Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

Shiratori-kun is so amazing, I simply can't tutor him.

"Really, I did hear a little bit of what was said in class before, but I didn't listen carefully at the time..." Shiratori agreed, noticing that her mental state was not very stable, as if her Dao heart was about to break, and added, "In addition, the reason why I was able to learn so quickly is thanks to the class monitor's study notes."

"Class monitor...so you were studying from Yamabuki Sang's notes?"

Upon hearing this, Shinonome Mizuki's beautiful eyes, which had lost their luster, suddenly brightened.

"Yes."

Seeing that she had cheered up, Shiratori Osamu nodded.

"Oh right, how could I forget about that? Minami Yamabuki is your girlfriend, she'll definitely help you with your studies."

Thinking of this, Shinonome Mizuki immediately perked up.

She had attended many tutoring classes and knew how effective the guidance from renowned teachers was.

While it's highly improbable that Shiratori-kun could finish the first part of "Mathematics I" in just three days, given his extraordinary mathematical talent and the combined effect of Yamabuki Minami's study notes and explanations, it's theoretically possible, albeit with extremely low probability.

"She is indeed helping me with my studies, but she is not my girlfriend now."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Osamu paused for a moment before clarifying.

Oh no, he was so focused on comforting Professor Dongyun that he accidentally let something slip.

The one-on-one private tutoring that Mr. Shinonome gave him on weekends wasn't free; it came with a condition: he had to break up with Minami Yamabuki.

Under these circumstances, Mr. Dongyun might get angry if he discovers that his son is still in contact with the class monitor.

“I understand.” Seeing that he took the initiative to distance himself, Shinonome Mizuki nodded, with an attitude of “I understand”, and then changed the subject, “Shiratori-kun, let’s start studying. You can start by studying Mathematics I on your own, and ask me if you encounter any problems you don’t understand.”

"Does Ms. Dongyun trust me that much? She believes everything I say?"

Seeing her attitude, Shiratori Osamu, who had been thinking that accidentally letting something slip might lead to a fierce battle, was quite surprised and couldn't help but look at her a few more times.

That being said, it's a good thing she didn't press for details.

Taking the textbook she handed back, Shiratori Osamu took out the class monitor's study notes from his bag and began to concentrate intently.

At the same time, Shinonome Mizuki took out an old copy of "Mathematics I" from her briefcase, flipped to page 167, and began reading, preparing for any questions that might arise at any moment.

After an hour, she couldn't help but look up at Shiratori Osamu, who was studying diligently.

Although she had already seen it yesterday, even after watching it many times, she still thought Shiratori-kun, who worked hard for love, was very handsome... He's such a good man, no wonder a smart girl like Yamabuki Minami would date him.

For two hours, she frequently glanced at Shiratori Osamu.

This guy's learning efficiency is too fast. He turns a page in no time. Is he studying or reading?

After three hours, she started to get restless; the "Mathematics I" book in her hands was too boring.

God, why are you tormenting her, a liberal arts student, like this?

"12 o'clock?"

Feeling utterly bored, Shinonome Mizuki raised her right hand to look at her watch and was taken aback when she realized it was 12:38.

No, it's been more than three hours already?

Why doesn't Shiratori ask her any questions? Is his self-study really that smooth? He's been reading for so long, and not a single problem has stumped him?

As afternoon approached, the Qingkong Study Room began to bustle with activity.

However, the environment was generally quiet, and even when people needed to communicate, they consciously lowered their voices.

"Shiratori-kun".

After waiting a while, Shinonome Mizuki glanced at her watch and couldn't help but speak up.

"Teacher Dongyun, what's wrong?"

Shiratori Osamu, who was engrossed in his studies, snapped out of his reverie and looked up at her.

"It's 1 p.m., are you hungry?"

Higashion Mizuki felt guilty for interrupting his study session, as she had been idle all morning.

"Is it already 1 p.m.?"

Upon learning of this time, Shiratori Osamu frowned and turned the book over.

