Episode 11 – Pay back

Source

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818622173339494206

The time is just before 11:00 p.m.

Once Nagisa leaves her seat to use the restroom, I say to Reisa.

“Reisa san… even if you’re the most innocent and beautiful girl at school, you should refrain from being too aggressive.”

“I-I was just joking.  I didn’t think she’d get so embarrassed. I’m sorry.”

Needless to say, it’s about that naughty thank you from earlier.

I felt uneasy listening to her as well, but it seemed a little too immoral to bring up such a sensitive-looking girl.

I didn’t need to warn her, and she seemed to be sorry for what she had done.

Leaning her elbow on her notebook, which still bore the marks of her studies, Reisa held a mechanical pencil between her lips.

On the table, steam was rising from the tea she had received as a gift.

After studying English with Nagisa, the three of us reviewed math together, and even took Nagisa’s very useful Japanese class.

It was an intense few hours of studying.

As I was looking over the notes I had taken, Reisa opened her mouth.

“Um, say.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember the first time you talked to me, Tsukushi?”

I think for a moment.

So, when exactly does “the first time” refer to?

We were in the same class, and I had exchanged words with Reisa a few times before.

However, it was all just business-like responses or merely a nod.

To call it a conversation would be too introverted and would probably be a turn-off.

“Was it the last time Reisa san talked to me before the quiz?”

Feeling a bit cowardly, I blurted that out.

However, Reisa heard it and let out a thin smile.

“I don’t mean that one. It was a long time ago.”

“…….”

“Ahaha, it’s okay if you don’t remember.”

“What’s that?”

I was puzzled by the fact that she was so vague when she asked me.

However, Reisa’s face seemed to turn redder as she took a sip of her tea and remained silent.

It seems that the conversation is over.

It was a very interesting end to a very interesting conversation.

Then, a scene came to my mind.

I remembered that I had had a brief encounter with Reisa in the early days of my enrollment.

It was in a physics class where we happened to be seated next to each other in a mobile classroom.

“In the spring, when Reisa san was having trouble guessing in class, I gave her the answer.”

As soon as I said it, I regretted it.

Not only does it seem kind of condescending, but the fact that I went out of my way to remember and dig up the fact is kind of annoying.

But when I fearfully looked at Reisa, she was putting on the most beaming smile I’ve seen all day.

“Hmm, did that really happen?”

“You don’t remember?”

“I’m not sure. ……Ahaha. Jokes aside, you saved my life that time.”

“No, you do remember.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Reisa’s changing words.

What’s more, they were quite exaggerated.

It would be unbearable if she had died just because she was called on in class and couldn’t think of an answer.

But, oh well.

Reisa is a returnee from abroad and is not accustomed to the temperature of Japanese preparatory schools.

Naturally, when she first entered the school, there was a lot of under-the-table evaluation of where she stood among them, and she might be nervous about even one answer she gives in class.

If you are labeled as an idiot at the very beginning, you may be rubbed the wrong way for the rest of your life.

“Nihihi~”

Reisa smiles with satisfaction.

In her case, it seems that her fears were unfounded, in a bad way, since she has made a name for herself in the school as the queen of red marks regardless of such a situation.

“…..Tsukushi.”

“Hm?”

“Stay with me from now on.”

“Yeah. I’m already like a tutor to you, Reisa san.”

I replied, looking at Reisa’s silly expression as she was on the verge of falling asleep. 

It’s strange how even when she’s feeling down, her face is still so elegant and beautiful.

It was the middle of the night that day.

It was a bit hard to sleep, so I left my room and went to the bathroom.

It was still hot even though it was the beginning of September, and it took a bit of energy to go to bed.

I wanted to take a little air outside my room to soothe my tired brain from studying.

When I went out into the hallway to do my business, I ran into Nagisa just in time.

“It’s hard to sleep, isn’t it?.”

“Yeah. It’s air-conditioned so it’s great compared to home.”

“Fufu. I’m a little distracted by the unfamiliar clothes.”

It seems that she is the type of person who can’t fall asleep when she changes her nightgown.

Certainly, now that you mention it, I’m the same way.

I’m not only uncomfortable when I feel it, but also when I smell it.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Uh, yeah.”

