Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ - Volume 1 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Perfect to a Fault

Two weeks had passed since the day Uta and the gang had visited Nanase and me at our part-time job.

“—and so starting from today, all club activities will be halted. Study hard, everyone.” Our teacher finally wrapped up a long and boring lecture and ended homeroom. Midterms were drawing near, in exactly one week’s time.

Ryomei High followed Japan’s general education curriculum and aimed to get its students into college. Therefore, we would be tested on the nine compulsory subjects: Japanese, Japanese classics, world history, Japanese history, mathematics, English, physics, biology, and chemistry—nothing unusual. Our finals would also test us on information processing, home economics, as well as health and phys ed, but those were problems for later.

The nine subjects would be split into three tests per day from Monday to Wednesday. We would take them in the morning, and then, once we were finished, we’d be free to go home for the afternoon. In the past, I would happily go home and read light novels.

I recalled what used to happen during test season. “I’ve got time to spare, so it’s fine if I spend some of it reading light novels,” I’d say to myself, and then I would read until late at night. I would always end up taking my tests without studying and subsequently fail. But because everyone around me had always said things like, “Ah crap, I didn’t study at all!” and, “Yeah, same here!” I was lulled into a false sense of security. Those were dark days. I didn’t really feel betrayed back then. Though it’s not like they could have betrayed me. We weren’t friends in the first place. Ha ha ha.

“Ugh, I hate tests. I don’t understand a lick of it! Nothing at all!” Uta grumbled from the seat in front of me.

“Don’t worry; you’ve still got a whole week,” I reassured her.

“I haven’t been paying attention in class, so there’s no way I’ll learn everything in a week!”

“I don’t think you should be proud of that...” I advised her.

Reita said something from behind me. “Uta, you know the tests at this school are quite difficult, right? If you’re not going to listen during class, then you should be studying properly on your own. Otherwise, you’re going to be in the red across the board.”

“Aah, aah! I’m not listening!” Uta covered her ears with her hands and shook her head.

No, really, Reita’s right, I thought. I struggled a lot back then. But hey, I’ve experienced this once before, so I should have it easier than them. I’d better support everyone else.

“I’m finally free of practices from hell!” Tatsuya fist pumped as he walked over.

“What? I like practice way more than taking tests! Tatsu, don’t you think you’re lacking passion for basketball? Stop looking so happy!” Uta berated him.

“Idiot, you can only be happy-go-lucky about practice because you’ve never experienced the boys’ practice! When I think about how hard I’m going to be worked for a whole year...” Tatsuya shuddered. “Crap, I’m getting the shivers just thinking about it.”

“Uh, isn’t that trauma at this point?” I quipped.

Tatsuya hugged his arms and said with a pale face, “I’m telling you, it’s no joke.”

“Well, you’re on the court next to ours so I’ve seen it, but the girls’ practice is just as tough, you know?” Uta asserted.

“Hah. Are you for real? That stuff is just child’s play.”

“What’d you say?! I can’t ignore that!”

“Okay, okay, stop there, you two.” Reita stepped in to mediate their dispute as usual.

Do they get along or not? I really can’t tell sometimes when they glare so intensely at each other, I thought.

Tatsuya clapped his hands to change the topic and said brightly, “All right, guys! Let’s go play!” Coming from him, the tone was way too perky.

Tatsuya was grinning as we all stared at him in silence. Even Uta was giving him a dry smile. Feeling like he had to take responsibility and represent the rest of us, Reita broke the news to Tatsuya. “Uh, no, we can’t.”

“Huh?! Are you stupid? What do you think all this free time is for?!”

“St-Studying?” Hoshimiya spoke up timidly from out of nowhere.

“Studying, you say?” Tatsuya repeated the word like it was foreign, but his expression was completely serious.

Why are you reacting like that’s the craziest suggestion ever?

“Tatsuya, you weren’t going to take the tests without studying, were you?” Reita asked.

“Oh, come on, Reita! Don’t you think you’re selling me short here?” Tatsuya replied with a snort. We all let out a sigh of relief, but he kept going. “I was going to skim the textbooks morning of.”

H-He’s hopeless... I have to do something fast, or else... Come to think of it, wasn’t Tatsuya like this last time around too? How were his grades—no, it’s better left unremembered.

“Guys.” Reita looked at the rest of us, extremely serious. “Let’s have a study group. No, please help me out. I’m begging you guys. Please.” I had never heard anyone ask a favor in such a grim tone before.

Somewhat taken aback by the tone of Reita’s voice, Hoshimiya, Nanase, and I could only nod.

***

“All right, then. Let’s start with the stuff you two don’t understand,” Reita said to Uta and Tatsuya. We were borrowing an empty classroom for our group study session.

The usual six. That’s right; I’m a member of the group... Six means I’m included. Heh heh heh.

Anyway, we’d pushed six desks together to make one giant table for us to sit around. Initially, I wasn’t sure if it would be okay to just grab an empty classroom, but Reita had asked for permission. Flawless as always. A classroom makes sense. You have to be quiet in the library, so it’d be hard to teach them in there. Plus, Uta and Tatsuya are pretty loud, and we’d likely get kicked out.

“What I don’t understand? Even if you ask me to think about what I don’t know...” Uta turned to Tatsuya. “You get what I mean?”

“I don’t know what I don’t know!” Tatsuya said, finishing her earlier statement with a nod.

I feel that! Wait, no. They’re so lively considering the bleak situation.

Hoshimiya and Nanase quietly studied while Reita was trying to work with Uta and Tatsuya. Compared to Nanase, who was easily solving math problem after math problem, Hoshimiya was struggling in distress over one question. What a lovely sight! I should help her out to score some points.

“Hoshimiya, you should reread the question one more time. That one’s slightly different from the previous question,” I hinted.

“Huh? Okay. Uh...” Hoshimiya stopped her calculations so she could examine the question again. On the final exam during my first time around, I’d also bungled the problem she was stuck on. That’s why I immediately knew how to help her.

“Oh, I get it!” she exclaimed.

I took out our math textbook and explained the example problem. “That’s right. So here, you’re supposed to do it like this...” After my explanation, Hoshimiya understood how to solve the problem. She wrote down the formula and easily reached the answer.

“I did it! Is this right?” Hoshimiya sounded happy but unsure at the same time and tilted her head to the side.

I gave her a big nod. “Yep, that’s right.”

“Yay! Thanks, Natsuki-kun!”

Her smile obliterated me, and I blanked out for a moment. Huh?! Where am I? Who am I? H-Hold up, calm down, be cool!

“Natsuki-kun?” Hoshimiya called my name, interrupting the awkward silence.

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing.”

“Really? Okay then, I’ll keep going.”

Wh-Whew, that was close. Hoshimiya’s smile has so much destructive force behind it that my brain stopped functioning. No, it’s not just her smile. I’ve seen her smile plenty of times before. It’s because that smile was for me, and it was to thank me on top of that. Of course I would suffer from temporary memory loss! I mustn’t forget that smile, though. Never.

“Don’t tell me, Natsu—are you smart?” Uta leaned forward on her desk and asked after she saw our little exchange.

“I don’t know about smart, but I at least pay attention in class,” I replied.

“Whaaat?! That’s not fair!” she grumbled.

“Uh, what’s not fair? That’s the basic prerequisite of being a student...”

“Okay, then, look here! Do you get this question?” She pushed a problem into my face.

“Let’s see...” I looked at the problem she was pointing at and froze.

That’s a basic math problem. We learned how to do this on the second day of class! Oh no. This is worse than I thought.

Hoshimiya understood the fundamentals but had merely gotten tripped up on how to apply them. She was similar to how I’d been in the past. Hoshimiya seemed like the type of student to properly pay attention in class but not study much at home. She’s not that smart, so she gets stuck on applying the methods and probably ends up settling for seventy points on tests.

However, with the way Uta was, she’d likely score zero points on the exam. She didn’t even understand how to solve the math problems that were essentially designed to be free points.

“You two... You’re both done for if you try to do things the way you did in middle school, got it?” Reita chided Uta and Tatsuya while rubbing his forehead.

Finally picking up on his impending doom from our expressions, Tatsuya asked in complete seriousness, “Is it... Is it really that bad? How different are high school tests?”

“In the first place, Tatsuya, Uta, the two of you only passed the entrance exam because you worked extra hard to raise your grades last minute. I figured you two would be behind in the beginning, but neither of you have even been paying any attention in class.”

“T-True.” Tatsuya looked rattled. “It was a fluke that I was accepted...”

“Ah ha ha! Tatsu’s stupid after all!” Uta chortled.

“You’re the only one I don’t want to hear that from, shorty! I’m better than you; at least I hand in my homework!”

At this point, you two are pretty much just having a pissing contest, I thought to myself. It was for the best that I didn’t say it aloud.

“Stop squabbling and start studying. In case you didn’t know, you have to take supplementary lessons for each subject you fail, and then retake the tests until you pass. That means you can’t go to your clubs after school until you pass,” Reita pointed out.

“Eh?” Tatsuya stared at him blankly. “Are you serious?”

“Ah ha ha ha ha... No way that’s true. You’re joking, right? That...that can’t be true. Right?” Uta tried to laugh it off, but we could hear her nervousness increasing with each word.

The two of them paled when they realized Reita wasn’t joking.

I spoke up, trying to offer them tidbits of advice from my previous experience. “For now, the subjects you definitely won’t pass if you don’t start studying are math and, uh, physics and English. The rest you can scrape by if you cram overnight.”

