Chapter Text
Friday, 20th january
At the classroom of the class 2A, professor Sofue is boring the mind of every single student, it's the last class of the day, and no one can think of anything else but leaving school. Yosuke is no exception, he is almost falling asleep on his seat, his head slowly tilting downwards, before he would wake up, and close his eyes again.
To his and his classmates' rescue, the bell finally rang, meaning that the school day was over. Everyone was packing their things, a few that had already cleaned their desk had left in a hurry, and as always Yosuke was taking his time with his things. Not that he had a lot of things on his desk, he barely took any notes during all his classes, but he was still feeling quite tired. Before he could catch up with his friends that were already waiting outside, professor Sofue called out for Yosuke, standing behind her desk.
“Mr. Hanamura, before you leave, I have something important to discuss with you regarding your final grade.” Ms. Sofue sat down on her desk, and took a few papers from her bag, sorting them out, as she waited.
It's January, which means this is the last trimester, lasting up until the end of march. Usually students do their best during this period, to try to get better grades for their final trimester. And others, well… They do extra exams to not fail and in the worst case scenario, to avoid repeating the same year.
Yosuke froze for a split of a second, glancing back at his friends that were waiting by the door, just chatting, and then again at his teacher waiting. He knew that whatever professor Sofue had to say was definitely not good, after all, he wasn't known to have the best grades, much less at history, he never understood a thing that teacher said, and didn't really bother to study that much, so he was definitely in trouble.
Hanamura let out a sigh that almost sounded like defeat, and he didn't even had talked to the teacher yet. He swung the strap of his bag over his shoulder, and walked over to the teacher’s desk, with his hands clenching into fists, afraid that he was about to hear the news he least wanted to, but only seemed so obvious at this point. He stood in front of Ms. Sofue desk, looking down at the papers for a brief moment, before looking up at her. “What’s up with my grades, teacher?” Yosuke asked as he fidgeted with the strap of his bag without even realizing, due to how nervous he suddenly felt. He looked down at his teacher, and although he asked what she wanted to tell him, deep down he knew already, but still waited.
“Well, as Mr. Hanamura might have noticed, your grades have always been slightly above failing, which by itself is not too bad. However…” Professor Sofue took the last sheet of the couple she had taken from her bag, turning it to Yosuke, giving him a moment for him to read. “As you can see, Mr. Hanamura failed the last exam in the prior trimest, and adding it up with the exam we did in the beginning of this month, your grade is at 2.4, which means it cannot be changed to a 3.”
In high school, the grading system goes from 1 to 5, meaning 1 is the lowest grade, and 5 the highest. Students may pass through the two first trimesters with grades lower than 3, but at the last trimester, they must have all their grades above 3, otherwise they fail.
Yosuke took the paper in his hands, barely believing in what he was seeing. At the top of the page, in the right corner, was written in dark red: 31%. He had never scored so low, not even in this class, although he supposed it made sense, he had been too busy hanging out with his friends, that he really never studied for any exam. He simply stood there, with the paper in his hands, still processing the fact that he was actually failing, in the last trimester. Ms. Sofue waited for some kind of response from Hanamura, putting the other papers back in her bag while she waited, but even when remaining silent for a little longer, Yosuke didnt respond.
“I understand that it's not easy to hear this when the year is ending in two months, but there is no need to panic.” The professor said, taking a slightly softer tone, trying to ease some type of response from her student. He had been the only one at fault for his grade, but she didn't want him to lose hope completely… yet. “There is still a chance for you to pass this class, and avoid repeating this year, but only if you are willing to do another exam in March, before the end of this trimester.” Hanamura finally looked up from the failed exam in his hands, giving the professor a small nod, gesturing for her to continue. He didn't even know what that exam was, if it was difficult or not, but now Yosuke was willing to do everything to pass this class.
“It's an exam with everything we went through this year. And I will be honest with you, it's not an easy one, but if you truly want to pass this class, this year, you will have to study for it.” Ms. Sofue turned more serious at the end, wanting for Yosuke to understand the gravity of the situation. It was a very important exam, and she believed he could get through, but only if he made the effort for it.
“Of course, I understand…” Yosuke was still a bit perplexed, trying to figure out how he was going to turn his grades up. He was never good at studying, he could barely concentrate when on his own, so he needed to figure out some way. He folded the paper of his failed exam, shoving it into his bag, not wanting to keep staring at it anymore, to be reminded of the consequences of his own actions.
“I know this isn't easy to hear, neither do I enjoy giving you this news, but you have a second opportunity to turn things around, alright?” The professor took a posted note that was on her desk, writing something down, before taking the small piece of paper away, handing it to Yosuke. “Here. You can use this study book, Mr. Hanamura. It has a lot of exercises for you to practice and study, and the majority of the questions there are very similar to some on the exam.” Ms. Sofue got up from her seat, walking around the desk, to stop right in front of her student. “And don't forget you’re not alone in this, if you need anything at all, you can call me anytime.”
