This is it. I’ve finally made it.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath to brace herself. A mixture of triumph and dread swirled in her stomach as she stepped toward the first tutoring session of the loop. Philip’s eyes roved over the same book as always, ignoring her until she got close. Then, those cold eyes finally snapped toward hers. “You are Kaitlyn, I presume?”

After a brief round of rote introductions, Kaitlyn realized her shoulders were as stiff as a board. With a conscious effort, she relaxed them and unclenched her fists.

It’s ok. I’ve got this. This is what I’ve been working toward.

“Now then,” Philip pulled notebooks and flashcards out of his dingy backpack. “You indicated that you’d like to focus on Calculus primarily, with a lesser focus on Statistics as time permits. Is that correct?”

Here we go. One more long exhale solidified her resolve. “Yes. That’s right.”

“Very well. Then, for our lesson plan today…”

The formal tutor began with an overview of the topics before launching into a full lecture. The whole while, Kaitlyn trained her entire focus on his words. The bustling cafeteria courtyard faded away as she sank into the world of variables, integrals, and limits.

Actually getting through all of the prerequisite classes to Calculus took her longer than she’d have liked. Both Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus took a couple of loops to finish up, which would have put her behind schedule even if Chemistry also hadn’t been such a massive pain. But all of that effort was about to pay off in spades right here.

I don’t expect to get through this first try. Especially because I still have a few things to work through on Statistics. Her pen scribbled formulas across the page, working through Philip’s practice problem. For that one I think I can try the exams this loop, but Calculus? I’ll wait until the next one at least. If I can just make it through learning the midterm material then I’ll be happy.

Thankfully, that was one of the benefits to everyone’s memory being reset each loop. No one else would know how embarrassingly long this whole process took her.

“Um, Philip? Why wouldn’t we multiply these terms out here?”

“You certainly can try. But compare the ease of working with the equation in this format compared to this one…”

Nodding along, she soaked up the information greedily. This actually makes sense now. I mean, it’s still hard, but I can understand what’s going on and why! Finally!

She supposed it was nothing to celebrate. After all, based on the game placing her in this class, it had expected her to start out at this level. But after so many loops of frustratedly banging her head against the wall, any kind of comprehension felt like a complete breath of fresh air.

The sooner I learn this, the sooner I can take this whole Calculus thing and tell it to shove it. Because I’m not even scared of it anymore. You hear that, math? I’m better than you. You better watch out.

Hunching over her notes with determination, she almost didn’t notice the time until Philip cleared his throat. “That’s all for today. Although we did not manage to touch on Statistics, we have made quite decent progress overall. These concepts should carry you through the first few lectures at minimum.”

“Oh. Ok.” Kaitlyn blinked, pulling herself out of the math. “Sounds good. Maybe we can do Statistics next time? Or not, I don’t mind just doing Calculus.” Ugh. Never thought I’d say that in my life.

“Whichever you’d prefer.” The raven-haired student nodded as he packed up his belongings. “Please let me know which approach you’d like to take before our next session so that I may prepare accordingly. Otherwise, I will prepare for both.”

“Sounds good.”

After paying the guy and exchanging a final round of formal farewells, they parted. For a long moment, Kaitlyn watched Philip’s blue dress shirt and vest disappear into the distance.

I really wish I could thank him somehow. As standoffish and rude as he is… I don’t know how I would’ve done this on my own.

Even as she thought it, that evaluation of the guy didn’t fully seem to ring true anymore. It had been so much time that even Philip’s initial teardown of her felt like a distant memory. That initial impression of the guy as a cruel, condescending know-it-all crumbled bit by bit over the many loops she’d worked with him. Especially now that she’d seen how patient and hard-working he was. His compliments helped too - even if they were rare and hard-earned.

…Well, ok, he still is a know-it-all. She smiled to herself. But at least he’s earned that one. I mean, at this point maybe the bigger challenge is stumping him in a subject.

With a final glance toward the retreating figure, she turned and headed toward Cappy’s. Time to see what she could whip up for lunch.

***

“Nice read Kay!”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Ray-Chu stood from its crouch, its tail sweep having caught the opposing Lieutenant Sparrow by surprise. The muscular brawler tumbled backward into CinnaBun’s range. In a flash, the rabbit capitalized on the advantage and pounded the opponent into the ground.

A few moments of helplessness later, Ian and Kaitlyn put an end to their opponent’s misery and sent them careening offstage. The other team leaned back with a sigh of disappointment before sharing a fistbump with the victors.

“Better luck next time, Kyle.” Kaitlyn grinned. “Your Sparrow is getting better though!”

“T-thanks.” The greasy-haired guy mumbled the words, his face flushing slightly as he wound up his controller. “Still got dunked on.”

“Well, only once it was a 2v1. Before that you were kind of a pain.” Kaitlyn admitted.

