"You are a transfer student uh..." Fuutarou hummed. "Sorry I kinda just realized that I don't know your name." The girl smiled a little.
"It's Itsuki."
"What a nice name, Itsuki." She smiled at his compliment. 'Urgh!!! How does he keep doing that?! He says it so casually!' Itsuki shouted internally, trying to maintain composure.
"Name's Uesugi Fuutarou." Itsuki couldn't help but find the name familiar. But she had no recollection of meeting him before, so it was a little confusing.
"Anyways, back to my question. What school did you transfer from?"
"Oh, me and my sisters transferred from Black Rose Girls School."
"So you're a rich girl huh, Itsuki?" He teased.
" Wh-why would you say that?!
"Black Rose does have a similar standing as Asahiyama High. But usually students from rich families attend Black Rose rather than studying here. I can't help but wonder though, what made you and your sisters transfer here?" A curious Fuutarou asked
"Well, I can't tell you everything now. And... we're not that rich compared to the other families there, we just... got lucky is all." She smiled at her. Fuutarou laughed a little.
"I see. I won't pry into private matters. But the important thing now is that you and your sisters stick together. After all, a new environment can be tough to handle alone sometimes." She nodded in complete agreement with him. They continued eating in silence, with Fuutarou finishing first before taking out a couple of notes.
'Is he... studying?' Itsuki blinked as she watched Fuutarou looking over some notes, with a test paper placed near his tray. She couldn't help but be impressed at his dedication to his studies. Something caught her eye.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing at the test paper. Fuutarou glanced at what she was pointing. "Take a look yourself." He replied as she grabbed the piece of paper.
"O-one hundred marks!" She exclaimed, staring at him in shock. Fuutarou grinned, deciding to tease her. He covered his face and looked away. "Oh no~ I'm so embarrassed right now~" He wasn't even trying.
"Mmmm!" He glanced back at Itsuki, only to find that she was pouting at him, her eyes narrowed. He laughed at her expression, finding it very cute.
"Relax Itsuki. I'm just messing with ya. It's just a mock test though, nothing to be impressed about really." He said, taking back the piece of paper.
"But still, a hundred marks is still a hundred marks. I study a lot but I can't even get a passing grade sometimes. Forgive me... but I can't help but be jealous." Itsuki laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Nah it's fine. I'm more confused at how you don't pass even though you study." Fuutarou raised an eyebrow. Itsuki sighed, drinking a sip of water.
"I don't know.... I take notes, I do mock tests, I focus in class and I memorize the material. But even after all that effort I can't get anything above a C."
"I see...." Fuutarou hummed. "Do you find yourself understanding what is thought to you?" He wondered. Itsuki blinked, suddenly finding herself speechless. She knew that if she kept quiet he would find out immediately, but what excuse would she even make up?
Before she could even speak up, he spoke first with a gentle smile. "Then I guess that's your problem then, Itsuki. You memorize and mistake effort for understanding." He caught her red-handed. She looked down, feeling a little embarrassed.
"But you don't need to worry." She looked up, seeing that he was giving a reassuring gaze. "You're not the only one who goes through this problem. I'd say that most students here in Asahiyama High have or did have this problem. Take me for the example..." He pointed at himself.
"I used to think that if I memorize it then I'll understand it, so I memorized as much as I could. But when the test questions came out I found myself unable to answer them. Then I realized I have a shallow understanding of that subject, if I can't even explain why an answer works in plain language, it doesn't count, even if it's correct." Fuutarou explained as the pink haired girl listened attentively.
He then continued. "Most of the time exams put out application questions, which means that you need to have a certain level of understanding of the concepts to be able to answer them. So I switched up my learning style, fully understanding the subjects before I try the mock tests on my own. It's takes time, there's a bunch of trial and error but eventually I got to where I am now." He grinned at her.
"And I'm sure you can do it too, Itsuki. So don't be sad that you can't pass, I believe that if you put more effort than others, you can definitely get straight As." Itsuki widened her eyes in disbelief. He... believed in her? Truth be told, no one had believed in her in a long time, teachers see her as a lost cause due to her grades, even Itsuki herself was already starting to give up on herself.
But how can Fuutarou, who only just got to know her a few minutes ago, have so much confidence that she would be successful? Itsuki snapped out of it, deciding to file those thoughts for later.
"Th-thank you, you're too kind, Uesugi-kun."
"It's alright. To be honest, I'm pretty sure that your teachers back at Black Rose already know about your problems. They just probably never said the quiet part out loud."
