Vulture

The next morning, I immediately asked to exchange seats with a classmate who sat at the back of the class; there was no way I could sit in my usual seat next to Reina, not today, not after what I saw yesterday.

I couldn't even get a wink of sleep last night, so for the whole duration of the lectures I was fighting to not let my eyelids drift down or my head sway. When the afternoon bell rang, I was slowly packing up my things when my phone vibrated against my desk.

Megumi H. : Good afternoon, Kaito! I'm so excited for our tutoring session today! So much so that I've already set up a place for us at the library! See you there~

Watching the screen fade to black, a sense of anxiety started to build up in my stomach; the library is the last place on Earth where I want to be right now...

As I stood in front of the heavy oak doors, frozen, every part of my body wanted to run the other way, go home, go to the konbini, anywhere but here. But I couldn't risk upsetting Hasegawa, especially since she had a vital financial line that I desperately needed. 

I took a deep breath and forced myself to the side as I pushed the doors open. Inside, my eyes immediately started scanning each desk to find Hasegawa; mid-terms were next week, so students flocked to the library every chance they got.

Suddenly, I felt a soft nudge on my back. "Kaito! You're late!"

"I'm sorry, Hasegawa," I whispered, scratching the back of my neck. "Class let out late. Where did you set up? The main hall looks packed."

Hasegawa smiled and pointed to a quiet side of the library. "Over there, near the physics section! Come quick; we need to make up for lost time~." 

​She spun on her heel and led the way, weaving effortlessly between the crowded tables. But as we walked, a slow-crawling realisation began to settle in my chest. I know this part of the library like the back of my hand, and based on the path we were taking...​​

Megumi stopped, gesturing with pride and victory at the small wooden desk. "Tada! Pretty perfect, right? It's quiet here and pretty isolated from the general crowd!"

My heart completely stopped. The blood drained from my face, and the grip on my backpack strap tightened until my knuckles turned stark white.​It was that exact same table.

The very desk from yesterday, where Asano had leant his face down closer to Reina's... My mind instantly fractured into a violent replay of the scene, the toxic mental loop playing out right before my eyes on the empty chairs.

​She slid into one of the heavy wooden chairs, tapping the empty seat next to her. "Let's get started, shall we?"

 I couldn't move. Out of all the desks in this damn library, why did it have to be this on—

"Kaito? What's wrong?" Hasegawa whispered, tilting her head. "You're spacing out. Are you okay?"

 I gripped the strap of my backpack harder than I've ever done before. "S-sorry, I was just thinking of something..." I said, sitting down next to her. 

My mind was in overdrive; I desperately wanted to ask her if we could switch desks, but I couldn’t even form a half-assed reason as to why. It's not like I could tell her about what I said yesterday.

I forced myself to sit settle down, my hands still shaking as I pulled out my notes from my bag. “You said over text that you were having trouble with understanding the fundamentals of physics, yes?” I said, handing her the printout that I’ve prepared in advance, “I’d like to test your actual level first, so please answer this mock test.” 

Hasegawa looked down at the test paper with a look of disdain. “A mock test? Booo, just teach me already~"

 I took a deep sigh, tapping the top of the paper with my pen. "It's very important that I know your current level so I can teach you properly, Hasegawa."

She playfully rolled her eyes, picking up her pencil with a soft groan. "Ugh fine..." 

For the next twenty minutes I watched over how she tackled each question, and after grading her test, her results came out to a thirty-five over fifty. Not bad, but considering this academy has high standards, she needs major improvements.

"So, how did I do?" she asked, leaning in close to take a peek over my arm, with a curious look forming across her face. "I hope I at least got half of the questions right." 

"You did alright," I said, sliding the paper over so she could see her score, "Only a few minor mistakes here and there."

"Yes!" she cheered, clapping her hands together, completely forgetting that we were in the library.

"Let's not waste time," I said, interrupting her celebration and immediately turning to the first page of the reviewer. "You still have a lot of things to improve if you want to get a better grade, Hasegawa."

"You can call me by my first name, y'know~” she hummed, resting her temple against her fist. “Hasegawa feels too formal when it’s just the two of us.”

