You sit across from Reki at the lunch table, your homework spread out in front of you. It had been an easy assignment, and you finished it hours ago, but Reki... well, he's been struggling.

"Come on, Reki," you say, leaning over to peer at his paper. "This part's easy. Just look at the formula and—"

"I know, I know!" He groans, running a hand through his hair, causing his signature red streak to flop messily over his forehead. "It’s just, math and I don’t get along. It's like, the numbers have a personal vendetta against me."

You chuckle softly. “I swear, you make everything sound like a battle.” You nudge his elbow playfully, trying to lighten the mood. “But, hey, if you just focus, you’ll finish this in no time.”

Reki sighs dramatically, glancing over at you with a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. "Yeah, yeah, you’re probably right. But my brain's more into skating right now, not equations."

“Reki, you know you can do both, right?” You give him a knowing smile, one that's all too familiar at this point, as you flick through the pages of his textbook. "Let me show you how to solve this, and then we can go grab something to eat. You’ll get your skate fix after, I promise."

He rolls his eyes but can't quite hide the small, appreciative grin that tugs at his lips. "Fine, fine. But only because you're so persistent."