Chapter 56: Study with your lover

“Rina.”

“Yes…?” Aya spoke softly, our hands still intertwined. I was barely able to contain my excitement, my heart pounding in my chest.

And then… Aya tilted her head slightly, a puzzled expression on her face. “Is this… strange?”

“W-What? What do you mean…?” I stammered, flustered, and she gently traced the back of my hand with her finger.

“Eek!” A jolt of electricity shot through me.

Was this… one of those exaggerated descriptions from novels?

No. It was real. I almost stumbled, my body tingling from the brief contact. I instinctively pulled away, afraid she might tickle me, my back hitting the cool glass of the window.

‘If I fall, this is going to be a disaster!’ I squeezed my eyes shut. “Aya… I’m going to fall.”

“Ah, we can’t have that,” she replied, releasing my hands. And then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled, turned, and walked back to her desk, leaving me standing there, my heart still racing, my hands now empty.

‘Aya… you’re just going to… let go…?!’ And why did I feel… disappointed? This Aya… she was different from the Aya in the novel. The Aya in the novel had been more passive, more reserved. This Aya was… surprisingly assertive.

Well, the protagonist in the novel had been incredibly persistent…

‘Perhaps Aya’s become more proactive because I’m too passive…’

I glanced at her. She was sitting calmly at her desk, her expression serene, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Seeing her composure, I felt like I was the strange one.

“…” I quietly returned to my seat across from her, my mind still reeling, but forcing myself to calm down was surprisingly easy.

‘Am I… becoming more like Aya?’

“You said you didn’t bring anything, right? Want to borrow a workbook?” she asked, and I stammered, flustered by her casual tone. “Um, sure, if you have one…”

She pulled a notebook from her bookshelf and handed it to me. “This should be helpful.”

I took the notebook, and as I looked at her notes… my eyes widened.

‘…Wow.’

Was this… the legendary note-taking skills of a top student, the nationwide number one? The information was perfectly organized, the diagrams clear and concise, the explanations neat and easy to understand. If I’d had this in my past life, I wouldn’t have had to repeat the year…

‘I… I understand everything just by reading this…!’ I was amazed. This notebook alone could cover the entire midterm exam syllabus.

“Aya, did you write this…?”

“Yes. It’s easier to study if you organize the material like this.”

As someone who’d suffered through the trials and tribulations of studying, both in this life and my past life, I couldn’t help but admire her. I stared at the notebook, awestruck, as if it were a divine artifact.

‘This is… the study method of a nationwide top student…!’

Aya was… perfect. And that perfect Aya… was my girlfriend.

The realization made my face burn. This time, it wasn’t because of our intertwined hands… it was simply because… Aya was so amazing, and I was… with her.

I gulped. ‘Am I… really dating Aya…?’

The confession, the agreement to date… it had all felt so natural, so effortless. But now that we were actually in a relationship, I was the only one who seemed flustered and awkward. I should be more proactive, more assertive…!

…But every time I was with her, I felt like a small, shy child.

“Rina, you’re cute,” Aya said from across the table, her chin resting on her hand, her gaze warm and affectionate.

My heart fluttered, but I kept my eyes fixed on the notebook. It was a heart-pounding study session.

****

Three hours passed, filled with studying and quiet conversation, punctuated by snacks and tea Aya had prepared.

The sun, having shifted across the sky, was beginning to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, visible through the gap in the curtains Aya had opened earlier. Textbooks and notes lay scattered on the desk, our hands resting side by side.

‘Should we… wrap things up…?’ Time had flown by, and it was almost dinner time.

“Rina, want to stay for dinner?” Aya asked casually.

Her words startled me. It had sounded so natural, so effortless, that I almost said yes.

But I shook my head. “No, it’s okay.”

Aya blinked, tilting her head slightly. “Hmm? Why not?”

I remembered… Aya’s mother was from Northern Europe… and…

‘The Swedish Gate…!’

The infamous internet story about how Swedes didn’t offer guests food. While I wasn’t sure if Aya’s mother was actually from Sweden…

What if she was? A same-s*x relationship was already unconventional enough. If I overstayed my welcome and ate dinner without being invited… she might think, ‘Just how far is this girl going to push it?’ Of course, there was also the possibility that Aya’s mother didn’t care about her daughter’s love life, and wasn’t Swedish.

