Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818792436172561684
Ah, time is precious…
It’s 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
I’m not going out for a run, but rather glued to my desk.
I’m spreading out my history notes, creating my own ultimate study guide to completely master the exam material.
History is basically about cramming knowledge—memorization, so to speak.
However, that is only the prerequisite. At the level of entrance exam questions, you are asked to think beyond memorization.
So, it’s necessary to summarize the flow of events using diagrams or illustrations.
Especially our teacher dislikes the kind of formulaic understanding found in textbooks or reference books.
His educational philosophy is that unless you form your own thoughts and write them down, it’s meaningless because you can’t apply the knowledge.
Well, I agree with that, but because of that, I have to pay attention to what the teacher says during class.
That’s quite challenging.
As a result, our history exams are almost entirely essay-based, with hardly any memorization-based fill-in-the-blank questions.
Instead, there are advanced multiple-choice questions or true/false questions.
Frankly, this is almost like a Japanese language exam.
Essay questions are essentially a new type of reading comprehension problem, testing how accurately you can discern the words the question creator wants you to use.
“…..This is bad. The more I study, the more gaps in my knowledge I discover. It’s endless.”
Today, there’s a study session scheduled at Reisa’s mansion starting at 10 AM.
Since the focus will likely be on English, math, and Japanese, I thought I should tackle the subjects I can prepare for on my own beforehand.
That’s why I’ve been studying history since I woke up early this morning.
Lately, I’ve been focusing too much on English, leaving little time for other subjects.
To achieve the top overall score, the key lies in subjects other than the three main ones, but this situation is problematic.
Especially social studies, since I’m a science major, I’ve been neglecting it a bit.
There’s less pressure to get high scores in those subjects.
“Still, it’s definitely easier to solve than getting perfect scores in Japanese and English.”
Sighing, I look at my phone.
Speaking of which, how is Reisa doing since then?
At yesterday’s study session, she seemed to be feeling quite guilty.
It seems like I’ve put an unnecessary burden on her by asking her to teach me English.
I feel bad about that too.
After all, it’s true that Reisa’s grades aren’t yet at a level where she can teach others, and in fact, our English scores are much better than hers.
However, teaching is also a great opportunity to improve one’s own understanding.
I asked her to teach me with the intention that it would also be good for her.
And it’s also true that she has characteristics that can compensate for our weaknesses, so I didn’t force her into it.
Besides, she herself had mentioned in a message before that she would be willing to teach me.
After spending about two months together, I was starting to wonder if it was okay for her to always be the one being taught.
That’s why, taking all of that into account, I also feel responsible for things not working out as smoothly as I had hoped.
…But then again, I wonder.
Is this way of thinking rude?
I trusted him and listened to his lessons, and Reisa is trying to respond to that.
Then, feeling guilty myself feels dishonest toward Reisa.
I should trust Reisa more.
“Anyway, there’s less than a week until the test, and there are still so many problems left.”
I wonder how Takagi is doing.
He seemed pretty relaxed, and considering the previous quiz, he must have taken adequate precautions.
I don’t have the luxury of wasting resources worrying about unnecessary things either.
◇
The mansion, which I hadn’t visited in over a month, still felt unfamiliar.
I came to the mansion with Nagisa, whom I ran into on the way, but no matter how many times I come here, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the size of the garden, the exterior, or the entrance.
When I was led to the room, there was Reisa in her casual clothes and another maid I hadn’t seen before.
With her light brown hair and jade-colored eyes, it was clear at a glance that she had foreign roots.
However, looking at her soft facial features, she might be half-Japanese like Reisa.
She was a beautiful young woman with a dignified demeanor.
She seemed to be around the same age as me.
Then, Reisa introduced her.
“This is today’s teacher ! I asked her to help me with my English studies.”
“Teacher?”
“Remember I mentioned before that I have an older sister-like relative who taught me English? Well, that’s her.”
“Oh, you mentioned that you learned English while you were in Paris.”
I think I did hear that before.
She said she had an interpreter while she was there and had learned a little English and French.
I didn’t think the person she was talking about was a maid, but looking at her appearance, I could tell she was very capable.
However, I was more interested in the beautiful maid’s face than anything else.
…I wonder why. She looks familiar somehow.
It’s rude to stare, but looking at her face somehow brings back memories.
Is there someone I know who looks like her?
“…R-Reisa san? …Eh, that person is Mika san, right? Are you sure?”
“…Well, I’m not qualified enough, and this girl is more suitable for teaching. So, don’t tell Tsukushi.”
“…Of course, that’s fine.”
Nagisa and Reisa are whispering in the corner of the room, but what are they talking about?
Since I have nothing else to do, I decide to talk to the maid in front of me.
“Um, what should I call you?”
“Just call me Maid.”
“No, that’s…”
“Then Marthan.”
“Oh, you’re French, aren’t you?”
“You know that well.”
Even with the same name, the pronunciation changes depending on whether it’s English, German, or French. That’s something you learn in history class.
This Marthan was French, so I recognized it right away.
I stopped the small talk and found myself staring at the maid’s face.
“Um…is there something on my face?”
“No, I just thought I might have seen you somewhere before.”
“Huh ! …That’s a pretty direct pickup line.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I just really felt like I recognized you. I’m sorry if that offended you.”
“No, it’s nice. There aren’t many men my age in this workplace.”
“So the pickup line was a misunderstanding.”
When I denied it, she gave a faint smile.
No good.
She’s mocking me.
Still, I feel like I’ve experienced this kind of teasing before, but maybe it’s just my imagination.
Talking to this maid makes me feel strange.
Something like this happened at school too…
However, my thoughts were shattered by her words.
“We’ve never met before.”
“Right.”
“Yes. And if we had met in Japan, I don’t think I would have forgotten your face.”
“That’s true.”
I was convinced by her words.
There aren’t many people with such beautiful eyes.
Only Reisa, perhaps.
Being denied so categorically, I felt ashamed for mistaking her for someone else.
This isn’t good.
Reisa tilted her head at my expression and pulled the maid’s hand.
I watched them out of the corner of my eye and agonized over my embarrassment.
“…Mika, what were you talking about?”
“…No, it’s just that something happy happened.”
“…Huh? Wait, you didn’t get caught, did you?”
“…Of course not.”
Lost in thought, I didn’t even notice that Reisa and the maid were whispering to each other.
Anyway, we wrapped up the chatter quickly and got right into studying.
In the same study room as last time, I laid out my textbooks on the long desk.
Seeing the maid prepare the whiteboard made my heart race.
It reminded me of the special lecture at the cram school I had been invited to by Nagisa before.
I was excited about the maid’s lesson, which seemed both native-like and knowledgeable.
“Shall we begin?”
With the maid’s calm voice, the final cram session before the midterm exams began.
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