After preparing some water, their conversation officially began.
"Minamiya-san, do you know what Ogata-san and Furuhashi-san excel at in school?" Mafuyu asked in a solemn tone, her eyes fixed on Homura's eyes.
"Yes, it's as clear as their names." Homura nodded with a smile.
"Their names?"
Mafuyu blinked in confusion and, after a moment's thought, she understood what he meant by 'their names'.
"Surprising, I think this is the first time I've learned about this!"
"..."
"No... that's not important at all!" Mafuyu, realizing she had gone off track, casually steered the conversation back. "Since Minamiya-san knows where their talents lie, why still engage in such actions?"
"What actions?" Homura asked back.
Upon hearing his words, Mafuyu frowned slightly.
"Pretending. Neglecting the subjects they excel at and instead teaching them other subjects! Possessing talent but not being able to use it to its fullest potential is a sin. If we continue to let them follow their whims like this, their future will become miserable."
"Kirisu-sensei, you must have understood their dreams, right?" Homura pondered.
"Correct, I used to have the same way of thinking as them..." Mafuyu's expression remained unchanged as she continued. "I abandoned my own talent for fleeting emotions and later regretted taking the wrong path. That's why I became a teacher, to guide students toward the path that suits them best."
"Kirisu-sensei seems a bit too impulsive..." Homura shook his head as he heard her reasoning. "Regret is subjective; you cannot assume others will regret the same way just because you did. That's just pure arrogance. Since you're so determined to keep them from going down this path, why not have the same determination to guide them in subjects where they are not proficient?"
As Mafuyu hesitated on how to answer him, Homura continued.
"Maybe you'd argue that everyone's talents are fixed and they lack talent in other areas... But what about those without any talent who are still giving their best to achieve their goals?"
"...I have no intention of changing my opinion." Mafuyu insisted.
Watching her insistence, Homura raised an eyebrow.
"Kirisu-sensei, sometimes I feel like the only reason Ogata-san and Furuhashi-san can keep going, besides their own dreams, is because of you. Without your constant opposition, I doubt they could have made it this far. Could it be... intentional on your part?"
Upon hearing Homura's words, Fumino and Rizu exchanged incredulous looks. They both wondered what he meant. Was their teacher truly as he said?
"Absurd. I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just doing my duty, trying to lead my students on the right path." Mafuyu's expression remained unchanged.
Watching her demeanor, Homura had a guess.
If Mafuyu continued this approach, it could have two possible outcomes.
First, she might succeed in persuading Fumino and Rizu. They would choose subjects where they could excel, aligning with her wish, and both girls would find their own suitable paths—a good outcome.
Secondly, her persuasion never succeeded. But in that case, wouldn't Fumino and Rizu, who persisted in following their own paths for three years in a row even with her relentless persuasion, keep doing so? Could someone who persists and works hard for their dreams like that really not succeed?
Mafuyu's relentless effort to persuade Fumino and Rizu made their resolve and belief firmer and stronger.
Homura had a feeling that what he suspected was likely true!
Both outcomes were positive ones.
In other words, was Mafuyu inviting him to come this time actually a deliberate move to solidify her approach?
Homura looked meaningfully at Mafuyu for a while before speaking up with a smile.
"I understand now. I agree with Kirisu-sensei."
""Eh?!"" Fumino and Rizu were on the verge of being frightened.
If Homura also switched sides, there would be no way left!
'What's going on with Minamiya-kun? Is it his strategy?' Fumino wondered anxiously as she stared at Homura and Mafuyu.
Meanwhile, Mafuyu's expression at this moment was full of amazement.
"Then—"
"However..."
Homura interrupted Mafuyu.
Fumino and Rizu breathed a sigh of relief.
His 'however' was a good sign.
"I also have my own opinions, so I still want to tutor them normally. Is that okay?" Homura shrugged. "Improving their grades is always a good thing, right?"
Mafuyu gave him a deep look but didn't say anything.
However, her attitude could be considered tacit approval. From now on, Homura and Mafuyu had both decided not to try to argue with each other anymore. After all, they were both doing it for the sake of Fumino and Rizu.
"Kirisu-sensei, are you interested in seeing how I tutor Furuhashi-san and Ogata-san?" Homura asked.
Mafuyu stayed silent, thinking for a moment.
Fumino and Rizu had already improved significantly in their weakest subjects, even though she only taught them history. Even so, she was curious about Homura's tutoring methods.
With that in mind, Mafuyu nodded, agreeing.
"Sure."
Today, they studied in the living room, as Fumino didn't dare to suggest going to her room like usual with Mafuyu's presence.
Haru seemed a bit interested in Mafuyu; after she sat down, Haru crawled onto her thighs.
Mafuyu was startled for a moment and cautiously petted Haru a couple of times. Seeing that Haru didn't react much, she revealed a barely perceptible smile.
Eventually, the tutoring officially began!
However, this tutoring session had a profound impact on everyone, including Homura himself.
'Is Level 9 Teaching Skill supposed to be this incredible? It feels like a revelation! It's not just rote memorization, but an understanding of the underlying principles, making it not as simple as learning facts without context! Teaching these two, who are always struggling hard, feels like teaching normal students. I wonder... what if I teach someone who isn't struggling in a particular subject to begin with?'
As he thought like that, Homura felt pleased.
Under Mafuyu's astonished gaze, the tutoring continued until finally, Homura had them take a small test, and the test results—
"Forty-five..." Rizu was astonished. "This is the first time I've scored so high in humanities subject..."
"Forty-eight..." Fumino, with her eyes closed, had a hint of wetness in the corners of her eyes. "Mom... I'm getting there..."
Seeing their reactions, Mafuyu had a complex expression, then quickly looked at Homura.
After observing Homura silently for a while, Mafuyu opened her mouth.
"Why?"
'Because of my Teaching Skill of course.' Homura answered inwardly.
Teaching Skill's effect seemed to help him automatically organize his thoughts and use appropriate language when teaching, with sparks of insight constantly colliding in his mind. However, the words he spoke didn't contain any mysterious power in themselves.
Homura couldn't help but marvel at how amazing the System was!
"I can only say... these two are quite picky about who teaching them..." Homura answered after some thought. "If a teacher can't tailor their teaching methods or doesn't mesh well with them, I can say for sure... this teacher won't be able to teach them at all."
Fumino: "..."
Rizu: "..."
Mafuyu: "..."
Why did his answer feel a bit too harsh?