Ms. Sasaki walked into the classroom when the bell rang, her heels clicking the floor. She smiled cheerfully looking at her students, then announced something. Her cheerful smile quickly fading as she saw the groans and complaints from the students at the mention of the upcoming midterm exam in two weeks. "Come on, don't be like that, it's just a midterm exam."

She cleared her throat and raised her voice to announce, "But let's not forget after the midterm exam, that there's a school trip to Kyoto and Nara for the third years!"

The students' expressions changed instantly, their groans turning into excitement as they started chatting and planning for the trip. Ms. Sasaki smiled, "Alright, alright, settle down. I know midterm exam can be daunting, so let's make sure to do our best in the midterm exam so we can fully enjoy the trip later on."

She added, "And remember, there will be no club activities one week before the exam to help you all focus on studying, so use that time very well."

Tomoka looked over at Sakuno from her seat and grinned, showing her excitement for the upcoming trip. Sakuno smiled back.

But her smile didn't last long as she caught sight of her English quiz marks from the english class after that. She had only scored 55 out of 100, a disappointing result that left her feeling anxious and discouraged. She folded her paper quiz and hide it in her bag, didn't want Ryoma see.

During recess, Tomoka noticed Sakuno's gloomy expression as she ate her bento. "Hey, why do you look so upset?" Tomoka asked with concern.

Sakuno sighed and confessed, "I don't think I'll be able to enjoy the school trip with such low scores."

Tomoka laughed and waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, come on Sakuno, I scored even lower than you! Just relax and enjoy the trip."

Sakuno shook her head, "Tomo-chan, you're always so positive."

Tomoka giggled and nudged her friend, "Why don't you ask for help from Ryoma-sama? He's good in English, after all."

Sakuno blushed at the mention of Ryoma. "I don't want to bother him", she muttered shyly.

Tomoka laughed and teased, "I don't think he mind if you're the one who bother him." Made Sakuno blushed even more.

After school and club activities finished for the day, Sakuno returned home and greeted her grandmother, "I'm back, obaa-chan." Then she went upstairs to change her clothes, before helping with dinner in the kitchen.

Later that evening, Sakuno diligently working on correcting her English quiz mistakes in her dimly lit room. As she concentrated on her work, she was suddenly interrupted by Ryoma's voice calling out, "Ryuzaki, the bath is empty now". Startled, she quickly responded with an Okay.

Ryoma, fresh out of the bathroom and drying his hair with a towel, peeked into Sakuno's room that was slightly ajar. He noticed her furrowed eyebrows and curious about what she was up to, so he went in and asked "what are you looking at?" Sakuno, taken aback, hastily tried to conceal the paper she was scrutinizing.

Ryoma became suspicious, he divert her attention, "what is that on your lap?"

With a sense of urgency in her voice, she brushed her lap and asked what is it.

Ryoma snatched the paper from her desk. As he glanced at the paper, he teasingly remarked with a smirk, "Hmm".

Sakuno, realizing that Ryoma was playing with her, reacted with a mix of shock and annoyance. "Ryoma-kun, you liar."

Determined to retrieve the paper, she reached out for it, but Ryoma held it out of her reach. Their playful banter continued as Ryoma retreated backward towards her bed, making it difficult for Sakuno to grab the paper. "Mou, Ryoma-kun, give it back."

"Don't want to."

In a moment of clumsiness, Sakuno accidentally pushed Ryoma onto the bed, causing their faces to be mere inches apart. Their eyes locked in a moment of unexpected closeness, Sakuno blushed as she noticed Ryoma's damp hair. She lightly hit his arm, retrieving the paper. "You're so bad."

Ryoma smiled. As he sat back up, he asked, "do you want to refer my paper?"

Sakuno looked at Ryoma. "Can I?"

Ryoma nodded and went to his room to get his quiz paper and handed over to Sakuno, Sakuno's eyes widened in astonishment, "You got 100?" Impressed by his academic prowess, she thanked him. "Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma, nonchalant about his achievement, simply replied with simple "Hn" and returned to his own room to continue his homework.

Sakuno diligently referred to his answers and made use of his impeccable work. Ryoma sat at his study desk with a content smile, delving into his own schoolwork.

It was a sunny morning when Tomoka looked at Sakuno's English quiz paper that she had already fixed the mistakes on. "So, you asked Ryoma-sama for help after all? This is amazing", Tomoka exclaimed.

Sakuno nodded and replied, "Yes, Ryoma-kun got a perfect score, so he lent me his paper to study from."

Tomoka looked impressed and then suddenly made a sad face. Sakuno asked her "what is wrong, Tomo-chan?"

Tomoka sighed, "my mom wouldn't let me go to the school trip if my marks are below 50, and I'm bad with English too. So I need to study hard even though I don't really care about it". Tomoka started crying, feeling overwhelmed by the pressure. Sakuno tried to comfort her, saying that her mom just wanted her to do her best.

Tomoka then turned to Ryoma, who was sitting next to Sakuno. "Ryoma-sama, can you help me study?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

Ryoma sweat-dropped and replied, "I'm not really good at teaching people". Horio then approached Ryoma's desk, saying, "Echizen, can you help me too?" Tomoka and Horio both made puppy eyes, pleading for Ryoma's help.

