Thursday. Night.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ153T3CIdH8
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Let’s see… If I divide this by this, then I move the result to the other side… oh, I have to change the sign of the number from positive to negative… right?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35ms1KMbBm
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Focused…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZOsoaE4Zw
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The note says I have to… okay… now to just solve the other side…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9yQxvfL2S
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I was very focused…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVXYl5fV4t
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Eleven… umm… and negative 6… so I subtract…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvYydhXGCK
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I felt my world compress into my desk… studying…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6L13NmhiN
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“The answer is five… x is equal to five.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj05I76y2nw
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzns7uM9oWU
I blinked… was it right? Did I get it? It felt like I was right.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWLWsePzEE
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX4cHFLO6H
Carefully, I scanned my desk. My solution notebook was in the middle, right in front of me, Kuroiwa’s math notebook he gave me was on its left, and my math practice exam test paper sat on its right. I did manage to finish a problem that I wasn’t able to solve, but how would I know if I was right?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYt2nH2FiS
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Oh…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o6qP5YOwS
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I remembered the correction note Hina gave me last week when she, Mika, and Yui were teaching me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUEdM3l7Gz
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PlpAYugTm
My hand automatically opened the drawer below my desk. The notebook revealed itself. It was the first thing I saw. I took it out from the drawer and started flipping its pages.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtExHqbQjO
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqkNRdlnmA
Midterm practice exam, math test, problem number five… found it!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGoRfzntCK
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ471h5VQILF
I immediately checked. I analyzed the solution first and compared it to mine… they looked similar. My eyes drifted towards the answer.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0fYKwdsqM
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡml72jFpfYv
“YES!” I accidentally shouted. But who cares. I raised my hands in excitement, so fast I almost threw away Hina’s correction notebook. Right now I felt like I won a gold medal at the Olympics.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKP8WqQbwy
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I heard footsteps outside my door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNyyPgXq3v
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Oh no… I thought and hurriedly placed my math test paper inside my desk compartment. I closed it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBypeHVHpQh
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm0HN1r7BC
I now cared that I shouted. I shouldn’t have shouted...46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwmjoa9kod
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Three knocks.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmviymmGCSH
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“Runa, I always told you not to be loud when it’s late.” My mom appeared when she opened my door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbQlbbKVYn
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUZ4Q2Vqw2
“I’m sorry,” I said, the smile on my face was still lingering.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9cpChkVU4
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“What are you doing?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7emcNlCPY
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“I’m trying to study.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu70dr68h5p
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My mom looked at me, then she looked around the room.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMj7BNojlpf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFPQmNchLRd
“That reminds me,” she said, “You haven’t shown me the result of your practice midterms exam yet…”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixCkPQqajt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty2szG72bv
I choked for a bit. My smile turned from a victory celebration to a worried, she might find out, kind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXL5uhtQwpW
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TbnbM9iHx
“Ah.” I let out without meaning to. “I forgot it at school. I’ll just show you my midterms exam later instead… after it’s done.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTzjLLBVhm
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAXtEh6X8K
I tried… I tried to make excuses. I had done it so many times in the past, but I was still not used to it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoXLQKI00z
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUlvShErkn
She stared at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGLhnWv7E4
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“Alright then,” she replied. “Make sure you show it to me afterwards, okay?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiwt8cdCDf
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“Okay.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxHKVPxG2H
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She smiled at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cSnXly1gE
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiMx9jKNOQ
“Well, do your best in studying. I thought I would ask you to come watch Reaching for the stars together tonight, but I guess you’re busy right now.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSPX4sloDU
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I smiled back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftAr5zOIuH
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“Okay, Mom, enjoy your show.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiqkU7pBG0
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She closed my door carefully.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWr2OM6BqS
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Finally, I was able to breathe.
