Three minutes had passed since Luna and I arrived in the classroom. It took every second in those three minutes for us to regain our breath. Once we did, Yu, who had been waiting patiently, asked, "Sooooo, are we going to start studying or what?"
At the mention of studying, Luna sank deeper into her desk. Not that I could blame her. The very idea of studying filled me with so much despair that I could hardly even describe it.
"Fineeee," Luna groaned, reluctantly pushing herself off her desk.
Helping her out a bit, I grabbed her bag and threw it onto her desk. She took out multiple notebooks and a pencil case before placing her bag back onto the ground.
"Okay," she said flatly. "Let's just get this over with."
Since it was a study period, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted as long as it didn't disrupt the class.
I picked up my desk and placed it next to Luna's, while Yu carried his chair and sat directly in front of her, the two of them sharing a desk. It was a little messy having both of their notes sprawled on one desk, and I always say that they can use mine since I won't be studying, but they never do. I guess it was more comforting sitting next to someone who could relate to your struggles.
Though I took out my phone to pass the time, all I could pay attention to was the distinct murmur of the classroom. There were more hushed murmurs than usual, and all of them came from the same place.
I leaned back until I could make out a large study group of students in the corner of my eye. Circling around the perimeter of the group was Mei, going from one person to the next.
"Mei, I don't know how to do this. Can you help me?"
"Sure! I'll be right there."
"Sorry, but could you help me next?"
"Me too, please!"
…Some things never change.
I lay my torso onto the desk, resting my head in my arms, as I eavesdropped on the conversation. Mei's desk, like everyone else's, was covered with countless textbooks and notebooks. However, since class started, she hadn't been able to touch her own work.
"Mei, shouldn't you be focusing on your own studies? It's okay if you can't help us," one of her classmates assured her, her voice laced with a hint of apprehension.
"No, it's fine. One of the best ways to learn is to teach people! So I actually look forward to this!" Mei replied brightly.
I couldn't help but shake my head. Every year, I've had Mei in at least one of my classes. And it went like this every exam season. The teacher was right there if you needed help, yet they always came to Mei.
In a way, I could understand where they were coming from. It was a lot easier to ask for help from one of your friends than from the teacher. But at some point, they have to realize that they're just being more of a burden. Yet you still can't stop because it's not like you could understand without any guidance. It really was a lose-lose.
"Uh, Hoshino, I need a little help..."
At the same time the voice called for me, the eraser end of a pencil poked my cheek. I lifted my head and turned to the side. Luna pulled her pencil back with an embarrassed, yet slightly guilty expression.
"Sorry," she murmured. "Did I bother you?"
I shook my head. "No, it's fine. The only reason I'm in class is to help you two, anyway."
I leaned in closer to her until I could see her notebook.
"So what did you need help with?"
She pointed to a specific question with the tip of her pencil.
"This one."
I quickly read through the question. It was a math problem, so it didn't take me long to understand. Math was always my best subject.
"Okay, I get it. So how you do it is…"
As I was about to explain to Luna, I noticed Yu's pencil had stopped. In the very next second—he was scrambling through his notebook, the pages loudly crashing together as he flipped through page after page.
Luna and I, who were slightly disturbed, couldn't help but stare at him. Eventually, he arrived on a specific page and stopped. The page was littered with countless messy lead scratches that were supposed to be math equations.
He slowly glanced up at me—and finally noticed that I was staring at him.
A small "Ah" came out of him.
I sighed.
"...Do you need help too?"
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Hahaha…. yeah. Sorry."
"Don't be," I replied flatly.
I wouldn't have been able to teach both of them if I had remained seated, so even if it was a little bit of a pain, I stood up and ripped a blank page from Yu's notebook.
I placed it at the center of the desk where both of them could see and began walking them through their questions step by step. They struggled at first, but over time, Yu grasped the concept. When he did, he explained it to Luna. Then she got it too.
The rest of the study session proceeded in the same manner. And every time they managed to understand, something close to a smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
But I quickly sat back down and returned to my phone before either of them could notice.
And that's how the remainder of the period went. Whenever they needed help, they'd call me, and I'd be there.
***
"Hahhhhh, I'm so tireddddddd," Luna groaned as she leaned back against her chair, her arms hanging at her sides.
There were only about ten minutes left until class ended, so Luna and Yu decided to take a break and resume studying when the next period started.
Luna was clearly exhausted. Yu, however, didn't seem bothered. Actually, the minute they decided to take a break, he immediately pulled out his phone. His thumbs hadn't stopped moving since.
Luna and I exchanged a glance.
It has to be her, right?
"I was thinking the same thing! It's the only logical explanation!"
We both nodded, then turned to Yu with childlike glee.
"Soooo," Luna said, leaning teasingly toward Yu. "How was your dateeeee?"
Yu didn't react in the slightest, but I didn't miss the slight shade of pink his cheeks took.
"It was good," he replied nonchalantly.
Before I even realized it, a grin crept onto my face.
"You don't have to act so cool. You can be a little honest with us. How did it go? Did you maybe… hold hands?!"
Yu's eyes widened as he looked up from his phone.
"N-no! That's not–"
Luna squealed. "Oh my god! Or did you kiss?!"
"Will you let me talk?!" he pleaded, hiding his face in his hands.
I couldn't help but laugh seeing him act like this.
This is what I like to see!
Yu didn't say anything else after that as he took a moment to compose himself. Luna inched onto the edge of her seat, struggling to contain her excitement, while I casually rested my head in my hand—but my eyes were fixed on Yu the whole time.
Eventually, he took a deep breath and showed his face once more. His face now donned a stern expression. It was a bit of a shame that he wasn't embarrassed anymore, but it was too late.
He cleared his throat before speaking. "Well, for starters, she agreed to another date."
Luna gasped, almost jumping out of her seat. Even I couldn't hide my shock as my mouth fell open, but I quickly closed it.
Before we could get the wrong idea, however, he continued.
"That doesn't mean we're dating or anything. It just means we're moving onto the next step."
Although it sounded cruel or too logical, mine and Luna's excitement didn't die out. We both knew that it wasn't easy getting into a relationship. There was no such thing as you go on one date and all of a sudden the two of you are in love.
Still, that didn't mean we were going to be any less happy or proud of our friend.
"That's great!" Luna exclaimed loudly. The whole class turned to her, but she didn't care. Yu, however, did.
"Luna, please lower your–"
But she ignored him as she continued gushing.
"So when's the next date?! What are you going to be doing?! I have so many questions!"
Yu's hands shot frantically toward Luna's mouth in an act of desperation to shut her up, but I slapped them all away before they could reach her.
Yu gave me a look of utter betrayal, but I looked away. It was funnier this way. Besides, if there was one moment where we had to celebrate, it'd be this one.
We—well, Luna—spent the remainder of that class bombarding Yu with her countless questions. Yu didn't even get a chance to respond to them all as the bell rang. Even as we walked to our next class, Luna's interrogation didn't let up.