"Hasegawa is perfectly fine, as I was saying—"

"Then how about as an incentive?"

"You're already paying me to fix your grades, Hasegawa." I paused, my pen hovering over my notebook. I looked at her blankly. “The incentive is you not dropping to the bottom of the ranks next week.”

"Aww, come on, Kaito!" She insisted, puffing her cheeks and leaning even more on the table, completely invading my personal space. "It is your job as my tutor to motivate me!" 

I took a deep sigh, recognising that stubborn glint in her eyes. She wasn't going to let this go, and every second spent arguing was a second wasted. "...What exactly do you have in mind?"

"You plan to give me a post-test after the lesson, right?" She leant her chin in her hands, her eyes locking directly onto mine. "Then if I do well... you have to refer to me by my first name,” she whispered, making sure none of the students passing by overheard our conversation.

I stared at her, completely derailing my thoughts just by how stubbornly she was taking this. “Let me get this straight: you want me to call you by your first name... as a reward for doing well?”

"Yup!" Megumi beamed, her previous annoyance with the physics test vanishing in an instant. She tilted her head, her eyes glittering with mischief.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache blooming behind my eyes. I’m already exhausted, and we still haven’t even got started with the lesson... But looking down at that thirty-five out of fifty, I really had no choice.

"Fine. But I'm not making it easy. We are going through the entire review session first." I muttered, giving in just to get her to actually focus on the material. "If you score above ninety per cent on the comprehensive post-test at the end of the day, I'll do it. Deal?"

"A ninety per cent?! You're brutal, Kaito!" she whined, though the sudden, sharp focus in her eyes told a completely different story. She eagerly grabbed her mechanical pencil, a competitive smirk playing on her lips. "But you're on. Prepare to say my name."

For the next two hours, we went by all the necessary topics, despite her relentless teasing, Hasegawa was actually a quick learner, I was actually able to iron out the small mistakes she was making on the pretest. In fact, watching her grasp complex concepts faster than any ordinary student could’ve made me wonder if she really needed a me as a tutor.

A few minutes later, “Kaito... my brain is literally mush right now,” she groaned, slowly lowering her forehead sink down onto the table, “Can we please take a quick break? I need a refresher...”

I checked the time on my phone beside me, “Sure, is a ten minute break good? We’re almost done with the lesson just a few more practice problems.”

“That’s perfect!” she replied, her head snapping back up, her eyes sparking with new delight, as she dug into her bag. “I brought snacks with me. Want some?”

“No thanks” I declined, already starting to organize the scattered sheets of paper all over the table.

“Not even one chip?” she insisted, shaking the bag of chips in front of my face. “It’s cheese flavour! I’m sure you’ll like it!”

“I’m not hungry.” I said, gently nudging the bag of chips away from me, focusing on arranging the printouts on the table.

At the corner of my vision I could see that Megumi tilted her head, a slow, incredibly dangerous glint swirling in her eyes as she leaned across the narrow table. “Then... how about I feed you instead?"

My hand froze on the edge of her test paper, and when I looked over, she had already closed the distance between us. She was holding a chip mere inches away from my mouth, with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Hasegawa, stop joking around..."

"I’m not joking though?" she giggled, her eyes locked onto mine as she moved her hand a fraction closer. "I can tell that you’re hungry, so please? Take this as a bonus from me~”

"I’m not hungry, Hasegawa so pleas—"

"Come on, just take a bite for me?" she insisted, her voice changing to a teasing whisper, as she leaned in further, her hair brushing against the edge of my notebooks. "Unless... you’re too shy to be fed by a girl?"

I just completely froze there, her sheer forwardness had me cornered, I opened my mouth to try and refuse again but before a single word could leave my throat, a set of footsteps, silently approached our table.

Hasegawa didn’t move, her eyes were still locked with mine with a bright smile on her face. But as the footsteps grew closer my posture locked up instantly, my eyes instinctively looking at the direction of the sound.

When the figure rounded the tall oak bookshelf, I instantly recognize who it was, she was only other person who comes to the secluded corner of the acdemy’s grand library.

Reina.