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I suddenly felt tired. I glanced at my bed…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPn7cCatY2
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It was tempting me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipVgds9VYE
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So I launched myself toward it, bouncing once on the mattress.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh08bUh3l7B
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I turned around to face the ceiling then tilted my head towards the clock standing on my desk.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fbnnKAVcX
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9:47 pm46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Da5ddDkpz
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It was already this late. Normally, I would still be with my mom in the living room watching dramas together, but lately I hadn’t been able to do so.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpymEAYR7tR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoFgsoHVoj
I grabbed my phone lying just above me and turned the screen on.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0S1mKeYZ6
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Five notifications from our group chat.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkCPgZktZS
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It was Yui and Mika…
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Yui: Runa~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1Hn5x0a59
Yui: Runa!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7fneVQoSe
Yui: RUNAAA!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDWI8FDmqP
Mika: Yui, it’s late!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6KpgpPXBA
Yui: MIKAAAAA!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzKhXI2wyz
Yui: HINAAAAAA!!! 😭😭😭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia7mjEktyv
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDCXaGg6I5
I giggled quietly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQMB1eRWpo
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Hina: You called?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsiKxDeXjd
Yui: Hina!! Runa is ignoring me. 😭😭😭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJEnX43gDp
Yui: And Mika is being Mika again!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2xE58oNwU
Mika: Hey! What do you mean by that?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPS0m40tkY
Yui: Love you. 😘😘😘💕💕💕46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKMdJQdWjQ
Mika: That’s not an answer. And it’s not a magic phrase to avoid a question.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWhFO0uRkY
Yui: Ehehe~~ 😉😉😉46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGIStHCO4U
Mika: I’m sleeping, it’s late.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCcIxK095e
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxRefADdCx
I almost lost it laughing before I’d even typed anything.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNX3FZrQkZ
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Runa: I’m alive Yui, I was studying.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUiBTGJDkv
Runa: Wasn’t ignoring you, sorry 🥺46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8agYhv8hw
Yui: Yay Runa!🎉🎉🎉46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5NxtWeGIY1
Hina: How did this afternoon go?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDD9N1zjWMK
Mika: It went quick actually, she went into the building, ten minutes later came out with notebooks in her bag and one in her hand.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJcOdJaHXi
Yui: Ooh, spoils of war. 👀👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hCW4Mp8BR
Runa: We didn’t go to war.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUXLo7N3qq
Yui: Sure. 👍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWBWvxYxh0
Yui: Anyways. Tell me Runa.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbL5ymkOOrd
Yui: Is he cute? 😊😊😊46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WYf9EFIZG
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87Fy56kDxK
Runa: What?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BWG6LXthY
Mika: WHAT!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ959Sf5Slkc
Hina: 😂😂😂46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3FHtUTbdg
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiM46OuQSt
Yui: I mean. You’ve seen him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBcdzF72K4
Yui: Up close.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nntyXAGkI
Yui: Twice now.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHong1QOCw
Runa: As far as I know, you’re not blind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ie2Po5wXh
Runa: Use your own eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQsHs1MdVD
Yui: I prefer to use them on more important matters. 🔍🔍🔍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡitV5FnRcy4
Mika: I’m sleeping.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFuYAeKLFr
Yui: Second time you said that. 😂😂🤣🤣46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDlr6xYpFI
Mika: I AM. SLEEPING.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGS9scrCYT6
Yui: Third time~~ 😘😘46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdQGUG8TMs
Yui: Anyways.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6JNRkrJT3
Yui: Is he?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ymf8I0DsJ
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqmvOBS2Q0
Runa: Hmm. I guess. If you look closely. 🤔46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡly5MAx18DH
Yui: Did you fall for him? 😍😍😍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN9NesAxfz
Runa: What? No.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgc7vkVoS7
Yui: Really?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPA46r9OVS
Mika: She said no.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCn1KH4zRA
Yui: You’re not sleeping Mika~~ 👀👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbHCFaxQzB
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvN9JuU2bX
I could practically hear Mika sighing through the screen. I giggled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwhCNkpPzv
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3dnVqNfo9
Mika: How would she fall for him? They just started talking recently. And he’s not some hottie you fall for at first sight.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ803YxE9pa4
Yui: hottie?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzbVPg3IUV
Runa: Oh wow, you know that word Mika?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupMGU87k2q
Mika: What do you mean?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Fb0pX1BUk
Yui: We thought.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz74y1HCLz9
Yui: You wouldn’t know.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRzUAuSjib
Yui: Since, you know.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVgy7Zp2Hz
Yui: You’re like a dinosaur.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6defAzszs
Mika: What!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGgOk4oDfy
Runa: Yui that’s a bit too far.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrEKl1MjXn
Runa: Mika’s more like born in Edo period.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqn971Dm1wf
Mika: First off. We’re all the same age. I was born sixteen years ago not hundreds.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85Hcr3DCBy
Mika: Second, calling me a dinosaur is uncalled for, Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGXaFzIrjZ
Yui: Hehehe~~ ✌✌✌46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDCmIQXyx7
Yui: Love you. 😘😘46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENiAnCcp1K
