Smart?

Monika raised a finger into the air.

"Altogether, it combines to make...

If Sayori is blushing, she is adorable.

Sayori is blushing.

Therefore, Sayori is adorable."

I couldn't help but blush.

Monika just had to be teasing me, right?

There's no way she came up with them arbitrarily!

...But what if I was overreacting?

Maybe Monika was just trying to be friendly by coming up with an example that was related to me. Calm down... calm down.

I held my cheeks with both hands, feeling their warmth, and took several deep breaths.

Monika tilted her head to the side.

"Did you get that?"

I nodded.

"Y-Yeah."

Monika nodded.

"Try to explain it in your own words, then!"

I blinked a few times, not expecting that I would need to speak.

"W-Well, the first thing is some condition."

My lips felt a little dry, but I continued on.

"Then the second sentence basically answers the question whether or not that condition is true."

I scratched my cheek with my index finger.

"Um, and the last sentence is the new truth we know."

Monika's eyes widened slightly.

"...Wow, you understood it all!"

I laid a hand on the back of my head.

"Hehe, it's because you teach so well."

Monika smiled bitterly.

"But... I really didn't do much more than what the teacher did, you know?"

I tilted my head to the side.

"Eh? But I got it all so well!"

Monika smiled gently.

"Ahaha, I never realized this before, but you are far brighter than you look."

I recoiled slightly.

"Ehh? But... my marks are the lowest of the low! Some courses I only just barely passed!"

Monika put a finger on her chin.

"Hmm... Maybe it's because you never had the proper setting you need to learn. From what I can tell, your learning capabilities, or IQ, should be roughly the same as mine!"

I curled up slightly, feeling like I was being praised to the heavens for doing something any average person could.

"Ehehe... thank you for the compliment, even if it isn't the truest."

Monika giggled and tilted her head to the side.

"No, really! With all the honesty in my heart, I really do think that you are brighter than you think. Maybe it's just because you haven't been given that opportunity to shine."

My heart felt a little warm after Monika said that, but I really couldn't believe her. After all, every single time I scored really low in my courses. It was basically a miracle I hadn't flunked out yet.

The number of close calls... were really too much.

I suppose I should be thankful that I just barely stayed afloat all this time.

Still, the fact Monika really thought I was smart made me feel much better about myself.

I took a deep breath.

"Thank you, Monika."

Monika's expression softened as her smile grew a little wider.

"Your welcome, Sayori."

I couldn't help but get lost in Monika's eyes. She too seemed to be staring at me longingly, which further put me into a trance.

Then, the school bell rang, breaking me out of it.

I jumped slightly.

"Ah!"

Monika simply pulled her head back. She gently closed my textbook and handed it over to me, just like she did before.

A faint blush formed on my cheeks.

"T-Thank you."

Monika smiled sweetly.

"No problem."

With that, she picked up the desks and separated them properly once more before gathering her own things. I awkwardly stood up, feeling a bit inferior compared to how Monika looked.

Especially with the way she moved her long slender fingers.

Monika waved to me.

"Bye Sayori!~"

I hurriedly waved back.

"Bye Monika!"

After that, I got my things and similarly walked out of the class. The hallways were pretty crowded, as expected. I took only a few steps toward my next class when I heard someone.

"Hey!"

I turned to the voice to see Natsuki she had her hands on her hips and a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Is... everything ok?"

It made me feel a little warm that Natsuki was so concerned about me. I giggled.

"Of course! After all, you're here, hehe."

Natsuki blushed and looked away.

"W-Well alright then!"

With that, she headed off to her own class while I did the same. By the time I reached the English class, most of the front seats were taken. If I was a little quicker, it wouldn't be too hard to sneak myself into one.

However, I also remembered that Yuri sits in the back and I kinda wanted to sit next to her again. With a quick glance around I was able to see Yuri still sitting in that same corner. It wasn't too hard because of how tall she was.

She had a book open in front of her like always, but there was a cheery smile on her face.

The seat next to her was open so I sat down on it.

To my surprise, Yuri noticed me immediately.

"Hi, Sayori!"