The Literary High School Girl Is Demure

It's been two months since I came to this world.

When I first suddenly showed up here, I wondered how things would turn out, but it seems you can get by surprisingly well.

Well, aside from the weirdly skewed sexual morals, nothing else is really different, so I guess that's only natural.

If I'd been flung into another world and told I was a hero, that would've been rough, but this world is kind enough that an ordinary guy like me has no problems.

"Yaaawn... I'm sleepy..."

Today is Saturday, so I don't have class.

Apparently, there are some lectures you can take on Saturdays, but Koiumi said she isn't taking any, and I'm the type who wants to rest on my days off.

I looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was ten thirty.

Considering I'd worked until late last night, I'd say I got up pretty early.

"Let's see... I think I've got something at three... Hmm, I guess I'll make lunch for now..."

I had plans starting at three today.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I slowly climbed out of bed.

As I picked up the smartphone beside my pillow, I saw a few notifications.

Koiumi: 'That's hilarious lol'

Koiumi: 'So what kind of part-time job do you have, Masato?'

"...What were we talking about again...?"

Ever since we exchanged contact info, Koiumi has been sending me messages like this two or three times a day.

Well, that's a pretty normal way to keep in touch in my old world, and I enjoy it too, so I reply.

"I can't exactly tell her about the bar..."

Since I'd turned down Koiumi's invitation, she knew I worked Friday nights.

But if I honestly said, 'I work at a boys' bar lol,' she'd just say, 'Huh... gross...' or 'With that plain look...?' That's how it'd end. I'm not that stupid.

But I'd thought of my next move.

"Oh! This should work."

I quickly swiped across my phone screen.

Katari Masato: 'Well, actually, I'm a private tutor.'

All right. This shouldn't be a problem.

That's right, I also work as a private tutor.

On Saturdays, starting at three.

If I tell her about this job, there shouldn't be any problem. It's an ordinary part-time job.

I put my phone away and headed to the kitchen.

I think I still have two eggs and some bacon... Maybe I'll throw together some fried rice.

Fried rice is the ultimate dish for a guy living alone.

Ping.

Ping.

...?

I was checking how much rice was left in the rice cooker when my phone chimed.

That's odd. Koiumi usually takes three or four hours to reply, and do I even have any other friends who'd contact me?

I went to get my phone, and there was Koiumi's name again.

...Isn't that too fast?

Koiumi: 'A-a private tutor?'

Koiumi: 'Don't tell me... you're teaching a girl?'

...? Is that a problem?

Just as Koiumi suspected, my student is a girl.

Masato: 'Yeah. She's in high school.'

I replied simply and went back to what I was doing.

Was it really that surprising? I figured plenty of university students worked as private tutors or cram-school teachers...

Just as I started scooping rice out of the rice cooker with a rice paddle—

Brrr, brrr, brrr.

My phone, set to silent mode on the table, was vibrating.

That wasn't a message notification.

It was a call.

I could tell from here. The screen said Koiumi.

...Huh? I'm scared.

A little after two.

I left home and headed to my tutoring job.

"Man, you really never know what'll trigger Koiumi's switch..."

After that, I answered the call and trembled at how completely flat Koiumi's voice was.

Usually, Koiumi has this cute, teasing little-devil vibe, and taking lectures with her is a feast for the eyes, but when her switch suddenly flips, she's scary.

I wanted to be careful, but I didn't even know what flipped that switch, so there was no way to be.

In the end, I managed to get her back in a good mood by explaining the situation.

I told her I'd explain everything properly when we went out on Monday, and she reluctantly seemed to accept that. What a relief.

I parked my bike at the station bike lot, then took the train.

My tutoring job is about five stops away by train.

The story of how I started tutoring goes back about a month.

Back then, the bar was my only source of income, and Seira-san hadn't become a regular yet. (These days, it seems like she's spending a lot on me, so I can afford a little luxury.) I thought I could use a bit more money.

When I was first learning the bar job, I worked a ton of shifts on days other than Friday, so I figured I could keep doing that. But Aika-san told me, 'It's not good to do this kind of work too much,' so I settled on Fridays only.

Aika-san was covering a considerable part of my living expenses, which made me feel bad, so I talked to her. She had this really excited look on her face and said, "Oh, then, since you're smart, Masato, I've got a favor to ask you," and set me up with this tutoring job.

Apparently, the daughter of a woman she'd met through some work connection of hers was aiming to get into my university.

She wanted me to help the girl with her studies.

And that's how I've been tutoring a certain high school girl for about a month now.

By the way, the other day Aika-san said, "I deposited your tutoring fee in your account," so I checked—and there was an unbelievable amount in there. Why?

Wasn't this way too much for a student tutor's pay? I wondered, but Aika-san just smiled mischievously.

Well... I guess Aika-san might have added some extra so it'd be easier for me to get by...

I really can't repay Aika-san.

"All right."

I got off the train and walked for a while from the station.

I arrived at the house where I tutor.

There was an impressive gate, and beyond a short walk through the garden was the front door.

It looked like the home of a very well-off family.

