The strongest high school student in Japan

"You are from the same school, right?" Miss Takeuchi asked again. "Although Mayu didn't say it explicitly, I think so."

"You guessed right, we are not only from the same school, but also in the same class." Mogami Jun smiled.

"You're an excellent student, no wonder. I really envy you. You have such a bright future at such a young age." Miss Takeuchi also smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, little brother."

As she spoke, she led the way, taking Jun Mogami along a long and narrow corridor to a room.

And Takasaki Mayu was sitting upright on the sofa in the room, looking coldly at the boy who came in.

And right next to Zhenyou, there stood a tall man in a black suit. As soon as he came in, the man's eyes fell on him.

For a moment, Mogami Jun thought that Takasaki Mayu wanted to take revenge and have someone beat him up here...

Fortunately, no one came to beat him up.

"Mayou, I've brought the person here." Ms. Takeuchi nodded to Mayou, "Please finish the discussion as soon as possible."

"Thank you for your hard work, Takeuchi-san!" Then, she smiled and bowed to thank the staff, acting like a good girl. "I'm sorry to trouble you."

"These little things are not worth thanking for." Miss Takeuchi smiled again and waved to the man, "We are right next to you. If you need anything, just call me."

Then, she took the man, opened the side door of the room, and walked into the room next door.

There was a glass window on the wall between the two rooms, so it was easy to see what was happening on the other side. After seeing Miss Takeuchi walk over there, Jun Mogami lit another cigarette and then talked to the man in a low voice.

Obviously, this is to prevent himself from doing anything extreme... As long as Zhenyou shouts, the people around him will definitely rush in to stop him.

Jun Mogami felt that kind of silent deterrence, but fortunately he didn't want to do anything rash, so he was not afraid.

After the two people left, Takasaki Mayu's originally polite and cute smile gradually disappeared. She frowned and looked at Mogami Jun, leaned back on the sofa, crossed her legs, and looked at Mogami Jun with an impatient look.

"It's so annoying. I'll have to explain to the company who you are in the future... Nothing good has happened to me since I met you!"

On the coffee table next to the sofa was a cup of iced coffee. She picked up the glass and took a sip, then continued to sit there.

There was only a bottle of mineral water in front of me.

Well, it's normal to have some differential treatment between ordinary people and idols.

"I didn't come here on my own initiative. You were the one who asked me to come." Mogami Jun retorted.

"You forced me to do that! What can I do? Rumors spreading in school will only make things worse." Takasaki Mayu looked at the other person fiercely, "It's all because of you!"

"Okay, it's all my fault. Are you satisfied now?" Mogami Jun was too lazy to argue with her about such a meaningless issue and urged her, "Just now your staff urged me to finish the talk quickly, so let's not waste time, Shinyu. What's going on over there?"

"What's going on... Do you think I know it clearly? I'm also a victim involved, okay?" Takasaki Mayu wiped her hair, looking like she had a headache, "It's all because of that idiot troublemaker!"

Then, she sighed, glanced at Mogami Jun, and began to explain slowly, "I was a junior high school classmate of theirs, so we can be considered friends... but to be honest, our relationship is not that deep. I mainly interact with Honda Rino, who... is a very frivolous person. She likes to show off, always bragging about the smallest things, and often bragging in front of others that she is my good friend. I have been impatient with her for a long time..."

"Then why do you still want to keep in touch with each other? If you don't like it, why not just stop associating with each other?" Mogami Jun asked back.

"I can't openly break up with someone. It would be bad if I told others about it." Takasaki Mayu replied unhappily. "Besides, even though she's annoying, she's still popular in school. She's friends with a lot of people and can bring me some popularity, so I just kept interacting with her as an ordinary friend and played with her occasionally. Who would have thought...she would actually do something like this?!"

Jun Mogami didn't know much about the fake sisterhood between high school girls, but he could imagine that many girls were like this. They would continue to interact with each other as if nothing had happened even though they hated each other in their hearts.

"Okay, I roughly understand it. What happened this time?" Mogami Jun asked again.

