Thursday. Night.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3l7YkkJaah
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3Lj9wsmLF
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Focused…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AM0zz6Xmj
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The note says I have to… okay… now to just solve the other side…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uLEBm3I1w
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I was very focused…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkJ3DbkRZk
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Eleven… umm… and negative 6… so I subtract…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpaH5Ulf2g
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I felt my world compress into my desk… studying…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNCWD7cgkX
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“The answer is five… x is equal to five.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNGGUTXn3D
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2n4LdFYFvv
I blinked… was it right? Did I get it? It felt like I was right.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeqKPcaJjt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHJdKwjd6i
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7TRCo9U1B
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Oh…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcS5fFJm9W
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeP18vyunPZ
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneqcLNrmnA
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ141jBNhfSw
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jqrqy7Rib
Midterm practice exam, math test, problem number five… found it!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZM4OQIwOL7
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrKxxGa3gf
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNfis7DUQ9
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwfheEFiYq
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThToaaFaWt
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I heard footsteps outside my door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVFcsVPYdu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW19dFACGns
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLNZw52piG
I now cared that I shouted. I shouldn’t have shouted...46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEysbWl5Uu
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Three knocks.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ894dvEa6y0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnY1ZDDEQUX
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdglRL4Nrnf
“I’m sorry,” I said, the smile on my face was still lingering.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufWLuRUWc3
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“What are you doing?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUafBnBdxk
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“I’m trying to study.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeOD302t82
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My mom looked at me, then she looked around the room.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTtQt07MT1
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67ydMwd21j
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQnGRQYw7f
I choked for a bit. My smile turned from a victory celebration to a worried, she might find out, kind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTTLEXtDgL
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6YOFbKUIF
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSL0ikFHEk
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcVZL5MUaO
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvVvEBoqQG
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She stared at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSib7iZKubO
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“Alright then,” she replied. “Make sure you show it to me afterwards, okay?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8abzOmWn7X
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“Okay.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eiPsWw4z4
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She smiled at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLvomqmvI5
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVW3Up3ioDA
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I smiled back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcc3oQE2Gz
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“Okay, Mom, enjoy your show.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjQ2hwFPIf
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She closed my door carefully.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA0KAm6THX
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TFYMJbD4a
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It was tempting me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SYlr4mI7M
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So I launched myself toward it, bouncing once on the mattress.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSPL53vba9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFabevCR1jX
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9:47 pm46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwos60NuFkZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0NBzh91URD
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMHLMcbkKW
I grabbed my phone lying just above me and turned the screen on.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9fLIhRFpN
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Five notifications from our group chat.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgYzyWEMD2
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It was Yui and Mika…
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Yui: Runa~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5X9PaC2KU
Yui: Runa!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsHSq8quYd
Yui: RUNAAA!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡML6ZgQvChc
Mika: Yui, it’s late!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Fwrx93kv1
Yui: MIKAAAAA!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCjuRpchbO
Yui: HINAAAAAA!!! 😭😭😭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg92PGBAD9y
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiImx4WZL8
I giggled quietly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMvgTCdcTP
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Hina: You called?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDp1HzYOEu
Yui: Hina!! Runa is ignoring me. 😭😭😭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuzAaQ6DGz
Yui: And Mika is being Mika again!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJi8lPnnwD
Mika: Hey! What do you mean by that?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOXDdNlIUO
Yui: Love you. 😘😘😘💕💕💕46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0wf0uRs4v
Mika: That’s not an answer. And it’s not a magic phrase to avoid a question.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoR6tEjSzQ0
Yui: Ehehe~~ 😉😉😉46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrjoylwzu5
Mika: I’m sleeping, it’s late.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3Xm3egqzA
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I almost lost it laughing before I’d even typed anything.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxLCoJrnBG
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPF8yBPnh5
Runa: I’m alive Yui, I was studying.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhODSI6GDUC
Runa: Wasn’t ignoring you, sorry 🥺46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUANjoPIAKT
Yui: Yay Runa!🎉🎉🎉46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukABP4ItSR
Hina: How did this afternoon go?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lYz9wyI8E
