The strongest high school student in Japan

2018-03-27

"It's nothing particularly important, it's just that the school needs you to do something." Teacher Ikawa replied, "Mogami, it's time for you to bring honor to your alma mater."

"Huh?" Jun Mogami was immediately shocked.

What does the glory of my alma mater have to do with me? He almost said this, but finally swallowed it back.

Anyway, the head teacher was quite nice to him, and he couldn't say such things in front of him.

"What exactly does it mean?" he asked patiently.

"The All Japan Junior High School English Debate Contest." Teacher Satoshi Ikawa answered word by word.

"Debate conference?" Mogami Jun was a little confused.

But he soon remembered.

It’s a long story, but to put it simply, after the end of World War I in 1945, Japan was occupied by the United States. The once proud majesty of the empire was wiped out, and integrating into the international community - to put it bluntly, to please the United States - became Japan’s new goal.

Japan made considerable changes to its political system to cater to the demands of the United States. In addition to these, it also launched a vigorous internationalization movement in its education system.

Since 1948, Japan has held a national English debate competition among middle schools across the country. Each school sends its best students to debate in English, hoping to increase the importance of English in schools.

The Japanese government also attaches great importance to this, and even Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife attended the commemorative activities. This can be regarded as one of the concrete manifestations of Japan's full efforts to "leave Asia and join Europe".

Of course, it is laughable that after so many years of hard work, the Japanese still cannot improve their English.

As a prestigious private school in Tokyo, Kita Akabane Gakuen has of course always participated in debate competitions. Many of the best students in the past have attended, and the school's honors display room still contains many medals won by former seniors.

At this time, Jun Mogami finally understood what the teacher meant.

"So... the school decided to let me participate?"

"Yes, this time when we were lining up, we encountered an unexpected enemy, so we had to send out the most powerful lineup in our school." Teacher Ikawa Satoshi sighed, as if he had a headache, "Oh, what bad luck!"

"What? Did you meet a very strong opponent? International school?" Mogami Jun asked with a bit of gloating.

"That's fine, we just need to do our best..." Igawa Satoshi sighed again, "The opponent we met is even more difficult, it's... an all-girls school."

"Ha..." Jun Mogami didn't know what to say now.

"Originally, as a prestigious school, we also have our own tolerance. Even if we lose, it doesn't matter much. But this time is different. This time our opponent is a girls' school. Even if it is a prestigious girls' school, our school does not want to lose. If we lose to a girls' school, it will be too embarrassing. I am afraid that the chairman will lose face, and we are embarrassed." Teacher Ikawa Satoshi showed an ambiguous smile on his face, "A man's dignity, you know?"

"I understand." Mogami Jun nodded. "But why me?"

"Isn't it obvious? You are the one with the best English grades in the school. Even the teachers who hate your personality the most admit this. Not only do you often get full marks in written tests, but your oral English is also impeccable, even flawless - this is where your talent lies." Teacher Yichuan answered with an encouraging look, "Besides, you have always been eloquent. Even I, as the class teacher, often can't win over you. If you come out, our victory will probably be just around the corner - the chairman's requirements are very low. As long as we don't lose to the girls' school, everything will be fine... I believe this is not difficult for you at all, right?"

It was meaningless. In order to arouse Jun Mogami's emotions, the teacher's words were naturally exaggerated. However, when it came to the English and debate competition, Jun Mogami thought about it carefully and found that it seemed that perhaps he was indeed the right person to take on the challenge.

Haha, when it comes to fighting or football, he doesn't dare to say how good he is, but when it comes to using his eloquence to confront others, he is really confident.

At least so far, whether it was a teenage idol, a teacher or chairman of the board of directors at his school, a daughter of a wealthy family, or even a retired senior bureaucrat at home, he had never lost in a verbal battle...

He’s proud to admit it.

But... just because I am the best candidate doesn't mean I have to participate.

Jun Mogami had no motivation to participate in the competition.

He believed that he could win, but what sense of accomplishment could he get from beating up a bunch of pretty girls in an all-girls school?

Not only does it fail to provide any sense of accomplishment, but it also looks like an unfair victory.

