Junior helps Senior

Akio grasps his Mathematics mock test paper firmly in his right hand with anger, with a crushing force. He had prepared for the test, and yet he still did badly. What's even worse is that he still doesn't understand his mistakes after the teacher did corrections with his class.
He has friends in the class who are fairly good at Maths, but he got so upset about the results that he barely spoke a word during the lesson, therefore losing his chance to seek his peers for help.

His footsteps were haste, as he wanted to leave school quickly, the source of his overwhelming stress.

Chiharu was already waiting for him at the school's front gate, her eyes brightening up upon seeing Akio.

"Senpai! You're finally here!"
"Yes I am, Chiharu-chan."
She noticed his dishelved hair and the grim look on his face, and she figured out what was bothering him instantly.

"Senpaiii.. You mentioned something about a Mathematics mock test a few days ago... how did you fare?"

"38 out of 100. I'm done for, Chiharu. I can drop out of school soon."
He spoke in an unusually low energy tone, and the look in his eyes seem distant.
Chiharu knew exactly how to snap him out of his depressed gaze.
"So you're done for, huh.." She shook her head lightly, accompanied by her hair swaying back and forth lightly.

Akio took what she said as teasing, and as if she has casted a spell on him, he instantly rebounded to his usual self.
"Why are you agreeing with what I said!?"

She giggled and grabbed him by the hem of his uniform.
"So even you know you didn't mean what you said, Senpai. You know that you're not giving up now, and you want to improve."

He let out a loud audible "Ahh", and started to blush intensely. He realized that she understood him all too well.
He felt really down about his results, but of course he wasn't going to give up now. He just said all those things out of feeling bad.

"Sexy home tutor Chiharu.. I'm sure there's things in this mock exam paper that you can lay the foundation for me, so please help me.."

"Y-you're still on about that sexy tutor thing? Anyway, I never said that I wouldn't help! Let's meet at your house during the weekends, alright?" Chiharu managed to avoid getting flustered, albeit barely.

"Sure, I'll see you then, Chiharu-Chan."

And so Saturday came.
Chiharu made sure to dress modestly to ensure Akio is less distracted during the session.
She went on her way to his house, and she was in his room in no time. She's been there so many times that she knows everything there is to his house, from where he hides his erotic magazines to where his parents store their valuables.
"So... let's get this laid out. You're incapable of even doing simple algebra, Senpai?"
Chiharu raised an eyebrow at Akio as she took the study material she brought along out of her bag.

"That's how bad it is. Why, is Chiharu-chan going to laugh at me?"

"Geez, that's hard to laugh at, given how pathetic it is. You're in the third year."

"Now you're mocking me."

"Let's just get started, alright...?"

And so Ayakouji Chiharu's tuition session commenced.

Akio bombarded her with endless questions, and she had to solve questions to show him examples of how things are done. It was grueling, but Akio enjoyed himself throughly. The girl that he holds so dear is tutoring him with such intense focus. She's putting so much effort in this, making sure to not miss any details and only moving on when it's clear that he understands the concepts well.
"It's really difficult, doing this... however, it's nice to see that you're not completely hopeless, Senpai..."
Chiharu is drained both physically and mentally, and she invited herself onto Akio's bed to lie down.
"Senpai! I'm really hungry! Let's have a meal before continuing!"
She gave Akio a look that demanded he go get her food now, but he didn't budge. Instead, he got up from his chair and walked towards Chiharu, now sprawled on his bed.
"I'm hungry too... you're enticing me by lying down like that on my bed. I think I should have you for lunch."
A really worn out Akio teases Chiharu in the hopes of a huge reaction from her to rejuvenate his spirits.
However, after assuming the role of a strict and serious tutor, Chiharu was able to hold back her embarrassment and she gave him a logical answer.
"You're just teasing me again. I'm not enticing you, I've always made myself at your home.. Maybe you're really hopeless after all.."
She flipped to the side of the bed to face away from him. That wasn't the reaction Akio was expecting from her. Chiharu is simply too tired and hungry to even get worked up over being teased.
"Hey, this is my bed, so scoot over a little. I want to rest too." Akio forced his way onto the bed, and Chiharu is now trapped on the bed, in between Akio and the wall. She's still facing away from him, but this time blushing intensely.
"Hey, Chiharu-chan. Have you ever wondered why we're even working so hard for?" Akio asked a philosophical question out of the blue.

"Hm?" Chiharu made a soft sound.

"I mean, life is meant to be enjoyed, right? We're only studying so hard because getting good grades is what society expects of us. Why must I study all these boring things and torment myself?"

"Senpai, you study hard?" Chiharu replied cheekily.

"Hey, I'm serious. You're a good student with good results. Have you ever wondered why you're even working so hard for? Yes, people would say they're doing it for their future, but do they even know what's their future? Isn't that just a textbook answer people are trained to say when asked so? So that they don't start doubting their effort as a waste of time? Do they even know their passion in life?"

The corners of Chiharu's mouth twitched a little, as she knew Akio all too well. This is when he'll get really depressed and start to really give up, and she realizes that she must do something to cheer him up.

"You're right. Even I myself don't know why I'm studying so hard. I don't know what the future holds in store for me. I've just been very disciplined and hardworking since I was young... but you said it yourself. Good grades are what the society expects. You can't see your future now, and neither can I... and even worse, studying feels really mentally taxing for you. But bad grades now would almost certainly mean not having a place in society, which means you'll already be able to see your future.. more tormenting times to come. So, let's work hard together to make sure we'll suffer now but not in the unknown future, alright? Let's create the possibilities of the future ourselves, Senpai."
She spoke to him in a really soft and reassuring tone, and even sat up and held his hands.
Her small palms feels really warm for Akio, and her face's so close to his..
He's getting really giddy. Moreover, her words made him feel warm.

"Hehe, I'm being comforted about life by someone younger than me.."
Akio said something playful in an attempt to shake off his giddiness.

"I'm being serious,and y-you're making fun of me..."
Chiharu reached her limit as well, and finally showed huge signs of embarassment on her face.

"Anyways, thanks for cheering me up, Chiharu-chan. Didn't you say you wanted something to eat?"

"I-it's all because of you, I forgot about that... dummy.."

"Come on, let's go outside my house. It's my treat today as my thanks to you for helping me out in my studies. Let's have something delicious."

"W-we're not done for the day yet! You'll still have to study more after eating.."

"Alright, alright, Ayakouji-sensei.."

"W-WHAT'S WITH THAT!?"

Their love for each other increased after the study session, but it can't be said that their bond got better..
Because the two of them are already 100% in sync, and this only illustrated how close they are to each other..
It was also during the study session Akio thought that he was the luckiest man in the world to have met a girl like Chiharu, and also when she decided that she'll support him through all the hardships he'll have.

They're already basically lovers, and yet they're not official. Only time will tell if they can shake off their bashfulness and finally confess their feelings. Even though the both of them are already subconsciously aware of each other's feelings.