"It was a few days ago. We went shopping together and then went to karaoke. While we were playing, we talked about our recent test scores. I casually mentioned that my grades had dropped a bit recently..." Zhenyou frowned, looking a little annoyed. "Then she told me mysteriously that she had a way to help me improve my grades. I asked her what the method was, and then she said she could help me get the answers to the test paper in advance..."

At this point, Mayu couldn't help but pat the sofa, making a muffled sound. "I thought she was just bragging, so I didn't take it seriously. But she assured me that it would work. She also told me that they had done it once before, and her boyfriend Sakai Koichi even won third place in the school because of it... Bah, these people are so bold! I was shocked at the time."

"Then how did you respond to her?" Mogami Jun asked.

"Of course I refused. I'm not stupid!" Zhenyou rolled her eyes at him. "If they could get the answers to the test papers during the national joint entrance examination, I would still consider it. What's the point of the school's internal examination? Even if you get first place in the school, what does it matter? If you can't get into university, you still can't get in."

"Your mind is surprisingly clear, clearer than many people." Mogami Jun didn't know whether it was a mockery or a compliment.

"Do you think you're the only one who's amazing?" Takasaki Mayu also mocked Mogami Jun in return, "Even if there wasn't this Sakai Koichi incident, wouldn't you still be third in the school? Aren't there two people who scored ahead of you? Who are you showing off to?"

"I didn't try my best before, but this time is different. I must get the first place in the school." Mogami Jun held his head high and looked at Zhenyou without giving in. "Zhenyou, I admire and respect those who compete with me based on their strength. I will try my best to defeat them. But those who defeat me by despicable means are different. I will make them pay the price. I won't allow them to do that again."

As his momentum grew, a firm determination was revealed in the boy's eyes. Takasaki Mayu was speechless due to the momentum.

After a moment, she looked away.

"It's up to you. I've already told you everything I know. I don't have anything else to say."

"That alone is not enough, is it?" Mogami Jun sneered, "It's an obvious fact that you and Honda Rino discussed the issue of cheating, right? Can you still stay out of it now? If you do nothing, even if you are not involved, you are at least covering it up."

"You..." Takasaki Mayu was a little annoyed.

"Did I say something wrong? That's the truth, right? If something happens, everything you said today will be known to others sooner or later." Mogami Jun continued to sneer, "If it was someone else, it would be fine, but our school's perfect idol actually knew that someone was cheating and just watched it and might even have participated in it. It wouldn't sound good to tell others..."

"What do you want...?" Mayu's face turned pale, obviously Jun Mogami had hit the soft spot in her heart.

"I would like you to pretend to cooperate with Honda Rino and tell me everything, so that I can find a way to stop them." Mogami Jun stated his request, "And you can also clear yourself, isn't that good?"

"You want me to be a spy for you and betray my friends? That's a nice thought." Takasaki Mayu laughed in anger, "Will my reputation be good if I tell others like that? Why should I listen to you?"

"Hey, do you really think that I just want to deal with this Tokugawa couple? They are not my real target." Mogami Jun replied coldly.

"What do you mean?" Zhenyou was a little confused.

"I want to deal with the person behind them, the teacher who leaked the exam questions." Mogami Jun explained, "Even you can imagine that only a teacher can leak exam questions on such a large scale, although we don't know what his motive is. So this teacher is the source. If the source is not eliminated, then even if one Sakai Koichi is caught, there will be a second and a third Sakai Koichi. It's like doing nothing, isn't it? I want to deal with that person, and your so-called friends are just incidental. If necessary, I can even let them go."

Before Mayu could react, Mogami Jun looked at Takasaki Mayu again, "Mayu, how about this solution - if you help me find the teacher who leaked the test questions, I will let them go, as long as they don't continue to cheat. If this is the case, you can also escape without worrying about being ridiculed for betraying your friends, how do you think?"

"I..." Takasaki Mayu was a little confused and a little messy for a moment.

"There's still some time before the next exam, so you don't have to give me the answer right away, but I believe that with your brain, you will figure out what's best for you—" Mogami Jun smiled slightly, "In fact, I always thought you were pretty smart, but you just like to act dumb."

Although she was rarely praised by Jun Mogami, Takasaki Mayu was still upset.

She obviously didn't want to get involved in this kind of trouble at all, but she now found that her position was very awkward and there seemed to be trouble no matter which way she went.

