The first instant Hayakawa Haku heard about the girls' completely counterintuitive behavior, he instinctively wanted to flat-out refuse. I don't have time to waste on your stupid whims. If you disrupt the studies of this Emperor, even dying ten thousand times wouldn't be enough compensation.
But in that very instant, Hayakawa Haku seized on a key point.
Wait a minute... this situation...
Furuhashi Fumino wants to study science, and Ogata Rizu wants to study humanities. They are both giving up their strongest subjects to study ones they are terrible at...
Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
This is his best chance to defeat them.
Hayakawa Haku felt his heart clutch. He didn't believe that these two could maintain high grades after abandoning their best subjects. And judging by the principal's words, they needed tutoring, so their scores in the other subjects couldn't be good.
Which means...
"Um... Hayakawa-kun," Furuhashi Fumino suddenly interrupted Hayakawa's mental storm. "You won't abandon us, will you...?"
"Huh?" Hayakawa Haku looked up and saw Furuhashi Fumino's pitiful, hopeful expression, like a frightened fawn.
"Abandon? What do you mean?" Hayakawa asked, confused.
"The school arranged a few tutors for us before," Ogata Rizu explained. "But they all gave up after a week or two, and during the tutoring, they kept trying to convince us to stick to the subjects we have a talent for. It happened every single time."
"Convincing you to stick to the subjects you have a talent for..." Hayakawa Haku repeated, instantly startled.
If they succeed in convincing them, what will I do? Remain the perennial second place?
Hayakawa Haku's eyes went blank, glowing with a bizarre, dark light.
He already thought the school's teaching staff was subpar; now they couldn't even respect a student's wishes? This inhumane high school should just shut down. Don't expect me to mention this school's name at the global convention for great individuals.
"Hayakawa-kun..." Hearing Ogata Rizu's words, Furuhashi Fumino's eyes grew even more pleading. "Please don't give up on us. We can still be saved..."
"H-how could I?" Hayakawa Haku flashed a 100% sunny smile. "I will absolutely put my all into teaching you!"
"Eh, really?!" Furuhashi Fumino excitedly leaned forward. "So, Hayakawa-kun has agreed?"
Furuhashi Fumino's eyes sparkled, and hope burned brighter than ever in her heart. Because she was good at sensing others' feelings, she saw something different in Hayakawa Haku than in their previous tutors: it wasn't perfunctory or deceitful, but an unprecedented seriousness.
"Yes, I agree." Hayakawa Haku nodded, smiling at his two new students.
"That... that's wonderful! Rizu-chan!" Furuhashi Fumino was so excited she nearly jumped up, grabbing Ogata Rizu's arm joyfully. "Hayakawa-kun agreed!"
"Mhm." A slight ripple crossed Ogata Rizu's expressionless, small face. She spoke softly, "Then please take good care of us, Hayakawa-kun."
"Eh~ Of course. I will certainly give my best effort to teach you sincerely." Hayakawa Haku's expression was gentle, but his tone suddenly changed. "However... since you have chosen the subjects you want to study, you must put all your time into those chosen subjects, okay? You absolutely cannot be distracted."
"Of course," Ogata Rizu nodded matter-of-factly. "I've already decided to study humanities, so I will naturally work hard."
"That's perfect, as studying requires complete focus." Hayakawa Haku narrowed his eyes, clapping his hands with a pleased laugh. "If I find out you're secretly studying your talented subjects, I will be very troubled, mhmhmh~"
"Uh..." Furuhashi Fumino looked at Hayakawa Haku, her heart inexplicably tightening, struck by a sense of foreboding.
This Hayakawa-kun... feels a bit off!
"I accept, Principal." Hayakawa Haku returned to the principal's office and told the bearded principal, "I will wholeheartedly instruct Furuhashi-kun and Ogata-kun."
"Truly worthy of being our school's excellent role model student! You agreed, just as expected," the principal said, moved. "It is a huge trouble for you. Although they chose subjects they aren't skilled at, they are still the two most brilliant students at Ichinose Academy, and we want them to advance to university successfully no matter what. Thank you so much, Hayakawa-kun. We will do everything in our power to find you the best university recommendation."
