Thursday. Night.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtL4RWIzQiN
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWFRPJIKph
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Focused…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4lka3OmMl
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The note says I have to… okay… now to just solve the other side…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzh9cYwsBU
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I was very focused…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYUqh5DTNa
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Eleven… umm… and negative 6… so I subtract…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfqSmuOHLM
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I felt my world compress into my desk… studying…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9r74h0Rm4Q
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“The answer is five… x is equal to five.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LCkTX115z
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I blinked… was it right? Did I get it? It felt like I was right.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFAWhhCySz
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4He2BqMJHR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mBe3ZOUev
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Oh…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7oJrVx6vg
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygPLuTVVAq
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB067fluGR1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZH0rkIbfJY
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Midterm practice exam, math test, problem number five… found it!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmQBuwPv4X
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kxeI6XYTz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEGQY3ARfM
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8N57cT2IEh
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkFa41y9jJ
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I heard footsteps outside my door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDP8wVKhdYT
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz6fwhESkJ
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I now cared that I shouted. I shouldn’t have shouted...46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGEZSSAc5l
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Three knocks.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UxJWmEZVP
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbdVv00BRV
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“I’m sorry,” I said, the smile on my face was still lingering.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtGvBO0Sye
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“What are you doing?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvdkTMNc5h
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“I’m trying to study.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRf30PRHBv
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My mom looked at me, then she looked around the room.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR1jsu57Og
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“That reminds me,” she said, “You haven’t shown me the result of your practice midterms exam yet…”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFSDalsVIy
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I choked for a bit. My smile turned from a victory celebration to a worried, she might find out, kind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVySB1sZVD6
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“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFB29Io8DI5
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAJcltabyK
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFv2mjCT7G
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She stared at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdvKfEl0HA
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“Alright then,” she replied. “Make sure you show it to me afterwards, okay?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T72VG50d6
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“Okay.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBMFqXnDDq
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She smiled at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqzUcIdM12
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“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7zzp38WNn
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I smiled back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6VDInwf90
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“Okay, Mom, enjoy your show.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbIsbp0RL3
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She closed my door carefully.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmAmHEhiOO
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySdPtQolUd
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It was tempting me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TnSekZdId
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So I launched myself toward it, bouncing once on the mattress.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaJE3s5oXu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwM6cFqdT6Z
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9:47 pm46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqG8iD8aiM
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYCnaddRNJ
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I grabbed my phone lying just above me and turned the screen on.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKMMNi0N8d
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Five notifications from our group chat.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDTjUXzcGH
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It was Yui and Mika…
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Yui: Runa~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTsGxb2EZ6
Yui: Runa!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk50hj79L8
Yui: RUNAAA!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAoiWawAxF
Mika: Yui, it’s late!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjN6z7BucQ
Yui: MIKAAAAA!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0J3PoMvLz
Yui: HINAAAAAA!!! 😭😭😭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL02wlZk5Cb
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I giggled quietly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXaXQP7FUs
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Hina: You called?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGDl5dMjDY
Yui: Hina!! Runa is ignoring me. 😭😭😭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2fFHIuK5u
Yui: And Mika is being Mika again!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEdZnIWsyQ
Mika: Hey! What do you mean by that?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HuaOo0cNL
Yui: Love you. 😘😘😘💕💕💕46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4ZELKFd0n
Mika: That’s not an answer. And it’s not a magic phrase to avoid a question.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJmc8R089V
Yui: Ehehe~~ 😉😉😉46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRZWQ26GNb
Mika: I’m sleeping, it’s late.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQj2SfLJ7v
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I almost lost it laughing before I’d even typed anything.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3aENClcSq
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Runa: I’m alive Yui, I was studying.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIr3mGmxrE7
Runa: Wasn’t ignoring you, sorry 🥺46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67KpECn0o9
Yui: Yay Runa!🎉🎉🎉46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HoaZF8msg
Hina: How did this afternoon go?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbkTskDzhD
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwbIb0AzP8
