I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

After the suggestion to tutor Yoshihiko Uego last time, perhaps because Yoshihiko still had some ambition, or perhaps because he thought that failing one less subject would save him from being scolded by his family, Yoshihiko Uego earnestly asked Tomoya Aki to tutor him the next day.

This is why the two of them are here at this time.

"Hahaha, it's not that exaggerated, you flatter me!"

Uesugi Yoshihiko was somewhat self-aware, his face showing embarrassment as he kept scratching his cheek, appearing slightly guilty under Aki Tomoya's gaze.

There's nothing I can do about it; he didn't study much to begin with. He chose Toyonosaki Academy because of their graduation recommendation.

Aki Tomoya sighed, knowing Uego Yoshihiko's personality.

The best Yoshihiko Uego could do was to cram a little in the week leading up to the exam.

Then, after the exam, take life and death lightly!

From this perspective, Yoshihiko Uego lived a very carefree life.

"Your forte is Japanese history? Are you some kind of idiot reincarnated?"

Aki Tomoya couldn't help but tease him.

The teased Yoshihiko Kamigo had a subtle expression on his face, then he said to himself, "But why don't I have the same luck with women as Yoshii Akihisa?"

"That's the protagonist's privilege, Yoshihiko, you obviously don't have it!"

The atmosphere relaxed a little, but that doesn't mean Aki Tomo will let Uego Yoshihiko off the hook.

He once boasted that he could at least help Yoshihiko Kamigo fail one less subject.

But the midterm exams are next week, is it really possible to finish in such a short time?

Unless this guy goes back and studies instead of playing games or reading comics.

"Chinese, Math, English. Last time, your highest score was Chinese, thirty-five."

Based on the class average of 67 last time, and the passing score being half of the average, Yoshihiko Kamigo barely passed.

Aki Tomoya also wanted to tell Uego Yoshihiko that this time they should pray that the class average score would drop even further, so that his chances of passing might be much higher.

However, saying such things in front of a friend might be a bit of a blow to this guy, especially since it was you who said you would tutor him.

If you just do a perfunctory job, you'll only be able to guarantee that Yoshihiko Kamigo has the best chance of passing the subject, which is Japanese literature.

However, Aki Tomoya did not want to be perfunctory with his friends. Among the dangerous subjects, Japanese literature had the highest chance of passing. If Toyosaki Academy set the questions, he would refer to Uesugi Yoshihiko's last exam, as he had scored quite a few points in classical Chinese reading.

"For Chinese literature, strengthen your learning of Chinese characters. If you master more characters, you can raise your score and you will most likely pass the Chinese literature exam."

This is the advice that Aki Tomoya can offer.

Kamigo Yoshihiko scored the most points in the classical Chinese section of his Japanese literature course.

However, further strengthening will not have a significant effect in the short term. It is better to focus on weaknesses and work on areas where it is relatively easy to score points.

"As for Chinese characters, if you're willing to grit your teeth and put in a little more effort, you can get a few more points and you'll most likely pass the Chinese midterm exam."

"So, today's tutoring session is on Chinese characters?"

"No, English!"

A powerful glint flashed in Aki Tomoya's eyes.

Across from him, Yoshihiko Uego was taken aback, his face filled with confusion as if to say, "Why is it in English?"

Weren't we always giving him advice on Chinese literature?

"As for Chinese characters, you can spend some time memorizing them yourself, write them more, and look up the meanings of those you don't know, or ask me. You can rely entirely on yourself in this aspect. However, the average English score in our class is very low. If you work a little harder these next few days, there's a good chance you can pass both subjects!"

As for Japanese literature, if Yoshihiko Uego spends some time reviewing the kanji characters that he doesn't score well on, his chances of passing the midterm exam are still quite good.

Not wanting to treat this guy half-heartedly, Aki Tomoya thought it wouldn't be bad to slightly raise the bar for Kamigo Yoshihiko.

What if my English also passes the test?

"English is something that's really tough on me..."

A bead of sweat hung on Yoshihiko Kamigo's forehead.

