Chapter 57

By the way, that Saturday was Yugen's birthday...

In fact, it was also the day that was just four days before the next nationwide mock exam.

Therefore, the happy birthday mood was only moderate.

Yugen and Arisa spread out their study materials and were reviewing.

Subjects like modern Japanese literature were beyond help at this point, so they mainly focused on confirming classical Chinese and English grammar and vocabulary, and practicing math problems.

"Yugen, you seem to be really motivated this time."

"I'm seriously thinking about aiming to beat Ayaka this time. As 'Kosegawa,' I can't keep losing to 'Tachibana' forever."

Of course, one of the reasons was that she was inspired by Aisara's enthusiasm and attitude towards studying.

"If Yugen is aiming to beat Ayaka... then I'll aim to beat Yugen."

"Then you'll be first, and I'll be second. Let's both do our best."

Just as Yugen and Aisara were getting motivated...

Yugen's smartphone rang, as if to interfere.

"It's from Ayaka, as if I mentioned her."

The message she received read, "Let's go on a date tomorrow."

"A date... what is this? A study session?"

Thinking this, Yugen replied, "Study session?"

In response, Ayaka sent a stamp that seemed to confirm it.

"I'm in with Soichiro and Chiharu."

"Soichiro is inviting Ryosenji, and Chiharu is inviting Nagisa."

"Yuzuru, please come with Aisara ♥"

Yugen showed this screen to Aisara.

Then he asked,

"What do you think? By the way, I should mention... we probably won't be able to study properly. It seems they're just using it as an excuse to have fun."

Of course, they would do some studying since it was called a study session.

Ayaka was the type who could manage with a little effort, and Soichiro, despite his appearance, was a smart guy who would do the minimum.

...Chiharu, on the other hand, was the type who would get carried away and play.

Still, it would probably be more effective than studying alone.

"A study session, huh? I'd like to go."

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes... I think a little bit of studying three days before the exam won't make a big difference in the results."

"Well, that's true."

Yugen and Aisara were still first-year high school students.

There was no need to be so fixated on the results of the mock exams.

Interpersonal relationships were more important than "paper."

"Then, let's respond that we'll go."

"Thank you."

Yugen replied to Ayaka, "Aisara and I will come."

Shortly after, he received a response: "That was a quick reply. Is Aisara there?"

Yugen was impressed by Ayaka's sharp intuition.

On Sunday morning,

Yugen and Aisara met at the station closest to Ayaka's house, where the study session would take place.

"Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, I just got here too. Let's go."

Aisara didn't know where Ayaka's house was,

so Yugen would guide her.

"Well, it's pretty noticeable, so you'll find it easily."

"...Is Ayaka's house also big?"

"Pretty big, yeah."

Before long, they arrived at Ayaka's house—the Tachibana residence.

Aisara's eyes widened in surprise.

"This is quite stylish."

"It was built in the Meiji era, in a pseudo-Western style. It's a bit of a cultural heritage site."

Ayaka's house was completely different from Yugen's.

It was a beautiful Western-style building made of red brick.

Strictly speaking, it was called a "pseudo-Western style," essentially a "fake" European style.

While it was based on Western architecture, it incorporated Japanese and Chinese design elements.

"By the way, Yugen's house is also old, right?"

"Well... it has been rebuilt and renovated many times, but the foundation was probably built around the same time as this mansion."

Of course, the exact years might be slightly different.

After a brief conversation, Yugen rang the doorbell.

"Hello, I'm Kosegawa Yugen, invited here."

"Password?"

"There isn't one."

"Alright."

After a while, the outer gate opened.

Ayaka stood there with a smile.

"Welcome. Please come in."

They followed her through the gate and into the mansion.

They walked on the stone path and up to the entrance.

"Sorry for the intrusion."

"Excuse us."

At the entrance, a middle-aged man greeted Yugen and Aisara.

Yugen bowed slightly.

Aisara followed suit.

"Thank you for having us, Mr. Tachibana."

"Thank you for inviting us. I'm Yuzuru Aisara."

When Yugen and Aisara greeted him, the middle-aged man, who was Ayaka's uncle, responded with a somewhat cold expression and a distant voice.

"Thank you for always taking care of my niece, Yugen. And it's nice to meet you, Yuzuru. I've heard a lot about your father, Amane."

Then, the man—Ayaka's uncle—briefly said, "Make yourselves comfortable," and walked away into the depths of the mansion.

Aisara asked Ayaka and Yugen, looking a bit uneasy,

"Did I do something wrong?"

To reassure Aisara, Yugen replied,

"He's always like that."

Ayaka's uncle, the current head of the Tachibana family (self-proclaimed acting head), Tachibana Toranosuke, was very taciturn, quiet, and always seemed to be in a bad mood.

But in reality, he just had trouble with social interactions.

"Actually, he's in a good mood today. My uncle is a tsundere."

Ayaka laughed.

Despite being uncle and niece, their personalities were quite different.

"Really? ...Ah! Oh, this is a gift... I almost forgot to give it to you."

Aisara handed a paper bag to Ayaka, containing sweets she had been given by her adoptive father.

"Oh, thank you. You didn't have to go to so much trouble. I'll open it later."

Ayaka took the paper bag from Aisara and gestured for them to come in.

"Come on in."

"Okay."

"Thank you for having us again."

Yugen and Aisara took off their shoes, put on slippers, and walked down the long corridor.

The exterior was red, and the corridor was lined with a red carpet, making the inside quite red as well.

"It still looks like a vampire lives here."

"It's cool, isn't it?"

For Yugen, who had visited the house many times, it wasn't particularly unusual.

But for Aisara, it seemed quite interesting.

She looked around curiously as they walked.

"Yuzuru and Aisara, you're here!"

Ayaka opened the door to the room.

There was a beautiful marble table surrounded by leather sofas.

Four people were seated there.

Satake Soichiro, Kounishi Chiharu, Ryosenji Sei, and Nagisa Tenka.

It seemed Yugen and Aisara were the last to arrive.

"You're late."

"A penalty game is necessary, isn't it?"

"We were waiting for you, Yugen and Yuzuru."

"It's been a while. Kosegawa, Yuzuru."

The atmosphere was so intense it made Yugen's chest feel a bit tight.

Honestly, I've never really seen a study session where much studying actually gets done...

But since they're still first-year high school students, they don't need to work too hard.

It's pretty commendable that they're at least trying to study before the nationwide mock exam.

I never did that myself.

If you find this interesting and want to read more, or if you think, "Ah, I should study for my mock exam too..."

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The next update is scheduled for tomorrow.