"Why did I have to encounter such a thing..." She could only pick up the cup again angrily and take a sip of iced coffee to calm down.

"This is a lesson. You like to please others too much, so you are in trouble. If you had followed your own thoughts and stayed away from Honda Rino from the beginning, nothing would have happened." Mogami Jun shrugged. "This is a lesson. I hope you can learn from it in the future. Isn't it good to live according to your own personality?"

“Don’t act like a life mentor in front of me!” Perhaps irritated by Mogami Jun’s didactic tone, Mayu suddenly became angry, “What do you know about me! I… I… I don’t want to be like this either!”

As she shouted angrily, the door was immediately opened.

Ms. Takeuchi walked over to Mayu, patted her shoulder gently and comforted her.

"That's about all for today." She looked at Mogami Jun coldly.

"Okay." Jun Mogami nodded and walked out obediently.

35. So-called idols

The first idol handshake event that Jun Mogami attended in his life ended abruptly with Mayu losing her temper.

However, he did not feel regretful because he had achieved his goal - based on his understanding of Zhenyou, after weighing the pros and cons, Zhenyou should come to help him because he had given her the best solution under the current situation.

Although he knew that Zhenyou hated him, Zhenyou would cooperate with him in order to protect the reputation of her idol from being tarnished in any way.

With this thought in mind, he calmly walked along the corridor he came from to the elevator entrance, ready to go back.

Just as he pressed the button and waited for the elevator, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Brother, are you leaving now?"

Even without looking back, Mogami Jun knew that it was Miss Takeuchi who caught up with him.

Is it because I made Zhenyou angry that he is coming here to blame me?

Jun Mogami thought.

"Well, doesn't Zhenyou need to rest? It's time for me to go home too." He answered carefully.

"Where do you live? How about I take you home?" Miss Takeuchi suddenly said, "It's not easy for you young students. It's good to save some money on the bus fare."

Actually, I bought a monthly tram pass...

Mogami Jun thought about it and decided to hold back from complaining.

He could also see that the other party obviously wanted to tell him something.

That’s right, she’s a staff member after all. It would be strange if she was really indifferent to Zhenyou meeting a classmate.

"Thank you so much. I live in Kanda. You can just drive me to the station." He replied calmly.

After hearing Mogami Jun's answer, Miss Takeuchi was a little surprised. "Living in Kanda? It seems that your family is quite rich."

"It's okay." Mogami Jun answered calmly, and he had no interest in telling her more about the family situation.

While they were talking, the elevator door opened and the two of them walked in together.

After going downstairs, Miss Takeuchi didn't say anything, but took him to the parking lot outside the venue.

Like most salarymen, Miss Takeuchi drives a Toyota Prius, but Jun Mogami doesn't care about this and just follows Miss Takeuchi inside. By the way, Jun Mogami's father drives a Toyota Crown as a business car, and his private car is a Mercedes-Benz C63. As a native Tokyoite, he still likes foreign luxury cars even though he is a government official.

As Miss Takeuchi inserted the key, the car started slowly and Jun Mogami started his journey home.

Of course, he also knew that the other party would not just send him off, so he was not in a hurry and waited for the other party to speak.

After the car drove out of the parking area, came to the middle of the street and merged into the traffic flow, Miss Takeuchi finally broke the silence.

"Brother, you are quite amazing in a sense." Ms. Takeuchi seemed to be praising Jun Mogami while steering the wheel. "This is the first time I see Mayu lose her composure like that. How did you make her so angry?"

"Actually, I didn't do anything..." Mogami Jun said a little embarrassedly, "Maybe she just didn't like me, so she got angry."

"It's not necessary to do this just because I don't like you." Miss Takeuchi shook her head slightly and said nothing more.

Then she pondered for a moment.

"Brother, you may think I am here to teach you a lesson, but if you think so, you are wrong. In fact, I am quite happy..."

"Ah?" Mogami Jun was finally a little surprised this time. "What do you mean?"

The car stopped at a red light.

Because she had to wait for a long time, Miss Takeuchi simply picked up the cigarette box and lighter from the side, took out another cigarette and started smoking.

Before long, the cool smoke filled the car again.