Reita nodded. “The amount of homework and problems we had for those subjects was no joke from the get-go. You’d better start practicing solving math problems. You’ll never finish unless you work on them every day. Start here.”

With that, all of us began studying diligently.

Tatsuya and Uta had excellent focus once they hunkered down and began studying. The two of them grappled with their math textbooks while working through the problems, and I could see how they’d been able to get into this school through intense cramming. However, no matter how fervently they studied, they’d inevitably hit problems they couldn’t solve alone. Reita’s helping Tatsuya and Nanase’s helping Hoshimiya right now. Does that mean I’m in charge of Uta?

I’d been teaching Hoshimiya up until Nanase had snatched that job from my hands. Ah well, I bet those two have been like that since their middle school days. The atmosphere between them speaks of a deep history.

“Hmmm,” I mumbled, pretending to struggle on a problem. In reality, I had time to spare and nothing much to do. Not gonna lie, I already understand all the math here. My weak points are the classes requiring memorization, like Japanese history or world history. It’s been a while, so I’ve forgotten most of it. I bet I can cram it back into my head in a night, though.

My thoughts were interrupted by a pained “ugh” from Uta. She was holding her head and groaning, so I decided to reach out to her. “Which part are you stuck on?”

“Natsu, you’re gonna teach me?” she asked.

“Of course. Only if I get it myself, though,” I replied. She looked apologetic for taking up my own studying time. For someone with little regard for personal bubbles, you sure pick up on some subtle aspects of social etiquette. Wait, maybe this delicate balance of physical closeness and emotional consideration is an important part of being a popular extrovert. Gotta make a mental note of that!

“Don’t worry about me. Tutoring you will be a good review for me too,” I reassured her with a cheerful smile.

“I see!” Uta responded, grinning broadly.

I’ve always been bad at reading people’s emotions, so thank goodness she’s easy to understand, I thought.

“Okay, so I don’t know how it goes from this to this...” Uta showed me the example problem that was stumping her in the textbook.

Looks like she was using the book’s example as a reference to solve a similar problem, but she doesn’t get how they went from this part to the formula here. I know how you feel. Sometimes textbooks leave out too much work, and you end up confused about how they jumped from the problem to a whole different-looking formula. Darn textbook writers, trying to cut down on their page count!

“There’s actually a step that happens in between here and here, and then you get this formula from the book...” I began to break it down, writing the intermediary steps for Uta in her notebook. What’s the best way to explain this so she’ll get it? Maybe it’ll be fine if I explain it to her like how I did to Hoshimiya, or maybe... My brain whirred as I tried my best to explain the solution.

Okay, there. Did Uta understand? I wondered after finishing my explanation. I looked up to check on her, only to find that our faces were so close that our noses were practically touching and our eyes met. Her large doe eyes captivated me, stopping my train of thought. I could only stare, practically bewitched by her charming features.

“Huh?” I finally mumbled. How long have we been staring at each other?

“Oh... Uh, sorry!” Uta forced her eyes back to her notes. I could see from the side that her cheeks and ears were dyed scarlet.

Is... Is she embarrassed? Or am I reading her wrong? Wait, is she feeling conscious that I’m a guy? No, no, cool it! Anyone would get shy if they made point-blank eye contact with the opposite gender. I just never would’ve pinned Uta as the type to turn bright red like that since she’s always getting up close to everyone without a care. That gap just threw me for a loop. That’s all. My heart was pounding hard. Ah man, this is awkward! I don’t know what to say, but it’ll only be more awkward if I stay quiet. 

“Yeah, so, uh, does that make sense?” I managed to wring out.

“Um! Y-Yeah! Thanks!” Uta replied.

Is it just me, or does her voice sound higher than normal?

“Hey, if you’re just gonna flirt then do it somewhere we can’t see,” Tatsuya called us out, annoyed. He was obviously talking about Uta and me since we were acting so weird.

We’re not actually flirting, but I would say the same if I were Tatsuya, I reasoned.

“He was just teaching me, you know? Right?” Uta refuted.

“Y-Yeah,” I agreed. “Honest.”

“Whatever, I don’t give a crap,” Tatsuya said with a sigh. He returned to studying in an even grumpier mood.

Yeah, my bad. I’d be annoyed too if I were trying to concentrate on my studies, and a couple was flirting nearby... 

I glanced furtively at Hoshimiya, but she was concentrating on studying like normal. She didn’t look at all interested in what we were up to. Of course not. Right... I thought maybe, just maybe, Hoshimiya would feel a liiittle bit jealous of Uta and me, but of course I was just being overly self-conscious as usual.

I stopped myself there and got back to tutoring Uta. “All right. Ready for more?”

“Yeah!”

I switched gears and seriously focused on teaching Uta. I may be an introvert, but I did have a part-time job as a home tutor at one point, so I’ve got experience and confidence in teaching people.

Uta proved that her passing Ryomei’s entrance exam had been no fluke, and she actually did have the brains to back it up. She absorbed all the information I gave her like a sponge, so I enjoyed teaching her. By the end of our session, she’d managed to gain a decent understanding of everything in the first chapter of the textbook.

“Right then,” Reita spoke up as he eyed Uta, “it’s about time to wrap it up.”

I checked the time and saw that it was almost 8 p.m. and already dark outside.

“You’re right. It’s almost Hikari’s curfew too; we should go home,” Nanase agreed.

“Yeah, I have to go now, but you guys can keep going,” Hoshimiya said.

“I’m exhausted from all the studying, so I’ll stop here and head home as well. What’ll the rest of you do?” Reita asked.

“We’re all here, so why don’t we head out together?” I suggested. Though I just want an excuse to go home with Hoshimiya.

“I can’t do this anymore!” Tatsuya moaned. “I’m never studying again...” He stood up and let out a loud, “Uraagh!”

What an ostentatious method of stress relief.

“I was starting to have fun understanding math thanks to Natsu, though.” Uta paused but then said, “Well, if Natsu leaves, then I will too. I won’t get anywhere on my own anyway!”

“Y-Yeah... I’m glad to hear I helped.” I nodded, pleased by her words.

We all started packing up our things when a thought struck me. Huh? Wait, what? Was Uta indirectly asking me to stay back...? She said she’d go home if I went home, which means if I don’t go home, then neither will she. That sounds like a roundabout way of saying she doesn’t want to go home yet. But everyone else is leaving, so if I decided to stay, then that’d mean it’d just be me and Uta studying alone together. Is that what she was hoping for—okay, hold up! I’m overthinking it and being too self-conscious again. What’s up with me today?

“All righty! Let’s blast off home!” Uta cheered energetically as she pushed Hoshimiya out of the classroom, disproving my conjecture. Yeah, it was all in my head. I don’t think Uta’s someone I need to read that deeply into, anyway.

“Wow, it’s pitch-black already. This is new for me!” Hoshimiya said as soon as we stepped out of the building.

“Really?” I asked.

“We see this every day after practice. The school at night, I mean,” Reita said.

“Oh, that’s right! Makes sense. The literature club never stays behind this late,” Hoshimiya said, a little excited. I’d expected Uta to join in and get pumped up with Hoshimiya, but she was carrying on a normal conversation with Nanase.

I guess Uta is also used to leaving the school when it’s dark out.

Hoshimiya seemed a bit lonely getting hyped up on her own so I agreed. “I know what you mean. Being at school at night feels kinda exciting.”

“Right, I think so too! Yay, I have a buddy!” Hoshimiya replied enthusiastically.

In my case, this experience is nostalgic rather than novel. But I’m not lying when I say it’s exciting. I can feel this way because I’m with these guys. 

“Let’s take a pic for Minsta since we’re here!” Hoshimiya said. She raised her phone up and took a selfie of us. After checking the picture, she exclaimed, “Huh? You can’t see anything in this!”

“Well, yeah. You’re going to need to turn on the flash in this darkness,” I replied logically. Hoshimiya glared at me for being right and then uploaded the picture to her story anyway. She captioned it, “With the crew at school at night! It’s a fresh experience~! But you can’t see a thing in the pic lol.”

I checked out her story on my phone and grinned. She’s happy with something like this? Well, Minsta’s not all about deep posts, so I guess anything goes. This is also kinda funny.

“Hey, I thought you had a curfew to make?” I pointed out.

“Oh yeah! I don’t have time for fooling around! Let’s hurry home!” Hoshimiya exclaimed in realization and sped off. She can be pretty absentminded, huh? That’s cute, though. 

Weary from our study session, we all headed home together.

***

For the whole week before our exams, we all gathered each day in an empty classroom to diligently study and review together. I’d finished all the review problems, so I had nothing better to do than oversee Uta’s studies. By the end of the week, she had reached the point where she wouldn’t fail any subjects, and I felt relieved by her progress.

As far as I could tell from Reita’s expression, Tatsuya was still in a pickle, though. He was especially struggling with math, his nemesis. In the latter half of the week, Nanase and I also took a stab at teaching Tatsuya, but it was quickly evident that he was in for a world of hurt if he went into the tests with his current level of understanding.

While we were all leaving school in the dark on Friday, the final day of our after-school study group, Tatsuya clapped his hands together and said with his head bowed, “Guys, please! Help me out over the weekend too!”

Seeing the normally confident Tatsuya lower his head like this was so surprising that we all oohed in unison. “Desperation setting in, huh?” I commented.

