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At the end of the hallway was a classroom that appeared perfectly normal. Upon opening the door and entering, one would notice unused desks and chairs piled up in the corner. It seemed this place had long been abandoned and repurposed by the school as a storage room.
—That is, if you ignored the table and tea set placed in the center of the room.
"Li-kun, please go and bring a chair for yourself."
"Alright."
Next to the long table, there was only one chair, positioned near the window. It was likely Yukinoshita Yukino's usual seat.
As a storage room, there was no shortage of chairs to use as seats. The difficulty lay in deciding where to sit and how close or far to position himself from Yukinoshita Yukino.
In the end, Li Mo chose to sit where his lunchbox was placed. This was the lunchbox Yukinoshita Yukino had brought out. Judging by the packaging, it was clear she had bought it from a convenience store.
"When Hiratsuka-sensei sent the message, I was already out. Conveniently, there was a convenience store nearby, so I bought this."
"Did Hiratsuka-sensei even think of this?"
Yukinoshita Yukino said, "That's just how she is. Secondly, I'm already aware of your situation. Japanese and Japanese history are your weak subjects, correct?"
"Yes, those are the two subjects. Do you have any ideas, Yukinoshita-san?"
Li Mo didn't doubt Yukinoshita Yukino's qualifications to teach him. After all, her status as the top student in the grade spoke for itself. But could such a genius really teach? Fortunately, the subjects he needed help with weren't science-related.
Geniuses couldn't teach mediocrity in science. Even if they could, it would be torturous.
Yukinoshita Yukino said, "These two subjects can be mastered through rote memorization. For the next two weeks, I'll tutor you during lunch breaks."
"Thank you, Yukinoshita-san."
With that, lunchtime began.
Yukinoshita Yukino wasn't one to talk much. While eating, she seemed to soften her sharp edges. The unattainable flower of Soubu High was always cold and distant. In Li Mo's memory, her shoe locker was never short of love letters, but she would always throw them into the trash without even looking at them.
That was just Yukinoshita Yukino.
Li Mo finished his lunch before her. As a boy, he didn't need to worry about his eating manners, though he did control the noise he made while eating. The convenience store lunchbox was nothing special, far from a gourmet meal. Yet, he ate it with relish, perhaps because it was a lunchbox bought by Yukinoshita Yukino.
To say that Li Mo's feelings toward the girl in front of him hadn't changed would be a lie. Putting aside the fact that she was one of Soubu High's most beautiful girls, how should a transmigrator like him face someone like her?
His emotions were complicated. When a character from paper becomes real, no amount of words can fully describe the experience.
Moreover, Li Mo's attention was still on the health bar above Yukinoshita Yukino's head.
「Yukinoshita Yukino (97%!)(MISSING)」
Did knowing her name trigger this? Perhaps. After all, he wasn't very familiar with his classmates. He was a lone wolf, after all... Why bother caring about people who were destined to drift apart?
He remembered that after entering society, he rarely kept in touch with his high school classmates. Everyone had drifted apart, lost in the vast world.
"Li-kun, are you being this rude?"
"Sorry, it's just that Yukinoshita-san is too beautiful."
"That's a given. I'll forgive you this time. It seems Li-kun is just like those ordinary people who only care about appearances." Yukinoshita Yukino stated this as if it were a fact.
It seemed that praising her beauty was a matter of course. Humility didn't seem to exist in her dictionary. That was just the kind of person Yukinoshita Yukino was.
And it should be that way.
Li Mo didn't argue, he just smiled.
After lunch came studying. Since it was taking up her rest time, he didn't want to waste any more of it. During this brief study session, Yukinoshita Yukino was like an encyclopedia, answering every question with precise answers. Even teachers might not have been as knowledgeable as her. It was as if she were a walking encyclopedia, ready to answer any question.
How could someone her age be this accomplished? Did she trade her chest size for wisdom? Even Odin would be envious!
Li Mo, who had initially approached this with a relaxed attitude, began to feel increasingly pressured. It felt like he had gone from studying with a classmate to being tutored by a teacher. This was not on the same level.
"Let's stop here for today."
"Thank you."
