Library — Continued
"ASSISTANT?!" Shijo Maki's voice climbed several octaves. "You want ME to tutor someone ELSE? As an ASSISTANT?!"
Tutoring others?
Wasting my precious study time on—
"Shijo-kun." Sakurai Saki's voice was calm. Pedagogical. "Have you heard of the Feynman Technique?"
She knew it. Of course she knew it. But his expression—
Ill-intentioned.
Definitely ill-intentioned.
"Explaining concepts to others," Saki continued smoothly, "tests your own mastery. If you can teach it fluently, you've truly learned it." He layered on concern. "Self-study creates illusions of competence. Practice reveals truth."
"When three walk together, one is my teacher." Ancient wisdom.
Maki's expression soured.
"Sakurai-kun." She forced a smile. "I can pay you."
"Not short on money."
And taking payment for this would violate my principles.
Compensation must be earned with clear conscience.
"One MILLION yen!" Maki's confidence returned. "Join my love alliance as a strategist!"
My savings. My precious savings.
But this is WAR.
Saki calculated.
One million. Class fees are 25,000 per day. That's forty days of lessons. Three classes weekly means thirteen weeks—approximately two months.
…
Tempting, but—
"You could recruit my students instead." His smile was gentle. "As girls, they might understand your situation better. Their advice could prove more effective."
Translation: the money is insufficient.
Maki missed the subtext entirely.
Her eyes sparkled.
"GIRLS?"
"The Nakano Quintuplets. You may know them—quite famous."
"The Five?" Maki's lip curled. "Those complete idiots~"
But.
Genius that I am.
Teaching them is trivial.
"Where are they?"
Saki gestured.
"Behind you."
"Gulp~"
Maki turned.
The Five Sisters entered in single file, expressions ranging from curious to confused to—in Nino's case—something far more complicated.
Favorability Check
Saki's ability flickered on, scanning each approaching figure.
[Nakano Ichika: 77]
Normal. Expected.
[Nakano Miku: 79]
Acceptable. Slightly elevated.
[Nakano Yotsuba: 72]
Baseline friendly.
[Nakano Itsuki: 71]
Slightly lower. Probably the room incident.
[Nakano Nino: 8]
…
Eight.
Stable at eight.
Without me approaching. Without me trying.
Stockholm Syndrome. Suspension Bridge Effect. She's maximized both.
If I insulted her, would it rise?
Probably.
Ridiculous.
But only one of five. Manageable. Nino knows I don't reciprocate.
Secret crushes?
There are dozens at this school. Shijo has one. Nino's outcome will match theirs.
Nothing to address.
Introductions
"This is my invited assistant." Saki gestured. "Shijo Maki. Top-ranked academically."
The Five Sisters applauded politely.
"Assistant-chan?" Ichika tested. "Can I call you that?"
"Nickname?" Maki preened. "Special permission granted."
Ichika's smile suggested she'd already categorized Maki as "easy to handle."
"Thank you for helping us." Itsuki bowed with characteristic seriousness.
"Shijo-sensei!" Yotsuba's hand shot up. "I'm Yotsuba!"
Sensei.
SENSEI.
Maki's internal balloon inflated dangerously.
"Nakano Miku." The cool nod was minimalist.
Maki acknowledged it.
"Nakano Nino, Class 2-C." Nino's social mode activated smoothly. "Should we exchange LINE? For teaching coordination."
"Hmph." Maki's phone emerged with reluctant dignity. "I suppose I can grant you that."
She added Nino. Then turned to Saki, phone extended.
"Yours."
Saki blinked, pulled from observing the chaos.
"What?"
"Give me…" Maki's voice dropped. Shyness infiltrated her confidence. "Your LINE."
Saki added her.
Then, efficiently, added the remaining four sisters.
Then created a group chat.
Efficiency.
Organization.
Total control.
Hallway — En Route to Study Room
Nino glanced at her phone. The group chat name glared back at her:
[Shijo Maki's Love Support Group]
…What.
She quickened her pace, catching up to Sakurai Saki. A tug on his sleeve. He glanced down.
She rose on tiptoes, lips brushing his ear.
"What's with this name?"
"Simple explanation." His voice was low, matter-of-fact. "I recruited a genius girl to tutor all of you. No payment required. You just need to help her with romantic troubles." A pause. "Good deal, yes?"
Nino's eyes widened.
"You just… SOLD us?"
"Sold?" Genuine confusion. "Girls enjoy love topics. Consider it gossip with benefits."
Nino considered.
A chat group with Sakurai-kun.
His LINE friend.
Daily access.
…
This is actually amazing.
Today has been a massive victory.
She fell back into formation, satisfied.
Study Room
May sunlight streamed through windows, intense even at 4:30 PM. Summer approached—long days, short nights, and the oppressive heat of exam season.
Saki settled at the head of the table. Produced materials.
"Monthly exam scores. Report them. I'll structure subsequent teaching."
Miku's I know. Asked separately.
The others remain unknown.
Shijo Maki's expression sharpened. Academics were her domain—like Kaguya, once she committed to a goal, surrender was impossible.
The Five Sisters exchanged glances.
Miku and Nino: relaxed.
The other three: significantly less so.
Scores Revealed
Minutes passed.
Shijo Maki rose slowly. Her face was blank—the dangerous blank of someone processing catastrophic information.
"Sakurai-kun." Her voice was flat. "Terms require renegotiation."
Find someone more qualified.
Anyone.
These scores are—
Summary: I cannot teach this.
Saki's expression remained unchanged.
"Shijo-kun." His voice carried disappointment. "This is your courage? Retreat from academics when love already challenges you?"
Lower the goal. Everyone passes midterms. Simple.
Simple, right?
Maki's face reddened with anger.
He's provoking me.
Like Kaguya, she can't resist.
"Scared?!" Maki slammed back into her seat, hand pressed dramatically to her chest. "The Shijo Family dictionary does not contain 'give up'! I WILL ensure they all pass!"
Top rankings? No. Not that arrogant.
But passing? Absolutely.
Saki's eyes glistened with manufactured emotion.
"So touched. Shijo-kun volunteering to tutor them." A crocodile tear escaped. "I'm deeply grateful."
"Hmph! You SHOULD be grateful, you blockhead!"
The Sisters' Shared Thought
They watched the exchange with varying expressions.
Ichika: amused.
Miku: observant.
Yotsuba: confused but happy.
Itsuki: slightly concerned.
Nino: knowing.
And simultaneously, the same conclusion crystallized:
Shijo-kun is being treated like a toy.
By Sakurai-kun.
How pitiful.
…
Also, slightly impressive.
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