After getting off the train, Yuna-san led us to the cram school. Although we weren't familiar with this part of town, the cram school's name was written on the window of the large building just outside the station's ticket gates. We wouldn't get lost even if we went by ourselves. The cram school was actually quite well-known in our city.
"Woah, so many people~ I guess we aren't the only ones who are trying to study, huh?"
Like Amami-san said, there were a lot of students who were lining up on the first floor, where the reception desk was located. Like us, they were here to register for the summer class. There were a few uniforms among the crowd that I was unfamiliar with.
After we finished registering, we went up the escalator to the classroom where our class would be held.
The room was cool because it had an AC installed in it. There was a large and long blackboard, long desks and chairs. It was the kind of set-up you'd see in lecture halls at famous universities. In addition, there was a camera installed at the back. They would record the content of the lecture and upload it online so we could review it on our own time.
"Alright, that should be enough, I'll leave you guys to your own devices now. If my dumb little sister falls asleep, give her a good spanking for me, okay?"
"I'm not going to do that! If you're done then hurry up and go home!"
"Jeez, fine, fine. It wouldn't hurt to act cuter toward your big sister, you know? Anyway, study hard, everyone. Do your best."
After we said our goodbyes to Yuna-san, we went to secure seats. The ideal spot for me would be the corner in the back where I would try to lay low.
"Where do you want to sit, Yuu?"
"At the front! There are empty spots for all four of us there!"
There were empty seats at the back too, but there were people sitting there already, so we couldn't sit together if we were to sit at the back. Since Amami-san had a tendency to fall asleep during lectures, it would be better to sit together to make sure that she was listening to the lectures properly.
"Let's go to the front then. Don't worry about me, Umi, I'm fine. There's nowhere else to sit anyway. Besides, the desk is right at the center so it's easier to see the board."
"If you say so… What about you, Nina?"
"I'll go wherever you guys go. Ah, you and Rep shouldn't sit next to each other, okay? I don't want to deal with your flirting during the class!"
"What do you mean? We're conscious enough to not do that during class, okay? …Maybe."
"Why did you hesitate at the end there?"
Well, it was true that I'd get distracted if Umi were to sit beside me. I decided to accept Nitta-san's suggestion out of consideration for everyone.
So, we took our seats in the following order from left to right: Nitta-san, me, Amami-san, Umi. Amami-san was sandwiched between Umi and I so we could keep an eye on her. It would be our duty to wake her up if she dozed off.
As for Nitta-san… Well, since she was beside me, I would be the one to help her if she failed to understand something.
"Ehehe, this is my first time sitting between you two when studying~ I'm so excited! I'll be in your care!~"
"Young lady, you aren't thinking of dozing off now, are you? I'll have you know that if you do, I won't let you off unscathed. I don't care about our surroundings, I'll make you experience hell, so be prepared."
"M-Maki-kun… H-Help…"
"Haha, do your best, Amami-san."
Amami-san shot me her puppy-eyes look, but that wouldn't work on me because I'm on Umi's side here. Besides, we were here to study, so I shouldn't spoil Amami-san too much.
Well, she might look like a spoiled child, but as one could see from her exam results, she could do it if she put her mind to it, so I'm sure that she'll take the lecture seriously when it starts.
Not long after, the teacher walked into the class, so we stopped talking and diverted our attention to the blackboard.
It was my first time going to a lecture in a cram school like this. Likely due to the course being their area of expertise, the teacher's explanation was clear and easy to understand for me. They taught us a few tricks to solving exam problems that the school didn't teach us, it was quite interesting.
While I had no problem understanding the contents of the lecture, Amami-san and Nitta-san seemed to be having a hard time.
"Ah, I'm still not done taking notes…"
"Oh crap, I was spaced out for a bit and we're already on the next page…"
They muttered to themselves. The lecture proceeded on the assumption that the students understood the material to some extent, so the pace was faster than at school.
The teacher said that the students were welcome to ask questions anytime if they didn't understand something, but the pace was so fast that before the students could figure out what they didn't understand, the teacher would have already moved on to the next page. Therefore, once you stumbled, it would be hard for you to keep up with the class again.
Since they recorded the lecture, we could rewatch it whenever we wanted to or we could ask the teacher after class. It was quite convenient for me, but I could understand other people having difficulties with this kind of lecturing style.
Despite some of us having trouble with the lecture, it proceeded for ninety minutes.
"Ugh, I thought I was prepared for this, but as expected, it's tough… Did you understand what the teacher said, Ninacchi?"
"To be honest, I didn't understand half of it… What about you two? Well, I'm sure you guys are doing okay."
"I mean, we learned this subject in our first year, you know? Then again, the teacher mostly talked about applied problems, so it's understandable that you'd find it hard. What do you think, Maki?"
"Yeah. It's just the first day, it's normal for you two to stumble a little. You'll get used to this if you keep this up, so don't worry and take your time. And, uh… I guess I'll help you whenever I can."
It would be hard if they were only listening listlessly to the lecture. They had to set a goal for themselves and work to achieve it. If they were to do that, I'm sure they could accomplish a lot in this summer class.
"What a showoff, even though you're just Rep~"
"Buzz off… Also, we have some time until the next class starts. Wanna go somewhere else? The air here is bad."
At my words, the three girls nodded with wry smiles.
I had been concentrating on the lecture, so I didn't think much of it, but when break time came, I could feel the gazes that were sent to our group.
I could hear them muttering about Amami-san's appearance and my presence near her, the same old stupid mutterings that I used to hear. Even though I got used to it, that didn't mean I wouldn't get annoyed hearing it over and over again.
'Seriously, why the hell are you guys ogling girls instead of studying?'
We decided to look for a place where we could take a break together.