"Teacher, you should ask someone else for help." Mogami Jun shrugged. "I'm not interested in English debates."

"This is not a question of interest or not, this is about the honor of the school!" Teacher Yichuan raised his voice.

"I'm really sorry, I'm not interested in the school's honor." Mogami Jun smiled.

"Hey, Mogami, isn't it every student's duty to be proud of their alma mater?" Teacher Ikawa suddenly became gloomy.

Mogami Jun looked at the other person nonchalantly.

"What a young man without a sense of honor, it's really a headache..." After a few seconds, Mr. Ikawa relaxed and sighed, "Then are you interested in Sagihara Shion?"

"Yes." Mogami Jun answered immediately, but soon frowned again, "Teacher, although you did help me by helping her live in the school, in exchange, I have already ranked first in the school, so I have completed the transaction between us. You can't trade the same item twice, right? This is a very cunning behavior!"

"No, no, no, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to threaten you with Lu Yuan." Igawa Satoshi shook his head, and then suddenly looked at Mogami Jun with a half-smile, "Think about it, how much pressure did I take when I suddenly said something nice to a female student? This is at least a favor, right? So - give me some face this time. I have already guaranteed you to participate in the competition at school. Do you want to make me a laughing stock in front of the chairman and my colleagues? Mogami, do you have the heart to treat me like this?"

……

Although he knew that the teacher was just joking, Mogami Jun was still shaken.

Indeed, Teacher Yichuan has always been conscientious and helpful to him. Now that he has said this, he should give the teacher some face no matter what.

"Well, since it has come to this, I will accept the challenge with reluctance. I hope everything will go well." After a moment of silence, Mogami Jun finally spoke, "But in exchange, I also have two conditions - please agree to them."

"What conditions? You tell me first." Teacher Yichuan nodded.

Looks like he's ready to agree...

"First, I must be the leader, because I hate being held back the most, so I decide what to say and how to say it." Mogami Jun answered immediately.

"This..." Teacher Ikawa was embarrassed. "Mogami, you are a freshman after all. Although seniors will basically not participate in the competition because they are preparing for the exam, there must be sophomores who will participate. They are our seniors - it may not be a good idea to let you be the leader..."

"Why do we need to distinguish between seniors and juniors in a competition? Do bullets and shells on the battlefield also distinguish between ages? Just because you are only one year older than me, you want to boss me around. I won't accept it." Mogami Jun answered bluntly, "I don't care about seniors and juniors. I want to be the leader."

"But others may not be convinced. I am afraid that it will affect the team in the end..." Teacher Yichuan was still a little hesitant, "What if others are unwilling to listen to you?"

"Teacher, are you sure?" Mogami Jun answered proudly, "To be honest, I can talk three or five girls into tears and make them dare not look at me anymore. What teammates do I need? Team spirit is used to deal with demon kings, not soldiers, right?"

"..."Such arrogant words choked Teacher Yichuan so much that he was speechless for a moment.

"Anyway, this is my request. If you don't agree, then forget it. I'm happy to have some free time." Mogami Jun looked at Teacher Ikawa.

Teacher Yichuan weighed the pros and cons and finally felt that the school's reputation was more important and a small request was not a big deal.

At worst, we can just send all the freshmen over. Anyway, among the freshmen, Jun Mogami is the best in the school, so there is no need to worry about anyone being dissatisfied.

"What about the other condition?"

"If I have other things to do, I can withdraw from the competition at any time." Mogami Jun replied immediately, "Except for this time, I don't have to participate in other competitions."

It's not that Mogami Jun intends to make things difficult for the teacher. In fact, he already has a lot of things that bother him and he may have to devote time and energy to deal with them at any time. If there is a conflict in time, he will definitely have to give up this unnecessary debate competition.

"It's such a troublesome condition again——" Teacher Yichuan covered his forehead with his hands in pain.

He thought quietly for a moment and finally nodded.

"Okay... I'll try to get it for you." Teacher Ikawa wanted to say something else, but when he saw Mogami Jun's expression, he finally sighed helplessly. "I'll convey both of your requests to the chairman. If he agrees, then we'll do it this way."

