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ONCE I got home, I scarfed down the lunch Kon gave me, brushed my teeth, and checked my appearance in the mirror. The summer uniform was a white, short-sleeved sailor style blouse and skirt. I was pretty fond of the cute pleated skirt, even though the extra lining to prevent it from becoming see-through made it hot. Lastly, I tied the aqua tie and skipped to the foyer. Honestly, I wanted to take a shower and blow my hair out first, but time wasn’t on my side.
Tomoi wasn’t in class when I arrived, meaning I barely made it in time. Around ten kids were taking the supplemental lessons. Some other students who were here for different reasons could be spotted here and there throughout the campus.
“Yo, Mashiro. What’re you doin’ here?” one of the boys from my class, Tazaki, asked when I entered the classroom. He looked like the delinquent type, down to his long, silver hair and pierced ears, but he actually seemed like a good guy with the way he always struck up a friendly conversation with me.
“To learn, of course.”
“HUH?! Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me?!”
Yes, I lied—I bet if I told him the real reason it’d shock the socks off him.
“Nope, it’s the truth!” I answered with a smile as I secured the seat next to the window and pressed my forehead against the glass to get a better look below.
The teachers’ parking lot was visible from this classroom. A blue domestic car pulled into the lot with perfect timing. The cute, round standard car was Tomoi’s favorite. One thing he had in common with Dad was the way he took care of his stuff—his car was always polished.
My heart pounded loudly in my chest when he stepped out of the driver’s seat.
This has to be that feeling. Love is the only thing that explains it.
He looked a little tired even though it was past noon. Maybe he stayed up late last night since it was the weekend. Oh, tufts of hair are sticking out a little from behind his ears. The way he rubs his eyes with his fists is such a cute gesture at his age! It shouldn’t be legal!
If Rei saw him now, she definitely would’ve struck him down with an instant, “So unattractive!” But I found his natural, unaffected looks just as lovable.
If this isn’t love, then what is it? It’s heartbreaking that he’s still in love with my amazing older sister, but that might be the exact reason why I find him appealing.
I didn’t have any overreaching ambitions like wanting a romantic relationship where we had mutual feelings for each other. My feelings were closer to that of a fan. I fell for him from a distance, always wishing that he would have an amazing day every day.
“To your seats! Class is starting now.” Tomoi appeared inside the classroom not long after I watched him enter the school building. The kids who were talking in groups around the classroom each picked whichever seat they wanted.
“You’re Mashiro, right? Can I sit here?”
“Of course you can. Minori, was it?”
“That’s me! Thanks for remembering!”
A girl with orange hair in a wedge cut sat in the seat beside me. She was a member of the same soft tennis club as Rei and from Class 6 with Rin. I’d spoken to her on multiple occasions when she hung out with Rei.
“I didn’t think you’d be here, Mashiro.”
“Yeah, I was having a hard time studying at home.”
“Me too! Would you mind teaching me the parts I don’t know?”
“I’m not sure how good of a teacher I’ll be, but I’d be happy to help.”
Minori’s face lit up in a bright smile.
Tomoi quickly went through roll call, then began handing out the math worksheets he’d made for the summer school students. The worksheet covered very basic math problems, but it was like gold to me because it was in his handwriting. I had to get a hold of one no matter what.
“Oh? Do you need one too, Mashiro?”
“Yes, I want one,” I replied instantly.
“I don’t think this will pose much of a challenge for you though,” he whispered, inclining his head to the side in contemplation. “Well, it’s not like it’ll hurt.” He turned and addressed the whole class, “Once you solve this worksheet, bring it up to me.”
Tomoi returned to the teacher’s desk at the front of the classroom. I immediately set about solving the worksheet problems. It was way too easy.
I finished in less than three minutes…
I glanced at Minori out of the corner of my eye and saw she had more than half left.
“I don’t get it!” Tazaki groaned, giving up on trying already.
It wouldn’t be easy going up to Tomoi’s desk with my completed worksheet before everyone else got halfway through it. While I was at a loss about what to do next, I sensed someone looking at me from the front of the classroom.
Tomoi looked amused by me. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. He beckoned me up front with his finger, so I obediently shoved to my feet and brought the worksheet to him.
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?!”
“Tell me the answers!”
The boys in class threw complaints and pleas at my back as I made my way to Tomoi’s desk.
“Should I assume you’re all finished since you have enough time to grumble?” Tomoi threatened, exasperation coloring his voice. I silently showed him my worksheet. He quickly ran his eyes over my answers and circled them with practiced ease.
He wrote “very good” at the top of my 100% correct worksheet with a red pen, then flipped the paper over. After a moment of thought, he wrote down a new set of math problems.
※ a, b, c, d, and e are nonnegative integer numbers from 1 to 9 and satisfy the following two conditions of (I) and (II):
(I) a> b> c> d> e
(II) (a + e) (b + c + d) = 273
Calculate the value of ①a + e. Also find the value of ②d.
Tomoi finished writing down the problem and smiled up at me. His mischievous and boyish grin drew a smile out of me too.
You’re trying to test my skills with a difficult problem, aren’t you? But I won’t be frazzled by a question of this level.
Answer:
①273 = 3 x 7 x 13
When a + e = 13, the sum of the remaining three is 21.
So the answer is 13.
②Since the difference between a and e is 4 or more according to (I), a = 9 and e = 4.
Since b + c + d = 21, b = 8, c = 7 and d = 6.
So the answer is 6.
Not even hesitating for a moment, I scribbled out the answer on the back of the paper. Tomoi raised an eyebrow and clapped his hands together in approval, careful not to make a sound. That alone was enough to send me over the moon with delight.
“Use the rest of the time to do your homework or whatever else you want to study. If you happen to have any math questions, which I doubt you do, bring them to me.”
“Yes, Mr. Matsuda.” I gave a cheerful reply and returned to my seat like I was walking on air.
Minori was waiting for me to come back and leaned over to whisper, “What were you talking to Mr. Matsuda about?”
She seemed interested in our secret conversation.
Is Minori a fan of Tomoi’s, too? Join my fanclub! Grinning away like an idiot, I showed her the back of my worksheet.
She glanced over the question and answer and flopped onto her desk, grumbling, “I wish I’d never asked.”
Why not?! How could you not be crushing on our teacher when he does such cute stuff like this?!