"I can't remember the last time Shinyu showed her true feelings to someone." After exhaling a puff of cigarette, Miss Takeuchi said faintly, "I have been with her for several years. In the past few years, she has been the same to everyone she meets, whether she likes them or hates them. She is as cute as a porcelain doll."

"Ah, I've seen that look before... She was like that in school." Mogami nodded. "Generally speaking, I think that's part of the idol business, right? Is it a job requirement?"

"It can indeed be considered as idol business. After all, idols need a persona. The so-called idols are products that sell personas. You are right about that." Ms. Takeuchi smiled bitterly and nodded. "But no matter what standard you use, Mayu has gone a little too far. That kind of 'over-involvement' has made her almost unable to tell who she is. Others have not done it to this extent."

Then, she took another long drag on her cigarette. "She is very polite to each of us, not just her fans. She is very considerate and lovely. But loving everyone means that she loves no one. She has closed her heart to each of us, and no one can get a glimpse of her true thoughts - so I am very worried about her."

Jun Mogami didn't know what to say for a moment.

"From the company's perspective, it doesn't matter. The more she devotes herself and the better she manages her image, the more her fans will buy into it, which can also boost sales, so no one will care about her." After a moment, Ms. Takeuchi continued, "But from my personal perspective, I am really worried about her. She will accumulate a huge amount of pressure in her heart if she is so deliberately devoted. In the end, she can only find someone around her to vent and pour out the accumulated toxins all at once, using this method to maintain her inner balance. She will definitely not do this in our company, but in life and school, I'm afraid it's not certain."

Wow, that's so accurate! That's how she dealt with Xiaoshi.

Maybe in her subconscious, she saw that Xiaoshi was too honest and silent, so she wouldn't suffer any backlash if she vented her poison.

As for “she hasn’t listened to all my songs”, that’s probably just the excuse she subconsciously found for herself.

Mogami Jun couldn't help but sigh.

"Fortunately, she vented her anger on you, so I feel much more relieved." Miss Takeuchi certainly didn't know about Shimizu Minoru's situation. Instead, she made a different judgment based on Makoto's behavior. "Young man, you don't seem like the type who would commit suicide after being criticized. You must have a strong psychological endurance. In other words, you are very thick-skinned."

"I'll take your words as a compliment." Jun Mogami replied awkwardly.

At this time, the red light turned green again. Miss Takeuchi put out the cigarette in her hand, then put her hands back on the steering wheel and started the car.

"That alone is acceptable, but I'm more worried about something else," she continued.

"What?" asked Jun Mogami.

"Young man, what do you think of idols? I see that you don't seem to be a fan of any star." Ms. Takeuchi did not answer immediately, but asked back.

"As for idols..." Mogami Jun pondered for a moment, searching for words to describe them. "They are the profession of selling dreams, right? They make people worship them, thinking that they are extraordinary. They make people place their dreams on them, want them to succeed and find pleasure in it."

"That's right, you're really smart, bro?" Ms. Takeuchi turned her head slightly and gave a look at Jun Mogami approvingly. "You're right, being an idol is about selling dreams, but it's not just selling to others, it's also selling to yourself."

Then she continued,

"So-called idols, after all, are just fast-moving consumer goods with a short shelf life for the companies. The companies package these ordinary girls who are pretty but otherwise ordinary, and give them a brilliant dream, so that they can see the most splendid side of the world and regard themselves as a part of it. Only in this way can they dream, and then sell their dreams to others - those who don't dream themselves can't make others dream too."

Mogami Jun lowered his eyes, chewed on the other person's words carefully, and finally nodded in conviction.

“That’s a very reasonable argument.”

It almost sounds like a spiritual C-sales industry.

"But dreams are just dreams after all. No matter how much you dream, you will wake up eventually. Most of them will no longer have the value of commodities after their shelf life expires. Then they will face the real reality and see that they are just ordinary people after taking off the halo imposed on them by others." Ms. Takeuchi sighed, "And at that time, they must return to ordinary real life. All the hard work, sweat and tears they have invested before will become useless memories. After those idols graduate and leave the group, most of them leave in obscurity. Even those at the top find it difficult to integrate into the entertainment industry. Everything they did before was just like a dream, that's all."

There was another traffic light and the car stopped again.