Winner [Haikyu!! x OC] (Ongoing)

Peer Tutor

I find an unoccupied corner of the courtyard where I can eat lunch. I don't know why, but I'm exhausted. I tug at the mandatory school uniform until I'm comfortable, then lean my head back against the brick wall with a frustrated grunt. How is it possible for everyone to whisper about me and simultaneously ignore me? It's obvious that everyone has heard of me, and yet, nobody has talked to me besides teachers.

Sitting up, I rub the back of my head and pull out Mr. Kakeru's list of clubs. Not a single one has stood out to me, and this is approximately my fifteenth time going through it.

"Dance, Writing, Martial Arts..." At this point, I'm not even registering the meaning of the words. They're just going in and out of my head.

"Architecture, Fashion Design, Interior Design... ugh." I throw the list, but the paper floats back to me. I glare at it for mocking me, then shove it back into my bag and pull out my very American sandwich. I eat it slowly as I look at the other students in the courtyard, telling myself that I'd rather be alone anyway.

While it is only my second day, I already know I can zone out in English class without consequences. English is, after all, my native language. Beyond that, my dad is an author, so I was raised to have even better English skills than most of the kids my age. While the teacher speaks slow and simple English to help my Japanese peers understand, I stare out the window, cursing the rule that told me I have to join a club.

If playing sports isn't an option, then they could at least give me an exemption from joining a club so I could use that time to practice on my own. Instead, I am stuck with a plethora of options I have no interest in, forced to choose one and put time into it. Dumb.

I come back to the present when Mrs. Yuuki hands out a worksheet. I glance at it. The page consists of verb conjugations and subject/predicate drills. I may have been put in the highest level English class offered at Aoba Johsai, the administration making an exception and allowing me to take a class for third-years, but this stuff is still pathetically easy for me. I finish the worksheet in two minutes, hand it to the teacher at her desk, then sit back down and continue staring out the window. I wish I had thought to bring my headphones.

A light tap on my shoulder stops me from thinking about my club dilemma and I turn to see Mrs. Yuuki at my desk. "Kara-kun?"

"Yes, Yuuki-sensei?"

"Do you mind going around the classroom helping some of your peers? They might learn better if correction comes from someone their age, if you're comfortable with it."

"Oh, I..." Talk about a new student's nightmare. This is worse than not having a club to join. This is worse than not having friends. In fact, this is probably a good way to ensure that I will never have friends. But Mrs. Yuuki has been nice to me, and I can't exactly refuse something she believes to be a reasonable request. "... I... hai, Yuuki-sensei, I can do that."

"Great, thank you, Kara-kun," she smiles at me gratefully and steps back to allow me to stand up. "I can also arrange for you to visit lower level English classes during this time, so you can help students who may need your help more than this class does. The opportunity to teach will give you more of a challenge as well."

"Oh..."

The idea of floating around different classrooms teaching English sounds even worse— like I came here to educate my peers or something. There's no way that would give me any sort of good image.

But I don't know how to tell Mrs. Yuuki that. Teachers rarely understand that sort of thing. I'll consent for now, and think as hard as I can to find a way out of this later. Though I might not have a choice other than to resign myself to my fate.

"Yuuki-sensei? Could you call me Lillian? This is an English class, after all."

"Sure, Lillian. Then you can call me Mrs. Yuuki."

"Thanks, Mrs. Yuuki." I stand awkwardly as she goes back to her desk, unsure of what step to take next. My stomach seems to have given up on existence, and the hole it once occupied fills with dread and anxiety. How do I even do this? Just walk up to a student at random and say 'Hey, I'm here to help you?' I really don't think this will go over well. Especially since I'm younger than them. And a foreigner.

I swallow and decide to start at the front corner of the classroom. It's probably a good place. If social order here is similar to how it is in America, the kids up front might not need my help anyway, and that will give me some practice in delivering my offer.

The boy in the first desk is scribbling furiously on his worksheet, glasses sliding down his nose.

Maybe my analysis of social norms was correct.

Or maybe I'm just stereotyping.

I sit next to him to get his attention and smile. "Hi, I'm Lily. Mrs. Yuuki asked me to see if I could help anyone, since English is my native language. Is there anything you're confused about that I can help you with?" I say it slowly in English.

He just stares at me.

"Uh..." I repeat what I can in Japanese, wondering if that is the reason for his lack of a response.

Apparently it wasn't, because he's still staring at me without saying a word.

"Okay, well..." I look down at his worksheet and quickly go over everything he has written so far. "It looks like you understand it pretty well, so I'll leave you to it." I stand up and move to the next desk where a girl with her hair in braids is sitting. I can still feel that kid's eyes on me though. So much for boosting my confidence in interacting with my peers.

This time I decide it might be better to start by establishing a language to communicate in before I offer my help on the worksheet, so I don't doubt that I'm getting through. "Hi, I'm Lily. Can you understand me if I speak in English?"

Braids Girl looks up and nods. "Yes, I can understand you."

"Cool." I sit down. "Mrs. Yuuki asked me to see if anybody could use my help on the worksheet. Is there anything you're having trouble with?"

She looks down to run her eyes across the questions she hasn't filled out yet. I glance back at the first boy I tried talking to and find that he has finally returned his gaze to his worksheet. But my relief is cut short when he raises his head to look at me again. I whip my head back around to see Braids Girl shaking her head.

"I think I can do the rest of these on my own," she says.

I inwardly let out a breath. "Okay, sounds good. Feel free to let me know if you get stuck."

She nods, acknowledging my statement, but looking as though there's a fat chance of her doing that, and goes back to writing.

At least she talked to me.