“Well, you know.” He hesitated. “It’s like, the more I learn, the more I realize how much hot water I’m in. Ya know?”

“Yeah, I feel that. When you don’t know anything, you don’t know how much you don’t know,” I said. Ah man, that came out a tangled mess!

“I don’t care about failing, but it’s a different story if I can’t go to practice.” Tatsuya paused. “I’ll start paying attention in class from now on, but please help me out this time!”

“I’m still barely going to pass too. Please, everyone! Tatsu will buy you all juice!” Uta begged as well.

“Hey! Aren’t you going to treat ’em too?” Tatsuya retorted.

“Oh, well, uh, I’ve been going out so much lately that I’m broke...” she replied sheepishly.

“Study more, dammit!” Tatsuya scolded. The rest of us shared a look and then broke into laughter over their banter.

“All right. We’ve got two days left. Who’s available? Let’s all meet up somewhere,” I suggested. “I don’t need juice or anything. You guys should drink up; you’ll need the brain sugar.” Of course I’d help out my friends when they’re in trouble. I’ve got knowledge from my first run, and this is definitely the right way to use it, I thought.

“That’s our Natsu!” Uta cheered. “You’re so nice!”

“Nah, not really. But we’re friends, right?” I said. I don’t need compensation. Friends help each other out. Well, at least I think they do. I’ve never had friends this close before, but I’d like it if we were all close enough to feel that way.

Uta looked at me. “Natsu, you say some embarrassing things with a straight face sometimes, you know?”

“Eh? Really?” I asked, starting to feel embarrassed. But that’s what I think about you guys. Still, it looks like they feel the same way about me. “S-Sorry. Was it gross?” I apologized, growing despondent.

“No.” Uta shook her head and then brought her face close to mine. She whispered sweetly right into my ear, “I think that part of you is super cool.”

Shaken by her words, my brain lagged for a moment. While I was malfunctioning, Uta had already returned to the others. She hugged Hoshimiya from behind and joined their conversation. She looked as if she’d already forgotten what she’d whispered in my ear.

I wish she’d stop joking around and playing with my heart that way... Is she actually a little devil type? I pondered the possibility that Uta was the kind of girl to get a kick out of teasing and mischievously flirting with people.

Tatsuya came up from behind me and threw his arm around my shoulder. “You two have been real close lately.”

“Doesn’t it only seem that way because I’m tutoring her?” I replied. Who knows? I truly had no idea what was going on, so I just gave Tatsuya a safe answer.

“Hey, do you like Uta?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“Huh?! No way, dude. No, not at all!” I answered, trying to keep a lid on both my volume and surprise.

“What? That’s no fun. Then do you like Hoshimiya? Or is it Nanase?” he grilled me.

I was at a loss on how to respond. Tatsuya and I are friends, though. And I’ve always wanted to talk about crushes with my guy friends, I admitted to myself. I decided it would be best to come clean, so I hesitantly whispered, “I like Hoshimiya.”

“Oho? I see; I see.” Tatsuya grinned widely as he rubbed his chin.

“All right then, what about you, Tatsuya?” I asked back.

He paused. “Me? Hm, what do you think?” He responded with a question.

“Hmm.” I took a moment to reflect upon Tatsuya’s behavior towards the girls. It can’t be Uta—they fight like cats and dogs all the time. It doesn’t look like he’s crushing on Hoshimiya or Nanase either. He talks to them like he does everyone else. Failing to come up with a conclusion, I just replied, “I dunno.”

“Right? Then let’s say that’s the answer.”

“What? Hey, I said who I liked. That’s dirty!”

“Hey man, you actually like someone, so you can’t help it.”

Uta suddenly popped out of nowhere, interrupting our banter. “Whatcha guys talking about?”

“Oh, it’s a secret,” I said. I don’t want everyone to know I like Hoshimiya because I don’t want anyone to tell her. What if she started avoiding me? I’d hate that. In fact, I wouldn’t be able to stand it! That’d be a crappy way for my high school life to go.

“Whaaat? Why is it a secret?!” she cried out.

“Sorry, Uta. It’s too soon for you. We’re having adult talk here.” Tatsuya covered for me. It looked like he’d picked up on my reasoning.

“Adult talk?” Uta mulled over the meaning of that, averted her eyes, and then asked shyly, “Oh, are you guys talking about lewd stuff?”

I was taken aback by her conclusion and tried to deny the accusation in a panic, but Tatsuya spoke up first. “Yeah, that’s right. It’s too soon for an elementary kiddo like you to hear about it.”

“Wh-Who’s in elementary school?! I mean, sure, I’m on the shorter side but...” Uta replied indignantly.

“Whoa now, you think it’s just because of your height?” Tatsuya mocked.

I nervously watched Tatsuya goad Uta. She stared at him blankly, but her expression slowly morphed into disgust when she realized what he was implying.

Uta hugged herself and shouted, “You pervert! I’m the only one who can say stuff like that!”

“My bad. Anyway, that’s what me and Natsuki were talking about. Now run along and go play.” Tatsuya shooed her away as if he was driving off an animal.

Uta glared at him and then at me, red-faced, before running off to Hoshimiya and the rest who were walking up ahead. I feel like I got caught up in the cross fire... I thought.

“Well, if I had to rank ’em, it’d be Hoshimiya, Nanase, and then the flat wall that can’t be touched—Uta. Right, guys?” Tatsuya asked.

“Yeah. No, wait, hey...” I found myself agreeing but then tried to take it back.

“Dumbass, of course we’re going to talk about this. We’re guys! Right, Reita?”

“Nanase’s unexpectedly got some. She looks about average for her slender build at a glance, but I think she’s just the type that looks slim. And of course, Hoshimiya’s are just overwhelming.” Reita added his two cents with a straight face.

I didn’t know when, but he had left Hoshimiya and Nanase up front to join our group. Makes sense. The street’s not wide enough for all of us to walk beside each other, so we’ve gotta talk in groups of two or three max—wait, that’s not important. What the heck did Reita just say in such a deadpan voice?

“Hm? Natsuki, are you not interested in stuff like this?” Reita asked.

“No, uh, well, it’s not like I’m not interested in that, but...” I trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“Oy, Natsuki, can I tell Reita?” Tatsuya asked.

Tell him what? I wondered for a moment and then realized he was talking about my crush on Hoshimiya. I thought for a while and then said, “As long as you don’t tell the girls. You won’t tell them, right?”

“I got your back. Don’t sweat it, dude,” Tatsuya said.

“I’ve got an idea of what you guys were talking about. Don’t worry,” Reita reassured me. “I’m as tight-lipped as they come. I don’t know about Tatsuya, though.”

“I’m in a bind if Tatsuya can’t keep a secret,” I mumbled.

“Listen up, Reita. This guy’s after Hoshimiya’s huge tits.”

“Seriously? I see. They’re full of a man’s dreams, so I get how you feel,” Reita said.

“Guys, I don’t like Hoshimiya because of her boobs, you know.” Right as I tried to plead my case to them, I felt a cold, sharp stare on us.

The girls walking ahead of us were looking back at us with frigid eyes. We were talking quietly, so there’s no way they overheard us. Oh, I bet Uta told them about what Tatsuya claimed to be our topic of choice. 

Hoshimiya puffed up her cheeks and turned away from us with a huff. “You shouldn’t be talking about things like that!”

“I don’t blame you guys. Hikari’s are so big, who wouldn’t be attracted to them? I think about them too,” Nanase mused.

“Yuino-chan?! Can you not say outrageous things like that so shamelessly?!” Hoshimiya admonished her, shocked.

“I... I... I drink milk every day, okay?!” Uta cried out.

Tatsuya, Reita, and I exchanged looks and grinned. I’m still not sold on Tatsuya wrapping me up in this misunderstanding, but I’ll forgive it since this feels like a very teenage experience. I want to build up some resistance to dirty talk with the boys too. I don’t have any history of sharing stuff like that with my friends, so it felt embarrassing talking about girls with them.

***

The next day was Saturday. I opened the door to Café Mares, and the chime rang to signal my entrance.

“Oh, you’re here. Everyone else’s already arrived,” Kirishima said as she walked over and pointed towards some seats in the back of the café. I looked in that direction when Uta noticed me and started waving wildly.

We’d spent some time discussing where would be the best place to study. Possible locations were someone’s house, a family restaurant, and the library, but in the end, we’d decided that Café Mares would be the most ideal.

Five other people intruding upon someone’s house for a study session felt like it’d be tight on space. A family restaurant on a weekend would likely be crowded and probably wouldn’t have enough seats, and we couldn’t exactly chat freely in a library. So since Nanase and I both worked at Café Mares, we figured it would be perfect because we could ask for seats ahead of time.

I had passed the idea to our manager first, and he’d gladly given us permission. Apparently it wasn’t too busy during test season since students were off studying. “Just make sure to order drinks,” he’d said with a smile.

I headed over to where everyone was seated. Hmm? Aren’t there too many people?

“’Sup, Natsuki. You’re late,” Tatsuya greeted me as he spun a pen.

“Sorry. The train stopped when— Wait, why are you here?” I cut off my explanation to ask.

“What’s wrong? Am I not supposed to be here?” Miori giggled and smiled deviously. She was showing up so frequently that at this point I wondered if the cruel hand of fate was at play. “It was a coincidence. We also came here to study. Right?”