Mika: And third, Runa, do you really think I look like I could be born in Edo period?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1XzNmEByp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSJCRE0QnK
I couldn’t object. She did knew about how to look cute and pretty. It was just not very common for her to say words like “hottie”.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9X5QFGAnt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwCnUUp8nc
Yui: Mika!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7K4U2zaZLI
Yui: You’re derailing the topic! 😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTXMUW24cs
Mika: It wasn’t me!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH84O0UGRp1
Mika: Oh my god, fine, this time I really am going to sleep!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXHmyDcusR
Mika: Yui, I will see you tomorrow…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYH69XkcVMU
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Mika went offline immediately.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8G31GBtGnv
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Yui: Uh oh. 😱46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeydEoZFmU
Yui: Anyways~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pykilr24X
Yui: Runa? So did you? 🤭🤭🤭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBr5zoJHrA
Hina: You heard Mika.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7NrBzosm7
Yui: Fine…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIboX9xCDZq
Yui: But still.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0L6H0v0ej
Yui: Don’t you think.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XeNNQCFAl
Yui: It’s possible?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWkwg1PY7F
Runa: I don’t think so…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVENLNejqg3
Yui: I mean…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZBwAPHQWk
Yui: A fair maiden needs help.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLABWrW44L
Yui: Then comes the shadow prince.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9zSy86q78
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Shadow prince? Who?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRY198XVgq
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Yui: Rescued her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgBckZhLBr
Yui: Then they fell in love.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgHLZIvNQG
Yui: Just like in a fairy tale~~ 🥰🥰🥰46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl274MME1q
Runa: No.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMjGNnXY5M
Hina: No~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcETRyF8qs
Hina: I bet Runa is grateful to Kuroiwa.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HarFZaaZz
Hina: But that doesn’t mean she’ll fall for him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBNidE9eEK
Runa: Exactly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSrmQE7rS8
Yui: BOO!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxeJb1q7dQ
Yui: BOOOO!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03SMYfBy1R
Yui: You’ll regret it. 😤😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTI21J3aH3Z
Yui: I warned you.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3yWaz0RxgJ
Yui: You’ll regret it not listening to me. 😤😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTZN2UY3dJ
Yui: When you actually fall for him!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrfURCueMV
Runa: I’m not.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iLt9twsDt
Runa: We’re just going to study. 😑😑46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RzGgZVCzH
Hina: It’s late Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteNue9RNl0
Yui: Okay, Mom. 👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaLHPBy9cd
Hina: Goodnight sweetie~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzh9M7RhSWv
Yui: Goodnight 😇😇😴😴46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMt0scjn4w3
Runa: Goodnight!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4z6r1N33eW
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4VwhzWIRi
I turned the screen off.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7tWcFUOJC
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Love.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdaK4q1oHA
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7vhpCBHr9
I hadn’t thought about that word in any real way since middle school.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWHhrDIQyj
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwd4k3Wr7LA
I got up, tidied my desk, stacked the notebooks neatly, and turned off the light.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYTajgaK7G
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOBnfUIy2e
My eyes stared at the math notebook Kuroiwa wrote for me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVEzqJsrRqX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGFUkjd3Mx
I smiled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TFNITR32w
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluNJZQxLiJ
The way I was able to solve a problem I couldn’t during the practice exam still lingered in my head.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucRE0JrhtN
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I went to bed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutZws43zQW
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Then I fell asleep somewhere in the middle of thinking how a gold medal would fit around my neck.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6AjQTN03H
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Friday. Second period. Gym class.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhk1IzP1giQ
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I bent over slightly, hands on my knees, catching my breath when Suzuki-chan finally blew the whistle.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlP1EuJopcB
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I stood up, wiped the sweat from my forehead and headed towards the corner of the gym.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR94g9C0GNF
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Hina, who came from the other side of the volleyball net, walked with me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlweLHE7md
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One set of a volleyball match had made me quite tired. But Hina didn’t look like she was.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VWlJUuEke
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Her skin glistened a little while she wiped her sweat off, but she still looked put together. Composed. Like she’d been doing something significantly less strenuous than playing a full-effort volleyball match.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfThEJpxpc4
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We played against each other. My team lost.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxnDRNvLdb
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I tried to win. I gave my all. But I couldn’t compete against Hina.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLU14kjAdC
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She looked at me while we were walking and I stuck my tongue out at her. Just a little. Playful. Pretending I was bitter about losing.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNMldXybl2
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I wasn’t, really. It was just instinct. My instinct didn’t enjoy losing regardless of how I actually felt about it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgD7qEttx2
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I stared at her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8XsvXM9Nc
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Beautiful. Smart. Athletic.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvJwFUcUex
