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In a flash, it was lunchtime.
After the bell rang, Kitahara Makoto left the classroom as usual, preparing to go to the cafeteria for lunch.
There was no other way; Kita hadn't brought him a bento today, and when he encountered Kita in the hallway during break, she was clearly avoiding him just like Bocchi-chan.
Thinking of Little Miss Anxiety, Kitahara Makoto's heart suddenly stirred slightly.
He happened to pass a dark corner, so he subconsciously glanced inside.
He didn't know until he looked, but when he did, he discovered that Little Miss Anxiety, dressed in a pink tracksuit, was indeed hiding there.
"…An unexpected surprise."
Kitahara Makoto stopped, a smile appearing on his face.
People with social anxiety are particularly sensitive to the gaze of others.
Under Kitahara Makoto's gaze, Gotō Hitori's ahoge on top of her head suddenly trembled, like a radar detecting an enemy, and she nervously looked up, glancing around.
Their eyes met.
Seeing Kitahara Makoto outside her dark hiding spot, Bocchi-chan's small face instantly flushed, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
"Hitori-chan, here's your pocket money back." Kitahara Makoto stepped into the dark corner, pulling out the prepared pocket money, "Check if it's correct."
"Th-thank you…"
Gotō Hitori stammered her thanks in a low voice.
When someone comes to return money, there's no reason to refuse.
Carefully taking the change, it was impossible for her to count it.
Gotō Hitori softly said:
"I've received it…"
Kitahara Makoto was not in a hurry to leave, and said gently:
"Besides returning the money, there's one more thing I want to tell Hitori-chan."
"Eh?"
Gotō Hitori's heart immediately sped up, and the temperature on her small face rapidly rose.
If Kitahara Makoto hadn't blocked her way, she would have already fled in a panic.
(W-what does Kitahara-kun want to say?)
(Could it be a con-confession…)
(Impossible!)
(Someone as gloomy and uninteresting as me wouldn't be popular!)
(Kitahara-kun is great at studying and good at sports, he wouldn't li-like someone like me…)
Little Miss Anxiety tried her best to deny herself, but the effect was far less than before, and within a few seconds, steam was already rising from the top of her head.
"Hitori-chan, how is your studying?"
Kitahara Makoto asked softly.
"Eh?"
Gotō Hitori looked up blankly.
Wh-why would he ask about studying?
"Ah…"
Gotō Hitori always liked to start with "ah" when speaking.
Seeing that Kitahara Makoto was only asking about her studies, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief:
"W-well…"
Being alone together, and in a dark hiding spot, Gotō Hitori quickly became too nervous to speak again, and hurriedly took out her phone, responding with a flushed face on her phone.
"Well… my studies are very ordinary."
In fact, they weren't just ordinary; they were terrible.
But at the crucial moment, the girl's subtle self-esteem suddenly awakened, unwilling to tell Kitahara Makoto the embarrassing truth, so she told a small lie… the truth was she was at the bottom of the class.
There was no other way; studying, this kind of thing, relied on two things: talent and effort.
Although Gotō Hitori was very talented at guitar, her talent for studying was quite ordinary.
As for effort… that was even more nonexistent.
Before meeting Kitahara Makoto, Gotō Hitori practiced guitar for six hours every day, and with other time spent on eating, drinking, and playing, there was little time left for studying.
Furthermore, her super social anxiety also greatly affected her studies.
During class, Gotō Hitori always habitually kept her head down—because looking up might lead to eye contact with the teacher, which is a very terrifying thing for someone with social anxiety.
What Gotō Hitori feared even more was the classroom question-and-answer session.
Every time the teacher asked a question, Gotō Hitori would try her best to shrink her body, attempting to reduce her presence to zero.
(This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!)
(Classroom questions are too terrifying!)
(Please don't call my name; answering questions in front of the whole class will kill me! It will really kill me!)
(So scary, so scary, so scary!)
All in all, she never listened carefully in class, and after school, when she encountered problems she didn't understand, Gotō Hitori would certainly not ask others for help, so Bocchi-chan's academic performance was predictable.
Simply completing the homework assigned by the teacher was already Gotō Hitori's limit.
Kitahara Makoto mused:
"Does Hitori-chan want to get into Todai?"
"Eh?! Eh?!"
Gotō Hitori looked up in shock, her eyes wide.
Get into Todai?
What was Kitahara-kun thinking?!
With her academic performance, she couldn't even get into any university, let alone Todai!
When she graduated from high school, her life as a shut-in would end, and she might have to go out and work…
(Absolutely not! I really don't want to work!! It's so scary! Society is just too terrifying!!)
Watching Bocchi-chan's art style quickly turn grayscale, Kitahara Makoto sat down beside Little Miss Anxiety and said softly:
"My goal is to get into Todai.
Not only do I want to be with Hitori-chan for all three years of high school, but I also want to attend the same university as Hitori-chan for all four years of college, so let's aim for Todai together, okay?"
It is well known that social stratification in Japan is severe.
Excluding options like winning the lottery jackpot, there are actually only two ways to change one's life and cross class boundaries: one is to get into Todai, and the other is to marry into a wealthy family.
While marrying into a wealthy family is also a proof of ability, getting into Todai is the most reliable, just like Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
Once you successfully enroll, as long as you don't mess up, your life truly becomes a smooth path.
Ordinary high school students in relationships only care about the present, not considering what will happen in the future.
But Kitahara Makoto was different; having already been an adult and worked in his previous life, his mind was more mature, and he had clear and definite goals.
He wasn't just thinking about dating Bocchi-chan in high school; he also had to start considering college now, preferably getting into the same university and moving forward hand-in-hand on life's journey.
Before, there was no way; even a top-tier teacher couldn't turn an unmotivated poor student into an honor student.
But now, with the magical biscuit, anything was possible.
It was only the first year of high school; there were still three years.
As long as she worked hard, Bocchi-chan could completely get into Todai with him.
As for social anxiety, that wasn't a big problem at all.
With Kita and Nijika by her side, even without his intervention, Bocchi-chan could slowly gain confidence.
And what Kitahara Makoto was considering was Bocchi-chan's entire life.
"Ugh—"
Hearing this remark, which wasn't a confession but was better than one, steam immediately rose from Gotō Hitori's head.
Her small head was nervously buried between her legs, and she stammered:
"I-I'm sorry… my studies are too poor; there's no way I can get into Todai…"
"It's too early to give up now." Kitahara Makoto took out the biscuit he had brought to school that morning, and said in a serious tone, "This is a magical biscuit that can improve learning ability when eaten.
I ate it this morning, and it's truly magical.
Hitori-chan, eat a piece later and see how it works… All in all, please entrust your life to me, Hitori-chan."
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