The curtain was drawn open before I could wake up properly.
Smart home sucks!
I groaned as I got up from my bed, so soft that I could sleep forever. My cat, Turo, got up from the bed, stretched and meowed.
"I thought I said, don't sleep on my bed again", I hissed at her. She stared at me, then meowed again and curled herself back to that same spot. The audacity of my cat.
She's too smart and popular for this world. I got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom. The reflection of my image in the mirror was amazing, though my hair looked like a total bush.
Still pretty though.
"I'm pretty, which means I'll get to him soon enough…I hope"
I hurriedly brushed my teeth in like, what? 2 minutes. Quirks of using electrical brushes.
"Yumiko, come down from there, or when will you get the chance for breakfast, or the chance to marry him in the future?" she called from the kitchen.
I could smell the toast and hear her loud, off-key humming of a popular Japanese song she'd listened to over a million times on the speaker.
I choked on air."MOM"
That was when my brother decided to join in on my mom's teasing."Don't sound so shocked, we're not talking about your grades," he snickered from downstairs.
I could have strangled him if only I hadn't upstairs, in my room, taking my time to wear my school uniform.
"Ren! Shut up"
I finished wearing my uniform, then remembered I hadn't done my homework.
Now he was going to scold me with those beautiful lips of his and double my homework for the week.
I felt dumb almost every time, especially when I was with him.
I could have done the homework now, but I would be running late for the train. School was almost half an hour away from home. That was kinda far, and I didn't like taking the car; it would be such a bother, and trains were way more fun.
I slid down the railings of the staircase and landed smoothly on the floor.
Smirk!
"You finally decided to join us. Did you stumble on some equations, or why do you look like yourself?" Ren asked a stupid question.
I looked at him, dumbfounded and rolled my eyes at him, and took two pieces of toast. Surprisingly, Turo made it down from the room before I did, and she was already stuffing herself with chicken.
"Can't wait for you to come back home for your tutoring class. Arata is such a gentleman," my mom sighed dreamily.
Yes! Something I could always agree with her on.
Ren scoffed, "You only like him because Yumi's failing less- but she's still failing"
I tossed him the half-eaten toast in my hand -Obviously, I missed him only by a slight shift in his head.
My mom made a soft chuckling sound."You'd better get to school, so the day can move faster", she urged me to get up and go.
I gobbled the rest of my toast, and my elder brother stared at me in disgust, shaking his head in disapproval.
I would have punched him if I weren't running late. I wore my shoes at the genkan and stuck my tongue out at my brother. Our stupid AI assistant greeted me goodbye. Gosh! I hated that thing.
I couldn't call what happened a few weeks ago a miracle or fate, just playing with me.
During our homeroom period, Mr Saito had decided to give our class a lecture on being studious. I felt it was directed at me because it felt so similar.
That was it.
He stared in my direction after his wonderful talk. In front of the whole class, he looked at me.
"Amano Yumiko"
He didn't say my name in the normal tone he normally did, and I knew the tone- he had been my homeroom teacher since I started the grade.
"Your grades don't seem to be improving, and it will affect you drastically in the future," he smiled at me.
My heart stopped. No!
Not the public display of my dumbness. I wanted to hide under my table. Everyone knew that I was the lowest-scoring student in the class, but I felt worse now.
"So I arranged something special for you", he said, his dark eyes sparkling.
Something special?
He didn't look it with the way he was grinning and smiling proudly -like it was something to be publicly embarrassing a Yumiko Amano.
"You will be tutored by a student in the class who has agreed to help you. Our amazing and talented top student, Fuji Arata, will be your new tutor."
I gagged on air. Literally.
"Oh my…I mean, that's great. This will be very beneficial for me," I said proudly.
Was this a dream?
Was I dreaming?
"Great. You didn't have a choice anyway. You can talk about the arrangements with him later," he said and left the class.
Oh my God!
I was hyperventilating. Everybody's eyes turned to me.
"Wait…what? Sensei can't be serious. Arata teaching Yumiko?"
"Oh my Yumiko, you're so lucky."
Yes, I was lucky.
I was paired with THE FUJI ARATA.
The boy I have had a crush on since I joined class 2-A. He didn't even glance at me; he was busy with a book, but I didn't care. I was on cloud nine.
I couldn't wait to tell Kaoru over lunch. I wish the class division had made her stay with me, instead of either her coming to my class or I went over to her class.
The classes faded in and out like a blur, and I don't think I grasped anything, because I kept doodling on the pages of my book and daydreaming of my time with him.
Kyaaaahaha~
The bell for lunch rung and I was about to take my bento box with me to Kaoru's class, mom's cooking was always amazing, when I was stopped by Arata.
I felt my heart jumping out of my body and dancing all around the class.
