Homework
A Get Backers fanfic by Rabid Lola
Disclaimer: I don't own the Get Backers, and the math equations are from Prentice Hall Geometry book.
Another random, no-point situation. Natsumi seems to be the only other female Ban's relatively respectful to…the other one's Madoka.
Platonic, random, pointless, but fun one-shot. I think I'll dedicate this to EffyDurach and Atropos' Knife, as they likes Natsumi-Ban brother-sister relationships. Enjoy!
…-…
"Ugh…" Natsumi groaned.
If segment BD is the bisector of segment AC, and BD is perpendicular to AC, prove that triangle ABD is congruent to triangle CBD.
"I hate writing proofs," she grumbled, brow furrowing as she examined the figure in front of her.
She sighed and skipped to the next number. A set of parallel lines with transversals confronted her, along with Given: If line a is parallel to line b, and line c is a transversal of a and b, and lines d and e bisect x and y respectively, prove that line d is parallel to e.
Not much better.
Natsumi sighed and decided to put aside Geometry and do something else, like Chemistry, or Grammar, or Literature…or something. Normally she was good in math and numbers…she had to do well in school, or give up her job…but this year, her teacher was unbearably incompetent.
She had just set to work on answering her Chemistry homework when the bell tinkled. Quickly she looked up, and relaxed when she saw that it wasn't a customer, just Ban. "Hi, Ban-san!" she called, waving cheerfully. "Where's Gin-chan?"
"Visiting in Mugenjou," Ban replied with his usual gruffness, plopping himself in front of the bar. "Master?"
"Upstairs, with his computer," Natsumi replied in turn. "You don't mind if I do my homework, do you?"
"I'm not stopping you." In spite of the curtness of the reply, it did not sound rude. She was used to that…
"Arigato!" Natsumi set back to work.
She finished in a couple of minutes…her Chemistry teacher as infinitely better than her Geometry one…and discovered that Ban, for lack of anything better to do, had answered a few numbers of her geometry homework on a spare bit of paper.
"Ban-san!" she exclaimed, and he looked up. "You know how to do that?"
"It's fairly easy, Natsumi," he said, faint surprise showing on his face. "You don't?"
"Um…no not really." She smiled rather sheepishly at him. "I can never understand why you have to prove things when they're right there in front of you."
"But you're a bright kid…" Ban said thoughtfully, glancing down at the paper.
"And it doesn't help that our teacher talks to the blackboard more than she does to us…" the girl muttered, embarrassed.
He looked up at her, something close to amusement sparking in his eyes. "You want me to teach you, don't you?"
She eyed him timidly. "If…if you don't mind? Since you know how, and I really don't get it that well…" She twisted her fingers together nervously.
As a reply, he turned the paper towards her and tapped it with his pencil, gruff curtness back. "Right…this is where you start."
Ban was right, Natsumi was bright. Under his instruction, she got the lesson in around fifteen minutes. She sat back in disbelief. "It's that easy?"
"Yes," the man said, patiently, for him. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
Natsumi smiled. "I get it now!"
"Let's see if you really do." Ban pushed a piece of paper and a pencil towards her and marked a number in her book. "Do that."
Tongue between teeth, Natsumi set to work. In a couple of minutes, she held up a flowchart diagram for him to see. "Correct?"
Ban looked it over, then gave it back. "You missed two steps."
The girl's face fell. "I did?"
"Aa."
"Where?"
"Find it."
"Aww, Ban-san…"
He eyed her sternly. "if I'm going to teach you, I'm going to teach you well. Do it."
She pretended to pout, but when she looked her paper over there was a small smile on her face. Soon…
"Found it!" she crowed, correcting both errors and showing her paper to Ban.
Ban found himself grinning at the exuberant seventeen-year-old. In many ways, she was a lot like Ginji, if a little less genki. "Good. Now do your homework."
"Hai! Arigato, Ban-san!"
As she set to her work, he noticed another mathematics book on the table. He pulled it towards him. Algebra. "You take Geometry and Algebra?"
The girl nodded. "Un. Can you imagine how painful it is?"
"Is your teacher the same one?" the question was decidedly pointed.
"Eh…" she sweatdropped, and gave him another sheepish grin. "Yes?"
"Do you get the lessons?"
"Um…"
He sighed and opened her book. "What page is it?"
That was how Paul found them, half an hour later…bent over many pieces of paper and working on numerous equations.
"That's it?"
"Natsumi, what is this teacher teaching you?"
"I told you, she mumbles to herself or to the blackboard. Not even the students in front hear her, and I asked her to explain it to me once out of classes…" The girl wrinkled her nose a little. "She doesn't explain well at ALL."
"You'd better get her fired."
"Ban-san!"
"What?"
"Well...it's hard to find replacements nowadays…"
Paul hid his grin as he took refuge behind his newspaper.
Another fifteen minutes later, Ban stood up and said goodbye to Natsumi and Paul. "Ginji wants to go home already," he said. Not for the first time, Paul wondered how Ban and Ginji could know each other so well. Ban's next words were directed to Natsumi. "Do you get the lessons now?"
"Hai, Ban-san!" the cheerful girl answered, saluting. She hesitated, then called after him again. "Ban-san!"
"What?"
"The next time I don't get the lesson…" she trailed off, then plowed on resolutely. "Can you teach me again? If you want, I'll be willing to pay…" She looked down a little. "But not too much…"
A small grin twitched the side of Ban's mouth, and he turned towards the door and gave a short, dismissive wave. "Aa, aa, I will. No charge. Just don't let us wash the dishes too often."
Paul nearly dropped his newspaper.
"Arigato gozaimasu!"
…-…
"I'll prove you I can do it, just wait, monkey man!" A furious Chibi-Ban was being dragged out of the door by a nervous Chibi-Ginji. "Bye, Shido, Natsumi-chan, Master!" Ginji called back.
"Whatever, snake bastard!" Shido roared back. Natsumi sighed as she set a cup of coffee down before him. "Shido-san…"
"I can't stand that…that…snake bastard!" Shido complained. "How can Ginji live with him? Soft side, my ass!"
Natsumi just smiled.
…-EnD-…
I know writing proofs should be simple, but I share Natsumi's opinions here: Why prove what's right in front of you? T.T Oh well. For the record, I am beginning to die due to molecular geometry. :p It's so…brain-twisting.
Oh yes, and marbles, I have another Spiral fic up, and…a "special" message for you there. Okay? Okay:D
And, mistress-eos14… hello! I left the romances in "The Promise" open and only hinted, because I didn't want to focus on romance. It wouldn't have fit in the fic, which is supposed to mainly be about friendship. n.n Don't worry, I'll have other stuff coming out to satisfy you. Just wait for them. Bai bai:D