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“Thank you so much for your hard work today. Really, I wouldn’t have been able to do all of this without you.”
Setsuna waves her hands in a gentle dismissal, giving the teacher a gentle laugh. “No, I really don’t do anything special! I’m simply fulfilling my duty as student council president.”
“Ah, geez. If only some other students would follow your example.” Her beloved teacher gives her a pat on her head, smoothing out her hair. The delighted beam on Setsuna’s face makes her laugh. “Nakagawa, you’re like a little puppy. So cute!”
“Do I get a treat for being such a good girl?” Setsuna jokes along, feeling a warm red filling her heart.
“Actually, you do!” The teacher reaches into her desk cabinet, taking hold of Setsuna’s hand and placing a small jelly packet. “Here you are! I hope you like apple flavored! Thank you for being such a wonderful student, Nakagawa.”
“It’s… not a problem.” Setsuna stares at the plastic cup in her hand, the warmth of her teacher’s fingers still lingering. “If there’s nothing else you need at this moment, I’ll be taking my leave now. You may find me in the student council room for further assistance.” She bows and leaves quickly, feeling her face starting to get a bit hot as she closes the sliding door.
Just as Setsuna turns, she immediately runs into another student. Pretty hard too, with how much she bounces back. She looks up at the girl to apologize but stops at the sight of a white stick in her mouth. No way. In the prestigious school of Nijigasaki? A delinquent of this level? Surely not!
The crunch that suddenly erupts from the student’s lips interrupts her train of thought. What was believed to be a cigarette in her mouth turned out to be a lollipop as she rolled the broken hard candy on her tongue, the paper stick twirling with its fragments. Bright teeth, sparkling eyes, and luscious hair - Asaka Karin, or in Setsuna’s head, the gyaru delinquent who couldn’t pass a test even if it cost her life. Her lack of discipline or motivation was the very bane of Setsuna’s existence. It was honestly a miracle how she was able to make it to her final year of high school, or so she heard from the student faculty room.
“Teacher’s pet.” Karin laughs a mocking laugh in regards to the fruit snack held so tenderly in her hands. Setsuna’s grip on it tightens in defense, quickly shoving it in her pocket for safekeeping. There’s nothing wrong with being a so-called “teacher’s pet!” At least she works hard for her grades! There have been many times where her beloved teacher would sigh in defeat, refusing to confide in her top student no matter how much she pleaded. But Setsuna knows that it can only be Karin’s lack of attendance and rock-bottom grades being the cause of her distress. If only her own brilliance could make her teacher smile forever...
“S— So what?” The student council vice president’s voice wavers, fear taking control of her vocal chords. She wanted so badly to snap back at the delinquent, yell out an insult, anything to get that stupid smile off her face. But the loving smile of her teacher fresh in her mind prevents her from doing anything more than utter a few words.
“You really love sucking up to that teacher, huh? Almost like you have the hots for her or something.”
Setsuna screams internally, a feverish blush rushing to her face. “How dare you speak of her like that! Uehara sensei isn’t—”
“I wasn't talking about her,” Karin steps forward, Setsuna takes a step back. Before she knows it, her back is against the cold metal of the hallway lockers. The blue-haired third year rests her arm against the locker beside her head, almost trapping Setsuna with her incredibly tall figure. “I was talking about you.”
Her breath hitches in her throat. Setsuna flinches when the delinquent raises her hand and fails to relax when it simply brushes her cheek. Karin’s fingertips are silky smooth, befitting an amateur model with a strict skincare routine. Her fingers reach back and trace the shell of Setsuna’s ear. The second year’s knees buckle lightly in response. She’s never been touched like this before, especially not by some delinquent who she’ll begrudgingly admit is incredibly beautiful. But especially not by some delinquent, and she won’t keel over just because of some physical contact that she so desperately desires!
“You g— got a problem!? M— M— Mind your own bu— business!” Oh man. The intimidation factor was just not there for her. It's nothing like the anime she watches, where the protagonist can brush off some no-name delinquent like the one in front of her. A squeak escapes her throat when Karin gently cups her head in her hands with ghostlike touches, moving closer and closer with every beat of her heart.
“I’ll make you my business.”
“Nakagawa, is there a problem?” Uehara calls out as she slides the faculty door open. The very second she spots the duo, she turns right back around and closes the door without a word.
“Uehara sensei!” Setsuna nearly screeches, shoving the senior off her and reaching for the door. Before she can open it, she shoots a glare towards the delinquent’s nonchalant face. “Go back to your classroom! I’m absolutely certain you still have work to do.” With those parting words, Setsuna rushes in to meet her teacher, the woman holding her face in her hands.
“I— Is something the matter?”
“No… it’s nothing. I never expected you and Asaka to be—”
“Absolutely not! I would rather cut my own hands off! I swear on my life!” Setsuna denies with a guttural, almost violent tone in her voice.
“R… Right.” Uehara hesitates for just a moment, then sighs. “Either way, I have a major favor to ask of you.”
