Thursday. Night.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjD24lgLoMn
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Let’s see… If I divide this by this, then I move the result to the other side… oh, I have to change the sign of the number from positive to negative… right?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKcLkIus7P
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Focused…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6N3NgB6Jr
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The note says I have to… okay… now to just solve the other side…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxJprAzu5R
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I was very focused…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3qCUwyMIO
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Eleven… umm… and negative 6… so I subtract…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXybXR6o4M7
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I felt my world compress into my desk… studying…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYGHfxAeUx
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“The answer is five… x is equal to five.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheTtb1okJJ
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I blinked… was it right? Did I get it? It felt like I was right.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu3UFK2mMt
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUJ5Qjynxl
Carefully, I scanned my desk. My solution notebook was in the middle, right in front of me, Kuroiwa’s math notebook he gave me was on its left, and my math practice exam test paper sat on its right. I did manage to finish a problem that I wasn’t able to solve, but how would I know if I was right?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYffag7fov
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Oh…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbUiYEbBAwx
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I remembered the correction note Hina gave me last week when she, Mika, and Yui were teaching me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyPMbjLBC3
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AOoHkwQyS
My hand automatically opened the drawer below my desk. The notebook revealed itself. It was the first thing I saw. I took it out from the drawer and started flipping its pages.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMejKKtYZK
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkJJWlxMUq
Midterm practice exam, math test, problem number five… found it!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0Nd5Cuxvn
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I immediately checked. I analyzed the solution first and compared it to mine… they looked similar. My eyes drifted towards the answer.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZC9wb90mr
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“YES!” I accidentally shouted. But who cares. I raised my hands in excitement, so fast I almost threw away Hina’s correction notebook. Right now I felt like I won a gold medal at the Olympics.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5DfkFnqcy
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I heard footsteps outside my door.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHvaXp5mNH
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Oh no… I thought and hurriedly placed my math test paper inside my desk compartment. I closed it.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7pE1LKdkf
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I now cared that I shouted. I shouldn’t have shouted...74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5n1Qeuhg74
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Three knocks.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RiSD7XeaI
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“Runa, I always told you not to be loud when it’s late.” My mom appeared when she opened my door.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuFyWoVlG2
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“I’m sorry,” I said, the smile on my face was still lingering.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZYBGRAuZT
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“What are you doing?”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnT05FMmLA
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“I’m trying to study.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUOssqjBjB
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My mom looked at me, then she looked around the room.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH1jJnRkGN
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“That reminds me,” she said, “You haven’t shown me the result of your practice midterms exam yet…”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFOfR55Mis
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I choked for a bit. My smile turned from a victory celebration to a worried, she might find out, kind.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfnJVO9NR1
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“Ah.” I let out without meaning to. “I forgot it at school. I’ll just show you my midterms exam later instead… after it’s done.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpanHGc1Iq
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I tried… I tried to make excuses. I had done it so many times in the past, but I was still not used to it.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9LSndvzCt
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She stared at me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoiOFuzseA
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“Alright then,” she replied. “Make sure you show it to me afterwards, okay?”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAArQVInfl
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“Okay.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMujVQtKegH
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She smiled at me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrfGivROjU
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“Well, do your best in studying. I thought I would ask you to come watch Reaching for the stars together tonight, but I guess you’re busy right now.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsx8WRmFdpj
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I smiled back.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnEfKehvCV
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“Okay, Mom, enjoy your show.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFe7sQFyKN
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She closed my door carefully.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrTDDktgqa
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Finally, I was able to breathe.
