I Really Don't Notice

Volume 1, 4 - Study Meet

Volume 1, Chapter 4: Study?Meet

Three days after the fire. I found myself at home reading the month’s edition of Corocoro comics when I got a call from Kagurai-senpai. She asked if I would ‘teach her classics’.

“Classics?”

‘Yeah, I’ve got supplementary lessons this weekend, but I haven’t the slightest idea how to study what…’

Rare from my bold senpai, she sounded downhearted.

“Didn’t you say classics were your strong point?”

‘Umm… to me, classics are… I mean to say, I’m knowledgeable on the literature of this era, but I’ve got nothing on Heian Era documents. In my high school, The Tale of Genji only came up a bit in name, so…’

(Note: Heian Era, 794-1185)

It occurred to me that Kagurai-senpai was a returnee. If she was thrown into third-year classic literature classes after only just returning to Japan, of course she wouldn’t know what was going on.

“Sure. If you’re alright with me.”

‘I’m sorry for this. You have my gratitude.’

After hanging up, I sat deep in the sofa and crossed my arms in thought. Come to think of it, I promised to help Kurisu-chan study as well. Perhaps I had made too many arrangements without due consideration…

In the first place, it’s not like I was that good at studying. I was stuck being taught by Orino-san after all…

“… Ah, that just might work.”

*BREAK*

“And that’s why I noticed I just had to hold a study session with the four of us.”

After school the next day, I gathered up Orino-san, Kurisu-chan, and Kagurai-senpai in the ComClub room on the top floor of the school building.

If you pushed the formation of computers to the side, it was easy to secure enough space for four people to study. When it came to holding a study session, there was no place more appropriate.

“Let’s all cooperate, and get rid of all our weak points one by one. Teaching other people is also a wonderful way to learn.”

“Sure,” “Understood,” “Very well.”

At my words, the three girls nodded. No, but was it really alright for me to get a taste of this sort of harem? Am I in for some divine retribution down the line?

When the study session started, the three of them weren’t particularly close, but they quickly warmed up to one another. Rapidly, as if they all shared a common worry.

I started out with trying to teach Kurisu-chan geography.

“Well then, Kurisu-chan. What’s the tallest mountain in the world?”

“That’s an easy one. The Azalier Mountain Range in the south of the Claure Continent.”

“It’s Everest.”

“That’s not true, Kagoshima-senpai. The Azalier Mountain Range is a whole three hundred meters taller than Everest so… no, it’s nothing.”

“Then the longest river in the world?”

“The Torrone river that divides the Holy Principality of Barna into east and west.”

“It’s the Nile.”

“And I’m telling you, it’s… no, I’m sorry, I made a mistake.”

“Next, the capital of America?”

“Ah, that one doesn’t get jumbled up. Umm… as I recall, it’s got a name like that monster bird from the plains of Domke… umm… is it W-Washington?”

“You got it.”

“Yay!”

“Good work, cadet.”

“Thank you! My studies weren’t useless.”

Returning a forced smile to Kurisu-chan’s beaming joy, I was desperately holding back my cold sweat.

This is bad, real bad.

She was so lacking in common sense, I found it strange she managed to get into our school at all. Was it magic? Did a wizard do it? I suddenly felt tired, but it was time to teach Kagurai-senpai classics.

“If you want to read classics, you’ll have to learn some old words, or you won’t get anywhere. For example ‘betwixt’ means ‘between’, and ‘afeard’ means ‘afraid’. How about we start by learning some of those?”

“What about maid uniform and glasses girl?”

“That’s not old tongue, that’s otaku tongue.”

“In my high school, we started our lessons from that sort of vocabulary……”

“Also, it’s good to learn an author and his works as a set. The Tale of Genji is Murasaki Shikibu. The Pillow Book is Sei Shounagon. The author of The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter is unknown.”

“Ah, if it’s about The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, recent research’s actually pinned down the writer.”

“No, please don’t mess with me. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is of unknown origin.”

“In what era?”

“The current era.”

I managed to return a smile, but this really was tiring. This person was also lacking in modern day common sense. Did she use some futuristic super science to get into this school or something? Fighting the hard fight alongside Orino-san, we somehow continued teaching the two. Ah… but it’s kinda fun. This laid-back feeling is comfortable.

