I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

"Harumi-sensei, instead of worrying about this, why don't you think about your own affairs first? Apart from Aki-kun, all the other students are complaining to me. You've been doing this all along, which is putting me in a difficult position!"

At that moment, Mr. Tsubota changed the subject and started talking about Junko Harumi's current situation.

It's not that the students dislike Junko Harumi, but rather that her negative aura is really influential, sometimes making them absent-minded when tutoring others.

At first, they might not say anything, but if this continues, the students will start to complain.

Most students are now unwilling to accept Junko Harumi's tutoring and prefer to be tutored by Mr. Tsubota.

Upon hearing this, Junko Harumi was speechless. It was just a well-intentioned reminder, but it dealt her a devastating blow.

At Aomine Academy, Harumi Junko's career as a tutor remained unchanged, and the only person in the entire academy who accepted her tutoring was Aki Tomoya.

Harumi Junko also found this strange. Logically speaking, shouldn't that boy who was preparing for the Tokyo University entrance exam be the student who resisted her the most in the school?

But the fact is, Aki Tomoya was the only one who didn't say anything.

"Sorry……"

Harumi Junko, whose vital point had been struck, lowered her head listlessly.

As a tutor at the cram school, Harumi Junko was indeed inadequate, so she knew she had no right to criticize others' actions, and Mr. Tsubota had already been quite tolerant.

Silently leaving the office, Junko Harumi was still unable to escape the gloom this Saturday.

As she surveyed the students in the academy, Harumi Junko noticed the high school girl still waiting for Mr. Tsubota. She sighed inwardly and finally fixed her gaze on Aki Tomoya, who was taking a break and relaxing his mind.

"An Yi, do you need any help?"

Harumi Junko walked over, her beautiful face bearing a smile that was more heartbreaking than tears.

Junko Harumi, who has remained a tutor at the cram school despite being complained about by almost all the other students, can only find solace in Tomoya Aki's tutoring.

Although the other person's choice of school makes Harumi Junko constantly think of the day when she failed the exam.

At least, the boy didn't seem to show any disgust towards her.

"Um... could you take a look at my short paper?"

Aki Tomoya's eyes twitched, somewhat startled by Harumi Junko's appearance. Out of sympathy, he handed her the short essay he had written.

The other person took the paper, and although they tried to hide it well, Aki Tomoya still saw a hint of delight in their eyes.

"Thank you, Harumi-sensei!"

Aki Tomoya was deeply moved to have such a wise and insightful person by his side.

This is one of the reasons why Aki Tomo doesn't reject Harumi Junko. She's already pitiful enough, and she's here as a warning to everyone. Aki Tomo doesn't feel there's anything to complain about; on the contrary, he feels that this is heaven encouraging him.

At the same time, Aki Tomoya also noticed the girl in front of Mr. Tsubota's desk who was curiously looking at the school.

The girl was dressed fashionably, or rather, quite attractively. She had long, dyed blonde hair and a pretty face with nice makeup; she must be a new student at the academy.

Aki Tomoya didn't pay much attention to it, but he only found out the girl's name after Mr. Tsubota assigned her to sit next to him.

"Sayaka Kudo, nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, Aki Tomoya."

One aims for the top national university, the University of Tokyo, while the other aims for the top private university, Keio University.

In Harumi Junko's eyes, it was quite intriguing that Mr. Tsubota put the two of them together, hoping that they would encourage each other. She also said that Mr. Tsubota planned to have Aki Tomoya inspire Kudo Sayaka.

Perhaps it's a combination of both, Junko Harumi thought to herself. As a tutor, she certainly had a lot to learn from Mr. Tsubota.

"Harumi-sensei, could you please help tutor Kudo-kun? She's a humanities student, you should be able to handle that, right?"

Mr. Tsubota's voice came from the side, and his kindness made Junko Harumi feel a little ashamed.

From what she knows now, Kudo Sayaka is still having to start reviewing from elementary and junior high school. If she can't handle this kind of work, she might as well just consider herself a complete failure in her career.

"Kudo-san, I'm Junko Harumi, and I'm also a tutor at the cram school!"

"Pfft, you're not kidding, are you?"

However, after Harumi Junko met Kudo Sayaka, the latter couldn't help but laugh out loud the moment she saw her.

It wasn't that she was impolite, but she simply couldn't help herself.

It's already ridiculous enough that they listened to Mr. Tsubota and decided to apply to Keio University, but what's wrong with this颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, or apathy) tutor?

"Sorry, but are you all serious? Keio University? I guess I'm not someone Sayaka can handle. This is so perfunctory, teacher!"

Kudo Sayaka couldn't help but chuckle and remarked that setting her sights on Keio was one thing, but with Harumi Junko now, she really didn't dare to have any expectations. It was just a perfunctory effort, wasn't it?

