Honoka, High School Senior, Troubles Over Love Ahead Of Exams.

“Ugh, this is bad.”

I am Honoka Sakurajima.

I’ve just become a third-year student at Ichikawa Girls’ Academy, making me a fresh, young high school girl right on the edge of adulthood.

The cause of the problem weighing heavily on my mind was something I heard from my best friend, Asuka Ishida.

Apparently, her older brother, Youta Ishida, got a girlfriend.

And that partner is Kazumi Kano, who happens to be the best friend of my older sister, Toko Sakurajima.

Right now, the two of them are supposedly completely lovey-dovey.

Which means they’ll probably be hanging out as a foursome a lot from now on. If that happens, stimulated by those two who are practically in heat, Isshiki-san and my sister might end up in an even deeper relationship than before…

“What are you up to, Honoka? Troubling over your post-graduation plans?”

Aria, a gal-style girl sitting next to me, leaned over to peek.

“Plans… well, there’s that too, but…”

“Then, is it about a guy?”

She asked with immense delight.

I turned my face away, hating that vibe.

“Ah, I hit the bullseye. So, who’s the guy?”

“Who cares who it is? It’s none of your business, Aria.”

“How cold~ We’re friends, aren’t we? Besides, it doesn’t suit you at all, Honoka, to be losing sleep over a guy.”

“It’s not a matter of whether it suits me or not!”

“Oh yes it is. Because even though you tend to lead guys on, you’re actually pretty conservative on the inside. There must be plenty of guys losing sleep over you.”

“I am not leading them on! They’re just getting carried away on their own. Don’t say such weird things!”

But Aria wasn’t listening to what I was saying at all.

“So, who is this guy you’re agonizing over? What’s he like?”

I ignored Aria’s question.

“Ah, could it be that plain-looking college student from the photo before?”

That phrasing struck a nerve.

“He’s not plain-looking at all! Isshiki-san is a wonderful person!”

“Bingo.”

Aria grinned smugly.

I realized I had been baited by her.

“But still, isn’t that guy your sister’s boyfriend? Isn’t that a lost cause from the very start?”

“A lost cause… I guess it really is, huh.”

“I mean, since they’re boyfriend and girlfriend, they naturally see each other all the time, and they go to the same university, right? On the other hand, the only time you can see this Isshiki guy is basically when your sister is around. You don’t have a single chance to meet him one-on-one.”

“Well… you’re right.”

“When it comes to guys and girls, the amount of time you spend together is what matters. From that standpoint, trying to snatch away your sister’s boyfriend is a pretty tall order.”

Aria’s words sent my spirits sinking.

Partly because our first encounter went poorly, Isshiki-san is on his guard against meeting me alone.

So, the only time I can see Isshiki-san is when my sister is with him, or else I just have to pray for a miracle coincidence.

“If only I could at least get into the same university as Isshiki-san.”

“Where does he go?”

“Joto University.”

“Whoa, that’s a top-tier school! Less than five people from our academy get in there every year!”

Aria recoiled in shock.

“That’s exactly why I’m stressing over it. With my current grades, it’s impossible even if I stood on my head. Besides, I’m not good at science and math subjects at all.”

At that, Aria looked puzzled.

“Wait, weren’t you pretty good at math, Honoka?”

“Math is at least manageable, but to get into a science university, you need physics or chemistry. I’m terrible at both.”

“True. I don’t think physics is meant for human beings either,” Aria agreed in a strange way. “Then, why don’t you just aim for a humanities department at Joto?”

“I am awful at both Japanese history and world history! Like hell I can memorize all those tiny details!”

Yes, the order of subjects I’ve been good at since middle school is English, Japanese, and math.

Because of that, I cleared high school entrance exams relatively easily, but I am struggling to choose my subjects for university exams.

To the frustrated me, Aria said nonchalantly:

“Then, why don’t you just take the exam with those three subjects: Japanese, math, and English?”

I slowly turned my eyes toward her.

“You make it sound so easy. That really narrows down the universities I can apply to.”

“Not necessarily. It looks like there are plenty of universities where you can take math instead of social studies.”

Saying that, Aria tapped away on her smartphone and showed me the search results.

“Economics or social science departments generally allow you to take the exam with math, don’t they?”

“I guess so… but my math is only ‘manageable’ compared to my history or science; it’s nowhere near the level to pass Joto University. English is the only subject where I might barely reach the line.”

“I see, Joto is a highly competitive school after all… Hmm?”

Aria looked as if she had just hit upon an idea.

“Hey, I’ve got a great idea!”

“What?”

“Why don’t you ask the guy you like, Isshiki-san, to be your tutor?!”

“Huh?”

“I mean, he cleared the Joto University exam on his first try, right? Then it wouldn’t be strange at all to ask him to tutor you.”

Thinking back to when we first met, he really was good at teaching.

Even problems that made absolutely no sense to me, he explained smoothly and in a way that was easy to understand.

“That might be true… but I wonder if Isshiki-san would accept.”

“Does Isshiki-san do any part-time jobs?”

“His university classes are busy, so it seems he doesn’t have a regular part-time job. He only does them during long vacations, I think.”

“Then it’s perfect. A tutoring gig offers flexible hours that can fit his university schedule. I’m sure he’ll accept!”

“Do you think so?…”

I couldn’t immediately bring myself to agree with Aria’s optimistic outlook.

Sensing my hesitation, Aria delivered the final push.

“If you just stay indecisive like that, nothing will happen. You just have to try anything that has even a sliver of a chance.”

“That’s true, but… what if he turns me down?…”

“You can’t worry about that! If he turns you down, he turns you down, and you just think of another way! If you just worry without taking action, you won’t accomplish a thing!”

“…………”

“You’ll be fine! You’re the invincible beautiful high school girl, Honoka Sakurajima, after all!”

“What kind of logic is that?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

But Aria is right.

If I do nothing out of fear of failure, I’ll truly accomplish nothing.

I knew from the very beginning that this was an uphill battle.

“Alright. I’ll try asking Isshiki-san to be my tutor!”

I fired up my resolve and made my declaration.