Chapter 26: Teach Me, Ms. Chiling

After Yang Xia left, Qian Ling and Yang Mo did almost the same things at home as they had yesterday.

Yang Mo worked on her homework alone, while Qian Ling watched TV downstairs. After a while, Yang Mo came down to join her.

By some coincidence, today’s movie was also a touching one.

Just like yesterday, Yang Mo started shedding tears in the middle of the show.

When she cried, she not only hugged Qian Ling’s arm but almost used Qian Ling’s sleeve to wipe her tears. Luckily, Qian Ling reacted quickly enough to stop her.

“I don’t have any spare clothes to change into right now, so don’t forget that, okay?”

“…Ah, right. I guess I could make do with some old clothes, but are there any that suit Qian Ling as well as this set?”

Thinking about it, Yang Mo finally calmed down and dabbed her face with a tissue from the low table.

This reminded Qian Ling of a similar scene from yesterday.

She startled me when she cried last night too… Looks like this is just her normal behavior.

That’s right, normal—as always, just as it fits into Qian Ling’s current way of life.

Next came washing up, changing into pajamas, and then returning together to Yang Mo’s room.

That’s when Qian Ling realized something was off.

Wait a second…! Why did I just follow along like it was the most natural thing?

How could it ever be normal for two girls to share a bed!

But now, Qian Ling had already changed into those cute pink-and-blue pajamas, and honestly, there was no place more suitable for sleep than this room.

She gently spread her arms, looked down at her pajamas, and let out a soft sigh.

Yang Mo was sitting on the bed, leaning back a little. Seeing this, she straightened up and asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something uncomfortable about those pajamas?”

“No, I just suddenly thought the color is a bit light. Won’t it get dirty easily?”

What she really meant was: I’d like to just sleep somewhere else, but it’s too late for that now.

Qian Ling didn’t plan to let Yang Mo know her true thoughts; she just grumbled as a side note.

So, of course, Yang Mo didn’t catch on.

“I see.”

She thought Qian Ling was still talking about something from when they were watching TV, so she said, “If it’s that, you don’t have to worry. It’s hard to find a replacement for the maid outfit, but I can still find pajamas similar to these.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Qian Ling replied along with her.

Moving on from this topic, Qian Ling noticed a workbook on the desk, along with some pens and stationery.

But she clearly remembered that by this time yesterday, everything had been put away. Could it be that Yang Mo didn’t do very well today?

As she wondered about this, she walked over to take a closer look.

Come to think of it, if the school system here is different from the real world, what’s the curriculum like?

That question made Qian Ling curious.

She turned sideways, sat in the chair by the desk, and picked up the workbook by its spine to take a look.

“Huh? You’re looking at that?”

Yang Mo covered her mouth with one hand, apparently surprised by Qian Ling’s actions.

“Then what did you think I’d look at?”

Qian Ling turned her head and shot back.

Yang Mo circled behind her, pointing her index finger at the illustrated book about marine life in the upper right corner.

“I thought you suddenly got interested in this.”

“That book? It’s not that I’m not interested; I’ll read it later.”

“Ugh… To think there’d be a day when my favorite book loses to homework.”

Yang Mo raised both fists to her chest, her lips forming an “n” shape, clearly showing her reluctance.

Qian Ling ignored her and flipped through a few pages at random.

In the end, she found that it was almost the same as in her own world, and she could understand the parts of the homework Yang Mo needed to work on.

However, if she went a bit further, it would be completely unknown territory for Qian Ling.

“I can solve this one. Want me to teach you?”

She pointed to the workbook, at a question that had been abandoned halfway.

Yang Mo hesitated for a moment, then said, “Yeah, please teach me, Teacher Qian Ling!”

“I can’t handle that title. Please, don’t call me that.”

“I’ll follow Teacher Qian Ling’s teachings closely!”

“……”

And so, Teacher Qian Ling’s little class began.

Qian Ling sat at the desk, working through and explaining each step, while Yang Mo leaned on the back of the chair, craning her neck to watch her solve the problem.

“The key to solving this is the alternate interior angles.”

“First… then…”

“Use this formula…”

“And finally, you get the answer like this.”

Yang Mo nodded along enthusiastically.

“I see! I totally get it now! I didn’t think I’d actually be able to solve it…”

“What do you mean you didn’t think so…”

Qian Ling understood completely and glared at Yang Mo. “You call me ‘teacher’ to flatter me, but are you just hoping to see me mess up?”

“Hehe.”

Yang Mo scratched the back of her head, trying to get by with a goofy laugh.

“But you really are amazing, Qian Ling. You figured out how to do it with just one look.”

Whether she was trying to make up for her words or genuinely expressing her feelings, Qian Ling wasn’t sure.

So she explained, “I’m just relatively better at calculations. If it were something else, I probably couldn’t do it.”

Back when Qian Ling was in school, math really was her best subject.

To her, cold numbers and step-by-step logic were the easiest things to grasp.

Unlike language arts. She’d suffered in that subject before:

How does wanting to eat fish express the author’s feelings of hunger?

That day, her assignment was sent back for revisions and then resubmitted. This time, it got this comment:

Did the author use her own hunger to criticize social inequality? No… I didn’t ask you to revise it like this…

After that, the teacher spent two weeks tutoring her before Qian Ling finally understood which direction to take with those questions.

Now, looking at the silly little blonde girl in front of her, Qian Ling actually felt that she—or rather, the people of this world—were the truly impressive ones.

After all, in this world, students’ schoolwork isn’t as heavy as in reality, but the pace and content of their studies are nearly the same.

That means they’re much more efficient—at least when it comes to schoolwork.

If she were in my world, maybe Yang Mo could be a top student?

And she’s a Magical Girl, too, who might have to miss class if Evil Spirits show up.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Yang Mo again.

Yang Mo noticed her gaze and blinked her pair of clear eyes in confusion.

…Really?

Qian Ling began to doubt her own thoughts again.

Ever since earlier, Yang Mo had been staring at her, as if waiting for something.

Finally, after their eyes met, Yang Mo spoke up.

“Qian Ling, aren’t you going to teach the next problem?”

“No.”

Qian Ling refused flatly, “Solving problems isn’t fun. Why don’t you give it another try yourself?”

“Eh? Then why did you even look at the workbook… Now that you’ve started, shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

Yang Mo spoke the truth in a lighthearted tone.

Qian Ling really had no argument against that, but she felt the same words applied to Yang Mo, too.

You wanted me to look at the picture book just a moment ago, and now you’re stuck to the workbook. Your thoughts change way too fast…

But just as Yang Mo said, Qian Ling had started this, so she ended up agreeing to her request again and again: “Alright, alright.”

And so, she explained the rest of the questions to Yang Mo as well.