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I suddenly felt tired. I glanced at my bed…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iFS2jE1zb
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It was tempting me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrxEXCPC61
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So I launched myself toward it, bouncing once on the mattress.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpiAdRC3Mu
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I turned around to face the ceiling then tilted my head towards the clock standing on my desk.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2fxAhoAeW
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9:47 pm74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJvkEmSJQg
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It was already this late. Normally, I would still be with my mom in the living room watching dramas together, but lately I hadn’t been able to do so.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfcLe5JEuID
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I grabbed my phone lying just above me and turned the screen on.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDz8OQlrduH
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Five notifications from our group chat.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5w0w3a5wZz
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It was Yui and Mika…
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44RuDBQWdM
Yui: Runa~~74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kTKxqUOPC
Yui: Runa!!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDyr8lqbnA
Yui: RUNAAA!?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHf6JObR09T
Mika: Yui, it’s late!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuzbOMQRzz
Yui: MIKAAAAA!!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wDdDaPolh
Yui: HINAAAAAA!!! 😭😭😭74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQvEFcFwti
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I giggled quietly.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡep3LysN0lt
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Hina: You called?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoYt9zvOoD
Yui: Hina!! Runa is ignoring me. 😭😭😭74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QYDsIFg5P
Yui: And Mika is being Mika again!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3j7WCfyfef
Mika: Hey! What do you mean by that?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99GTgsqVhP
Yui: Love you. 😘😘😘💕💕💕74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrepcgu3lqD
Mika: That’s not an answer. And it’s not a magic phrase to avoid a question.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXmyGLGZ1p
Yui: Ehehe~~ 😉😉😉74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKEjPNyAxu
Mika: I’m sleeping, it’s late.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dmNAhkBOH
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I almost lost it laughing before I’d even typed anything.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUJBO5d3BN
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Runa: I’m alive Yui, I was studying.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWmwq5V1Sf
Runa: Wasn’t ignoring you, sorry 🥺74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mhA9HNT1N
Yui: Yay Runa!🎉🎉🎉74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddGCMFijmi
Hina: How did this afternoon go?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88rBBITGp0
Mika: It went quick actually, she went into the building, ten minutes later came out with notebooks in her bag and one in her hand.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWBDmwN3NA
Yui: Ooh, spoils of war. 👀👀👀74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeJyvk82kL
Runa: We didn’t go to war.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssm3FSB1ZO
Yui: Sure. 👍74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6IOfwmJPK
Yui: Anyways. Tell me Runa.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlC4GkwblIA
Yui: Is he cute? 😊😊😊74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fRQL1dCEb
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Runa: What?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGXIgoqvGB
Mika: WHAT!?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJewWhhHl26
Hina: 😂😂😂74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09DpNY6bnQ
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Yui: I mean. You’ve seen him.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdsPyGPo7A
Yui: Up close.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnr50aLsuCL
Yui: Twice now.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXX3yd6SLgj
Runa: As far as I know, you’re not blind.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2Kwsrtbg0
Runa: Use your own eyes.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42YQfTnNRB
Yui: I prefer to use them on more important matters. 🔍🔍🔍74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9QAbvhV1P
Mika: I’m sleeping.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwvD22va6I
Yui: Second time you said that. 😂😂🤣🤣74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQJb9KPYrR
Mika: I AM. SLEEPING.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27k4mJS7ND
Yui: Third time~~ 😘😘74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwDOazlh56
Yui: Anyways.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzCBptRL0R
Yui: Is he?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmxn5ZjTYL
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJHuNLrfms
Runa: Hmm. I guess. If you look closely. 🤔74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEipQBI8n3O
Yui: Did you fall for him? 😍😍😍74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30IFIJWuWu
Runa: What? No.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax1zhAmATw
Yui: Really?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPrC8WsAyZ
Mika: She said no.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbggmzZJBQ
Yui: You’re not sleeping Mika~~ 👀👀👀74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ax270X9ah
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I could practically hear Mika sighing through the screen. I giggled.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLtfAtF3FZ
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Mika: How would she fall for him? They just started talking recently. And he’s not some hottie you fall for at first sight.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT5j0ccTEf
Yui: hottie?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZsgjz3wqH
Runa: Oh wow, you know that word Mika?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡto0mVU5TaY
Mika: What do you mean?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4ujS3a5iL
Yui: We thought.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMa9DjOHxGo
Yui: You wouldn’t know.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeZXhskjm9
Yui: Since, you know.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcG8Eno8l3
Yui: You’re like a dinosaur.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvO7xaRjVy
Mika: What!?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tFpdcumEn
Runa: Yui that’s a bit too far.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNDNxJddgW
Runa: Mika’s more like born in Edo period.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJmIO4K4jP
Mika: First off. We’re all the same age. I was born sixteen years ago not hundreds.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGy6Xk7n9L
Mika: Second, calling me a dinosaur is uncalled for, Yui.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYYWnaZuiY
Yui: Hehehe~~ ✌✌✌74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLblLqET3j2
Yui: Love you. 😘😘74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSAK5gpJfG
