Chapter 11 – “Rika’s Experiment in Love”

Yuuto Kanda thought he was getting used to the daily madness of tutoring three geniuses. He was wrong.

The classroom was quiet that afternoon—too quiet. Rika Hanabira, the top science prodigy of Seishin Academy, sat across from him with a ruler, a stopwatch, and a notepad labeled Experiment #47: Human Emotion and Learning Focus.

Yuuto sighed. “Rika… why does this sound like something the ethics board should review?”

She adjusted her glasses, expression unreadable. “For optimal cognitive absorption, I need to analyze your proximity response.”

“In English, please.”

“It means I’m going to sit closer and see if you panic.”

Before Yuuto could protest, Rika leaned in. Her hair brushed his shoulder, the faint scent of shampoo floating in the air. He froze like a malfunctioning robot.

“R–Rika, this isn’t necessary—”

“For science,” she interrupted calmly, tapping her pencil. “Maintain eye contact.”

Eye contact? That was like asking him to survive a nuclear meltdown with a paper fan. Her golden eyes stared into his, unblinking. Yuuto could practically feel his heart sprinting laps inside his chest.

A quiet scribble followed. “Observation one,” Rika murmured, jotting notes. “Subject’s pulse rate increased by approximately 200%. Sweating detected.”

“I—It’s called embarrassment!” Yuuto snapped, trying to lean away. She leaned closer.

“Embarrassment is an emotion. That means my experiment is working.”

From the corner of the room, Mizuki Haruno peeked over her poetry book, cheeks puffed. He lets her sit that close? She flipped open her notebook and began writing:

> “His heart beats fast, hers measures the sound. I am the silence between them.”

She frowned, staring at the verse. Too honest. She tore it out and hid it in her bag.

Meanwhile, Yuuto’s brain was overheating. “Rika, can you at least move back a little?”

Her lips curved ever so slightly. “Are you distracted?”

“Yes!”

“Then hypothesis confirmed.”

Before he could respond, the door slammed open. “Yuuuutooooo!” Akari Yuzuki, the hyperactive athlete of the trio, stormed in wearing her PE uniform, sweat glistening under the afternoon light. “Let’s jog together! You promised to help me stretch after class!”

Yuuto blinked. “Stretch…? I never—”

“Come on!” She grabbed his arm, tugging hard enough to send the chair wobbling. Rika’s eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

“Excuse me,” Rika said sharply, “you’re interrupting vital research.”

Akari raised an eyebrow. “Research? You mean you sitting two inches from his face? Sounds like flirting to me.”

Yuuto’s soul left his body.

Rika’s cheeks twitched pink. “It’s science!”

“Sure it is~” Akari teased, tugging Yuuto’s other arm. “Come on, he needs real exercise, not... emotional ones.”

Yuuto, caught between them like a tug-of-war rope, pleaded for mercy. “P–Please, one at a time—”

Both girls glared at each other.

Then, as if the universe demanded escalation, the pencil Rika had been holding slipped from her fingers. Yuuto instinctively leaned down to catch it—just as Rika did too.

Thunk!

Their foreheads collided. She gasped softly, rubbing her head. Their faces were inches apart now, breaths mingling.

Akari froze mid-step. Mizuki, still in the corner, dropped her pen.

“Observation… forty-eight…” Rika whispered, voice trembling slightly. “Unexpected variable: shared spatial field causes... heart irregularities.”

Yuuto blinked. Her cheeks were definitely red this time—not the fake scientific kind. Wait… is she blushing?

“Rika,” he muttered softly, “you’re—uh—kind of red.”

She jerked back instantly, covering her face with her notebook. “N–Nonsense! I’m simply overheating due to inadequate air circulation!”

Akari snorted. “Sure. Totally just the room.”

Rika glared at her, still flustered. “You wouldn’t understand—this is advanced analysis.”

Akari leaned toward Yuuto and whispered loudly, “Translation: she’s crushing on you.”

Yuuto nearly fell off his chair. “Wha—!?”

Rika’s pencil snapped in half. “I AM NOT—!!”

Just then, the door opened again. Sensei Amamiya strolled in, holding a clipboard and a mischievous grin. “Ah, the study club. How’s our future Einstein doing?” Her gaze shifted between the blushing Rika, the sweating Yuuto, and Akari still holding his arm. “...Oh my. Research sure looks intense today.”

“Sensei!” Yuuto cried. “It’s not what it looks like!”

She smirked. “Oh, I’m sure it’s educational. Continue. I’ll just mark this as ‘extracurricular emotional development.’”

And with that, she left, humming.

Silence filled the room again.

Rika turned away, muttering to herself. “Human behavior is… inefficiently logical.” Her pen trembled slightly in her hand. “And yet…”

She glanced at Yuuto—still sitting there, awkward but smiling.

“Your handwriting’s really neat, Rika,” he said gently. “Even your messy notes look like art.”

Her eyes widened. For once, she didn’t have a scientific response. Only a quiet heartbeat echoing in her ears.

“Th–Thank you,” she whispered, cheeks burning as she looked away.