I Want Both Love And Better Grades!

The day of our first tutoring session.

I had been on pins and needles since I was still at school.

After all, starting today, I’d get to spend two hours every single week with Isshiki-san all to myself.

This is a special time that belongs to me and me alone…

Just thinking about it made an involuntary smirk creep onto my face.

I had never felt this way before!

I’ve dated guys in the past, but I’ve never been in a mood where simply thinking about someone sent me walking on air.

I guess this is what it truly feels like to be in love.

Mulling over that thought, I could feel my face growing hot all on its own.

As soon as I got home, the first thing I did was dive into the shower.

We were finally going to be alone together, and I absolutely refused to have him think of me as a “sweaty girl” straight from school.

I meticulously dried my hair, put on a quick spritz of antiperspirant, slipped into some cute underwear, and picked out my clothes.

“What should I wear? This is one of the very few chances I get to be alone with him, so I have to make an appeal.”

Having said that, I didn’t actually know what Isshiki-san’s preferences were.

“If he didn’t budge even when Asuka pursued him, then a cute, little-sister type definitely won’t work. His ex-girlfriend was supposedly a fluffy, cutesy try-hard type, though… But since he said he’s been in love with my sister for the longest time, maybe a pure, elegant, ladylike style is best? But that doesn’t really match my character at all…”

While I was agonizing over it, suddenly there were only thirty minutes left until Isshiki-san was due to arrive!

“Argh, whatever! No time!”

I went with one of my favorite combinations: a tank top under an off-the-shoulder knit top paired with a miniskirt.

“…So, Honoka, did you close the distance between you and this Isshiki guy?”

Today, Aria questioned me again, her eyes practically sparkling with curiosity.

She made sure to ask how things went the day after every single tutoring session.

“I mean, if you want to say we closed the distance, I guess you could… but there hasn’t really been any major shift…”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Way to be totally wishy-washy. How draining,” Aria said, looking completely bored.

I glared at her.

It’s not like I’m doing this for your entertainment, you know.

“Look, Honoka, it’s already been a month since the tutoring started, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That means you’ve had four perfect chances to be alone with him. Yet every time your answer is exactly the same… Have you guys literally made zero progress?”

“If results came that quickly, nobody in the world would be losing sleep over romance.”

“But come on, this is totally unlike the ‘sensual, pheromone-radiating high school girl who drops any guy in five seconds’—Honoka Sakurajima.”

“Stop giving me weird nicknames! Don’t go spreading bizarre rumors like that. You make it sound like I’m constantly throwing myself at guys.”

“But seriously, what kind of guy is this Isshiki if your charms don’t even register on him? Is he a monk?”

“As if! And when it comes to charm, my rival is my older sister, who is levels above me. It’s no wonder he doesn’t even glance my way…”

“Why are you acting so timid? That’s not like you at all, Honoka. If that’s how it is, you just need to stimulate his male instincts more.”

“Like how?”

“Isshiki-san is a guy at the peak of his prime, isn’t he? Just show more skin and drive him wild with your perfect body!”

“When you say it, Aria, it sounds incredibly trashy… but I’ve actually tried that angle already.”

“What did you wear?”

“A blouse with a deeply cut neckline, an ultra-miniskirt, a camisole-style T-shirt with hot pants…”

Hearing that, Aria fell into deep thought.

“You went that far and his reaction was still lukewarm? Unbelievable… If I hadn’t heard he has a girlfriend, I’d probably assume he was gay.”

“Sigh… maybe my only option left is a complete makeover. Like dying my hair back to black and trying to act like my sister…”

As I slumped face-forward onto my desk, Aria spoke with a dead-serious face.

“Isn’t that an even worse move? If you feel you can’t beat your sister, you can’t go fighting her on the exact same turf.”

“Then what do you think I should do?”

“Duh, you have to push much harder. You’ve got no choice but to make your outfits even more extreme, right?”

“Extreme? Like what?”

“Like going braless under a white T-shirt, or a bikini.”

All the energy left my body. I felt foolish for listening to her seriously.

“That just makes me a total exhibitionist. What if my family sees me?!”

“Hehehe.” Aria let out a mischievous laugh. “Well, setting aside a naked apron…”

“That wasn’t even on the table! Stop escalating things!”

“It’s summer now, so people naturally dress lightly anyway. You just have to close in on him with some casual body touch. Don’t worry, there isn’t a single guy alive who’d feel bad about you getting close to him, seriously.” Aria clapped me on the shoulder.

Geez, easy for you to say… I fired back silently in my mind.

If I close in on him dressing like that and trying to touch him, what happens if he labels me a slut?

I don’t want to be Isshiki-san’s “temporary distraction.”

I want to be “the lover he cherishes for the rest of his life.”

Exactly like my sister is to him right now…

Besides, based on how he’s acted so far, I don’t think Isshiki-san would cave even if I approached him with maximum sex appeal.

If things went south like that, not only would I lose my footing entirely, but my spirit would be completely crushed.

Maybe trying to win against my sister was impossible from the start…

That defeatist thought blew through my heart like a cold draft.