"Of course I know that. You probably can't even pass junior high school English!"

Aki Tomoya stood up, placed his hands on the table, and looked down at Uego Yoshihiko.

The other person's poor English level perfectly matched the Chinese people's impression of the English proficiency of Japanese people.

Of course, in terms of spoken language, it's not without reason that Japanese-style English is criticized because pronunciation is an inherent challenge for Japanese people.

However, there are many people with excellent written skills.

Similarly, many people put in a lot of effort to practice their spoken English and eliminate pronunciation problems.

But that's not the point. The point is that Yoshihiko Uego's English level is worse than that of a junior high school student!

"Since you can't wrap your head around math and physics, why don't you use the same energy you have for memorizing study guides to memorize some humanities questions?"

Aki Tomoya also made the same suggestion.

If Yoshihiko Uego's English was worse than that of a junior high school student, then his math and science skills could only be described as appalling.

Even Aki Tomoya wanted to ask him if he knew the multiplication table.

Under Aki Tomoya's imposing aura, Uesugi Yoshihiko trembled. He swallowed hard and suddenly stood up abruptly.

"I understand, Instructor!"

"Don't shout so loudly in the library, you idiot!"

Shouting so loudly in the library will disturb other people.

The moment Yoshihiko Uego shouted it out, everyone else involuntarily turned their gazes toward him.

He was shouting way too loudly, especially in a place like a library.

At Aki Tomoya's prompting, Uego Yoshihiko turned around and awkwardly bowed to those around him to apologize.

The intensive English training for Yoshihiko Uego started at noon and ended when the library closed after school.

Am I...am I going to die?

Exhausted, Yoshihiko Uego lay sprawled on his English textbook, looking like he had been drained dry, with faint white breaths coming from his mouth.

"Keep playing dead. I'm leaving now. We'll continue tomorrow at noon. If I find out you haven't reviewed after you went back, you know what will happen, right?!"

Aki Tomoya's words made Uesugi Yoshihiko shudder.

Since you asked him for tutoring, Yoshihiko Uego should have been prepared for the consequences, right? He's not the kind of person who would just do a half-hearted job!

Noticing the guilty look in Uesugi Yoshihiko's eyes, Aki Tomoya chuckled inwardly, then waved goodbye to Uesugi Yoshihiko.

After returning home, Aki Tomoya received a text message from his childhood friend Eriri.

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Chapter 41 Ask Yourself

After seeing the LINE notification, Aki Tomo casually put his schoolbag on the sofa in the living room. He didn't rush to check the message from Eriri on LINE, but instead put the fast food bento he bought on his way home into the microwave to heat it up.

My parents are away on a business trip and won't be back until the end of the month at the earliest. This is where the busyness of office workers is reflected. They just enjoyed a Golden Week holiday, and then it's back to busy work.

The sound of the microwave oven working could be heard in the quiet kitchen, and Aki Tomoya clicked on Eriri's profile picture on LINE.

"Are you there?"

puff!

Forgive Aki Tomoya for his rudeness, but he was the only one at home and he couldn't help but laugh.

With just two words, he could roughly imagine what Eriri looked like now.

That arrogant young lady, even she has her day now...

I bet she's squatting on a chair right now, holding her phone and staring intently at it, waiting for a reply.

Just imagining that scene, Aki Tomo couldn't help but chuckle.

"Prepare dinner, and then you should study. If you have anything to say, tell me now, I have time."

Aki Tomoya replied slowly on Line.

His reply was like telling Eriri that it's best to get straight to the point now.

"That...that woman from Kasumigaoka contacted me..."

Hey, keep going! Explain things clearly!

Aki Tomoya couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't a god; how could anyone know what was going on if he spoke so vaguely?

"and then?"

Get to the point, Sawamura-kun!

If things aren't explained clearly, both sides will feel uncomfortable.

"It's about her new work!!!! That guy suddenly contacted me and said he wanted to collaborate with me. I really don't know what he was thinking [○?｀Д′? ○]!"

Eriri, after sending the message, buried her head weakly in her knees.