A Spicy Lesson

“A confession…?” Yuta stared at Shiori in anticipation. What kind of confession was it? Was she quitting? Was she dropping out of school? Was she stressed out from meeting him like this? Or was she aware people were trying to bully her? All these thoughts swam around in his head.

She fidgeted with her hands. “I might’ve…”

“You might’ve what?”

“I might’ve forgotten my pencil…”

Yuta almost fell back in his chair. “That’s your confession!?”

She shrunk and nodded.

A deep breath gave Yuta enough time to think about what to say next without hurting her feelings. “I thought you were going to say something different… Don’t worry, I’ve got a pencil you can borrow.” Give me a moment to fetch it.” He pushed himself up and marched up to his room to grab a pencil.

When he returned, Shiori had the book she always read out and was reading intently. On the table, her textbook and notebook were open to the correct pages to start working.

Once he reached the table, Yuta cleared his throat to get her attention. No response.

She flipped the page over and started reading the next page, unaware that Yuta had returned.

He did it again a little louder, causing Shiori to jump. The book fell out of her hands onto the edge of the table and dropped to the ground. A few pages had creased due to the awkward landing.

Shiori snatched the book off the ground and tried her best to straighten out the pages. Distress was written all over her face.

“Sorry about that.” He sat down and placed the pencil in front of her. “I was trying to get your attention, but I guess you were really into that book. What’s it about?” Normally he wouldn’t ask pointless questions like that, but establishing a relationship is important for his student’s growth.

“It’s… a romance.”

“Oh? What about?” He leaned forward to show interest.

She shifted, a little embarrassed to be talking to another person about her book. “It’s about… a girl that wakes up one day in another world… and falls in love with the hero.”

“Oh, an isekai, huh? Do you like that genre?”

She shook her head. “Only a few of them are good… Like this one…”

“What’s your reason for not liking isekai?” Yuta watched Shiori shrink up again.

“It… makes me long for another life. I know it doesn’t work that way… I can’t get hit by a truck and gain the world.” Tears formed in her eyes. She closed the book and held it to her chest.

It was clear the subject needed to be changed. “Then what’s your favorite genre?”

Shiori set her book down on her lap and took a deep, trembling breath. “Romance…”

“That makes sense. What’s your favorite book?”

She pointed to the one that was sitting on her lap. “What’s your favorite…?”

“The only books I read nowadays are textbooks.”

“Oh…” Her gaze fell to the ground, disappointed that her effort was wasted.

Yuta leaned back. “I think it’s time we start the lesson. Are you ready?”

Shiori wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and nodded.

“Then let’s get started. Before we start going over what we were taught in class before you transferred, let’s go over a few things from junior high.”

The delicious smell of the dish announced the presence of Yuta’s mother before she spoke. “Premium Spicy Unagi Roll, anyone?”

Yuta looked up as his mother set the dish down between him and Shiori. She also set two glasses of water on the table. “Thanks.” He turned to Shiori and pushed it toward her. “Do be careful. It’s really spicy.”

Shiori grabbed the sushi and took a bite. A couple seconds later, her face went red and her breathing sped up. In a flash, she grabbed the cup of water and downed the liquid.

“I told you…” He chuckled. Shiori was cute when she tried to stop her mouth from burning. ‘Cute?’ He shook his head. There was no way he could be thinking that.

Her breathing slowed again as she got the burning sensation under control. Tears had formed in her eyes due to the sushi’s spice.

“That’s the hottest thing on the menu. It’s not really a pleasant experience for those who aren’t used to spicy foods.”

“That was unbearable…” She leaned her head forward until it rested on her textbook.

“I warned you. Now that you’re not suffering anymore, shall we begin the lesson? For real this time?”

Shiori raised her head and sat back. She grabbed the pencil and gazed at Yuta expectantly. During the lesson, she listened intently and took notes on everything Yuta taught.

By the time the lesson had finished and Shiori completed the practice test, the clock struck midnight. “We should probably get you home before your mom freaks out,” Yuta said.

Shiori nodded. “Will you… walk me home?”

“I can’t let you walk home alone this late at night, can I?” He stood and helped Shiori pack her supplies.

Once everything was packed, she picked up her bag with both arms and followed Yuta out the door. The cold breeze made Shiori shiver. She gripped her bag tighter.

“You okay?” Yuta stopped, looking back at Shiori.

“I’m fine… Just a little cold.”

“We should get you home quickly so you don’t have to stay out in this temperature for long.” He turned and started down the now familiar trip toward Shiori’s house.

She hurried to catch up. “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me catching a cold or anything.” He slowed down slightly so Shiori could walk by his side.

She kept her gaze on the ground while they walked. She occasionally glanced at Yuta.

“I hope your mom doesn’t have any weird ideas in her head about why you’re coming home so late.”

“She will. That’s just how she is…”

The rest of the walk, they were silent. Shiori turned to Yuta in front of the door to her house and bowed. “Thank you…”

“Don’t mention–”

The door swung open and Shiori’s mother stood in the doorway, glaring at Yuta. “Care to explain why my daughter is coming home so late?”