Chapter 87: In Tutoring

The page showed the first of three.

“Big Brother Wildfield, this is my room. It’s the first time a boy has ever come in!”

Miss Miko Uehara stood in the doorway, speaking with bright sweetness.

The room was large, yet packed full.

Everywhere one looked were stuffed dolls, piled on the bed and spread across the floor in neat heaps.

A pink headboard, a pink double bed, a pink wardrobe—it was all very girlish, very soft and tender, and Miko seemed to adore that color.

For even most of the dolls were pink.

Miko strode in carelessly, then flopped onto the bed. The soft mattress enfolded her small body, and she let out a long, comfortable breath.

“Mm— I really want to sleep~”

Haruharu Wildfield looked at the cozy room and the little figure on the bed, then walked alone to the desk and began arranging the material and key points for today’s lesson.

“Miko, today we’re reviewing algebraic equations in math. How’s your study on that been?”

As he leafed through the test papers, Haruharu spoke. Since the kind Mrs. Uehara had asked him to tutor her little sister, the strict and earnest young man known as the handsome Wildfield would certainly do his utmost.

This was his first time taking on such a role, but the generous reward offered by Mrs. Uehara was indeed very tempting.

“Miko? Miko?”

Getting no response, Haruharu turned his head—and found the little girl lying motionless on the bed. Had she already fallen asleep?

The once rambunctious girl had quieted down into deep slumber. Her delicate little face was like finely carved jade, beautiful to look at. A pink hair clip held back the black strands on her forehead, adding a touch of mischief to her youthful charm.

Several tied little braids had come loose, and her black blouse rose and fell faintly with each steady breath, serene and peaceful. A sliver of white waist showed at her midriff, and below that were a black pleated mini-skirt and black thigh-high socks.

Though perfectly still, her sleeping posture was terribly undignified. A cartoon puppy peeked from one corner, her soft little lips were slightly parted, and a thread of drool hung at the corner of her mouth.

Who drools in their sleep, honestly?

The room was very quiet, and seeing this, Haruharu could not help but smile.

Rather than disturb the little miss, he gently covered her with a blanket, then tiptoed out of the room.

Downstairs was equally still, with only the clock on the wall ticking softly.

Haruharu came down the stairs. The tea on the wooden coffee table had already gone somewhat cold, and there were traces on the floor where it had been wiped, though not yet completely dry.

Hopefully no foolish little girl would slip.

He muttered inwardly, then heard a sound from the kitchen and walked toward it.

Inside, a lovely figure stood with her back to the door.

Mrs. Uehara had changed into a black-and-blue fitted dress, and around her slender waist she wore a light-blue floral apron. Her graceful figure was full and alluring, and the mature beauty of her presence tempted the boy’s heart.

With slender fingers, she held a kitchen knife and cut the vegetables. Tonight, Mrs. Uehara was preparing ramen.

Her small hand on the knife handle moved with a steady rhythm, the diamond ring on her ring finger glinting brightly.

Haruharu crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around the beauty from behind.

Suddenly seized, Mrs. Uehara jolted all over, startled so badly that the knife in her hand almost slipped off course, though fortunately she steadied herself in time.

“Haruharu, don’t mess around. Miko is still here!”

Feeling that familiar strength and warmth, Mrs. Uehara gave a soft, coquettish protest. Her gentle voice trembled faintly as she glanced anxiously toward the doorway.

“It’s fine. Miko’s asleep, so I came down,” Haruharu said, drawing in a breath. The lady smelled wonderful.

People always said girls were cold by nature, but Mrs. Uehara was heat itself. Every time he embraced her, a warm current seemed to flow through Haruharu’s body, making him feel incomparably at ease.

Hearing that, Mrs. Uehara finally relaxed as well. Her body softened, and a faint blush rose on her fair cheeks.

“That child. How could she fall asleep? That’s far too rude to you!”

Mrs. Uehara rubbed her temple with a troubled sigh, her tone full of helplessness.

That girl was wonderful in every other way, and usually obedient and well behaved, but her grades simply refused to improve, which had been a great headache for the lady. That was why she had thought to invite Haruharu today, to see whether he could tutor her properly.

