Studying

Naoya wasn't usually the type to care all that much about grades. He wasn't completely relaxed about them, but he also didn't feel the need to pressure either himself or the others to get the best grades in their classes.

However, that didn't stop him from being shocked once everyone's grades had arrived. Even Hamuko and Aigis, who were the ones with the highest grades among them, had dropped. That was odd, to say the least. It had been the first time something like that had happened.

So, as soon as dinner had ended that night, he decided to confront them about it. There had to be some explanation.

"Hey," he started. "What happened to your grades?"

Makoto, Hamuko, Aigis and Ren didn't really react much. But Tatsuya and Yu immediately looked away and tried to act like they weren't paying attention.

"Yeah, I guess we slipped a little. Me and Aigis still did pretty well, though." Hamuko shrugged.

"Me and Makoto were still good enough, too. Even if we were just average." Ren replied. Makoto nodded.

"And what do you have to say for yourselves?" Naoya asked Tatsuya and Yu.

Tatsuya sighed, while Yu was clearly sweating.

"Well…" Yu pulled on his collar. "Let's say I got a little distracted."

"Distracted how?"

"I've been busy with my friends! I completely forgot about studying!" He ran his fingers through his hair before sighing again. "Sorry, I'll try harder next trimester."

"And you?" Naoya turned to Tatsuya.

Tatsuya shrugged. "I don't really care."

"Tatsuya, you can't just say that!" Yu said.

"It's better to be honest, though. Besides, lying wouldn't do much."

Naoya sighed. It was only one trimester, but he couldn't help but worry for his friends. And if the teachers noticed, they likely wouldn't be as understanding as he was being.

His thoughts were interrupted when they heard a dinging sound coming from Yu's phone. Yu picked it, and seemed to start sweating as he read his screen.

"What's wrong?" Naoya asked.

"Nothing!" Yu stepped backwards as he typed.

"Yu…"

He was silent for a moment, but then sighed. "Fine. Kanji just asked me to help him with making stuffed animals for the kids in town. This is really important to him and it's a lot to do alone! I can't just say no!"

Naoya sighed. "I understand you want to help your friends and I won't stop you from going this time. But you have to start balancing friends and school from now on."

"I'll… Try."

Naoya realised Hamuko was now looking away from him as well. "What's wrong, Hamuko?"

Hamuko groaned. "My schedule for this week is all full for going out with my friends. I can't just cancel so close to the actual dates. I promise I'll start paying more attention starting next week though." She tried to make puppy eyes at him, despite knowing it rarely worked.

Naoya was the one groaning this time. They had to do something or else things could get worse. "Here's what we're gonna do: we're getting together to study every week. And, unless it's an emergency, don't schedule anything with your friends for that day." He explained. "Oh. And anyone who gets below average grades is getting their phone confiscated."

“You can’t do that!” Hamuko and Ren yelled at the same time.

"Well then stick to the plan if you don't want it to happen!" Naoya replied. He heard the front door opening, but Hamuko seemingly didn't notice.

"I'm gonna tell Maya!" Hamuko said.

"Tell me what?" Maya asked. She was the one who just entered through the front door, and she had two full plastic bags with her.

Hamuko squealed, a mix of shock and joy. Her eyes sparkled as she rushed to hug Maya. Maya giggled as she hugged her back. And Hamuko complained to her about Naoya's decision.

"Hm… I don't see anything wrong with that. You guys have to be responsible, after all." She pat Hamuko's head, giggling as the younger girl pouted. "Plus, Yu and Tatsuya are the only ones in real danger of losing their phones. The rest of you don't have that much to worry about."

"How is that supposed to console us?" Tatsuya asked.

Maya laughed again. "Let's eat, shall we? I brought some fried chicken. Can you help with getting stuff ready?"

She handed Aigis and Makoto the plastic bags, and they all started heading towards the dining table. But she held Naoya back by the shoulder.

Naoya raised an eyebrow at her, and she pinched his cheeks while giggling, ignoring his pleas for her to stop. "Good job trying to help your friends, Toudou."

Naoya rubbed his cheeks once she had let go of them. "Well, I couldn't just sit around and wait for them to get a talking to from the teachers instead."

"Oh, yeah, I've talked to some of them before." She laughed awkwardly at the memory. "But… It's good to know I can trust you to keep an eye on everyone while I'm not around."

He raised an eyebrow again. "Why me?"

"Well… Tatsuya, Hamuko and Ren would obviously lead everyone into complete chaos."

He nodded. They had to stop those three from getting into trouble quite a lot.

"Makoto… Well, if everyone else was setting fire to the dorm, he wouldn't even care. Yu is the type that can get pushed around very easily, so it's hard for him to put his foot down. And Aigis… While she can be very responsible, she still has a long way to go to understand human emotion." She then smiled at him. "I just think you're a good pick to balance all of that." She pat his shoulder before heading to the table, where the others were already eating the fried chicken like wild animals.

Naoya chuckled before heading towards them. It was a wild group a friends, but he couldn't see himself sharing a dorm with anyone else.