───● The Literary High School Girl’s Secret ●○●

It was Saturday. To get to my tutoring session with Shiori-chan, same as always, I was on the train in the early afternoon.

While sending Shiori-chan a message to let her know I’d be there soon, I took the opportunity to reply to some other people on social media. That’s when Mizuho’s name caught my eye, and I remembered bumping into her at the boy’s bar the other day.

That was a seriously close call, but it was a huge help that Mizuho promised to keep it a secret. The peace of my university life has been preserved… I have a feeling nothing good would come from a rumor spreading that I’m some shady guy who works at a boy’s bar…

Still, I wonder who Mizuho’s “fated person” is. I can’t think of anyone who works at our place with slicked-back hair… I want to help her if I can, but I have way too little information. I don’t really get a chance to poke into the other boys’ private lives, and those guys are all masters at looking way younger than they are, so I have no idea how old any of them even are…

After another ten minutes of rocking along on the train, I arrived at the station closest to Shiori-chan’s house. Stepping off the train and looking up, I saw a cloudless blue sky stretching out before me. We were on the doorstep of summer. The sunlight was already scorching my skin.

When I was first asked to tutor a high school girl, I was honestly worried about how things would turn out, but so far everything has been proceeding without a single problem.

Shiori-chan’s grades are steadily improving, and our relationship is good. It’s almost emotional to think that I’ve already been to her house to tutor her more than ten times now.

As I walked from the station to Shiori-chan’s house, I ran a mental check of what we needed to cover today.

Check her homework, go over the answers… and she said she got her school test results back, so I want to review those too.

Lost in thought, I walked past the spot where I got cornered by that model scout or whatever he was. Come to think of it, Shiori-chan was pretty funny back then.

“H-Hmph, you’ve got quite the mouth on you. Do you have any idea in whose presence you stand?”

“…Pfft.”

I know it’s rude, but even remembering it now, I can’t help but laugh. To think that a girl who’s usually so quiet would create such a bizarre character and try so hard, all just to save me. I was happy she cared that much, and I feel like, in the end, that incident helped advance the trust between me and Shiori-chan a little.

I managed to choke back my laughter… but then I thought about it a little more.

I mentioned it to her at the time, but I still feel like there’s some kind of wall between us. Not so much a wall, but more like she’s hiding something… Of course, as long as you’re human, it’s not strange to have one or two things you want to keep hidden. But with Shiori-chan, it feels like… something more fundamental, like she’s not showing me her true self.

This is a world where the gender ratio is all messed up. It’s possible she’s trying way too hard to be her “best self” when welcoming a guy like me into her life.

Just as I was thinking that, I arrived in front of Shiori-chan’s house.

“Well, no need to rush things, I guess.”

When she saved me, I told her I wanted to see all her different sides, and she said she’d “think about it.” I guess I’ll just have to wait patiently. There’s no need to rush closing the distance between us.

It would be nice if, little by little, she could come to trust me as her tutor. At the very least, I plan on teaching her until her entrance exams are over.

And so, resolved to do my job to the best of my ability again today, I pressed the doorbell of the magnificent house.

“Hello, Masato-sama. Thank you for coming today.”

“Hi, Shiori-chan. Let’s have another good session today~”

When I entered Shiori-chan’s room, she greeted me in her usual prim-and-proper lady mode.

“It’s starting to get pretty hot, huh. I was sweating just from the walk from the station.”

“It’s already summer, after all. If you’d like, shall I lend you a towel?”

“No, it’s okay, I wiped off with a body sheet earlier. Thanks, though.”

When dealing with a girl at this age, these kinds of personal care items are essential. It’s over if she starts finding me gross… I can’t afford to get fired from this tutoring job that supports my entire life!

“Is that so… Ah, if you’d like, I can lend you the shower as well, so please feel free to ask at any time, okay?”

“Uh…? Thanks, but I’m okay?”

“Are you sure? Please don’t hesitate at all, alright? Even after the tutoring session is over is fine, you know? Oh, our bath is quite spacious. It’s big enough for even Masato-sama to stretch his legs out.”

“O-Oh, is that so. Well, maybe I’ll take you up on that if I get the chance…?”

What the? Why is she pushing the bath on me so hard?

