"Ms. Tsundere" Gets Tutored By "Mr. Loner" (Part 2)

"Uwaaaa! This is a big library! I haven't been to one this big yet, that is," Furumi exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Are you serious? You're quite ignorant, aren't you?" I chuckled, amused by her reaction.

"Hmph, who cares?! Whatever, I'm going now, I'll find our seats!" she pouted, then scurried off to find a spot.

As for me, I headed towards the bookshelves to gather the books I'd need for her tutoring session. The scent of the books was incredibly relaxing. Despite having been here countless times, I never got bored. 

To think this was her first time, though... she probably always got tutored at home or at that friend's place, the friend she's talking about before. Well, this would be a change of pace for her. Hopefully, it would help her today.

As I was picking out books, I accidentally bumped into someone. And, well, for some reason, she fell to the ground, and my feet went out from under me.

"This... is... bad!" I muttered, trying to react as quickly as possible, realizing I was falling too! The books scattered across the floor, and then—

Not again.

I kissed... another girl. Why the hell did this keep happening?! I scrambled to my feet as fast as I could and apologized profusely to the girl, simultaneously gathering the scattered books.

"I'm so sorry!" I blurted out, then ran away as fast as my legs could carry me. I knew exactly where this was going again, and I prayed it wouldn't. God, help me!

It wasn't long before I reached the table where Furumi was waiting, her school supplies neatly laid out, a clear sign she was ready to work.

"You're so slow, where did you go?! And what happened to your clothes?" she demanded angrily, eyeing my disheveled attire.

"Hahaha... Sorry, something happened while I was getting these books. They fell, and many of them hit me," I lied. It was far from the truth.

Thankfully, she believed me. "What a clumsy guy you are. Well, it's fine as long as you're here now, hmph."

What a tsundere. She truly was. How on earth could a tsundere like her exist in this world? No, no, Kazuhiko, focus!

I sat down next to her since... she told me to. I would have preferred to sit across from her, but we were pretending to be a couple, so I guessed it made sense. But why is she blushing now? Huh? Is she okay?

"You okay? Your face is red, you know that?" I asked, looking at her strawberry-red face. She looked beautiful for some reason.

"Nothing! Just... Let's start this session now, shall we?!" she replied, still flushed.

If she said so, then fine. I wanted this done as fast as possible.

"If you say so then. Let's start. Don't think I'll hold back. I can be ruthless. WHAHAHAHAHA," I declared, full of confidence.

"Oh, really now? Let's see your ruthless self then, Kazuhiko-sensei! Hmph," she retorted, back to being a tsundere.

Was she just trying to be a tsundere, or was she genuinely one? Sometimes, I was so confused by her. I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to get annihilated, so I decided against it.

And so, we began our one-on-one tutoring session, with me as the tutor and her as the student.

Five Hours Later...

"Arghh... I'm so tired... No more... Kazuhiko..." Furumi groaned, her face and spirit utterly defeated.

I had won. Hehe.

"What did I tell you? WHAHAHAHAH You shouldn't have underestimated me!" I said, still brimming with energy and confidence.

"Hmph... Who cares?" she mumbled. Then, almost inaudibly, she added, "...I knew that a long time ago... That's who you are..."

I couldn't quite catch what she said. "Can you repeat that last part? What did you say? You were muttering, I didn't catch that," I prompted.

"Nothing. It's nothing... You don't need to hear that. Hmph!" she replied, reverting to her tsundere self. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hint of sadness in her expression, like she was trying to be strong about something I didn't understand. 

Whatever it was, it wasn't my problem. I was just her "pretend boyfriend," so I knew my boundaries.

"If you say so then. Well, let's end it here. You've done well, but you need to work on math and science more. Review the notes I've given you for those subjects. You'll definitely pass the test and get the second-highest score; you're easy to teach."

"Hmph! I heard you're the top student in your class, right?! Don't you worry, I'll never be second anymore, I'll get it from you this time!" she declared, full of newfound confidence.

"HAHAHAHAH Let's see about that, Furumi," I said, asserting my dominance.

But wait. This time? What did she mean by that? This girl confused me so much.

...

Not long after, we both decided to head home.

"Bye, Furumi! See you on Monday! Prepare yourself! Hehehe," I said, bidding her farewell.

"Don't get cocky yet! We'll see! Hmph! Bye!" she retorted, still the quintessential tsundere.

Ugh. I was so tired. I thought I wouldn't be this drained being with her, but no... she just kept being a tsundere and hitting me earlier. That was just so her. At least it was all done. Now, I could finally go home.

As I made my way home, I had no idea that in that moment, my life would change again because of the day's events. Plus... it was another step towards regaining my missing memories.