Chapter 7

Over the course of a few days, I spent my evenings tutoring the group of girls. With each passing day, they seemed to slowly be getting better and better at learning and retaining the course material. Yamane-san started getting more and more motivated as time went on. She really wanted to rise up to match with the rest of the class. Still, though, there was a lot of work that needed to be done before. I also noticed a few other things as well. One of them was the fact that the girl who was with Yoshikawa had been keeping an eye on us ever since the incident with Yamane-san happened. It might be a coincidence, but I take note of coincidences. I find them interesting, coincidences. I generally think logically about situations. I look at cause-and-effect relationships: what creates the causes, and what are the effects of those causes? It's something that I was born with, and since birth, I always thought this way. The people around me couldn't believe my thought process. Anyway, I'm getting off on a tangent. After the study session ended, the girls packed up and left. Yamame-san shyly waved at me. I waved back at her, giving her a smile with it. That seemed to make her happy and her friends noticed. They started teasing her about it. 

After they left, the girl who was observing us approached me. 

"Fukushima-kun, hey. Do you have a minute?'

She looked at me with big and warm eyes, like she wanted something from me. 

"Yeah, I guess I do. What do you want?"

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

That is an odd thing for her to say. No, for anyone to say. The way she phrased that makes me think that she wants me to do something that I really don't want to do.

"Sure. If it's something that I can do."

She starts to smile more than she already was.

"Really? Well, I need some help communicating with a fellow classmate."

"Communicating?"

"Yes. See, I've been trying to talk to Tanaka-san, but she's been ignoring me somewhat. 

My goal is to be friends with everyone, and you and she are the only ones who haven't talked to me. And since you sit next to each other and are the only one who she talked to."

I sighed.

"We don't really talk. She's been cold to me too and I'm not really interested in being friends with her."

"Aww. So…you won't help me?"

She grabbed my hand and pulled it closer to her chest. She looked at me, and her eyes started to sparkle, like a sad puppy begging for my help or attention.

"It's not that I don't want to help you, but I don't really see what I can do."

"You two sit next to each other. You're closer to her than I am."

"That's not exactly a high bar."

She sighs. 

"Yeah, I guess you can't help much, can you?"

Her tone made it seem like she was both trying to seduce and guilt-trip me.

"Listen, let's continue this tomorrow and we'll see what happens then."

Her eyes lit back up.

"So you will help me?"

She started getting closer to me, our bodies were inches away from each other. If she stepped any closer, her chest would be pressed up against mine.

"I'll help you if you back off. You're getting too close to me."

Her demeanor changed as she looked down and realized the situation. Her face started to blush a little and she backed off.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I guess I got too carried away."

"You have to be mindful. If you act too friendly to people, especially boys, they'll get the wrong idea, and that'll lead to problems."

She seemed to accept that answer.

"Okay. I'll take your advice: I'll keep my distance."

"Okay."

I start to get up and leave. That is when she stopped me again.

"Say, you didn't say that because you have a crush on me, right?"

"No. The thought hasn't even crossed my mind."

"Are you sure?"

She said that in a teasing manner, looking straight at me with a smile like she already knew my intentions. Well, she was wrong.

"I don't feel anything for you."

Her face changed to a pout.

"You big meanie. You didn't have to be so blunt."

"I'll help you, so could you please not bother me until tomorrow?"

She takes a moment to think, putting her index finger on her chin like she was thinking about something.

"Hmm. I guess. Well, talk to you tomorrow."

A big smile came across her face, giving off a friendly vibe. 

"Sure."

She then takes off and leaves the library. I remained there for a minute, contemplating whether or not I made the right call. Before I could decide, the girl came running back.

"I'm sorry, but one more thing."

"What is it?"

I sounded a little perturbed because I thought she was going to continue asking me or teasing me.

"I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Haruko Tsuchida."

"I'm Tetsuo Fukushima."

She chuckles.

"I already know your name, silly."

"I know, but I wanted to be polite."

She smiles, then nods.

"Well, see ya tomorrow Fukushima-kun."

She left the library again. Maybe helping her was a bad idea, but I was too deep into it now. I didn't want to hear her constantly asking if I turned her down, so it was the smartest move. I don't really know how I'm going to get the two to communicate with each other, but I guess I could see this as a challenge. So, I packed my things and headed toward my dorm. Well, I actually went to my sister's for a minute to check up on her. I got there and knocked on her door.

"It's unlocked, so come on in, big brother."

I opened the door and walked in. I then saw my sister come out of her kitchen dressed in her pajamas. I call it pajamas, but it's not normal. She's wearing her underwear with a white shirt covering her, but slightly unbuttoned. It was unbuttoned enough so that her cleavage was shown, but wasn't fully exposed. 

"You know, you shouldn't be dressed like that, especially with your door unlocked. Speaking of which, why was it unlocked? I thought I told you to always keep it locked."

"Brother, it's fine. I knew you were coming over, so I unlocked it beforehand."

She said that without looking at me. She was preoccupied with whatever it was she was doing.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm making ramen."