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On top of all those, she was mature. She also had a great figure.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokqy9chZq0
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I smiled. I had always thought she was special. And I had always thought ever since we met when we were in fifth grade of elementary that I wanted to become like her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBSleQDyKK
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I didn’t become like her. But I was glad we were still friends.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwStN38QJl3
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We sat down at the corner, finally.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOspMjd8bj
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I looked back to where the volleyball court was and I saw Mika and Yui preparing for their match. They were on opposite teams. Mika looked really fired up. Like she was about to teach some kind of lesson to her opponents. Probably because of what happened last night, but I saw her frown when she looked at Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfe9QoRYf0n
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Yui joked around with her teammates and was laughing. Unconcerned. She saw Mika staring at her. Gave her a wink and stretched her hand towards Mika to make a peace sign with her fingers.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡga1RwSyiL8
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I bet Mika didn’t like that. It showed when she closed her eyes and gripped her hand tight.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK2qK2NiWe
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Hinano-chan was the one who acted as a referee this time. She walked to the middle of the court and tossed a coin.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRwCxHDiMz6
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Yui’s team got to serve first.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcDdhZqTB2
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While I was in the middle of getting swept by how entertaining this match could become, I finally remembered. The math question from last night I wanted to ask Hina ever since this morning. And I felt this moment was a great opportunity to ask.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhNKhUETM0
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I turned toward her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXqfMTcqPE
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Her eyes were focused. It wasn’t at me. It wasn’t at Mika and Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF5vzp8jCW
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I followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at. It was at the opposite side of the gym. A match between the boys. And there I saw him. I saw everyone around him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vYlSFm5fc
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I saw the orange ball the boys were chasing around and a board that was high around both ends of the area they were playing at.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSx2Yj3Wayv
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Are they playing basketball? I thought they were. Probably.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOT5OyXQinu
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Kuroiwa was there. Running back and forth but no one paid attention to him. He caught the ball mid-air. And then everyone around him stopped. They just turned around and stopped moving.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkYVnvtHDc
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ti3PhdlxV
“Their match is getting interesting,” Hina said. Without me asking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9tmkrXVKc
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“...Is it?” I asked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zQxvMdgFe
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She didn’t answer. But I wondered, briefly, if she actually understood basketball at some level, being as athletic as she was.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCjCcjjDGB
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWud58iQiL
I continued watching. I wondered what Kuroiwa was going to do, now that the ball was in his hands. Somehow I was expecting him to do something incredible. Was I? I think it’s more like I was curious since he looked like someone who could do everything.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9keNOWhQw3
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoN26pzxX5
He bounced the ball once, twice, and jogged. At his usual slow pace. In his usual unhurried ways. No one was in front of him, there was no resistance at all. And then he reached the far end of the court. He threw the ball toward the circle thing with a net.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRNSYQ5VQY
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It didn’t go in.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04z6ttYFvp
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That was unexpected...46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaRs9Jb6f0
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The moment it bounced away, everyone resumed moving. Someone grabbed a new ball and the game continued… Like nothing had happened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvPSmOTN1R
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“There’s a rumor,” Hina said, leaning slightly toward me, “that if you touch the ball after he misses, you get bad luck for the rest of the day.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejHK7f1gFz
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I stared at the ball that no one picked up. It was still rolling away from everybody, toward the edge of the gym, untouched.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdKeCDFJWZt
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“...That’s ridiculous,” I said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nu3sQXjOV
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“Right?” Hina agreed easily. “People will say and believe anything. All because someone looks a little different.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbMM3ODgPG
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I didn’t respond right away.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N86AlfSbU
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Well, a week ago, I was one of them too. So I really couldn’t judge anyone. Otherwise I would just be a hypocrite. All I knew was what I knew about him, but I was glad that at least, at this point, I stopped believing any of those exaggerated rumors.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu18uGLsYmC
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But it was not like he was suddenly not scary anymore.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXJVCCtDpm
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I contemplated on that for a bit.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR80VSRnZez
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Hina smiled at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXVwQMFTfO
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“But you’re different now, right?” I wondered if she could actually tell what I was thinking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiR9fhSh76
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I nodded.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3EAFtEVs9E
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“Yeah.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfS9wtA3wS1
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“You know, there’s a lot of difference about knowing someone, talking to them, and not caring at all.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2neR9Ycmxp
