Chapter 13: 2.2

A few days later.

I was able to reflect on my failure during the study session and, at the same time, the school ushered in the examination period.

“Good morning, Yamato-kun!”

Yuzu walked to me, as I lingered by our usual waiting spot in the morning.

“Yo!” I lightly waved my hand in greeting and we walked together side by side.

The reason I failed to make the clarification the other day was that I started the conversation out of the blue and it ended up drifting off. So this time, I’d better get the timing right before I start the conversation.

“Ta-da! Look at this, I made this yesterday!” Yuzu took out palm-sized cards bound together by a ring. With English words on the front and Japanese translations on the back, they were a standard test-preparation item1.

“Flashcards? Why? Are you not confident with English?”

The fact that she deliberately took extra measures means that she was aware that this was her weak point.

“Just a bit. How about you, Yamato-kun?”

“Hmm… I’m not that good at it, I guess. It might be a good idea to memorise vocabulary before the exam.”

When you see people taking these kinds of measures more than you do, it can make you a bit uneasy.

Yuzu might’ve gleaned my uneasiness when she tapped my shoulder to make me relax and said, “Well, well, it’s enough for you to remember the words I love you, okay?”

“Those are words that have zero practical use for me!”

“I don’t think so. You can just say them to me anytime.”

“Okay. From now on, when I wanna bring up the topic of playing games, I’ll say ‘I love you.’”

“That’s the worst way to use it! Isn’t that how jerks are? Using the words ‘I love you’ to deceive their partners to whom they are indifferent?!”

“That’s not true,” I furtively averted my gaze.

“How suspicious…” Yuzu stared at me, but she seemed to be reminded of something as she thumped her fist on her other palm.

“Oh, right. Rather than that, after we are finished with the exams, why don’t we go somewhere and have a blast?”

“Hm? That low-key sounds like a death flag2.”

When I looked at her sceptically, Yuzu simply gave me a grin.

“Don’t you remember promising me to go buy a muffler together?  We can go for that too.”

Oh, I kinda remember having made such a promise. It might raise my motivation if I anticipate something fun in the future, so there’s no reason to object.

“Well, I don’t mind… When should we go?”

“The day after the exam?3”

I hesitated at her suggestion.

“Mn… On that day, I plan to go buy games.”

This was my reward for surviving the exam. This, I couldn’t compromise on.

“You can buy that anytime. You also have them in your room.” 

Yuzu was irritated by my attitude.

“Can’t you somehow allow that? Please, Yuzu. I love you.”

“That’s the worst way to use that phrase! What are you doing, putting it into practice as soon as you can?!”

Tsk… That didn’t work.

There was no choice. I’ll just have to put up with borrowing some games I like from the clubroom.

“Alright. I’ve promised you after all.”

When I agreed, Yuzu’s face lit up at once.

“Yay! Okay, so it’s decided. We have to work hard on our tests to ensure we have a good time celebrating later.”

“That’s right. For that, I’d like to sort out some concerns beforehand.” 

Alright, it’s now! I’ll speak out here and now!

“Listen here, Yuzu. Actually—”

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“Um, this word…”

But a beat too late, it seemed. Yuzu had already returned her gaze to her flash cards. Apparently, thanks to the post-examination plan she had made, she was explosively motivated to study.

“Yay, I got it right. But, I want to remember it more perfectly…” Yuzu mumbled as she stared into the flash cards.

“…Hey.”

I tugged her arm and plopped her into my chest.

“Kyah! What are you doing so suddenly? You want to cuddle? If that’s the case, I’m sorry for being so cute,” Yuzu’s eyes widened as she said that while not forgetting her spirit of narcissism.

Speechless as I was, I only pointed to the electric pole right in front of her.

“It’s good to be passionate about studying, but look in front. Ninomiya Kinjiro is no longer in fashion in this era4.”

If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have hit the pole head-on.

Yuzu seemed to realise her mistake, so her face went sullen as she said, “Whoa, that was dangerous. It’ll be a loss to the world if my face were to be injured. So close!”

“No doubt the world will suffer no loss in any way, but be careful!”

When I scolded her with an unflinching gaze, she turned away, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry. You see, raising test scores is also an important part of maintaining my image. That was unintentional.”

When it was only the two of us, I almost forgot that this girl wore the facade of an honours student. Apparently, she was putting in more effort to excel in this exam than I had imagined.

“I know that, but if you get an injury because of this, that’s so lame.”

As I answered that, a subtle hesitation sprouted up inside me. If I were to bring up the Christmas matter right at this time to Yuzu, she would undoubtedly get upset. Following that, her performance during the exam might be affected.

That’s… not good. I’ll be so sorry.

“Oh, yes. Let’s do it like this!”

While I was wallowing in my thoughts, I was interrupted by Yuzu who crossed her arms with mine.

“Why so sudden?!” I exclaimed in surprise.

From close proximity, Yuzu showed me her smug face as she explained, “Like this, even when I focus on my flashcards, Yamato-kun will automatically lead me away from obstacles. As expected of me, what a perfect strategy!”

“Don’t I look like a caregiver this way?”

I was somewhat embarrassed while in this pose, but I was finally resolved in my heart. For the time being, I’d wait for the exams to be over before bringing up that matter to Yuzu. 

It somehow felt like the longer I put it off, the more this was going to be a quagmire, but I had no other choice. So, I held back my agitation and amended my course of action.

“By the way, how about you, Yamato-kun? You’re confident in this exam?”

“Um, just normal? Maybe, I’ll score just like usual.”

My grades were basically somewhere in the middle to the upper-middle range. Since I started going out with Yuzu, my grades improved a bit because I studied more with her, but even then I was a guy who didn’t have anything outstanding.

“Is that so? Just be careful not to get failing grades. If you have to attend remedial classes… the much looked forward to Christmas will come to nought.”

Her usual cheerful appearance was nowhere to be seen, Yuzu’s face flushed red, and she warned me so with a downcast look.

Sure enough, she totally believed she was going to get a love confession, right?

“Ow…Okay… I’ll do my best.”

Oh no! What a complicated feeling! I feel like I’m being crushed by some strange guilt! I feel like I need to take back my resolve and clear up this misunderstanding right now!

However, if that resulted in jeopardising Yuzu’s grades… Ugh.

“Alright. I’m looking forward to Christmas. I’ll do my best at studying too!” Yuzu displayed her motivation with a refreshing smile.

Seriously… someone, helppp!

chocolala: Waiting for the day both of them saying ‘I love you’ for real…

 

Footnotes

 

I don’t think I need to explain this term for you who are used to jp novels. It means a bad sign or precursory event to something bad that may happen later. A term originating from games. Honestly I’m not sure if this is the day of the exam or the next day, it’s just after the exam is finished. A prominent 19th-century Japanese agricultural leader, philosopher, moralist and economist. A symbol of self-education, his statues are usually erected at schools, depicted to be reading while hauling a load of firewood. If I’m not mistaken, there have been some voices who found the statue as a bad example to kids who might not be aware of their surroundings when walking, like all the reminders not to look at smartphones while walking. So, in recent years, there are some statues that show him reading while sitting down instead.

 

 

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