Ryoma glanced at Sakuno, who smiled awkwardly. He let out a sigh and finally agreed, "Fine, but I can't promise I'll be a good teacher." Tomoka and Horio beamed with joy, feeling grateful for Ryoma's help. Katsuo and Kachiro overheard and asked if they could join the study group. Tomoka happily agreed, suggesting they go to Sakuno's house over the weekend.

Kachiro questioned why they were going to Sakuno's house if Ryoma was the one teaching them. Tomoka quickly covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. Sakuno chuckled and explained that Ryoma was living with her family now, surprising the group. They were in awe of the revelation but excited for the study session.

On the weekend, Tomoka, Katsuo, and Kachiro arrived at Sakuno's house. Katsuo remarked on Horio's lateness. "I wonder where is Horio."

Sakuno welcomed them inside. "Hi guys, come in."

They came in, greeted Sumire and found Ryoma already there, getting ready with the materials.

Not long after that, Horio came. "Hey guys, look who I brought with me." To their surprise, Horio arrived with Heisuke, who seemed reluctant to be there.

"Eh? Ookami-kun?" Sakuno asked.

Heisuke was irritated at Horio. "Why did you bring me here?"

Ryoma was less than thrilled when he saw Heisuke. "Yeah, why is he here?"

Horio explained that he heard Heisuke needed help and thought Ryoma could assist. "Ai asked me to bring Ookami."

"You bring anyone here, don't you?" Ryoma glared at Horio.

Horio laughed awkwardly and try to persuade Ryoma. "Well, it's not so bad to study together." Horio put his arm over Heisuke's shoulder. "Come on Ookami, you need help right? Echizen can help you."

Heisuke shocked. "He's the teacher?! If he is, then I'm out."

"Yeah, who said I want to teach him?" Ryoma said coldly.

Sakuno giggled nervously, trying to diffuse the tension. She suggested that Ryoma help Heisuke, as he clearly needed assistance too.

"What? I don't need his help!" Said Heisuke.

Horio then noticed a paper in Heisuke's pocket and pulled it out, Horio got shocked, "Ookami, you got zero??"

Heisuke blushed in embarrassment, as he took the paper from Horio. "What the hell, why did you take it?"

Ryoma sighed. "Just sit down, you are going to waste everyone's time."

Heisuke reluctantly agreed to participate in the study session, sitting down with the group. Ryoma gave them a quiz to assess their level.

After 15 minutes of intense silence and scribbling, Ryoma began checking everyone's answers. The room was filled with nervous tension as everyone awaited their fate. However, when Ryoma reached Heisuke's paper, his expression turned from focused to downright scary.

He looked at Heisuke with a deadpanned look. "Are you stupid? You can't even answer middle schooler's questions when we already in high school?!" Ryoma's sharp words cut through the air, causing everyone to shriek in surprise.

"It's not my fault, the teacher was so boring and put me to sleep." Heisuke muttered sheepishly, tried to defend himself.

After the heated exchange between Ryoma and Heisuke, the tension in the room escalated further as Ryoma slammed his hand down on the table, causing everyone to jump in their seats.

Ryoma looked at Heisuke and smile scarily. "For you, let us start with the elementary school questions."

Not long after that, as they sat around the table, poring over their English textbooks, Ryoma and Heisuke got into yet another heated argument over the correct pronunciation of a word.

"You write it wrong, idiot! It's pronounced 'schedule,' not 'shed-jool'", Ryoma insisted, a look of frustration on his face.

Heisuke crossed his arms and scowled. "Well, that's how we say it in Japan! Shed-jool sounds better anyway."

The rest of the group could only sweat-drop as they watched the intense bickering between Ryoma and Heisuke. Sakuno chuckled, looking at them. They looked like siblings who always fought.

After a few hours of studying, Ryoma could see their improvement in English. He sighed at Heisuke and said, "You need to study more. Well, you made a bit of improvement though. You can answer most of the middle schooler's questions now."

Heisuke blushed slightly at Ryoma's compliment. Sakuno chuckled as she watched Heisuke, who looked like a cat that was starting to become tamed by Ryoma. Ryoma then turned to Tomoka, Sakuno, Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo.

"You all are already good at the basics, just need to learn how to make sentences and grammar properly", Ryoma said. "If there's a new word you guys don't know, just check quickly in the dictionary and jotted down in your notes. And keep practicing with the questions from last years since sometimes they can be repetitive."

The group nodded in understanding. After their study session, Sumire invited them to have lunch together. They enjoyed a delicious meal and then decided to head back home.

Thanks for helping us with our English, Ryoma-sama, let's study other subjects together next time." Tomoka said, smiling gratefully.

Sakuno waved at her friends until they left, then she closed the door. Ryoma stretched his arms above his head as he walked upstairs, his mind still swirling with the day's study session.

Now, as he settled onto his bed, he closed his eyes, ready to drift into a brief nap. The door creaked open, and he felt a cool touch against his cheek. Startled, he opened his eyes to see Sakuno standing there, a can of Ponta in her hand.

"Here," she said, smiling. "I thought you might want this."

Ryoma accepted the drink, a faint smile breaking through his stoic demeanor. "Thanks," he murmured, cracking it open. The refreshing fizz was a welcome sensation.

"Get some rest," Sakuno said, her tone light as she turned to leave.

"Ryuzaki," he called softly, and she paused. "You did well today."

She beamed, the warmth of his words lingering in the air. "Thank you, Ryoma-kun."

As she left, Ryoma took a sip, the sweet taste of Ponta somehow more satisfying than usual.