"Iroha, do you know why I called you here?"
After letting the other students leave, Hiratsuka Shizuka turned to Isshiki Iroha and said this.
Iroha knew all too well.
So she let out a dry laugh, her big round eyes squinting a little as she presented a soft and endearing demeanor.
"Sorry, teacher. I won't daydream in class again."
"Well, that's not all. You have other issues."
Other issues?
Iroha blinked, her confusion lifting as Shizuka pulled out a test paper.
When she saw her name on the paper along with the score, her smile froze.
Shizuka let out a gentle sigh.
"I understand that sometimes exams can go poorly, but your score this time, compared to your entrance exam results, is not something that can just be explained by a bad day."
"Um…"
Since the school year started, she had indeed been slacking off in her studies.
With her new role as the soccer club manager, her study time had decreased significantly, and now the consequences were here.
"You haven't been studying seriously since the school year began, have you?"
Shizuka's tone was not a question but a firm statement.
"…"
Iroha shrank back a little.
Shizuka's tone was not harsh; on the contrary, it was very gentle. Plus, since she was not much older, she had a sisterly vibe that made her approachable.
But even so, her position as a teacher was undeniable, and her words were not easy for the sensitive Iroha to accept.
"I'm sorry, teacher. I will study harder from now on."
Since Iroha had honestly admitted her mistake and made a promise, Shizuka didn't say anything more in reproach.
She picked up her thermos, opened it, blew on the lid, and took a small sip.
Iroha caught a rich aroma of coffee.
"Alright, you can go back now... Oh, wait. If you find high school courses a bit tough to keep up with, I can help find someone to boost your academic skills."
"Boost my academic skills... Are you recommending me to a cram school, teacher?"
Iroha's face showed clear reluctance.
"No, I can ask some students with good grades to help you."
"That would be troublesome, right? I mean, it would be a hassle for them."
"Not necessarily. Some people are just born with a different personality. It's not about being overly kind; they simply can't ignore someone who's struggling. If you can honestly share your worries, you might be able to move them to help you."
"Really? Are there people like that?"
"Definitely. You just saw one earlier— the girl with long black hair."
Placing the thermos on the table, a sparkle flashed in Shizuka's eyes, and she smiled.
"What do you think? It's a good opportunity."
"Uh…"
That cold Yuki-onna senior? She didn't feel like they would get along well.
Iroha forced a smile, politely declining.
"Um, I think I'll just try harder on my own for a while. Thank you, teacher."
…
As Iroha stepped out of the staff room, she let out a heavy sigh.
For her, this was a major blunder; she hadn't expected her exam scores to drop so much.
She spent ten seconds reflecting on herself and decided to add an extra hour of study time tonight.
After that, she wouldn't dwell on it too much.
She was only a first-year student; with over two years until the entrance exams that would decide her future, she had plenty of time to catch up.
As long as she could return to her previous average performance, it would be fine. She could always work harder in her second year.
Right now, the most urgent thing was the dream she had last night.
That dream, just as she had thought, had come true.
Iroha didn't go straight back to class but stopped by the window in the hallway, resting her chin on the windowsill and gazing out, lost in thought.
Watching a drama featuring herself was a bizarre experience that couldn't be explained by current scientific standards.
Because of this, she couldn't talk to anyone about it. Not even her parents; discussing it would only increase their worries and wouldn't help her at all.
Since that was the case, she had to keep it to herself and silently bear the burden.
After the two dreams from the day before, she had vaguely grasped some patterns.
In both dreams, she woke up shortly after finishing watching two episodes of the drama where she played the lead.
Last night's two episodes had left Iroha feeling anxious, embarrassed, and flustered.
The reason for her mixed emotions was, of course, the content of the drama.
The heartbreaking part was in the third episode, where the main character, Chisato, continued to suffer.
His stepfather and stepmother were involved in a car accident—one died and the other was left paralyzed. At such a young age, he had to endure the unbearable pain of life once more.
The blush and racing heartbeat happened in Episode 4.
The time in this episode jumps forward significantly, but the story starts to lighten up, no longer as heavy as the previous three episodes.
From Iroha's perspective, it feels like the genre has shifted from a drama to something bordering on comedy.
She won't go into too much detail about the comedy, but as for why it's borderline...
Standing by the window, Iroha's face is so flushed it looks like it's about to bleed.
Last night, in her dream, she watched her nine-year-old self on the screen at a hot spring hotel, witnessing her parents' cosplay game, where the knight and succubus switched roles.
And during the time when she was around eleven or twelve, she would often cuddle up to the male lead, trying to mimic the fighting games her parents would play—the ones that were far too embarrassing to watch.
Unlike TV dramas and shows online, the TV screen she saw in her dream would even zoom in on certain scenes, and when the story reached certain points, the background music would suddenly become suggestive.
The main problem was that, in her dream, Iroha had no way to skip these scenes, nor could she turn off the TV or mute the sound.
When she covered her ears and closed her eyes, the scene would automatically pause.
In other words, she had no choice but to watch everything play out, exactly as it was.
Question: What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever experienced?
Iroha's answer: Watching my parents' "intimate" scenes, and the borderline stuff I did with my childhood friend as a kid.
This is why, after washing up this morning, she skipped breakfast and ran straight out of the house.
She has no idea how to face her parents. Every time she sees them, all the embarrassing lines they said and the sounds they made at those moments flood her mind.
It's mental pollution!
Please, no more of those scenes tonight. Just don't come back!
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