Miori and the blonde girl with piercings she’d been with at the club fair were sitting at a table next to Tatsuya and co. The blonde gave me a sleepy nod of acknowledgment. “Yep, yep. Miori, you’ve got a lotta friends, huh?”

“He went to the same middle school as me, and unfortunately I can’t seem to get rid of him,” Miori replied.

During their exchange, I sat down at our table. The only seat available was the rightmost one on the window side—the one between Uta and Miori, who was seated at the table on our right. Were they trying to be mindful of us or something?

“Natsu, you’re Miorin’s childhood friend, right? That’s why we left this seat for you!” Uta said with her arms proudly folded.

Ah, whatever! And I see you’ve come up with a weird nickname for Miori too, I thought to myself. “Well, that was unnecessary.”

“Why?!” she replied, shocked.

Honestly, I don’t want anything to do with Miori when these guys are around. I don’t care how much she’s helping me; it’s embarrassing for her to see me now when she can compare it to the past me.

“Hmmm?” Miori hummed with a mischievous lilt.

See?! She’s always got her eye on me. Cut me some slack! I ignored her gaze and opened my notebook. “Uta, I summarized the main points that’ll be on the tests and topics that are likely to trip you up in here.”

“Huh?! What the? This is awesome!” Uta’s eyes widened as she flipped through the notebook.

“I know, right? I made it last night. I’m sleep-deprived thanks to that, though.” A yawn escaped from me as I spoke.

Compiling these notes was largely to blame for why I’d shown up late and was so tired today. After tutoring her for a whole week, I’d gotten a good grasp on what Uta’s weaknesses were for the upcoming exams, so I paraphrased everything in a way that would be easy for her to understand. I was so engrossed in my work that by the time I’d realized, it was already past 2 a.m.

Hoshimiya and Reita looked at the notebook with great interest. “Can I take a look?” they both asked.

“Yeah, of course. I was planning on giving this to Uta,” I said.

“Eh? Really?!” Uta exclaimed.

“Yeah. These notes were tailored specifically for you.”

“Th-Thank you,” she replied unusually weakly.

Hoshimiya and Reita flipped through my notebook in the meantime.

“Whoa... This is great. It’s really easy to understand,” Hoshimiya said.

“Isn’t it, though? You couldn’t write this unless you understood the material very well,” Reita agreed.

They were laying on the praise, but I just scratched my head awkwardly. The compliments make me happy, but I don’t know how to react. What can I say? Throughout my life, I haven’t been complimented or praised much. Ha ha ha...

“Is there one tailored for me?” Hoshimiya asked.

I shook off my dark thoughts to answer her. “Should I make one?” I say that, but I don’t think you need one, I considered as an afterthought. Hoshimiya’s good at Japanese and English but bad at math and physics. It’s fitting for someone in the literature club, but regardless, she’s got the basics down for science and math.

“Ah ha ha, I was kidding. It’d take too much of your time. Natsuki-kun, when are you going to study if you make any more?”

“Yeah, that’s true. I already have my hands full taking care of Uta.” I shrugged.

When she heard that, Uta grew downcast and mumbled, “I’m sorry... Thank you.”

That was supposed to be a joke, but it looks like I hit a sore spot. I guess Uta’s worried that she’s been taking up my studying time. I used to make those notebooks all the time when I was a home tutor, so it really didn’t take me that long.

“I’d better show some good results after all the work you’ve put in for me, Natsu!” Uta clenched her fists in front of her chest, let out a determined grunt, and then got to studying.

“Were you this smart in middle school?” Miori questioned me in a low voice.

“Shut it! I worked really hard to pass the entrance exam,” I whispered back.

“Really? Hard enough that you can teach everyone else, huh?” Miori asked. “I see; I see.”

I hesitated. “Is there a problem?”

“Not really. I just thought it was interesting.”

The two of us had been whispering back and forth so as not to disturb the others. However, Reita commented with a wry smile, “You two really are close, huh?”

Miori shoved my face away. Hey, don’t push other people’s faces with your hands! 

“No way! But, you know, I want to get closer to you, Reita-kun. Oh, right! I don’t understand this part here. Will you explain it to me if you’ve got time?” Miori moved her chair closer to Reita, who was sitting across from me.

I’m impressed by how proactive she is! She’s blatantly announced that she wants to get closer to him, I thought. Miori asked Reita about the problem she supposedly didn’t understand while their shoulders brushed together.

“Aren’t you supposed to be smart?” I grumbled. Wasn’t she always ranked among the top ten in middle school?

“Hm? Well, I think I’m smarter than you at least,” she replied.

“Do you really not understand that question?” I glanced at the problem she was asking for help on, and it looked like your average math problem. Sure, it seemed complicated at a glance, but it was actually a simple problem that could be easily solved by just applying the correct formula. There wasn’t anything particularly challenging about it.

“Ehh, of course I don’t understand it. Why else would I ask?” Miori replied, but the overwhelming pressure she was exuding told a different story: Question me again, and I’ll kill you.

I decided it would be best not to push the subject any further. Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—Reita was preoccupied with solving the problem in question, so he hadn’t been paying attention to our exchange too closely.

Miori was only talking to my group, so I felt bad for the blondie she’d come with. I peeked to the side to find that she was studying hard, contrary to what you’d assume based on her appearance. It looks difficult to talk to her right now. I can see why Miori’s hanging with us more... Okay, well, it’s still mostly ’cause of Reita, I thought.

“I really appreciate it, Reita-kun. I understand it perfectly thanks to you!” Miori thanked him with a smile and then returned to her original position.

She looked so pleased with herself that I couldn’t help but ask dubiously, “Hey, was this whole thing really just a coincidence?”

“Rude! It really was a coincidence. I had no idea you guys were doing this,” she whispered back.

“Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t know.”

“Anyway, aren’t you going to help me? Do something so I can talk to Reita-kun more.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster for you to just initiate conversation rather than whatever weird intervention plan I could come up with?”

“He’ll pull away if I come on too strong.”

“Too late for that! You’re already coming on strong.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to do something so I can join in. Naturally.”

“That’s an unreasonable request,” I grumbled. How can you ask that of someone who just launched his high school debut?

“Hey, Natsuki, can I have a moment?” Reita called out to me with a serious look.

Speak of the devil and something, something, or whatever, I thought. Then I asked, “What’s up?”

“Well, you know. I’m not sure how to put it.” Reita struggled to vocalize his thoughts.

It’s rare to see Reita being inarticulate. This is different, I thought.

He continued once he’d gathered his thoughts. “I don’t think I’m good at teaching people.”

“Ooh, well, you never really know,” I tried to reassure him.

“Based on that response, I’m guessing you think so too.” Reita sighed. He looked really bothered by it.

I did overhear a bit of his explanation when he was trying to teach Tatsuya. Not gonna lie, but it wasn’t easy to understand, and it definitely wasn’t very beginner-friendly. Reita didn’t outline the problem he was showing Miori how to solve either. He just quickly solved it on his own without much explanation. Well, Miori’s fine since she already knows how to do the problem. IMO, Reita’s a genius. He just has an intuitive feel for how to solve things. He’s got super smarts, which is great for him but... 

“Honestly, I don’t get what Tatsuya doesn’t understand. What is there to be confused about? Everything looks so easy. I knew I was a genius, but I never thought that would shoot me in the foot one day... The difference between Tatsuya’s intelligence and mine is just so vast that I can’t help him,” Reita said dolefully.

“Did you have to say all that?!” Tatsuya blurted out, astounded by how smoothly Reita threw shade at him even while earnestly worrying about his weakness.

“Dammit! Why am I so smart?!” Reita cried in frustration.

“Oh, shush! Just look at this man, suffering from success,” I quipped.

Hoshimiya giggled and said, “So this is another side of Reita-kun. It’s fun to see!” Her words instantly eased the tension in the air.

“He’s hot and confident,” Miori whispered wistfully. “I want to make him mine! I’ll have one to go, please...”

I pretended like I hadn’t heard her. What the heck are you getting to go?

“Anyway, that’s why I’m sorry to ask this, but Natsuki, if you think Uta’s in the clear, can you lend Tatsuya a hand too?” Reita asked.

He probably can’t ask Nanase because she’s so engrossed in her studies. Her pen hadn’t stopped moving once so she could join our conversation. She’s got amazing concentration.

“Sure, that’s fine with me. Honestly, I’ve got time to spare.” I’d already reviewed all the subjects at home, so it really wasn’t a problem. Still, I can’t believe he’s bad at teaching... That’s an unexpected weakness coming from someone as perfect as Reita. 

Suddenly, an idea struck me. I’ll throw Miori a bone here, I thought. “All right then, let’s swap seats, Reita.”

“Hm? Oh, you’re right. That’ll be better for you,” Reita agreed.

It’ll be easier to teach Tatsuya if I’m sitting next to him. Plus, this way Reita will be sitting next to Miori, and it’ll be easier for her to talk to him. 

Miori looked at me, shooting me a silent, “Nice one!” with her eyes.

I grinned and prepared to get up, but Tatsuya stopped me. “Oh, I’m fine, Natsuki. Reita’s already helped me a ton. I’ll figure out the rest from here. Sure, it wasn’t easy to understand, but I’m not gonna complain when he took the time to teach me,” he said simply and returned to studying.

Was he being considerate of Reita? Tatsuya looked determined to work hard on his own, so I sat back down. Uh-oh, Miori looks unhappy! But what else am I supposed to do? Reita and I exchanged looks and smiled wryly at each other before returning to our studies.

