Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]
Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.
The week flew by and before they knew it, everything was almost back to the way it was. Why 'almost'? It's because after the big revelation dropped on them by their homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei, a lot of changes happened within Class D.
Everyone started listening more attentively during discussions. There were times when one or two people would do the opposite and attempt to fall asleep or do something else, but they would get scolded or smacked in the head right away.
Of course, the sole exception to this was Koenji. The man was capable of doing whatever the fuck he wants whenever he wants, and none of them would be able to scold or even speak out against him. That being said, he did seem to understand that in order for their class to not go any lower than they already are, he acted like an attentive student… somehow. Regardless, it was enough to calm his classmates' nerves and assure them that he knew how to hold himself back..
While the class was managing to prevent a further decrease in their points, they still had no idea how they could increase their points as a class. After Chabashira-sensei told them about the issue regarding the school and its class hierarchy and chewed them out for being failures, she went back to normal and acted as if nothing happened. Every time someone would ask her how they could increase their points, their teacher would only apologize and say that the answer can't be disclosed to students.
Regardless, they were making good progress for a class that almost drowned in chaos a few days ago. That day, almost everyone got humbled by Chabashira-sensei and made them realize that this wasn't anything like your typical high school. It made them realize that their life here won't be one that's filled with luxury.
Despite their efforts in becoming a better class so far though, there is one remaining dilemma that they would still have to deal with when it arrives.
As lunch break began, Hirata quickly stood up and faced his classmates.
"Chabashira-sensei mentioned that the midterm exams are coming up soon. Remember that if you fail an exam, you'll be expelled. I don't want that scenario to come to fruition, so I think it would be a good idea to form study groups in order to prepare for it."
Everyone had their attention directed towards him as they listened to his plan of action.
"Neglecting your studies will get you a failing grade and be expelled. I'm sure none of you want that to happen, right? Furthermore, studying won't just prevent expulsion; I have a feeling that it may also help us earn points. If we receive high marks in our midterms, our class's assessment should also improve. I've asked some of the students who scored high on the test to help in tutoring those who need it. So, I would like the people who are experiencing difficulties in any of our subjects to approach me or any of the tutors. Everyone is welcome to, of course."
The blonde teen walked up to the blackboard and wrote the names of the tutors for everyone to see. Yukimura, Horikita, Wang, Kushida, and Hirata himself were the designated people who would be helping their classmates.
Hirata asked the other four earlier this morning if they would be willing to help out their classmates who are in need of guidance when it came to their different subjects. He was honestly surprised that Horikita actually accepted the task of being a tutor, because she blatantly refused to help out in the class discussion that happened a few days ago.
He wondered if something happened to her that caused her to change her stance about the class because according to her, helping out would have been 'a waste of time'.
Well, never mind. Hirata wasn't going to waste time thinking about it. He wouldn't complain about this turn of events either. After all, the more students who are willing to cooperate, the higher their chances of pulling this off without problems.
If only Koenji was the same…
"Starting today at five o'clock, myself and the other tutors will study for two hours a day either here, in the library, or whichever place your group decides. Those of you'd like to join us, please approach one of the tutors. Of course, if you need to leave in the middle of the session, you can. That's all I have to say."
Immediately after he'd finished speaking, several of the failing students got up and went to their preferred tutors. Ike and Yamauchi approached Kushida, no doubt taking the opportunity to be with the cutest girl in the class under the guise of studying. Time can only tell if they were going to take studying seriously. Onodera and Sudo went to Horikita together, most likely with the intention of studying together under the latter's guidance.
With that, the study groups began to form by themselves. Hirata was approached by many of the females, some of the males went to Yukimura, while there was a mix of boys and girls that went with Wang, who was doing her best to adapt to this new environment.
Kiyotaka quietly watched the whole event unfold from his seat. He was surprised that the class was already somehow organized despite the bomb that was dropped on them by Chabashira-sensei several days ago, or maybe he just underestimated Hirata's ability to unite the class? Either way, with him around, it would be easier to get everyone under control.
He also felt glad that he wouldn't have to tutor anyone. That would be tiring and would take an even bigger toll on him along with his eroge superpower. After he agreed to help Suzune with her goal of reaching Class A, he expected that she would want him to help out their classmates who are in need of special lessons. But when Yosuke talked to her earlier about being one of their class's tutors, she never mentioned him. It looks like she was keeping her word about him not needing to be in the limelight.
He could just join Suzune or Kikyo's study group and lend a hand to either of them instead. Of course, being a tutor would be tiring, but that didn't mean he couldn't help out here and there when someone is having trouble with their studies.
[A Special Event Has Been Triggered!]
"What the…" Kiyotaka's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the notification that just appeared, as a sense of fear started building up inside him.
…did he just jinx himself?
Well, of course he would. What better time for the system to screw him over, right? Just as he was thinking about how he could fulfill his end of the deal, his bullshit supower comes in to ruin everything. Of course the system would do something like this. What better time to make his life harder, right?
"Ayanokouji-kun, may I have a word with you?"
The young man was quickly brought out of his thoughts when he saw Hirata standing in front of his desk, looking like he wanted to ask something.
"What is it?" he asked, still managing to sound perfectly calm even though he was already tempted to bang his head against the wall or his desk for being an idiot. He should have seen this coming but once again, he was caught off guard despite being more alert of the system for the past weeks.