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iYWGRh2tw
Yui: Ooh, spoils of war. 👀👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbHIvzZmbh
Runa: We didn’t go to war.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgkcCVUzbn
Yui: Sure. 👍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZ5FJ2ugfe
Yui: Anyways. Tell me Runa.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsay1bxCpJS
Yui: Is he cute? 😊😊😊46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJmgq0nzxy
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJ8VdqssEq
Runa: What?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4js1sOjQn
Mika: WHAT!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRB0jwxuFqV
Hina: 😂😂😂46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMB2FvTGD1S
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZHF3JLN4H
Yui: I mean. You’ve seen him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUKw3J5gxx
Yui: Up close.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPr7C0PycfL
Yui: Twice now.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiz1WhqEDGA
Runa: As far as I know, you’re not blind.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNmqtLiUFP
Runa: Use your own eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iKBZAy4md
Yui: I prefer to use them on more important matters. 🔍🔍🔍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YAhHBtJus
Mika: I’m sleeping.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqenYW88p9
Yui: Second time you said that. 😂😂🤣🤣46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoVxjO3EBi
Mika: I AM. SLEEPING.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFPLCq98Ld
Yui: Third time~~ 😘😘46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSttJbmsD65
Yui: Anyways.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO4ukNpE6u
Yui: Is he?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1493ZMHzW7
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRWxyDozBX
Runa: Hmm. I guess. If you look closely. 🤔46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCM5tBOIFL
Yui: Did you fall for him? 😍😍😍46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2DkKrQcWv
Runa: What? No.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPtUHwbetS
Yui: Really?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7tWzBL3ip
Mika: She said no.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyucv7fIfXY
Yui: You’re not sleeping Mika~~ 👀👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJUyzELJTx
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsymnPAQCkF
I could practically hear Mika sighing through the screen. I giggled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcNc4utgxh
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrizh0anwqH
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqufEabWzC
Yui: hottie?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7LrBPaeDX
Runa: Oh wow, you know that word Mika?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDP46MdV4u
Mika: What do you mean?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGEnX3LR1V
Yui: We thought.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YmE7Hzexy
Yui: You wouldn’t know.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9xTPJYzXv
Yui: Since, you know.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsthB0BDoPq
Yui: You’re like a dinosaur.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sZgtBb9f3
Mika: What!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutAvHm1aQm
Runa: Yui that’s a bit too far.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhmEQpUs38
Runa: Mika’s more like born in Edo period.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNdCiaXSgN
Mika: First off. We’re all the same age. I was born sixteen years ago not hundreds.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLwOussIDj
Mika: Second, calling me a dinosaur is uncalled for, Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe09Yel2DI5
Yui: Hehehe~~ ✌✌✌46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMbKJM2YsK
Yui: Love you. 😘😘46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oL9Jyee9u
Mika: And third, Runa, do you really think I look like I could be born in Edo period?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzgYB3L0ht
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQqLrTYXAR
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KBWXQK3bo
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGM7LB4ngw
Yui: Mika!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljhZLZe7N6
Yui: You’re derailing the topic! 😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKxsfFXPFD
Mika: It wasn’t me!?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxe51oi19iF
Mika: Oh my god, fine, this time I really am going to sleep!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MTGZfgvrb
Mika: Yui, I will see you tomorrow…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLympsmfsSV
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Mika went offline immediately.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcgi2GLsMu
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Yui: Uh oh. 😱46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0ePSe1Nfz
Yui: Anyways~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuLsqXdgWo
Yui: Runa? So did you? 🤭🤭🤭46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8AvsCO8vg
Hina: You heard Mika.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZyWE3a0WV
Yui: Fine…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUwaqHLuIi
Yui: But still.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrs0XQ4V3O
Yui: Don’t you think.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsmQoPeoIe
Yui: It’s possible?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67SAeOacrJ
Runa: I don’t think so…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLit8fmn4rb
Yui: I mean…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYjHqpsVTm
Yui: A fair maiden needs help.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqkxTAiGT4
Yui: Then comes the shadow prince.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGT1pBlivN
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Shadow prince? Who?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6AKVjeGpx9
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Yui: Rescued her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ993sqQkEgh
Yui: Then they fell in love.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LZnuY8WN5
Yui: Just like in a fairy tale~~ 🥰🥰🥰46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6Rm6bhTJ3
Runa: No.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0e1EmmcuqS
Hina: No~~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5wIJxq03C
Hina: I bet Runa is grateful to Kuroiwa.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXS3KZbxSQY
Hina: But that doesn’t mean she’ll fall for him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNjNtsXIoz
Runa: Exactly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKi1gcsS85
Yui: BOO!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sUMoNAgnS
Yui: BOOOO!!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGJtJ7LJa6
Yui: You’ll regret it. 😤😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHzlgTlDXt
Yui: I warned you.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetnccTaVE2
Yui: You’ll regret it not listening to me. 😤😤😤46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8otaxRIs2
Yui: When you actually fall for him!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hgz03k28W
Runa: I’m not.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIWVswYJMk
Runa: We’re just going to study. 😑😑46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc64ydUbgjd
Hina: It’s late Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDrq0FYDPT
Yui: Okay, Mom. 👀👀46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSamxHkEABV
Hina: Goodnight sweetie~46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5e03hq77C
Yui: Goodnight 😇😇😴😴46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7daplabw1