Mika: And third, Runa, do you really think I look like I could be born in Edo period?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXaGIdIxHb
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I couldn’t object. She did knew about how to look cute and pretty. It was just not very common for her to say words like “hottie”.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEOId9EE6M
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Yui: Mika!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlr6vEW3mq
Yui: You’re derailing the topic! 😤😤74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaYVmNi3YO
Mika: It wasn’t me!?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUa6cpH4Sr
Mika: Oh my god, fine, this time I really am going to sleep!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGn8RU6R8r
Mika: Yui, I will see you tomorrow…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aQs2sjHug
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Mika went offline immediately.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tQsbK4Yld
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Yui: Uh oh. 😱74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVK1MHBLlf
Yui: Anyways~~74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLtkIyZX3B
Yui: Runa? So did you? 🤭🤭🤭74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vveMi5Nrv
Hina: You heard Mika.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe2LtodFbP
Yui: Fine…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIiCYRTbUQ
Yui: But still.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscx4k1mOys
Yui: Don’t you think.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjuVFhPTjp
Yui: It’s possible?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTIFx3d5hW
Runa: I don’t think so…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCoqsytkvG
Yui: I mean…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwmrtcy7Bg
Yui: A fair maiden needs help.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgGwKQRg3O
Yui: Then comes the shadow prince.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BdD2XNnpL
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Shadow prince? Who?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHVMuD1oLk
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Yui: Rescued her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZTlVukAS7
Yui: Then they fell in love.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iAmOlrbIX
Yui: Just like in a fairy tale~~ 🥰🥰🥰74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AaNs0UXNx
Runa: No.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JhYcrusNV
Hina: No~~74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuihagKr1B
Hina: I bet Runa is grateful to Kuroiwa.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXa9p0EQkRJ
Hina: But that doesn’t mean she’ll fall for him.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoP8RbnAVR
Runa: Exactly.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQEeMWUDjl
Yui: BOO!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhR9drCCen
Yui: BOOOO!!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKknGKg11S
Yui: You’ll regret it. 😤😤😤74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR77U5snr3o
Yui: I warned you.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZhfzRID5o
Yui: You’ll regret it not listening to me. 😤😤😤74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pA3IkVwhF
Yui: When you actually fall for him!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA98j2eNL2f
Runa: I’m not.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHqPfUYksL
Runa: We’re just going to study. 😑😑74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDA61hCnlq
Hina: It’s late Yui.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGsdP1LOcw
Yui: Okay, Mom. 👀👀74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8UK3qOgFA
Hina: Goodnight sweetie~74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgShzcwsSnh
Yui: Goodnight 😇😇😴😴74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREpHfAQNx0
Runa: Goodnight!74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAxPhvxiiP
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I turned the screen off.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAh3TNQwJjj
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Love.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNr4o81m5P
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I hadn’t thought about that word in any real way since middle school.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEbTT8H5fK
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CW8liBGr0
I got up, tidied my desk, stacked the notebooks neatly, and turned off the light.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ih5Uhi3ls
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjsr2jHF0V
My eyes stared at the math notebook Kuroiwa wrote for me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvKXQXv2E7
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiwtyDgvd3
I smiled.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LCIjYwI3I
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The way I was able to solve a problem I couldn’t during the practice exam still lingered in my head.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3gn8hqJyz
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I went to bed.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKF5xAi2e6
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Then I fell asleep somewhere in the middle of thinking how a gold medal would fit around my neck.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLTy1zNp3M
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Friday. Second period. Gym class.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDaGHRmnXM
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I bent over slightly, hands on my knees, catching my breath when Suzuki-chan finally blew the whistle.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3irBUTr46h
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I stood up, wiped the sweat from my forehead and headed towards the corner of the gym.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdbFDDTyysM
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Hina, who came from the other side of the volleyball net, walked with me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuFoaH9NiY
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One set of a volleyball match had made me quite tired. But Hina didn’t look like she was.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOJWifbwYN
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Her skin glistened a little while she wiped her sweat off, but she still looked put together. Composed. Like she’d been doing something significantly less strenuous than playing a full-effort volleyball match.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zdqfkaq0M
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We played against each other. My team lost.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBTRNQvk9X
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I tried to win. I gave my all. But I couldn’t compete against Hina.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEFIeBajsM
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She looked at me while we were walking and I stuck my tongue out at her. Just a little. Playful. Pretending I was bitter about losing.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNCw06YHpw
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I wasn’t, really. It was just instinct. My instinct didn’t enjoy losing regardless of how I actually felt about it.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UisAt1WoY
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I stared at her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1jnHOs4sO
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Beautiful. Smart. Athletic.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9noO7zuML