"You flatter me, Principal," Hayakawa Haku gave his signature smile. "This is simply my duty as a member of this academy."
"To think you have such conviction," the principal was even more touched, sighing with emotion. "Students these days are too independent. If only every student were like you, Hayakawa..."
Hayakawa Haku listened attentively with a smile, but in reality, he didn't hear a word, instead indulging in his mental fantasy: Becoming the tutor for the academy's two biggest rivals → Whipping them mercilessly into studying, leaving them no time for their talented subjects → Constantly monitoring them to prevent cheating → The two geniuses' grades plummet, utterly crashing →... The Great Hayakawa Emperor takes the top spot on both rankings, ascending to Heavenly Emperor.
"Ehehehe~" Hayakawa Haku couldn't help but let out a triumphant, sinister laugh at this thought. "Goo-gah-gah-gah-gah!"
"Hayakawa-kun?" The bearded principal was startled by Hayakawa Haku's sudden laughter. Seeing his look of unrestrained glee, the principal clearly misunderstood, clearing his throat and saying, "Hayakawa, while our school rules don't forbid dating among students, we don't encourage it either, so..."
"What are you talking about?" Hayakawa Haku composed himself, his eyes narrowed into a smile. "As high school students, we must focus on studying."
Zeroes and a Shiver
After school, Hayakawa Haku, Furuhashi, and Ogata found a quiet corner to thoroughly probe... their depth.
"Let's look at your scores first." Hayakawa got straight to the point, pulling two tests from his bag. "These are the exams I prepared. The difficulty is about the same as the monthly exams. Please take them. Since I don't know your real level, I can't effectively teach you."
"I understand!" Furuhashi Fumino said determinedly. "I will give it my all."
Ogata Rizu adjusted her glasses, a glint of focus in her eyes. "I'll show you my ability."
Hayakawa Haku instantly felt a chill. Is this what a genius is like? Can their talent be applied even to subjects they're not good at? That would be disastrous!
Half an hour later.
Hayakawa Haku, having graded the papers: "..."
"Here. 4 points," Hayakawa Haku expressionlessly handed the paper to Ogata Rizu, who immediately looked crestfallen.
"You're better. 7 points," Hayakawa Haku gave the other science paper to Furuhashi.
"It's... decent, I suppose..." Furuhashi Fumino accepted the paper, her face flushed with shame. She managed to say, "It's a little higher than Rizu-chan's."
"I think that's probably because the science exam had more multiple-choice questions than the arts exam." Hayakawa Haku ruthlessly pulled away Furuhashi Fumino's meager shield of pride.
"Eeeh!! I'm just a fish with a science brain, a zero-level minnow whose brain turns to water when I see a formula!!" Furuhashi Fumino instantly broke down, squatting and sobbing while clutching her head, her body seeming to shrink to the size of a bug. "Don't look at me! Don't look at this failure whose mind goes blank at the sight of a formula!"
"Something must be wrong!" Ogata Rizu, however, puffed out her cheeks stubbornly. "How can a maple leaf have feelings? It doesn't conform to reality! This is something humans cannot analyze!"
The thing that doesn't conform to reality is your brain, isn't it? It's hard to imagine someone scoring in the single digits on a native language exam.
"To score in the single digits on an exam out of a hundred points..." Hayakawa Haku shook his head helplessly, rubbing his temple. "This is truly..."
...Fantastic.
Oye! Yes, yes, yes~ Saikō!! Kimochi!!
Never has there been such a wonderful beginning! Please cheer for me, raise a toast, and applaud! Today is a great day!
"Mhmhmh~" Hayakawa's heart blossomed with delight. Although he knew that if they needed tutoring, their grades couldn't be great, he never imagined they would be this awful.
And it wasn't the kind of awful that comes from not studying; it was a fundamental incompatibility of thinking. This kind of situation can't be fixed in a day or two; it requires desperate effort.
"..." Hayakawa Haku raised his hand to cover his face, pretending he couldn't bear to look, but really to hide his ecstatic grin.