Yui: Ooh, spoils of war. 👀👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMC2bTtV1br
Runa: We didn’t go to war.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZYxjFRnVm
Yui: Sure. 👍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xrtxZiCr5
Yui: Anyways. Tell me Runa.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4AaLQxBEJ
Yui: Is he cute? 😊😊😊46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBaxPfkpG4
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpcSZfNzaz
Runa: What?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbRKPm25Pm
Mika: WHAT!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BGSyQ8xmk
Hina: 😂😂😂46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDmxIThdng
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFTMlIcp74
Yui: I mean. You’ve seen him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvK4HdPVbX
Yui: Up close.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzhvEZMks8
Yui: Twice now.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡar3sx7tANw
Runa: As far as I know, you’re not blind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJiizIIfYw
Runa: Use your own eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZxLV3mvhA
Yui: I prefer to use them on more important matters. 🔍🔍🔍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cJP1IE4Kj
Mika: I’m sleeping.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpe7Z9FOLH
Yui: Second time you said that. 😂😂🤣🤣46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZeCB13iSc
Mika: I AM. SLEEPING.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42fatSnpbF
Yui: Third time~~ 😘😘46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYo0mqoUrAj
Yui: Anyways.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdHljY04SS
Yui: Is he?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT7qygZLl0q
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Runa: Hmm. I guess. If you look closely. 🤔46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7imtw4pfJ
Yui: Did you fall for him? 😍😍😍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXPnMfAbJ7
Runa: What? No.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWskHEsZaDJ
Yui: Really?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMBPYdPKTr
Mika: She said no.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf90PsnCYS0
Yui: You’re not sleeping Mika~~ 👀👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1gOLsmtJX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z9FBjNfi5
I could practically hear Mika sighing through the screen. I giggled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JAUKQi9P8
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMrzz3Kyd1
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZpPCIsVDH
Yui: hottie?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1VwRVI46g
Runa: Oh wow, you know that word Mika?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwyTBWIEIa
Mika: What do you mean?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEbd1PlnEx
Yui: We thought.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtv6TaH5Uj
Yui: You wouldn’t know.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIKF1XIOIJ
Yui: Since, you know.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJYHMp3YP4
Yui: You’re like a dinosaur.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOqj1eY6ON
Mika: What!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESCKCqTE2p
Runa: Yui that’s a bit too far.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5ZVjjUFsA
Runa: Mika’s more like born in Edo period.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGR7sKZ3cQw
Mika: First off. We’re all the same age. I was born sixteen years ago not hundreds.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWSjfJWThk
Mika: Second, calling me a dinosaur is uncalled for, Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYx2Waux4K
Yui: Hehehe~~ ✌✌✌46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJja46ENYIy
Yui: Love you. 😘😘46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32sY5ocPxj
Mika: And third, Runa, do you really think I look like I could be born in Edo period?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2cIvJhNAD
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7f9y655nGH
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69eCrE97KY
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Yui: Mika!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9XgAzahml
Yui: You’re derailing the topic! 😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPTMjrY4Nq
Mika: It wasn’t me!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroBfP9sxm4
Mika: Oh my god, fine, this time I really am going to sleep!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNjNxRakNf
Mika: Yui, I will see you tomorrow…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaK5QEOYK2q
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Mika went offline immediately.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDEqdp9OeR
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Yui: Uh oh. 😱46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLKxXDP9J3
Yui: Anyways~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymIrpkeGNB
Yui: Runa? So did you? 🤭🤭🤭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthCVoz84zY
Hina: You heard Mika.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfOuAiXwI2
Yui: Fine…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrjoyLsS8W
Yui: But still.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK20QPe357g
Yui: Don’t you think.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxL0kFW6MHI
Yui: It’s possible?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQaNt1osgcc
Runa: I don’t think so…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡote5cU9Afn
Yui: I mean…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktkUnZBMEO
Yui: A fair maiden needs help.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqOx1Qoy4V
Yui: Then comes the shadow prince.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dKGE4wIvd
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Shadow prince? Who?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CXJr0JreV
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Yui: Rescued her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1emHXmksc
Yui: Then they fell in love.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVDPs2W7jo
Yui: Just like in a fairy tale~~ 🥰🥰🥰46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSWtVVHOx2
Runa: No.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoMkN8DVwR
Hina: No~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxp52tyhR7
Hina: I bet Runa is grateful to Kuroiwa.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0FGKy0ttY
Hina: But that doesn’t mean she’ll fall for him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXUSlkX1Uu
Runa: Exactly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aUFLwLPt2
Yui: BOO!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjoWhT4J9l
Yui: BOOOO!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5uoLXHC8s
Yui: You’ll regret it. 😤😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUO6Bnda5O
Yui: I warned you.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡce9NxRcsrL
Yui: You’ll regret it not listening to me. 😤😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHnKQnSm82
Yui: When you actually fall for him!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MkM0BV3bW
Runa: I’m not.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXCVmV2Qxw
Runa: We’re just going to study. 😑😑46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XnYgsmCSy
Hina: It’s late Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKn2QqCCci
Yui: Okay, Mom. 👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoocc6Y2vXc
Hina: Goodnight sweetie~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD61cCLNNKK
Yui: Goodnight 😇😇😴😴46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQ7XVRAJj6
Runa: Goodnight!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8IbyL6Ds2Q
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I turned the screen off.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbggfo4S1u
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Love.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmCwSBy0xA