After some time, Uta announced, “I’m going to the bathroom!” and left her seat. When she did, Miori leaned towards me and whispered in my ear, “Hey, hey.”

Wondering what she wanted, I turned to face her to see that she was watching Uta walk away.

“Did you know? Lately, all Uta talks about is you,” Miori whispered quietly so no one else could hear.

“Oh, right, you’re both on the girls’ basketball team,” I replied flatly.

“Yep, we always walk home together after practice too. I feel like she gives off a different vibe lately, you know. Could be that she’s turning into a girl in love. I don’t know what magic tricks you pulled to do that, though!”

“Stop teasing me.”

“But I’m not teasing you.”

We’ve been getting along well, but I don’t remember doing anything that’d make anyone fall for me... No, maybe I have, but Uta is just the type to be close to people. Miori’s blowing things out of proportion! She was being all vague saying, “Could be that she’s turning into a girl in love,” anyway. That’s as unbelievable as when a company replies to your job app with, “We’ll get back to you after reviewing your application.”

“I’m just saying, as your fellow conspirator, that you and Uta will be an item for sure if you make a move now. What’ll you do? Or is Uta not your crush?” Miori’s whispers were as tempting as a siren’s song.

I gulped. Sakura Uta is cute. She’s definitely one of the top five cutest girls in our grade. She’s self-conscious about her shortness and childish figure, but I think that’s what’s so adorable about her. Plus, her energetic and cheerful personality is heartening to watch. I’m sure I’d be happy if we dated.

“Natsu?” Uta called my name, snapping me out of my delusions.

I jumped a little in surprise when the person in question showed up. “’S-Sup, Uta? You’re back.”

“You sure talk to Miorin a lot. Whatcha guys talking about?” Uta replied, a beat slower than usual. Her tone was also quieter than normal.

What do I say? I can’t tell her we were just talking about her. No, maybe I can? I decided to be honest. “Err, we were talking about you, Uta.”

“M-Me?”

“Yeah. I was wondering what you were like during practice,” I said. I could see from my peripheral that Miori was giving me a thumbs-up for some reason, but I ignored her.

When I said that, Uta stopped pouting and turned away. “Hmm, I see. So that’s what it was about. That’s fine, then.”

Uta’s expressive face is always easy to read, but I can’t tell a thing when she looks away, I thought. For the time being, I went back into teaching mode and asked, “Okay, what do you need help with?”

“Ah, right. Over here. You wrote about it in your notebook, but...”

After Uta showed me the physics problem she was struggling with, I began to explain it to her. The fact that she can solve it up to here shows that she properly understands the basics. That’s quite the improvement, considering where she was one week ago. If she’s this far with physics—her least favorite subject—then I’m sure I’ve got nothing to worry about.

***

We took a lunch break during our study session and then got back to it until evening.

“What’re you doing tomorrow?” Hoshimiya asked with her head tilted.

“Oh, sorry, but I’ve got to work tomorrow, ” I replied.

“What, really? But our tests start Monday,” she said, surprised.

The manager had asked me to come in after I’d told him I wasn’t concerned about my tests.

“Natsu, can I come here tomorrow in that case?” Uta asked. “I can’t concentrate at home.”

“Sure. I can’t tutor you, though, because I’ll be on the clock.”

“No worries! I’ve got the notes you gave me, so I’ll be A-OK!” she said and raised a peace sign high up into the air.

I grinned at her antics, then scoped out the others. “What about you guys?”

“I’m good. I’ll study alone,” Tatsuya replied somewhat stiffly.

“Me too. My parents will nag if I study outside too much,” Hoshimiya said.

Nanase agreed and said, “It’s the last day before the tests, so I’ll also study at home.”

“Then same here.” Reita said. “And honestly, I don’t have much money left.”

Something about Tatsuya’s response bothered me a bit. Is he irritated because his studies aren’t going well? Whatever it is, I think it’ll be better to let him simmer.

After that, we all split up and went home. Because Miori and her friend were about done as well, we went home together. And, of course, Miori and I were inevitably the last ones stuck riding on the train together.

“Of course I’m left with you. We live the furthest away, after all,” I said with a sigh.

“Grr. What do you have to be dissatisfied with? You’re going home alone with such a cute high school girl. Come on! People like the old you are green with envy at you right now. See? Doesn’t it feel good?” Miori shot back.

“What you just said ought to be considered verbal abuse to me and everyone around us.”

“Whatever. I was observing you the whole day, and it looks like you’ve got a good vibe going on there, Natsuki.”

“You think so? Hey, wait. Focus on your studies!”

Miori continued the conversation without a care for my retort. “You know your, uh, what was it called? Your ‘Seize a Rainbow-Colored Youth’ plan or whatever? The one where you’re trying to turn your boring, gray life into a fun, colorful one? You know, that thing you came up with for your high school debut? That’s what I’m talking about!”

I could feel my face flush. “Hearing that from someone else’s mouth is humiliating, so cut it out.”

Miori grinned deviously. “All right, let’s name it the ‘Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan’!” she said cheerfully.

You always look like you’re having the most fun when you’re toying with others. What a wicked girl! Well, the name does fit my situation perfectly. Though it pisses me off to admit it.

“Okay, anyway, you know what’s happening, right, Natsuki?”

“What? Again, what the heck are you saying?”

“I’m not trying to meddle, just trying to give you some friendly advice,” she said. My brows furrowed and Miori pointed right at my nose. “I spy a big problem with your plan. Trouble’s brewing already.”

***

“Figure it out on your own,” Miori said after that and went home.

Dammit! That girl. She just leaves me with some vaguely deep-sounding words and flies the coop. Something about it really does make me wonder, though. Maybe she just wanted to ruffle my feathers? No, she wouldn’t say something like that for no reason. That means there’s something going on that’ll mess up my plans, but I have no idea what.

After I got home, I flopped onto my bed, mulling over Miori’s words. I lay there for a while, just staring up at the ceiling, until my phone chimed from over by my pillow. I flipped over onto my stomach and picked it up. There was a RINE message.

As soon as I saw that the message was from Hoshimiya, I unlocked my phone in a flustered panic to read it. Did I open it too fast? Now she can see that I read it instantly... I clicked on it so fast that it looks like I was waiting for her to text me, I thought, regretting my hasty actions.

I started to worry that I’d creeped her out with how quickly I opened it. No, come on. There’s no way she’d be creeped out about this... Even though I knew that it was illogical to think that way, for some reason I just couldn’t help but fret when texting a girl.

Hoshimiya Hikari: What’re you doing?

Natsuki: I got home and now I’m just rolling around in bed

I answered honestly and instantly saw Hoshimiya’s read receipt.

Hoshimiya Hikari: Me too lol

I was about to send, “Do you need something?” but I stopped myself. I want to know that, but it seems really cold... On the other hand, she probably does want something, right? If she messaged me for no reason in particular, that’d just be proof that we’re close, and of course it would make me happy. While I agonized over how to respond, a second message arrived.

Hoshimiya Hikari: Can I call you right now?

I silently stared at her words. It took me a full ten seconds to digest what I was reading. Call? Me and Hoshimiya? Why out of the blue?!

No way! That’s like, like...you know—like we’re already dating!

What kind of logic is that? I argued with myself. While my brain was in chaos, Hoshimiya sent another message.

Hoshimiya Hikari: It’s not a problem if you’re busy right now though!

Dammit! I left her on read while I was drowning in my own confusion, and now she thinks I’m reluctant. Still, this isn’t the time to be lamenting over my misplay. I hurriedly sent her a message.

Natsuki: You can!

Once I sent it, I sighed in relief. But no sooner had I relaxed than my phone started ringing from her call. I thought I’d get at least a few moments to calm down, but Hoshimiya had called as soon as she’d seen my message. I could hear my heart pounding so loud I wondered if it would pop out of my chest.

I answered and tried to speak slowly so that she wouldn’t hear how nervous I was. “Hello?”

“Hi, Natsuki-kun,” she replied.

“O-Oh,” I stammered, “hi.”

“Long time no talk, huh?” I could hear her giggling.

Hey, this isn’t the time to be smiling like a doofus just because you can hear Hoshimiya’s voice! But seriously, isn’t her voice way too nice? It’s so pleasant on the ears.

“Yeah, long time no talk,” I parroted. I am so goddamn bad at holding a conversation...

“Did you eat dinner already?”

“Not yet. My mother’s getting home late today. I’m super hungry.” I checked the time as I said that. It was already 8 p.m.

Waiting this long for dinner was rough for a growing high schooler. I’d considered cooking something for myself, but cooking was my mom’s hobby, and I didn’t want to snatch away her precious relaxing time.

“Oh, really? I ate already,” Hoshimiya said.

“I’m jealous. What’d you eat?”

“Well,” she said playfully, “I had hamburger steak today!”

The cheerful timbre of her voice made my heart tremble. “Wow, did your mom make it?”

“Yeah! Mama rarely cooks because she’s so busy, but when she does, all the food she makes is yummy! But I think I ate too much, so now I’m worried I’ll gain weight.”

So Hoshimiya calls her mother “mama,” huh? Aw, how cute! I guess both her parents work if she said her mother’s busy? I thought she might’ve been the precious daughter of a wealthy family because of her strict curfew and how well-mannered she is.

“Hoshimiya, you’re skinny so you’ve got nothing to worry about,” I reassured her.

