Shirakawa Sawahei felt a small flutter in his heart, then recalled his glorious display in the auditorium today.
Alright, just a thought.
He wasn't narcissistic enough to think that the proud woman Hayakawa Kashi would have any admiration for him. He wasn't some kind of Long Aotian, who could make girls weak in the knees with just a glance.
As for finding Hayakawa Kashi's weaknesses, sorry, Shirakawa Sawahei hadn't had the chance to discover any yet.
Or rather, Hayakawa Kashi had no weaknesses. Her only defeat in life was falling into the hands of this seemingly invincible Shirakawa Sawahei.
Things seemed to have reached an impasse... Shirakawa Sawahei sighed.
Just gotta deal with things as they come.
The next day, as usual, Shirakawa Sawahei arrived at school half an hour early.
Ise Yu Yuzhijin was lying on the desk, looking dejected. Upon seeing this, Shirakawa Sawahei paused, then silently decided to veer around her desk.
Such a troublesome appearance, it's better to keep a distance from this girl for now...
But Ise Yu Yuzhijin didn't choose to let Shirakawa Sawahei go. Upon noticing he sat down, she quickly pushed away her chair and ran over to his spot.
"Shirakawa... My youth is over..." Ise Yu Yuzhijin sobbed.
Hmm? Has Shigomi Hiyori succeeded or failed? Or is Aoi of the Blue Sea getting a second season?
Ise Yu Yuzhijin continued, "Last night, I was chatting with Asano on Line, and I couldn't solve a single math problem she asked..."
"Am I going to be despised by Asano... It's over, I have no right to be her true friend... Kami-sama, why are you so cruel to me! Why..."
"When she comes to school, I won't even have the courage to talk to her... Clearly, I'm such a humble existence like a bug, and yet I had the nerve to say I wanted to help Asano... I'm really too useless..."
"Suddenly I just want to go back and die a bit..."
Shirakawa Sawahei, feeling a headache coming on, said, "Why don't you just honestly tell her you are a weakling..."
"I absolutely refuse to do that!!!" Ise Yu Yuzhijin exclaimed, "Words once spoken must be followed through, that's the Ise Yu Family motto!"
"Then you shouldn't have said anything in the first place."
"Who would have thought that the questions from Asano, who took a year off, would be so advanced! It's not something I can solve with a little extra effort..."
"So what are you planning to do?"
Ise Yu Yuzhijin said pitifully, "I don't know... Shirakawa, what do you think?"
Shirakawa Sawahei thought about the skill level of A-Loli lv5 and then thought about Ise Yu Yuzhijin's pitiful lv2, and said, "I suggest you give up."
"She's really not someone you can teach with just a little hard work."
"I can't give up on Asano so easily! Shirakawa, can't you perk up a bit!"
What do you mean give up on Asano Nazuki easily, clearly, I'm giving up on you. Shirakawa Sawahei couldn't help but retort in his heart.
"Go to a cram school, learn the material yourself, and then teach her." He suggested.
Ise Yu Yuzhijin hesitated, "Isn't there a way to improve my grades that's both relaxing and efficient?"
Shirakawa Sawahei thought for a moment and said, "Then at night, put a book under your pillow when you sleep."
Ise Yu Yuzhijin was shocked: "No way! Is the osmosis learning method truly effective? I always thought it was nonsense online!"
"Are you kidding? Does knowledge really transfer from a high concentration area to a low concentration one!"
Not exactly. Shirakawa Sawahei thought to himself, placing a book under your head is good for your neck; I just don't want you to ruin your health trying to study.
This Ise Yu classmate, might not just be simple but actually quite silly...
"Shirakawa! Why don't you teach me?" Ise Yu Yuzhijin suddenly exclaimed in delight.
"After all, you're the top student in the grade, you definitely have the skills to teach me, and despite our not-so-beautiful bond... we should at least be considered friends~ Ah! Although I've said it before, don't think for a second that 'because a beautiful girl asks for help she must like you'... Otherwise, I'll still be very troubled..."
Shirakawa Sawahei sneered and asked, "Are there quintuplets in your family?"
"?? What does tutoring have to do with quintuplets!"
"Nothing," Shirakawa Sawahei said flatly, "Just that I don't really have the time."
"You could spare a bit after school?"
"No, I have club activities."
"Alright." cute little Ise Yu sighed, then asked, "If there's no hope with the top student, I'll have to find the second in the grade... Shirakawa, do you think 3000 yen per hour could persuade Hayakawa to tutor me?"
"Wouldn't that be a bit low..."
Shirakawa Sawahei was taken aback.
"...What did you just say?"
"I said, could 3000 yen per hour persuade Hayakawa to tutor me?" Ise Yu Yuzhijin asked curiously, "Shirakawa, is your hearing bad?"
Shirakawa Sawahei fell silent.
For the first time, he genuinely felt that he may have been approaching things too narrowly.
Why did I go through all the hassle of part-time jobs being exploited by capitalists? If I just found a few silly girls like Ise Yu, I might even cover my college tuition.
A 3000 yen hourly wage, does this girl have no concept of money? Or does her family own a mine, and she's secretly loaded?
"Ise Yu," Shirakawa Sawahei said.
"I think Hayakawa might be quite busy too, and you two aren't familiar."
Shirakawa Sawahei opened his mouth, though he was very tempted by such a high-paying job, it would be too uncharacteristic to suddenly change his mind.
Most importantly, being a tutor to this silly girl Ise Yu Yuzhijin just felt unreliable.
Surely, nothing would go wrong, right?
Shirakawa Sawahei pinched his chin and hesitated for a moment, "Can you really afford a 3000 yen hourly wage?"
"3000 yen... is that a lot?" Ise Yu Yuzhijin asked in a strange tone.
"I actually think it's a bit low, given how excellent Hayakawa's grades are and how pretty she is... Being able to study with such a girl, no amount of money would be too much!"
Upon hearing this, Shirakawa Sawahei said seriously, "Let's just forget it. She's always stuck as the second in the grade, and she's pretty pitiful. If you overlook me and go to her, Hayakawa might think you're mocking her."
"Eh? Would it be that serious?"
"No one knows Hayakawa Kashi better than me," Shirakawa Sawahei declared resolutely.
As if kidding, after becoming a study kid, even Hayakawa Kashi's measurements are clearly listed in the system's detailed information, you think I don't know her?
Shirakawa Sawahei felt he needed to rescue Hayakawa Kashi's self-esteem a bit.