Let’s take a moment to talk about grades. My grades are fairly decent.
Well, everyone has their own interpretation of “decent.” Usually, from a parent’s perspective, “decent” means “good grades,” and to put it simply, it refers to being in the “upper echelon.”
From a child’s point of view, however, decent grades mean “I managed to scrape by.”
It means I won’t have to repeat a year, I won’t need extra classes, and I don’t feel the need to study hard during break.
That’s right, I’m talking about “average grades.”
My ‘decent’ grades are based on that average.
Most subjects are just slightly above average. My performance in the sciences is… well, let’s just say it’s clearly below average. Not to say I’m far off average, though.
If I were to pick one standout subject, it would be Japanese class.
In Japan, the subject known as “National Language” is where I scored nearly perfect marks.
As mentioned before, since I already had the information organized in my head, I could get a neat score without much worry.
That doesn’t mean I can regurgitate all information about the Japanese language effortlessly, but studying felt somewhat easy; it was just like that.
For someone like me who had never scored above 90 in Korean back in Korea, it was quite a bizarre sensation. Writing still comes more naturally to me here, though.
At first, I thought it was simply an isekai bonus, but after discovering the existence of foreign beings, I changed my perspective.
If there are beings that can directly influence this world, there’s nothing strange about having others who manipulate the information in my head.
Of course, I didn’t dwell on it too much. If I kept thinking about it, I would start debating whether to accept my own identity or not. I would prefer to avoid such a headache. I’ve already got plenty on my mind.
Anyway, back to the main point.
No matter how amazing my Japanese skills may seem to fit into some capability, doing well and teaching others are entirely separate issues, don’t you think?
“Kotone, look at this!”
Yuka proudly showed me a piece of paper with a beaming smile.
I hesitantly took the paper and held it up.
Even if it’s an exam from a private school, they shouldn’t hand out ridiculous questions. It might be a bit tougher than regular entrance exams for other schools, but at the very least, it should be something middle schoolers can handle. After all, considering the curriculum, it’s just a refresher of what they’ve learned in middle school.
Thus, the paper Koko received was indeed something a middle schooler could solve. There was just a sprinkle of content mixed in from the first semester of high school.
And…
“…Impressive.”
“Right?”
“Koko, you did great?”
“Great!”
“Great!”
Yuka answered Koko, who echoed back with excitement.
Well, it was impressive.
What I was holding wasn’t a Japanese exam paper. It was a math test.
It wasn’t perfect, of course, but the circles on the test paper were clearly marked as ’above average.’
That’s right. Although she hasn’t been enrolled yet, Koko scored definitely better than I did in math.
And she had only just begun learning, so there was room for even more improvement ahead.
“Maybe once you teach her, she’ll remember it well?”
Miura muttered, tilting her head.
“Isn’t she just a blank slate? If you write down various things, she remembers them all.”
“I think that’s pushing it a bit.”
Kaworu and Izumi, who peeked over my shoulder to see the test results, said this.
…It’s kind of noisy.
When you start making friends, the acquaintances I already know tend to get grouped off. This isn’t intentional discrimination but rather based on “how and where we met and how close we became.”
In my case, the groupings are ‘from the original work’, ‘same class’, and ‘club.’
The original work group, of course, consists of characters from the source material. Yuka, Shii, Sasaki, Hagiwara, and Nakahara. It’s fascinating how some people who seemed so distant from me are now close.
Same class inevitably refers to my classmates Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita. Even if Suzuki-sensei asked Miura to take care of me, I can’t say that was a completely natural friendship, but now we’re close enough to hang out together.
Finally, the club group consists of Kaworu and Izumi, whom I impulsively joined through the literary club.
These three groups subtly overlap in relationships. Yuka is the original heroine, yet part of the literary club, and Miura seems to have a father who was a character in the original work as well. We can’t forget Yamashita either.
Yet, even with these overlaps, there wasn’t much merging going on—
“Good job, Koko! Awesome!”