These words were like the bell signaling the end of class. Li Mo let out a long sigh of relief. His tense nerves relaxed. It had been a long time since he had studied so seriously, and it reminded him of his school days, which had mostly been spent slacking off.
Yukinoshita Yukino was making tea during this time. The mental exertion from earlier was nothing to her, not even worth considering as a warm-up. As the aroma of tea filled the classroom, Li Mo noticed three cups of tea placed on the long table in front of him.
Sigh...
"Why are there three cups of tea?"
"Hiratsuka-sensei will be here soon."
Hiratsuka Shizuka was like Cao Cao—speak of the devil, and she appears. As soon as Yukinoshita finished speaking, the door to the clubroom opened. The young teacher was still wearing her signature white coat, making one wonder if opening her closet would reveal a row of identical coats. What caught more attention was the gift box-like item she was holding.
—Was that... a cake?
"It seems you two are getting along well?"
"Li-kun is a serious person, though a bit frivolous." Yukinoshita Yukino commented on him with a calm, almost arrogant tone.
Hiratsuka said, "As long as you can get along, that's fine. Today, we have something else to do."
She put down the object in her hands and turned to Li Mo, congratulating him, "Li Mo, happy birthday."
"Huh? Today is my birthday?" Li Mo was surprised.
He vaguely remembered that the original host's birthday was around this time. But the exact date would require him to check his ID. Maybe, just maybe, it was today?
Wait... if today was the original host's birthday, then that would mean he was now eighteen. Officially an adult. Don't tell me that strange illness was related to this! Was it some kind of anti-addiction measure?
Human thoughts are unpredictable. You never know what your brain will come up with in the next second.
Li Mo's suspicious expression was noticed by Hiratsuka. She observed that his surprise and confusion weren't feigned, so she asked, "Don't you remember your own birthday?"
"I never celebrate my birthday, so why would I remember?"
Pushing aside the complicated thoughts in his mind, he decided to explore this further after returning home. Li Mo calmly gave his answer, as if it were no big deal.
"Well... anyway, happy birthday. You have to accept it, otherwise this cake would have been a waste."
Hiratsuka shamelessly said this in front of the two students.
"I understand. Thank you, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Li Mo replied. This was the first time he had received such a blessing at school. It occurred to him that neither the original host nor himself had ever received birthday wishes from classmates.
"Happy birthday." Yukinoshita's expression softened slightly—or was that just his imagination?
"Thank you."
No matter what, blessings from others should be met with gratitude. Li Mo wasn't an ungrateful person... and Hiratsuka-sensei didn't ask him to treat everyone on his birthday, after all.
During the conversation, Hiratsuka had already opened the cake. The delicate cake was divided into three equal portions, each a modest size. Li Mo estimated that it was just enough to eat. It seemed she knew there wouldn't be many people here, so she had chosen a cake of this size.
Li Mo asked, "When is Hiratsuka-sensei's birthday?"
"Oh? Are you planning to celebrate my birthday? The answer is no. I'm not like you, with no friends to celebrate my birthday with. So, Li Mo, try to make some friends this year. Next year, you won't be so lonely on your birthday." Hiratsuka said with a smile.
Li Mo replied, "I think in this room, the person without friends to celebrate their birthday isn't just me."
In the room, there were only Li Mo, Hiratsuka, and Yukinoshita Yukino. The person he was referring to was obvious.
The young teacher turned her gaze to the young girl, who slightly furrowed her brows.
The unattainable flower of Soubu High said, "I take back my earlier evaluation of you, Li-kun. You are a person with a terrible personality."
Yukinoshita's evaluation was negative, but Li Mo just smiled, adopting an attitude of "whatever you say, I'll just agree."
...
Time passed quickly. First, Hiratsuka left. Li Mo and Yukinoshita Yukino were alone for a while. The young man sat with his phone, reading a novel, occasionally shifting his posture in the chair. The young girl's fingers brushed against the pages of her book, making a soft rustling sound. Soon, lunch break ended, and he and Yukinoshita left the clubroom one after the other, returning to the classroom.
After school in the afternoon, Li Mo did not disturb Yukinoshita Yukino during her leisurely time in the Service Club. Instead, he bid her farewell and left. The agreed-upon tutoring time was only during lunch.
He had more important things to do.