She was walking past our secluded table, with a stack of heavy reference ledgers cradled tightly against her chest. The moment her eyes fell on us she stopped dead in her tracks.

It was a damming sight to see. The secluded corner, the messy notes, the bag of chips, and Hasegawa leaning halfway across the desk, holding a piece of food directly to my lips with an intimate, joyful expression.

When we locked eyes for a brief moment and in that split second, I saw her dark irises glistering under the fluorescent lights of the library. She immediately broke the eye contact, running the sleeve of her blazer across her face. Before she took off, the sound of heels echoed rapidly down the aisle.

I stared down at my lap, the pages of my notebook blurring into a meaningless, white haze.

"Kaito?" Megumi’s sweet voice broke through the freezing silence, a tiny, almost imperceptible tilt to her lips as she watched my pale face. "Are you okay? You look completely frozen."

“...L-let’s just get on with the last topic, Hasegawa.”

“Okay!” she chirped, a with a triumphant look on her face, as she pulled back and ate rest of the chips left in the bag.

The rest of the time teaching Hasegawa went by in a quick blur, and by the time the library shadows had lengthened and the old wing had grown completely quiet, the only thing left to do was to give her the post-test.

My fingers were trembling slightly, as I slid the printout towards her. No matter how hard I tried the only thing I could think about was Reina, and the look she had before running away.

Hasegawa didn't say a word. She snatched the paper, and started writing across the pages. Ten minutes later, she slammed the paper back down, sliding it toward me with a smug grin.

I ran my red pen through the answers. Question one, through Question five, correct. Question ten, perfect use of the method I taught her.

When the red ink was dry, the final tally sat at the top of the page: Fifty out of fifty...

"Well?" Megumi leaned across the desk, her chin resting in her hands, her floral perfume swirling around me as she looked up with a dazzling, expectant smile. "I believe you owe me something, Kaito."

I stared at the perfect red circle at the top of the page, avoiding her direct gaze as I cleared my throat.

"Good job..." I paused, the word catching in my throat for a split second before I forced it out quietly. "...Megumi."

Megumi’s eyes widened, a genuine, flushed smile breaking across her face. She let out a delighted giggle, clearly thrilled by her victory. "Now that’s more like it!"

"...Right, I think we should pack up now, the library closes in fifteen minutes."

She started cleaning up her things, "Oh? Time flies by really fast. I didn't notice we were in here for so long."

As I was finishing up placing the rest of the printouts in my bookbag, Megumi, dug something out from her own bag, sliding it across the table. "Before I forget, this is for you~"

It was a off-white envelope, sealed with a dark wax crest at the middle, I picked it up, surprised by how heavy it was; it was clear that however much is inside this envelope it completely blew my entire monthly salary that I earned at the Konbini out the water.

I broke the seal and peeked insdie to find a whole stack of crisp ten thousand yen bills. "Uhh, Hasega– Megumi, Isn't this a bit too much?"

Megumi laughed, “No, no that’s the perfect amount. I mean you had to put up with my constant whining~”

“Even still, we only studied for a couple of hours...” I said, my voice cutting through the quiet of the stacks as I stared at the money.

Seeing the sheer panic in my eyes, Megumi leaned in tilting her head to catch my gaze, "Don't overthink it, Kaito. You earned every single yen.” She swung her designer bag over her shoulder and stood up. "So, same time, same place tomorrow, 'kay? I can't wait. See you soon, Kaito."

“Yeah... see you tomorrow, Megumi.”

With a final wave, she walked off leaving me alone in the library, I slowly placed the heavy envelope in my bag before standing up to return the books we used.

As I finally made my way to the exit my brain refused to shake off the memory of Reina’s face. 

She was the one who forced the distance and pushed me away...

But why did she wipe her face?  Was she... crying?

The thought sent a sickening jolt through my stomach. No. Why would she cry? She’s the one who chose Asano. and that kiss yesterday in the library, just confirmed everything. I’m just a liability to her now.

I let that toxic thought linger on for too long, clenching my fists as another wave of bitter resentment, built up inside my chest. I was just about to push open the heavy exit doors when a familiar voice cut through the silence.

“...Kaito!”