I was ten minutes early, but that should be fine.

I pressed the intercom.

"Excuse me, this is Katari. I'm here to tutor Shiori-san."

'Coming!'

I heard a cheerful voice, then a click as the gate unlocked.

I thought this last time too, but the facilities here are insane.

When I opened the front door, I found Shiori-chan's mother, the mother of the girl I tutor.

"Hello, Masato-kun! Thanks for coming! Shiori should be in her room on the second floor already, so please take care of her!"

"Yes. I'll do my very best."

I took off my shoes and went inside.

I should remember to line my shoes up, too.

I went upstairs and headed to Shiori-chan's room.

I knocked twice.

"Shiori-chan? It's Katari. Can I come in?"

"Y-yes, that's fine."

Her voice was a clear soprano. Shiori-chan really did have a beautiful, crystal-clear voice.

When I opened the door, I saw a slender girl sitting in a chair, her long, lustrous black hair tied half-up with a light blue ribbon.

Hmm, she's such a lovely girl; "demure" really suits her.

"Hello, Shiori-chan."

"Hello."

...Come to think of it, she wasn't wearing her uniform today.

Until now, we'd always had lessons while she was in her uniform. I wondered if there was a reason.

"Oh, you're not wearing your uniform today."

"Y-yes. When I thought about it, it seemed a little strange to wear my uniform on my day off..."

Shiori-chan turned her chair slightly to face me.

Mm-hmm. A beige pinafore over a short-sleeved black shirt—the kind of overall dress that extends all the way down into a skirt—matched her demure personality and looked wonderful on her.

"Oh, that's nice. It really suits you. I've only ever seen you in your uniform, so it's a nice change."

"...Hehe... Thank you. Your casual clothes look nice too, Masato-san."

"Flattery won't get you out of your homework, you know."

I set down my bag and took out the study materials.

It's hard to imagine now, but when I first met Shiori-chan, she wore glasses and had her hair in braids.

I don't know what changed her mind, but the next time I came, she already had this hairstyle and had switched to contacts.

Well, her mother had apparently kept the fact that her tutor was a man from her, so she must've panicked.

What a mean mom...

"Well... I was about to say let's get started, but we've still got five minutes."

"That's right. What should we do?"

"Since we have the time, why don't we chat a little before we study?"

I'm not a fan of doing things too rigidly.

This is only our fourth session, and she still seems nervous, so I want to help her relax.

Of the girls I've met since coming to this world, she's one of the calmest.

Yuka, for example, gets so nervous she trips over her words all the time. She doesn't have to be that nervous...

I happened to glance at Shiori-chan's desk and saw a paperback on it.

That's right, she's a bookish girl.

"Oh, what were you reading today?"

"Oh, um... this one by Tasaka-san..."

"Oh, that's a fun one! 'Summer Fell from the Second Floor'... What kind of life do you have to lead to come up with an opening like that...?"

I can't honestly say reading is a hobby of mine, but I've read a few of the well-known books.

It was nice that this world had that in common with my old one.

Reading the same books can be useful for keeping a conversation going.

But Shiori-chan seemed to read a lot, so an amateur like me probably couldn't keep up with her.

"Ah, ha ha, exactly. It really is..."

Huh, she didn't seem as interested as I expected... Did she see through me as a poser after all? This is hard.

About an hour later.

"This can be read one other way. This symbol points over here, so the correct order is..."

Since my university is in the humanities, the three subjects I tutor Shiori-chan in are Japanese, social studies, and English.

We usually spend an hour on each for a total of three hours, and then my tutoring work is done. We take breaks too, so we're usually finished just before seven.

We'd finished English, and now we were starting Japanese.

"Um... Hmm?"

She seemed to be having trouble.

Ah, I see. This part is hard to understand... Oh, that's right.

I had an idea, so I stood up and walked around behind Shiori-chan.

Then I leaned over her shoulder to look at the study material.

"Okay, Shiori-chan, I'm going to trace it with my finger. Follow along with me, and we'll go through the reading order..."

Good. This should make it easier to understand.

But just as I thought that, Shiori-chan's hand stopped.

Hm?

"...Oof."

Huh?

I heard a really strange sound.

Was that Shiori-chan just now?

Clatter—Shiori-chan stood up.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom..."

"Ah, sure. Okay, sorry."

Without showing me her expression, Shiori-chan went to the bathroom. Crap, did I make her mad?

...Oh, was I a little too close?

She wouldn't like a guy she barely knew getting this close. I'd let my guard down because the sexual morals were reversed here, but that wasn't okay.

I'm sorry.

Shiori-chan came back after a while.

Her face seemed a little red, but was she okay?

"Sorry about that. Let's continue."

"Y-yeah, right."

Good. It didn't seem like she was that angry.

I'd been worried about what I'd do if I upset her.

Determined not to make the same mistake again, I sat down beside her and tried to resume our studies.

"Huh?"

Shiori-chan looked at me in confusion.

Huh?

"Oh, no, go ahead. Come right up behind me. As close as you like. Please lean right over me."

Huh?