I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

The door was gently pushed open, and Sayuri Sawamura quietly walked in with the key in her hand.

In the dimly lit room with the curtains drawn, Sayuri Sawamura looked at the object wrapped in a blanket by Murakami, and a trace of worry appeared in her eyes.

"Eri, what's wrong with you?"

Sayuri Sawamura stood by the bed and asked.

"..."

She was met with silence, as if her daughter, still under the covers, had not yet noticed her presence in the room.

Sawamura Sayuri frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked with a puzzled look, "Could it be because of that kid from the Aki family again?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the "giant rice dumpling" began to tremble noticeably.

Seeing this, Sayuri Sawamura sighed helplessly. Was it really because of Tomoya Aki?

But what exactly happened this time?

"Rinya, he..."

"Don't mention him!"

Just as Sayuri Sawamura was about to ask, Eriri suddenly popped out from under the covers and loudly interrupted her.

Seeing Eriri so agitated, Sayuri Sawamura couldn't help but press her head down and look at her seriously: "Calm down, isn't Mom here? What happened? Is it something I can't know?"

The mother, worried about her daughter, remained calm while the daughter, heartbroken from a relationship setback, continued to sulk.

That's right, Eriri is angry with herself, not with anyone else.

Now that things have come to this point, Eriri understands that it's simply impossible for Aki Tomoya to take the initiative to reconcile.

However, if I were to take the initiative to bring up reconciliation, I would never be able to get over that mental hurdle.

Rather than complaining about Aki Tomoya's "lack of romantic understanding," Eriri is now blaming herself more.

She's not stupid; she can't possibly be completely blind to everything.

"Eiriri?"

=

Thank you [Da Fengfeng] for the monthly pass.

Thank you for the blades from [99REN]

Thank you [Miku is my wife] for the monthly pass.

Chapter 12: Respectable, Refined and Approachable

"Wow, Aki-kun! Your scores in Japanese History and Modern History have improved again compared to the last test!"

Qingfeng Academy is not a particularly famous academy, and it uses a one-on-one teaching method.

Mr. Tsubota, who was speaking, was a tutor at this cram school, and his teaching style seemed quite unique to Tomoya Aki.

Aki Tomo was drawn to the fact that this academy was experiencing financial difficulties due to poor management, and therefore its tuition fees were lower than those of other academies.

However, after meeting Mr. Tsubota, Aki Tomoya liked the teacher very much, both for his personality and his teaching methods tailored to individual students.

Even though the tutoring fees were cheaper than those of other cram schools, the first semester's tutoring fees still consumed most of Aki Tomoya's savings.

"But when it comes to writing short essays, Aki-kun, have you been keeping up with the current news?"

Mr. Tsubota took out Aki Tomoya's short paper and tapped the manuscript with his finger.

"Discussing current topics will be of great help to you. In two years, your national exam scores will be used as a reference for the University of Tokyo entrance exam, so Aki-kun should try his best to improve your weaknesses!"

Mr. Tsubota spoke eloquently, reminding Aki Tomoya of a rather important fact, but he tried to keep his tone calm and not put too much pressure on him.

When he was investigating Aki Tomoya's college application choices during his time at the academy, he was quite surprised to hear that the latter had chosen the University of Tokyo without hesitation.

Although he likes to use top universities as examples to encourage students that nothing is impossible, he also knows in his heart how difficult it is to get into the University of Tokyo, especially the third category of science, which is the University of Tokyo's medical school.

After learning about Aki Tomoya's determination, Mr. Tsubota seemed to gain motivation as well, as if he saw some kind of hope in Aki Tomoya.

With a deviation of 45, there are less than two years left, and the target is Japan's top university. This is no small feat.

"Furthermore, if you really aspire to study at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine, you might want to learn about the university's unspoken rules and try applying to a less competitive faculty. You'll have the opportunity to transfer to the Faculty of Medicine later, as long as you take the relevant courses and achieve excellent grades!"