Runa: Goodnight!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXDuecBB7J
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyHBq9LLK8
I turned the screen off.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKkZkSkgz6
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Love.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKGAhvTWnO
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I hadn’t thought about that word in any real way since middle school.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7OPXeaUVN
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpy3h40FZk
I got up, tidied my desk, stacked the notebooks neatly, and turned off the light.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKR0SASnGp
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYZxkN37eE
My eyes stared at the math notebook Kuroiwa wrote for me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemEJsdTAkc
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkmdBftSpD
I smiled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3i9y0zPUn
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm53HWa5Wos
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I went to bed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8L5OIZjU2
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvjhCLrOhV
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Friday. Second period. Gym class.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39ScOteeBi
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRpQiz1Nb7
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I stood up, wiped the sweat from my forehead and headed towards the corner of the gym.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquQI1118AV
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Hina, who came from the other side of the volleyball net, walked with me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqewr3Hj6yV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiX9fJLbzMj
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTXVkZWwCx
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We played against each other. My team lost.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qXJR7SOla
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I tried to win. I gave my all. But I couldn’t compete against Hina.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5JnUmYoeM
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8em2efVDv0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwijmXcH7C0
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I stared at her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsleIEb9UZ
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Beautiful. Smart. Athletic.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡendVk2aieJ
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On top of all those, she was mature. She also had a great figure.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZZ0PcGfdE
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwv71XedC3
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I didn’t become like her. But I was glad we were still friends.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEtI5fPhvP
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We sat down at the corner, finally.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbduAVigZSZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKS4rJbRUZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLTVBwnx74
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpoGNgObGD
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKRIiBTMpa
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Yui’s team got to serve first.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDei0FAVi9A
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFCbJYC8S3
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I turned toward her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLjr2slCuf
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Her eyes were focused. It wasn’t at me. It wasn’t at Mika and Yui.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKm4HzH4gZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrMV2gpbYr
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8pwapcd20
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Are they playing basketball? I thought they were. Probably.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoeL3Nafw9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RRVv6aX0l
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“Their match is getting interesting,” Hina said. Without me asking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCnTLsIEA5
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“...Is it?” I asked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ43aXLnpgQ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdavsbROHy9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ODgjJpRp9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKS2jZ9mKkn
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It didn’t go in.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEbRCwVwZM
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That was unexpected...46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvSRvQms5EC
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7m6gIpsOPW
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBHUaZELKQ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGHv7xdy9V
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“...That’s ridiculous,” I said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDkVpaXwNh
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“Right?” Hina agreed easily. “People will say and believe anything. All because someone looks a little different.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs29pZ16xJC
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I didn’t respond right away.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3JQsqtz36t
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiy24gUor73
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But it was not like he was suddenly not scary anymore.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnAA08YsXa
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I contemplated on that for a bit.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3ilYjacuS
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Hina smiled at me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXtWFKoRVf
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“But you’re different now, right?” I wondered if she could actually tell what I was thinking.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWExd9k2a8U
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I nodded.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BjFD2LIeq
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“Yeah.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq965nttp1R
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz9pEhJKKW
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“I know.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWjvF9xRYB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EX8cRzUfj
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Zg2kq56nO
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“Look,” she said, gesturing toward the ongoing basketball match.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23L7mjey0A
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau5qrx0Dsb
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9vOOvTiyY
He bounced the ball like he did earlier. Tried to run…46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1zLL8BgYg
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Then slipped.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfL7ITXU0RC
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He fell to the ground. His face on the floor.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PgSM1PByk
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT74PFqPzPg