Yosuke nodded, still a bit bummed out about the fact that he needed to take an extra exam, but there was nothing he could do for now except studying. For real this time. “Thank you, teacher… I’ll make sure to look into the book then.” Despite being disappointed with himself, he appreciated the professor’s help, even if he had no idea how to study everything he had in this past year, in only less than two months. But he would figure it out. He folded the post it note, putting it into his pocket, and turned around to leave the class. Before he could leave the classroom, Ms. Sofue spoke again.
“Oh, besides you’re friends with Mr. Narukami, right? He is one of the best students in this class, he might help you if you ask, no? I imagine it would be better to have someone helping you, than studying alone. But you decide, it's only a suggestion.” With that, Ms. Sofue walked back to her desk, gathering her things to leave. “I’ll look into it. I think Narukami would help me, yeah.” Yosuke said as he was leaving the classroom, more to himself than properly the teacher, but he assumed she heard him. Yu was his friend after all, knowing him, Yosuke was sure he would say yes. His friend’s schedule was a bit more busy than his, but he had a feeling Yu would make some time for him. Hopefully.
Once he gets out of the classroom, Chie and Yukiko are still waiting for him, chatting, but there is no sign of Yu, who would usually wait as well. Yosuke approached Chie, tapping on her shoulder, as the two girls seemed quite focused on their conversation. “Wasn't Yu waiting with you guys?” The two girls fell silent, as they turned to Yosuke. Before Chie answered, her eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion when taking her friend’s disappointed look in his eyes. “Hm? Oh, Yu left not that long ago, he had to get ready to go to work.” Yosuke nodded briefly, remembering that Yu’s new part time job started today, at a small bar in the Shopping District. “But what's that look on your face? What did the teacher tell you, hm?” Chie asked, crossing her arms against her chest, trying to analyze whatever that meaningful look on Yosuke’s face meant.
Hanamura sighed, as he scratched the back of his neck, clearly not wanting to explain what happened back in the classroom, due to embarrassment, but when looking up to his friend’s faces, to what seemed curiosity and worry in their expressions, he knew he had to say something. “Turns out I'm not so great at history… I'm failing actually. But I’ve got an exam that I can do before this trimester ends. I just have to study seriously for this one.” The two girls were left surprised, almost shocked for a moment. They knew that Yosuke wasn't the best at history, but to be failing was another completely different thing. Yukiko broke the silence just a few seconds after, stepping closer to her friend. “So, that means if you pass that final exam, you won't fail the class, right?” Amagi asked with a hint of hopefulness in her tone, relieved when Yosuke nodded firmly, meaning that there was still a chance that he won't get a year behind. “Well, you’ve got to study, but like, really study this time. I don't want you to get behind, so you better take this seriously.” Satonaka sounded serious, making a fist in front of Yosuke’s face. Although she sounded almost as if she was threatening him, he knew that Chie’s tone only came from a place of worry.
He let out a humorless chuckle, putting his hands on his pockets, “Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm thinking about asking Yu for help, since we all know I'd be lost studying alone.” Hanamura replied with a slightly playful tone despite still feeling a bit disappointed, to ease the air between them. Chie shook her head slightly, with a small knowing smile on her face, before giving a little nudge on her friend’s arm. “Sure, sure, Yu will help you out.” Chie turned around, taking Yukiko’s hand in hers, leading the way out of the hallway towards the stairs. “What won't that guy do for you, really…” Satonaka commented a bit more quietly, but it was still meant for Yosuke’s years, as Yukiko let out a quiet chuckle. He followed his friends right behind them, a bit confused by Chie’s comment. Yu was someone who enjoyed helping others, right? Or at least that's what Yosuke thought, his friend was always there for him… But why did her comment make him feel a bit warm inside…?
Later that day, the trio had already gone home, considering it was almost 3AM in the morning, they should have been asleep by now, but Yosuke was wide awake in his bed, unable to sleep. Good thing that he didn't have classes tomorrow. He was tired, but wanted to wait for Yu to get off work, to ask him about how his shift was, and of course, to know if his friend could help him study. He looked over to the digital clock on the nightside table, sighing when seeing that it was only 2:42AM. Yosuke didn't say anything to his parents about his grades yet, he couldn't. They would go crazy if they found out he was failing. He even tried to keep them from knowing all of his grades, but his parents were aware that he was a mediocre student. They just had to remain in the dark about his final grade for now.
Yosuke sat up on his bed, letting out a yawn, looking around. He didn't feel like getting up to play videogames on the floor while waiting, but he also didn't want to continue staring at his ceiling while laying down, so with great effort, he got out of bed, to start his console. He was more distracted with the game he was playing, which made time pass by faster. Before he realized, it was past 3 o’clock, meaning that at that time Yu was leaving work. Yosuke didn't want to seem too eager to talk to his friend, so he continued playing for a few more minutes, until he couldn't wait any longer, and finally called his friend. The phone rang for a while, Yosuke almost hung up, but then at the last second, he heard that familiar voice from the other side of the line.