Once you enter a state of flow, it's really easy to lose track of time when no one is around to disturb you.

"It's 13:09 to be exact. Let's have lunch first. I brought you a bento box."

Shinonome Mizuki nodded and took out two lunchboxes from her briefcase.

"Did you also bring me a bento box? Thank you so much."

Shiratori Osamu was pleasantly surprised to see her push the lunchbox-shaped object wrapped in colorful cloth in front of him.

After regaining his senses, he realized that studying hard would consume a lot of physical and mental energy, and he began to feel hungry.

"You don't need to be so polite. After all, we'll be staying here for eight hours, and this is what I should prepare."

In response to his thanks, Shinonome Mizuki shook her head.

"Have you been studying for four hours? Mr. Dongyun, excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."

Although Shiratori Osamu was starving, he didn't rush to eat because he felt the urge to urinate.

Once his figure disappeared around the corner, Shinonome Mizuki moved, shifting her position to the side of Shiratori Osamu's seat and flipping the book over.

"228 pages?"

Shinonome Mizuki glanced at the page number on the textbook and was immediately puzzled.

Is Shiratori-kun's learning efficiency really that fast? He learned 61 pages in 4 hours? That's an average of 4 minutes per page? Did he really absorb the information?

"let me see……"

Driven by curiosity, Shinonome Mizuki reached out and began turning the pages.

Chapter 59 He really can pass the Tokyo University entrance exam in half a year

Shinonome Mizuki reached out and gently turned the pages of the book, carefully examining each one.

Shiratori-kun's textbook was concise, with neat and tidy handwriting, strong and decisive strokes, and the content he wrote flowed smoothly, with not a single drop of ink falling into empty spaces, as if he did it without any hesitation.

Although she noticed that his handwriting was quite nice, she didn't pay much attention to it because his self-study efficiency of averaging one page every four minutes was too exaggerated, so exaggerated that she couldn't believe it.

As a former high school student, she had studied the book "Mathematics I" in both classrooms and tutoring classes.

The content of "Mathematics I" is actually very difficult for beginners because the difficulty difference between junior high school mathematics and high school mathematics is huge.

The teacher lectures on the stage, each class lasting 50 minutes, and usually teaches in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

Even if students listen attentively and take notes throughout the lecture, they still need to complete assignments and a large number of example problems outside of class in order to be considered to have learned the material.

It's important to understand that learning is not a simple matter; it can be broken down into several levels.

The first level is reading; once you've read it, that's it.

The second level is memory, which is the ability to recall the knowledge points and key points from the textbook.

The third level is understanding, summarizing patterns, and applying formulas to solve problems.

The fourth level is mastery, where you can immediately visualize the solution to a problem just by looking at it for the first time.

But then again, she had heard a saying that the gap between science geniuses and ordinary people is like a dimensional reduction attack.

Highly challenging science problems are usually composed of symbols, numbers, letters, or even graphics. They appear very abstract and require a great deal of spatial and logical thinking skills.

What most students find difficult problems that require a lot of time to understand are actually quite simple in the eyes of science geniuses, and can be solved easily.

It's not just about solving difficult problems; science geniuses can even apply what they've learned to other situations and make further innovations.

Talent is something that defies logic and cannot be explained by common sense or science.

She was a humanities student and couldn't fully grasp how terrifying science geniuses could be, but she knew how terrifying humanities geniuses could be.

Just like the great poet Li Bai, who, when drunk, casually uttered a line that became an astonishing poem that countless scholars could not conceive even after a lifetime of studying.

"If Shiratori-kun is a science genius, is it possible for him to get into Tokyo University within six months?"

As she flipped through the book, when this wild and imaginative thought resurfaced in Higashion Mizuki's mind, this time she didn't shake her head away; instead, her heart began to race involuntarily.

Liberal arts students are usually very emotional and have rich imaginations.

She started thinking about the theme of "Shiratori Osamu is a science genius who studied hard for half a year and got into Tokyo University in one fell swoop". In just a moment, she imagined a wonderful scenario.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The following winter, on the day the University of Tokyo announced its admission results, when news of Shiratori Osamu's acceptance reached Takeno High School, the teachers' office was packed with people.