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Hina giggled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkV6zQVuuA
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“He’s actually pretty clumsy, huh.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO9l0cJ0IO
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“Yeah.” I agreed, smiling.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZfoF0DZeQ
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Lunchtime.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3wA6g3f2y
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Same spot on the rooftop.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtordl4Osyg
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdqGga2eey
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIkK7ioFut
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I sighed.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5HNBZTO3j
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEBGRyTm2p
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What I took were only the ones relevant to the subjects we were getting lectured on today.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdu6qznxESA
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I presented the notebooks to them.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtq4LZ9Ns3
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Hina immediately took math.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLwgbvJNEk
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Mika wanted science.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxF9Iozgfyq
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And Yui just took what was left.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02GHdzRPSr
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I watched their faces.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzBuxfc7W9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLwmFebsFK
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“Lo—”
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“No,” I said, before she got past one syllable.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL2cjdysNu
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6nuGZbTKz
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarWBLUB2Jd
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uNfdQuUhx
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7gpTLzbi2
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8u6lhTCc2
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVWup18jNE
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Finally, I looked to the person sitting beside me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRONBUvp7m
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Hina.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7zpCpyjei
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“This is amazing,” she said. Quiet. Like she wanted to be the only one who heard it.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCfENMmILFt
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkrz66AuRE
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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimVuDUUh6c
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She turned a page.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhTAsw1lSy
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazL52gznQt
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She stayed on that page a moment longer, and then turned to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1JD6uRR52
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“Runa.” Her voice was careful yet urgent. “Can I borrow this for five days? No! Three days, three days is enough.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnV3GIFsGI
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Three days?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4G7cIul0H9
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“No!” I said, instinctively.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFs2mF8Fy1
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH4mfh60ul
“Why?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq2vKlTmjN
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Why? Because I need it. Obviously.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzIaM2TC9n
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“Just one day, then.” She kept going.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sRfUAgz11
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“No,” I said again. Firmer.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDajLUQo9Y
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“Please.” She almost bowed her head toward me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dqvszN353
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“Hina, you don’t need it,” Mika cut in.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlH7qdcEdF
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“But look at this—” Hina turned to show Mika the page.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfEEKc5Mhgr
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IcknxOdDD
“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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAYknkPd5n
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTwwSZqrXI
“If you already understand it, then—”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZ9CAwTDcz
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfls162EtUm
“Runa needs it more than you do, Hina.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK291DEcgE4
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Hina looked shocked. She stared at Mika for a second, she probably couldn’t believe she wasn’t taking her side.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmY2l3Uz9yL
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She lowered her head, defeated, and handed the notebook back to me.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuNGvRKLX1
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“Take it before I change my mind,” she said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Et9rdfFrb
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmd8jaCKfe
46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYMQrGEX4A
I put it in my bag. Immediately. Safely.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhw4fqB5Iv
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“He wrote this? And there are six more of these besides the one brought?” Yui asked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LBNyibRuB
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“Apparently,” Mika answered for me. “And apparently he didn’t even sleep so he could write them.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBt4K8Ej8L
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“Without sleeping!?”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo76oPGIxob
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Yui’s voice made me regret telling Mika the second part.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBV8NzKPs6S
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoSEIshGg0
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMx62I2ibC4
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“To help me study.” I clarified whatever she was assuming it could mean.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLdQkWeDCx
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I held my hand out for the notebook. She handed it over carefully.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxA2H1RWm9
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“That’s not the only reason,” Yui continued.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpbxQNe6L5
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“It’s the only reason.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqRsoyz31k
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYZ4i82cjt