"I'm sorry if I'm dropping this on you right now, but would it be fine with you if you become one of our class's tutors?" asked Yosuke.
Kiyotaka wasn't surprised. He just had to jinx himself, huh?
He was tempted to ask if there was a shortage of tutors in their class, but decided not to waste his breath in doing so. The most likely answer would be 'yes', simply because the system wanted it that way. It could even bring about something as drastic as being the tutor of all his heroines in this class if it wanted to.
At this point, being more alert and attentive won't even help him. The system can activate whenever it wanted to just to make his life more of a mess, even if he kept his 'heroines' happy.
Kiyotaka sighed. Obviously, there's no way he could get out of this one, lest he risk challenging the ability of an ability that had a mind of its own and could bend reality to its whim if it wanted to.
"Who exactly do I have to tutor?"
"Karuizawa-san and Sakura-san," Hirata revealed, which were two names that didn't surprise the 'Masterpiece' one bit. "Again, I apologize if this is sudden, but it's something that I have noticed for some time now. I simply haven't said a word about it because I knew it would bother you. If you don't want to help tutoring our classmates, then it's fine."
"What did you notice?" asked Kiyotaka, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"Karuizawa-san seems to trust you despite her claims about being unable to trust any of the boys. I don't think she has a problem with me either. I thought of helping her study by myself so that you wouldn't have to go through this, but I figured that she'd be fine with you instead. Of course, it would have been easier to let Horikita-san help her, but I don't think they'll get along well, and that would only lead to a bigger problem. Kushida-san was also a possible option, but I can tell that she already has her hands full, and the same goes for Wang-san.
"I see…" the young man muttered. Hirata's words made sense, even though there's no doubt that his eroge superpower is the one behind it all. Putting Karuizawa in the same group as Horikita would be another recipe for disaster. While she wasn't as cold as before, Karuizawa wasn't anything like Kushida (in terms of being a calm person), and he doubted that they would get along right away. If Kushida herself and Wang were already handling many of their classmates, then it's for the best not to make things harder by adding Karuizawa to either of their respective groups.
Hirata… wasn't even an option. The system is definitely pushing for him to be their tutor, nobody else.
"In Sakura-san's case, she is actually one of the seven people who failed the short test that Chabashira-sensei gave us last week. She is someone who is in desperate need of help when it comes to studies, but approaching her is a hard task because she is shy and seems to get nervous around other people. However, I believe I've seen you two speaking with each other several times, and Sakura-san doesn't seem to have a problem being around you. Out of everyone here, I believe you're the only one who can help her, Ayanokouji-kun."
"He must be talking about the fact that we greet each other in the morning when either one of us arrives at the classroom," he thought. Or at least, Kiyotaka hoped that Yosuke was talking about that. Surely he wasn't referring to the time when they spoke to each other at the boys' restroom after the 'incident'... right?
Anyways, Sakura was completely different from Karuizawa. She wouldn't even be able to attend a tutoring session because of her shyness. It'd be a waste of time to try and get her to join one of the assigned tutors and at the same time, if she's left to her own in studying, then there's a big chance of her failing and causing her to be expelled.
Kiyotaka doubted that she would actually be expelled. The system would most likely alter reality in order to save her from expulsion and in the process, make her fall for him even more. Even so, the young man would rather have that not happen, if only to prevent the system from driving him insane.
"What do you say, then? Is it okay for you to be their tutor? You won't have to teach anyone else if you wish, Ayanokouji-kun. The rest of us will be able to handle everyone else who wishes to exert their efforts in studying," asked Hirata.
"Leave it to me."
Hirata blinked a few times in surprise. Like with Horikita, a part of him had expected that Ayanokouji would decline the plea because it would be a hassle. From what he knew of his classmate thus far, Ayanokouji seemed like the type of person who would rather avoid doing work because it's a tiring task. Either way, he wasn't going to complain about this turn of events as well.
"Thank you for considering it, Ayanokouji-kun. I'm sure our efforts will be rewarded in the future. Now, I will inform Karuizawa-san about this. Maybe you can be the one to tell Sakura-san instead of me?"
Kiyotaka nodded. That seemed to be the best option they had of informing Airi. "Tell her we'll do it at the library. At least it'll be peaceful there," he told his classmate.
Yosuke nodded in return and smiled at him gratefully. "Once again, thank you, Ayanokouji-kun."
As his classmate walked away to tend to the girls who wished to have him as their tutor, Kiyotaka buried his head into his arms on the desk, hiding his face from everyone else. If he had to be honest, he was still contemplating the suicide route, but thought better of it. He had already come this far while living with an ability from a divine being, why not see where this will take him?
Still, for the 'Masterpiece' of the White Room who had accomplished many extraordinary and terrifying feats, Kiyotaka had no idea what to do in his current situation… for now, at least.
Kiyotaka was joined by Suzune and Kikyo for lunch, but unlike the usual days where they would eat in peace, the two girls both had something important to talk to him about.
He could only take a good guess on why they would want to talk to him… which would be a problem if his suspicion was correct.
"Ayanokouji-kun, I may require your assistance later on while I teach some of our classmates. You are acquainted with Sudo-kun, right? It might be beneficial for him to have at least one familiar face around while he is studying," asked Suzune.
Kikyo flashed a nervous smile as she listened to her friend's question. "Uhm… I think I might also need Ayanokouji-kun to help me, hehe."
