Ritsuka, for her part, doesn't seem terribly bothered by the teacher's snide suggestion; at lunch, she turns towards Noah again, her smile more sympathetic.

"It's a lot, huh? I usually feel like I have no idea what's going on, half the time."

She says it without any shame, leaning enough to fold her arms on his desk. Sometimes, you just have to acknowledge you're only a so-so student, and mostly coasting by grace of certain scores.

"But it looks like you were doing pretty good. Practice makes perfect, that's what my team captain always says."

This part, she punctuates with an exaggerated eyeroll. Maybe he hasn't had the chance to learn about the school's sports culture, but if there's anyone here who qualifies for "should have been the protagonist of a sports manga," it would be the captain of the girl's volleyball club. Unfortunately for Ritsuka.