How We Met Again

Chapter 18: The Storm Resumes

The next day was Thursday, and I was in a funk. After arriving at school, I had looked for Yotsuba before class in order to give her the notes she'd forgotten, but I hadn't been able to find her. As it got dangerously close to the start of the day's lectures, I finally whipped out my phone, and sent her an e-mail.

The last thing we need is her losing her study materials...

<Hey, where are you? I have some notes for you that you left behind>

There was no response for a few minutes, and I began to eye the clock nervously. There were about four minutes left before class when I finally got a response.

<Sorry! Running late today. Wanna have lunch together? I'll get them from you then.>

I looked down at my phone, looked back up at the clock, and then sighed.

So she's not even here yet. Ugh, I should have just messaged first. Stupid of me.

Mildly irritated, I made my way to my classroom, and sat down at my desk mere seconds before the teacher entered. Leaning back in my chair, I happened to glance behind me, and was surprised to see Itsuki already in her seat. From the look of things, she had been there for quite a while as well; she was well set-up. I frowned -- it was unusual for Yotsuba to be late without her sisters being late as well.

Then, the likely cause hit me, and I sighed in mild frustration. Pulling my phone out under the desk, I finally responded to Yotsuba's message.

<Sure, sounds good. But... you stayed up studying after we finished, and then overslept, didn't you?>

There was a delay in the response. Then...

<Busted :(>

<I know I'm the last one you want to hear this from, but pace yourself. It doesn't help you if you miss class and lose out on learning new material which which will be on the exam.>

<I know...>

I stared down at my phone for a moment, concerned, and then snapped it shut to look back up as the teacher began the lesson. I dutifully took notes, but my thoughts were wandering. Part of my mind was still wrapped up in the Frobenius method, but another part was attempting to plot out the trajectory on which we would need to take Yotsuba's studying in order for her to have a fighting chance on the midterms, given there was officially less than a week left..

No matter how I cut it, her sessions with Second Place-san were an insurmountable barrier.

If she had been able to maintain a reasonable pace through them, then maybe... but no. With the inevitable conflagration that would be the session that evening and the following one on Monday, even my most hopeful estimate for the amount she could cover -- let alone retain -- was woefully short of the mark. Those two days were invaluable. She couldn't do without them.

Eventually, lunchtime rolled around, and I made my way to the cafeteria with Itsuki. While we chatted on the way there, I was finding it difficult to focus on a word she was saying. Luckily, she was mostly talking about the upcoming midterm, and so I was able to get by with nodding and making vaguely affirmative-sounding noises.

Once we received our food, we parted ways, and I located my usual table. To my surprise, Yotsuba was already there, a bowl of karaage in front of her.

"Uesugi-saaaaaan! Over here, over here!"

Rolling my eyes, I sat down in the seat across from her.

"This is where we always sit, I know where you are."