Anyway, You Made Me So Embarrassed, So Take Responsibility
The day after, with the school exams finally over, I visited Na-yeon’s place for tutoring for the first time in a while. Having visited almost every day before that, not going for over a week made the space in front of the front door feel strangely unfamiliar. '...It reminds me of the first time I came to this house...' Back then, just like now, the person reflected in the elevator mirror was pathetically small, shabby, and shrinking. However, unlike a human like me who hadn't changed at all, I thought that perhaps Na-yeon might have changed just a little bit.
I cautiously pressed the passcode to open the door and stepped inside. Judging by the lack of movement, it seemed Na-yeon was home alone. With my shoulders hunched, I walked hesitantly and opened the door to Na-yeon’s room.
“...Ah, hi, Na-yeon...”
“......”
Na-yeon, still in her school uniform, was leaning against her bed, scrolling through her phone with a bored expression. She glanced at me once, then coldly turned her gaze away. I gave a bitter smile and sat down next to her. But today, Na-yeon seemed to be ignoring me even more coldly than usual. Normally, the moment I opened the door, she would have started pestering me with things like, “Tutor~ come here and take your dick out~” or “Hey, why do you look so annoying today?” but today, she didn't pick a fight or tease me at all; she was just pretending I didn't exist.
Not knowing what to do, I fidgeted and asked in a low, cautious voice, keeping an eye on her reaction.
“...Um, Na-yeon.... I, your mother called me yesterday and told me....”
“......”
“I heard everything. You got an 80 on your math test, right...? Your mother said it was the highest score you’ve ever received in your entire life....”
“Sh-shut up, shut your mouth...! Do you want to die?”
Na-yeon’s face turned bright red, as if she were deeply embarrassed by her good test score, and she hissed at me. I flinched in fear and stepped back. Na-yeon whipped her head around, covered her face with her hair, curled up, and went back to focusing on her phone.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a long time. I couldn't do anything, just wiggling my fingers and hesitating.
'...I have no idea what kind of trick she used to get an 80 with her brain, but she must have put in at least some small effort to get a result like that. What should I do? As her tutor, I want to praise her somehow... wouldn't that make her try even harder next time....'
After hesitating for a long time, I finally gathered my courage. Prepared to be smacked, I cautiously approached behind Na-yeon. And, just like I would when praising my younger sister, I gently stroked her hair and muttered softly.
“...You did well, Na-yeon. I’m really proud of you, you’re the best....”
“...Huh?”
Na-yeon immediately widened her eyes, whipped her head around, and glared at me. I flinched and quickly pulled my hand away from her head.
'Sh-shit, was this over the line after all... she might actually punch me in the solar plexus....'
However, Na-yeon didn't seem so much angry as she did bewildered. It seemed she never imagined I would dare to stroke her hair. She looked up at me with her mouth agape in a daze, then slowly closed her mouth and glared at me with a haughty expression. After that, she coldly turned her head away again.
While I was wandering around, not knowing what to do, Na-yeon suddenly muttered in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.
“...What are you doing? Keep going.”
“Oh....? Aah, u-um....”
The ears peeking out from between Na-yeon’s short hair were dyed bright red. I sat behind her, calmly stroking her hair over and over, and showered her with endless praise.
“You’re so admirable, how are you this amazing? You’re truly incredible, Na-yeon is the prettiest girl in the world....”
The skill I had honed over the years of praising my younger sister until she was satisfied came in very handy at a time like this. While I kept stroking her hair and praising her, Na-yeon eventually put her phone down and sat hunched over, bowing her head low. As she did, the thin strap of her bra became visible through her white shirt.
I felt a strange, hot heat radiating from the top of her head while I was stroking it, so I stole a glance at her face. Her entire face was flushed red like a ripe tomato, burning up. Na-yeon was wiggling her toes, pouting her lips, and leaving her head entirely to my touch.
Finally, after about thirty minutes of praising her like that, Na-yeon turned her head to look at me. Her eyes were as delinquent-like and fiercely narrowed as ever, but she was different from usual in that her entire face was flushed a deep, mottled red like autumn leaves.
“...Hey.”
“Y-yes....?”