“I might look that way, but I’m cutting it really close right now!” I could hear a rustling noise as she said that.

Sounds like she’s rolling around on her bed.

“You think so?” I didn’t know how to approach such a delicate subject, so I gave her a vague response.

“Yes! You’re so skinny, Natsuki-kun. And you’re muscular too. How nice.”

“I’ve got nothing better to do besides lifting weights, you know.”

“Don’t say something so sad. That’s not true!”

“It’s true. I’m not in a club, so I’ve got nothing else besides my job,” I said. It’s inevitable that self-improvement is my main focus. Even if I wanted to partake in my otaku hobbies, I’m seven years in the past, so it wouldn’t be very interesting for me.

“Well, I guess so. What do you normally do after you get home?” she asked.

“Watch random YouTube videos, play some games, and work out.”

Hoshimiya laughed. “Same here, minus the workout. Maybe I should start exercising.”

“Exercising is good for you,” I encouraged her. My muscles will never betray me. They’re the only thing I can believe in unconditionally. “Oh, but I don’t really want to see a brawny Hoshimiya, though.”

“I wouldn’t work out that much! But I am way too flimsy right now. I can only do five push-ups.”

“That’s it?” I teased, but I also used to be like that, so I didn’t have it in me to really laugh at her.

“Okay! One, two, three...” Hoshimiya started counting loudly. I presumed that she was doing push-ups.

“You got this!” I cheered.

“Fo...ur... Hngh!” she moaned.

Um, sorry, I take it back. I’m feeling a strange tingle, so can you stop?

“Whew,” she panted heavily. “I can’t anymore!” I could hear her ragged breathing right in my ear.

Please stop making my heart run wild, I begged.

“I could do more before,” she said. “Aw, I took a bath earlier, but now I’m all sweaty again!”

R-Really? So I’m talking to Hoshimiya fresh from the bath, huh... My mind wandered and I blanked out. My heart wouldn’t be able to take it if I let this get any further out of hand, so I made the executive decision to ask her why she’d called me. What a shame. I’d like to talk to her forever. If only my heart were more robust!

“Oh, by the way, why the sudden call? Did something happen?” I asked

Hoshimiya became strangely quiet; she was choosing her next words carefully. After a moment of silence, she spoke up. “Um, well, nothing, really. It’s nothing big.” Her tone had dropped a pitch lower.

Well, it sure sounds like serious business. Was she so eager to chat about random stuff because she didn’t want to get to the heart of it? I thought, still lacking any idea what this could possibly be about.

She continued. “Natsuki-kun, what do you think about Tatsuya-kun lately?”

“What do you mean? What about him?” The question threw me off completely. Is something up with Tatsuya? Why’s she asking about him?

“Hmm. Well, he looks so down lately. I hope it’s just my imagination, but I thought maybe you would know since you’re both boys.”

“Tatsuya’s down?” I wondered aloud.

There had been many times when I’d asked myself, “Is he in a bad mood?” but I’d always waved that off as him being moody.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t really noticed,” I replied. However, a different concern sprouted within my heart. “Hoshimiya, are you into Tatsuya?”

“What do you— Huh?! N-No! I was just worried! This is one hundred percent pure concern...” The surprise in her voice alone was enough to let me know that the thought had never occurred to her one bit.

“O-Of course, sorry. That’s good, then,” I said.

“That’s good?” she questioned after a short pause.

Flustered at having let that slip during my moment of sheer relief, I tried to cover for myself. I couldn’t control my tone and ended up speaking in a shrill voice. “O-Oh, uh, I just thought that, y’know, I wouldn’t need to be careful about that if you did.”

I had no idea what garbage excuse was coming out of my mouth, but for some reason Hoshimiya replied in a higher tone than usual as well. “O-Oh, I see! Right! Ah ha ha. I got the wrong idea for a moment there.”

“A-Anyway, he seems the same as usual to me,” I said with a little cough. I desperately tried to calm my rampaging heart.

“Hmm. I guess it’s just my imagination then?” Hoshimiya’s voice sounded a bit strained, but she let the topic pass.

We chatted about the upcoming tests for a while longer until we finally hung up.

Hoshimiya’s remark about Tatsuya is weighing on my mind, but he shouldn’t have a reason to be depressed right now. Well, he’s suffering because of the tests, so maybe that’s why she thought he looked more dejected than normal.

It was almost nine when I checked the time. I went to the living room and saw my portion of dinner wrapped up on the table. In front of my meal was a note that said, “I heard you talking to a girl. Good luck ♡” written by my mom. Ugh, mom, mind your own business...

***

I spent the next day working and casually chatting with Uta when time allowed. In a flash, the three-day exam period arrived.

We didn’t gather for a study group on the test days. No matter how seriously we tried to study, we likely would’ve ended up chatting every now and then. Also, Tatsuya immediately booked it after the tests. He said, “I want to concentrate,” but the way he ran off left a lot of room for concern.

My conversations with Hoshimiya and Miori flashed through my mind. Should I do something? But I don’t know why Tatsuya’s acting so weird. I shouldn’t do anything rash if I don’t know what’s up, I reasoned. Plus, it is that time of year. Maybe he really does want to concentrate on his studies.

The three days went by in the blink of an eye as I wondered what was going on with Tatsuya. The tests themselves had been a cinch for me, and I’d finished them easily. So easily, in fact, that I was actually worried—yes, worried—that I’d accidentally scored a hundred percent on all of them. I hadn’t meant to study particularly hard for the exams, but teaching Uta was a surprisingly great way for me to review.

“We’re free!” Uta cheered after we handed in our answer sheets for the last test of the week, math. She stretched her arms high into the air.

As her tutor, I was more curious about her grades than my own, so I had to ask her how she felt about the exams. “So, how’d it go?”

“I think it went pretty good thanks to you, Natsu!” she replied.

Really? I thought, relieved by her confidence. It looks like she avoided failing, at the very least.

“Forget that. I’m pooped! I don’t want to study for a while,” she said.

As the main overseer of her studies, I couldn’t let that pass. “Hey now! Didn’t you say you’d pay attention in class properly?” I scolded her.

Hoshimiya joined in with a laugh. “I understand how you feel, though. I want at least a week off.”

“You won’t be able to keep up with class if you take a week off.” Yuino dropped the truth upon them ruthlessly.

“Yuino-chan! Now’s not the time for a sound argument!” Hoshimiya replied.

Now that school was over for the day, the usual group was all assembled. Uta, Reita, and I sat in the same column of desks, so the other three naturally gathered around us.

Tatsuya was walking towards us and looking pretty grim, so I asked, “Hey, Tatsuya, how was it?”

“Hmm.” He mulled over the test. “I think I avoided failing.” His reluctant response showed how clearly iffy he felt about it.

I can see why he looks so worn out. He’s not pessimistic, but there’s plenty for him to worry about since failing means less basketball practice. And we all know basketball is his everything.

“Well, it’s all over now, so no point in worrying about it. Let’s all take it easy!” Uta said cheerfully.

Tatsuya looked at her ruefully. “I envy your optimism.”

“Hey! I was trying to cheer you up!”

“Yeah, true. Thanks,” Tatsuya said. His eyes softened in a rare honest show of appreciation. “But man, clubs don’t restart until tomorrow, so I’ve got nothing to do.”

“Who cares if we start today? I want to play basketball!” Uta exclaimed.

“I’ve heard that other schools start practice the day their tests are over. But we don’t do that here anymore because a lot of our students tend to stay up all night studying. Some of them ended up collapsing when they went to practice after their tests.” Reita fed us all a fun fact.

I smirked. “Sounds like they’re reaping what they sowed.”

“Honestly, I’m glad we don’t have practice today,” Reita admitted. “I’d like at least half a day to refresh myself after all the hard studying. I do want to get back into club activities but I’m tired.”

“All righty! Then let’s all go to karaoke!” Uta proclaimed, her voice overflowing with energy. As she spoke, she smiled brightly and pointed up high into the air for some unknown reason. It seemed like after the test season, she was renewed and livelier than ever.

“Good idea. I’m down,” I agreed. I had gotten into karaoke back in college, so I often went by myself, but I’d never gone with friends before. I was feeling excited, just a bit. I really want to go to karaoke with everyone.

“Then I’ll come along too.” Reita nodded and looked over at Hoshimiya and Nanase.

“Okay! I’m in!” Hoshimiya agreed happily.

Nanase gave her a look. “Are you sure? Hikari, aren’t you tone-deaf?”

“Shut up! The tone-deaf have the right to sing too! No one can stop me from spending time on the things I like!”

“Is that why you’re always spending time with me, Hikarin?” Uta asked innocently.

“I’m not talking about you, Uta-chan! Oh, but I do like you too. Aaah, quit confusing me!” Hoshimiya cried out.

I laughed. Even if it was Uta we were talking about, I knew she was just playing dumb. “I see; so Hoshimiya has no sense for music either.”

“Hey! Don’t say ‘either,’ okay? It hurts my feelings!” Hoshimiya puffed up her cheeks in a pout.

Yep, very cute, I thought.

The five of us who’d confirmed so far turned to Tatsuya for his answer. Uta ran up closer to him, and he looked down to meet her gaze.

“Tatsu, you’re coming too, right? It’ll be more fun to distract yourself with some singing than to mope around alone all day!” she said.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Tatsuya grinned and agreed to come.

