What I Expect

Flirting

I like to observe other people, mainly to gain information about them. It used to be to use them, but I've gotten better with that since making real friends, like Mai and Yūgi. But even though I don't blackmail people anymore, I can't help noticing key details about them and memorising that information. It's like instinct to me, which is another reason I want to be a psychologist and think I'd be good at it. What I've been observing is Mai and her study habits.

She can never do one thing for more than a short time, even more than 10-15 minutes before she gets bored. So she memorises small snippets of info really quickly rather than spending hours reading and repeating to memorise. "Damn, I can do the analysis bits perfectly, but it's just about refining my knowledge," I sigh, staring at my papers and knowing I'm more suited to problem-solving than learning and reciting knowledge.

"Hm, what about learning just the base parts, then using example to explain and fill your knowledge marks?" Mai suggests. "It's better than having to remember long winded explanations if that's not your thing,"

"Is that what you do?"

"Yeah. I have ADD so it's better for my to remember it step-by-step progressively rather than focusing on a big paragraph of info," she grabs a pencil and begins to write, demonstrating it to me. "I'll show you,"

I watch Mai create a step-by-step arrow diagram on the page that looks kind of like a biology reaction equation. The diagram reads

Short description/definition -> example -> how it works -> analysis.

"There, now you just create explanations using shorter steps, so it's less memory and more analysis," she explains to me. "This way, what you're doing is analysis so you don't need to remember the info, but it comes off as explaining what you described more in depth,"

"Holy Ra," I realise she's right. "This is awesome! Thank you, I think this will help,"

"No problem, I just wish I'd taught you how to do it earlier," she's right, with the exams looming I could have used this weeks ago when I first started studying and been a lot more efficient with it.

When I return home with Yūgi after study group, I go to Akefia's room and see he's just relaxing, lying in bed watching The Good Place for the millionth time. "You're such a Jason," I scoff down at him, flopping on the end of his bed. He just keeps lying there, staring at the ceiling and sighing contentedly to himself. "Shouldn't you be studying?"

"Hm, no," Akefia grins up at me. "I'm having a relaxation day,"

"Why?" I frown. It isn't the time for relaxation days - the exams have already begun! "Don't you have work to do?"

"Yes, but my dissertation results came back. I got a B3, which will really push up whatever mark I get for the final grade. I'm aiming for a B2 in the final exam, to get myself a 2:1 degree," he explains.

"But you're smart enough to get a 1st class!" I insist. And really, he is. He's worked so hard and he knows what he's doing, he deserves the best he can get. But now he's just complacent?! Akefia is never complacent, not with anything. But... I also know he gives up easily. I mean, he didn't want anything to do with me in he beginning. He was determined, and then he just let me in when I put up the slightest resistance. Our friendship is proof of his defeat. I sit up on his bed and poke his cheek, ready to annoy him to death to make him study.