Anyway, the most important thing for schools nowadays is not to lose to girls’ schools. As for whether they lose in the future, that doesn’t matter.

"Any other requests?" Teacher Yichuan asked again.

"No, these two requests are already excessive enough. I don't want to embarrass Teacher Ikawa anymore..." Mogami Jun smiled cunningly.

"You little brat, isn't it hard enough for me now?" Teacher Yichuan smiled bitterly, "If you dare to lose, I will bury you in the playground with my own hands!"

146, Teammates and Opponents

"If you dare to lose, I will bury you in the playground with my own hands!"

Although Mr. Ikawa said this in a joking tone, Jun Mogami certainly understood that since he had asked the school for so many conditions, he had to win them. Otherwise, not only would he make a fool of himself, but Mr. Ikawa would also lose face.

This is no longer a joke.

If he loses, the teacher will definitely not kill him, and may not even punish him, but the consequences will certainly be terrible.

If he represented the school in the competition, the school's reputation would not matter. His own self-esteem would not allow him to lose, let alone lose to a group of young girls.

If he really lost, he would probably become the laughing stock of the whole school... those classmates who had long disliked him would definitely publicize and ridicule him.

Therefore, he had to win, even if it was just for his own face.

He also believed that he would be able to win.

Although he had never participated in any debate competitions in the past, he had received rigorous English education since childhood, and his eloquence had been honed through verbal battles with all kinds of people. As for his mentality... he had weathered many storms, so how could such a small scene scare him?

With his English skills, debating talent and fearless attitude, he really couldn't think of any reason why he would lose.

The girls' school was filled with ignorant young girls who had never seen the world, and he was confident that he would be able to win easily and get away with it.

With this absolute confidence, he left Teacher Yichuan's office.

........................................................................

Not long after that day, Mr. Ikawa informed Jun Mogami that the chairman of the board had approved his request. In other words, Jun Mogami officially became the leader of the school's English debate competition and represented the school in the competition.

The fact that he was willing to agree to even such a condition shows how much the chairman doesn't want to lose to the girls' school, and it also shows his expectations and confidence in Mogami Jun.

Ah, sometimes it’s not good for people to be too dazzling. People’s destiny is unpredictable. How come I, a freshman in high school, became a contestant that the school has high hopes for?

...Jun Mogami could only smile bitterly.

Of course, he was not the only contestant who accepted the school's call-up. In fact, there were four people in total, three debaters and one substitute.

On the day when the candidates were decided, all four were called to the school auditorium. In addition to Mr. Satoshi Ikawa who was in charge of the matter, Chairman Horikawa Nobuyasu also came in person to show his importance to the competition.

The old man gave a long speech on the stage, encouraging several outstanding students to work hard to bring honor to their alma mater, but Jun Mogami didn't take all this nonsense to heart. His attention was on the other three people.

These three people are my teammates for the time being.

Although he made a victory declaration in Mr. Ikawa's office at that time, such as "I don't need any teammates, I can defeat those ignorant girls by myself", Jun Mogami was just bragging about himself as a routine. He himself knew that a debate is a team effort and cannot be won by just one leader.

Everyone has a corresponding speaking time. If his teammates don't perform well, Jun Mogami, as the captain, will not be able to avoid failure no matter how well he performs.

Therefore, even if it is just for victory, he must maintain necessary communication with his teammates so that he can maintain basic team performance and ultimately win the game.

There is nothing wrong with him looking down on his opponents in the girls' school strategically, but if he still looks down on his opponents tactically, it would just be reckless arrogance. There were so many great figures in history who lost and ended up in disgrace because of this mysterious self-confidence. Mogami Jun doesn't want to repeat the same mistake.

While the old man was giving his speech, Jun Mogami carefully observed his three teammates, hoping to judge from first impression whether they were easy to deal with or not.

There was one person among them whom he knew, in fact, he could say that he was an old acquaintance of his, and that was his squad leader Hirofumi Hanyu - in fact, it was Mr. Ikawa who specially called him into the team.