It was a moment where I could truly feel first hand that the world was at peace.

If this peace could continue on forever… when the thought hit my mind, it could continue no longer. First was Kurisu-chan.

“… T-this magic is…”

She suddenly said some pubescent statement and stood from her seat.

“I’m sorry. I have to return for the day. Um, thank you very much!”

While I was taken aback, she hastily left the club room.

“K-Kurisu-chan!”

I followed her into the hallway. But she was no longer anywhere to be seen.

She’s surprisingly fast on her feet, apparently. I was bothered by the fact the window before me was open, but we were on the top floor. Only a bird or a witch could leave through there.

“What could’ve happened with Kurisu?”

To Kagurai-senpai’s question, “Who knows,” was all I could say back, before the studies continued.

Next was Orino-san.

“… M-my stomach!”

She held her abdomen and groaned.

“A-are you okay, Orino-san?”

“Yeah, just a little, I’ll have to take my leave.”

“Umm, the closest bathroom from here is… next to the biology storage, I think. You don’t come up here often, do you know where that is? Let me take you there.”

“… I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not going to that restroom or how should I put it…”

“Ah, could it be you’re the sort who can only use western-style toilets?”

“W-wrong! I’m totally fine with Japanese—what am I even saying…”

Ah, I don’t care anymore! She angrily cried, closing the door behind her with tremendous momentum.

“O-Orino-san!”

It looked like I made her angry, so in order to apologize, I ran after her.

But when I opened the door, Orino-san was gone.

And for some reason, the window was open. When I just closed it a moment ago. Why?

Well, I’m sure it was just a coincidence. The only ones who could leave from there would have to be birds, witches… and psychics, I guess. I closed the window without digging to deep, and returned to the classroom.

Finally, it was Kagurai-senpai.

“Gyahahaha! Oy, Monyumi. It’s work. The bastard finally showed up.”

“Are you sure about that, Gakuta?”

“Yeah. My scanning system’s fully operational. ‘n wait, he’s freakin’ inviting us. Making sure there’s no way we can miss him.”

“Hmm. He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. So be it. This time, I’ll settle the score.”

I stared discontently as Kagurai-senpai suddenly started practicing her ventriloquism. Is she emotionally unstable or something? Perhaps she’s afflicted with some sort of psychological disorder.

Noticing my blank line of sight, Kagurai-senpai gave an intentional-looking yawn.

“Oh, I sure am sleepy. I don’t think I’ve slept this whole week.”

“What do you even do at night!?”

“Ah, it’s no good. I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it all the way home. I have no choice but to sleep here and now. Yep. Sleep it is. So you can go home, Kagoshima.”

“We should at least get to a good stopping point first.”

I felt a glance that urged me to read the mood, but that was surely my imagination.

“… Whatever. Anyways, don’t wake me up. Don’t touch my cellphone. Once you get to a good stopping point, you can do what you want.”

Kagurai-senpai sat in front of the computer, and after shouting her usual dive something something, she fell asleep as if struck dead. I wonder if that yell of hers is a charm for sweet dreams or something.

After that, I studied around thirty minutes, but Kagurai-senpai didn’t wake up.

After leaving an, ‘I went home’ note, I scribbled MonyuMonyuMonyuMi on her forehead before leaving the club room. I was worried about Orino-san, so I tried looking all over school, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. It seemed she headed straight back

Once I reached home, I tried calling the three of them, but no one picked up.

“… snff.”

Am I actually hated…?

I seriously started to worry about it at seventeen years of age.

*BREAK*

Luckily, truly luckily, it seemed that I wasn’t hated after all.

The next day, everyone returned my texts, and even called me (I got an earful from Kagurai-senpai). It seems that everyone’s just quite busy.

So without any major incidents occurring-

Granted,

Orino-san would still leave early from stomach pains,

I spotted Kurisu-chan in cosplay from time to time,

Kagurai-senpai would fall asleep without warning,

While there were such trivial happenings going on, they weren’t what I could call an incident. Whatever the case, without any major incidents occuring, our days went on.