Chapter 2: The next day

Last night, I didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty—none at all. But for some reason, I buried my face in the futon anyway.

All I could smell was my own sweat. It was awful—not like I expected another smell or anything…

I ended up spraying Febreze like crazy—probably a hundred times.

Thanks to that, my bed got completely soaked, leaving me with nowhere to sleep. With no other choice, I pulled an all-nighter playing games.

Then, at around 2 AM, Sumire suddenly sent me a scolding LINE message: "Go to bed already!"

…You bastard! Are you watching me or something!?

She doesn’t usually stay up late, so this is unusual. Did something happen?

Today, I’m supposed to study with her. It’s not like I’m bad at studying or anything, but for some reason, Sumire has always been strict about it.

Before I knew it, she just sort of became my regular tutor…

The morning had arrived.

As I absentmindedly fiddled with my phone, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

Startled, I flinched, and my phone slipped from my hands, bouncing wildly across the floor thanks to its rubber case.

The screen wasn’t cracked, but my heart nearly was.

"I have arrived!"

Without thinking, I shot a glare toward the door. Sumire stood there, handbag in hand, striking an overly dramatic pose.

"Hey! Knock first!"

This is a teenage boy’s room, you know! What if I were… doing something!?

I mean, I wasn’t doing anything weird, but if she keeps barging in like this, I’ll always be on the edge.

She already broke the lock the last time I used it!

"Sorry, sorry," she casually said as she barged in like it was her own house. Without a second thought, she starts rummaging through my shelf for reference books and materials.

Hey, at least ask for permission! There are things in there that shouldn’t be seen—like notebooks and diaries... It’s terrifying.

As I watch her nervously, she suddenly turns around and gives me an exasperated look.

"What are you doing? It’s cramped here. Let’s go to the living room."

…Wait, this is my house, though.

I swallow those words and, despite the floaty sensation from pulling an all-nighter, follow her to the living room.

Oh, by the way, my room is on the second floor.

When I arrived downfloor, my dad was already there in the kitchen, as if he knew we were coming. He’s prepared tea for both of us. Since it’s Saturday, he’s dressed casually.

"Take your time and relax," he says to Sumire before giving me a meaningful glance. Then, without another word, he heads upstairs.

He’s probably going to his office. Truly a considerate father.

Sumire, who had been bowing politely, waited until he was gone before eagerly arranging the study materials on the table.

She’s practically invincible—great looks, a kind personality, and top-tier grades.

Honestly, she’s so high-spec that I sometimes wonder why she’s even my childhood friend.

Getting first place in regular tests is a given, and she scores ridiculously high on mock exams too.

I once heard she had already completed three years' worth of high school prep. When I found out, I was speechless.

At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she told me she was reliving life for the second time.

Thanks to her, my grades have improved too. For that, I’m seriously grateful.

Apparently, today’s lesson is chemistry.

Before I knew it, I had already finished several months' worth of prep in math, English, and physics. Now, I’ve got plenty of breathing room.

Since it’s just a prep study, she starts by teaching straight from the textbook, but her explanations are incredibly easy to understand.

Honestly, she’s so good at it that I wonder if she’s planning to become a teacher in the future.

But even with her clear teaching, I just couldn’t focus today.

Sitting side by side, I caught a faint scent from her, making my head spin.

She leaned in to show me her notes, writing as she explained. The distance between us was dangerously close.

With it being midsummer, she was dressed lightly, and honestly, there was just too much bare skin in my field of vision.

I desperately fought to keep my "son" from activating domain expansion while trying to stay focused on the lesson.

But with the all-nighter messing with my head, my thoughts kept drifting in very bad directions. Concentration was a lost cause.

Before I knew it, she had stopped writing and was just staring at me—expression deadpan, eyes heavy with judgment.

"Hey, are you even listening?"

"I'm listening, I'm listening... uh, something about salt?"

"I said adding a catalyst speeds up both sides equally, so the equilibrium stays the same. Pay attention."

I hadn’t been listening at all.

When I blurted out something random, she gave me a light smack on the head before sighing and continuing the lesson.

But before long, my mind started drifting again, and her words faded into background noise.

Hm..?

As I zoned out, a question suddenly slipped into my mind.

"By the way, why do you do so much for me?"

"What do you mean by 'so much'?"

She tilted her head to the side with a small motion. Her hair smells so good…

"I mean, you spend so much time teaching me—like, all the time. I'm really grateful, but… isn't it exhausting for you?"

She blinked in surprise, her expression briefly blank. Lowering her gaze, she fell silent for a moment. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. 

After a brief pause, she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Um... because if you don't get good grades, it’ll be a problem for me..."

"Huh? Why? It’s not like you’d be in trouble, Sumire. Besides, it’s not like my grades are bad or anything."

She darted her eyes around as if she had just made a slip of the tongue. I wondered what had her so flustered.

"Um, uh... ah! Oh, right. If I don’t teach you, you won’t study at all, will you?"

"Yeah, I definitely won’t."

"I kind of wish you hadn’t admitted that so easily…" She let out a small sigh. "Anyway, that’s why I’m going out of my way to help you. Be grateful, okay?"

Honestly, it didn’t sound like a real reason for her to be so concerned. But when she covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, as if trying to play it off, with a bashful 'hehe.' I couldn’t bring myself to argue.

She was just too cute.

Well, whatever. Thanks a ton, Sumire.

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So close… so close…!

Yesterday, for some reason, I just couldn’t settle down. I tossed and turned all night, barely getting any sleep. Because of that, I almost ended up saying something weird.

There’s no way I could say something like, "I’m raising you so that you’ll support me in the future."

He needs to get into a good university—or at least a decent department. Otherwise, I’ll be in trouble. Maybe starting a business or another career path could work, but in the end, I just want him to choose something stable.

Speaking of which, when I casually checked my game’s friends list last night, I noticed he was online.

Figures. He probably didn’t sleep properly either.

Now, he looks even more out of it than usual, with dark circles clearly visible under his eyes.

Annoyed that he wasn’t paying attention to me at all, I decided to mess with him a little. While he was completely zoned out, I suddenly reached over and poked his cheek.

He flinched, jumping in exaggerated surprise. It was so cute that I couldn't help but feel a little better.

"You’re barely listening and look half-asleep. Let’s call it a day."

Hearing that, he looked apologetic. "Sorry."

Either way, studying while sleepy wasn’t productive.

We packed up the study materials and headed back to his room.

After that, we spent the rest of the time playing games. At some point, he dozed off without me noticing. I left him there and decided to head home for the day.

"Thanks for always looking after my son. Come by again," my father-in-law said as he saw me off.

He really is a great dad.