Chapter Two: “The Princess Wants to Appeal to the Prince” — Part Eight

After practice, I came to the bookshop by the station with Iori-senpai. It was a large six-storey shop, each floor devoted to a different genre.

“Is there any section you’d like to look at, Senpai? Actually — do you read much at all normally?”
“…Not really, no. What about you, Himena-chan?”
“I read things occasionally when friends recommend them.”

I didn’t dislike reading — I just never seemed to find the calm, uninterrupted time for it. In practice, I picked up a book almost exclusively when Yuuri had pushed one on me with particular insistence.

“Oh — the exams are coming up, too. Shall we take a look at the study guides section?”

The openly pained face Senpai made at that suggestion was adorable. Because normally she was always so breezy and unruffled.

“Come on, let’s go. It’s on the third floor!”

I said it with my brightest smile, and Senpai reluctantly nodded. The faintly sulky expression that crossed her face was so cute I nearly cried out.
We took the escalator to the third floor and headed to the study guides section. Several series I’d practically lived in during exam season were lined up on the shelves, and the sight of them made me oddly nostalgic.

“Are you good at studying, Himena-chan? You got into this school, after all.”
“Senpai got in too, didn’t she?”
“I came in on a sports recommendation.”

Senpai glanced away with a look of slight embarrassment, and I found myself doing the one thing I’d told myself not to.

“I’m pretty good at studying, actually.”

A complete lie…! I’d barely scraped through the entrance exam, and right up until the last days before it I’d been on Yuuri’s doorstep in tears begging her to tutor me!

“That’s impressive. I’ve never liked studying, going way back. English and maths especially — genuinely terrible.”

A single sideways glance at the maths workbooks was enough to make Iori-senpai’s distaste plain for all to see.

That face right now — it’s so childlike and utterly adorable!!

“Iori-senpai!”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to study together? There’s the pre-test club suspension period coming up too!”

At Sakuraba High, all club activities are suspended for three days before each set of exams. Unless you had special exemption — a tournament coming up, for instance — every club stopped without exception.
Senpai would probably use even that time for solo training — but exams mattered too. A failing grade and remedial classes would affect club activities as well.

“…Studying.”

She murmured it in a voice of undisguised reluctance, and I grabbed her hand firmly.

“Please! It’s so much easier to concentrate with two people, isn’t it? When you’re on your own it’s hard to get motivated.”
“That’s true…”
“Isn’t it, isn’t it?!”

I pushed for her agreement with shameless persistence, and Senpai nodded. She didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic — but under the circumstances, that would have to do.
In any case — a study date with Iori-senpai. That was going to be wonderful, obviously.
Since Senpai wasn’t very strong academically, I might end up teaching her.

“Senpai, that answer’s wrong. Do it wrong again and there’ll be consequences, you know”.

A scenario like that was entirely within the realm of possibility, wasn’t it?!
Oh no. I was getting way too excited.

“Himena-chan? You’ve gone somewhere. What are you thinking about?”
“Oh—!! Sorry, I started imagining our study date and just… drifted away…”

This was too much to look forward to. Thank goodness for exams. I love midterm exams with my whole heart!!