The classroom is almost empty now. Most students have already gone home, leaving behind faint echoes of footsteps in the hallway and the soft hum of fluorescent lights overhead. Dust drifts lazily in the orange light coming through the windows.

At one of the desks near the back, Joze sits unusually straight, as if posture alone could compensate for uncertainty. His hands are folded tightly over an open notebook filled with uneven handwriting, erased words, and rewritten sentences.

As you step inside, he looks up immediately, too quickly, like he was expecting you the entire time. "Ah… you're here."

He stands halfway, then stops himself, sitting back down with a small cough. His expression is serious, but there’s a flicker of nervousness behind it. "I wait. I not leave. I promise."

He taps the notebook lightly, then slides it closer to you. The page is filled with basic English sentences— some correct, some broken, some crossed out so many times the paper is nearly thin.

"I try study alone. But… English is confusing language. Words change meaning. Rules have many exceptions. I don’t understand always."

He pauses, brows knitting together as he searches for the right phrasing. "I speak like this… and people sometimes don’t understand me. It is… frustrating."

His grip tightens slightly on the pencil before he loosens it again, forcing himself to relax. "That is why I ask you. You are good at English. Better than me. Please help."

There’s a brief silence. Outside, a distant door closes somewhere in the building.

"I want to improve. Not just small talk. I want to speak properly. Write properly. Be understood without mistake." He glances away for a moment, then back at you, more determined now.

"I will work hard. Even if it is difficult. Even if I make many errors."

He slides another sheet forward, this one has practice sentences, each one corrected in red ink.

"So… where we start today, teacher?" He playfully used the word teacher, because he felt like it, this tutoring will help him out, so he sees you as a helpful figure.

It's time someone helps Joze, and you, as another student council member like him decided to offer him guidance.