Itsuki sighed. "Don't even get me started about them... The teachers did their job well, but it's just... to put it simply, they followed the students too loosely. I initially kept asking them questions through chatting online, but I stopped when they kept leaving me on seen."
"It's fine. Don't take it to heart, Itsuki. Sometimes, it's only through your own efforts that you succeed. You still have a bunch of time to improve Itsuki, so keep up the good work." Itsuki nodded, a large smile on her face. Fuutarou glanced at his watch and sighed.
"Sorry to cut this conversation short, but I have to meet with a teacher. It's urgent."
"Oh no, it's fine. Don't keep the teacher waiting." Itsuki, while disappointed that they can't chat more, knew that some teachers have little to no patience. Fuutarou smiled apologetically as he got up.
"It was nice seeing you, Itsuki. I hope we see each other again, good luck on your studies. See ya around." He waved at her and walked away.
"See you...." She muttered. She was silent as she munched on her food. Before realization hit her.
"Wait... was that a Rolex on his hand?"
...
'Ugh, finally I can get rid of this dye.' Fuutarou thought as he sat in the middle of the classroom. He was called to the teacher's office to sign some forms, which now allowed him to have blonde hair at the school grounds. The teachers and school board reluctantly allowed it seeing as he didn't have any behavioral problems and was their top scorer.
"Class, today we have a new student joining our class. Please welcome her." The teacher's words intrigued Fuutarou as he looked to he front, only to be surprised as Itsuki entered the classroom. Whispers started to fill the room, mostly comments about her good looks and her uniform. The girls were glad that they had another girl in their class, while the boys were just being boys.
"Hello, my name is Nakano Itsuki. It's a pleasure to meet you all." She greeted them with a small smile, a little embarrassed at the chatter about her. She glanced around and widened her eyes, noticing Fuutarou was in the same class as her. Was this fate?
The man smirked at her, waving a little. She blushed, remembering the compliments he had given her during recess. She cleared her throat, composing herself.
"Our lesson will start soon, Nakano-san. Your seat is beside Uesugi-san over there." Oh God, now she has to sit beside him?
"We meet again." He greeted as Itsuki arrived at the seat next to him. Itsuki smiled nervously.
" Yeah..." She greeted back, sitting down and taking out her textbook. She was actually a little glad that he was here, at least she had someone she knew in class with her, helping her reduce her anxiety of being surrounded by strangers.
The lesson went on. In the middle of it, Itsuki glanced at Fuutarou to see that he was focusing on class, having a serious but also a little bit of a bored expression. The boy noticed her stare and smiled at her. She blushed at being caught before looking back at the whiteboard once again, pretending that nothing happened.
It wasn't just her that can't keep their eyes focused, Fuutarou occasionally glanced at her, silently admiring her beauty. He felt attracted to her serious aura she had as she focused diligently on class, occasionally taking some notes down.
Itsuki had caught him. The pink haired girl blushed, trying her best not to care, though her handwriting had gotten messier. Before they knew it, school was over.
"So, what do you think of your first day at Asahiyama High?" Itsuki jumped a little as she looked at Fuutarou who asked her that question.
"W-well, it was okay. Though it's a bit of a bummer that I don't have the full set of workbooks." Itsuki admitted.
"Oh, I don't recommend you buying it from the school's inventory."
"Why not?" She tilted her head at his question.
"Cuz it's wayyyy overpriced. It'd be better if you buy it from a local bookstore. Same thing but cheaper prices." He explained. Itsuki nodded, even though hed father had gave her money to purchase the workbooks, she still wanted to be financially responsible.
" Where is this bookstore at, Uesugi-kun? I'm new to this area, you see."
"It's not that far from the school. Do you want to buy them now?"
"Yes. The teacher gave us homework, I'd like to complete them without any delays."
"I see.... Come with me then. I'll take you there. Save you the hassle of finding the way yourself."
"H-huh?" Itsuki stuttered at his invitation.
"Well I should've guessed you wouldn't want to, considering we just met." Fuutarou shrugged.
"W-wait.... " Itsuki stopped him. She looked up at him, her blue eyes shining. Fuutarou was mesmerized for a moment.
"You say that it's not far right? Th-then, I don't mind you taking me there. J-just for a while though, we're going there purely for the worlbooks, no detours and no shenanigans!" Itsuki warned. If Fuutarou even thought about trying something with her, one kick to a certain part of his body would make him regret it instantly. Fuutarou smiled as he grabbed his backpack.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Itsuki."
To be continued...