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“I know.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJFWZsBDJ7
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“Now that you’ve talked to him, it doesn’t mean that you know him entirely, but at least because of that, I know you can’t imagine such rumors to be true. Since, you know, he’s human.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzJG7N2UA0
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I stared at her for a moment. Her smile never faded. She always knew what to say. Always.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXFuKmacDk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURIOddzHUu
“Look,” she said, gesturing toward the ongoing basketball match.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmTIDABlS3
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I turned around. It seemed like Kuroiwa caught the ball accidentally again. And just like last time, everyone around him stopped moving and stopped looking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7Jctq5iAs
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupi4Tbv151
He bounced the ball like he did earlier. Tried to run…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaU2bw1kRW
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Then slipped.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0MAovvqXO
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He fell to the ground. His face on the floor.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjor3IAQ3c2
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The ball went out of the area where they played and everyone continued to move again. Someone got another ball and then they resumed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOri1HG4gJq
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Hina giggled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTECE9DFYET
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“He’s actually pretty clumsy, huh.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakw3pYHWgy
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“Yeah.” I agreed, smiling.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7cMOXhwY7m
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Lunchtime.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBSTotoH6b
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Same spot on the rooftop.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwrJUfAxpe
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We were already finished eating and packed our lunch boxes in our bags. But there was apparently one piece of business still that I needed to do inside mine.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhE6qvj2U3
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Hina requested to see the notebooks Kuroiwa gave me. Then Yui got curious. Which made Mika also want to see them.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxGdTE7EEK
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I sighed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0eTFYg955
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I took three notebooks out. Math, science and English. I couldn’t take the others because if I did, my shoulder would definitely complain about the weight and would retaliate with pain later. And I was already getting a lot of other pains in other places lately, specifically my back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54dSOpJek7
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What I took were only the ones relevant to the subjects we were getting lectured on today.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx0ExfYTZUq
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I presented the notebooks to them.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TCW5e4eDn
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Hina immediately took math.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1HjMNVqDW
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Mika wanted science.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe09afAZHjz
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And Yui just took what was left.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dN8X7q14K
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I watched their faces.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMnyHJoNqS
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Yui’s eyes were doing that sparkly thing. I genuinely couldn’t tell if it was about the notebook itself or about whatever fantasies she started narrating in her mind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGEI1P1lX1
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“Lo—”
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“No,” I said, before she got past one syllable.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0jagBWt2k
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuvSvCF1Bf
I looked at Mika instead. Her face was so focused that I felt if I called her name she wouldn’t even hear me. She was analyzing what was inside, something that I felt last night, checking the notebooks myself, would definitely catch her eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGDFEQ90Oz
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwkfMwPkpB
The whole structure of the notes. The labeling, the way everything was organized, like the way she wanted to make her notes look. Whenever she showed me hers, she would always complain that she couldn’t organize them as neatly as she wanted to, even though they looked perfectly neat to me. Explanations everywhere, detailed remarks on what was important to remember and what was not. Contexts and simplified words to actually make definitions easier to understand. Kuroiwa made them all. He wrote them all.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCawrrx0BcF
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsSLXP0wdR
I could see it in her eyes. And I could guess that she was memorizing everything and would try to do the same with her notes from now on.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcORbt4mNO
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Finally, I looked to the person sitting beside me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzwvsM6rxt
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Hina.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQTExi5xHd
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“This is amazing,” she said. Quiet. Like she wanted to be the only one who heard it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFIuNB3hBT
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M0IgPJrHb
Her expression was something I never thought I would see in her face. It wasn’t analytical like the way Mika was, or even creating fantasies over her head like Yui did. Hers was different. There was reverence in it. Like she was looking at the rarest treasure in the world.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwIdYvyKNJ
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She turned a page.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGG7n6B2nH
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“This part… this is where I got it wrong on the practice exam.” She lifted a hand slightly, almost covering her mouth. “Oh. So this is how you’re supposed to do it.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICHFbaongc
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She stayed on that page a moment longer, and then turned to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZCLiD5LZR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡos3g05ajXA
“Runa.” Her voice was careful yet urgent. “Can I borrow this for five days? No! Three days, three days is enough.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNTvpdZrjG
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdAZCE5CgB
