Yuuko covered her mouth as she let out an enormous yawn, not even pretending to be interested in whatever Mr. Akagi, their math teacher, was rattling off about. If it was any other class, Yukko would've already been in a coma from sheer boredom, but Mr. Akagi had a reputation for hitting students who did anything he didn't like such as not doing homework or sleeping during his lessons. These were two things Yuuko was very familiar with. It was only Tuesday, and she was already wishing this week would be over soon. She did not like math. Or schooldays. Or how quickly weekends seemed to go by. And homework? Yuuko despised that.
The belling signaling lunch was like music to Yuuko's ears. She snapped her notebook shut (It was filled more with mindless doodles she drew during lessons than actual notes anyway) and stuffed it in her bag.
She then leaned into her seat and sighed with relief. ''Man, I really thought this lesson was never gonna end. I almost fell asleep.''
''Did you even listen to what Akagi-sensei said, Yukko?'' Mio asked as she turned around from her seat to face her.
''Nope. It all went in one ear and out the other.'' Yuuko proclaimed proudly.
''So you didn't hear about the homework we got just got either?''
''Not at all,'' Yuuko replied with a grin. Then her eyes widened with horror. ''Wait… homework!?''
Mio nodded her head, and Yuuko whined. Of course, he would give them homework. Why would she be so foolish to think otherwise? Maybe she could beg Mio for her copy tomorrow, or even Nano.
Speaking of Nano, Yuuko glanced over to her friend only to see her empty desk. Confused, she scanned the classroom until she spotted her sitting and eating lunch with Annaka. They were chatting but Yuuko couldn't make out what was being said. Then Nano started laughing at something Annaka must have said.
''Hey, is it just me, or is Nano-chan becoming really buddy-buddy with Annaka-san?'' Yuuko asked.
Mio looked at the two girls Yuuko was referring to and shrugged. ''I guess she is.''
''Don't you think it's weird?''
Mio gave her a perplexed look. ''No. What's weird about Nano-chan getting along with other people?''
''That's not what I…'' Yuuko sighed. ''Forget it.''
If Yuuko was completely honest with herself, she wasn't sure what she was trying to say. First, Nano suddenly wanted to invite Annaka to hang out with them, and now she was eating lunch with her as well. It's not that Yuuko didn't like Annaka; it's just that she was used to it being just her, Mio, Mai, and Nano. But it now appeared that this would not be the case anymore, which did not sit well with her.
''Can Aioi Yuuko please come to the faculty immediately? Aioi Yuuko, to the faculty office immediately.'' Ms. Sakurai's voice emitted from the intercom.
''Oh no, what did you do this time, Yukko?'' Mio asked.
''What? I didn't do anything!'' Yuuko protested, then thought for a moment. ''Yeah, I didn't do anything!''
Confused and a little concerned about why she was being called, Yuuko got up and headed to the faculty office. Ms. Sakurai was the only one in the office, sitting by her desk. She raised her head up when Yuuko entered.
''Aioi-san, over here.'' She waved her over and pulled up an empty seat.
Yuuko sat down wordlessly, waiting for her teacher to say tell her why she was there.
''H-how are you finding school, Aioi-san?'' She asked instead.
The question caught Yuuko off guard. ''Um, good I guess.''
''That's good to hear.''
''Am I in trouble, sensei?'' Yuuko asked.
''Trouble? Oh! No, not at all!'' Ms. Sakurai picked up a folder from her desk and opened it. ''I've looked at your grades, and they're very… concerning.''
Yuuko felt a lump in her as she realized what this was all about. ''Oh.''
''And a lot of your teachers have made complaints about you not doing your homework or paying attention in class.'' She added.
''Yeah,'' Yuuko said awkwardly.
''Aioi-san, I understand school can be difficult, so if there's anything, in particular, that's bothering you, then you're more than welcome to tell me about it.''
''I know I need to study, do my homework, and pay attention, but every time I try to, it's always a challenge to focus,'' Yuuko said, hoping she was making sense.
''I see what you mean,'' Ms. Sakurai said, giving her a reassuring smile. ''And I've come up with a way to help you. I'm going to assign you a peer tutor.''
Yuuko blinked in confusion. ''A peer tutor?''
''One of the top students in your class is going to help you better understand subjects and how to study more effectively.'' She explained. ''Does that sound good to you?''