Feeling discouraged, Harumi Junko replied hastily, "No way! Kudo-kun will definitely get into Keio University, just like your deskmate Aki-kun will definitely get into Tokyo University!"

"Don't drag others into your arguments, you idiot woman!"

Aki Tomoya looked up and thought to himself.

However, upon learning that the girl next door was going to apply to Keio University, he couldn't help but glance at the side.

Then, if he wasn't mistaken, those were English reference books for elementary and middle school, right?

In some ways, this girl seems even more ruthless than him...

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There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Chapter 49 Facing the Past?

Under Mr. Tsubota's guidance, Kudo Sayaka decided to apply to the Faculty of Letters at Keio University.

Before this, she had no intention of studying and did not want to betray her friends. After being suspended from school, Kudo Sayaka stubbornly dyed her hair blonde again.

Her mother paid for her tutoring. After facing bullying in elementary school, this was the second important decision she made with her mother's encouragement, which planted a good seed, even though she herself felt that there was little chance of getting into Keio University.

Even after meeting Junko Harumi, Sayaka Kudo's mindset remained largely playful.

"Teacher is still single at this age? That's a lie, right? No, I think I understand a little now. Harumi-sensei is even more useless than I thought!"

After subtly learning from Junko Harumi about her unsuccessful love history, or rather, the complete absence of a successful love history, Sayaka Kudo could no longer treat her as an ordinary teacher.

"Can Harumi-sensei really get me into Keio University?"

As the tutoring session ended, Sayaka Kudo couldn't help but ask with a smile. Although she still had a playful attitude, it didn't stop her from having some doubts about Junko Harumi.

When asked this question, Harumi Junko was a little unsure of herself, but realizing that she had been ostracized by most of the students and had no way out, she regained some confidence.

"You, teacher, once worked hard to prepare for the entrance exam to the Faculty of Arts at the University of Tokyo! So leave the Keio University Faculty of Letters to me!"

Although Junko Harumi is a failed adult now, she was the top student in her school during her student days.

Her father graduated from the University of Tokyo, and her mother was also the daughter of a prestigious private university graduate. From childhood to adulthood, her educational philosophy was to make getting into the University of Tokyo her ultimate goal.

Everything was arranged so that she could get into the University of Tokyo. In that environment, before failing the exam, Junko Harumi's academic ability was top-notch.

"So the teacher is a graduate of the University of Tokyo?!"

Upon hearing this, Kudo Sayaka felt a sense of anticipation for Harumi Junko, but her eyes still held more suspicion.

Junko Harumi's dejected aura was completely out of character for an elite from a place like Tokyo University.

"...No, I failed the exam. Why did I have to apply for the humanities major, which is such a hell? I could have chosen a department that was easier to get into."

Harumi Junko immediately deflated. She began to regret bringing it up; speaking of such a thing was like tearing open her own wounds.

After failing the exam on the day the results were released, she never recovered.

"Aki-kun, why did you choose the third science category? The first science category at the University of Tokyo has always had the largest enrollment, while the second science category has a lower cutoff score, and there's still an opportunity to transfer to another department after two years..."

Harumi Junko suddenly turned to Aki Tomoya, who was packing his things, and asked him a question.

Just like when she chose the humanities subject, she failed the science subject, which was the most difficult exam in the science category. She had been pursuing this as her educational goal since childhood.

Starting from the second year of high school, with less than two years left, getting into the science stream of the University of Tokyo sounds like a pipe dream.

At the same time, Sayaka Kudo subconsciously shifted her gaze to Tomoya Aki.

In her memory, the people from Tokyo University were probably a group of people who buried themselves in their studies and were quite boring.

However, this does not mean that Sayaka Kudo is unaware of the status of the University of Tokyo in Japan.

The boy next door was a similar age who was planning to go to that place. He didn't seem as boring as she had imagined. Kudo Sayaka was curious whether choosing the University of Tokyo as his goal was his own will or if he had been under some kind of "magic" like Mr. Tsubota.

"Set your goal as the science subject, and then check your results in next year's mock exam. It's that simple."

Aki Tomoya replied casually.

With just this casual answer, the two people next to him could see what kind of mindset he had towards this aspiration.

The goal is to study the most difficult subject, Science 3, and the prerequisite is to get into the University of Tokyo. I will set Science 3 as my goal and work hard to meet that standard. As for whether I will make any changes in the future, that will be something that Aki Tomoya will consider after next year's mock exam.

"Professor Harumi, this is the first time I've heard that you failed the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo. If you have time in the future, how about sharing your experience of failing the exam with me?"

As he put the reference book into his bag, Aki Tomoya smiled lightly at Harumi Junko.

It turns out that the other person's failure stemmed from not getting into the University of Tokyo, and Aki Tomoya seems to be able to understand Harumi Junko a little better now.

Simply put, before the exam, Junko Harumi's life could be described as brilliant, but after failing the exam, it turned into a tragedy.