"Teacher Dongyun, I'm sorry, please forgive me."

Mr. Murata, who had once mocked her and made a laughing stock of her helping Shiratori Osamu improve his academic performance, knelt on the ground and apologized to her with a dogeza (a traditional Chinese Buddhist ritual).

"Speak louder! Didn't you eat breakfast this morning?"

The headmaster, whose hair was now completely white and who was dressed in a sharp suit, glared at her and reprimanded her.

"Teacher Dongyun, I shouldn't have laughed at you back then. I was blind!"

Mr. Murata trembled a few times after being reprimanded, and his voice rose a few decibels again.

“Principal, please refrain from apologizing. I do not accept it. Besides, I have other matters to attend to. I have arranged to celebrate with Shiratori-kun at the Blue Bird Study Room.”

In response to her apology, Shinonome Mizuki simply adjusted her glasses and stood up.

After saying that, she picked up her briefcase, walked out of the teachers' office, tossed her long hair, and left gracefully.

"Murata, if you don't get Shinonome-sensei's forgiveness before the start of the first semester of spring, you don't need to come anymore! And all of you, anyone who has ever mocked Shinonome-sensei for overestimating herself, go and apologize to her!"

Even after she left, the office remained lively, as the principal did not give up.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"If Shiratori-kun really manages to get into Tokyo University within six months, something like this might happen next winter!"

With a slideshow of revenge playing in her mind, even Shinonome Mizuki, who rarely smiled, couldn't help but smile slightly, feeling a little excited.

After school on Thursday, she endured a lot of ridicule and mockery at school after helping Shiratori-kun develop the "Academic Ability Enhancement Plan".

Although she appeared calm and composed on the surface, showing no sadness or disappointment, she was actually harboring resentment deep down.

No one believed she could help Shiratori get into Tokyo University, but she was determined to do it!

If Shiratori-kun is willing to retake the exam and become a Ronin at Tokyo University, and with her all-out tutoring and teaching, although it's impossible to get into Tokyo University within six months, it's still very possible within a year and a half.

Let them laugh if they want. When Shiratori-kun actually gets into Tokyo University, she will prove herself right.

She had prepared herself for long-term doubts, but Shiratori Osamu showed amazing potential as a science genius and could actually get into Tokyo University within six months. This discovery made her very happy.

"Teacher Dongyun, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Just as she was overjoyed, Shiratori Osamu returned to his seat after using the restroom.

"It's alright, you must be hungry, come and sit down."

When Shinonome Mizuki heard the sound, she came to her senses and saw him. She then patted the spot where he had been sitting.

"?"

Because of Shinonome-sensei's overly enthusiastic attitude towards him, even his voice became gentler, Shiratori Osamu was surprised to return, but he still accepted the invitation to sit down.

"Shiratori-kun, you've been studying so hard for so long, thank you for your hard work. Come and eat."

After he sat down, Shinonome Mizuki put down her book, took the bento box from the table, and helped him untie the knot on the wrapping cloth.

"Teacher Dongyun, what happened?"

Shiratori Osamu thought that once he sat down, she would shift her position to create some distance, but things didn't turn out that way, leaving him completely bewildered.

"Nothing happened. The teacher just thought you must be starving after studying all morning and wanted you to eat something quickly."

Realizing that he might be able to get into Tokyo University with a full-speed sprint in six months, Shinonome Mizuki's expectations for him skyrocketed, and she didn't even realize that her attitude had changed significantly.

"Thank you."

Shiratori Osamu didn't have mind-reading abilities and couldn't guess what she was thinking at all, but seeing that she was kind to him, he was naturally very happy, nodded his thanks, and took the bento.

This bento box contains white rice, an egg roll, spinach, fried chicken, and hamburger patties. It's a generous portion and very nutritious.

"It tastes delicious, Mr. Shinonome. Did you make this bento yourself?"