"Follow me to the library", that was the only thing he said, and that alone sent be spiraling round the earth in my brain. His dark brown eyes looked so striking, they shone in the afternoon's glow, looking like dark coffee you'd want to drink up even when you knew it was bitter. His voice sounded so angelic, like my favourite tune playing all day in my head. It was so smooth and cool, it felt like I was listening to my idol speak to ME!
It was like being in a trance, for I was so mesmerised by his beauty. His messy dark hair was tousled so majestically. After what seemed like forever, I managed to say "Yes, but I have to eat" without blushing hard, and that was HARD.
"Bring your notes with you", he turned and left. I just smiled.
Aaaaaaaaah~ so amazing. His voice. Beautiful. Some of the girls around me were scowling and giving me judgmental looks, but I couldn't be bothered.
Arata said to follow him.
I was literally living the dream; none of them could have that. I carried my bento, waved at Sachi, who was busy immersed in another novel and went to the library.
The thing was, I'd never gone to the library. Yes, it seemed silly that a student who'd never have visited their library, but that was the case for me. I didn't have any business there, so I never went, and my school was huge; I never even bothered. I had to ask students for directions to the library and ended up with not only the directions but looks that said, how do you not know where the library is. Are you an idiot? It wasn't like the whole place in the school was mapped in my brain. Like, how could it possibly fit?
"Sorry. I kinda got lost looking for the library." I placed my bento on the table where Arata sat opposite. I felt he was deciding whether to answer or ignore what I'd said.
"How did you get lost? You've never been in the library before, or what?" he said, giving me a look.
My goodness gracious, Arata was talking to me. I cleared my throat, opening my lunch. Clearly, I wasn't going to tell him I'd never been to the library before.
"Well, I don't come here much, so I didn't remember where it was," I said, taking a piece of sushi from my meal. Goodness me, Mom's cooking is amazing. The sushi melted in my mouth, and I couldn't help grumbling in pleasure.
Arata sat beside the whiteboard, where we were staying at the corner of the library, arms folded. "Whatever. Bring your books, I'm going to give you a quick test to see your capabilities, though I know you belong at the very bottom, but for the benefit of doubt, I'll test you," he said.
Well, that was great.
I was recognised as the bottom of the class by my only crush, and I didn't know how to feel bad at all.
I only realised seconds later that I had no idea of the books he was talking about. "Books? What do you mean?" I asked innocently, because I seriously didn't know what he was talking about.
Arata slapped a hand across his face, and WOW. Even the sound sounded so majestic on his skin. Why was everything about him so perfect? He muttered something to himself, and I didn't bother myself with wondering what.
"The books I asked you to bring, where are they?" he asked me, looking with annoyance in his eyes. That gaze could sweep anyone away, and it didn't matter if he was annoyed or angry.
I couldn't blame him because I still had zero idea of the books he was talking about. I was feeling lost, and I had to ask again. "What books?" I asked for a piece of grilled fish from my unfinished lunch.
Hmm~ My mom's cooking is super amazing and tasty.
This time, he was glaring at me. Practically shooting lasers through his eyes, and I gladly accepted them all with a dumb smile on my face.
I am so lucky!
"How am I supposed to tutor a person who doesn't even remember the last thing I asked of her?" he said, but I wasn't stilln't sure what he was talking about.
"How did you not forget your lunch but your books?" This time, he was glaring at me, arms crossed firmly and eyes so deep brown they could drown me into an eternal slumber. I wanted to answer why I hadn't forgotten my lunch, but decided it was best I kept shut.
I scratched my head, because why not?
I was also getting so confused. "Should I go and bring them?" I asked, closing my lunch. I was feeling kinda guilty for not knowing or understanding what he was talking about.
He sighed and said nothing. So he was ignoring me.
He stood up to the board and wrote some characters on it, and what he wrote almost made my ghost come out of my body. It was equations.
EQUATIONS!
Nooooooooooo!!! I hated math after English and Japanese history.
He tore a piece of paper from the books on his side of the table and handed it to me. "Solve what's on the board. You have only 10 minutes to complete it," he said.
"Urr..I don't have a pen to write with, "I said. It was a good excuse, and maybe he would postpone the dumb test and just teach me something today.
He stared blankly at me and removed a black pen with golden highlights from his pocket and gave it to me."Don't worry, you can use this. You won't escape the test", he said flatly. I grinned as I held his pen. I was holding Arata's pen, which I would treasure forever and never use -well, after the test.
He left and went to another part of the library, though I could still see him from a distance.
Okay, so I was having a test right now and definitely not having a mental meltdown.
A test in ten minutes. TEN MINUTES?!
What was I? A calculator in a skirt?
I stared at the questions listed on the board, now my enemy, and stared deeply into its soul. I did the easy part first, the ones I thought were easy -jotting my answers on the piece of paper.