“It’s fine. I saw her—she’s sleeping soundly. Besides, I’m only hugging you; I won’t do anything else. You just focus on cooking...”

Though he said that, Haruharu had already reached for her hands, and their fingers intertwined tightly. The platinum band of the diamond ring rubbed lightly between their fingers, carrying a faint metallic chill.

Mrs. Uehara was tall and supple. Haruharu only had to bend slightly before his head could bury itself at the side of her long neck.

It was like tasting a delicacy, rich and fragrant, soft and tender beyond measure.

“Ha, Haruharu...”

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was scarcely more than a whisper, tickling faintly beside his ear.

“Oh my!”

The page showed the second of three.

Suddenly, a cry from the living room broke the kitchen’s intimate atmosphere.

Haruharu released the beauty in his arms, and Mrs. Uehara glanced toward the doorway while straightening the wrinkles in her clothes.

Whether from nervousness or something else, both of them were flushed with heat and a little sweaty.

After a long while, a tiny figure wearing a black shirt and pleated skirt appeared in the doorway.

Her exquisite little face held a trace of pain and grievance, and she rubbed her sore little rear with one hand, walking with a slight limp.

“I nearly died from that fall. Why was there water by the coffee table?”

The poor little unlucky one looked miserably wronged, with a faint glimmer in her eyes.

“Huh? Are you all right? Do you want some ointment?” Mrs. Uehara asked, her face going anxious as she hurried over to check Miko’s injury.

“It hurts so much~” Miko began to act spoiled in her mother’s arms.

Her big eyes sparkled pitifully.

Haruharu stood nearby, not panicked in the slightest, calmly adjusting his expression and clothing while looking at the touching scene before him, and merely shrugged.

If your posture is upright, you have nothing to fear. Since he hadn’t been caught red-handed, what was there to be afraid of?

After the gentle lady comforted Miko for a while and saw that there was nothing seriously wrong, she also began to scold her for having fallen asleep upstairs just now.

“Why did you fall asleep earlier? I invited your Brother Wildfield over, not to lull you to sleep. You must behave and listen to your Brother Wildfield, and study properly.”

Mrs. Uehara began to teach Miko earnestly by example, wanting her lovely daughter to study hard and stop thinking only about play.

“I know! I didn’t fall asleep on purpose either. It’s all because the big bed was too comfortable. The moment I lay down, I couldn’t help falling asleep.”

Miko rubbed her backside, pouted, and puffed up her little face, which still carried a touch of grievance and defiance.

She had clearly just fallen over, so why was she being blamed for not studying? Her bottom still hurt from the fall.

Why wasn’t anyone caring about her little rear? What if it had been injured? No one would pay compensation...

Thus Mrs. Uehara began preparing dinner in the kitchen, while Haruharu and Miko went back upstairs to resume tutoring.

“Do this set of problems first. Let me see your level,” Haruharu said, sliding the paper across the desk.

“Huh? So hard, Brother Wildfield. Can’t I just not do it?” Miko lamented, flopping over the desk like a frost-bitten eggplant, losing all her former vitality.

“No. Math is a required subject, both in junior high and in high school,” Haruharu said sternly.

“All right then.” Miko’s face fell at once. She took the paper and slumped over the desk, beginning to work through the questions.

Her delicate little face was tightly furrowed the whole time, as if she were straining to think very hard—if one ignored the fact that the paper itself had barely been touched.

This won’t do at all.

Haruharu was growing a little troubled as well. This test paper was already very simple, yet after five or six minutes, Miko still hadn’t solved a single question.

At this rate, the tutoring would not progress smoothly. He had promised Mrs. Uehara, so he certainly had to do his best.

Haruharu took up a pencil and began explaining each problem one by one. The little girl listened at his side, but as she listened, she gradually became distracted and began to drift off.

He had no real solution for that. At first, her lovely little face would still put on an earnest expression of study, but once he finished explaining a problem, those wise eyes would once again become “clever.”

Blinking and blinking, she would tilt her little head and ask with utter curiosity, “Brother Wildfield, can you explain that again?”

This was already the third time Haruharu had explained it, yet that rambunctious girl seemed to hear with one ear and let it out the other, not taking in a thing.

It was indeed rather vexing.

Haruharu felt that he had not yet found the right way to teach Miko. If there were a proper method, the results would surely be much better for less effort.

