I skipped cram school this morning to attend Zuiran's supplemental classes. I worry about falling behind the students from other schools, but since I plan to attend Zuiran, I put my priority on classes where the test material may be represented better by the Zuiran lectures.

I've attended special lectures at school before, but unless there are people I get along with, I feel lonely being in class before it starts… To hide that I'm being isolated, I pretend that I'm merely aloof by calmly reading, but I'm anxious about being found out. I slip out to go to my locker at times, also.

Looking back at that past, I pray to see a friendly face as I enter the classroom. I glance at the students here.

"Oh? Kisshouin-san."

"Iinchou!" Yay! Found a friend! "I didn't know you'd be attending!"

"Yes, I'm here every year."

"Is that so? I'm glad to see a familiar face."

"They haven't arrived, but Honda-san, Nonose-san, and Iwamuro-kun will be here."

What!? Honda Miharu-chan and Nonose Maho-chan aren't in my group, but we're friendly. Iwamuro-kun frequently consults me over beauty tips ever since he awakened to cross-dressing.

Good. I can avoid feeling isolated!

I look around the class and ask, "Are the seats determined?"

"They're all free, but we always sit over here."

"I see. May I sit with you?"

"Of course."

Even if seats aren't reserved, Iinchou and Iwamuro-kun seem to sit in front of Miharu-chan and Maho-chan. Should I sit behind Miharu-chan, then? But Iinchou asked, "You want to sit here?" pointing at the seat next to him.

"But isn't this Iwamuro-kun's seat?"

"It's okay. Iwamuro-kun wouldn't mind. He's big so he always hunches down to listen to the lecture. It might be better for him to be behind Nonose-san or Honda-san."

"Then, I'll take up on your offer. I'll move if Iwamuro-kun wants to switch."

"Yes."

Just in case, I put a fountain pen with my name on the desk behind Miharu-chan's to reserve it. I sit down and take out my textbook and writing material.

"Oh, these are notes from a different class. Do you want to see them?"

"It's all right?"

"Yes. This seems to be important." There are sections marked, 'will be on test' in pencil. I can't miss this.

"Iinchou, may I copy this?"

"Sure. Why don't you make a photocopy?"

"Oh, but I didn't even attend the lecture. It seems unfair to simply make a photocopy…"

"You worry too much." Really? The people who went to the trouble to attend might not think so. But I'm grateful for his offer.

"Then, I'll make a copy of it later."

"Okay."

Iinchou is a really nice person. He had a cute pink pen on his desk. "Cute pen."

"Oh, it's Honda-san's. I took it home by mistake yesterday, so I have it out so I don't forget to give it back."

"I see. You seem to be getting closer with Miharu-san."

"Eh?" Iinchou blushed. His love's been unrequited for many years.

"It's thanks to your advice, Kisshouin-san. Thank you."

"That's not so."

"It is. Kisshouin-san's my master of love and the kami-sama of fulfilling love." Oh, that's caused me problems. Because you called me the goddess of fulfilling love to Kaburagi, I'm stuck giving him advice. "So I wanted to ask you, kami-sama. We've gotten friendly, but we haven't moved beyond that."

"That's a difficult problem…"

"It is."

As shown by the seating arrangements and the notes just now, Iinchou's a very nice and earnest person. But I've often heard them stopping at that position. And Miharu-chan is a fan of the black hearted Enjou. Doesn't that mean the kind of person she likes it the complete opposite of Iinchou?!

But since he depends on me as the goddess of fulfilling love, I need to grant him something. Hmm… Hmm… I know!

"Why don't you call her by her given name?"

"Huh!?"

"Having someone who had called them by their family name, call them by their first name might shake things up," I theorized.

"Isn't that being over-familiar…?"

"Not unless it was someone she doesn't like. Doesn't it make you feel closer even when friends call each other by their given name?"

"You have a point, but… but the timing and rationalization… It's difficult to suddenly call someone by their name when you've always used their last name."

"There is that."

Speaking of that, I want Wakaba-chan to call me Reika-chan instead of Kisshouin-san, but that still hasn't happened. I tried to make it happen when I asked if I could call her Wakaba-chan, but she didn't reply, 'can I call you Reika-chan' like I wanted. Having a friend call me Kisshouin-san feels too formal and distant, but she's probably too embarrassed to call me Reika-chan.

"It may become more difficult with time to change what you call each other."

"Yes, but now that I think about it, I'm not even called by my name or family name…"

From there!? But Iinchou is Iinchou… Iinchou sounds better than his given name, though…

"Good morning, Iinchou. And master?"

