Chapter 20 | Study Session

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“Asahioka-senpai, please teach me how to study!”

One day after school, Sora stopped me as I was about to go home for some studying.

“Why don’t you ask Shō to teach you?”

“Isn’t Onii-chan an idiot~”

“Even though Shō is busy with club activities, he’s still trying his best.”

“But, isn’t senpai, who is also busy with club activities, second in the grade?”

“That’s… that’s true, but…”

When it comes to me and Shō, our motivation for studying is completely different.

Shō is someone who just wants to avoid failing, and I’m someone who’s aiming to be at the top of the grade.

It’s natural for there to be a difference in our results.

I also used to study carelessly, or rather, I didn’t even study, and I never thought of trying to get good grades.

Back then, I don’t know how many times I got the lowest grade in the grade, and I don’t know how many times my sister had called me an idiot.

In the end, you can expect your score to rise to some extent depending on your motivation.

“Sora, what kind of scores do you usually get on tests?”

“I usually get a score that’s barely above failing~”

“You’re just as much of an idiot as Shō.”

If anything, she’s even worse than Shō was when he was in first year.

Even Shō would get a score of around 50.

“I’m cute, so it’s fine for me to be an idiot, you know~”

It seems that Sora doesn’t have any motivation to study at all.

“…That’s true. It’s fine for you to be an idiot since you’re cute.”

“Don’t look at me with eyes like you’re looking at someone pathetic.”

Sora puffed out her cheeks and then poked me on the shoulder a few times.

“Senpai, please don’t abandon me. If I fail all of my subjects on the next test, then I might have to repeat a year.”

Even if you fail a few subjects on a test, I know from experience that you wouldn’t have to repeat a year, but… I wonder what I should do.

I can teach Sora while I’m studying on my own.

And today just happens to be a day that I don’t have any plans to study with Reina.

If I had a plan to have a study session alone with Reina, then I would have declined, but that’s not the case.

If that’s the case, then I don’t have any reason to decline.

Also, I don’t have the heart to refuse a favor from a friend’s sister who is the manager of my club and always takes care of me.

“If you’re that desperate, then it can’t be helped. I’ll help you with your studying.”

“Really? Yay!”

“But, before that, is it okay for me to ask Reina?”

“What are you going to ask Futaba-senpai?”

“Well, Sora is a girl after all. I have to check with Reina if it’s okay for me to have a study session alone with Sora.”

“The ‘after all’ is unnecessary, the ‘after all!'”

I ignored Sora, who was glaring at me, and sent a message to Reina on my phone.

A few seconds later, I received a reply that said “It’s fine as long as you’re in a place where people can see you.”

“It’s fine if I’m in a place where people can see me… huh.”

“I see, you’re going to be in a place where people can see you so that Asahioka-senpai doesn’t do anything bad to me, is that it?”

“I haven’t even thought about that at all.”

“You always look at my boobs when they’re swaying during club activities, don’t you?”

“H-Hah!? I-I’m not looking. If I were doing that, then Shō would kill me.”

Even so, the other male club members often talk in a vulgar way about Sora’s swaying breasts.

I try to just ignore it…

“Then if Onii-chan wasn’t here, then you would look at my boobs?”

“Even if Shō disappeared from this world, I wouldn’t look since I have a girlfriend.”

“Then if you didn’t have a girlfriend?”

“I’d stare at them really hard.”

“Kyaa, you’re such a pervert, Asahioka-senpai.”

Let’s stop with the jokes. Based on Sora’s suggestion, we decided to have our study session at the library, which was open after school.

⭐︎

“…Shouldn’t we just go home?”

The moment I saw the people who were studying in the library, I said that quietly to Sora.

“Why?”

Sora was making a puzzled face, but there’s no way that she wouldn’t know.

That’s because the person who I’d feel the most awkward meeting right now was in the library.

The girl’s golden hair, which was illuminated by the setting sun, was glowing, and the piercing in her ear sparkled.

“Ah, is it because Shiina-senpai is here?”

“Of course it is.”

Even now, Ria and I were seeing each other every day in class.