Three days?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwON6zO1lh
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“No!” I said, instinctively.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzGsSaqlaB
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSWshW8B0t
“Why?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYML3OL8NC
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwwkxekNVJ
Why? Because I need it. Obviously.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLx29huXtU
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“Just one day, then.” She kept going.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8khw5P4UOT
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“No,” I said again. Firmer.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsy1PNDIMWo
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“Please.” She almost bowed her head toward me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirxg4Hfo4z
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NnoRguZPK
“Hina, you don’t need it,” Mika cut in.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqEELLys5b
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn81kEMyGD
“But look at this—” Hina turned to show Mika the page.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazFJ8vSHwg
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSexlh8Gnq
“I know,” Mika said, before even fully looking. “It’s well organized. It’s easy to understand and it explains the mistakes we made during the practice exam. For both of us it would feel like — like someone wrote down exactly what we needed and handed it to us from above.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEpJ1DQYjt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5ZcF5DBuW
“If you already understand it, then—”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTSRsrrQLO
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERZNzLEJL0
“Runa needs it more than you do, Hina.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02d7dHROA7
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZphhspUe7
Hina looked shocked. She stared at Mika for a second, she probably couldn’t believe she wasn’t taking her side.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMcgXuH6Nf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD4zCOcqVi
She lowered her head, defeated, and handed the notebook back to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJHXVh7a4s
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“Take it before I change my mind,” she said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpQc6eCekR
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“That’s not really your decision to make,” I said, gently but firmly, taking it from her before she could reconsider anything.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmycJ4ifWfU
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I put it in my bag. Immediately. Safely.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg73qtdIBaN
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“He wrote this? And there are six more of these besides the one brought?” Yui asked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEboBcb1tPE
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5JmtMXOq3
“Apparently,” Mika answered for me. “And apparently he didn’t even sleep so he could write them.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHh36emYm7
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“Without sleeping!?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98S4wz7jmH
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Yui’s voice made me regret telling Mika the second part.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Yx2jc5PtB
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“Wow.” Yui held the English notebook up toward the sky with both hands, like she’d unearthed something sacred. “For someone he barely knew. He did it. For you.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcVdhcolWp
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I sighed. I didn’t need to look at her to know that statement was aimed directly at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VPXQU8RaR
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“To help me study.” I clarified whatever she was assuming it could mean.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKyMxAoMK7
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I held my hand out for the notebook. She handed it over carefully.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8XFKnGEaR
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“That’s not the only reason,” Yui continued.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4E39d9pnp
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“It’s the only reason.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoSStdKYuy
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To be honest, I didn’t fully understand it either. He did and said a lot of things I couldn’t make sense of. But he’d told me it was to help me, and at this point I’d decided to just take his word for it, because I didn’t want to spend the entire time studying with him, trying to figure out what was on his mind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡri0tv6W90c
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“So you’re saying he just did this for no reason?” Yui shot back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GcdHkHtSt
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“Hello? Helping me study is reason enough.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAMeg4DFeo
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“I doubt it. I think there’s more. And something is in the air that I can smell.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKcB0wLBjM
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She paused. Sniffed the air.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPKM99O4jc
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“I smell LO—”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjvCuypPUP
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“NO,” I said and without meaning to, covered her mouth with my hand.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVClJscElx
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Yui was surprised and she freed herself immediately.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnpOfsskCw
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“Don’t ever do that again!” she said then pouted.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GZCTg1uqX
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Mental note. I would definitely do that again next time. The moment another opportunity came.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgyJbwkcu5
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“Your hand smelled like garlic.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOsppwGcAS
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I blinked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtKvH71Wey
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“Excuse me!? I used my hand sanitizer after eating!” I took out my hand sanitizer again from my bag and used it. “See!”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3waieUGmiI
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I stretched my hand toward her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYhzbnNlNE
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“Smell it,” I said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUIMi5vdUz
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“Nope, it still smells like garlic.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssYp9rQKfA
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My mouth opened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZAezurViv
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Yui stuck her tongue out.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvat1trFU5