As the opposing team stood to leave, Ian stretched with a slight smile. “Dang, another 2-0. We’re starting to be a real threat.”

“Yeah!” Kaitlyn beamed. “Well, for now. As long as we avoid some of the real heavy hitters… Though good luck with that.”

Ian groaned. “Don’t remind me. Zog’s bad enough in singles, I hate getting clowned on in doubles. It’s so demoralizing.

Yeah, it is. She nodded sagely. And the worst part? He’s not even with his best teammate. Playing him and Lelas together is just hopeless.

The pair relaxed for a moment, neither in any rush to report the game’s results. Kaitlyn glanced around the room and its many monitors. Most games were still in progress at this point, though “most” was a relative term. There weren’t too many teams that signed up for doubles during weeklies. It just made the precious few games worth of experience all the more valuable.

Practicing with other people over the past few loops had already paid off in dividends. Experiencing different matchups, learning different playstyles, and familiarizing herself with people’s habits not only meant she was climbing the ranks in her own right. It also made her a way better teammate.

She glanced over at the chestnut-haired CinnaBun main. Originally, she’d intended to play with Ian again once she could beat him in bracket. Only… that bar seemed further and further out of reach each time she tried to leap for it. Her skills were definitely improving, of course. But each time she took a game off of the guy, he retaliated by doubling down and getting extra serious. He powered up like some sort of anime protagonist with plot armor.

Honestly. It feels like he’s cheating.

Even despite that, the guy would always lose to the same top players in bracket. It made her dread taking on that particular challenge even more. She’d occasionally face them during tournament or friendlies herself, true, but they never needed to display their full skills. If the gulf between her and Ian was this large, then how out of reach were they?

Unless I’m special and just manage to draw out his true power in battle somehow. She hid a grin. Maybe he’s not a male lead at all. Maybe I’m his archenemy!

“Well, I should probably go report.” Ian stood from his seat. “Want to play a quick friendly before next match?”

“Sure!”

When he returned, they booted into the game and began fighting. Kaitlyn didn’t go all out - at this point, she was good enough that doing that would be in poor taste. Instead, she treated the match as an opportunity to focus on a few aspects of her play that had been lacking.

“Are you trying to perfect block everything?”

She started, then met Ian’s glance with a sheepish grin. Dang. Am I that obvious? “Yeah. As long as we’re practicing. I uh, I think it might help me be more reactive and aggressive.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize I was going that easy on you.”

“I mean, I gave you a pretty good run for your money last week. Plus, I’ve gotta practice somehow!”

Ian chuckled. “Yeah, fair. That’s really high risk though. I mean, even if you do succeed, I can do something like this…” CinnaBun dashed forward, throwing a flurry of shuriken as she did. Ray-Chu flashed out a quick block to meet each, only to get hit by a follow-up attack once the bunny closed the distance. “See? It would’ve been way better to dodge and reposition there.”

“Ok, yeah, obviously. I know that it won’t work for everything.” Kaitlyn rolled her eyes in exasperation. “But it’s still a great skill to have. Especially with how many of the top players use projectiles.”

“Mmmm, fair,” Ian hedged. “I guess you are a pretty aggressive player, too.”

Kaitlyn considered that. “Am I?”

“You totally are.” Ian chuckled. “Way more than me, at least. I thought I took risks, but you? It’s like you don’t even care if you lose. Ah, not in that way though!” The guy backtracked before Kaitlyn could even respond. “I mean… uh, when I’m fighting you, it feels like you care more about playing well than actually winning. Like you’d give up a game if you had to win sloppily, kind of. Does that make sense?”

The idea made Kaitlyn frown slightly. Huh. That’s weird, because I totally would have taken a victory over anything before. But I guess he does have a point. For everyone else, they’re kind of playing to win. This is their one and only shot. But for me… well, I guess the timeloop thing really has skewed my priorities. I don’t care about winning the tournament this time. I care about being able to win every one from here on out.

“Honestly, I’m surprised you play Ray-Chu.” Ian continued speaking, pulling her out of her ruminations. “It doesn’t quite seem to fit your style. I mean, you play him well, but still…”

He has a point. I mean, there are plenty of more aggressive characters I could play. I could pick up Lieutenant Sparrow or something if I wanted to double down on that route. The question is… should I?

As much as she’d developed in other areas of the game, there had always been one constant - her character. The first one she’d picked up. Sure, she’d tried a few others, but only in casual or joke matches.

Well. Guess there’s one way to find out.

“...Maybe you’re right.” Kaitlyn nodded. “Who would you suggest?”

Maybe I need to branch out even more.

***

Cycle 21 Complete!

Ending: Under the Radar

Total Endings Unlocked: 6

Writing - A (100%)

Calculus - F (0%)

Statistics - A (98%)

Chemistry - A (100%)

Genetics - A (100%)