"Ramen?"

She never cooked food before, so that was shocking to me.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because, if I'm living on my own, then I'll need to learn how to cook. You're not always going to be here unless you want to move in—."

"No."

I interrupted her because I knew what she was getting at. 

"I'm just joking. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I came by to check up on you."

At this point, she turns to face me.

"Well, as you can see, I am perfectly fine."

She did an exaggerated movement to show her body, indicating that she was physically safe.

"How are you doing with your studies?"

At this point, she got a little annoyed.

"I can ask you the same thing. You're in D Class, so you can't be lacking when it comes to your education."

"Yeah, you're right."

I didn't want to continue with this conversation any longer.

"Anyway, it does seem like you're fine, so I'll leave now before curfew hits."

"Okay big brother, see you in the morning."

I took my leave. It seems like my sister is settling into this school. I'm glad in a way; I've never been good at socializing. That seemed to be Fuka's talent. She is exceptionally well at communicating with others, socializing, and gaining their trust in a relatively quick timeframe. That is something that I was jealous of, but I got over that once I realized that I hate talking to people. It sounds mean-spirited, but it's true. Every person I talked to, I ended up hating in the end. I realized that people were horrible. They all ended up being selfish, entitled, beings that only cared about themselves, disregarding other people's lives. Fuka doesn't have that issue. Maybe she is naive enough to believe that people are all good, or her perception is that bad, but she can interact with anyone effectively. That is a talent that I wish I had. Maybe then I wouldn't be who I am today. I walked down the path to my dorm. When I arrived, I got ready for bed. The next day arrived and after class ended, I saw Tanaka-san get up to leave.

"Hey, Tanaka-san, you got a minute?"

"What is it?"

She said it in such a normal, saddened tone that for a second, I thought she was depressed.

"If you have some time, would you like to check out a cafe?"

The whole room went silent. I don't know if anyone else heard or if it was my imagination, but the entire mood of the room shifted.

"Did you just ask me out on a date?"

The tone in her voice didn't change at all. I would expect something like that to elicit a response from a normal girl, but apparently, she was not normal.

"No, not really. It's just that I wanted to check out this place and I don't have anyone else to go with, since the mood there isn't really designed for individuals."

"Sorry, but I'm busy with something today, so I can't."

She said that so fast. If I was really asking her out, that would've dealt a huge blow to my psyche. She started to walk out of the classroom.

"Wait. Humor me for a few minutes. I just want to see this cafe. If it turns out to be a bust, then we'll leave ASAP. You shouldn't have a problem with that, right?"

I phrased it like that so she'd be more inclined to accept. If I made it seem like I didn't want to spend a lot of time there, maybe that would influence her into accepting. She stood there for a few moments. I couldn't see her face, but I could guess that she was thinking about it.

"I guess I could indulge you for a few minutes."

"Thank you. Let's get going."

I packed up my stuff and we went to the mall. When we got to the cafe, I immediately noticed that the place was packed. I couldn't find an empty seat anywhere for a minute until a group of people got up and left. 

"Over there, we'll take that one."

We went over and took the table. A minute or so went by without us saying anything to one another. Finally, she spoke up.

"You really aren't good at this, are you?"

"Good at what exactly?"

I wasn't too sure what she meant, but I could figure she was talking about the fact that I hadn't struck up a conversation with her.

"Usually when you ask a girl out, you take the lead."

"Well, I didn't really ask you out. I wanted some company to see this cafe."

She stared at me, her look unchanged from when I suggested coming here.

"Men still take the initiative. You should be the one to talk first."

She was needling me about that. I didn't quite know how to respond.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

Then, Tsuchida-san came up to us.

"Wow! Tanaka-chan and Fukushima-kun! What are you two doing here? I didn't know you guys were going out. So, do you…"

"I think it's time for me to leave."

Tanaka-san interrupted Tsuchida-san before she could finish.

"Leave? But we just got here."

"I tagged along because you said you didn't have anybody to go with. Now that Tsuchida-san is here, I don't really see the need for me to be here."

Tsuchida decided to cut in here.

"Oh c'mon. I was about to leave until I saw you two. I didn't mean to ruin the moment."

"Why don't you two tell me what's really up?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that? Nothing's up."

While her face didn't change, there definitely was a negative aura coming off of her.

"This place was busy, and the people who left this table were part of our class, which ended a few minutes ago. That means that they couldn't have been here for more than 5 minutes before leaving. Also, the fact that you are here makes it even more suspicious."

Well, there's no reason to keep up the act. Before Tsuchida spoke, I interrupted her.

"You're right: we set you up. She wanted to talk to you and I manipulated you into following along with her plan."

"I see. Well then, I'll get going."

She got up and started to leave.

"Wait!"

Tsuchida-san stopped her.

"I really want to get to know you Tanaka-san. My goal is to be friends with everyone and you are the only person in the class who hasn't talked to me yet."

Well, I'm sitting right here.

"I appreciate the effort, but I'm not interested in becoming friends with you. Don't take it personally, but I'm not the sociable type and I think you should focus your energy elsewhere."

