Aki Tomoya didn't dislike Harumi Junko; in fact, he could say he felt quite empathetic about her failing the Tokyo University exam.
That feeling of putting in all your effort towards a goal, only to be shut out at the door, is not easy to bear.
He didn't know how much effort Harumi Junko had put in, but that feeling of being just one step away was definitely not comfortable.
From this failed adult, Aki Tomoya actually saw more of a lost soul.
Some people can recover quickly, while others will be lost for a period of time. The length of time varies from person to person.
However, in Aki Tomoya's previous life, if he didn't get in, he didn't get in. Without considering retaking the exam and having alternative options, he recovered quickly.
"Mindset, huh."
Aki Tomoya softly reminded Harumi Junko.
Since he had already brought the other party trouble, Aki Tomoya began to try to wrap things up.
Quite a few students in the Academy had issues with Harumi Junko, not because of her teaching method, but because of her attitude towards life.
Under her negative and pessimistic attitude towards life, the aura she emitted was tolerated by only a handful of people in this Academy.
Aki Tomoya was one of them.
The first reason he could remain unaffected was empathy born from shared experience. The second reason, although a bit rude, was that Harumi Junko was indeed a good cautionary tale.
After being reminded of a keyword by Aki Tomoya, Harumi Junko was still a bit stunned.
It wasn't until the boy in front of her kept repeating the shape of the word "mindset" with his lips that Harumi Junko realized this was the other party giving her a chance.
Whether she could change the perception of the other students in the Academy towards her depended on this action.
It was also time for them to see that she was a Teacher too!
"The experience is about mindset!"
Harumi Junko blurted out at this moment, her voice remarkably firm.
Everyone turned to look, waiting for Harumi Junko's next words. Kudo Sayaka, who was beside her and Aki Tomoya, was also full of curiosity, wanting to see what kind of insightful words this unreliable Harumi Sensei could say under Aki Tomoya's guidance.
However, after waiting for several seconds, Harumi Junko said nothing further.
She hadn't prepared any so-called experience at all; the word "mindset" was merely something she said after being reminded by Aki Tomoya.
Even though a complete sentence formed in her mind for a brief moment, it vanished by the time it reached her lips.
Seeing this, Aki Tomoya sighed slightly in his heart. Noticing that Harumi Junko still found it difficult to talk about failing the exam, he thought for a moment, then immediately stepped forward and asked Harumi Junko in a slightly louder voice: "Harumi Sensei, I think I understand. May I say a few words?"
Harumi Junko looked at Aki Tomoya in surprise, her expression somewhat taken aback, and nodded.
He stepped forward under everyone's gaze, a friendly smile on his face: "Harumi Sensei mentioned mindset, and I personally believe it's very important. For the exam preparation stage, it means staying calm, staying optimistic, doing what needs to be done every day, adjusting your emotions to face the exam, and performing normally during the exam..."
Borrowing Harumi Junko's name, Aki Tomoya spoke slowly.
He wasn't saying anything particularly special, just common sense things, merely rephrased in different words.
Although it seemed a bit perfunctory, it did indeed help Harumi Junko get through this hurdle.
But even so, Aki Tomoya's voice was infectious, and he used subtle body language, thus attracting everyone's attention.
However, the actual experience of failing the exam was something Harumi Junko herself had never truly spoken about. Until that knot in her heart was untied, there was no hope of her speaking up voluntarily.
"Harumi Sensei, is that right?"
Aki Tomoya suddenly turned to look at Harumi Junko and asked. Only then did she realize that he had finished speaking.
"...That's right! Everyone should maintain an optimistic attitude while studying and face future exams with stable emotions! You must perform normally on the exam!"
As Harumi Junko stepped down using the stairs Aki Tomoya had built for her, her voice carried a hint of a different emotion.
It was as if there was some reluctance, yet also some relief.
But at this moment, Harumi Junko finally showed a little of the presence a Teacher should have.
