly.”

“You often do, don’t you?”

“That’s not… no, there are certainly times when I say things randomly. I admit that. That said, only at an okay time even if I do. I’ll get serious when it’s time to get serious.”

“That part about you, I really love it.”

Shino was smiling, seemingly in a good mood at how it had gone for her during the test.

“I don’t know if I can actually avoid failing until the result is out, but I feel like that’s the best I’ve done~.”

“…Come to think of it, why did you want to avoid failing? It’s not like you’ll instantly have to repeat a year after failing, and it’ll end fine if you just take the supplementary class. It’s not like this is an advanced school either where they’ll weed people out with difficult stuff even in the supplementary class,” Sandai asked what he had suddenly thought about.

While yawning, Shino replied, “It’s because the supplementary class starts on the first day of winter holiday. I just don’t like that and wanted to avoid failing, you know?

“You don’t like that the supplementary class starts on the first day of winter holiday? Why?”

“It’s because the first day of winter holiday is the 24th.”

“Ah… So that’s why!”

“You finally noticed?”

Only at this late did Sandai realize the reason behind why Shino wanted to avoid failing.

The 24th would be Christmas Eve. And then they had promised to spend the time with just the two of them on that day.

If she were to take the supplementary class because of failing, that promise would go to the trash can. Shino didn’t like that.

“…The supplementary class probably will be during the day only, and even supposing that you fail, we can be together from evening until night. I wouldn’t mind that even if it turns out that way, you know?”

“I mind it even if you don’t mind it. Also, since the supplementary class will last for three or four days, it’ll then have an effect on my work shift, too. I’m just gonna cause them all kinds of troubles, aren’t I?”

“You’re surprisingly a serious one, Shino. When you came to my apartment with your little sister Miki-chan too, you got angry so she wouldn’t be a bother to the surroundings, didn’t you?”

“That’s because Miki was just bad.”

“I don’t think Miki had any bad intentions either, though…”

“Are you siding with Miki?”

“I-I don’t mean like that, alright?”

“I’m just joking. Fufu.”

Joking—was what Shino said, but it was a word that was difficult to distinguish whether she was really joking. In this world, there are words that you can take seriously and words that you mustn’t take seriously.

Perhaps because of having a sense of responsibility as an older sister, Shino would often be strict with Miki. And Sandai had known this from seeing it firsthand.

At that time when he had tried to side with Miki previously, he had gotten chided by her.

When taking such a past into account, Sandai had a feeling he better not take the word just now at face value. It was a place where he must not say stuff such as: I see, well I guess she’s your little sister and all, you sure are kind to Miki-chan.

Shino would often speak out her feelings clearly, but nevertheless, it would sometimes become such a situation where she would want him to guess what was in her mind.

Conventionally, Shino would probably be classified as a bothersome girl, but that part of her also looked cute to Sandai.

Well, leaving that aside, the result of the finals would come out in several days, and all that was left to do would be to wait.

Like how Shino languidly completely out of juice, now Sandai wanted to laze around as well. However… there was a looming matter that wouldn’t allow him to also do so.

His first part-time job would start.

But well, Sandai was surprisingly a thick skinned one, and without acting stiffly, he planned to do it indifferently, like letting matters take its course.