Was it going to take my time?
I didn't care; the first question already looked like squiggles floating in the air, and I couldn't remember a thing Mr Nakamura had taught in class. Maybe because I hadn't revised at all.
Arata was seated far from me. I squinted my eyes to see what he was doing. His eyes were quietly scanning a book -A MATH BOOK, to be precise.
Was he reading it? Like that, like it was some kind of story book, and it was nothing?
Geniuses are definitely built differently.
He was unbothered about me and the test. Like giving someone a pop test from hell was a normal behaviour.
I looked through the questions again and started to think I needed to start at the beginning of my grade again.
I looked in his direction again. He hadn't even noticed, not even a glance. He was far too busy being engrossed in his textbook to pay attention to dumb me.
I sighed dramatically and very loudly. Maybe he'd pity me if I looked pathetic enough.
Nope! Nothing.
Not even a blink in my direction.
Tick tock. Five minutes gone.
My brain? Empty. Completely. Like a deflated melon pan.
When the ten minutes finally finished crawling to death, I dropped the pen on the table (which I'd forever treasure and won't be returning to Arata) and leaned back, stretching my tired arms.
I tried, I thought to myself.
"Done," I said weakly.
He came over just in time, looking at me with an eyebrow raised."You're done. Already?" his voice was striking and revealed a bit of quiet shock, or maybe it was surprise?
"I didn't expect you'd even be able to finish."
Yep!
I know I'm pretty amazing.
"Heh…no", I muttered back, but low so he wouldn't hear. "Just emotionally finished"
I had barely completed a single question from all the questions. Disappointing, wasn't it? I practically did whatever I thought was right and doodled to let the time pass by.
He took the paper from me without saying a word -at least he didn't take his pen. His eyes scanned down the page once…twice…and then he sighed, it was that heavy, disappointing teacher sigh I recognised anywhere.
"You got…three right," he said flatly.
"Out of how many?" I asked hopefully, like I didn't know the number of questions I answered.
"Out of ten"
Wow, he was able to know that without even solving it. Amazing is the word for Arata.
I winced."Oh, that's…progress?"
Wasn't it? I really did my best -well, maybe not.
But still!
He looked up at me, disbelief all over his face. "Progress? You didn't even finish half the questions. And this -" he pointed at one of my answers, "-what is this? You multiplied using the wrong sign"
"Oh, that, I thought it was art practice," I said with a weak smile. His expression didn't move. "What? Well, you thought wrong, Amano-san," he said with a very questioning look. "You're not even trying to think…logically. Are you?"
If this were someone else, they'd probably be annoyed, sad or pouting at everything Arata was saying.
But how could I be?
I mean, he literally called my name while scolding me, and was standing so close to me. Pointing out my mistakes. This was better than nothing.
Aaaaaah~
"I'm sorry. I'll try harder next time," I raised my hands in a fist, to the air, believing I could do it.
"Sure, you will. I'll do the corrections and give you an assignment. I expect it to be submitted tomorrow," he took the board's pen and stood up.
Wait! Didn't he say assignment?
He did, didn't he?
Saved by the bell. We had to return to class. "I'll solve the questions tomorrow. Read your books at home and get a major understanding of the topic, will ya?" he said, not looking at me. He was all too busy packing up his stuff.
I picked up my bento -the only thing I brought and smuggled Arata's pen with me. He hadn't even asked for it, and he barely noticed me smuggling it. The best thing was walking back to class with Arata. We didn't say anything to each other, but I had thought up hundreds of things to say to him -only if I had the chance.
When I got back to class, everyone turned to us, looking like we were some kind of divine being -though Arata definitely was, not me. I was just a pretty, famous and popular girl. The noise from the class stopped, and I gave a wide grin and thumbs up to my seatmates as I walked over to them.
I had just done something no one in the whole of Kawahara High had ever done before. Getting that close to Arata.
I was so lucky. The Arata curse might just be broken by me -or maybe not. Arata doesn't like me yet, but I couldn't care less because I liked him so much I would do anything he asked of me -if I didn't forget.
I remembered later that I still hadn't spoken to Kaoru. But the rumours were sure to spread fast, and she would also know.
Mr Nakamura, the math teacher, entered the class, and I swear, I saw my ghost leave my body. I think this was why I felt I needed to go back to the beginning of my grade, because I never focused on math class. I tried really hard to focus today, but I accidentally placed my head on my table.
It was totally an accident. I promise!
I told myself not to sleep, but I hadn't even realised that I'd dozed off until Sachi nudged me to wake up and said Mr Nakamura had left.
I guess Mr Nakamura was so used to me sleeping in class that he didn't even try to wake me or punish me. But I did try my best not sleep. I put extra effort into staying awake -I guess!
Numbers and Yumiko don't just mix well.