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Chapter 2
Martin and I agreed to meet again after school.
Not only had we chosen different extracurricular clubs, but Martin also seemed to avoid crowded times whenever possible.
“It’s so quiet.”
Most of the students had already gone home, leaving the hallways nearly empty.
I walked through the silent corridor.
“…This is going to be fun.”
A strange excitement tickled at my chest.
Ever since transmigrating into this world, I had never looked forward to a day quite like this.
My heart pounded faster and faster, and I hurried down the hallway. The moment I reached the classroom, I pushed open the closed door.
There he was.
Just like before, Martin sat at his desk, gazing out the window.
“Martin! I’m here.”
I waved enthusiastically as I approached him.
Martin hesitated, clearly unsure of what to do, before finally—
“H-hi… Lindsey…”
He gave me a small, timid wave.
I took the seat beside him and pulled out the mathematics performance assignment we’d received at the end of class.
“Did you wait long? I came as soon as I finished too. Maybe I should’ve hurried a little more.”
“N-no! I-I only got here a little while ago too… It’s okay…”
I nodded at his response.
“Let’s finish before dinner time.”
Taking out my pen, I got to work.
Scratch. Scratch.
The sharp sound of pen against paper echoed through the classroom.
Well, not my pen.
Martin’s.
Wow…
My mouth fell open.
I seriously don’t understand any of this.
I’d been hopeless at math even before transmigrating. Trying to cram an entirely new system of concepts into my brain was proving impossible.
I absentmindedly scribbled at the corner of my worksheet before glancing sideways at Martin.
Whoa…
Watching his hand move across the page was mesmerizing.
They said he was the academy’s top student.
Apparently, they weren’t exaggerating.
The difficult problems that looked impossible to me seemed effortless to him. Sometimes he’d solve them almost at a glance and write down the answer. Other times he’d carefully work through them, filling the page with neat, orderly equations that somehow resembled him.
Without realizing it, I found myself staring.
Then my eyes drifted down to my own worksheet.
Completely blank.
Damn it.
After wrestling with my pride for several moments, I finally decided to ask him for help.
He looked incredibly focused, and I felt guilty interrupting him, but what choice did I have?
We’re partners now…
That means we’re responsible for this together, right?
That was the logic I chose to cling to.
Clearing my throat awkwardly, I carefully called his name.
“Um…”
“…”
Too quiet?
Martin continued moving his eyes across the page, completely absorbed in solving equations.
Gathering my courage once more, I called him again, louder this time.
“Martin?”
Click.
This time he definitely heard me.
Because Martin startled so badly that his pen slipped, leaving a black blot of ink splashed across the white paper.
“Oh no… Should I go get you another sheet?”
“N-no, it’s okay. More importantly… why did you call me, Lindsey? I was just… concentrating…”
His slow, gentle voice seemed to sink directly into my ears.
It’s ticklish…
The strange sensation made me press my ears with my hands.
My face felt hot too.
Had I started blushing?
Panicking, I quickly lowered my head.
“N-no, it’s not that. Actually…”
For some ridiculous reason, suddenly admitting that I didn’t understand the material felt embarrassing.
This summer afternoon.
This empty classroom.
The boy I’d only become friends with today.
The blank worksheet in front of me, as empty as my brain felt right now.
Why was all of this suddenly so embarrassing?
Perhaps noticing my hesitation, Martin looked back and forth between my worksheet and his.
Then, fidgeting with the neatly trimmed nail of his index finger, he spoke.
“L-Lindsey… D-do you want me to help? If… if you’re okay with that…”
As though worried I might feel embarrassed, Martin hurriedly added excuses.
If I didn’t want to, I could refuse.
Since it was a group assignment, working together would simply be faster.
I could easily see through his kindness.
So I nodded.
“Okay. Help me.”
Immediately, Martin dragged his chair closer.
A pleasant scent drifted from beneath his loose-fitting shirt.
“O-okay, Lindsey… F-first, let’s start with question one…”
And after that—
I barely heard a word.
His voice was low and soft, somehow soothing to listen to.
Every little movement he made sent that faint fragrance drifting through the air.
It felt as though he was steadily stealing away my concentration.
This is bad. This is really bad…!
Get it together! You’re supposed to be studying!
If you want to survive in this harsh world, you’d better focus!
My hidden hand beneath the desk was already damp with sweat.
“…So if you apply the same concept, questions one through seven can all be solved similarly. Was my explanation… difficult to understand?”
Ah.
It happened then.
Martin tilted his head slightly.
For a brief moment, the thick curtain of bangs parted.
And I saw them.
Eyes like polished green gemstones.
My gaze was instantly captured.
“Uh… um…”
“I-it can be difficult. I didn’t understand it very well at first either…”
Then, as if shy, he lowered his head again.
The beautiful green disappeared behind his hair.
A strange disappointment washed over me.
And just then—
Grrrrowl.
A bizarre sound echoed through the silence.
“Uh… well… Martin… so, um…”
I felt tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.
Martin was clearly pretending he hadn’t heard it.
But I’d seen it.
The way his shoulders had twitched.
Carefully watching my reaction, Martin finally spoke.
“I-I think I kept you here too late… S-sorry. Let’s go.”
He immediately began hurriedly packing away his papers and stationery.
At that moment, I genuinely wished I could bite my tongue and pass out from embarrassment.
* * *
We walked slowly across the academy grounds.
When we spotted the carriages sent by our respective families, we stopped and looked at one another.
“Martin, thanks for today. Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but… I’m really bad at studying. Still, I want to work harder this time! I mean, I can’t waste the opportunity to work with the academy’s top student!”
I flashed him a bright smile.
Little did he know that I was exaggerating every movement in a desperate attempt to erase the memory of my stomach growling.
At my words, a beautiful smile curved across Martin’s rosy lips.
“I-I used to be bad at studying too. N-no one is good from the beginning. I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Thanks, Martin. We should get going now. At this rate, we’ll miss dinner.”
Just as I turned toward my carriage—
“L-Lindsey.”
“Hm?”
His voice stopped me.
I turned back.
Did he forget something?
Have something else to say?
Then I noticed the small box in his hands.
“T-thanks for being my partner. This… this is a snack. It’s not anything weird. The chef at our house is really, really good at making desserts, and… I thought maybe… if you get hungry while studying…”
Martin’s words tumbled out in a flustered rush.
I stared blankly at the neatly wrapped white box.
“Martin.”
“H-huh? Was it unpleasant? S-sorry—”
Before he could put it away, I reached out and grabbed his hand.
Then I looked directly into the eyes hidden behind his messy bangs and smiled.
“Not at all. Thank you, Martin. Really. Thank you so much. I’ll enjoy it.”
At my words, Martin’s face lit up with a bright, radiant smile.
And just like that, we parted ways, promising to meet again tomorrow.
Even after turning toward our respective carriages, both of us kept glancing back.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Eventually, I was the first to climb into my carriage, finally bringing the exchange to an end.
“Hehe.”
A happy laugh escaped me.
Originally, I’d planned to wait until I got home before opening the box.
Unfortunately, patience had never been one of my strengths.
Carefully peeling back the wrapping, I lifted the lid.
“Whoa…!”
A gasp of amazement escaped me.
Inside was a slice of chocolate tart, giving off the sweetest aroma imaginable.
And somehow—
just looking at it made my heart feel warm.