But every time I meet with Ria, she averts her gaze from me, and I haven’t been able to look at her in the eye.

That’s why it’s not just awkward, but I’m sure that Ria thinks that my presence, who had come in later, is annoying.

“It’s fine, right? The library is a place for everyone.”

“But…”

“Then, will you come to my house? If my Onii-chan joins us to study, then Futaba-senpai would feel at ease, right?”

“U-Um…”

To be honest, I’m still feeling awkward with Shō due to Reina’s thing.

My interactions with Shō have clearly decreased since I started dating Reina.

I feel bad for involving my sister, Sora, in that kind of conflict between men.

“How about a cafe or something?”

“If we study at a cafe, how long do you plan on staying with just one cup of coffee? That would be a nuisance to the store.”

“O-Oh, I see…”

Where is the right place to study at times like this?

All of the classrooms are open after school.

Inversely, that means there’s no one there, so there’s no one to see you.

The only place where there are people after school is the library.

Actually, there are a few other students besides Ria.

Since there are also some of my classmates here and there, they should be able to testify that nothing happened between Sora and me.

“I understand, let’s stay here. But, we have to be quiet in the library.”

“Okay~ Senpai!”

“You’re being loud even though you’re the one who said it…”

And so, our study session with Sora started at the library…

“Senpaaai, I don’t understand~”

“Where?”

“Here~”

At first, I was planning to study on my own while also helping Sora with her studying next to me.

“Senpaaaiiii, I don’t uuuuunderstand”

“Where?”

“Heeeere~…”

And yet…

“Senpaaaiii! I dooooon’t get iiit!”

“…Hey, Sora.”

“What is it~?”

“Is asking me a question after every single problem that you solve on purpose? Or do you really not understand it?”

“I really don’t understand it, you know…”

Sora was more of an idiot than I had imagined.

Sora would ask me as soon as she finished solving a problem, and would immediately ask me about it when she tried to start working on the next problem.

Because of that, my studying was very slow.

My study sessions with Reina were always smooth because we were a combination that was first and second in the grade.

Compared to that speed, it’s like the Tortoise and the Hare.

There’s probably no comeback in this story.

“You can’t even solve the most basic problems, let alone the advanced ones.”

“The nutrition that was supposed to go to my brain all went to my breasts.”

“I didn’t ask about that.”

“That’s why my boobs are so big, you know?”

Sora showed me by putting her arms together and revealing her breasts.

Her pink cardigan was pushed up from the big bulges.

“Reina also has big boobs, but she’s not as much of an idiot as you.”

“That’s a sexist remark, Senpai.”

“That’s unreasonable…”

After that, I ended up tutoring Sora while being by her side.

While teaching her, I glanced around the entire library for some reason.

I was curious to know how fast everyone else was studying.

“Ah…”

I made eye contact with Ria.

Ria looked at my face intently for a few seconds and then averted her gaze.

“What’s wrong~? Senpai~?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

After all, she had noticed that I was here.

I’m sure that the other students who were glaring at their textbooks also noticed that I had come into the library, since Sora was being so noisy next to me.

“Ah, Senpai. I’m going to go pee.”

“You could have used other words besides ‘go pee’…”

While Sora was in the bathroom, I was finally able to concentrate on my studies.

I was aiming to defeat Reina this time.

When Reina had challenged me to a match, I immediately gave up, but I had changed my mind.

Since that day when I was advised by Reina, I decided to not only improve on giving up so easily, but to also try to choose and make decisions by myself.

I realized from experience that I would end up regretting it if I didn’t choose or decide on things for myself.

If that’s the case, then I have to decide everything by myself.

I can’t keep running away from the responsibility of my choices.

If I continue to live my life in a way where I keep running away, then I’ll probably be hated by Reina.

And I can’t keep showing such a pathetic side of myself to Sora, who was my junior.

Since she had come to rely on me like this, I want to live up to her expectations.

“…Hey, Shinse. Can I talk to you for a bit?”

“…Eh?”

When I turned towards the voice next to me, Ria was sitting next to me.

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