Huh? “Of course! Anything for you, Uehara sensei!”
The woman takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose before letting out a defeated exhale. “The timing was too much of a coincidence… I know I shouldn’t be asking someone in a lower year, but I don’t have any other choice. It’s about Asaka Karin.”
Urgh. “What about her?”
“I need you to tutor her.”
“What!? After what you just witnessed!?” Setsuna begins but is silenced by Uehara’s quick movements to quiet her down.
“It’s really important! I usually would have Verde do it, but she’s out of town at the moment. You’re my only hope for this. Tell you what - If today doesn’t go well, I’ll find someone else. Please?”
With the begging look in Uehara sensei’s eyes, Setsuna almost wants to refuse just to see her reaction. An uneasy feeling begins to rise in her core but her feelings of wanting to make Uehara sensei proud were much stronger. Setsuna sighs and nods, much to her teacher’s delight.
“You’re a lifesaver, Nakagawa! Just help her with the very basics that they’re teaching in your year. She should be able to grasp the rest once she builds a stable foundation. I’m glad you’ve agreed, I can’t thank you enough.”
Setsuna mumbles a quiet, “Yeah…” before bowing and walking out the door, dreading the next two hours.
“Nakagawa.”
“Yes?”
“Are you absolutely certain you and Asaka are not—”
“We aren’t! Have a good evening, please excuse my rudeness!” With a rapid send-off, Setsuna slams the sliding door shut.
Uehara rubs her face and sighs into her hands, resting her elbows on her desk. While she tries to keep her personal life and work life separate, the recent events just reminded her too much of her own youth. After taking a brief moment to collect herself, she picks up her cell phone and dials. Uehara lets out a small sigh of relief when the receiver quickly answers.
“Yuu-chan? It’s me.”
Out of all the students in the massive shopping mall that is Nijigasaki, it had to be her. Her. Her! That flashy delinquent who cares not for her fellow students but for her own pleasure! To think that a teacher would lose all hope in her classmates that she would rely on a younger student for tutoring. Not only that, out of all the students in her grade, many who share the same academic achievements as her, she was the one chosen specifically for this situation. If Setsuna didn't know any better, she'd believe a greater and evil force was at hand.
Setsuna loosens up her jaw, the urge to grind her teeth in rage creeping up ever so slightly. Her movements towards the third year classroom are swift, fueled with an anger unlike anything she's felt before. The rapid clicks of her heels against the tile floors echo endlessly through the long corridors. In her ears, her heart thuds with dread.
Just one session. Only one. Just one! If it does not go well, I will have to resign. There is absolutely no way I will sit there and be humiliated by a so-called senior of mine! Setsuna stops before the third year classroom, the glare in her eyes almost boring a hole through the handle. She takes a few deep breaths. Seven in, eleven out. Seven in, eleven out. While it did not help much to quell her anger, her hands were steady enough to knock on the door before sliding it open.
“Please excuse my rudeness.” She calls out of politeness despite nearly lacking all due respect to the only person who’s supposed to be in the room. And lo and behold, the despicable senior of hers sits at the very front with her legs up on her desk, not a care in the world about her academic appearance. In the light of the setting sun, Karin actually seemed like a peaceful person. Perhaps someone she would have befriended in another life. Setsuna felt a little relief relax her shoulders upon seeing her. At least she didn't ditch entirely.
“Tsk. I was hoping you wouldn't show up. I wanted to stop by somewhere after school.” Wow. Way to ruin the good feeling she started to have about her. Karin swings her legs off the wooden surface, the hard candy in her mouth clicking against her teeth as she adjusts into a new position.
“I don't want to be here either. However, Uehara specifically asked me to help you, so I will do so to the best of my ability. The deciding factor here is how much effort you’re willing to put in.” Setsuna pulls a chair from another desk, spinning it around so she faces Karin. “I hope you’re prepared.”
Setsuna doesn’t understand. Math is a subject that’s simple and straight to the point. It follows the laws of logic and reasoning. Numbers are a universal language. Despite that, Setsuna was going to start ripping her hair out based on the absolute doorknob of a senior in front of her.
“I am going to repeat myself once more. What. Is. The. Pythagorean. Equation.”
Karin scratches her head with the end of her pencil. She squints at the textbook in front of her, as if straining her eyes would help with her understanding. “Is that… the one with the letters? And there’s a two somewhere...”
Oh thank the gods above! Some progress! “Close enough. It is A squared plus B squared equals C squared. Do you know what other variations this theorem could have?”
Setsuna swears she sees a fuse blow in Karin’s head. And it apparently sets her off too, with how Karin furiously scribbles over the equations and crumples up her notebook paper. Setsuna is about to sigh until the crushed paper ball is thrown at her head. She feels a vein throb right where she was hit. Karin drapes over her desk and lets out a guttural groan.
“You actually like doing this stuff!? I hate studying! I wish I could get smart without studying!” Karin whines loudly and thrashes around, reminiscent of a child that was refused a candy.