Looking at that youthful body still in the midst of development, Haruharu fell into thought. His bright, “wise” eyes blinked in confusion, that small head full of great questions. Her curious expression made one want to answer her doubts and clear her confusion, but regrettably, no matter how he explained it, that rambunctious girl simply could not keep it in mind.

What was he to do? Should he try a little “discipline out of love”?

That sort of thing was sometimes truly effective.

But those adorable eyes, together with the already-injured little backside from earlier, made it hard for Haruharu to bring himself to do it.

“Miko, this won’t do,” Haruharu said, somewhat helplessly.

“Then what should I do, Brother Wildfield?” Miko’s face fell even further. Every time she listened in class, she couldn’t help drifting off; she simply couldn’t control it.

It seemed he would need to establish some punishment for daydreaming.

The page showed the third of three.

Should he really try spanking her? Earlier, the girl seemed rather afraid of having her bottom hit. That might be worth a try.

After all, there was a successful example like Qingling San right before him.

Just as Haruharu was seriously pondering this, the bedroom door was suddenly knocked.

Mrs. Uehara’s voice came in from outside.

“Dinner’s ready. Let’s study a little later.”

At those words, Miko, who had been slumped in dejection at the desk, immediately revived.

She transformed from a drooping little child into a bundle of energy.

Instantly brightening and “resurrected,” Miko cheerfully scampered off on her short legs, opened the door, and rushed out.

“Dinner time! Dinner time! We’ll study later!”

The girl was already gone, yet her voice remained behind in the room.

Mrs. Uehara smiled a little helplessly. Haruharu still wore a gentle smile, and the two of them said little.

They headed downstairs side by side. The scent drifting from beside them was pleasant, and for Haruharu it was almost fatal.

It was so enticing that one could not help wanting to bite into it at once.

Mrs. Uehara’s cheeks were red, and she did not quite dare look at the tall, sturdy boy beside her. As if one glance would make her lose control of her own body, she kept her eyes forward, head lowered, silent.

When they reached the dining table and sat down, after a brief prayer from mother and daughter, the three of them began to eat.

Since there was still the little cook at home waiting for him, Haruharu could not overeat. In order to keep fit, he ate only a single bowl of noodles.

This left Mrs. Uehara feeling rather regretful. After dinner, Haruharu took Miko back to the room to resume studying.

During the tutoring, Miko often drifted off and failed to stay focused.

But Mrs. Uehara would come to the room from time to time, bringing yogurt one moment and a little fruit the next.

Each time she bent her slender body, Haruharu felt a wave of dizziness.

The gentle lady seemed to have nothing to do, and could only live such a boring life every day.

Yet beside the residence of the Uehara mother and daughter stood the Uehara convenience store.

Today, the convenience store closed very early, leaving passersby puzzled. Why had the store been closing earlier and earlier these past few days?

No one knew.

After bringing the yogurt, however, Mrs. Uehara showed no intention of leaving, as though the convenience store’s business had nothing to do with her at all.

She even stood to the side with a plate in hand, quietly listening as Haruharu taught the lesson.

Time passed little by little. Haruharu looked at his phone; two hours had already gone by.

To him, that time had felt like an age.

The ignorant child cannot be taught.

“All right, let’s stop here for today. We’ll meet again another day.”

After saying this, Haruharu began packing up his things.

Hearing that, Miko also let out a sigh of relief. At last it was over. Though Brother Wildfield was very handsome, math class was truly no place for a human being to be.

“Yes!”

The little girl’s previously numb eyes regained their former sparkle. She flung the paper in her hand behind her, and with a forceful kick from her bare little legs, she leaned back and sank neatly into the soft bed, beginning her life of utter slackness.

If she could take off her clothes while lying in her own bed, that would be even more comfortable.

Thinking of this, Miko glanced at Haruharu. Her eyes carried only the meaning of driving him away and not disturbing her private life.

Haruharu gave a helpless smile and shook his head.

However, when it was time to leave, Mrs. Uehara suggested that he take a shower here.

Her reason was that he had worked up too much sweat during tutoring today.

Haruharu had indeed sweated a great deal, whether over the wooden coffee table or in the kitchen.

End of chapter.