There is an opportunity to transfer to another faculty after enrollment, which means that the best students will be selected from all students. Even if you do not apply for the science category in the entrance exam, you still have the opportunity to work towards that goal before the University of Tokyo officially confirms your faculty after enrollment, as long as your grades in school are good enough and you have enough credits.

So no matter what, Mr. Tsubota felt that Aki Tomoya should try to strengthen his skills in all subjects this year, and then make a new plan based on the specific situation at the end of the year.

"Thank you, Professor Tsubota. I understand."

Aki Tomoya understood what Mr. Tsubota meant: first the national exam, and then the University of Tokyo entrance exam.

The results of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) are not only used as a reference, but also determine whether an application to take the entrance examination for the University of Tokyo can be submitted.

Getting a low score is unacceptable, but getting a high score is still necessary.

Compared to private universities, the only trouble with public universities is that national exam scores are a necessary reference.

At the same time, Mr. Tsubota's indirect approach is also worth considering: if you lack confidence in the science exams, you might as well try applying to a less difficult department to increase your chances of admission, and then work hard in your first year of school.

“You can slow down on those weak subjects now. An Yi can try to strengthen other subjects. I think you can raise your deviation score to over 60 in the first semester.”

Mr. Tsubota wore a gentle smile. He had confidence in Aki Tomoya. If the academy could produce a student of the University of Tokyo, it would be a commendable thing for both the academy and himself.

Most importantly, Aki Tomoya also has this determination, and Mr. Tsubota feels that if he can help, it would be a very meaningful thing.

After receiving advice from his tutor, Aki Tomoya returned to his seat, looked at his short essay, and couldn't help but sigh: "It's too formulaic..."

Mr. Tsubota's words remain fresh in Aki Tomoya's memory.

His essay looks too formulaic, which makes it difficult to get a high score.

However, now is not the time to worry about this. It is important to pay attention to it, but if we worry about everything, we will probably spend the rest of our time worrying about this one thing.

"Current hot topics, the news!"

Perhaps, as Mr. Tsubota said, we should pay attention to current hot topics and watch television programs that discuss these issues.

Aki Tomoya looked at the questions he had answered incorrectly, and he didn't want to make the same mistakes again. He needed to work harder.

He rushed to the academy as soon as school was over in the afternoon, and it was almost ten o'clock when he got home.

He walked into the living room, rubbing his neck. Only when he entered did he notice that there were other people in the living room.

"Hey, you're still awake?"

Turning on the living room lights, Aki Tomoya looked at his mother with a puzzled expression.

It was so late, and he thought everyone in his family was already asleep.

"You're back so late today, is that alright?"

The mother asked with some concern.

"Even if it's not the University of Tokyo, your dad and I won't have any objections if you choose any other university!"

The next sentence made Aki Tomoya smile.

Their recent hard work has made them very happy, but they also have a lot of worries because Aki Tomoya is working too hard and coming back from the academy later and later.

Just like before, even if Aki Tomo doesn't set his sights on Tokyo University, as long as he works hard, his parents won't say anything.

"Go to bed early, Mom. I'm going upstairs."

Aki Tomoya shook his head, turned around, and ran upstairs.

"I'm telling you, sigh..."

The mother watched helplessly as her son went upstairs, and finally sighed, wondering if she was being too nagging.

Running into the room, Aki Tomo put down his schoolbag. Looking at the rice balls on the table by the window, he felt a warmth in his heart. It wasn't until he saw those rice balls that he felt a little hungry.

Opening the window and breathing in the evening breeze, Aki Tomoya grabbed a rice ball and took a couple of bites while pulling out the workbook he had brought back from the academy.

"Lowering your goals will only make you lower your expectations of yourself more and more..."

Aki Tomoya shook his head and sighed.

At the same time, how do you describe this feeling of responding to both your own expectations and the expectations of others?

At least I won't feel lonely.

There are still people supporting him.

=

Thank you [99REN] for the razor blade and the February pass.

Thank you [Ogiso Setsuna] for the 3 blades and 2-month pass.

I don't need to tell you what day it is today.

Chapter 13 Aren't we friends?

It was during lunch break at Toyonosaki Academy, in Class 2-B.