"Then why did you agree to help that many people in the first place, Kushida-san? You should have agreed to tutor a maximum of five people, not nine. What were you thinking?" Suzune asked, unable to understand why Kikyo would choose to do something ridiculous.
She was aware of how many of their classmates approached Kikyo earlier with pleas about joining her study group, and all she could do was stay silent and ask her about it the next time they talked. Tutoring a few people was already a daunting task, especially when it involved those who failed the mock test, but nine people?
Kikyo might as well volunteer to teach the whole class instead.
"I didn't want to turn down anyone who asked. And I really want to do my best to make sure everyone passes!" Kikyo defended herself.
Kiyotaka watched the two interact with each other like normal friends. Ever since Suzune accepted Kikyo's offer of friendship, they actually acted decently around each other despite their opposite personalities. For a moment, it seemed like they really were friends, only for him to remind himself that one of them hates the other for a pretty pathetic reason.
He wondered if telling Suzune the truth about Kikyo would make things better.
Suzune sighed in exasperation. "Good grief… you could have asked them to approach another one of the tutors. There are five of us, aren't there?"
"But—"
"Save it, you two. Hirata already asked me to tutor two people, so I won't be able to help either of you with whoever you're supposed to teach," he told them, which got their attention almost instantly.
The black-haired girl was surprised for a moment, before regaining her composed look. Hirata must have noticed that he had a higher score than most of their classmates in the mock test, so he decided to make Ayanokouji a tutor as well. Meanwhile, Kushida was surprised and was immediately curious about the students whom he will teach.
"Really? Who?" she asked.
"Not important. What about you two? Who are you handling?" Kiyotaka chose not to mention Airi or Kei to them, lest he risk the possibility of either of them being jealous or mad about the situation. Or worse, the both of them react negatively and make it an even bigger problem.
Thankfully, neither of the two seemed like they were going to insist that he tell them.
Suzune cleared her throat. "As I said, Sudo-kun is one of them, which was why I wanted you to help me. Onodera-san was with him when he asked for my tutelage. Apparently, he would rather study with her around instead of the two of them being in separate groups, so it may not be too hard to get him to listen."
"If that's the case, then you didn't really need me in the first place," he pointed out. For someone who's really smart, Horikita was as clueless as him in social interactions, maybe even worse. "As long as Onodera is with him, he'll be obedient and won't cause any trouble."
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Is that so?"
"Wait, does Sudo-kun like Onodera-san?" asked Kikyo.
"I'm surprised you didn't know that already," he replied. Kiyotaka was pretty sure that a lot of the boys know that Ken had the hots for Kayano, and it boggled him that none of the girls have caught on to the guy's obvious crush yet. "Is there anyone else in your group, Horikita?"
"There were only about four people who approached me. Aside from the two that I have mentioned, there's also Nishimura-san and Minami-san."
Kiyotaka gave her a nod of acknowledgement, before turning to their other companion. "What about you, Kushida?"
"Oh, well… I think there's Hondou-kun, Yamauchi-kun, Ike-kun, Shinohara-san, Sato-san, Okitani-kun, Azuma-san, Maezono-san, and Ishikura-san."
He stared at her blankly. "Horikita was right. You're taking in more than what you can handle," he spoke.
Kikyo pouted at him, which was a sight that Kiyotaka found to be really cute.
"There's nothing wrong with your intentions. I'm just saying that it's not a good idea to take in a lot of our classmates and expect yourself to be able to teach all of them. Even you should be aware of that. You couldn't have asked some of them to go to Horikita instead?"
"I didn't want to burden her with the people who asked me for help," she admitted, hanging her head low out of shame.
"Horikita, will it be fine with you if some of our classmates from Kushida's group transfer to yours?" he asked, turning his attention back towards Suzune.
"I have no problem with that, as long as they know how to listen and to do as they are told."
"This might be a bad idea," Kiyotaka said in his mind, before going for it anyway. "Then talk with Kushida about who you'll be taking out of the students she'll be handling later on."
"Very well," the black-haired girl shrugged. "Kushida-san, we'll discuss this later. But now I want to make this clear. I trust that you'll be able to help our classmates to the best of your abilities, especially those who had a failing score in the mock test. Failing the midterm exams is not an option for any of us."
Kikyo nodded happily. "I understand, Horikita-san. Thank you for taking some of our classmates under your wing. You know, I'm honestly surprised that you're helping the class by tutoring our classmates. I thought you wouldn't really care, because… well, because you don't talk to anyone else other than me and Ayanokouji-kun. I mean no offense, though!"
"I understand why you would think like that," she closed her eyes and folded her arms. "However, like everyone else, I am dissatisfied with our current predicament. I don't want us to stay as Class D until we graduate, so I am doing my part in making our class better."
"Yeah! Let's work together, Horikita-san!"
Kiyotaka continued to stare at their interaction, both curious and interested to see where this would lead to. "If Kushida wasn't currently after her throat, then I'd say that they're doing well as friends so far… at least, that's what I think."
The three students continued on with their lunch afterwards, before heading back to the classroom once they were done. After their classes ended several hours later, many of the students of Class D left the room in various groups, each one led by the assigned tutors.
Kiyotaka stayed behind, but he wasn't alone. His red-haired classmate who wore a pair of glasses was also left in the classroom with him, though it seemed like she wasn't aware of his presence at all. She only remained in her seat, looking down on the floor, not caring that everyone else was gone.