Koko looked up at Fukuda with narrow eyes, seemingly pleased as Fukuda praised her, patting her head.
Is she a cat or a dog? She often behaves like a clumsy cat but seems more like a dog in front of those close to her.
Yes.
In this current space, all those characters were gathered together.
Why?
…Maybe it’s because of Koko and me. The biggest overlap among these people is actually me.
*
By the way, the idea of having this ‘group stay’ together came from Kaworu.
[Oh, I completely forgot! We were supposed to have a literary club stay!]
The very next day after Yuka started helping Koko while staying at my house—meaning, the news had already spread to Shii and Yamashita, Miura eagerly jumped in to help, and Fukuda followed along because it seemed fun. It was around lunchtime when Kaworu sent such an email.
[Do you have time? I think we could manage not to crowd the house too much.]
It seemed Kaworu was trying to make a grand finish to the winter break with the literary club stay.
Even though the room is tight, it feels chaotic with six girls—minus me—all around. Shii knows Yuka and Koko, but it’s the first time she’s meeting the other three.
Seeing her a bit flushed, seriously considering whether her clothes would be okay changing, Fukuda, smitten by cuteness, made a fuss to engage her, Miura stopped Fukuda from making more noise, while Yamashita quietly looked at her phone, but somehow seemed to enjoy the situation as he mainly observed Koko and me.
In such a circumstance, I had to eventually explain the situation to Kaworu, who came out to the kitchen for a breather.
[I have to help my sister study.]
[Huh? Why?]
[She has to take the Hanagawa High School entrance exam.]
[Really!?]
Kaworu responded enthusiastically as if it were her own business.
[Then it’s perfect for a stay!]
Why?
The question briefly flashed in my mind, and then all the various advantages came rushing to the forefront.
I turned my gaze back to the open door and inside the room.
The girls were still bustling about.
[So there are plenty of others helping my sister?]
[Really? Then bring them all in! Aren’t they all your juniors?]
“…”
Holding my phone, I briefly placed my hand on my forehead and then put it down again.
[I’ll ask them.]
And I did.
The answer, who knows?
Well, just looking at the situation of so many people gathered in this big house, you can figure it out.
By the way, I learned about the ‘grandmother’s house’ being a ryokan only after heading towards that grandmother’s house located in Gunma Prefecture.
*
A hot spring, ryokan.
Of course, it’s a place often seen in light novels and romantic comedy manga.
With high stone walls enclosing an outdoor bath, and dividing it into men’s and women’s baths, you know, that kind of place.
In everyday life, there would be those goofballs who would attempt to do something outrageous like ‘peeking into the women’s bath.’ The protagonist gets caught up in it and ends up getting beaten up after seeing a girl in the nude…
“…Um.”
Yet, I don’t think there was an episode like that in [Tokyo Slayers]. There was a school trip episode, but that background was set in Kyoto. It’s uncertain whether there was a hot spring or not, but there was more focus on episodes involving yōkai.
So what does this current situation amount to?
I immersed myself in the warm hot spring water and found myself lost in thought.
…This might be something that deviated from the original work. The cause of this would probably be me.
Well, the hot spring itself is nice, but—
Splash!
Koko, who had her head fully submerged, leaped up into the air.
Both Koko and I had fairly long hair which we tied up so it wouldn’t float around in the water.
Of course, I wasn’t worried about Koko’s hair. Koko’s hair wasn’t actually hair but long stretches of skin.
“Koko, great job!”
Fukuda and Kaworu clapped and cheered her on, and with each cheer, Koko seemed to feel even happier.
If there were other people nearby, they might have stopped her, but it was just us here.
Although it’s categorized as men and women, this isn’t a shared space for hotel guests; it seems to be a separate room designed for a big family.
They mentioned it could accommodate ten people. At a glance, it seems more accurate to think of it as a separate pension than simply calling it a ‘room’. Although our group consisted of twelve, there was enough space for all of us regardless.