After saying goodbye to the other students, Harumi Junko turned to look at Kudo Sayaka beside her: "Kudo-kun, I think I understand why I failed the Tokyo University exam!"
She had repeatedly scored A on the mock exams before the University entrance exam, and her deviation scores in each subject were among the top. The reason she stumbled and fell in the Tokyo University entrance exam seemed to have become clear to her because of what happened tonight.
"Is it mindset? If so, Harumi Sensei should find a way to face the future with the right mindset!"
Kudo Sayaka leaned against the desk and teased.
For her first cram session, the Academy didn't seem as boring as she had imagined.
The real Tokyo University candidates weren't boring either.
Especially the cram Teacher here, Harumi Junko, who, as a Teacher, was actually being looked after by a student.
"It's getting late, Kudo-kun should go home early... Mr. Tsubota, excuse me, I'll be going first!"
Mr. Tsubota in the office saw a figure running out of the Academy with more energy than usual.
He walked out, somewhat bewildered, and asked Kudo Sayaka, who was the last one left in the Academy, curiously: "What's wrong with Harumi Sensei?"
It was the first time Mr. Tsubota had seen such a vibrant smile on Harumi Junko's face.
"I don't quite understand either. It's as if that Harumi Sensei was injected with hormones by the Tokyo University student next door..."
Kudo Sayaka joked, in her eyes, the Aki Tomoya next door seemed to have moved Harumi Junko.
"Oh no, it's getting late, I'm leaving now, goodbye, Tsubota-sensei!"
"Ah, please take care."
Outside the Aomine Cram School, Harumi Junko ran onto the sidewalk and began to look for that figure.
When her eyes caught sight of the boy pushing a bicycle past the convenience store, she secretly cheered herself on, telling herself she must seize the opportunity this time!
"Please wait a moment, Aki-kun!"
The figure pushing a bicycle ahead stopped. Aki Tomoya turned back and looked at Harumi Junko in confusion.
"What can I do for you, Harumi Sensei... If it's about what happened earlier, I did speak out of turn. I shouldn't have openly asked you about your experience of failing the exam in that setting. I apologize for causing you trouble."
Aki Tomoya thought Harumi Junko wanted to talk about what happened earlier in the Academy. He did feel a bit careless about the setting back then, making Harumi Junko do something she wasn't good at, but thankfully, they had managed to get through it smoothly.
"No!"
Harumi Junko walked closer to Aki Tomoya and looked at him seriously.
Her demeanor was different from before. The Harumi Junko who had always exuded dejection surprisingly felt a little cool at this moment.
"Please allow me to formally take charge of Aki-kun's liberal arts tutoring! I want you to get into Tokyo University!"
Harumi Junko said in a solemn tone, her eyes filled with determination.
"..." Aki Tomoya was silent for a moment, then after about ten seconds, he tentatively replied, "Harumi Sensei, if you want to use me to make up for past regrets, how about finding someone else? My new deskmate is aiming for Keio."
"Aki-kun's weak point is liberal arts. To get the ticket to the Tokyo University entrance exam through the National Examination, classical Japanese is the most troublesome, writing still has flaws, and modern Japanese reading is average. At this rate, liberal arts will be a major hindrance. If the score rate for liberal arts cannot improve, National University Corporation won't even look at you based solely on your science scores in the National Examination."
Harumi Junko looked into Aki Tomoya's eyes, her brain, which had been on standby for twelve years, began to work flexibly.
"You're suddenly so clear and organized, honestly, I'm not used to it..."
Aki Tomoya looked at Harumi Junko, who suddenly seemed to have awakened, with a subtle expression.
"Besides, you suddenly came to me asking to tutor me in liberal arts, which puts me in a bit of a difficult position!"
"Then, in exchange, please let me learn how to plan my life!"
"Are you sure you don't have a fever?"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
If you guys wanna check it out.