With his bag slung on his shoulder, Kiyotaka walked towards the girl.
"Sakura," he called out to her.
His voice alone snapped the girl out of her trance, and it made her turn to him with a look of alarm on her face.
"Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes…?!"
Seeing her flustered expression, Kiyotaka suppressed the urge to sigh. Hopefully, her shy nature won't hinder her ability to learn, or this will be a hard task to accomplish. Then again, he was already dealing with a crazy superpower and this was nothing compared to that.
"Let's go. Karuizawa's already heading to the library and I can tell that if we make her wait long, she'll go nuts."
"Ah— o-o-okay…"
Nodding her head in agreement, Airi grabbed her bag and followed Kiyotaka out of the classroom.
As they headed to the library, Airi was in deep thought. She was aware of the study groups that were created earlier and while she would like nothing more than to join her classmates in studying to improve her grades, she also knew that her personality was a big obstacle for her to overcome.
Airi was completely sure that if she tried to join a study group, she would only drag her classmates down because she was nothing more than deadweight, someone who was only capable of failing.
When Kiyotaka told her that he was assigned to be the one who'll help her study earlier, Airi felt relieved… somewhat. At the very least, he was someone whom she had spoken to before… just in different circumstances.
Point is, she was already someone she's familiar with, at least in her eyes. Airi hoped that this would go well… because she didn't want to let her classmates down.
"Are you nervous?"
The girl was snapped out of her thoughts by Kiyotaka's voice, as she noticed that he was expecting an answer from her.
"I-I am, but… I also know that I have to pass the upcoming exams," she answered honestly, turning her head away. "So… that's why I can't fail. I don't want to."
"That's good. In that case, I hope you're prepared to work with Karuizawa."
"U-Uhm… w-would she be okay with me?" she asked shyly.
That question made the young man stop and think for a moment. Would Karuizawa be fine studying with a girl like Sakura? Or would she feel annoyed by her because of Sakura's personality?
"Hmm…" he muttered. "I don't think she'd have any problems with you. If anything, I can only see her complaining that we took some time getting to the library and made her wait. Other than that, I don't believe she'll mind that you'll be studying with her."
Airi blinked a few times in surprise. She was obviously prepared for him to say yes, and his response caught her off guard. "R-Really? She won't mind that I'm… like this?"
"I may not know her well, but I'm sure that she's not going to judge you for that. If anything, she'd understand why you're like that and even befriend you."
"I-I see…"
The two continued on their way in peace, though it was a bit hard for Airi because she still felt nervous about this whole thing. What if she doesn't absorb everything that Kiyotaka teaches her? What if she fails to understand all of it? What if Karuizawa didn't like her after all and refused to study with her? What if Karuizawa walks out on her and Kiyotaka?
All she could do was hope for the opposite.
As they reached the entrance to the library, they saw a familiar blonde-haired girl standing by the entrance while using her phone. There's no telling how long she has been standing there, but it's clear that she won't be pleased that they got here just now.
The girl seemed to notice their incoming presence and caused her to look up from her phone. Kei quickly realized that these were the two people whom she was supposed to meet in this place.
"What the hell took you two so long?" she complained.
"Give her a break. Sakura is a very shy individual, and it took a lot more effort than you think just to get her to come," he replied calmly.
Kei stared at him briefly. Her initial reaction to the idea of studying with everyone wasn't really pleasant, thinking that it would be a waste of time and not worth doing, since she wasn't even close to failing the test that Chabashira-sensei gave them. She did change her mind though, after Yosuke spoke about increasing their class's points by getting high marks on their midterm exams.
In the end, she was convinced, though it brought about the question of whose study group she would join. Kei considered Kikyo's group at first, only for Yosuke to approach her out of nowhere and inform her that she would be put in Kiyotaka's group instead.
Kei wanted to ask him why she was assigned under Kiyotaka's tutelage, when he said that everyone was free to join whomever they wanted and that he wasn't even one of the tutors that Yosuke mentioned earlier. However, she eventually accepted it since it wasn't really important.
Moreover, she didn't think Kiyotaka was a bad person at all. At first, she thought of him otherwise, that he was a pervert who thought of the new dorm arrangements as a way to get close to the girls and follow them around for a quick peek. How could she not? It was the perfect opportunity for the boys to do so, now that some of them were neighbors with the girls.
But after that conversation they had at Keyaki Mall, her perception of him began to change. Not once did he act like a pervert, and the only thing he did was talk to her like a normal person.
It reached the point where she asked him if she could borrow some points last week, after Chabashira-sensei revealed that they weren't going to receive their 100,000 point allowance this month. She expected him to refuse since they weren't close friends or anything, and she would understand why. However, he defied her expectations once again and gave her the points she needed, which completely changed his image in her eyes.
By now, she was pretty fine with him and had no complaints about Kiyotaka being her tutor until the midterms. She could only hope that this would be effective, though.
"Hmph. You're lucky that I trust you," Kei huffed. "So how are we gonna do this?"
Instead of uttering a response, Kiyotaka simply walked inside, with the two girls following him.
They weren't the only ones from their class who were at the library. Yukimura, Horikita, and Kushida's study groups were also there, all sitting at different tables while studying in their own way.
Kiyotaka led his two classmates to a smaller table and placed his bag on top of it. Kei and Airi followed suit, before they sat down and waited for what their companion would do.
