Xiao Chun Miura stared at the polite yet distant “Have a good Weekend” from Kanzaki Sou on her phone screen, feeling a wave of helplessness mixed with anxiety rise in her chest.
This wasn’t how she expected things to develop at all.
She had thought that, given their recent interactions, if she asked for academic help, Kanzaki Sou would at least show a bit more patience—maybe even suggest studying together in the Library.
Given the personality of a game’s male lead, such a development was entirely possible.
If that happened, she could naturally and rightfully claim a seat by his side, take up some of his time.
Even if it was just for an hour, it would be a precious chance to be alone together—in every sense, it was a favorable outcome for Xiao Chun Miura.
However, in reality, Kanzaki Sou had simply sent her a set of Review Materials, efficiently ending the conversation without leaving any room for further exchange.
His final words were crisp and direct, making Xiao Chun Miura feel as if she couldn’t continue the conversation any further.
That kind of response was almost like saying, “I don’t want to chat with you right now.”
For Xiao Chun Miura, who had gathered her courage to take action, it was a significant blow… A strong sense of defeat—“I can’t keep the conversation going”—gripped her.
If the other person showed such an attitude, she truly had no way to continue—when someone clearly didn’t want to talk, it was only natural to be ignored if she messaged again.
But more than that, what Xiao Chun Miura feared most was being disliked by Kanzaki Sou for insisting on continuing the topic when he clearly didn’t want to.
That would be irreparable… All her previous efforts would be for nothing.
Xiao Chun Miura didn’t dare to keep probing.
Her attempt, made with such courage, was forced to a halt before yielding any results, and she could only complain bitterly in her heart.
…She could only stare at the silent chat window, and subconsciously opened the Document file.
The Document was neatly formatted, well-presented, with key points highlighted in bold and fine fonts… If she were truly a student struggling to prepare for exams, she would probably feel immensely relieved right now.
However.
Though the Review Materials were indeed useful, they were not what Xiao Chun Miura needed.
Exam prep was just a pretext—what she needed was time, was interaction, was an opportunity to prevent Kanzaki Sou from sparking with Kondo Haruka and Other Heroines during the study period.
“Mutual Help…”
Xiao Chun Miura stared at her phone screen, murmuring the words, a trace of bitterness at the corner of her lips.
He might truly wish to help her, but what she wanted was something entirely different.
A subtle emotion—something like deceit and guilt—crept into Xiao Chun Miura’s heart like a tiny vine.
The girl quickly shook her head.
…No, Xiao Chun Miura, you can’t get soft here… You feel guilty for deceiving him, but he won’t refrain from falling for other girls just because you have a conscience—if anything happens, you’ll be the one who suffers.
At that thought, Xiao Chun Miura shivered all over, her spirits returning and her thoughts becoming clear again.
Why was he so cold just now?
From what she understood about him, even out of courtesy and friendliness, Kanzaki Sou would usually—maybe not much more, but at least “a bit”—say a few extra words.
Xiao Chun Miura buried herself in thought.
…Was Kanzaki Sou, because of how things went when they walked home together last time, feeling that she was causing him trouble, and so began to consciously or unconsciously avoid deeper contact?
Or…was he simply busy outside at the moment?
——Ah.
Could he be with Kondo Haruka??
Did he end the conversation so quickly just to avoid Kondo Haruka’s awkward reactions?
The moment this possibility crossed her mind, Xiao Chun Miura shot up from her chair and began pacing back and forth in her room.
For the rest of the Weekend, the phrase “doing nothing is Chronic Suicide” echoed in Xiao Chun Miura’s mind—and even into her dreams.
The first thing she did upon waking on Monday morning was sit up straight in bed.
Since she hadn’t made any progress on LIME for two days, she could only bring up the matter during Library time—asking Kanzaki Sou to tutor her.
She only hoped he hadn’t been invited away by Kondo Haruka…
With faint dark circles under her eyes, Xiao Chun Miura arrived at school early.
Before the first class began, she hugged a few Textbooks and Notebooks to her chest and headed straight to the back door of Class 1-1.
Because it was still early, there weren’t many people in the classroom.
She took a deep breath, swept her gaze quickly across the room, and soon locked onto the figure sitting quietly by the window, reading.
She remembered that, in the game, Kanzaki Sou always arrived at school early every day.
This was one thing that matched both reality and the game.
Xiao Chun Miura gathered her courage and knocked on the back door of the classroom, then called out to the boy nearby.
Soon, Kanzaki Sou came out into the hallway to meet her.
A few Class 1 students who had already arrived glanced over curiously.
Kanzaki Sou still wore a gentle expression, no different from usual.
“Miura-san, good morning.”
He greeted softly, his smile as gentle as ever.
“Is there something you need?”
“Good morning, Kanzaki-san…”
Xiao Chun Miura tried hard to keep her voice from trembling as she raised the books in her arms slightly, giving a pleading smile tinged with apology.
“I’m really sorry to bother you so early… It’s about the Review Materials you sent over the Weekend—I didn’t quite understand a few points… Would you mind if I took up just a little of your time to ask about them?”
She had practiced this smile for a long time in front of the mirror at home the day before, and the words had been carefully planned in advance.
On the surface, she emphasized “just a little time” to appear considerate and not troublesome.
But in reality, “just now” wasn’t nearly enough time to go over the material, not to mention she had to first specify “what she didn’t understand.”
Kanzaki Sou would certainly decline, then, to make up for it, offer her “other time” for explanation.
Xiao Chun Miura’s true aim was that “other time.”
As expected, Kanzaki Sou’s gaze fell on the books and Notebooks in her arms, which were clearly marked, and then on her slightly uneasy face.
“Right now?”
He sounded uncertain.
“Um! If that’s okay… Ah, it shouldn’t… take up too much of your time, I think…”
Xiao Chun Miura nodded quickly, but her high spirits immediately faltered.
Of course, this was also acting.
Kanzaki Sou hesitated for a moment.
Just as Xiao Chun Miura’s troubled expression was about to crack, he finally spoke.
“Miura-san, it might be difficult to explain everything right now—if you’re free at noon in the Library, would you like to hear it from me there?”
Yes!!!
Xiao Chun Miura clenched her fists inwardly.
“Ah, okay—thank you, Kanzaki-san…”
Yet on the surface, this girl still wore that fragile and pitiable expression.