The idea of having one of Yuuko's classmates teaching her things she found uninteresting really didn't sit well with her, and as much as she wanted to protest the idea, she couldn't bring herself to do that to Ms. Sakurai, one of the few teachers genuinely liked. Especially since she was only trying to help Yuuko.
''Sounds good.'' She conceded. Then a question popped into her head. ''Wait, who's gonna tutor me?''
''Annaka-san.''
''What?!'' Yuuko exclaimed, catching Ms. Sakurai by surprise.
''Is something wrong?'' She asked.
''No. It's just… why her?''
Of all the people who could've been Yuuko's tutor, why did it have to be Annaka?
''Annaka-san gets consistently good grades in all of her classes. Plus, she said she would be delighted to be your tutor when I asked her yesterday.''
Yuuko blinked a few times in surprise. ''She did?''
Ms. Sakurai nodded. ''Don't worry Aioi-san, I'm confident she'll help you. The two of you can discuss what schedule works best for you both.''
She then got up and walked Yuuko out the door. On her way back to the class, Yuuko couldn't believe her luck. She was about to go to her desk when her name was called.
''Aioi-san!'' Annaka had come up to her. ''Did Sakurai-sensei tell you about the tutoring?''
''Yeah,'' Yuuko replied in an almost robotic tone.
''Are you fine with staying after school so we can set up a schedule?''
''Yeah.'' She repeated. Better to get it done sooner rather than later.
Annaka gave a small smile. ''Great! I'll see you back in homeroom then.''
Lunchtime ended and the remaining lessons were about as interesting to Yuuko as watching paint dry. Normally, she would be excited after the last class ended because she could go home or hang out with her friends, but she was back at her desk in class 1-Q while everyone else was leaving. Annaka arrived a short while after, walked up to Mai's empty desk, and moved it so that touched Yuuko's before sitting down.
''So,'' She took out a notebook and pencil case. ''I was thinking we should have two after-school sessions per week. Monday I have book club, but for the rest of the week, I'm free. Which days are fine with you?''
Yuuko gave it some thought. ''Can we do Wednesdays and Thursdays?''
''No problem,'' Annaka wrote the two days on the page. 'Now, which two subjects are you struggling the most with? We focus on them first.''
''Definitely math, and… I suppose Japanese Literature.''
''Okay. On Wednesdays, we can do math, and save Thursdays for Japanese Literature. Sound good to you?''
''Yeah.'' Yuuko nodded.
''We can go over the math homework Akagi-sensei gave us today if you want.'' Annaka offered.
''Really? Okay.'' Yuuko said and took out her math book. If Annaka was going to help Yuuko with her homework, then she wouldn't need to beg Mio the next day for her answers.
''By the way, can I see your notes?''
Yuuko's eyes widened. ''Huh? Oh! Uh, you don't want to see them. They're, uh, very untidy.''
''That's no problem,'' Annaka said as she took the math book.
Yuuko's face turned red as she watched Annaka turn the pages and notice the various doodles she drew. ''I… get bored easily in close.'' She confessed.
Despite this, Annaka seemed unfazed as she slid the book back to Yuuko and spoke. ''Tomorrow, we can go over how to make good study notes. I think that's the most important thing for you.'' She took out her math textbook and opened it to their homework activity.
''Why'd you decide to tutor me, anyway?'' Yuuko asked her. It was something that was on her mind the whole day.
Annaka looked up from the textbook and at her, obviously not expecting such a question. ''Well, the thing is that I used to struggle a lot in school too.'' She admitted quietly.
''Seriously?'' Yuuko said, shocked. ''But Sakurai-sensei said you always get good grades.''
''Yeah, but that wasn't always the case. I used to hate studying, but luckily, I had my parents to help me, and eventually, I enjoyed it. So when sensei told me about your situation, I could relate and thought it would be nice to help you.''
Yuuko was at a loss for words about what she had just learned. She never would've imagined Annaka, of all people, to have struggled in school as she was. And her last words made Yuuko realize why Nano enjoyed hanging out with her in the first place. She was such a kind and thoughtful person.
''Hey, Annaka-san, After we're done, you wanna go to the station and get some ice cream?'' Yuuko asked, grinning.
Annaka's eyes lit up.''Ice-cream? Sure, that sounds nice!''