With this level of performance, if they want to get into college, they'll have no time to study their previous subjects. All he has to do is keep them focused on their current tracks, and the opportunity is entirely his!
I see it... I already see it. The future where the Great Hayakawa Emperor is ranked first on both boards and is invincible.
Heh heh heh...
Hayakawa finally managed to compose his expression, lowering his hands. "This is truly a bit troublesome."
"Eh? Hayakawa-kun..." Furuhashi Fumino stared blankly at Hayakawa Haku. "Were you laughing just now?"
"How could I be?" Hayakawa put on a solemn, painful expression. "I am worried about your grades and thinking about what kind of plan to make for you."
"Is that so..." Furuhashi Fumino was touched. "Hayakawa-kun, you're the first person who, after seeing our scores, didn't immediately try to convince us to quit, but started thinking of a solution."
"Of course. After all, I agreed to help," Hayakawa Haku smiled. "If anything, seeing your scores has given me even more motivation."
Your stupidity is saving me so much trouble! Thank you so much, ha ha ha ha!
"Hayakawa-kun..." Tears welled up in Furuhashi Fumino's eyes. She wiped them away. "Thank you so much. We will definitely work hard."
"Me too." Ogata Rizu nodded, a hint of determination appearing on her placid, baby-faced expression. "Please teach us seriously."
"That's good," Hayakawa Haku probed. "Promise me that no matter what, you absolutely won't give up."
"Impossible!" Furuhashi Fumino stated definitively. "I must get into the Astronomy Department."
"Me too," Ogata Rizu's small face was serious. "If I can't get into Psychology, I'd rather retake the year."
Knowing you're this determined sets my mind at ease.
The smile on Hayakawa Haku's face widened, while his heart was practically splitting with glee.
Prepare to receive endless torment, you geniuses.
Notes and Physics
While he spoke of endless torment, Hayakawa knew he still needed to be cautious.
Even though the two girls said they were "holding on to the green mountain and won't let go," he didn't know their real thoughts. If he pushed too hard and they quit, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?
Therefore, while consuming their time and energy, he also needed to give them a sliver of hope—an improvement in their grades. Without hope, they might give up, and even if they didn't, his teaching ability would be questioned by the school and the girls. If he were replaced, those two would once again be stepping on him. NO! That is completely unacceptable for the Great Hayakawa Emperor!
In his dimly lit apartment room, Hayakawa Haku painstakingly wrote out his teaching plan under a single lamp. Next to him were beginner-level notebooks for the two, which he had copied out by hand. He also planned to create several practice tests of varying difficulty for them. Lowering the difficulty would boost their confidence.
"Hoo..." After a long time, Hayakawa Haku exhaled, checking his detailed weekly teaching plan one more time. After confirming it was flawless, he put it aside and picked up his usual problem sets, studying them seriously.
Hayakawa Haku studied until the early hours of the morning every day. He'd been doing this since middle school, night after night. The notebooks filled with his study notes and practice tests piled up, filling an entire closet, and the empty pen casings filled a whole trash can. On countless nights where the stars were sparse, a tired figure toiled under the dim light, burning the midnight oil, working day and night without rest.
He was never a genius; his IQ was just slightly above average. Effort was the ladder that allowed him to rise and the reason he maintained his brilliant facade. He had poured untold energy into this.
I must defeat those two, no matter how much effort it takes.
Hayakawa Haku calmly looked at the problems in front of him, an unquenchable fire burning in his heart.
Hayakawa Haku was good-looking and popular at school. Coupled with his excellent grades, athletic skill, and "gentle" personality, he was a total riajuu (socially fulfilled person). However, compared to geniuses like Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu, who scored perfect marks every time and were known even outside the school, his status paled in comparison.
But this didn't stop the shocking ineptitude of the two in their non-talented fields.
For the past few days, Hayakawa Haku had them take practice tests after school, gradually lowering the difficulty. Yet, their scores did not rise with the difficulty reduction, remaining in the single digits.
"These scores are entirely guessed multiple-choice answers," Hayakawa Haku said, feeling helpless. "If I didn't include multiple-choice questions, would you two score two zeroes?"