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All I could bring myself to do at that moment was sigh, so I did.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICvquzBoIS
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Fine… I’ll admit defeat this time.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrLcLYnWQV
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“Yui, you watch too many dramas,” Hina said softly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjRcP2hBFe
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“I do. And I love them.” Yui said it with actual sparkle in her eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwxKAdkcvT
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“Dramas are dramas. Reality is different.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3MzlktfMp
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“But the possibility is still there.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuZb3yLK5h
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Hina just looked at her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijeiLwoC4j
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Even Hina was no match for Yui when she was being like this.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiSaXp9miF
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“Fine.” Yui muttered, finally reading the room. “But mark my words. Don’t blame me when it actually happens. And if it does. I would grant you permission to call me,” she stood up, “the great Yuistradamus!”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjzxIlaDlS
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“Definitely not,” Mika said, finally joining the conversation.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDOcuT4IQ8
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She was so consumed by reading the notebook she had that I doubted she noticed what happened earlier except for what she actually noticed just then.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dy6K1VJWg
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Yui pouted but let it go.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52oVNme855
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Mika handed me the science notebook.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcc8HOuGse
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“Here.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nyuonXL4z
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“Thank you.” I took it carefully and put it away with the others.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EmFQn7MbK
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw5ILxN7jn
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Friday. Afternoon.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi50jJVlNr5
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This afternoon was different in one way. Mika wasn’t coming with me. I’d asked her, Yui and Hina instead for something else. I told them if my mom called and the session ran long, if they could say I was with them. Yui and Hina agreed instantly. Mika took half a second longer to consider for a bit, and I knew why. It was because she wasn’t really the kind of person who liked to lie. But then she nodded anyway.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTCezrPzNM
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I’m sorry Mika. I thought. I would apologize to her properly next time.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3oZo2wYq9
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We split at the station. But I was the first to board the train. Going in a different way that I was finally getting used to over the past few days.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1cqaF9fry
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The walk felt different too. I was getting familiar with the street.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo899BgiXfJ
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I would know where to turn now. In fact, my feet just did that for me. And if I saw the ramen shop, I would know that just about five minutes more and I would arrive at Kuroiwa’s apartment.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqyPKT1wJJR
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I passed the convenience store on the corner. Two minutes away.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFSvJog0l4
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I thought about last night. I thought about how I felt when I finally got something right without guessing. I thought about everyone’s faces, especially Hina and Mika, when they saw what was inside the notebooks. And I got nine of them. All of them made for me so I would have a chance.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlsGAjwvjJ
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This afternoon, I’ll do my best.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZf33XljHu
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I turned the last corner. The building finally came into view.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNIaGf1Bag
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And like a routine, I got in, pressed the intercom, went inside the elevator.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9K2oOYO4TM
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Fifth floor like always.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUUbAycaGr
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As I stepped out, everything from the past few days seemed to catch up to me at once. The anxiety building toward midterms. That Tuesday afternoon in the classroom. The first time I stood at his door. Every conversation with Mika, with Hina, with Yui. The notebooks. I’d only brought three today… but maybe I should’ve brought all six that he said we’re gonna use for midterms.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzzkoebFKv
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“It’s finally starting,” I whispered to myself, walking up to his door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZLTM0iDw0
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I pressed the doorbell.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGRnXEDJhC
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Same as always. I waited for a few seconds.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJkU3Yvbdb
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I felt small fluttering nerves around my stomach, looking forward to what this session would bring and also a bit of nervousness that I didn’t want to think about. Not right now. Not in this moment.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwzHDVozeU
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I took a breath.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJiHGfQLuv
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The door opened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeO6YfPf2qj
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I looked at him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeilhJJfov
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“Solve x squared minus six x plus five equals zero. By completing the square.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQIM57XkUU
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I blinked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5P9WYgHFw
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What?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFbtHCJVxL
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I wasn’t ready for all of this… This was not what I had been expecting.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVUbSkrwt2
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This was not what I had been expecting at all!!
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