Honoka Asks Yuu Isshiki To Be Her Tutor!

That day, I was once again waiting at Makuhari-Hongo Station for the guy I had my sights on, Yuu Isshiki, to come out.

This is already the third day… Seriously, it’s about time I run into him!

Inwardly, I was furious.

Yes, this was my third day staking out the station where he gets off in the evening on my way home from school, all just to see him.

It hadn’t been three days in a row, but by the third day, I was naturally getting mentally exhausted.

And… there was another problem.

“Hey there, you were here the other day too, right? Waiting for someone?”

And here we go. A pickup attempt.

I glanced over and saw a guy who looked like a college student.

When you stake out a station, about three to five guys usually call out to you a day.

High schoolers, college students, part-timers, salarymen—some of them were uncles who were clearly over forty.

It was beyond annoying.

I’ve made it a rule to ignore the opening line of any pickup attempt.

If they give up after that, great.

But most of them are relentlessly persistent.

“If you’ve got some time, why don’t you hang out with me for a bit? Let’s hit the arcade or karaoke.”

Ugh, this guy fell into the latter category.

He had called out to me pretty softly, so I thought he was the former type.

For context, the brazen ones immediately address you rudely, like, “Hey, what are you doing? If you’re free, hang out with me.”

“Ah, me? Sorry, but no can do. I’m waiting for my boyfriend.”

I turned around and gave him a bright, cheerful reply.

If you keep ignoring them, some guys snap and snap back, “Don’t ignore me!” and giving a vague answer just gives them an opening to exploit.

That’s why pretending to wait for a boyfriend is the best strategy.

Most guys leave after that.

This time too, the guy disappeared with a disappointed look.

But if this keeps up, some pushy guy is going to say, ‘We met before, right? We’re friends now. Let’s go hang out.’

I grumbled to myself.

That’s why I really needed to run into Isshiki-san soon, or I’d be in trouble.

Just as I was thinking that, the crowd pouring out of the ticket gates increased. A train had arrived.

Before long, a pale-skinned boy with a lingering boyish charm and a rugged, solidly built guy walked out of the gates side-by-side.

Tch, Ishida-san is with him?

I involuntarily clicked my tongue in my mind.

Fine. I guess I’ll just wait for him to part ways with Ishida-san. They usually split up at the state highway anyway.

Isshiki-san’s house was closer to Kaihin-Makuhari, while Ishida-san’s house was closer to Makuhari.

I walked behind them at a distance so they wouldn’t notice me.

Tailing the guy you’re interested in is an essential skill for a high school girl.

As expected, once they hit the highway, Ishida-san headed toward Makuhari and Isshiki-san headed toward the coast.

Alright, let’s do this!

Once I had completely crossed the busy highway, I steeled my courage and approached Isshiki-san.

“Isshiki-saaa~n!”

Despite calling out to him in my cutest voice, the exact moment he turned around, he actually blurted out, “Gack, Honoka?”

And with a look of pure apprehension on his face, no less.

“What’s with the ‘gack’?! Is that any way to react when a girl your age calls out to you?!”

I couldn’t help but voice my complaints.

But he didn’t answer. Instead, he furrowed his brow and barked bluntly, “Do you want something?”

“You don’t have to say it like that, do you? Am I not allowed to talk to you unless I want something?”

“I’m busy. Now that I’m a second-year, my university classes have gotten hectic.”

He answered without even looking at me, but his response brought a smug grin to my face.

“If that’s the case, I think what I want to talk about is well worth your time right now, Isshiki-san.”

He looked at me with a curious gaze. I had piqued his interest.

“What do you mean?”

“I was thinking of hooking the busy Isshiki-san up with a part-time job!”

“A part-time job? No, it’s impossible right now. Like I just said, my university classes are hectic, and I never know what time my lab classes will finish.”

Losing interest, he looked straight ahead again as he answered.

But I had already anticipated that response.

I had heard from my sister that he wasn’t in a position to take on a part-time job.

“Don’t worry. It’s a job that offers flexible hours, so you can do it even if you’re busy.”

“A job with flexible hours? What kind of job?”

“A tutor!”

But hearing that, Isshiki-san’s reaction was lukewarm at best.

“Ah~ tutoring, huh. But I’m not really thrilled about being a tutor. It all depends on your chemistry with the student, you know. If you don’t click, it’s just painful for both sides. Plus, if you go through a tutoring agency, they take a massive cut of the commission, so the hourly wage ends up being low.”

“Then you don’t have to go through an agency.”

“In that case, I’d have to look at the tutoring gigs introduced by my university, but my campus is in Tokyo. If it’s far from home, commuting becomes a nightmare.”

“I can solve every single one of those problems. It’s close to your house, doesn’t go through an agency, and it’s someone you don’t have to feel awkward around!”

“Does a tutoring gig like that even exist?”

I pointed to myself with absolute confidence.

“Tutoring me!”

Isshiki-san looked at me, his face blank with a dumbfounded “Huh?”

“Tutoring you? Me?”

“Yep! If it’s me, you won’t feel awkward, and it’s close to your house, right? As for the pay, there’s no agency to take a cut either.”

But he shook his head from side to side.

“Sorry, but I’ll pass.”

“Whyyy?! It clears every single condition, there’s absolutely no reason for you to turn it down!”