His experience over these days helped him understand why the school's previous tutors had all quit after a few days. Any normal teacher, after tutoring them for a few days, would immediately realize that the two were beyond saving. Their fundamental ways of thinking were incompatible with the other subjects, and the effort required to master them would be unimaginable. A teacher with professional ethics would naturally advise them to quit, showing responsibility for the students' future.
Luckily, Hayakawa was not a teacher. He not only lacked professional ethics, but his moral standards were extremely low, and he didn't care about the girls' future. So, it didn't matter.
"Tch~" Hearing Hayakawa Haku's complaint, Ogata Rizu immediately turned her head, puffing up her cheeks in annoyance but unable to refute, resembling a squirrel with its mouth full of nuts.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Furuhashi Fumino, on the verge of shrinking into a ball again, clutched her head and wailed miserably. "I'm really sorry for making the great Hayakawa-sama teach a useless idiot like me."
"Hmm... It's not that bad," Hayakawa Haku didn't get angry. After all, he was teaching them with an agenda, not to genuinely help them, but to maliciously improve his own ranking. Thus, he wasn't bothered by their stupidity. In fact, the dumber they were, the happier he was.
"Here you go." Hayakawa Haku returned the single-digit test papers to them, pulling two notebooks from his bag.
"Again..." Furuhashi Fumino's expression changed slightly as she held the notebook Hayakawa handed her.
"These are your study notes for the day. Based on the annotations and analysis of the tra... wrong problems you did yesterday, and the knowledge points you didn't understand. They are du... beginner-level, perfect for you. Review them carefully tonight. I will test you tomorrow," Hayakawa Haku yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Why do you keep asking? I think I explained this yesterday and the day before."
"..." Furuhashi Fumino looked at the faint dark circles under Hayakawa Haku's eyes, her heart aching slightly. She bit her lip, wanting to speak but holding back.
"Hayakawa-kun, you wrote notes for us again," Ogata Rizu beside him frowned as she looked at the notebook. She said plainly, "I already told you it's too much trouble for you and asked you not to prepare any more."
"Ah... It's not too much trouble," Hayakawa Haku yawned again. "I'm studying at home anyway, so I'm just reviewing old knowledge."
"..." Ogata Rizu silently looked at Hayakawa Haku, then whispered, "Hayakawa-kun, come to my family's shop sometime. I'll treat you to udon."
"I'll go when I have a chance," Hayakawa Haku replied dismissively, then said, "Hurry up and look at the papers."
Who wants to go to your house for udon? That's just a waste of time. Are you trying to slack off and avoid studying? Could it be you want to sneak a peek at science? I won't allow it!
"But..." Furuhashi Fumino looked at Hayakawa Haku's dark circles, unable to bear it. She opened her mouth to say something.
"That's not important right now," Hayakawa Haku interrupted her, holding up her test paper and expressionlessly pointing at a wrong question. He smiled. "Furuhashi-kun, why is it that a problem you got wrong yesterday, which I explained, and which I made exactly the same today without even changing the numbers, is still wrong? In fact, the wrong answer is the same. Please explain yourself."
"I..." Furuhashi Fumino's face instantly went pale. After stammering for a long time, she chose to apologize. "I'm sorry... I'm a minnow."
"I thought you were exaggerating, but it turns out you really are," Hayakawa Haku stared blankly at her. "You truly have a memory of only seven seconds, like a fish."
"Waaah..." Furuhashi Fumino buried her face on the library table, sobbing quietly, looking utterly victimized.
"Hiss..." Hayakawa Haku was startled by her miserable state.
Not good! I forgot my gentle persona.
Damn it! Their complete inability to learn has affected the benevolent heart of this Emperor!
"Ahem!" Hayakawa Haku cleared his throat, offering a gentle smile. "It's alright, Furuhashi-kun. I'll just teach you again."
"Really?" Furuhashi Fumino looked up timidly, gazing at Hayakawa Haku with a wronged expression.
"Of course~" Hayakawa Haku radiated an angelic, gentle light. To be able to tolerate two useless minnows like this, perhaps I truly am as benevolent as an angel. Thinking this, Hayakawa Haku resumed tutoring the two idiots.