“Hello? Yosuke? What are you doing up so late?” Yu asked, with a few more voices in the background, as he was in the locker room, getting ready to leave. “Ah, hi- Yeah, I know it's late, but I wanted to know how your first day of work went, and all of that.” He positioned the flip phone between his head and shoulder, as he disconnected the console from the television, to get comfortable and go back to bed. Hanamura was going to ask for Yu’s help, of course, but he didn't want to seem like that was his only interest from this conversation, he was curious for his friend as well. “Oh, it went quite well, actually. I'm going to be in training for this week, and the next, but it was fun.” As Narukami left the locker rooms, the background voices faded, turning his voice more clear, making Yosuke notice that his friend sounded quite tired. “That's good to hear. I hope your training goes well then. It just kinda sucks that it's at night, no?” Yosuke asked, finally laying back down on his bed, pulling the bedsheets over him. “Yes, that part is not great, but it's only two days a week, so it's not so bad.” Yu left the bar, walking into the almost silent road, as there were barely any people on the street.
“Mhm, I get that…” Yosuke let out another yawn, turning to his side, as he placed the phone next to his pillow, closing his eyes for a moment. “I also needed to talk to you about something, I kinda need a favor from you.” Although he had been all this time since he got home wide awake, unable to sleep, Yosuke was now feeling a bit sleepy, relieved to be talking to Yu. “Hm? What is it?” Yosuke hesitated for a second there, before answering. It was Yu, his friend, there was no need for that hesitation, but he felt quite embarrassed to say it out loud regardless, knowing that if he studied more, this could have been avoided. “I need you to help me study for a bit… maybe for around two months..?” Hanamura took his friend’s silence on the other line for confusion, wanting for him to elaborate a bit further. He let out another sigh, as he rubbed his eyes. “Look, I'm failing history, Ms. Sofue told me today at the end of the class, and if and don't want to fail and repeat this entire year- which I clearly don't want to, I need to do an extra exam by the end of this trimester. And I seriously needed your help, dude.” For a moment the only thing Yosuke heard from the other side of the line was a quiet hum from his friend, probably thinking about his request.
“Of course, I’ll help you with that.” Yu answered, already half way through his way home, feeling cold. It was very chilly outside, he didn't quite feel the tip of his fingers, but his way back home wasn't too long. “We can study after school, either at my place or your-” Yu was immediately cut off, as Yosuke said urgently, “Your place- Uh, yeah, we can't really study in my house, I, um.. I may or may not have not told my parents that I failed my last exam, so… We can't really be here.” Narukami was surprised for a moment, for being suddenly cut off, but then, he let out a soft chuckle. “Don't worry, it's fine staying at my place. I'm sure neither my uncle nor Nanako would mind.” After that, Yu heard a sigh of relief from the other side of the line, making a little smile appear on his lips. “Thank you, man, seriously. I know I have to study and all of that, but I don't even know where to begin, you know? There is so much stuff to go over.”
“There is, yes. This class was quite extensive this year, but it's not impossible to get a good grade. Or at least good enough for you to pass.” Yu could already see Dojima's residence at the end of the street, feeling relieved that soon enough, he will be warm, in bed. “Thats good… I mean, I'm not exactly confident about the exam, but if you think it's possible, I trust your judgement.” Yosuke replied joking a little, but there was some truth to that statement, he didn't necessarily believe in himself to the fullest, however, with Yu’s guidance he felt a bit better.
“I do, yes. You can always do everything you put your mind into, so I believe in you.”
Yu waited for his friend to reply, with anything really… but for a while there was only silence on the other side of the line. “Dude..? Are you there?”
“Ah, yes- yes, I'm here, sorry,” Yosuke quickly replied, as he rubbed his eyes, fighting his sleep now, as he felt truly tired. Not that he had fallen asleep just now, Yu’s words made him think for a moment, feeling that warm sensation again, but eventually forgot to say something. “My bad, I guess I'm getting kinda sleepy. But we’ll talk tomorrow, yeah?” Narukami couldn't say he wasn't slightly disappointed, however it was past 3AM, and the two of them clearly needed to rest, even if he was enjoying his friend’s company. “Sure, we’ll talk tomorrow. I'm already at the front door of my house, so I should go too.” As he said that, the sound of the front door being unlocked, and then closed could be heard from the other side of the line. “Alright, then. Good night, dude. Bye.” Then Yu replied, “You too, bye-bye.” before hanging up.
Yu put the phone back in his pocket as he walked slowly through the hallway, and then up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible, considering Nanako, and probably Dojima, were asleep. Although exhausted, he was looking forward to having Yosuke there, even if it was just some sort of tutoring, Yu was happy to have his friend there. Yosuke yawned as he closed his flip phone, placing it back on the nightstand. When just less than an hour ago, he was restless, unable to sleep, thinking about his friend, now he was already falling asleep, after talking to Yu, more at ease knowing he was going to have his friend’s help, knowing that he wasn't alone in this.