"Why don't you two get acquainted with each other while I prepare everything we need? I just need to pick out a few reference books for you to read. Fortunately, there's only two of you, so I won't take long."
Airi quickly froze at the thought of being left alone with Kei, while the blonde girl just shrugged. She had nothing else to do here other than read some books and answer questions, so she might as well talk to the other person who'll be studying with her.
As Kiyotaka walked away to get some books, Kei shifted her attention to the other girl that was with them. She immediately took notice of how the red-haired girl was nervous, most likely because of her presence.
"She's shy, huh?" Kei decided to take a careful approach with this, knowing what could happen if she talks in her usual demeanor. "So… you're Sakura, right?"
Airi was surprised that Kei knew who she was. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes…"
The blonde offered her a kind smile. "Well, in case you didn't know, my name's Karuizawa Kei. You can use my first name to make things easier. Nice to meetcha!"
"I-I-I couldn't!" Airi squeaked, waving her hands before her while shaking her head.
"Okay, chill out. It doesn't really matter which of the two you use. It's just a name, no big deal," she pointed out. "Who do you sit next to again?"
"I sit… next to Sudo-kun…"
"Oh," Karuizawa blinked. That meant Sakura sat at the very last row of the classroom. "Ah, I'm sorry for not remembering. I typically remember the names of the rest of the girls, but I don't really remember you. I just heard of you from Hirata-kun… wait, don't take that the wrong way! I'm not saying you're not worth remembering at all! It's just that you're like a ghost that I can't tell if you're there or not. No offense."
"Shhhhh!" a student from a nearby table spoke up, prompting Kei to cover her mouth, realizing just now that she had raised her voice.
Sakura still looked nervous, but managed to get something out of her mouth. "I-It's alright, Karuizawa-san. I understand why you feel that way. I… p-prefer things to be like that, actually. I d-don't want… to b-be deadweight in other people's eyes."
"Hold on, you shouldn't talk about yourself that way! Why are you thinking like that?" she whispered this time, not wanting to attract any more attention from the people around them.
"Well… b-because… I get r-really n-nervous and scared when I-I'm with o-other people…" the redhead admitted, averting her gaze to the side in embarrassment.
Kei raised an eyebrow at her. "You say that, but you're acting pretty fine while you're around me."
"That's because… w-we'll be seeing each other more often, w-won't we?" asked Airi, taking a quick glance at her classmate. "I need to… get used to this…"
"That's not a good enough reason," Kei shook her head in disappointment. "Okay, I see where this is going, so I'll be honest with you. I don't like how you're all stuttering and nervous like a cartoon character. You should be more confident in yourself and I think you can do it, so I'll help you."
"W-W-What…?"
"You didn't get it? I'll help you get over this stuttering problem you have."
Airi blinked a few times, as if she was having a hard time processing what she just heard. When she finally understood what Kei had just said, her eyes widened as her face turned red
"E-Ehhh?! Y-Y-You don't have to do that for me, Karuizawa-san!"
Kei only smirked. "Well, I want to. Plus, I think that stuttering is gonna be annoying every time I talk to you. You should learn how to be more confident in yourself, otherwise you're gonna have a hard time surviving here for three years."
"I-I-I…" Airi stuttered, unsure of what to say to her in return.
"You two are getting along. That's good," Kiyotaka's voice cut through their conversation, causing the two girls to turn towards him. The young man had returned to their table with several books, one for each of their subjects. "However, your little conversation has to be cut off for now. It's time to get to work. We'll only be here for three hours, so let's make every second count."
Kei simply huffed in response, while Airi took a deep breath to calm herself.
It was going to be a long three hours, it seems.
If someone had told him before that he would somewhat enjoy being a tutor, then Kiyotaka would say that person is crazy to even think so. However, after a few days of spending time at the library after class, Kiyotaka could honestly admit that this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.
Don't get him wrong, the whole arrangement still meant a deduction in his precious rest hours but at the very least, it was being put to good use. Helping two of his classmates was a good enough reason to stick around for a bit, even if they were his 'heroines'.
Speaking of which, if he had to give his opinion on the two students he had been teaching for several days now, it's that they were both suffering from different strengths, and weaknesses.
It was now Friday, and the two had just finished a little mock test that Kiyotaka prepared for them last night. It was a very simple and short test that they finished in thirty minutes, after which their companion began to check their work.
Once he was done checking both of their answers, Kiyotaka looked up to face the two girls, having different expressions on their features. Kei tried to look serious but underneath it was a doubtful expression while Airi's nervousness could be seen right from the get-go.
"You two are making progress, especially you, Karuizawa. However, I do see that your weak point is Science. The technical terms, in particular."
"Don't remind me," she huffed, looking away. She didn't really understand why there were things like 'scientific names' when science itself was already complicated enough. Not to mention, the harder terms that were quite a step-up from elementary science…
"Sakura, in your case, you're still struggling with almost everything. Your biggest problem would be Mathematics, though. You can point out the numbers that were given, but become lost in the formulas when you apply them."
"I'm sorry…" she bowed her head in shame. "I just get so confused with all these numbers… I have no idea what to do when I see a lot of them…"
Kiyotaka only nodded. "That's understandable. But I'll do my best to help you get through this. You can still improve if you put your mind into it."
With that, he returned their test papers.