She nodded and stood by the window to look at the night sky.

“What kind of naughty thank-you do you prefer?”

“Buhaa !?”

The sudden and flowing bump made me cough.

What is this beautiful girl saying?

I was panicked by the suddenness of the situation that all I could do was open and close my mouth.

I couldn’t get any words out.

What should I do?

Nagisa smiles with an embarrassed expression on her face.

“Fufu, I’m just kidding. I was just making fun of you.”

“You see. Not only am I out of control just from Reisa san alone, but you take an interest in me being toyed with by two of the most beautiful girls in the school.”

“It’s like having two flowers in one hand.”

“That’s what they said.”

The scary thing is that even when I say it myself it doesn’t seem unpleasant.

The person who says it is a joke may think he is joking, but you can’t say the same for the other party.

No wonder I get a lot of criticism.

The atmosphere became more relaxed because of the unexpected joke.

It seems that I was just mistaken, and that this Amakusa Nagisa is not just a high class girl, but has a mischievous side to her as well.

It was at that time.

“Can I ask you about something I’ve been wondering about?”

“Oh, yes, if I can answer it.”

I was a little puzzled, but I nodded my head.

The reason is that I felt that Nagisa’s eyes were a bit serious.

In response to my reply, she opened her mouth.

“…It’s okay if you don’t want to answer. What happened with your childhood friend, Amane san?”

“……”

I was shocked when the topic turned out to be much heavier than I had imagined.

“I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“No, it’s fine. The only thing that’s awkward is when I asked you about your family, so it’s a draw.”

That said, to be honest, I would like to avoid telling Nagisa about the conflict with Kako.

It sounds like I’m complaining, and that’s just not cool.

I don’t care about her anymore, and I don’t particularly want anyone else to sympathize with me, much less comfort me.

This is something I can handle on my own.

And I will look back on it someday.

I want to make my dreams come true with this head that has been mocked so much, and one day I want to laugh at it.

That’s about it.

So, I decided to tell Nagisa about my situation instead.

I carefully and honestly told her about my upbringing and why I became a scholarship student.

Nagisa listened to me slowly.

And then.

“……Fufu. You were aiming to be a doctor, weren’t you? That’s very admirable.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. The reason why you study is totally different from me.”

Hearing this, I considered whether I should pursue the matter further.

But if I pressed too hard and it became too heavy, I would probably regret asking.

It would be unfair to only ask the other person, when I’d already been avoiding the question so well myself.

Thinking about this, I decided to say something else.

“But we’re both aiming for the same thing, right?”

“I guess so. First, we have to defeat Takagi san.”

“I owe him a personal debt, and this is a battle that I can’t give up. For that reason, I’m going to need your help as well, Amakusa san.”

“Fufu, if it’s okay with you.”

I’ll beat Takagi in next week’s test and make up for all the teasing he did me last time.

And then I’ll show my childhood friend who’s always made fun of me.

Even if the chances are slim, I have no choice but to do it.

Just like Nagisa, my goal is to go even further than being number one in our grade.

It’s a strange thing.

Until recently, I felt that Takagi was far away from the top of the class.

Thanks to my perfect score on the quiz and the positive feedback from Reisa, I’ve been blessed with a lot of confidence.

I feel like I can beat even Takagi now.

I can’t stay like this if that’s the case.

“Then I’m going back to my room to study.”

“Now?”

“Yeah. I’m feeling a little motivated.”

“I don’t think staying up late is very efficient……”

Nagisa furrows her eyebrows and gives a wry smile, as if troubled.

“I won’t lose either.”

“O-oh.”

“Then good night.”

I looked blankly at Nagisa’s back as she turned on her heel and walked back to her bedroom.

Then I wondered.

What does ‘won’t lose’ mean?

“You mean, my test results? No way. She’s a genius who’s almost perfect in everything except English. You’re getting too excited just because we’ve become friends.”

I blurted out to myself and let out a sigh.

Apparently it was my first sleepover, and I was unusually excited.

Calm down, give it another go, and then go to bed.

I slapped my cheek and got back into the swing of things.

◇ 

Then time passed, and the fateful assessment test arrived—.

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