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“So you’re saying he just did this for no reason?” Yui shot back.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04rhvQ9pGV
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“Hello? Helping me study is reason enough.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvrnR1aPzu
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAWekxseCX
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She paused. Sniffed the air.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LLv137euy
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“I smell LO—”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKKhmq4xd2
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“NO,” I said and without meaning to, covered her mouth with my hand.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUjTbHyHix
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Yui was surprised and she freed herself immediately.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GATsdisyj
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“Don’t ever do that again!” she said then pouted.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezpWXzaBCp
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Mental note. I would definitely do that again next time. The moment another opportunity came.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h0MzcsRqT
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“Your hand smelled like garlic.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVIex5JgcC
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I blinked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbHASTS0SB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvkD69eSSZ
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I stretched my hand toward her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtfMPj3wPz
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“Smell it,” I said.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUlNL9fR0V
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“Nope, it still smells like garlic.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0n2dZocVD
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My mouth opened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LnhRDb99w
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Yui stuck her tongue out.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSZwr8znJw
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All I could bring myself to do at that moment was sigh, so I did.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGmXHWyR63
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Fine… I’ll admit defeat this time.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskjUtp530W
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“Yui, you watch too many dramas,” Hina said softly.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5o9ctdv1V
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“I do. And I love them.” Yui said it with actual sparkle in her eyes.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVVxRH2xTR
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“Dramas are dramas. Reality is different.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYtzI6jLpD
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“But the possibility is still there.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFCpdlDw5J
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Hina just looked at her.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJeks46eo3
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Even Hina was no match for Yui when she was being like this.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXkanoNIbz
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡon8axGWEd0
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“Definitely not,” Mika said, finally joining the conversation.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cMxsVXkb2
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHO6n19oSg
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Yui pouted but let it go.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBVLPy1nNS
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Mika handed me the science notebook.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXouONgjjt
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“Here.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MISbaOqNQ
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“Thank you.” I took it carefully and put it away with the others.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlA5jdfq0Tl
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwup5idAK0
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Friday. Afternoon.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0QIK5pcc3
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WzPW4gFZT
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I’m sorry Mika. I thought. I would apologize to her properly next time.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax28KEOuvl
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuz32AW2IX
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The walk felt different too. I was getting familiar with the street.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklQvkHyPae
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHHKA2SPqX
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I passed the convenience store on the corner. Two minutes away.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnOzdTji8O
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiv6TxJ4Ej
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This afternoon, I’ll do my best.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLvCsfkgP7
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I turned the last corner. The building finally came into view.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoWPihEzoY
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And like a routine, I got in, pressed the intercom, went inside the elevator.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxzd4vD8Rd
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Fifth floor like always.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OMFdvctJo
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAVXAb95CC
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“It’s finally starting,” I whispered to myself, walking up to his door.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdIFkoYnll
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I pressed the doorbell.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhahRfjMNVK
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Same as always. I waited for a few seconds.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzq36i7TXE
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnL5Jwxqo3
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I took a breath.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLF07MLEGU
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The door opened.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7aZOsWEOt
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I looked at him.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUkMz5agoP
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“Solve x squared minus six x plus five equals zero. By completing the square.”46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ac49hG7gv
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I blinked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuKuCHgBL8
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What?46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0eaHsxVfk
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I wasn’t ready for all of this… This was not what I had been expecting.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVi4RCvyw4
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This was not what I had been expecting at all!!
and then Add to home screen.