He really does look listless, but it’s not anything extraordinarily strange. His reason for acting this way is obvious too. I’m sure it’ll pass with time, so I’ll just let it be.

It really depends on the person, but when I’m down, I want everyone to leave me alone. It’s nice to know that they’re worried about me, but it’s honestly just annoying if they pry. I should do unto others what I want done to me, after all. Well, not that I ever had any friends who’d poke their noses into my problems. Ha ha...

***

And so, we went to the karaoke joint in front of the station to sing our hearts out. We were all more excited than usual, perhaps because tests had just ended.

Even Nanase looked enthusiastic. Apparently, she even knew the dances for popular idol songs.

“Wh-Whoa.” I marveled at her performance. “Wow. Bravo!” Predictably, Nanase’s turn in the limelight had made her embarrassed. I see that she’s a fan of idols. How unexpected... Except, not really. I had a feeling she was.

“Whoo! That’s my Yuino-chan!” Hoshimiya stood up confidently. “I’m up next!”

When she’s holding a mic, Hoshimiya looks like a real idol. She’s definitely pretty enough for it, and I can practically see an aura of sparkles around her. Okay, that’s just me hallucinating.

“~♪”

I grinned at the indescribable atrocities...I mean, notes...that Hoshimiya was belching out with that cute voice of hers. Ah well, she looks like she’s having fun so it’s fine. It’s not like we’re having a singing contest here. Despite feeling that way, I did want her to think I was good at singing. I want Hoshimiya to see my cool side.

“Okay, I’m next,” Reita said and started his song.

Everyone had taken turns inputting popular songs and then singing at the top of their lungs. Depending on the song, sometimes two people would sing a duet, but generally the person who put the song in would take their turn solo.

I’d passed up my initial turn to choose a song, pretending to be indecisive so that I could observe everyone else first.

I see. So these are the rules of group karaoke. There wasn’t any discussion, and yet everyone knew what to do. I’m sure this is all common sense for them.

If I had to rank everyone in terms of singing skill, it’d be Uta, Nanase, Reita, Tatsuya, and then Hoshimiya. They’re all pretty good—besides Hoshimiya—but it’s nothing mind-blowing. If we had the points system on, they’d probably score between eighty and ninety points. I was pointlessly familiar with how the scoring system worked because that’s all I’d had to look at when I was karaokeing alone.

Up until now, I’d been secretly freaking out, fearing that popular kids were all exceptionally good at singing—so good that they could be pros. But of course reality didn’t live up to my misconceptions. I would be able to sing without making a fool of myself.

More importantly, I need to pick a song. One part of the problem is that I don’t really listen to popular songs, but another part is that I’m from seven years in the future. All of the songs I can think of are outdated to me.

Recently, I’d been listening to nothing apart from the songs of this one rock band I liked. They were definitely on the obscure side, but Uta had also sung a rock song that wasn’t particularly famous either. This’ll probably be fine, I thought hesitantly as I stared at the DENMOKU’s touch screen. A DENMOKU, for my fellow introverts, is a portable touch screen device used in karaoke places to easily search and queue up songs.

Besides, I don’t think they’re the type to be blatantly disappointed just because a song they don’t know comes on. Still, it’s my first song so I want to proceed with caution... Thoughts swirled through my head and before long my turn was almost here.

Tatsuya had just finished his song, so I entered one in a panic.

“Ah ha ha! Natsu, you’re so slow!” Uta cackled.

“Yeeeah, I wasn’t sure what to sing, is all...” I replied awkwardly then stood up, growing oddly cognizant of the fact that I was the last person in the first rotation of songs.

Uta blinked when she saw the song title appear on-screen. “Huh? You listen to Alexandros?! We’ve got the same taste, Natsu!”

Thought so! I figured Uta and I shared the same taste in music. Ugh, I can feel everyone staring at me now that I’m standing up.

“I like this song too! Can I sing it with you?” Uta asked as she picked up the second mic.

I smiled dryly. Her actions show she doesn’t think I’ll say no at all. “Yeah, of course. I get nervous singing alone.”

I actually want you to sing with me. Having the undivided attention of five people is too hard for a classroom gloom like me. I’m super nervous too! I’ve never sung in front of other people before. I’m actually grateful that you’ll be diverting part of the attention away from me.

“Ah ha ha! Is this your first time karaokeing?!” Uta asked.

Actually, I might be what you call a karaoke expert, but it’s true that this is my first time karaokeing with other people.

“Wait, are you bad at singing?” Uta asked me with a grin.

“Who knows?” I answered dubiously.

Really, who does? If I go by the karaoke scoring system, then I don’t think I’m bad. But I see people post online all the time that the scoring system has no correlation to how good a singer you are, I thought as the song started playing. My mind blanked due to nerves, and I sang with all my soul.

***

I took a deep breath after we’d finished our song. The room had become eerily quiet.

Uh, did I do something wrong? I don’t know why, but it feels like the air’s chilled over. Also, Uta stopped singing midway through and sat down. Why’d she do that?! I was about to bow my head and apologize for whatever I did, but I was interrupted by Uta.

“W-Wow! Natsu, you’re sooo good!”

“Huh?” I looked at her, confused.

“I sat down because I thought I was ruining your groove!”

“Y-You weren’t. I wanted you to keep going! I was nervous!”

“Are you being sarcastic? That good and you were still nervous?” Reita asked with a dry smile.

“Wow, you were really great! I spaced out because I was so immersed in the afterglow,” Hoshimiya said with a satisfied smile.

“I could stan you,” our resident idol fan, Nanase, murmured ominously.

Does she like male idols too? At any rate, I already stan you, so please don’t stan me! I’d rather it not be a mutual thing.

“Dude, you’re a man but you can hit all those high notes?” Tatsuya stared at me with genuine surprise.

There was a period in my life when I single-mindedly practiced my falsetto and mixed voice techniques. I recalled the days when I used to go to karaoke boxes alone for practice. Nobody had been around to watch or listen to me, but either way I spent many days recording myself singing, listening to it, and then improving.

“Oh, uh, well, this isn’t much,” I said. I was at a loss as to how to reply, but I knew that definitely wasn’t it.

Well then. It seems like the air didn’t freeze over because I sucked. I had a feeling I couldn’t possibly be that bad, but for a moment there everyone stared at me like they’d turned into blocks of ice. It made me wonder if I actually had a terrible sense of pitch compared to a normal human. Guys, don’t make me panic so much!

Anyway, I guess they’re surprised because I was unexpectedly good? That’s definitely better, I thought as I rubbed my chest to calm myself. I’m so nervous I got the jitters.

“Hey, Natsu! I want to hear you sing more! Can you do this one?!” Uta scooted over to show me the song she’d pulled up on the DENMOKU.

It was a popular song from a band I liked. “Yeah, nice pick. Let’s rock, Uta!” I paused when I realized what I had just said. “Oh man, that sounds cringeworthy, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe! Anyway, you’re okay with that? I’m not that good. Won’t I get in your way?”

“Not at all. Isn’t it more fun if we all sing together? It’s way more hype.”

That was my honest opinion. Singing is way more fun with others than it is solo. But maybe it’s just a breath of fresh air for me because it’s my first time karaokeing with other people.

“Okay, then... Do you know this song? Or this one?” Uta asked.

She’d pulled up a couple of tracks from a relatively obscure rock band. I listened to them quite often, but it was likely that Hoshimiya and the others had never heard of them before.

“We really do have the same taste in music, Uta,” I commented.

“I know, right?! Come to think of it, we never talk about music, huh? I don’t have a lot of friends that I can discuss rock music with, so I’m pumped! Yaaay!” Uta cheered and then thumped me on the shoulder, her energy maxed out.

You smell kinda nice, and now I’m getting all self-conscious about touching a girl, so cool your jets, please! Oh man, I think like this every time someone touches me... In spite of that one grievance, I was on the same wavelength as Uta. It’s nice to have a friend to talk to about the music you like.

“A-All right! Let’s sing ’em all!” I cheered, starting to feel the beat, and smiled at Uta.

After a second, she said, “Yeah!” and beamed back.

***

Every time it was Uta’s or my turn, we’d get hyped up and sing a duet together. The others probably didn’t recognize the songs, but I appreciated that they acted as excited as we were. Their reactions had also gradually given me more confidence in my singing skills. Instead of giving me empty compliments, everyone truly thought I was a skilled singer.

To be fair, I did practice a ton... I thought. In the past, I had even scored up to ninety-nine points. Huh, looks like the point system is surprisingly trustworthy. I also feel like Uta and I have gotten closer. Getting to know your friends is truly a wonderful thing!

I’m having so much fun; this is a blast! Now I’m living the rainbow-colored youth I’ve always yearned for. I have five friends I adore, and one of them is even my crush. They hang out with me, laugh with me, and they like me too.

Our days together felt like the sweetest dream. Everything was exactly as I’d hoped for—longed for—back when I made my wish to god. I want to redo my drab, gray youth and overwrite those memories with a rainbow of colors.

Everything is going swimmingly. Is this what smooth sailing feels like? 

Of course, I’m not perfect, but I think I’m doing pretty well if I do say so myself. I spruced up my looks, ran to lose weight, built up muscle lifting weights, practiced smiling, learned the fashion of this decade, went through plenty of trial and error to hold natural conversations with my friends, and even studied enough that I could teach others. That’s how I clawed my way here.