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On top of all those, she was mature. She also had a great figure.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIAysrt2fX
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I smiled. I had always thought she was special. And I had always thought ever since we met when we were in fifth grade of elementary that I wanted to become like her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKq7CSTANP
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I didn’t become like her. But I was glad we were still friends.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQ23NruBL2
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We sat down at the corner, finally.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAixqaWrRX
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I looked back to where the volleyball court was and I saw Mika and Yui preparing for their match. They were on opposite teams. Mika looked really fired up. Like she was about to teach some kind of lesson to her opponents. Probably because of what happened last night, but I saw her frown when she looked at Yui.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1N80gG2pv
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Yui joked around with her teammates and was laughing. Unconcerned. She saw Mika staring at her. Gave her a wink and stretched her hand towards Mika to make a peace sign with her fingers.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SnJJGDnit
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I bet Mika didn’t like that. It showed when she closed her eyes and gripped her hand tight.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfARfV9iA1L
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Hinano-chan was the one who acted as a referee this time. She walked to the middle of the court and tossed a coin.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEL5KyEdKU
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Yui’s team got to serve first.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KWaTosXC3
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While I was in the middle of getting swept by how entertaining this match could become, I finally remembered. The math question from last night I wanted to ask Hina ever since this morning. And I felt this moment was a great opportunity to ask.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqJNsQDydt
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I turned toward her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNTFfsen7p
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Her eyes were focused. It wasn’t at me. It wasn’t at Mika and Yui.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilioeASgyF
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I followed her gaze and saw what she was looking at. It was at the opposite side of the gym. A match between the boys. And there I saw him. I saw everyone around him.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIC5dC18LJ
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I saw the orange ball the boys were chasing around and a board that was high around both ends of the area they were playing at.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4vhZ94n1s
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Are they playing basketball? I thought they were. Probably.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMtLdxoTpl
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Kuroiwa was there. Running back and forth but no one paid attention to him. He caught the ball mid-air. And then everyone around him stopped. They just turned around and stopped moving.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKWjhVrSRM
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“Their match is getting interesting,” Hina said. Without me asking.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5YnSdraBn
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“...Is it?” I asked.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEvE8RxSoi
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She didn’t answer. But I wondered, briefly, if she actually understood basketball at some level, being as athletic as she was.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3MBfTl1TD
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I continued watching. I wondered what Kuroiwa was going to do, now that the ball was in his hands. Somehow I was expecting him to do something incredible. Was I? I think it’s more like I was curious since he looked like someone who could do everything.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bdmS5Ti7m
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He bounced the ball once, twice, and jogged. At his usual slow pace. In his usual unhurried ways. No one was in front of him, there was no resistance at all. And then he reached the far end of the court. He threw the ball toward the circle thing with a net.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXbrG4NKsn
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It didn’t go in.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IBLtQtX7f
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That was unexpected...74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqZloh2Jd3
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The moment it bounced away, everyone resumed moving. Someone grabbed a new ball and the game continued… Like nothing had happened.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlnxsZJj809
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“There’s a rumor,” Hina said, leaning slightly toward me, “that if you touch the ball after he misses, you get bad luck for the rest of the day.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG40CTEZPCF
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I stared at the ball that no one picked up. It was still rolling away from everybody, toward the edge of the gym, untouched.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7yBV9LbZK
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“...That’s ridiculous,” I said.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcm6Unkg2J7
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“Right?” Hina agreed easily. “People will say and believe anything. All because someone looks a little different.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXsbOxzNkr
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I didn’t respond right away.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64HKyxUBQZ
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Well, a week ago, I was one of them too. So I really couldn’t judge anyone. Otherwise I would just be a hypocrite. All I knew was what I knew about him, but I was glad that at least, at this point, I stopped believing any of those exaggerated rumors.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aLAyyFp8t
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But it was not like he was suddenly not scary anymore.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVLAhTofLr
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I contemplated on that for a bit.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XyGfyZbOZ
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Hina smiled at me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHLooPlWnk
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“But you’re different now, right?” I wondered if she could actually tell what I was thinking.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PwKcyDLiJ
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I nodded.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpORJxH6LI6
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“Yeah.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesNmACRj9c
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“You know, there’s a lot of difference about knowing someone, talking to them, and not caring at all.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuBDkH80gb