July arrived, bringing the last tutoring session before summer vacation.

This was the day our graded midterm exams were returned.

I was actually a little excited.

Because I had some wonderful news to share with Isshiki-san.

My score on Math 1A was an 82!

I had been hovering right around 60 points until now, so it was a massive jump!

The moment our session started, I lost no time showing him the test sheet.

“Oh~ wow, that’s awesome! I knew you’d been getting a solid grasp on things lately, but I didn’t expect results to show this quickly.”

Isshiki-san praised me, looking genuinely happy for my sake.

“Hehehe~ well then, it’s perfectly fine if you give me a reward.”

Hearing that, Isshiki-san laughed.

“What’s with that haughty demand? What do you want?”

“Hmm, how about a hug? Or a kiss would be fine too, you know?”

Isshiki-san’s expression instantly froze.

Oops. Did I push my luck too far?

“Well, setting that aside as a joke… maybe you could just treat me a little more gently?”

“I thought I was being plenty gentle,” he answered, averting his eyes from me.

“You’re not gentle at all. If anything, you’re cold.”

“What do you want me to do then?”

“How should I put it? It’s like your sense of distance is so far away… I want you to let me lean on you more, or spoil me a little…”

My voice trailed off into a tiny whisper toward the end.

Was that a weird demand?…

The moment that thought hit me, a sudden wave of embarrassment washed over me, and I involuntarily shrunk my shoulders.

Right then, his hand gently touched my head.

“There, there. You worked really hard. Good girl.”

Isshiki-san said softly, giving my head a few light pats.

Between the embarrassment and a surge of overwhelming joy, I could feel my face burning.

But at the same time, I desperately didn’t want him to realize it.

“W-wow, Isshiki-san, you’re acting so high and mighty!”

I let out a spiteful remark like that.

Is this inability to be honest my biggest flaw?

But he just smiled and said, “Really? I thought I gave you the gentle praise you wanted,” as he lightly ruffled my hair with his hand, almost like a gentle massage.

For some reason, that sensation felt incredibly comforting.

I love him…

I looked at his smile from the corner of my eye, feeling that certainty anchor in my heart once again.

From where his hand rested on my head, it felt as though something warm was gently flowing into me.

“Alright, let’s get down to studying then. Today we’re on Menelaus’s theorem, right?”

As his hand lifted, the warm touch on my head vanished into thin air.

It was such a minor thing, yet it left me feeling strangely lonely.

“…Yeah.”

But it was fine.

These two hours belonged exclusively to me and Isshiki-san.

To get him to praise me again, and to get into the same university as him, I had to give it my all.

Just as I thought that, a sudden knock came at the door.

“I’m coming in.”

The one who stepped into the room was…

The older sister I had looked up to since I was a little girl, the sister who was always kind to me and whom I loved dearly.

But to the current me, she was the person I had to call my rival in love…

My sister was carrying a tray with two teacups and a small plate of snacks.

“Ah, Toko-san. You were already home today?”

Isshiki-san spoke up, his voice bright.

It was a tone filled with a special affection, completely different from the way he addressed me.

“Yeah, my class was suddenly canceled. So I just submitted my report and came straight back.”

“Man, I should have waited for you then. We could have commuted home together.”

Hearing Isshiki-san’s words, my spirits plunged straight to the bottom.

Right, the two of them are a couple.

They are on terms where they can exchange this kind of casual conversation as a matter of course.

The mere presence of my sister made me feel like an absolute outsider.

The warm, gentle atmosphere I had been enjoying just moments ago now felt like a cold, transparent barrier separating us.

“Is this Honoka’s test score? That’s a pretty high mark, isn’t it?”

My sister picked up my exam paper from the desk and said so. Then she turned a radiant smile toward him.

“This is all thanks to you, Yuu-kun.”

“Not at all. It’s because Honoka-san put in the effort.”

The two of them carried on their conversation, completely leaving me out of the loop. Even the way he addressed me had reverted from the familiar, casual “you” (omae) back to the formal “Honoka-san.”

But Isshiki-san’s next words cut straight to my heart.

“As expected of Toko-san’s little sister, Honoka-san is naturally sharp to begin with. She understands everything I teach her right away and picks things up so quickly.”

‘Toko-san’s little sister.’

No matter how far I go, am I destined to be nothing more than Toko Sakurajima’s little sister to him?

Will I myself ever truly reflect in Isshiki-san’s eyes?

My chest felt tight, and my eyes stung with unshed tears.

“Sister, I’m sorry, but could you please leave? We need to study…”

Even to my own ears, my voice sounded unexpectedly heavy.

The two of them blinked in surprise and looked at me.

“Right. This is precious tutoring time, after all. Sorry for interrupting you two.”

My sister spoke with her usual gentle grace and promptly stepped out of the room.

Even that effortless poise of hers irritated me.

I had only said that out of pure jealousy…

“Alright, shall we begin? The reference book is…”

Isshiki-san’s voice, unlike before, felt like it was reaching me from a long, distant place.