The shape of the hot spring itself was as I described, an outdoor bath divided by a wall into men’s and women’s sides.
To fit in with the surrounding scenery, a lot of irregularly stacked stones made up a slightly higher wall than a person’s height, and over that, thick bamboo was densely placed.
Unless someone intentionally climbed up or decided to break through the bamboo, there’s not much chance to see the other side, I think.
And, just my thought, if Sasaki were alone in the men’s section, her crossing over would hardly be a big threat. Just having Yuka and Hagiwara around would be enough to handle her. After all, Sasaki’s abilities tend to get devoured by yōkai.
Moreover, it’s improbable for Sasaki to commit such deeds.
“…Are you worried?”
I asked Shii, who was sitting nearby, continuously peering into the men’s section.
“Huh? Ah, it’s just… I feel a bit bad for you being here alone.”
So what are you trying to say?
If Sasaki were to come in here, that would be a significant problem. Unless it were some modern harem with over ten heroines, this wouldn’t fly.
“I’ve been curious for a while.”
Fukuda, who had gotten closer while splashing around, chimed in.
“Is it true you call your brother ‘Onii-chan’? I’ve seen a few girls with older brothers, but this is my first time hearing someone call their brother that.”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
There’s a story behind that ‘Onii-chan.’
It was probably one of Shii’s methods to be the perfect younger sister.
“Why don’t you go see your brother if you’re worried about him?”
“Y-yes!?”
“Being a little sister means you can enter the bath together, right?”
No, that’s typically not how it goes. Unless you’re talking about when you’re incredibly young.
Of course, Fukuda seemed to understand this. He was just trying to mess with Shii.
“Good point, underclassman.”
And Hagiwara, who chimed in with a laid-back tone during that conversation.
“Family members can see each other naked. The same goes for husband and wife. So, I’ll step out for a bit.”
“W-wait, what are you saying?!”
Nakahara, who had been on guard, suddenly sprung up and shouted.
I subtly turned my head to the other side.
“What do you mean husband and wife?! That’s not something high school students should be discussing!”
“Oh, but a woman can marry at sixteen, you know? Didn’t you know?”
“Sota is only fifteen!”
Judging by the laws, it looks like it must have been revised around twenty years from now. I only knew because I looked it up after getting curious while reading a comic.
“M-marriage…”
Shii turned beet red at the mention of that word.
“Such amusing people.”
Fukuda laughed at Nakahara and Hagiwara, who were squabbling.
“I wonder how you guys even became friends?”
Indeed.
I don’t know at all.
It just kind of happened as I went along.
…Wait, is this because I got caught up with some cutlets?
I sighed quietly and looked up at the sky.
It was completely dark.
Even then, honestly, it felt a little warm. I was reaching my limit, but how are they able to stay submerged in hot water for so long?
Seems like what Kaworu’s grandmother said about guests not being abundant during summer seems true.
If there had been an episode in [Tokyo Slayers] about hot springs, it likely wouldn’t have been during the summer.
I wanted to get out soon, but since everyone was still enjoying the hot spring, I decided to just keep quiet.
It seems it’s true that Japanese people love their hot springs.
*
Thus, although it seemed like we were having fun, everyone appeared genuinely earnest about helping Koko learn.
We had all gathered wearing yukatas in the common area of the ryokan… well, it felt more like a ten-person room, if anything.
As I gazed a bit dejectedly at the math test I had scored higher than Koko,
“If you keep this up, you’ll surely get into Hanagawa!”
Kaworu said with a smile, giving me a pat on the back.
“It’s only the first test. I just focused on what I learned. I need to prepare a little better.”
Yuka, who had been quite excited a moment ago, turned serious just by hearing Kaworu’s words.
Noticing her ears turning slightly red, it seemed she recognized she was overly pleased.
“With so many people, if we all chip in a little, we’ll definitely manage.”
Miura chimed in.
Well… that’s a good thing. The fact that Koko could be admitted into our school was certainly a positive matter.
But why do I feel so uneasy about this?