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“I know.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0yPKyDeis
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“Now that you’ve talked to him, it doesn’t mean that you know him entirely, but at least because of that, I know you can’t imagine such rumors to be true. Since, you know, he’s human.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GqmIQ548V
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I stared at her for a moment. Her smile never faded. She always knew what to say. Always.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTxLBff6IM
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“Look,” she said, gesturing toward the ongoing basketball match.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4K1q0TwccI
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I turned around. It seemed like Kuroiwa caught the ball accidentally again. And just like last time, everyone around him stopped moving and stopped looking.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzN9M4AUYId
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He bounced the ball like he did earlier. Tried to run…74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUHd6mA92gD
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Then slipped.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKSj2ykKz9
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He fell to the ground. His face on the floor.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJl0BR8fj8y
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The ball went out of the area where they played and everyone continued to move again. Someone got another ball and then they resumed.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8s16bsHNB
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Hina giggled.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWh9p6CJk7
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“He’s actually pretty clumsy, huh.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJzE0KHZFR
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“Yeah.” I agreed, smiling.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡludkjsr9eo
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Lunchtime.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5RymlOW5B
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Same spot on the rooftop.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfLbkbCBIc
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We were already finished eating and packed our lunch boxes in our bags. But there was apparently one piece of business still that I needed to do inside mine.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFTJJV0LxL
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Hina requested to see the notebooks Kuroiwa gave me. Then Yui got curious. Which made Mika also want to see them.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSMBC9xxnl
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I sighed.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G9bm4PTKk
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I took three notebooks out. Math, science and English. I couldn’t take the others because if I did, my shoulder would definitely complain about the weight and would retaliate with pain later. And I was already getting a lot of other pains in other places lately, specifically my back.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiKgRVZQj3
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What I took were only the ones relevant to the subjects we were getting lectured on today.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVhdORDzcz
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I presented the notebooks to them.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3eYkOs8Ea
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Hina immediately took math.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZFQ4yJfNu
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Mika wanted science.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC98Sofe495
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And Yui just took what was left.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75Bf8WKMoE
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I watched their faces.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzmrZeY8ad
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Yui’s eyes were doing that sparkly thing. I genuinely couldn’t tell if it was about the notebook itself or about whatever fantasies she started narrating in her mind.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LFI9opE0I
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“Lo—”
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“No,” I said, before she got past one syllable.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfDBWYipU6
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I looked at Mika instead. Her face was so focused that I felt if I called her name she wouldn’t even hear me. She was analyzing what was inside, something that I felt last night, checking the notebooks myself, would definitely catch her eyes.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4ncAssr9m
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOOn0L7o4F
The whole structure of the notes. The labeling, the way everything was organized, like the way she wanted to make her notes look. Whenever she showed me hers, she would always complain that she couldn’t organize them as neatly as she wanted to, even though they looked perfectly neat to me. Explanations everywhere, detailed remarks on what was important to remember and what was not. Contexts and simplified words to actually make definitions easier to understand. Kuroiwa made them all. He wrote them all.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHLz3trtef
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I could see it in her eyes. And I could guess that she was memorizing everything and would try to do the same with her notes from now on.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwGGQMGueK
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Finally, I looked to the person sitting beside me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP2D6PMpmz
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Hina.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpSuxqFNEP
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“This is amazing,” she said. Quiet. Like she wanted to be the only one who heard it.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RvIuHRyo0
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyl1ejoHdh
Her expression was something I never thought I would see in her face. It wasn’t analytical like the way Mika was, or even creating fantasies over her head like Yui did. Hers was different. There was reverence in it. Like she was looking at the rarest treasure in the world.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9xUM0pKRA
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She turned a page.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdPMAm50IL
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“This part… this is where I got it wrong on the practice exam.” She lifted a hand slightly, almost covering her mouth. “Oh. So this is how you’re supposed to do it.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OY2ShQqfM
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She stayed on that page a moment longer, and then turned to me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkx056SzSRB
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“Runa.” Her voice was careful yet urgent. “Can I borrow this for five days? No! Three days, three days is enough.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡervA5BdMmS
