Chapter 3

Immediately after the preparatory bell rang and the homeroom teacher arrived, the morning homeroom ended without incident, and the classroom became noisy again. Then, Eri, who was sitting next to him, started rummaging through her desk for textbooks and notebooks, and spoke to him again.

"Hey, Nago-kun. You know, for the first period English class... I’m pretty sure I’ll be called on today. I’m a bit nervous about the translation, so could you show me what it looks like?"

Eri clasped her hands together dramatically and bowed her head slightly, saying, "Please!"

"…Is it okay? If you don’t want to, that’s fine too."

"No, I can show you, but… unfortunately, I haven’t done the preparation. I’ve been pretty busy."

"Eh… you haven’t done it…? Isn’t this not the time to be reading books leisurely?"

"Well, it’s too late anyway."

Just as he was about to end the conversation, Eri leaned in, as if to say, "Wait a moment."

"Hey, today is my turn. By attendance number. From there, it’s quite likely that Nago-kun will be called on too, right? Mr. Miura is scary and it’s not good."

"It’s fine. I’m prepared."

"What kind of preparation is that? You’re just being defiant, aren’t you?"

Eri grumbled, "Really…" and flipped through her notebook, showing him an open page.

"Here, look. I’ll show you mine."

"No, it’s meaningless if I don’t do it myself."

"…Isn’t that not something someone who hasn’t done it should say? Having someone like that next to me makes me nervous and I can’t focus, you know."

"I see, so it’s empathetic embarrassment… or maybe…"

"Just copy it quickly, okay?"

He was forced to take the notebook. Yuki had been prepared, but he felt a bit let down. However, if he didn’t do as she said, Eri would get angry immediately, so he took out his notebook and started copying.

"Ah…"

"What? Is there something wrong?"

"Your handwriting is neat."

"Eh, really…? I don’t think it’s that special…"

"Well, maybe not."

"Hurry up."

Pushed by Eri, he hurriedly finished copying. Just as he did, the preparatory bell rang, and the teacher arrived soon after. Mr. Miura, the English teacher, was a male teacher in his late forties who wore glasses and was known for being strict, not only during class but also with submitted work. If it was discovered that he hadn’t done the preparation, he might have to stand for a long time during class.

Since it was the first class of the day, the atmosphere was a bit tense as the class began. After a brief greeting, Mr. Miura spread out the textbooks on the desk and said,

"Today is 16… So, Takuzuki."

"Y-Yes!"

"…Let’s start from your seat. Nago, were you slacking off?"

He said this with a slight grin. From his somewhat playful tone, it seemed he wasn’t in a bad mood. This one sentence eased the classroom atmosphere a bit. Ignoring this change, Yuki calmly read out the part he had just copied from Eri’s notebook.

"Excellent. Very good, you’ve done a great job with your preparation."

Eri sent him a big smile and secretly made a peace sign. Well, in reality, it was as if Eri had been praised.

"Next. Takuzuki."

"Eh, it’s me after all!?"

"I didn’t say I wouldn’t call on you. What are you doing, imitating a crab?"

"I-I’m not imitating a crab!"

The classroom erupted in laughter. Eri, with a flushed face, answered the translation in a flustered tone, stumbling over her words.

"Hmm, there are a few mistranslations, but overall, good."

Upon hearing this, Eri let out a sigh of relief, but then glared at him for some reason. Not knowing how to react, Yuki mimicked Eri and made a peace sign. He received a sinister smile in return.

After that, the class ended peacefully without any further issues. As soon as the classroom was enveloped in the noise of the break, Eri sent him a glance with slightly pursed lips. She seemed to want to complain but quickly broke into a smile.

"Hehe, both of us were called on. I’m glad I showed you my notes."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"You need to do it properly from now on, okay?"

"Sure."

He answered without much thought, and for some reason, Eri burst out laughing.

"Sure, because… You’re so honest and cute. Hehe, Nago-kun is so funny."

(What a cheerful person.)

The girl next to him was dangerous with her smile. She was too cute. It made his heart race. As he recalled what Keitaro had emphasized, he observed her quietly. Watching her smile, he had a thought and spoke up.

"Hey, Takuzuki-san…"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Um… it’s a bit hard to say, but…"

"What’s wrong? Go ahead, you can say anything."

Yuki hesitated, but Eri responded with a smile and a gentle voice. If so, he might as well be honest.

"Did you do the math homework for next time…?"

"…You know…"

Her previously gentle eyes turned into a glare. Apparently, "anything" was a trap. Yuki thought so.