“This is amazing! Your scores are up from the last test in every single subject!”

“Yes. This is all thanks to Masato-sama’s excellent guidance. Thank you very much.”

“No, no! This is simply because you worked so hard, Shiori-chan!”

After we finished checking her homework, I was looking over Shiori-chan’s test. Knowing her previous scores made seeing them go up like this really gratifying. Shiori-chan says it’s because of me, but it’s hard to believe her scores would jump this much from just one session a week, so this result is proof that she’s been studying hard on weekdays, too.

“Man, this is great. If your grades keep going up like this, you might even be able to get in on a recommendation. Let’s keep up the good work.”

“Yes, I look forward to your continued guidance and encouragement.”

Shiori-chan bowed her head respectfully. Her movements are so graceful, she has this incredible elegance… It’s so intense it’s almost intimidating.

Still, this makes me happy. Oh, that’s right.

“Since your test results were this good, I’d like to give you some kind of reward…”

“…!?”

Yeah, I think it’s better to have some kind of compensation for hard work.

Motivation is important… Maybe I should have bought some sweets at the station?

“Is there anything you’d like, Shiori-chan?”

“!? W-What I’d like…? Um, well… how far… is okay…?”

Huh? How far? Oh, is she worried about the price? She doesn’t have to worry about that. Between my tutoring gig and the bar, I’m earning an amount you wouldn’t expect a university student part-timer to make. Of course, I still have the goal of paying back my scholarship, but I don’t waste money, so I’ve got some leeway. I even bought Yuka-chan some basketball shoes the other day.

So, let’s see.

“Don’t worry about it. Anything is fine, okay?”

“A-Anything!?”

Whoa, she practically shrieked. You can make a sound like that, Shiori-chan? On top of that, she just shot up from the chair she was sitting in.

I-Is there something she wants that badly…?

“Y-You just said anything, didn’t you…?”

“Uh, yeah, you can do whatever you like…”

“W-Whatever I like…!?”

Right before my eyes, Shiori-chan’s face turned beet red. Uh, what’s going on? Is she that embarrassed just to name her favorite food…?

Shiori-chan’s breathing was starting to get ragged. What in the world is wrong with her?

“I-I’m going to go pick some flowers for a moment!”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

With incredible speed, Shiori-chan bolted for the restroom.

…Huh? Did I say something wrong? Could she be the super-stoic type who doesn’t want things like rewards?

I should apologize if I said something rude… but I’ve heard that apologizing without really knowing why isn’t a great idea…

For now, I decided to take a drink of the barley tea sitting on the desk.

Mmm, it’s nice and cold. Delicious.

With nothing else to do, I looked over her test paper again. Yep, yep, she did really well…

…Some time passed. I happened to glance at the clock. It had been about ten minutes since Shiori-chan headed to the restroom.

…Hey, isn’t that way too long? Is she okay?

“Okay, so think about it by the time I come next week, alright?”

“Y-Yes, I understand. Something sweet, you say. I do like sweets…”

When Shiori-chan came back after a while, I asked her if she disliked sweets, and she replied, “I like them…” looking incredibly exhausted, which was a relief. But why was she so tired?

“Ah, and if it’s alright with you…”

“Hm?”

Just as we were about to get back to studying, Shiori-chan spoke up.

“U-Um, p-ph…”

“Ph…?”

In a voice that was barely a whisper, Shiori-chan started to say something. What is it? In situations like this, it’s best to wait patiently.

“Ph… Phot… I’d like to study social studies!”

“Social studies? Ah, I see. You’re right, you could have gotten a few more points in Japanese History on this test, couldn’t you?”

“Yes, exactly. I would really like to review it…”

Hmm. I don’t mind at all, but…

I looked at Shiori-chan, who was laughing, fufufu.

Somehow, I had a feeling that what Shiori-chan really wanted to say was something else entirely.

“The mock exam is next. You’d better do your best, okay?”

“O-Of course. I’m confident!”

The day’s lesson ended, and it was now past 6 PM. Shiori-chan’s concentration seemed to be waning a bit, so we wrapped up early today. She’s probably just tired after her test.

“Alright, I’m heading out. Great work today!”

“…Thank you again for today. Until next time… Ah!”