Tsuchida-san looked saddened.

"But won't you get lonely?"

"I'm not lonely. Being alone isn't exclusive to being lonely. I'll be fine, so stop wasting energy on me."

She left after that. Tsuchida-san then looked at me.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I think I made her mad at you as well."

That wasn't the impression I got from her, but I wasn't going to say that.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." 

Both of us left the cafe and we walked down the path to our dorms. Tsuchida-san began speaking.

"All I wanted was to be friends with Tanaka-san, but I guess that is impossible."

"I wouldn't say it's impossible. If you try hard enough, you might get through to her and start a friendship."

"Do you really think so?"

She turned to face me and her face sparkled with hope and curiosity. I don't think what I said was entirely false. However, I wasn't able to get a read on Tanaka-san. I wasn't able to understand what she was thinking, but I knew that she seemed genuine when she said that.

"One can only hope. I wouldn't give up yet, but don't be too pushy because you might push away any chances."

Tsuchida-san smiled.

"Thank you. I'll take your advice to heart. Maybe one day, all three of us can be best friends."

As she said that, a big smile drew on her face, her eyes closed with excitement. While that is a nice thought, the chances of it happening are pretty low, considering the situation. Tsuchida's phone then made a sound. She took it out and looked at the screen. When she did, while her smile stayed, her eyes changed from the glow, to scared. Very scared. I commented on that.

"Tsuchida-san, is something the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, it's fine. I have to go do something, so I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?'

"Sure. See you tomorrow."

She bowed and took off in a hurry. By the look on her face, whatever was on her phone scared her. She tried to hide it, but that's something you can't hide, no matter how good a poker face you have. Once you experience true fear, all conscious thought and self-control go away and all of your thoughts revolve around the fight or flight mentality. I wonder which she will choose. While thinking about this, I thought it was time to root out the person watching me.

"I know you are there, so you can come out now."

As I said that, a student came out from a nearby tree. It was Tanaka-san.

"I thought that I was concealing myself pretty well."

"So, why were you following us? Did you change your mind about Tsuchida-san's proposal?"

"No."

She said that abruptly.

"So, what is it?"

"I thought that I should explain why I rejected her."

That was unexpected. I never expected her to explain why.

"I'll be blunt: I don't trust her."

"You don't trust her? I know that we are all new students, but that shouldn't…"

"That's not why."

"Okay, then I really don't see…"

"Do you really not feel something around her?"

"Feel something? Well, I'm a teenage…"

"No, not that feeling."

I swear if she interrupts me one more time.

"I'm surprised you don't feel…off around her."

"Off? Off how?"

She sighs.

"Well, I guess if you don't see it, then that's fine. I don't want to get you paranoid."

"If by off, you mean getting a bad feeling around her, like the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?"

"Yes, that's it. When I look at her, I get a bad feeling, like she's hiding something."

"Everyone has skeletons in their closets, but I don't think that it's anything to be concerned about."

"Hmm."

She gave off the impression that she was deep in thought.

"Why tell me this? What makes you think I won't tell her?" 

"I don't care if you tell her. In fact, if you tell her, that might make her stop bothering me, but I figured I give you a reason because of how skilled you are?"

That caught me off guard.

"Skilled?"

She looked up at me.

"Yes, skilled. You were the one who warned the class about the point system, your scores on the quiz a few weeks back, how you protect your sister, and how you are tutoring some classmates."

"How the hell?"

I know that this was the wrong move, but it's something that I needed to know, whether she told the truth or not.

"Have you been following me?"

She took a while before she answered. I could tell she was thinking, but her face remained unchanged, which made it that much harder to read her emotions.

"Every day we leave school, I see you walking with a girl, which I'm assuming is your sister since you don't have the charisma to get a girlfriend. I saw your placement on the quiz and it was pretty high. I also overheard Yoshikawa-kun talking about you helping out a few days ago, so I deduced that you were tutoring some people. Am I wrong in that assumption?"

That hit hard. But, she's been keeping an eye on me. Or, at the very most, she is acutely aware of her surroundings.

"You know, if you are going to insult me with that 'girlfriend comment', you could at least flash a smile to soften the blow."

"Smile? I have no reason to smile now. What I said wasn't a joke."

Okay, so she's terrible at socializing. Noted.

"Anyway, I do find it off-putting that I've been being stalked by you."

I said this intentionally. I wanted to see how she reacted. If she denies it, then that'll help me determine her abilities. If she confesses, then I have a crazy stalker I have to deal with.

"Stalked?"

She answered that in a way that made it seem like she had no idea what I was talking about.

"Well, if you think that I'm stalking you, I guess you can't help it."

Well, that wasn't the answer I hoped to get. It was the best answer in her shoes if she wanted to hide something. 

"Well, I told you everything I wanted you to know. I don't trust Tsuchida-san, so keep an eye on her."

With that, she headed off. Warning me wasn't something that I expected someone like her to do. Maybe she really isn't all that bad. However, I put her warning in the back of my head and continued with my day.