The weekly revision sessions had quietly become a routine.
Every afternoon, after the final bell rang, Classroom 2-A no longer emptied as quickly as before.
A small group always stayed behind.
Some because they wanted better grades.
Some because they had no choice.
And some…
Without realizing why.
Rubi carefully arranged the revision worksheets across the desk.
The familiar scraping of a chair made her look up.
Takoru had arrived.
This time…
He placed his notebook on the desk before sitting down.
“…What are we solving today?”
Rubi blinked.
A few days ago, he would have asked, “Are we studying again?”
Now…
He was asking what they were studying.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“Coordinate Geometry.”
Takoru sighed dramatically.
“…I liked triangles better.”
“You said Geometry was annoying.”
“I changed my mind.”
“You change your mind a lot.”
“…Maybe.”
Across the classroom…
Nesmin suddenly groaned.
“I’m surrounded by geniuses.”
Emmi looked up from her notebook.
“What happened now?”
Nesmin pointed dramatically at Yuri.
“He finished the worksheet before Ms.
Kim even explained it.”
Yuri looked genuinely confused.
“…Was I supposed to wait?”
“YES!”
Stevan quietly closed his notebook.
“I finished ten minutes before him.”
Nesmin slowly looked toward the ceiling.
“…I’m transferring schools.”
Emmi burst into laughter.
“You say that every single week.”
“And one day I’ll actually do it.”
“No, you won’t.”
The classroom filled with quiet laughter once again.
Ms.
Kim entered carrying a small cardboard box.
“Good.”
“I’m glad everyone is already here.”
She placed the box on the teacher’s table.
“I’ve prepared something different today.”
The room immediately became curious.
“No worksheets?”
Emmi asked hopefully.
Ms.
Kim smiled.
“No worksheets.”
A loud cheer echoed through the classroom.
“…Instead…”
She opened the box.
Inside were dozens of folded paper slips.
“We’re having a revision challenge.”
The excitement instantly doubled.
She explained,
“Each pair will pick one question.”
“If you solve it correctly…”
“You earn one point.”
“The pair with the highest score by the end of today’s session…”
She paused dramatically.
“…won’t receive homework this weekend.”
The classroom exploded.
“No homework?!”
“I’m winning this!”
“Boss!”
Nesmin immediately turned toward Takoru.
“Can I switch partners?”
Takoru looked at him.
“…No.”
“You don’t even want the prize?”
“I want peace.”
Ms.
Kim laughed.
“No changing partners.”
“Let’s begin.”
One by one…
Every pair walked toward the box.
Rubi unfolded their paper.
Then looked at Takoru.
“…It’s a difficult one.”
Takoru smiled faintly.
“Good.”
“Let’s see if we can solve it.”
For the first time…
There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his voice.
And somehow…
That made Rubi believe they actually could.
She took a slow breath before placing the worksheet between them.
“Let’s read the question carefully first.”
Takoru nodded.
“No rushing this time.”
They silently read every line together.
Unlike their first study session, neither of them panicked.
Neither of them gave up.
Takoru tapped the paper with the tip of his pencil.
“…The question gives us too much information.”
Rubi smiled.
“Exactly.”
“So what’s the first thing we do?”
He thought for a moment.
“…Ignore everything we don’t need.”
Her eyes brightened.
“Right.”
Without realizing it…
He had already started thinking like a problem solver.
Across the classroom…
Nesmin suddenly threw both hands into the air.
“I quit!”
Emmi burst into laughter.
“You’ve only solved two questions!”
“Exactly!”
“And there are eighteen more!”
Yuri calmly pushed Nesmin’s worksheet back toward him.
“Question Three.”
“You copied the wrong formula.”
Nesmin stared at it for a few seconds.
“…Oh.”
Stevan quietly added,
“You’ve been solving Question Four.”
“The answer belongs to Question Three.”
The classroom immediately filled with laughter.
Nesmin covered his face.
“I officially blame today’s weather.”
“There isn’t even bad weather,” Emmi replied.
“Then I blame mathematics.”
Ms.
Kim looked over her glasses.
“I can hear you, Mr.
Nesmin.”
“…Sorry, ma’am.”
Even Takoru let out a quiet laugh.