“...How did you do that?”
“Oh...? What, what do you mean how....?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, Na-yeon glared at me, snatched the test paper that had been lying on the floor, shoved it violently in front of me, and barked.
“See for yourself, what are you talking about.”
“Oh.... U-um....”
I took the test paper Na-yeon handed me and looked at the problems one by one. A moment later, my eyes widened in shock, and I muttered to myself without realizing it.
“Oh....? W-what, this is impossible....”
The secret to how the blockheaded Na-yeon, who had never even read a single book, let alone studied, managed to get a high score of 80 was revealed. It was because the problems I had guessed for her the day before the test appeared on the exam almost exactly as they were. Even the numbers were the same. If she had just memorized the answers well, she could have solved almost all of the problems without difficulty. I couldn't believe my eyes and dropped my jaw.
'...Even from a teacher's perspective, the problems that might appear on a test are relatively obvious, but this is like a psychic-level prediction...? What on earth happened? If someone saw this, they’d think I leaked the test paper....!'
While I was in shock, Na-yeon snatched the test paper from my hand, crumpled it up, and threw it far away. Then, she glared at me as if demanding an explanation. I waved my hands and shook my head vigorously, as if making an excuse.
“N-no, I really don't know anything about this...! I just felt like they might appear on the test, so I guessed a few, and it was really just a coincidence....”
“A coincidence...?”
Na-yeon scanned me up and down with suspicious eyes. I gulped and nodded my head frantically. Na-yeon glared at me suspiciously for a long time, then let out a sharp sigh and shook her head.
“...I don't know how you did it, but anyway, you made me so embarrassed, so take responsibility.”
“E-embarrassed...? Why?”
As someone who always competed for 1st or 2nd place in school grades, I couldn't understand at all why doing well on a test would lead to an embarrassing result, so I tilted my head and asked back. Na-yeon gnashed her teeth as if she were extremely frustrated and snapped at me.
“Then wouldn't I be embarrassed? Mom is excited all day, talking nonsense and making a huge scene, and at school, everyone is asking me every hour how I did it, acting like crazy people.... Damn it, I’m never memorizing answers again....”
“Aah.... T-that....”
Na-yeon turned her head away primly, as if she were thoroughly sulking, and curled up. I watched her back, wandering around in confusion, then slowly approached and said cautiously in a low voice.
“C-come to think of it, that means you memorized all the answers I told you, right...?”
Na-yeon scowled, looking ashamed that the fact she had put in such effort had been discovered, and glared at me with all her might. I smiled cautiously, stroked Na-yeon’s hair gently, and said softly.
“...You did well, Na-yeon. I’m really proud of you, you’re pretty.”
“...Ugh....”
Na-yeon’s face flushed red again, enough to burn. She glared at me for a long time with her eyes narrowed, then slowly turned her body toward me, pouted her lips, and muttered as if grumbling.
“...Damn it.... Who do you think you are.... making me feel good....”
“Huh...? What was that, Na-yeon...?”
“......”
Then, Na-yeon glanced at me and suddenly flopped down, resting her head on my thigh.
“O-oh....?”
When I looked down with wide, startled eyes, Na-yeon spread her arms wide to both sides and muttered primly.
“...You did well, so hug me.”
“Y-yes....”
I leaned my body hesitantly and hugged Na-yeon’s body tightly. A strange, youthful girl’s scent mixed with the smell of nice shampoo wafted from her hair-covered neck. The touch of her soft skin, her body temperature slightly higher than average, and her pounding heartbeats were transmitted to my entire body. Na-yeon, who had been smiling while hugging me tightly like an attachment doll for a long time, suddenly whipped her body around, forced me to lie down on the floor, and sat on top of me. The soft skin of her thighs inside her school uniform skirt pressed firmly against my lower abdomen. Na-yeon brushed aside the messy bangs that were covering my eyes and looked down at me with an expression full of lust, breathing heavily.
I was flustered, my face turning red, and I asked in a trembling voice.
“Oh...? N-Na-yeon...? What are you doing...”
“...Shut up and open your mouth.”
When I followed Na-yeon’s instructions out of fear, she leaned down