I worked hard, so very hard, to get where I am now. It’s thanks to all that blood, sweat, and tears that I can finally feel this happy. This boy, formerly trapped in his gray world, was now confident that his Rainbow-Colored Youth Plan was progressing perfectly!

Just then, my reflections were interrupted.

“Sorry, guys. I’m gonna head home first.”

Those abrupt words echoed through the room, right after Uta and I finished another duet. The brisk voice stabbed through the short-lived silence between songs, cutting through the happy atmosphere like a sharp knife. The voice had come from none other than Tatsuya.

The air froze over once again.

What’s up with him? I looked at Tatsuya, but he forced a smile.

After a moment, he said, “Have fun, guys,” and left the karaoke room without waiting for a reply. We didn’t even have time to stop him.

Silence fell over the room, and we all looked at each other. It was Hoshimiya’s turn, but the atmosphere wasn’t very welcoming to another song, and the mic remained on the table. Regardless, the song played on without a singer, and an ill-suited, cheerful melody filled the void.

“I wonder what’s wrong with Tatsu,” Uta murmured worriedly.

Hoshimiya said with a troubled frown, “Yeah, this isn’t like him... I thought he’d been looking somber lately.”

I’d been thinking the same thing. Looks like everyone’s been worried about him. Originally, I assumed it was because of the tests, but is that really it? Would someone so crude and apathetic to grades like Tatsuya get that down because he’s worried about failing a test? But I can’t think of anything else that’d make him feel bad. Guess my only choice is to ask him directly!

“I’m gonna go check up on him,” I said and stood up. Tatsuya’s my friend. And I’m determined to be a friend to him. I want to help out if he’s brooding over something.

“Wait a sec, Natsuki.” Reita grabbed my shoulder, preventing me from leaving the room. He regarded me grimly.

“Reita?” I looked back at him, confused.

He seemed to be considering something for a moment and then finally murmured, “No, sorry. Maybe this is the fastest way.”

That was a very enigmatic statement. Ah well, doesn’t look like he wants to stop me anymore. I’d better hurry! I won’t be able to catch up if Tatsuya rides off on his bike.

***

“Tatsuya!” I called out, having chased him to the bike parking area.

He turned around slowly when he heard my voice. His face was obscured by the setting sun behind him. The shadows around us only grew longer, until he said, “Natsuki. What’s up?”

“Don’t ask me that! I was worried because you were acting stra—”

“I’m fine. Seriously, you don’t need to worry about it,” Tatsuya said, cutting me off.

His words were like usual, but his tone was oddly flat, so I couldn’t read his emotions. I asked, “Are you upset?”

He hesitated before answering, “Not particularly. What? Is there something I should be mad about?”

I thought hard. “Not that I know of. But I’m asking because you look angry.”

I felt the air electrify. The moment seemed tense, like things would go south extremely fast if I said even one wrong word.

An indifferent tone, an unreadable expression—even I could tell Tatsuya was trying to stifle his emotions because he could barely contain the fury behind his eyes.

“Natsuki. Sorry, man, but leave me alone today.”

I had a bad feeling. I’d seen Tatsuya get like this once before—in that same unforgettable moment when I’d realized my failings and my youth had gone downhill.

“Hey, Natsuki? Sorry, man, but I can’t stick up for you anymore. Besides, you piss me off.”

He was acting exactly the same as that time. That was why I was scared to let him leave. I knew the rational course of action would be to back off, but I couldn’t help but step closer. “Tatsuya. If there’s something bothering you, then I—”

“Shut up! I told you to leave me alone!” he yelled.

From this close, I could finally see his shaded expression clearly. Tatsuya was staring daggers at me. He looked like he hated me.

“Don’t you ever feel so pathetic that you just want to be alone?!”

His question confused me; I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. So I stopped walking towards him.

Tatsuya? Pathetic? That’s how he thinks of himself? That strong, confident jock who always laughs boisterously? That image was so different from my own conception of Tatsuya that I couldn’t believe it, even coming from the man himself. But he doesn’t look like he’s lying. And this isn’t the time to be joking around. 

Tatsuya snorted when he saw my confusedly furrowed brows. “I guess someone perfect like you would never get it...”

I need to say something, I thought, but I was at a loss for words, and only a dumb, “Huh?” slipped out of my mouth.

There’s no way he’s talking about me, right? There’s nothing perfect about me at all. The only perfect person in our group is Reita, not me. But Reita’s not here. Does that mean we’re talking about Reita now?

Still unable to make heads or tails of what Tatsuya was saying, I asked tentatively, “Are you talking about Reita?”

“Dude.” Tatsuya’s eyes narrowed. “Are you asking that for real?”

“What do you mean?” I responded. I’m serious! I don’t have a clue what you’re going on about.

Understanding that I was completely bewildered, Tatsuya turned away from me. “I’m not talking about Reita. That guy’s good at most things, but I wouldn’t call him perfect. I’d know, since we’re childhood friends. I’m real familiar with his weak points,” he said as he unlocked his bike.

He’s not talking about Reita? “Uh, then you’re talking about me? You seriously think I’m perfect?”

“You don’t think so, Natsuki? That’s what it looks like to me, though.”

I almost scoffed and said, “That’s crazy talk!” But before I did, Tatsuya turned to look at me, and I could see in his eyes that he was being serious.

Tatsuya let out a big sigh and patted me on the shoulder. “Sorry, Natsuki. Don’t sweat it. You didn’t do anything.” With that, he hopped on his bike and rode away.

I watched his back disappear into the distance. I stood there motionless for I don’t know how long until I heard footsteps behind me.

“Sorry, Natsuki. I had a feeling this might happen.”

Still dazed, I turned around to see Reita regarding me solemnly. “You thought this might happen? Why the heck? What do you mean by that?”

I was still absolutely lost. All I knew was that I’d made a mistake—I was now in the same situation as my first go-round.

“Tatsuya’s jealous of you,” Reita stated plainly.

“Huh?” I stared at him. Borrowing a page from Tatsuya’s book, now Reita was spouting incomprehensible statements. This’d make sense if everyone else jumped out with a giant sign that said “PRANKED” on it. Jealousy is my thing. It’s not something they should feel for me, I thought. Aloud, I said, “Jealous? Of me? What’s there to be jealous of?”

“Your remarkable lack of confidence is probably why you’re so unaware of how people feel about you. It really doesn’t match up with your capabilities... I’m kinda concerned about how that might’ve come into being,” Reita said.

He’s got a point. I don’t know how to read others’ perceptions of me. 

Part of that’s because of my past failures. I became arrogant, got in over my head, and annoyed everyone—I didn’t even notice when people started hating me. My overconfidence was extremely unfounded.

But that’s weird. What Reita’s saying now is the complete opposite of that.

“No confidence...?” I questioned. “I think I’ve got tons of confidence. There’s no one around more confident than me.”

That’s why I blundered, after all. There’s no doubt about that. 

“I see.” Reita looked at me as if he were peering into my soul. “I think I understand what’s going on inside your head better.”

Sure, I lost all my confidence, hope, expectations, and everything else after I failed to live a happy adolescence last time, but I’ve been regaining that lost confidence gradually during this redo. I used my past experience as an example, and I’ve been trying to carefully control my ego so it doesn’t get out of hand.

Is Reita saying that’s a mistake?

“Don’t get the wrong idea; I’m not criticizing you. If anything, you’ve done nothing wrong.” Reita hesitated. “That’s precisely why. You haven’t done a single thing wrong.”

Then what do I do? My demeanor wasn’t flawless, but I did my utmost to make the best possible decisions. No! Was that my mistake?

“I think the trouble started with basketball. Tatsuya’s identity is basketball itself, but you beat him at it. Of course, that’s all because you were the better player. You should be proud of it. You didn’t do anything wrong at all.” Reita objectively narrated these past events. He observed me with those eyes that sometimes had a habit of seeing too much.

He continued on. “After that, it was one surprise after another. The cooking skills you displayed at your part-time job, your ability to teach people, your singing today—everything about you is perfect. And finally, the icing on the cake: the way Uta’s eyes twinkled at you.”

“Wha—” I said haltingly. “What’s this got to do with Uta?”

“That’s easy. Tatsuya loves Uta,” Reita answered simply, as if it were obvious to anyone. “I’ve known all along, but I’m sure Hoshimiya-san and Nanase-san have caught on by now.” He laughed dryly. “Tatsuya’s easy to understand, after all.”

I had never realized it because they were always bickering. “He said he didn’t like anyone when I asked him the other day, though...”

“Well, I’m not surprised he said that. Tatsuya always acts tough, especially in front of you.”

I was dumbfounded. Unbelievable! But...if I take my own preconceptions out of the picture and consider what Reita’s saying objectively, then it definitely checks out with what Tatsuya said.

“Why? Why...” I struggled to verbalize my thoughts, and all that came out was a garbled mess. “For me— To me... I look up to Tatsuya. I... I wanted to be like him. Someone bright and fun to be around. Like him. I wanted to be friends with him. I thought if I did, every day would be fun. That’s why I... So why? Why’s he jealous of someone like me?”

Reita blinked in surprise. “I see. So that’s how you feel. Calm down for now. I’m sure it’ll be resolved with time.” He patted me on the shoulder and shot me a reassuring smile. “Tatsuya’s at fault here. You didn’t do anything wrong. Got it? You’ve done nothing wrong.”

But I probably did do something wrong. 

In the past, I hadn’t understood others’ feelings. And even now that one fact remained unchanged.