Rubi looked at him for a second.
“…You’re laughing more these days.”
Takoru paused.
“…Am I?”
She nodded.
“I think so.”
He looked away toward the window.
“…Maybe.”
For the first time…
He didn’t deny it.
And somehow…
That made Rubi smile a little more.
She lowered her eyes back to the worksheet, trying to hide the smile that had escaped without permission.
“Let’s continue,” she said softly.
Takoru nodded.
The next question looked much more complicated than the previous one.
Several diagrams covered half the page.
“This one looks annoying,” Takoru muttered.
Rubi chuckled.
“You’ve started calling every difficult question annoying.”
“They deserve it.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
For the next few minutes, they worked side by side.
Whenever Takoru reached a step he didn’t understand, he no longer stopped completely.
Instead…
He circled the part with his pencil.
“Explain this.”
Rubi patiently did.
Then he continued by himself.
Ms.
Kim, who had been walking around the classroom, quietly stopped near their desk once again.
This time…
She didn’t interrupt them.
She simply watched.
Takoru was writing.
Not quickly.
Not perfectly.
But confidently. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
When he finally finished solving the question, he pushed the notebook toward Rubi.
“I think it’s right.”
Rubi carefully checked every calculation.
A few seconds later…
She smiled.
“You only made one small mistake.”
Takoru leaned forward immediately.
“Where?”
She pointed toward the final step.
“You copied the wrong number here.”
He looked closely.
“…Seriously?”
“You changed forty-eight into eighty-four.”
Takoru stared at the notebook before rubbing his forehead.
“I’ve officially declared war on numbers.”
Rubi laughed.
“I don’t think numbers started it.”
Their quiet laughter reached the students sitting nearby.
Emmi looked over her shoulder.
“You two look suspiciously happy.”
Takoru answered without looking up.
“We’re fighting with mathematics.”
Nesmin immediately raised his hand dramatically.
“Can I join your team?”
Stevan looked at him.
“You’ve been losing to mathematics since Monday.”
“Exactly.”
“I need stronger teammates.”
Yuri closed his notebook with a small smile.
“I think mathematics is winning.”
The classroom filled with another wave of laughter.
Even Ms.
Kim couldn’t hide a smile anymore.
“You all seem to have plenty of energy.”
She looked toward the board.
“Good.”
“Let’s use that energy.”
She picked up a piece of chalk and quickly wrote a new geometry problem across the board.
“This question will not be graded.”
“It’s simply a challenge.”
“The first pair to solve it correctly…”
She smiled knowingly.
“…gets to leave ten minutes early.”
The entire classroom immediately became serious.
Pens were picked up.
Notebooks opened.
Everyone hurried to begin solving.
Nesmin looked at the board for three seconds before whispering,
“I already regret participating.”
Emmi laughed.
“You haven’t even started.”
“I know.”
“But it looks difficult.”
Meanwhile…
Rubi and Takoru quietly read the problem together.
Neither of them rushed.
Neither of them panicked.
Takoru looked at Rubi.
“Small parts?”
She nodded.
“Small parts.”
Without another word…
They divided the problem into simple steps and began solving it together.
For the first time…
It didn’t feel like one student teaching another.
It felt like two classmates solving a challenge side by side.
From the teacher’s desk…
Ms.
Kim watched them quietly.
A satisfied smile crossed her face.
Sometimes…
Improvement wasn’t measured by marks.
Sometimes…
It was measured by the confidence to keep trying.
And sitting beside the window…
Takoru Ryuzaki was finally beginning to believe that he could.
To Be Continued…
Thank you so much for reading another chapter of Rubi and Takoru’s journey.
Today’s chapter wasn’t about getting perfect answers—it was about learning not to give up.
Sometimes, the biggest victory isn’t solving every problem.
It’s having the courage to keep trying.
Now I have a few questions for all of you: • Did you notice how Takoru now asks questions instead of staying silent?
• Which moment was your favorite today—the study challenge, Nesmin’s funny moments, or Rubi and Takoru solving the problems together?
• Do you think Takoru’s confidence is slowly returning, or is he still hiding something deep inside?
I’d love to read your thoughts and theories in the comments.
Thank you for supporting this story.
See you soon in the next chapter!