Hirofumi Hanyu usually has good test scores, and English is one of his strong points. However, because he handed in his English test paper early in his last exam (he was feeling very unwell due to the effects of medication at the time), his English test result was a mess.

Under such circumstances, it is naturally impossible for Hirofumi Hanyu to be recommended as a player by the school. Now he is just a substitute.

Even though he was a substitute, it was only because of the special recommendation of Teacher Yichuan that he got the position.

However, compared to the reluctant Jun Mogami, Hirofumi Hanyu's attitude is much more positive, because he has suffered shame from previous events, and now he can't wait to wash away the shame with his actual actions and "atone" for the school.

In his eyes, the best way to atone for his sins is to participate in the competition and win honor for the school, so his motivation is more than ten times stronger than that of Mogami Jun.

As for the other two people, Jun Mogami didn't know them, but it was obvious that they were also freshmen in high school.

In other words, there were no sophomores participating in this competition, thus avoiding the embarrassing situation where sophomores had to condescend to Jun Mogami.

I guess only the Japanese are so obsessed with issues of seniority... But it's a good thing this way, because Mogami Jun doesn't have to worry about someone deliberately not cooperating with him just because they don't want to be ordered around by the younger generation.

The other two students were both boys, and they were about the same height. One had a short buzz cut, dark skin, a square face, and wore black-framed glasses, looking like a nerd; while the other had messy hair, relatively fair skin, slender fingers, and looked quite gentle.

When Jun Mogami looked over, the student with a short haircut was still staring at the chairman motionlessly, listening to his lecture, while the other one suddenly turned around and happened to meet Jun Mogami's eyes.

Then he immediately laughed and nodded gently to Jun Mogami in greeting.

Well, it seems that neither of them is a difficult person to get along with... Jun Mogami thought, and then he quickly smiled and nodded at the other person.

Just at this time, the old man's long speech finally came to an end. Like everyone else present, Jun Mogami immediately raised his hands and applauded, and then the chairman took everyone else away.

There are only five people left in the auditorium now - three team members, a substitute, and the person in charge of the competition, Mr. Yichuan.

The five people were now standing under the podium, looking at each other.

"Good afternoon, students." Teacher Yichuan spoke first. He looked at the students with a smile, "You are all the elites of our school. You have always maintained a very good academic record and are very good at English. After careful discussion, the school has determined that you are the best candidates to help our school win. The school has entrusted you with this important task because of your usual performance and the trust we have in you. Next, I hope you can show due performance to repay the school's trust!"

"I understand!" the four students answered together.

"You may be a little confused - why did we pick only boys this time? Obviously we also have girls who are very good at English..." Teacher Yichuan's smile suddenly showed some ridicule, "Now I will answer this doubt for you - this is what the chairman did on purpose, he just wants to show the style of our outstanding students in the girls' school.

You can understand it if you think about it. Girls' schools are much more closed than ours. They rarely see men of the same age. So no matter how powerful they are, they will feel anxious when they see a group of boys. So we have the advantage in psychological warfare from the beginning... But!"

At this point, he suddenly emphasized his tone, "You also have to understand that you represent the face of the school. If you have wild thoughts after arriving at the girls' school, do not abide by the rules, and do anything indecent to the girls, you will be severely punished! I suggest you suppress your restless hormones, so that you don't regret it later."

Hey, who would do that? You're looking down on me, right? It's not like we haven't seen girls in a few years in a boys' school. We shouldn't be that horny, right?

A visibly awkward atmosphere spread among the young men. Hanyu Hirofumi couldn't help but cough lightly to stop Mr. Ikawa from making ridiculous remarks.

"Hahaha, it's just a joke, don't take it so seriously—" Teacher Yichuan laughed again, "I just saw that you all wanted to doze off just now, so I just wanted to cheer you up."

Jun Mogami never thought that Teacher Ikawa would be so indecent.

But if you think about it carefully, he is only in his early thirties and not a serious old man. It is normal for him to make jokes occasionally.

"Teacher Ikawa, you just said that we are going to a girls' school..." asked Hirofumi Hanyu.