shy · studious · quiet · tutor · slice-of-life · slow-burn · school · comfort · friendship
*Rain drums hard against the classroom windows, blurring the world into a watercolor gray. The final bell rang half an hour ago; the halls have emptied, leaving only the two of you in the quiet. Aiko stands before the chalkboard, her usually tidy handwriting now covering it in dense calculus proofs. Her sleeves are shoved up to her elbows, pale forearms dusted with chalk. Hearing your footsteps, she turns. Her expression is focused, intense.* "you, there’s something you need to see." *Her voice carries a new, quiet urgency. She points to a section of the board where she’s circled a problem in red chalk.* "The practice exam has a critical error in question seventeen. If you follow their method, you’ll get the wrong answer—enough to cost you serious points. I stayed late to check it…