A week to go before summer break ends. Next year as a third-year (exam season) I won’t have anywhere near this leisure.
“Why did you wait until now to start the homework?”
I’d been planning to hang out with Kenji, Shou, and Kaito today, but Kenji had begged for help with his unfinished homework. So we ended up at the library — me helping Kenji while doing my own post-break test prep.
“This is way past procrastinated.”
“I have some left too but nothing this bad.”
Shou and Kaito were also flat-faced. I’d thought some unfinished sections — actual answer: over half remaining.
Full help wasn’t on the table. I focused on his weakest — English and math — without giving him copy-paste answers. He solves problems, I explain misses. Shou followed me to the bathroom.
“You’re surprisingly spartan, Yuito.”
“Otherwise Kenji slacks.”
(Coddling Kenji types just makes them coast. Better to be strict. Suzuno is similar. She’d cried to me at the last-minute many times. Kano usually whip-cracks her into finishing — but Kano had said before that even she sometimes caves and helps.)
On my way back from the bathroom to the vending machines, someone called from behind.
“Yuito?”
“Why are you here?!”
Kano. She looked suspicious.
”…That reaction makes me think you have something to hide. Care to elaborate?”
“H-helping friends with homework.”
“Female friends?”
“Ball-sports-day and pool guys — please back off.”
(Face hot — must be flushed. I’d resolved to answer her confession in the next few days, and that resolve made me self-conscious.) A familiar face appeared.
“You two get along as always.”
“Oh — Mayo-san, hi.”
“Yeah, hi underclassman.”
The Shinshiroike alumna from the goukon.
“Oh — so that’s why Kano-san’s at the library.”
“Yeah — college mostly has no summer homework — semester changes — but small classes do reports. Mayo-senpai’s helping me.”
(So college students mostly have no summer homework, and longer breaks. Sounds idyllic.)
◇──◇──◇
The Suzuno-cry/Yuito-helps-homework setup was reverse-imported from the manga vol 1 bonus story.