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Three days?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5KKRn7r7b
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“No!” I said, instinctively.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEEzZN6br2
74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOh0vMGLtsX
“Why?”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x8NK5m8yA
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Why? Because I need it. Obviously.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmLSpVDSIY
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“Just one day, then.” She kept going.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbJ7LBVwN0
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“No,” I said again. Firmer.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZAbvt0T5Z
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“Please.” She almost bowed her head toward me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKsA7C8zEV
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“Hina, you don’t need it,” Mika cut in.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7C2e7F2WUa
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“But look at this—” Hina turned to show Mika the page.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0d6ffhdLt
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“I know,” Mika said, before even fully looking. “It’s well organized. It’s easy to understand and it explains the mistakes we made during the practice exam. For both of us it would feel like — like someone wrote down exactly what we needed and handed it to us from above.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdSlpRWCtK
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“If you already understand it, then—”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxaxpQnJwp
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“Runa needs it more than you do, Hina.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlD0nIWpMI
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Hina looked shocked. She stared at Mika for a second, she probably couldn’t believe she wasn’t taking her side.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEIW2JgviZ
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She lowered her head, defeated, and handed the notebook back to me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYAQbcpqtD
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“Take it before I change my mind,” she said.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLADS8xvkPU
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“That’s not really your decision to make,” I said, gently but firmly, taking it from her before she could reconsider anything.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6I0rvbYDTa
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I put it in my bag. Immediately. Safely.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeszvwH5YRY
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“He wrote this? And there are six more of these besides the one brought?” Yui asked.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3N3J98lbu
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“Apparently,” Mika answered for me. “And apparently he didn’t even sleep so he could write them.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqULKfOsreN
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“Without sleeping!?”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57grnhT8tr
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Yui’s voice made me regret telling Mika the second part.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYtUjLyjGj
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“Wow.” Yui held the English notebook up toward the sky with both hands, like she’d unearthed something sacred. “For someone he barely knew. He did it. For you.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0V7aMWtvWz
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I sighed. I didn’t need to look at her to know that statement was aimed directly at me.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30ppe0RsmB
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“To help me study.” I clarified whatever she was assuming it could mean.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPVoW5glml
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I held my hand out for the notebook. She handed it over carefully.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUZNJTDvXH
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“That’s not the only reason,” Yui continued.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0jGtjmRRz
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“It’s the only reason.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Kageci2AH
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To be honest, I didn’t fully understand it either. He did and said a lot of things I couldn’t make sense of. But he’d told me it was to help me, and at this point I’d decided to just take his word for it, because I didn’t want to spend the entire time studying with him, trying to figure out what was on his mind.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6rF2WfoQ7g
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“So you’re saying he just did this for no reason?” Yui shot back.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DASq263Ul
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“Hello? Helping me study is reason enough.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpnJfKbuvd
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“I doubt it. I think there’s more. And something is in the air that I can smell.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQVcaMZKn0
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She paused. Sniffed the air.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguj6fvdSRI
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“I smell LO—”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2HHWoyGWi
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“NO,” I said and without meaning to, covered her mouth with my hand.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCTJvAPqh7
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Yui was surprised and she freed herself immediately.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunNZaQDkwk
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“Don’t ever do that again!” she said then pouted.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiJcgg6A70
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Mental note. I would definitely do that again next time. The moment another opportunity came.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBKP6Fd9rw
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“Your hand smelled like garlic.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSrl3cuXLo
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I blinked.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk08Jf2G5Ca
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“Excuse me!? I used my hand sanitizer after eating!” I took out my hand sanitizer again from my bag and used it. “See!”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3jLILJfpO
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I stretched my hand toward her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPw1fNb2un
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“Smell it,” I said.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgy3OSo5dBW
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“Nope, it still smells like garlic.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJPfGaTBCk
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My mouth opened.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVHLGZWuI6
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Yui stuck her tongue out.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1DtK5JuVN
