Chapter 58
【You pretended to be worried about your final grades, coaxing Ibuki Honoka into suggesting her daughter tutor you, to which you gladly agreed.】
【That very evening, after returning from the izakaya, Ibuki Honoka brought you to her home.】
【Ibuki Yuko sat at the low table in the living room, wearing headphones and reading a book. Ibuki Honoka took away her phone and book, instructing her to tutor you. Then Honoka sat on the sofa behind the low table, half-sitting, half-lying, watching you.】
【Despite her mother’s sudden request and your unexpected arrival, Ibuki Yuko showed no signs of impatience or displeasure. She pulled out first-grade textbooks from the cabinet and began tutoring you.】
【The low table was small, and the girl was very close to you. Her clear voice surrounded you as she explained concepts you already understood.】
【A slight lift of your chin allowed you to see her fair hands and the delicate face beneath her long black hair.】
【The girl sat upright, her posture and expression unchanged. Your arrival had not shaken her in the slightest. The elegance she displayed in maintaining her composure in your presence was a form of rejection. Her tranquility was a resistance against you, a refusal to let you affect her inner world.】
【You realized your plan had failed.】
【Even this unexpected intrusion into the girl’s home couldn’t affect her emotions. You couldn’t think of a way to break through the ice surrounding her.】