Chapter 384: Chapter 381: Convergence! (Part 2)
"So things are different now~ I’m a manga artist! That’s a legit job I can tell my relatives and friends about."
The cute little Ise Yu puffed out her chest proudly, "I’m no longer the freshman I used to be!"
In anime, or light novel scenes, you often see many Neon people not being so eager to continue their education. Scenes like the 100-day declaration for exams or ’returning only after victory’ are hardly depicted. It’s as if the notion of ’reading is useless’ reigns supreme.
However, unfortunately, novels are just novels. The competition for education in Neon is still very fierce, and there’s severe involution; tutoring centers can be seen everywhere, and flyers are flying all over. There are, of course, students who don’t want to go to college and want to find another path, and they are not sparse in numbers. But in private schools like Akihisa High School, this proportion is obviously much smaller.
"Speaking of which, Shirakawa, you must be aiming for Tokyo University, right?"
"You know me on your first day?" Shirakawa Sawahei gave her a sidelong glance.
"Ah... Is that goal a bit too ambitious..." The slacking girl upon hearing this suddenly showed a somewhat dejected look. With her current ability, it seems like it’s no longer possible to reach Tokyo University with Shirakawa Sawahei just by putting in effort...
"How about... Shirakawa, you change your dream?" The slacking girl shamelessly suggested, "Well, actually, it’s not necessary to go to Tokyo University, after all, Shirakawa, you’re so good, it’s about the same wherever you study..."
"Can Tokyo University even be called a dream?" Shirakawa Sawahei asked back with puzzlement.
"???"
"Shirakawa! Quickly apologize to all the underachievers in the world!"
After angrily retorting, Ise Yu Yuzhijin sighed for a while, seemingly feeling her dream of going to college with Shirakawa Sawahei shattered, couldn’t help but start contemplating other alternative paths.
Hmm... Just target a university near Tokyo University and start working hard! Even if we’re not in the same school, I can rely on my strong personal charm to make Shirakawa indulge in my body...
As long as we live together... as long as we continue living together after graduating high school...
Hehe~ Tokyo University’s elite girls... They’re far from being able to compete with my charm, Lord Ise Yu!
"Why are you smiling so strangely?" Shirakawa Sawahei looked at the girl with an increasingly twisted smile, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you plotting something bad?"
Could it be? The new series’ theme has been decided? Tokyo University’s Fallen Elites...
"Of course not! I say Shirakawa, what kind of villain character are you turning me into!"
"Sorry." Shirakawa Sawahei began to reflect with some shame, "Let me put it another way."
"Quickly, tell me what you’re planning to do to wrong me."
"???"
"Shirakawa! I’m angry now!" The sulking little toad quickly puffed up her cheeks, discontentedly said, "You’re going to lose me very easily like this!"
"..."
For some reason, Shirakawa Sawahei felt like he’d heard this sentence from Tsukimi Sakurazawa before...
This Ise Yu guy, has she graduated from Tsukimi?
"Shirakawa? Teacher Uehara is calling you."
A student called out from the door, and Shirakawa Sawahei nodded in response before getting up to leave the slacking girl’s side. The girl quickly grabbed his sleeve and cautioned, "Shirakawa, you better not tell me you’re taking science but actually ditch me for the arts..."
"Without your tutoring, it’s very hard for me to keep going! Shirakawa, please be sure to fulfill your duty as my tutor, okay?"
"Do you think I have that much time on my hands?" Shirakawa Sawahei replied irritably, "Besides, even if I’m studying arts, with your level, I can still teach."
"Nothing is absolute, you know~ I’m just worried you’ll backstab me, Shirakawa."
"..."
She actually preemptively anticipated Black Hearted Lolita’s moves... Wow, this is a total breakthrough.
Shirakawa Sawahei couldn’t be bothered to deal with the girl with a quirky imagination and left straight away.
The teachers’ office and the teaching building were on different floors. Shirakawa Sawahei went downstairs, heading clearly towards where Uehara Shigeo was. On the way, he passed other teachers’ offices, where a very elegant-looking middle-aged woman stood at the door, as if waiting for someone.
When the woman saw Shirakawa Sawahei, her expression was slightly surprised, but she didn’t greet him, which left Shirakawa Sawahei somewhat baffled.
He walked into the office, and the woman behind him watched his back thoughtfully.
This child... should be the boy beside Xiao Mo, right?
Without overthinking, the middle-aged woman glanced at the watch on her wrist and then looked away. Soon, Miss Tachibana Tomoku came down slowly from upstairs. Seeing her mother, she appeared very surprised.
"Mother... Why are you here?"
Tachibana China smiled gently, "Today is your parent-teacher meeting time, of course, Mom has to come."
"Then, what about Dad?"
"Well... sorry, Xiao Mo, your dad couldn’t make it due to work reasons."
Tachibana China’s tone carried a bit of helplessness. She consoled, "Though he can’t come, your father asked me to cheer for you and said you could make your own choices. Whatever they are, we’ll support you."
Xiao Mo sweetly responded with a small ’oh,’ nodded obediently, "I told the teacher before that you guys couldn’t make it... I’m sorry..."
"Silly child, you never have to apologize to your parents." Tachibana China gently patted the girl’s little head.
The ones who should apologize are us.
"Let’s go in and apologize to the teacher... Is it our turn now? Should we go in?"
"Yeah... let’s go in now..."
Miss Tachibana Tomoku agreed, somehow suddenly showing a few hints of worry on her face.
...
As Shirakawa Sawahei entered the office, he immediately sensed a faint tension in the air. His poor homeroom teacher, the always chicken-hearted middle-aged teacher Uehara Shigeo, was huddled in a corner like a quail, not daring to make a peep, fearing the powerful aura of the two women would make them displeased and obliterate him with a mere glance.
So terrifying... Is this the battle of the gods? I’m truly sorry that we mortals have to witness this scene! Please, you two, let me escape by your magnanimity, okay!
The only consolation for Uehara Shigeo was that the usually domineering Teacher Takagi also seemed a bit scared, shrinking nearby him. This seemingly gave Uehara Shigeo the courage of a man; he puffed up his chest and tremblingly pointed to the door.
"Both of you... Shirakawa is here!"
Looking at the scrutinizing gaze of Tsukimi Yamadori and another equally imposing woman, Shirakawa Sawahei suddenly had the urge to turn around and run away.
Are they... here to cause trouble? Why is everyone looking at me with such intent?
This isn’t logical, is it? Tsukimi Yamadori has always been so amicable, so what’s with this current state?