Just as I stepped out the door and was about to leave, Shiori-chan let out a cry as if she’d just remembered something. …? What’s up?

“…What’s wrong?”

“Um… uh…”

Shiori-chan held the phone she’d taken out of her pocket, her hand waving about unsteadily. …And in that moment, I finally understood.

I understood what Shiori-chan had been trying to suggest earlier.

So, what should I do?

“Hey, Shiori-chan.”

“Hweh?”

I’m sure this kind of thing is hard for a girl to bring up.

“Wanna take a picture?”

“Eh…?”

“Well, the person who’s kind of like my guardian has been asking what kind of girl I’m tutoring. So if you’re okay with it, would you take a picture with me?”

“…Y-Yes, of course! I’d be happy to!”

“Mm… good.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. …Ah, but I don’t have any of those fancy selfie apps. Well, the normal camera should be fine, right…? Wait, am I being totally insensitive right now!? Ah, well, too late now. I’ll just have to hope she forgives me for this.

“…Okay, I’m taking it, so come over here.”

“Yes… Wait, eh!?”

To get us both in the frame, I pressed my shoulder right up against Shiori-chan’s. I haven’t taken many selfies, so I’m not really sure what I’m doing…

“Here we go~ Say cheese.”

“Ah…!”

The moment I snapped the picture, a faint scent of shampoo drifted from Shiori-chan’s hair. Taking a picture with a girl is pretty embarrassing, huh.

“Okay, thanks! I’ll send it to you too, just in case. Well, see you next week!”

As if to cover up my embarrassment, I left Shiori-chan’s house. The last expression I saw on her face was one of frozen shock.

I shouldn’t do things I’m not used to… but, well, if it helped her trust me even a little, then I’m happy.

On the train ride home.

I sent the picture we just took to Shiori-chan and put my phone away. Peeking out the window, I saw the evening sun was already starting to set.

I wonder if I managed to close the distance with Shiori-chan, even just a little.

I wish she would open up to me and talk without being so tense… I can’t help but think she’d be more comfortable that way, too.

I stretched my arms out wide.

I looked at the two-shot photo again. Maybe she was surprised by how sudden it was, because Shiori-chan’s expression is even more stiff than usual.

…Come to think of it, taking a two-shot is pretty close-contact. Does this count as sexual harassment…?

Ah, but in a world where there are fewer men, maybe… it’s fine?

“Well, whatever happens, happens, I guess.”

Giving up on the thought, I closed my eyes. I was a bit tired, having worked the late shift at the bar last night. I’ll rest, even if it’s just for a little while.

At that time, I was completely unaware.

That all these words and actions I had repeated up until now…Would end up tightening the noose around my own neck.

[ Case of Shiori Shinomiya 2 ]

>Group Chat Name: Gathering of Saints (4)

(Shiori posts a cropped photo of a man’s chest/chin and the top of her head)

Shiori (Right):
I went and took a picture☆

Shiori (Right):
Oh my~! Sorry, soooorry!
Sowwy that my private tutor is such a cool guy☆

Shiori (Right):
I’m not introducing him to you guys even if you cry and beg, okay?☆

Squirrel Icon (Left):
Whoa, for real. Also, you’re way too close. Lewd.

Squirrel Icon (Left):
You can definitely get some at that distance.

Rose Icon (Left):
I was thinking “Whoa, seriously?…” but…

Rose Icon (Left):
Shiori, your face is gross LMAOOOOOO

Panda Icon (Left):
LOLOLOL What is up with that face Shiori LOLOL

Panda Icon (Left):
You’re making a face that looks like it’s making a “Duhuhuhu” sound LOLOL

Panda Icon (Left):
I can’t believe you actually sent this LOLOL

Is it okay if I just paint over your face?

Squirrel Icon (Left):
For real lol. I was looking at the hot guy so I didn’t even notice lol

Squirrel Icon (Left):
“Pure and Innocent” (lol) my ass. That’s just the face of a perverted brat.

Rose Icon (Left):
Give it up, Shiori LOLOL
Pairing Shiori with this hot guy is way too much of a stretch LOLOL

Panda Icon(Left) :

Eeewww my stomach hurts lol

——Shinomiya Shiori has left the group