"I've corrected every wrong answer you made in your test and wrote an explanation why. Review those carefully and think back on what you answered."
"You're acting like you're going somewhere. Are we done?" asked Kei, raising an eyebrow at him.
He stood up and gathered the books that he borrowed from the library. "Not yet. We're simply finished with what these books have to offer. I'll pick out some new ones and we'll go through a little bit of them before I end it for today."
The blonde girl was surprised. "Wait, really? We're just reaching two hours, and you normally do this for three."
"That's true, but it's the end of the week, is it not? I don't want to be too hard on the two of you, so I'll let you have an early rest today as well as the weekend to take it easy. Plus, I feel tired as well. I'd like to rest a lot earlier today because being a tutor isn't an easy job."
Airi nodded, understanding why Kiyotaka would feel tired. Of course, teaching someone like her would take its toll on him. On the other hand, Kei smirked. She obviously had something else in mind about all this.
"If you ask me, you have it easier compared to Kushida-san and the other tutors. They have to teach four or five people while you only have to deal with us," she teased.
"Trust me, I know that. But Hirata was the one who wanted me to do this," he answered calmly. "In any case, I trust that you two won't forget about everything you learned this week. It would disappoint me if my efforts were put to waste."
The two nodded, knowing that this was for their sake as well. Especially Airi, who was one of the seven people that failed in the last test. She knew that nothing was going to save her in the next one aside from her own abilities. She was struggling to learn, yes, but she's also pushing herself to be better.
"Looks like we're in agreement. I'll be back in a bit."
After picking up the books, he walked away to return them to their appropriate shelves. His destination didn't take him far from their table.
Kiyotaka took a glance at his two heroines who were engaged in another conversation about who knows-what. He was at a safe distance and far from being noticed, so Kei can't possibly accuse him for something inappropriate now.
"I never thought those two would become friends, but it's not like there's something wrong with that," he thought as he returned a Math book to its original shelf. "Having someone like Karuizawa on her side would build her confidence, because I'm not the right person to help her with that."
He also felt thankful that nothing drastic happened while he was with them for the whole week. Aside from a few increase in Affection Points for both girls and a budding friendship beginning to form between them, there was nothing else that caught his attention.
But since he had no notification of a 'special event' being completed until now, something might happen down the line while he's acting as their tutor.
After returning the books they used, Kiyotaka was about to search for new ones when he heard a familiar voice nearby.
"That's it! I can't take it anymore!"
"What do you mean, Ike-kun?"
Kiyotaka couldn't recognize the first voice, but he definitely knew who the second one was.
"That's definitely Kushida… is she having trouble with the boys in her group?"
He knew that Ike and Yamauchi were part of Kushida's group and from what he's seen of them, it wouldn't be surprising if they stir up trouble while they were studying together. In fact, it was quite obvious that those two only joined so they could have a chance at being closer to Kushida.
"If she's only hiding behind a mask, then I wonder what she truly feels about two boys constantly chasing after her like a pack of dogs in heat," Kiyotaka thought.
He put that idea at the back of his mind for now. It would be an interesting question to ask her if she ever drops the facade.
His curiosity getting the better of him, Kiyotaka walked towards the table where the students under Kikyo's group had gathered. Of course, he stayed behind the cover of the library shelves as he didn't want them to see him.
Yamauchi and Ike had stood up from the table while grabbing their bags, surprising Kushida, Shinohara, Sato, Ishikura, and Maezono who were all in the midst of studying.
"You'll have to forgive me, Kushida-chan. But I just can't do this anymore…" Ike spoke, shaking his head while openly crying, feeling as if he was betraying the feelings of his one true love.
"Yeah… this just isn't worth it. I feel my brain's about to explode any moment…" Yamauchi sighed while massaging his temples.
"But we need to do this! Both of you failed the last test that Chabashira-sensei gave us, right? We need to study so you can pass our midterm tests," Kikyo argued in an attempt to convince their minds.
Ike suddenly recovered from his crying fit, as though he wasn't shedding tears in the first place. "Eh, not a problem. I can just cram all of this in my head the day before the midterms. It'll be fine, Kushida-chan!"
Yamauchi flashed a smug look. "You haven't seen what I can really do, Kushida-chan! I was only holding back in that test. Truth is, I could have gotten a perfect score in it if I really wanted to! I just chose not to because it would have been a waste of effort, since it wasn't even recorded."
The other girls at the table looked at them in disgust. They're the ones who are quitting on studying together, yet they're still trying to make moves on Kikyo? These two have to be desperate by now.
Shinohara merely rolled her eyes. She wasn't fond of studying herself, but she knew what was at stake. Right now, she was in need of something to drink, and wasn't in the mood for this.
"Get your asses back in your seats, would you? We have to do this, whether you like it or not."
"Maybe for you, Ugly-hara. But I have other important things to do than staying here," Ike mocked.
A tick mark appeared on the bluenette's head. She was about to stand up to teach Ike a lesson, but was held back by Sato, Ishikura, and Maezono. "You damn pervert…" she growled.
Kikyo still tried to look positive despite what's happening. "Come on, you guys… let's just go back to studying. We need to pass the midterms so we can get back the points we lost this month! Don't you want to get 100,000 points again?"
"See you tomorrow, Kushida-chan. You can still call me if you feel like hanging out, though!"
