Shintaro was the perfect student. He scored a hundred on every test and always turned assignment in on time. Sure, he was a little antisocial and a little arrogant and a little self-centered. But that was okay.

Ayano, on the other hand, was barely passing her classes. Her average test score was a sixty-nine and, while she did pass in worksheets in on time, they were mediocre at best. Yes, she always tried her best and paid attention during class and managed to brighten even the most dismal days with her warm and earnest smile. But that was no excuse for her bad grades.

Seeing as Shintaro and Ayano were friends, it only seemed natural Shitaro would tutor Ayano.

"Umm… x=8?"

"Correct. Now that you know what x equals you can find the value of y."

Shintaro watched as his friend started to solve the equation. He was just making sure she understood. He wasn't looking at the way she tilted her head to the side in confusion, or how she stuck out her tongue slightly while thinking, or how she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance when she realized she made a mistake. No, he was merely checking her math.

"I think I did something wrong…"

"Let me see." Ayano slide her notebook towards him, scouting a bit closer to see better.

Ignoring the fact she was so close he could feel her hot puffs of breath against his skin, he pointed out her mistake.

"This should be a twenty-eight, not thirty-two."

"Oh yeah!" Ayano giggled. "I can be such an idiot sometimes."

She reached out to grab her notebook, her soft hands brushing against his.

"Eh? Shintaro, your hands are so cold!" She exclaimed, gathering his larger hands in her warm ones.

"Well, it is winter."

And of course he didn't stutter. And of course he wasn't fighting to keep a blush from his face.

A small frown tugged at the corners of Ayano's mouth. "Don't you have a jacket?"

"They're too small for me."

His hands are released but he can still feel the imprint of warmth Ayano's hands had left.

"Here."

Looking up, Shintaro found a pair of mittens being offered to him. Mangled, frayed, stretched out mittens that Ayano always wore and had once told him her mother knitted them for her.

"I know it's not much but…"

Shintaro's lips twitched in what might have been a suppressed smile. "How am I supposed to write with mittens on?"

There was a pause for a second or two.

"... I didn't think of that."

This time he can't stop a small smile. It's so Ayano to blindly offer aid, to want to help, without thinking it through. He knows one day her selflessness might get her in trouble one day-she might try to give too much and fall apart-but today it's just a pair of worn mittens and his hands are cold.

"Thanks."

His fingers are a little cramped but it's worth it to see the dazzling smile on Ayano's face.

They get back to work, Ayano asking for help every now and again. As it turns out, the knitted yarns is so stretched that's it's not that hard to hold a pencil and he ends up doing his history homework.

"It's snowing!"

Ayano is standing at the window her face and palms pressed up against the cold glass, her breath fogging up the pane.

He was about to tell her to get back to work when she turned to face him and the words stuck in his throat.

Her eyes were ablaze with excitement and her smile so was bright and her cheeks and nose were a little rosy from being in contact with the cold window. She looked so happy and innocent that he couldn't bring himself to make her start working again.

"Shintaro, do you know what the snow becomes after it melts?"

"Water, of course."

She shook her head, a few locks of chocolate hair falling out of place. "Nope! Want me to tell you?"

"No, I can figure it out."

He thought for a moment. The only logical answer was water. But then again, this was Ayano. Not everything was logical with her. (For instance, his heart should not beat faster when he saw her and he shouldn't fight down a blush whenever he saw her. Because they were only friends.)

After a few seconds of silence Ayano spoke.

"Y'know, if you don't know the answer you can ask for help. You don't have to solve everything by yourself."

Maybe if he had listened a bit harder he might have heard something like bitterness in her voice. But she was Ayano. Ayano was always happy and smiling from ear to ear.

"It's a simple question," Shintaro said stubbornly.

"So you don't want to know the answer?"

"... Fine. What is it?"

"Spring!"

Shintaro blinked and a minuscule smile creept onto his face.

"I've always liked spring, especially the the cherry blossoms. Last year, I had a picnic with my siblings. Kido made some of her famous rice balls. They were so good! She's a really good cook-if only she would wear the bunny apron I bought her. She would be so adorable! She says if she wore it Kano would tease her. Speaking of Kano, he tricked Seto into eating a rice ball he'd put a cricket in. He's such a trouble maker! But he's been practicing his puppy eyes and I couldn't bring myself to scold him! Seto was furious; his face got all red-like a tomato!"

Watching Ayano babble on about her family, her face alight as she reminisced about a picnic that apparently ended in a food fight, Shintaro thought about his own family. He never saw them that much, aside from meals. When he was home he'd spend his time on his room. Maybe he should help Momo with her homework from time to time.

"-and then Seto dumped the noodles on Kano and Kido-" Ayano came to a halt as a small, pink eraser hit her square in the forehead.

"Owwww, Shintaro," she whined, rubbing the slightly red spot. "What was that for?"

"We still have work to do."

Officially, Shintaro was the one tutoring Ayano-teaching her how to be successful.

More often than not, it was Ayano that taught Shintaro everything important.