Is it because I fear my careful plan is being disrupted?
“Then let’s do our best!”
Fukuda shouted.
“Oooh!”
The others raised their hands and cheered. Even Sasaki joined in, while Shii followed somewhat shyly.
Hmm…
I don’t know anymore.
Since things have turned out this way, I suppose it’s just time to enjoy the hot spring and head back.
As I looked at Koko, surrounded by people, smiling brightly, I thought that way.
*
The rooms were three in total.
One two-person room presumably meant for a couple, and two four-person rooms.
The two-person room on the second floor had space for two people and a tiny bit left over, so theoretically, one more person could squeeze in, but since our only male, Sasaki, was part of our group, there’s a little issue with room assignments.
Thus, we decided to allocate the two-person room as the fixed space for Sasaki and Shii. She could change her clothes in the girls’ room if she needed.
Although some kids had gotten closer while soaking in the hot spring, the truth remains that there was still a bit of a barrier based on ‘groupings.’
Especially in cases like Nakahara and Hagiwara, who were centered around Sasaki; without Sasaki, there wouldn’t be any central figure.
If left to mingle by group, the two would likely end up isolated.
Initially, the goal was Koko passing the Hanagawa entrance exam, so there weren’t strict rules that everyone had to become friends, but even so, there was no reason to make things awkward among friends in a place we came to enjoy.
As such, we decided to draw lots every day to determine the accommodation arrangements.
Given that it’s only somewhere we’ll sleep briefly, we thought mixing up wouldn’t be a major problem. Of course, Koko and I agreed that we’d stick together, and thus one of our votes counted as a single vote.
On our first night settled, the kids who were sharing with me were Koko, Yuka, Miura, and Hagiwara.
Well, isn’t it a result of Nakahara and Hagiwara not being assigned together?
“Well then, I look forward to it, Hagiwara-senpai.”
Miura awkwardly greeted Hagiwara, the only senior among us.
“Oh, we’ve already bathed together, so there’s no need to be so stiff.”
As Miura laid the futon on the tatami mat, Hagiwara waved gently.
From every angle, she didn’t look like someone who wielded a sword as her line of work; she had a cultured and gentle appearance.
It was amusing to see her deliver a unique sexy joke in such a manner.
Yuka still seemed a little cautious of Hagiwara, while Koko didn’t seem to think much of it.
Seemingly fascinated by the soft futon, Koko made sounds like “Wow?” as she lay on her stomach, feeling it.
The gaze fell upon her.
“She truly shows various surprising aspects.”
“Yeah, I was surprised too.”
Yuka responded to Hagiwara’s remark.
While it did strike me that their words sort of mismatched, the meanings probably weren’t entirely off.
In reality, given Koko’s true identity, one would need to be cautious around Hagiwara… well, at least for now, there hasn’t been any particular problem.
“By the way… Kurosawa.”
“…Yeah.”
When my attention had wandered, Miura spoke up, making me respond slowly.
“So, Koko is that rare child you mentioned?”
“Yeah.”
I had explained it to everyone like that. After all, saying something like she seems to have inherited half foreign blood must be hidden carefully.
“If that’s the case… has she not undergone an IQ test or anything yet?”
“…No.”
I tried to comprehend the meaning behind her words as I replied.
“If so, could it be that Koko might actually have higher intelligence than a regular person?”
“Meaning?”
Yuka interjected. Miura seemed a bit intimidated, then continued speaking.
“What I’m saying is, she could actually be smarter than most people, right? Just look at how she studied today.”
“Oh, so that appearance might just be due to the situation she’s been placed in.”
Hagiwara supported Miura’s assertion.
“…”
So you mean if an IQ test were conducted, she could possibly score 180?
I stared intently at Koko.
I’ve never thought about that.
I wonder if Yuka and Hagiwara were thinking the same as they fixed their eyes curiously on Koko.
“Wow?”
Receiving such looks, Koko expressed a blank face, emitting sounds not much different from her usual ones.
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