Ignoring the girl's plea like it was nothing, the two boys walked away from the table and didn't look back, leaving their female classmates in shock. They were the ones who willingly joined the study group… and yet they were also the ones who gave up in the midst of it all.
Kiyotaka could only stare at what happened with a blank face.
"Those two… they actually cared more about being lazy than their attraction towards Kushida? Pitiful. They must be thinking that they wasted the whole week studying with her then. And to make things worse, they're actually thinking that Kushida might have a thing for them, as well as feeling assured that they'll pass the midterm exams without studying in advance."
Words could not express the disappointment that Kiyotaka had for the two idiots. They're definitely going to be expelled at this rate. If that happens, he wouldn't even pity them. They bring it upon themselves if they're met with expulsion.
He shifted his attention towards Kikyo next, where his eyes widened ever so slightly upon seeing the sad look on her face.
Almost immediately, after two of their classmates left the table, the beige-haired girl slumped in her seat and bore a defeated expression. Kikyo felt she failed as a tutor for her classmates. As a result, her friends quickly went to comfort her and reassure her that it wasn't her fault, which seemed to be ineffective in cheering her up.
Kiyotaka watched the girl as one single thought was made clear in his mind.
Those two… made her sad.
Yamauchi and Ike… made Kikyo sad.
They… made her sad.
['To Protect Her Smile' has been Activated!]
Kiyotaka slowly turned around and turned his attention to the idiots who were heading to the library's entrance.
If one could see the look in his eyes right now, that person wouldn't be able to give a comment about it, because he still looked as calm as ever. His face was the same as it always was but still, it felt like something was different.
Before he could even tell what was happening, Kiyotaka felt his legs moving on their own as he followed after the two boys like a man possessed.
Meanwhile, the two were completely unbothered at the moment, as they were finally glad that they were free from studying. Truth be told, they never really planned to stick around for a few days. They simply thought that by joining and being with Kushida for a while might be an effective way to get her to like them, which obviously didn't work.
"Hey Ike, you wanna drop by the cafe for a bit and grab something to drink? I'm starving!" asked Yamauchi.
Ike shook his head and stretched his limbs for a bit. Sitting for hours wasn't a good thing for a teenager like him. "You can go on ahead. I don't wanna spend the remaining points that I have. I just want to go home and rest."
"Where do you two think you're going?"
The two boys were immediately halted in their tracks by someone else's voice. That particular voice sounded cold and unforgiving for some reason, so much to the point that it sent chills down their spines. Both turned around slowly, fearing whatever was behind them, only to see that it was just one of their classmates standing there.
"A-Ayanokouji?" said Ike.
"The hell was that for? You scared the crap out of me!" Yamauchi complained. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I should be asking you that. From what I recall, you two are supposed to be part of Kushida's study group. I remember the two of you approaching her last Monday. Where is she then?" he answered, sending them a cold stare that they couldn't notice at first.
"She's with the others, still reading whatever they're reading."
"Then why are you here while they're studying? Shouldn't you be with Kushida and the rest of your group?"
Ike shook his head and groaned. "Studying for this long just isn't my style, man. As simple as that."
"I see. Then I'll ask again," Kiyotaka took a deep breath and stared at them again. "Where do you two think you're going?"
Yamauchi immediately felt annoyed. He didn't want to argue about this when it was never their intention to study in the first place. "Tch. Why the hell do you care? It's none of your business, any—"
He was suddenly cut off from his words when Kiyotaka advanced towards them with an even colder stare than before, which was enough to keep their mouths shut.
If looks could kill, then the two would literally be six feet below the ground right now. They felt as if they were talking to the very embodiment of death itself.
"Let's have a little talk, shall we?"
Before they knew it, they were being dragged by their collars by Kiyotaka, forced to follow him lest they risk being choked to death.
The two wanted to scream for help, but couldn't do it because of their position. They tried to remove his grip from their clothes, but couldn't beat him in strength.
After dragging the two idiots to an isolated part of the library, all while being unnoticed by the students that roamed around, Kiyotaka threw them towards an empty bookshelf. Before they could even regain their breathing, he grabbed them by their collars and brought them close to his face.
"You two are going back there right now. You're going to get on your knees and apologize to Kushida. Then you're going to study like the rest of our classmates to the best that you can, without any sort of complaint. You're going to do this until our midterm exams, and you're never going to complain again. You are going to do your best for the class. Are we clear?"
Despite that, Yamauchi still tried to put on a brave face.
"Who the hell are you to tell us what to—"
He was cut off again when he brought them closer to his face, and it felt as if Ayanokouji was staring into their very souls. Fear quickly took over, especially because of the cold tone that he used afterwards.
"Are. We. Clear?"
Both Ike and Yamauchi could do nothing but whimper as a reply.
While he continued to threaten the two for their misbehavior, Kiyotaka was unable to detect the presence of someone who was watching him from a distance. This person had been watching ever since the young man cornered the two perverts and left them with no place to go.
Contrary to what she is on the inside, Kikyo did want to help her class if she had to be honest. Like all of her classmates, she was also caught off guard when their homeroom teacher explained why they didn't receive 100,000 points for this month and was surprised that they were at the bottom of the barrel among all of the classes. They were considered failures and nothing more.
