No Hope
The curtains fluttered gently in the wind.
The sky outside the window was a brilliant blue, with only a few cotton-like white clouds decorating it.
The top page of the notebook on the desk was blown by the wind. Yotsuba stared at it absentmindedly, and then she was slightly surprised.
She saw a name written on the first blank page of the notebook—Yotsuba.
Yotsuba picked up the notebook and murmured, "Did Kuromori-san prepare this just for me?"
But then she quickly dismissed the thought. If it wasn't meant for her, why would Haruto write her name there?
Did Haruto write it for fun? Or does he actually like her so much that he wrote her name unconsciously?
But that's impossible!
After all, lately, Haruto has become more popular, including with the extraordinary Yukino, the lively and cute Yuigahama, and Miku.
Yotsuba interrupted her thoughts, turned around, and left without thinking too much.
Suddenly, a few other notebooks on the desk caught her attention. She paused without realizing it, confusion spreading across her face.
There were exactly four remaining notebooks.
Including the one in Yotsuba's hand, there were exactly five.
Yotsuba grew a bit curious. Were these study plans or materials painstakingly prepared by Haruto?
After a moment, Yotsuba left the bedroom, sat at the desk, and handed the notebook to Haruto. "Kuromori-san, here you go."
"Um."
"Kuromori-san, can I help you make some tea?"
"Um."
"Kuromori-san, are you hungry? Would you like me to bake something?"
"No need."
"Oh~"
After a while, Yotsuba couldn't help but say, "Kuromori-san, would you like me to massage your shoulders?"
Haruto closed his notebook and looked at Yotsuba, who was gazing at him expectantly. "This is something I'm supposed to do. You don't owe me anything."
This girl started being extra attentive after she picked up that notebook.
Haruto wasn't clueless. Of course, he knew the girl must feel indebted.
But was it okay for Yotsuba to be this considerate?
In modern society, having a thick skin and a dark heart was the norm. However, girls like this might easily encounter difficulties in life, yet there's no doubt they were incredibly pleasant!
Haruto said, "Okay, let's set other things aside and focus on studying. Yotsuba, come here."
Yotsuba didn't have much time.
Combined with her foolishness. Especially given the lack of time, Haruto had no intention of using conventional methods.
Right now, the only strategy that worked for Itsuki could prove useful.
Unfortunately, Itsuki was too shy. Ever since she realized Haruto's explanations during regular study sessions and the fact that if she worked harder, everything would be fine, she hadn't applied that buff for a while!
Now it was Yotsuba's turn.
Yotsuba approached him seriously and asked, "Kuromori-san, do you have any instructions? If you do, please leave it to me."
Haruto didn't hesitate and stretched out his hand.
"Hyaa…"
A sharp sound was accompanied by the girl's startled cry.
Yotsuba leaned back unconsciously, holding her head with her hands, then looked at him with sad eyes. "Kuromori-san…"
"I'm not punishing you." Haruto explained, then added, "Now, do you feel any changes?"
"Huh?" Yotsuba blinked, "My forehead feels a little itchy?"
Haruto resisted the urge to talk nonsense and directly handed the notebook to Yotsuba. "Write down the formulas on this page. You can use scratch paper to deepen your memory. I'll check it in ten minutes!"
Yotsuba pouted and muttered, "Kuromori-san obviously asked."
"Quiet!"
Yotsuba shut her mouth, then her eyes fixed on the notebook.
Not long after, her expression became blank, and her eyes seemed to turn into mosquito repellent spirals.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What are these strange things?
Why do we all know each other, but when we're together, it feels so weird?
It's so scary!
Next to her, Haruto had been observing Yotsuba all along. After seeing her expression, he couldn't help but rub his forehead.
No hope.
These were clearly points that had been covered before, weren't they?
Yotsuba was acting as if she didn't recognize any of them!
Haruto checked the time.
Great!
Less than five minutes had passed.
Not only had Yotsuba made no progress during this period, but she had regressed.
The buff had become merely decoration.
Indeed, Haruto realized he couldn't let this fool be too spoiled. Otherwise, even if Yotsuba learned something, she would soon forget it and return everything back to him!
Thinking about the fact that he had agreed to tutor the quintuplets because he was dealing with their mother, Haruto suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier.
Of course, his goal wasn't just to get the quintuplets to pass; he wanted all of them to succeed in graduating.
Itsuki had said that passing the college entrance exam had once been a dream they longed for but didn't dare to imagine.
Because they had worked hard to prove that it was impossible.
That's why, except for Itsuki, the other four were only playing around. Even Miku, who was clearly the best, purposely got low scores in history.
The road ahead was still long!
Haruto raised his head and lightly knocked on Yotsuba's head, "Yotsuba, don't fall asleep!"
"Mmm~" Yotsuba unconsciously wiped the corner of her mouth and said shyly, "Sorry, Kuromori-san, I got too sleepy, so I couldn't help it for a moment."
"I promise I won't fall asleep again."
Haruto wasn't angry because he knew Yotsuba was always the first to wake up every day, and she did many things at home.
And today she had also gone to the amusement park for a run, plus now it was already afternoon, so it was easy to feel drowsy.
This was normal.
But even with the blessing of the buff, she was still easily falling asleep, which was a real problem!
Haruto reached out his hand. "Yotsuba, give me your hand."
"Huh?" Yotsuba's face turned slightly red, hesitating for a moment, then she placed her hand in Haruto's. "Kuromori-san, like this?"
"Um."
Haruto nodded slightly, then activated his special power.
Tiredness?
Sleepiness?
Sorry, let's learn more about Restoration Technique.
As Haruto activated his special power, Yotsuba suddenly felt a warm wave of heat sweep through her body, as if she had suddenly drunk an ice-cold Coke when she was dying of thirst on a hot summer day.
It was hard to explain.
Yotsuba unconsciously tightened her grip on Haruto's hand.
Then, a soft and irresistible whisper escaped her lips.