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I hadn’t thought about that word in any real way since middle school.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsNw539ugA
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi5LKbBDPK
I got up, tidied my desk, stacked the notebooks neatly, and turned off the light.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjHBtbnMcl
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JjPbmxckw
My eyes stared at the math notebook Kuroiwa wrote for me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPUA94dOgw
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtX1vMHAhf
I smiled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMrWHjMj3NR
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The way I was able to solve a problem I couldn’t during the practice exam still lingered in my head.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eCipn1ZWg
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhR1wFGod5
I went to bed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVSHT13lyd
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E4waBjMHR
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Friday. Second period. Gym class.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00GsC7zbn0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEax2YesOzV
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I stood up, wiped the sweat from my forehead and headed towards the corner of the gym.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfguPJB9V1Y
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Hina, who came from the other side of the volleyball net, walked with me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEghQemofPv
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzubFfr4xND
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaa07QMFUbB
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke1OMqKxrl
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We played against each other. My team lost.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLT8Ey4wLH
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I tried to win. I gave my all. But I couldn’t compete against Hina.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XCfMGQGFp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzDZfnJpQu
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGT1bOM0Qp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAGqDQPpnq
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkYcj9isxD
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I stared at her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXczt9w7FL
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Beautiful. Smart. Athletic.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILPOlBq1f0
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On top of all those, she was mature. She also had a great figure.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneP5AVBnqa
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98o9M8p4tJ
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I didn’t become like her. But I was glad we were still friends.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzmeLCw6h2
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We sat down at the corner, finally.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1bNM7CndX
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvenAMV533f
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQj0bDIN0k6
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OeWBznkZt
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUALTs3YB4
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8OHqw1m9n
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHK1wMNxnIp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVOrTx15OP
Yui’s team got to serve first.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGxUuVZKv5
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvTmjPDjgP
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbwcsrM1nk
I turned toward her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZ2dfd7taK
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Her eyes were focused. It wasn’t at me. It wasn’t at Mika and Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoDesI42xf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvOV28NvqA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvZbczU5Ft
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSpDrI6yuv
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BjfMMY0Lw
Are they playing basketball? I thought they were. Probably.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq9rVhkiVK
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqgDSIZEL4
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwjurXcBLw
“Their match is getting interesting,” Hina said. Without me asking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ145jXiesVc
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“...Is it?” I asked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yt0kuBGt0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3Fkes4rJH
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9u6JG8ooxv
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpVQs0elg3
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It didn’t go in.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZUD65BiyE
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That was unexpected...46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFV7VsiUMt5
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifyRpAyFSL
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMY3PMcAVsC
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79bgJAf8Zh
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfEumDfkIn
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYJnxVS979
“...That’s ridiculous,” I said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7mrAwlHep
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“Right?” Hina agreed easily. “People will say and believe anything. All because someone looks a little different.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0J9Ck3Park
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I didn’t respond right away.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxRgjBHKPU
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbplTqLoui3
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But it was not like he was suddenly not scary anymore.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0PyoFuFee
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I contemplated on that for a bit.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzcW3cYqRU
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Hina smiled at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAZpcpLekM
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqP0BW59RRj
“But you’re different now, right?” I wondered if she could actually tell what I was thinking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHHZjFpW2A
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I nodded.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJSxtBFwSt
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“Yeah.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisJyoehvHI
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHoh9zJmVz
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHPXRs7auZ
“I know.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEFHW9zD5V
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiEv3gmuGK
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuLNEBzJS2
I stared at her for a moment. Her smile never faded. She always knew what to say. Always.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuCC8pYYwx
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“Look,” she said, gesturing toward the ongoing basketball match.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAgp6Xl5fB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoeksmZzPg
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiUtAZ15JW
He bounced the ball like he did earlier. Tried to run…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpporNZlAd
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Then slipped.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVK14KmKXp
