The next afternoon…
The final school bell echoed through Mirae Academy, but Classroom 2-A remained unusually quiet.
Most students hurried toward the exit, eager to escape another day of revision classes.
Only a few stayed behind.
Rubi was arranging her notebooks on the desk they had been using for the past few days.
She had already prepared today’s practice questions, carefully marking the easier ones with blue ink and the difficult ones with red.
Just as she finished…
The chair beside her scraped softly against the floor.
Takoru sat down.
“…I’m on time.”
Rubi looked at the classroom clock.
“You are.”
A tiny smile appeared on her face.
“Actually…”
“You came two minutes early.”
Takoru leaned back in his chair.
“…Don’t get used to it.”
“I won’t.”
For a brief second…
Neither of them spoke.
The silence between them no longer felt awkward.
It had slowly become comfortable.
A few desks ahead…
Nesmin dramatically dropped his bag onto Yuri’s table.
“I officially give up.”
Yuri didn’t even look up.
“On what?”
“Mathematics.”
“It has defeated me.”
Emmi laughed.
“You said the same thing yesterday.”
“And yesterday was also true.”
Stevan calmly closed the novel he had been reading.
“If you spent half as much time studying as you spend complaining…”
“…you’d pass every exam.”
Nesmin placed one hand over his heart.
“I came here for emotional support.”
“Instead, I was attacked.”
Even Takoru let out a quiet chuckle.
Rubi noticed it immediately.
She smiled without realizing it.
Ms.
Kim entered the classroom carrying another bundle of worksheets.
“I’m glad everyone stayed.”
She placed the papers on the teacher’s desk.
“I’ve prepared one final revision exercise.”
Several students groaned.
Ms.
Kim laughed softly.
“I promise…”
“If you can solve today’s worksheet…”
“The monthly examination will feel much easier.”
She began handing one worksheet to every study pair.
When she reached Rubi and Takoru…
She paused.
“I’ve been watching both of you.”
Rubi looked up nervously.
Ms.
Kim smiled.
“Good teamwork.”
Takoru looked slightly uncomfortable.
“…We’re just studying.”
“And that’s exactly what I wanted.”
She placed the worksheet on their desk.
“I hope both of you continue helping each other.”
After she left…
Rubi unfolded the paper.
Twenty questions.
Geometry.
Takoru looked at the first page.
“…Question Eight.”
She blinked.
“We’re starting from Question Eight?”
“It looked annoying.”
Rubi laughed.
“So you want to defeat the hardest question first?”
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“The rest should be easy.”
“…That’s actually…”
“…not a bad strategy.”
For the next several minutes…
They worked quietly.
This time…
Takoru didn’t wait for Rubi to explain everything.
He carefully read each question first.
Tried solving it.
Made mistakes.
Corrected them.
Then asked when he didn’t understand.
“…Is this angle supposed to be seventy degrees?”
Rubi looked at his calculation.
“You forgot one step.”
He frowned.
“Which one?”
Instead of taking the pencil herself…
She gently pointed toward the previous line.
“Look here.”
Takoru stared at it for a few seconds.
Then…
“…Ah.”
“I see it now.”
He quickly erased the answer and corrected it himself.
Rubi smiled.
“See?”
“You didn’t actually need my help.”
Takoru looked at the completed solution.
“…Maybe.”
“But I still wouldn’t have noticed it yesterday.”
Before Rubi could answer…
Nesmin suddenly stood up.
“Emergency!”
The entire classroom looked at him.
He held his worksheet in the air.
“Can someone explain how Question Fifteen became Question Fifty?”
Emmi immediately burst into laughter.
“You turned the paper upside down!”
The classroom erupted with laughter.
Even Ms.
Kim had to hide a smile.
Nesmin looked at the worksheet…
Then slowly turned it around.
“…I’m pretending that never happened.”
Takoru quietly shook his head.
“…Unbelievable.”
Rubi laughed so hard she almost dropped her pencil.
For the first time…
Their study session didn’t feel like an obligation.
It felt like a group of friends spending time together.
And somehow…
That made learning much easier.
The quiet atmosphere lasted only a few more minutes before Ms.
Kim slowly walked between the desks again.
She stopped beside Rubi and Takoru.
Without saying anything, she picked up their worksheet.
Her eyes carefully moved from one answer to another.
Rubi felt her heartbeat quicken.
Had they made a mistake?
After a few seconds…
Ms.
Kim gently placed the worksheet back on the desk.
“Very good.”
She looked at Takoru.
“I can see the difference.”
Takoru looked slightly confused.
“…Difference?”
She nodded.
“Last week, you left half the page blank.”
“This time…”
“You attempted every question.”
The classroom suddenly became quiet.
Several students looked toward the window seat.
Takoru lowered his eyes.
“They aren’t all correct.”
Ms.
“I know.”
“But trying is always the first victory.”
Her words lingered in the room long after she walked away.
Rubi quietly looked at Takoru.
For the first time…
He didn’t immediately look away.
“…She’s right.”
He spoke so softly that only Rubi could hear him.
“I’ve been giving up before even trying.”
Rubi gently closed her notebook.
“My brother always says something.”
Takoru glanced at her.
“What?”
“‘The hardest question isn’t the one you can’t solve.'”
“It’s the one you never attempt.”
A small silence followed.
Takoru looked down at his completed worksheet again.
Then…
Very slowly…
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“…Yuri sounds smarter than you.”
Rubi gasped dramatically.
“I was trying to encourage you!”
“You just insulted me.”
“I complimented your brother.”
“That’s even worse.”
For a brief moment…
Both of them laughed.
Not loudly.
Not awkwardly.
Just naturally.
Across the classroom…
Nesmin stopped writing and stared at them.
He slowly leaned toward Stevan.
“…Boss laughed.”
Stevan continued solving his worksheet.
“I noticed.”
“And Rubi laughed too.”
“I noticed that as well.”
Nesmin looked completely shocked.
“I think we’ve witnessed a historical event.”
Stevan calmly replied,
“No.”
“I think we’re simply watching two lonely people become friends.”
Those words made Nesmin unexpectedly quiet.
He looked toward the back row once again.
Takoru was explaining one of his calculations to Rubi now.
Not because he needed help…
But because he wanted to know whether his method was correct.
It was the first time anyone had seen him willingly discuss schoolwork.
Even Yuri noticed.
He folded his arms and quietly smiled.
“…Looks like he’s finally opening up.”
Emmi followed his gaze.
“I never thought I’d see the day.”
The afternoon sun slowly poured through the classroom windows, covering the desks in warm golden light.
For the first time since the study partnership had begun…
Nobody was forcing Takoru to stay.
Nobody was reminding him to study.
He stayed…
Because he wanted to.
And although neither Rubi nor Takoru realized it yet…
The distance between them had become much smaller than either of them had ever expected.
To Be Continued…
Welcome to Chapter 20!
Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story.
Every chapter brings Rubi and Takoru one small step closer, and I hope you’re enjoying their slow journey.
Today’s chapter wasn’t about dramatic moments—it was about something much simpler: learning to trust, trying instead of giving up, and finding comfort in the company of the right people.
Now I have a few questions for you: • Did you notice how Takoru attempted every question this time instead of leaving the paper blank?
• What do you think about the friendship between Rubi, Takoru, Yuri, Emmi, Nesmin, and Stevan?
Which duo is your favorite so far?
• Do you think Takoru is slowly changing, or has this side of him always been hidden?
I’d love to hear your thoughts and theories in the comments.
Thank you once again for reading.
See you in the next chapter!