I forced a smile and shook my head again. “I’m… not really hungry. Sorry…!” I clasped my hands together in a gesture of apology, mimicking something I’d seen in anime.

Aya looked at me, then nodded softly. “Okay.” That was all. She didn’t ask again, didn’t try to persuade me, unlike her usual self. She’d sensed my hesitation and respected my decision.

I suddenly remembered Mizuki’s words. ‘Aya has always been a lonely person.’

Perhaps… Aya was used to being rejected. The thought made me bite my lip.

‘…Maybe I should have stayed…’

But it was too late. Aya had accepted my refusal, and I didn’t want to make things awkward by bringing it up again.

We left Aya’s room. She walked me home, her pace slow and gentle, her demeanor casual, as if trying to make me feel comfortable. I, wanting to dispel the awkward silence, asked, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Aya’s eyes lit up, as if she’d just remembered something. “Mizuki asked if we wanted to meet up.”

“…Huh?!” Mizuki? Suddenly?

“What for?”

Aya smiled faintly. “I’m not sure… maybe to study?”

“…What?” Mizuki? Studying? While I knew she came from a wealthy family… she always acted like a playful tomboy around us, so I’d momentarily forgotten.

But then I remembered. Mizuki, both in the novel and in real life, had always been a top student, consistently ranked second in the class.

‘So… tomorrow, it’s a study session with Aya and Mizuki…?!’ I considered the scenario, then smiled. It didn’t sound bad at all. “Okay! Sounds good!”

And so, tomorrow’s plans were set. I looked at Aya, our eyes meeting.

‘Just the two of us today, and then the three of us tomorrow.’

It was finally sinking in. We were a couple, sharing our daily lives.

Aya smiled softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rina.”

Standing under the warm glow of the setting sun, I smiled back. “See you tomorrow, Aya!”

I turned and walked away, Aya heading back to her house, and me, my heart light and happy, towards mine. But a small part of me regretted my decision.

‘…Maybe I should have stayed for dinner…’ But having dinner at her house, uninvited, on our first official date…

And there was always tomorrow. Would being with Mizuki change the atmosphere? Today… being alone with Aya… had been… perfect.

As I walked, my fingers fidgeted with the promise ring, its unfamiliar weight a constant reminder of our new relationship.

‘I’ll be more comfortable tomorrow, right?’

One day into our relationship, and I was still a bundle of nerves.

****

Back at home, I sat at my desk and opened my workbook, flipping to the section we’d studied together.

“So… we did this chapter together, right?” I picked up my pen, and as I looked at the problems, Aya’s notes flashed through my mind: the way she’d organized the information, the points she’d emphasized, even the sound of her voice as she’d explained the concepts.

‘…Wait, what…?!’ It was as if her knowledge had been imprinted in my brain. I stared at the problems, my eyes wide, my hand moving effortlessly across the page, solving problem after problem. It was… easy. I understood everything.

‘Is this… some kind of cheat…?!’ Even problems I would have struggled with before were now simple, the solutions appearing effortlessly.

‘Is this… the power of Aya…?!’ A thrill ran through me, a sense of exhilaration I’d never experienced before, as I effortlessly solved problem after problem. Aya’s study methods, her notes, her explanations… they were all there, clear as day, in my mind.

‘If I study with Aya more often… could I… become a genius?!’ The thought flashed through my mind, a fleeting fantasy, and then…

Snap. The tip of my mechanical pencil broke, and a different image surfaced.

Aya’s hand, intertwined with mine, her soft whispers. Her eyes, watching me in the quiet library. And then…

“Rina, will you go out with me?”

“…!!” I slumped onto my desk, my face buried in my arms.

“No…! I need to study…!”

Even if I had Aya’s knowledge imprinted in my brain, just thinking about her made it impossible to concentrate!

‘This is… a double-edged sword…!’ I muttered, clutching my workbook, my body trembling. But strangely… every problem I’d solved so far… was correct.