Chapter 319: Strange Odor |
Shimizu Yu opened her mouth but no words came out. She simply blinked her moist, almond-shaped eyes at Hoshino Gen. Her long eyelashes fluttered, seemingly shimmering in the afternoon sunlight.
Of course, Shimizu Yu wasn't completely clueless. So, when the traffic light ahead turned green and Hoshino Gen stepped on the accelerator to move the car forward again, she whispered to him in an incredibly soft voice, "Such a tsundere..."
After muttering that, she lowered her head again, utterly unable to suppress the sweet smile curling her lips.
...
Yesterday, Hoshino Gen had instructed Shimizu Yu to remember to bring everything related to math that the school had handed out. Naturally, this meant that starting today, her math tutoring would officially begin.
Sitting before the low tables in the antique shop, Hoshino Gen held Shimizu Yu's final math exam. With a single glance, he gained a rough understanding of this girl's mathematical aptitude.
Out of a perfect score of one hundred, this idiot had scored a twenty-eight. Excluding the multiple-choice questions she had guessed correctly, she had only managed to solve problems so simple that any random junior high school student could answer them effortlessly.
Even though Shimizu Yu sat across from him fidgeting anxiously, her face flushed with embarrassment, Hoshino Gen did not mock her. He simply tossed the exam paper back. "Correct your mistakes yourself. You can flip through the textbook or look for formulas to apply, but you are not allowed to look up the answers directly on your mobile phone."
Shimizu Yu obediently listened to Hoshino Gen. With a soft "Oh," she took her test paper and began reviewing her mistakes one by one.
The problem, however, was that improving from a twenty-eight to a thirty, forty, or even fifty in a single subject might not be difficult, but aiming any higher was likely impossible to achieve in a short timeframe.
Therefore, Hoshino Gen's initial plan was to cast a wide net. As long as he could get Shimizu Yu to secure all the easy points, the combined total across multiple subjects would undoubtedly amount to a highly impressive improvement...
And then—
"These are the mistakes you corrected?" Hoshino Gen raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the test paper Shimizu Yu handed to him after nearly half an hour of work.
Shimizu Yu knew her own limits all too well. She pouted her lips and muttered, "I just don't know how to do some of these problems. Even when I flip through the book and find the formulas, they don't fit at all..."
"By 'some of these problems,' do you mean over eighty percent of your mistakes? Isn't the scope of your 'some' a bit too broad?"
Shimizu Yu puffed out her cheeks and lowered her head, playing with the tips of her hair without replying.
Hoshino Gen sighed. He picked up the exam paper, stood up, and sat down right next to Shimizu Yu. "Let's skip the hard ones and just focus on the simple ones..." he said.
...
The tutoring session began the moment they arrived at the antique shop and did not end until five in the evening. It wasn't that Shimizu Yu had to go home, but rather that she needed to start her shift. She still hadn't done today's cleaning.
Hoshino Gen certainly wasn't going to exempt her from her proper duties just because she needed to study.
However, Shimizu Yu didn't put up any resistance. For one, it was indeed her assigned job, and for another, she had long since grown accustomed to it.
Of course, there was another reason: unlike during the tutoring session when Hoshino Gen forbade her from chatting casually, cleaning allowed her to finally talk. After holding it in for half the day, she could take advantage of her working hours to converse with him.
"Today's match was the semifinal, and tomorrow is the grand finale! Are you going to come watch?"
"Are there any particularly strong opponents on the team you're facing tomorrow?"
"They're alright. It is the finals, after all, so their skill level is definitely higher than the vast majority of teams we've faced before. But compared to Akiyama Mio today, there isn't anyone more formidable than her." Shimizu Yu answered Hoshino Gen's question while holding a vacuum cleaner, dusting all around the shop.
Hoshino Gen had now tossed aside the physics textbook. Propping his cheek on one hand, he scrolled through his mobile phone while casually chatting with her. "So you're saying you think you can win the champion title?"
"You already took care of the biggest obstacle on our path to becoming champions, so of course I'm confident we'll win!" Shimizu Yu declared with utmost certainty, clenching her small fists.
Having said that, she asked again with anticipation, "So, are you going to go watch?"
"No," Hoshino Gen replied decisively. Since there were no extraordinary competitors, why would he bother watching such a boring match?
"Tch—" Shimizu Yu immediately curled her lip and muttered, "Fine, don't go then. It's not like I care anyway..."
"Heh..." Hoshino Gen, who was just about to reply to a message from Hoshino Rin asking if he was coming home for dinner, was highly amused. He looked up at Shimizu Yu with an intriguing expression.
Realizing that her words carried absolutely no persuasive weight, Shimizu Yu's pretty face flushed red. She lowered her head and pretended to work diligently, ignoring Hoshino Gen.
...
At half-past six in the evening, Shimizu Yu finished her shift. Hoshino Gen left the antique shop with her, and they parted ways outside the alleyway, heading to their respective homes.
The moment Hoshino Gen pushed open his front door, he frowned.
It wasn't that something had happened at home, but rather that a faint, foul odor lingered in the air...
In the living room, Hoshino Rin and Monica, whom he hadn't seen in a few days, were busy at work. One held an air freshener while the other used a mop, furiously spraying and wiping a section of the floor. Beside them, the white wolf cub, Daihaku, squatted with his tail drooping as he watched.
Noticing Hoshino Gen returning at the doorway, Monica's eyes lit up. Hoshino Rin, on the other hand, was startled and instinctively shielded the white wolf cub, Daihaku, behind her.
"Jane!" Monica greeted Hoshino Gen with a beaming smile. "Pardon the intrusion!"
Hoshino Rin also forced a smile. "Welcome back, Brother..."
Hoshino Gen did not respond. Expressionless, he simply entered, closed the door, changed his shoes, and walked over to them. "Did Daihaku poop here?" he asked.
The corner of Hoshino Rin's mouth twitched slightly. "Brother... Daihaku just got here and hasn't adapted yet. Besides, he's still so little. It's perfectly normal that he doesn't know how to use the toilet!"
Hoshino Gen looked down at the white wolf cub. The little creature didn't seem to think it had done anything wrong, keeping its brown eyes wide open as it met Hoshino Gen's gaze without an ounce of guilt.
Hoshino Gen didn't say anything. After all, he was the one who had brought this thing home. Furthermore, it was a wolf, not a dog. Down to its very bones, it was utterly different from a domesticated hound...
Keeping it didn't seem suitable in this kind of high-rise apartment.
However, Hoshino Gen's silence made Hoshino Rin somewhat nervous. She crouched down, scooped up the white wolf cub, and pouted, whispering softly, "Don't be mad, Brother. I promise I'll teach him how to use the bathroom properly..."
Ignoring her plea, Hoshino Gen immediately countered with a question of his own. "How would you feel about us moving to a new house?"