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He fell to the ground. His face on the floor.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0wBagYUDz
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOyIwAJNXD
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7TyehxxO5
Hina giggled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtyoEL3dep
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“He’s actually pretty clumsy, huh.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvoShPwnYF
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“Yeah.” I agreed, smiling.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkLr4fR4BV
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Lunchtime.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqFZ5oZJ9w
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Same spot on the rooftop.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs6bUfwAZd
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemARW0G5so
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq88esFDbPZ
Hina requested to see the notebooks Kuroiwa gave me. Then Yui got curious. Which made Mika also want to see them.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6B41KFxFD
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I sighed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5t1nqcjbG
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuItMarKiIJ
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What I took were only the ones relevant to the subjects we were getting lectured on today.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdDAVOZLhxC
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I presented the notebooks to them.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvIR25sg1J
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Hina immediately took math.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNWGkHX2m9
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Mika wanted science.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdJxxjG3XE
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And Yui just took what was left.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwnsh8npyR
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I watched their faces.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mIEnemNVL
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnFrcAv7Mu
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“Lo—”
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“No,” I said, before she got past one syllable.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ09MhqKzEq
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5M4769Q4wm
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbCeURAz9g
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHZbeB5U1d
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FxJruhjVU
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N8qOQXV0A
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoYKmfbP34
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Finally, I looked to the person sitting beside me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZ5pdlzfgb
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Hina.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdvdZOFXjh5
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuUlAjCb6m
“This is amazing,” she said. Quiet. Like she wanted to be the only one who heard it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJhx5pbtv7
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA1iifCr1q
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeL8koMKDp
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She turned a page.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyioq9IlZC
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFpRlg0vQs
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She stayed on that page a moment longer, and then turned to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GUlaZuqDJ
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIUT02w0e4
“Runa.” Her voice was careful yet urgent. “Can I borrow this for five days? No! Three days, three days is enough.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJew1Tdlbeg
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukpKyHxVrv
Three days?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLfEo632nI
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrs56uVJEc1
“No!” I said, instinctively.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjfSH29ZsX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsYL0XXPLL
“Why?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGzKzm2i3G
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Why? Because I need it. Obviously.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Sz6LjxhCb
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“Just one day, then.” She kept going.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNweLjMYF7
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDvJTUDzgW
“No,” I said again. Firmer.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTaaOJC2dtZ
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF5WzjUqmo
“Please.” She almost bowed her head toward me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKKVLRtNj4
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8jpMwjYLu
“Hina, you don’t need it,” Mika cut in.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOZaSrBKwB
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“But look at this—” Hina turned to show Mika the page.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuPUG8XZGV
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBUxCt03Ce
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGoLVsOCu0
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhb2RY9s7e
“If you already understand it, then—”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwiugncqyR
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3nM0IX80s
“Runa needs it more than you do, Hina.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtjPJtjVhf
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18y3T8K2Jb
Hina looked shocked. She stared at Mika for a second, she probably couldn’t believe she wasn’t taking her side.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWXjQAXTpU
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGseLwk6mHJ
She lowered her head, defeated, and handed the notebook back to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7DMWizG9H
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIty3EElPU
“Take it before I change my mind,” she said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmEtmWRA6I
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVEbiS1NTs
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyF5nmGWXOc
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNamwb6awsM
I put it in my bag. Immediately. Safely.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRutgXNJIj
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYLmJqOyZ0
“He wrote this? And there are six more of these besides the one brought?” Yui asked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxwsAllMI1
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdJLYKPwpo
“Apparently,” Mika answered for me. “And apparently he didn’t even sleep so he could write them.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gMPCeKbYT
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCHYKP1XXC
“Without sleeping!?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJSODfiHXH
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Yui’s voice made me regret telling Mika the second part.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFoPJhh7ax
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMrrPInLgO
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLUWIZK9nU
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“To help me study.” I clarified whatever she was assuming it could mean.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhumdjfcMHN
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I held my hand out for the notebook. She handed it over carefully.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjshKQuLZx
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“That’s not the only reason,” Yui continued.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQKgO6NTsw