"Oh? Reika-sama!?"

Iwamuro-kun arrived with Miharu-chan and Maho-chan, and each seemed surprised when they saw me.

"Gokigen yoh."

"Gokigen yoh, Reika-sama. Are you attending the lecture, also?"

"Yes, may I join you?"

"Of course!"

Miharu-chan and Maho-chan welcomed me with a smile. Good. Iinchou went on to return the pen to Miharu-chan saying, "Sorry about this pen."

"And this was Iwamuro-kun's seat? I'm sorry, should I switch?"

"I can sit elsewhere."

"Really? Thank you. Then I kept the seat behind Miharu-san."

"Understood," he agreed simply.

With the seating settled, I asked what was bothering me. "By the way, Iwamuro-kun, you've gotten darker. Did you go to the beach?"

"No, just from walking to school."

"That's it!?" He gets a tan that dark from just coming to school!? He pulls up a sleeve to show me and there it is, a short sleeve tan!

"I've used sunscreen, but…"

"Maybe you have high levels of melanin?" To be so dark with sunscreen… "Perhaps you can try one that's waterproof with a high SPF."

"But if it's too strong, isn't it bad for your skin? I've used some that made my skin stiff, and caused a rash."

"Even when you used a gentle cleanser? It's important to use moisturizer after a bath even in the summer."

"Master's skin is always white, but how do you do it?"

"Me? I use a parasol, but a sunscreen is a must. I use different kinds depending on the season. As you say, a strong sunscreen is taxing on the skin, so I use an organic blend in the winter when the UV rays aren't as strong…"

"Organic? It's good to know." As usual, his beauty concerns are high. The teacher arrived, so he asked, "Please let me know what you use later," and went to his seat. I'll give him a sunscreen that I like for giving up his seat.

The lecture ended, so I decided to photocopy Iinchou's notes.

"Reika-sama, should I go with you?"

"No, I'll be back after I get a copy. Thank you." I placed the notes in a clear file folder, and headed to the copy machine. It wasn't in use, so I quickly finished my business.

As I returned to class, I saw Bird Brain. "Oh…" He noticed me and immediately made an unpleasant face. "I've told you before, but aren't you impolite to your senior?"

Young Katsuragi snorted and looked away. Not cute. I should teach my impolite junior some manners.

Besides, why is Bird Brain here? I looked at him irritated, and he was carrying textbooks and notepads. That's unexpected. I didn't think he'd be studious enough to attend the supplemental classes at school. From what I heard, he was a fool who barely passed each school year. Oh? Could it be…

"Oh, Katsuragi-kun. Could it be that you failed and had to attend summer school?"

"Wha…!" He's visibly flustered. I was right! I felt the corners of my lips rise.

"Oh, is that so! Failed! That's terrible. Katsuragi-kun, are you aware? High school education is no longer compulsory, so they won't advance you with bad grades. So you failed, Katsuragi-kun. And? How were the make-up exams?"

He looked away.

"Oh? Could it be that you failed the make-up exams, also?! That's truly horrible! Katsuragi-kun, are you aware? If you can't pass the make-up exams, you'll only conditionally advance, and they may even flunk you."

In actuality, you're given make-up exams of a limited scope to raise your grade, but with bad behavior, the school encourages you to transfer or repeat a year.

"Shut up…!"

"Oh, I was just worrying about you as a senpai."

With clenched teeth and a look of frustration, young Katsuragi spotted my file folder and said, "Well, you're here to take classes, too!"

Hearing that, I put a palm to my mouth and loudly laughed, "Hohohohohoho! Oh, my, Katsuragi-kun. You're so funny. I? Flunk? Hohohohoho. As if. I'm here of my own free will to partake in the special lessons. Without any flunking grades, I am here freely. You are forced."

"…Studying at school during summer vacation? You're sad."

"I'll can throw those words right back at you." Bird Brain's face has turned red out of frustration. "Oh, no! Your face is the red color of flunking!" I added. This is fun.

Young Katsuragi glared at me and said, "Yuiko-san and Enjou-san are going out today, the two of them."

"Oh, all right." A student with entrance exams coming up on a summer vacation date. I hope that lazy grasshopper catches an out of season influenza. "By the way, what subjects did you fail? I can teach you as a king senpai."

I can use the Kaburagi-style Spartan techniques until you have nightmares.

"That's none of your business!" he exclaimed as he fled.

"Did you tell Yuiko-san that you failed?" Oh, he tripped. Did I pick on him too much?