While she was only showing a fake personality most of the time, it didn't mean that she wanted her class to fail and never get back up from the hole they've dug themselves in. As a matter of fact, it only seemed that way because Horikita Suzune was also in this school and apparently, her classmate as well. It's because of it that she was fixated on expelling her…
Anyway, since she wanted to help her class, Kikyo had no qualms about Yosuke asking her to step up as a tutor for her classmates. She had no experience in teaching other people, but it shouldn't be hard, right? It's just about relaying what she knows to her classmates and making them understand the things they don't. The whole thing might even be fun.
However, things would have been better if the two idiots in class weren't in her study group (Curse Horikita for not taking them in her group instead!). From the start, when she was approached by Yamauchi and Ike, she already knew that they were only after her and didn't have the intention of studying. Honestly, Kikyo was surprised that they lasted for the whole week before finally giving up and showing their true colors.
But still, they've ruined everything. They'll surely fail their midterm exams at this rate and get expelled afterwards. Now, while she didn't really care about them, Kikyo also knew that it might affect their class's morale if two of them were given the boot.
Therefore, as much as she didn't like it, the best course of action would be to help them study too and help them pass the upcoming tests… but now, there's no hope of that happening anymore.
"Hey, Kushida-san," said Satsuki, bringing her out of her thoughts. "You don't have to worry about those two, all right? Let them fail their exams if they want to. It'd actually be a miracle if they get expelled for failing."
Kikyo sighed. She wished she could agree just so she can be rid of them already. "But it's not supposed to be like that. We're all supposed to pass so our points can—"
"We're sorry, Kushida-chan!" spoke two familiar voices.
The remaining students at the table quickly turned their heads to whoever just spoke, and they were surprised that the two boys who had just walked out on them earlier were back. Not only that, but they were also kneeling on the ground in a dogeza position in front of Kikyo herself.
"We're sorry, Kushida-chan! We didn't mean to make you feel sad! Please forgive—"
Satsuki quickly recovered from her surprise and frowned at them. "Oi, keep it down. We're still in the library, idiots."
"Ike-kun? Yamauchi-kun? I thought you two didn't want to study anymore?" asked Kikyo, genuinely surprised to see them again after only a few minutes. After they left earlier, she was completely sure that they wouldn't return… and yet here they were.
"We're sorry about walking out on you! We promise not to do it again! Please take us back!" wailed Ike.
"Yeah! We promise that we'll study as hard as we can from now on! So please forgive us!" cried Yamauchi.
Their pleas did nothing to ease the girl's confusion. "Huh?"
"Woah, woah, slow down. What exactly made you two change your minds?" asked Maya, who was curious on what could have caused the two to come back.
"I just had a little talk with them," said a new voice, getting the girls' attention easily. And with that, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stepped out into the open for them to see, as he stood behind the two kneeling boys.
Kikyo's eyes widened as soon as he came into view. "Ayanokouji-kun?"
"H-How did you convince them?" asked Maezono.
"The system's broken skill made me act before they could get away," the young man said in his mind. "I saw them leaving and asked why. When I learned the reason why they left your table, I convinced them that studying is for everyone's sake. Nothing more than that, really. I'm glad they weren't being stubborn about it, though."
He sent a hidden glance at the boys below him and while they were unaware of it, both Ike and Yamauchi could feel the eyes of someone with murderous intentions directed towards them.
Kikyo snapped out of her trance not long after, and she turned her attention towards Kiyotaka.
"Thank you for convincing them to come back, Ayanokouji-kun. I really appreciate it!" she spoke, flashing him the biggest smile that she has shown today.
Kiyotaka shrugged. "It was no problem."
[You gained 20 Affection Points— ERROR! ERROR! ACTION INVALID! AFFECTION POINTS NOT DISTRIBUTED!]
"What the hell…" Kiyotaka thought in confusion as he stared at the notification that just appeared before him. The moment it was gone, he quickly whispered, "Menu," making the world around him stop and lose all color. He quickly picked [Heroines' Status] from the various sub-menus that popped up and tapped on Kikyo's section.
[Kushida Kikyo: 'Thankful and Happy Friend']
[Relationship Status: A Rocky Relationship]
[Affection Points: 99/100]
[Heroine Summary: (View?)]
"It remained the same." The young man frowned in confusion as he stared at the girl's 'summary'. He was completely sure that that would have been enough to increase Kikyo's Affection Points and max out her 'route', but it seems like it wasn't. "Even that skill wasn't enough to raise 'Affection Points' with her, despite having the ability to alter reality… I suppose that confirms it. Kushida herself is preventing her Affection Points from increasing… but why?"
With this, he wondered what exactly it would take for her to stop so that her route can be maxed out, and so that he could get some answers. At this rate, he was already wondering what would happen once her Affection Points reach 100, because if the girl herself was preventing it from increasing, it must be something that's valuable and not so easily claimed.
"Her virginity, perhaps…?" Kiyotaka thought, before quickly getting rid of that thought.
Well, it did make sense, honestly. After all, this superpower that he had wasn't a regular dating simulator, but rather an eroge. It wouldn't be surprising if the reward for maxing out a heroine's route was a 'sex scene' between him and that particular heroine. That's how a lot of eroges play out and considering the fact that he had many heroines, one 'scene' wouldn't be the last…
But sadly, he won't get an answer until he raises a few more Affection Points from either Suzune, Kikyo, or Arisu. Those three were the closest to maxing out their respective routes, and it's only a matter of time before one of them does.
"I'm not hoping for anything, but the reward for this better be worth it," he muttered.
MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*
-Lance