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“It’s the only reason.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQvwsUYPq2
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZ3rIfv2vG
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“So you’re saying he just did this for no reason?” Yui shot back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrLxUP9QYh
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“Hello? Helping me study is reason enough.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2vIHkVJIg
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEQQ30jGpu
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She paused. Sniffed the air.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomVNadOCeq
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“I smell LO—”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uLk5nbOyL
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“NO,” I said and without meaning to, covered her mouth with my hand.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBRsJhUTyQ
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Yui was surprised and she freed herself immediately.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7egCvQHH4N
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“Don’t ever do that again!” she said then pouted.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQOsdsEOF6
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Mental note. I would definitely do that again next time. The moment another opportunity came.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebORfuwtxE
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“Your hand smelled like garlic.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqvAiBcEtA
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I blinked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh78xw86wbY
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAp2fkt5WVY
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I stretched my hand toward her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEG6Dq7e75
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“Smell it,” I said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUA8G7Cr9F
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“Nope, it still smells like garlic.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RX51YvZYU
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My mouth opened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIzy70FYLA
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Yui stuck her tongue out.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiWTkpWR0d
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All I could bring myself to do at that moment was sigh, so I did.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAa3dp22gE
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Fine… I’ll admit defeat this time.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3AhrOlJOU
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“Yui, you watch too many dramas,” Hina said softly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUJMERVj0u
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“I do. And I love them.” Yui said it with actual sparkle in her eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFFveA5oRu
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“Dramas are dramas. Reality is different.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHO355WjHE
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“But the possibility is still there.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMOOmdW5Et
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Hina just looked at her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISIakGLLaj
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Even Hina was no match for Yui when she was being like this.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAMNrzBpfu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaB96OSAdte
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“Definitely not,” Mika said, finally joining the conversation.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxAXNbyh83
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlv7NigJoX
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Yui pouted but let it go.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWKAXcjlot
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Mika handed me the science notebook.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwq6nNVlrz
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“Here.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAkiG8WvKs
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“Thank you.” I took it carefully and put it away with the others.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ02uxI4Awc
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ydpMWZkxo
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Friday. Afternoon.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENK3aSOB9p
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZ69USB7bS
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I’m sorry Mika. I thought. I would apologize to her properly next time.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNA2aU9Wf1
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX4lRCGVbC
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The walk felt different too. I was getting familiar with the street.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UYG5CkPKU
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNWBa4XSyu
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I passed the convenience store on the corner. Two minutes away.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pJPflS7jN
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ227WQiR1aA
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This afternoon, I’ll do my best.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVeGcohMXt
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I turned the last corner. The building finally came into view.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAM1ex4oRm
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And like a routine, I got in, pressed the intercom, went inside the elevator.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCSXFTms6V
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Fifth floor like always.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRD7bwlmCX
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZb6nrjFJCU
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“It’s finally starting,” I whispered to myself, walking up to his door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXiCgJkbmy
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I pressed the doorbell.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSlHfBzsFB
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Same as always. I waited for a few seconds.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTcr5FME61
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFovF6S6QjR
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I took a breath.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGN2wUOcGE
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The door opened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFi6j0T3iB2
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I looked at him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGjSiFYiTht
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“Solve x squared minus six x plus five equals zero. By completing the square.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLenfStALq5
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I blinked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ639SJm0kRi
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What?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpViTRSTN9o
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I wasn’t ready for all of this… This was not what I had been expecting.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbec5r7cXz
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This was not what I had been expecting at all!!
and then Add to home screen.