“What in the world do you not understand!? I’m literally starting from the very beginning!”
“I don’t even know what I don’t understand! None of this makes sense! You’re telling me this letter can be this number and that number, this triangle and that square, I’m going crazy!”
“I’m the one going crazy here! How do you think I feel tutoring someone older than me!?”
Rather than answering her question, Karin yells to the ceiling and plops back on her chair, head thrown back in defeat. Setsuna groans into her hands. Seven, eleven. Seven, eleven.
“I've had enough. If you are not going to be serious, I will inform Uehara sensei about this unsuccessful session.” With a swift swipe of her arm, Setsuna slides her books and pencils into her bag. She does not care to zip it back up as she slings it over her shoulder, making way for the door.
A tug on the bottom of her school sweater prevents her from leaving peacefully. Setsuna swings around with a fierce glare in her eyes, ready to unleash the beast that was growing inside her with every passing second of being in Karin’s presence.
“Don’t go.” Her voice is incredibly weak compared to her snarky comments in the past. Setsuna hesitates and holds her tongue for just a moment. Karin’s eyes soften, falling to her hand that holds Setsuna’s shirt firmly yet gently. “I really need to pass. And I…” She pauses. “Please don't give up on me so quickly.”
Oh, so she can show some humility for once. So long as she stays quiet, Setsuna might be able to tolerate her. If only she stays quiet. Roughly sitting back down on the chair, she clicks her tongue in annoyance.
“You better make this worth it.”
Setsuna plops back down on her office chair with a long sigh. The days have passed by way too quickly for her tastes because of how busy she’s been as of late. Her shoulders were stiff and her neck ached from how much paperwork she had to do today. Club budgets were due soon yet a good chunk of students have not turned in their records. Running around and demanding them from the presidents sure was tiring in the massive school. At least she can rest easy tonight with a significant portion of her responsibilities done. Maybe she can get some extra studying done for her test in a few days. Speaking of tests...
The door to the student council room slides open, not a knock in sight.
“What’s up, Student Council Pres!?”
Not a brain cell in sight either.
Karin strolls in gleefully, humming some energetic song that Setsuna couldn’t understand. The smug smile spread so widely on Karin’s face makes a vein in her head throb. She pulls out a folded paper and unravels it with one swift motion in front of Setsuna’s face, letting out a low chuckle of pride.
“I’m not completely hopeless, because I actually passed for once!”
Setsuna adjusts her glasses, squinting her eyes to see if they were failing her or the constant string of circles is real. Even so, “You barely got 66 points, and one of them is even a pity point because you used the wrong kanji.”
Karin pulls her test back and hugs it defensively, a low blush rising on her cheeks. “A point is a point! What the heck does kanji have to do with math anyways!? And I passed, so you don't have to keep getting on my case about this!”
“What a miracle.” Setsuna deadpans, leaning back into her chair. “Did you come all the way here just for that?”
“Not at all. I’m here for you,” Karin’s voice lowers into a seductive tone. Placing her test aside, she casually claims a seat on Setsuna’s lap, much to the latter’s embarrassment. Slender fingers creep into the loops of her ribbon, undoing them with ease as Karin gingerly takes Setsuna’s glasses off her face. “You said to make the tutoring worth it, right?”
“I— I— I don’t—” Setsuna stammers as quickly as her heart beats. Sure, she always thought Karin was beautiful, but she’s the complete opposite of her! There’s no way she’d get along with a delinquent like her. She gasps as Karin leans down to kiss her neck, trailing small pecks up to her ear. Setsuna can feel her lip gloss staining her flesh, knowing that her makeup will definitely leave a mark that won’t be easily washed away with only water.
“Don’t think I never caught you taking a peek at me every now and then. How else would you be able to scold me for my uniform and makeup?” Karin’s hot whispers tickle Setsuna’s ear, a weakness she didn’t know she had until now. “Relax, I’ll make it all worth it. Just like you asked.”
The heat from Karin’s hands warm Setsuna’s chilled flesh, making her shudder with each move. Setsuna jerks at Karin dragging her manicured nails up her spine, being able to feel the acrylic through her shirt and sweater. How many times has she told her to take those off because of school regulations? It didn’t matter, because every touch from Karin felt way too good.
Karin pulls back, licking her lips in delight at the sight of Setsuna’s feverish face. As if she was begging for more, Setsuna grabs Karin by her collar and roughly pulls her in for a kiss. Compared to Karin’s calculated touches, it’s clumsy due to Setsuna’s sudden movements, more akin to crashing her face against the other. Parting for a breath, Karin adjusts so their lips meld together in a more harmonized manner. When Karin licks the excess saliva off her bottom lip, Setsuna allows entrance, if only reluctantly due to her inexperience. And as a tease, Karin simply pulls back instead, sticking out her tongue with a sly grin.
“Just this once…” Setsuna lets out a little whine as she tugs at the hem of Karin’s shirt. “I’ll let you off the hook for today.”