My cheeks puffed out involuntarily.

“First of all, I’ve made it a rule never to tutor anyone close to me. If I teach someone and they fail to get into their target school, I’d feel terrible, and it would just be awkward between us afterward.”

“Don’t worry about stuff like that. Whether someone gets into their target school or not depends entirely on their own effort. I won’t complain about something like that.”

“Besides, in your case, if you’re going to get tutored, don’t you have someone much closer to you who can teach you? I think it’d be way better to get taught by Toko-san.”

“Getting taught by my sister? Absolutely impossible. Getting taught by a sibling is incredibly difficult. You both end up slacking off or getting complacent. She tried to teach me before, but we just ended up bickering like crazy. Plus, if my sister has her own plans, she’ll always prioritize those over me.”

“Is that how it is?”

“I mean, you actually tutored Asuka, didn’t you, Isshiki-san? Asuka could have easily asked her brother, but she didn’t. Why is it okay for Asuka but a no-go for me?”

“Ugh.”

Isshiki-san choked on his words for a brief second.

“So, for my tutoring, the hourly wage is 2,000 yen. That’s 4,000 yen per session. How about it?”

“But still, which university are you applying to? If I can teach anything, it’s only science and math subjects. Aren’t you a humanities student?”

“It’s true that I’m applying to a humanities department, but I plan on taking the exam with Japanese, English, and math. That’s why I want you to teach me math, Isshiki-san. Plus, my first choice is Joto University.”

“You’re applying to my university?”

“Yes. So it makes total sense to ask you, since you cleared the Joto University exam on your first try, right?”

“What does Toko-san say about this?”

Even here, my sister’s name comes up?

Though I felt thoroughly displeased, I had already prepared a response for exactly this question.

“My sister said, ‘Why not? If it makes Honoka study hard, go for it.’ And I’ve already gotten permission from our parents too.”

Even so, he still wore a contemplative expression.

I needed to deliver one final push.

“Come on, please. You’re the only person close to me that I could even think of asking to tutor me, Isshiki-san. Anyone else is a no-go.”

“Why is anyone else a no-go?”

“The last time I had a tutor, if it was a guy, he’d stare at me with lecherous eyes, and if it was a woman, she’d burn with hostility toward me for some reason.”

Isshiki-san let out a wry chuckle.

“Sounds like your past tutors had a rough time too.”

“Hey, is that a spot where you’re supposed to laugh?”

At my displeased tone, he answered with a lingering smile.

“Sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. Forgive me.”

“Then will you accept being my tutor?”

“Hmm, but still… I don’t really have the confidence that I can get you up to the passing mark.”

“Don’t worry about that! My parents and my sister both know that my current grades aren’t at the level to pass Joto University anyway.”

“So you’re aiming for it even though you think it’s a completely impossible game from the start?”

“Anyone is free to challenge it, right! More importantly, how about it? Tutoring me!”

“Hmm…”

“I can even make it 2,500 yen an hour. That’s 5,000 yen per session.”

“Hmm, but still…”

“Then 3,000 yen an hour! That has to be way above the market rate.”

“No, it’s not a question of money…”

“Money is important, isn’t it? I mean, you said you don’t have a part-time job right now, Isshiki-san. After this, summer vacation is coming up, and you’ve got your circle’s training camp, right? You’re going to need quite a bit of cash.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Is he still wavering?

Damn it… It’s frustrating to use this, but it’s my last resort.

“My sister’s birthday is on August 2nd! This summer is her first birthday since the two of you started dating, right? If you can only prepare a pathetic present and a lame birthday event for her because you’re broke, my sister is going to be so disappointed.”

Those words hit the mark perfectly.

Isshiki-san snapped his head up, his eyes wide as he looked at me.

“Do you think so?”

“Of course! My sister is a girl, after all. There’s no way she wouldn’t want her very first birthday since you started dating to be properly celebrated!”

Isshiki-san pondered the thought for a long while before finally lifting his gaze.

“Alright. I’ll take the job and tutor you.”

“Yay! Thank you, Isshiki-san!”

“Under one condition, though.”

He turned a dead-serious expression toward me.

Even for something like this, the fact that he was facing me completely head-on made me a little happy.

And when looking at Isshiki-san directly while he wears a serious face, he actually has a remarkably well-proportioned, beautiful boyish face—even if it lacks flashiness.

“First, the tutoring sessions must take place at your house. And I want them scheduled during a time slot when someone other than you is home, if possible. My house is completely out of the question.”

“I don’t mind that, but… why is someone else being home a condition?”

“Because I don’t want to create any weird misunderstandings.”

In other words, you don’t want my sister getting suspicious.

“Understood. Is there anything else?”

“When I’m teaching you, you need to focus properly on studying. No weird tricks or schemes.”

“I know, I know. I genuinely want to get into the university too. Alright, it’s a deal then!”

To make sure he couldn’t back out or say another word, I grabbed Isshiki-san’s hand with both of mine.

He gave a somewhat reluctant “Yeah,” but he didn’t pull his hand away from mine.

Well, I won’t pull any weird tricks, but surely it’s fine if I subtly appeal my charms to him every now and then, right?

After agreeing on which days of the week he would teach me, I parted ways with him and left.