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All I could bring myself to do at that moment was sigh, so I did.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48vFjFdV46
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Fine… I’ll admit defeat this time.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMrA6eOAtX
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“Yui, you watch too many dramas,” Hina said softly.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5lED9inKP
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“I do. And I love them.” Yui said it with actual sparkle in her eyes.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60deKcemxe
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“Dramas are dramas. Reality is different.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYvLAr9S32
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“But the possibility is still there.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLBMtFwMxK
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Hina just looked at her.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCWhZnCay1
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Even Hina was no match for Yui when she was being like this.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2nhJ0VrPF
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“Fine.” Yui muttered, finally reading the room. “But mark my words. Don’t blame me when it actually happens. And if it does. I would grant you permission to call me,” she stood up, “the great Yuistradamus!”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HPPX6HwNi
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“Definitely not,” Mika said, finally joining the conversation.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiSO7lr7ce
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She was so consumed by reading the notebook she had that I doubted she noticed what happened earlier except for what she actually noticed just then.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcd0Pidjx9N
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Yui pouted but let it go.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5MZ78hKt0
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Mika handed me the science notebook.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAiZMLwmv4
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“Here.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNutPtn8Aa
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“Thank you.” I took it carefully and put it away with the others.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzw5xXtN7S
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRghQgQWetl
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Friday. Afternoon.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ftiMqgKm2
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This afternoon was different in one way. Mika wasn’t coming with me. I’d asked her, Yui and Hina instead for something else. I told them if my mom called and the session ran long, if they could say I was with them. Yui and Hina agreed instantly. Mika took half a second longer to consider for a bit, and I knew why. It was because she wasn’t really the kind of person who liked to lie. But then she nodded anyway.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJdOum5tAk
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I’m sorry Mika. I thought. I would apologize to her properly next time.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaliGKsy6Z
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We split at the station. But I was the first to board the train. Going in a different way that I was finally getting used to over the past few days.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLOYr75OmO
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The walk felt different too. I was getting familiar with the street.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYmRv3Ka7A
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I would know where to turn now. In fact, my feet just did that for me. And if I saw the ramen shop, I would know that just about five minutes more and I would arrive at Kuroiwa’s apartment.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgf8SbloULX
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I passed the convenience store on the corner. Two minutes away.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSyJOZAh5K
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I thought about last night. I thought about how I felt when I finally got something right without guessing. I thought about everyone’s faces, especially Hina and Mika, when they saw what was inside the notebooks. And I got nine of them. All of them made for me so I would have a chance.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExkURB9Q5S
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This afternoon, I’ll do my best.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJ5dh8bONS
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I turned the last corner. The building finally came into view.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9gNTmP0LZ
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And like a routine, I got in, pressed the intercom, went inside the elevator.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9d3mmw2Qe
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Fifth floor like always.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKhVIxeesK
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As I stepped out, everything from the past few days seemed to catch up to me at once. The anxiety building toward midterms. That Tuesday afternoon in the classroom. The first time I stood at his door. Every conversation with Mika, with Hina, with Yui. The notebooks. I’d only brought three today… but maybe I should’ve brought all six that he said we’re gonna use for midterms.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJLdL1nNpT
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“It’s finally starting,” I whispered to myself, walking up to his door.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLuORTyCNH
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I pressed the doorbell.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BRvriCuEa
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Same as always. I waited for a few seconds.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYw6mFKATV
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I felt small fluttering nerves around my stomach, looking forward to what this session would bring and also a bit of nervousness that I didn’t want to think about. Not right now. Not in this moment.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkwxMfLcwE
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I took a breath.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxPvdUhTBZ
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The door opened.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIDIGJSn0E
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I looked at him.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhO1RlMfUwz
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“Solve x squared minus six x plus five equals zero. By completing the square.”74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJu5vkaaJC
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I blinked.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TFmuyHKkl
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What?74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3riJsvIZR
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I wasn’t ready for all of this… This was not what I had been expecting.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnymqFc3yv
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This was not what I had been expecting at all!!
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