Cycle 1-6: Assessing the Situation

Midterms were the worst.

The exams themselves were bad enough - even in the classes Kaitlyn had been good at originally, the midterms weren’t exactly a walk in the park. But more than that was the oppressive, looming sense of dread that heralded their approach. Now that midterms were only a couple of weeks away, that feeling had intensified to the point that she needed to take it seriously.

She glared at her phone’s calendar and took a bite of her pastrami sandwich. Despite her prayers, complaints, and general desire to be in any other classes than these, Kaitlyn found herself staring down four separate exams that she was completely unprepared for. The difficulty of assignments were enough to let her know as much. Luckily, writing was just a paper, but even that she had procrastinated on so far.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t been trying - though, she had often gotten distracted in class, and while trying to study, and also with thinking up ways to befriend or even just approach the dating sim guys. But the real issue was still that these classes were just not up her alley. They weren’t something she was interested in to begin with. It didn’t help that the subjects were just so darn hard to understand.

I mean, I really have been trying. I haven’t gone out and looked for the last two guys in weeks. Or really done anything about the other three. But I have so many other things to think about and adjust to here.

She had, however, spent a good amount of time familiarizing herself with the world she found herself in. Turns out, the internet here was just as useful for passing time and learning random information  as it was at home. She even found a school-specific social media app that saw pretty regular use by students. Between that and the event listings in the school app, she had a much better grasp of what was going on around campus. Though with how classes had been lately there had been no time to do more than browse.

Not like she would have checked out any of the events anyway. She wasn’t very interested in most of the clubs and events that advertised on there - group stuff always felt so tiring. Maybe some of those events would double as encounters, but… Well, if she found one that seemed actually interesting she’d try it. No point in forcing herself to go to stuff she’d hate for no reason. Especially with her luck so far.

However, the gaming club that had popped up on the listings a few days ago did catch her interest. She’d need to look into the gaming systems this world had, maybe look into stopping by sometime. It would be a good way to relax and simply enjoy herself. After midterms though.

Still, it was time to focus. Despite the utter disdain she felt for her classes, it wouldn’t do to ignore them entirely. No guy would want to date a complete failure. It’s not like I’m looking for straight A’s here though. As a wise man once said - C’s get degrees.

Despite the low bar, even C’s seemed out of reach at this point. There was just too much material to cover. If there were a few classes she was good at or could cruise by in, then maybe. But learning all of this on her own, much less keeping it in her head? Impossible.

Sighing in defeat, she gave in. She had wanted to avoid tutoring, since it felt like such a waste of time. Who wanted to spend their isekai’d life going to class, only to go right to tutoring afterwards? Not her. But there was no way she’d manage without some sort of help, and she had enough money to afford it. She was being pretty stingy with the stuff for now because she didn’t know what might happen in the future.

Calculus is my highest priority here. That and Statistics. If I can get those down, I might be able to muddle through Genetics and Chemistry on my own. She finished off the sandwich and stood, exiting the dining hall. Next time, she’d leave the tomatoes off the sandwich - they were pretty mealy around here. Time to look at listings, I guess. Good thing I didn’t end up buying that pressure cooker then.

***

Back in the dorm, Kaitlyn scrolled through a series of listings for math tutors on her phone. There were a lot, especially at this time of year. There were also a few physical flyers she had noticed around campus and snapped pictures of. Most of them looked reasonable enough, but apparently she was late enough to the party that many of the tutors simply didn’t have space for her.

Sighing at the latest rejection, she tapped in another number. Fifth time’s the charm, right? Surely they can’t ALL be full. This campus can’t be populated by too many people as dumb as me. The classes would have to be way easier then.

“Hi there! I saw your ad for tutoring. I’m looking for someone to help me with Calculus and Statistics. Is that something you can do?”

After a few minutes, the phone pinged.

“Yes. I have the following openings for next week:

Monday (8 AM - 9 AM, 12 PM - 1 PM)

Wednesday (12 PM - 1 PM)

Saturday (8 AM - 9 AM, 6 PM - 7 PM)

My rate is $30 per hour. If this is acceptable, please let me know what date(s) and time(s) you would like to book.”

Kaitlyn pumped a fist. Finally! I thought I’d never find someone. The price seems kinda steep, but it’s better than nothing.

Her thumb flew across the screen.

“Awesome! How about we try for Monday at noon? Let’s meet at one of the tables outside of Cappy’s, if that works for you?”

Ping. “Alright. I’ll mark you down on my calendar. Please provide a list of specific concepts you’d like to cover at least 2 days beforehand so I can prepare appropriately.”

She frowned slightly. Prepare? Don’t people usually just go and ask questions or get help on some assigned problems? Maybe I just don’t know how this stuff works. She did have a lot of questions though, so maybe putting together a list of concepts would help her organize all that.

She tapped out a response. “Will do! Lemme think about it and I’ll get back to you ASAP.”

Ping. “Alright. Thank you for your business.”

She flopped down on her bed. Monday, huh? Today’s Thursday, so guess I’ve got a couple of days to get that list together. Might as well do that before I forget.

After scribbling down a few notes and general concepts for Calculus - what was that thing called again? A Tyler series? - a break was warranted. Kaitlyn had accidentally discovered this world’s version of webnovels, and there was one in particular she was almost caught up on.

***

The leaves of the large oaks around campus had begun to change colors to deep oranges and reds, though most hadn’t begun to litter the ground quite yet. Still, the temperature was dropping, and Kaitlyn was grateful for her hoodie as she jogged through campus. The occasional student armed with a spiral notebook and pen adorned the various stone planters and metal benches lining the concrete walkways. One had even set up a large hammock between a couple of trees.

She hated jogging, truly, Unfortunately, it was necessary. She was running late to tutoring. She had forgotten to pack her Calculus materials in advance, so a detour to the dorm was necessary after her Chemistry lecture finished. That nearly doubled the travel time from what she’d expected. It was already 11:58, and she wasn’t even close to the dining hall.

She slowed to a brisk walk, panting heavily. It really was a good thing she hadn’t taken up Coach on his offer. If he knew how out of shape she was, he’d have laughed her right off the field. Not like I wanted to join anyway, but still. It was a good choice.

Eventually, the curved white stucco and glass walls of Cappy’s came into view. The place was packed full of students coming from their own lectures or claiming tables for study sessions. Her stomach growled at the sight, but she pushed the hunger down. If she had come early like she planned, then there would have been time to grab a quick bite ahead of time.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t. The tutor sounded pretty formal over text, like they might be a stickler for rules, so hopefully they wouldn’t be too upset at her being late.

She scanned the courtyard for the mustard yellow backpack she had been told to expect. Hopefully her tutor had managed to find a table in the midst of all this. Sure enough, it sat tall against the center umbrella of a perimeter table.

Behind the backpack sat an olive skinned boy wearing a dark blue dress shirt and a black vest. His dark hair was cut short and parted to the side. One fist rested on his cheek as sharp, stormy grey eyes glared at an open book held in his other hand. He had an intense, intimidating aura to him, one that would have normally sent Kaitlyn avoiding eye contact. But not this time.

He’s one of them. Her heart, which had begun to slow slightly from the jog, began accelerating once more. This guy’s another dating sim target. And he’s also my tutor. Finally, FINALLY! Another development!

She jogged the last few yards towards the table, halting in front of the serious student. “H-hello! I’m Kaitlyn. S-sorry for being late. I, uh, I forgot some stuff.”

Those sharp eyes darted up to meet hers. He nodded and closed the book with a soft thud. “My name is Philip. Have a seat, and we can get started.”

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