I_LOVE_RICE+
patreon
Chapter 150: A Brewing Battlefield He’s Unaware Of...
🕑 Added 2025-02-23 16:34:51 +0000 UTCHelping the clumsy Miss Ryo and Miss Hitori get into college.
Before tutoring officially started, this was what Minami Shouji had in mind.
But after tutoring actually began—
"Minami."
"Hmm?"
"I don't get this question. Teach me."
"Alright."
About three minutes later—
"Minami."
"Hmm?"
"I don't get this question. Teach me."
"…Didn't I just explain it to you?"
"I forgot."
"…Fine."
Another three minutes passed.
"Minami."
"Miss Ryo, what is it this time? Don't tell me it's 'I don't get this question, teach me' again?"
"It's not."
"Oh? Then what do you need?"
A brief silence.
"Minami, can you show me the answers?"
Smack!
That was the sound of a reference book, rolled up and firmly knocking against Yamada Ryo's empty head.
That was the situation on Yamada Ryo's side.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
"Hitori, is there something you don't understand?"
Shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver…
Two minutes passed.
"Hitori, is there something you don't understand? I noticed your pen hasn't moved in a while."
Shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver…
Another two minutes passed.
"…Gotoh-san, if you don't understand, you need to say so. Don't just keep shaking. I'm not going to eat you."
"Ah… um… uh… O-okay… M-Minami… I don't get it."
"What part don't you understand?"
"…E-Everything…"
"..."
Smack!
That was the sound of Minami Shouji slapping his own forehead in pure frustration.
Looking at Gotoh Hitori and Yamada Ryo sitting in front of him,
For the first time, Minami Shouji truly understood the meaning of the phrase "mentally and physically exhausted."
One of them could openly say, "Can you just show me the answers?" without a hint of shame, while the other had trouble even communicating properly.
They were extremes in every possible way.
Just supervising them while they did their exercises…
Minami Shouji could feel a tangible sense of fatigue creeping in.
And to think—
He could go through an entire Tokyo University entrance exam practice book at home and not feel even half as drained.
Only now did he realize…
The simulated version of himself was actually quite impressive.
To have pulled this entire group along and still gotten into the University of Tokyo—
That was truly something.
However…
Minami Shouji glanced at Yamada Ryo and Gotoh Hitori.
Judging by the way Yamada Ryo tackled problems, her intelligence wasn't as hopeless as he had initially thought. He could see glimpses of cleverness in the way she processed things.
Her real issue was that she completely lacked focus while studying—her mind constantly drifted to music or bass-related thoughts.
The moment she lost concentration, none of the knowledge stuck.
As for Gotoh Hitori, while she struggled with communication, she was at least serious about learning.
If anything, she was just way too nervous about Minami personally tutoring her. But once she got used to the rhythm, that anxiety would naturally subside—
After all, thanks to Minami's continuous efforts in talking to her, interacting with her, and the collective support of Kessoku Band,
Hitori's social anxiety and self-doubt had already improved significantly.
"There's still hope for both of them."
Minami nodded to himself.
Although they were quite a challenge, at least he could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
With that thought, Minami straightened up and continued guiding Ryo and Hitori through their exercises.
About an hour later—
"F-Finally… it's over…"
Bocchi let out a near-desperate sigh, handing her test paper over to Minami.
Honestly, no one could blame her for reacting this way.
Minami had crafted his test questions so masterfully that their difficulty landed just within Hitori's grasp—right on the edge between "I can understand this" and "I don't get this at all."
Solving these problems felt torturous.
Each question seemed solvable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it turned into a nightmare.
If the questions had been outright difficult, she might have given up instantly.
But these ones…
They tricked her into believing she could solve them, forcing her to wrestle with each one.
That's why, for the first time, instead of quitting halfway, Gotoh Hitori actually saw the exam through to the end.
Meanwhile, Ryo had remained silent throughout.
However, judging by the blank look on her face—and the faint smoke rising from her head—her underused brain was currently overheating.
In fact, it was exactly as it seemed.
Ryo, who despised anything troublesome, had already been scheming halfway through the test on how to trick Minami into giving her the answers.
Unfortunately for her, Minami was completely immune to bribery or deception, forcing her to finish the exam properly.
"And with that, we're done. I'm going to the restroom. I'll grade your papers when I get back. Do whatever you want in the meantime."
Minami stretched, gathered up their answer sheets, and stood up to leave.
The moment he left,
The previously silent lounge instantly returned to its usual relaxed Kessoku Band atmosphere.
"Wow… as expected of Minami-san."
Ijichi Nijika stared at his empty seat and let out a sigh of admiration.
"I think I finally understand why Minami-san is ranked first in the national mock exams. That level of self-discipline is terrifying."
"Seriously… he actually sat through the entire session until we finished our tests… and never even took out his phone to pass the time."
Kita Ikuyo couldn't help but comment.
From start to finish, they had been working on their test papers for a full hour.
And during that entire time,
Minami just sat there.
He didn't use his phone, didn't distract himself—nothing.
As he put it, "If you're all working hard, how could I just sit here and leisurely scroll through my phone?"
In this day and age, most young people couldn't sit still for ten minutes without reaching for their smartphones to browse the internet.
"Minami is basically a machine."
Ryo's statement was as concise as ever, yet its meaning was crystal clear.
"Speaking of Minami-senpai… hmm… I remember he had an article published in Shuka High's school journal, right?"
Nijika curiously turned to Hitori.
"Ah… um… y-yes."
Hitori nodded.
She suddenly recalled the last time she had forcefully kissed Minami, and her face, hidden beneath her long bangs, began turning red.
"I think it was called Shuka—the school journal, right? I heard that during the Shuka Festival, they print it as a limited-edition booklet for visitors."
Nijika's curiosity deepened.
"Last time, Ryo, Kita, and I all wanted to read Minami-san's novel, but he flat-out refused… I really wonder what it's about… I'm so curious… We should finally be able to see it once we go to the Shuka Festival, right?"
"Uh..."
As the only one present who had read The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields, Hitori remained silent, avoiding the topic.
Luckily, Kita seemed to notice her discomfort and quickly stepped in to change the subject.
"As much as I'm curious about what kind of novel Minami-senpai wrote, shouldn't we also focus on our performance at Shuka Festival? Feels like we'll need some intense practice starting tomorrow—it's coming up soon."
"Ah... yeah, you're right."
Hearing Kita's words, Nijika shifted her attention.
Indeed.
It was intriguing to wonder what kind of novel the top scorer in the national mock exams had written.
But their upcoming live performance was just as important.
Performing at Shuka Festival, gaining live experience, and preparing for future gigs—these were things Kessoku Band needed to consider.
With that in mind, they eagerly began discussing plans for the band's next steps.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Phew, finally done for the day."
The blonde girl flipped the "open" sign on Riko-Riko to "closed" and stretched.
Her bright red eyes glanced toward the entrance, as if expecting someone to walk in.
"Who are you waiting for? Why aren't you closing up yet, Chisato?"
"Aww, Takina, you're asking even though you already know?" Chisato grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "Obviously, I'm waiting for our future hubby."
"H-hubby...?"
Takina's normally composed face immediately flushed red.
She glanced around to make sure no one was listening before rushing forward to clamp a hand over Chisato's mouth.
This girl has no filter!
"Mmfff! What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Breaking free from Takina's grip, Chisato crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.
"We did promise in that memory, didn't we? To share Minami together? And you were the most into it at night—mmff!"
Takina covered her mouth again.
"Shut up! Stop talking about it!"
Her normally pale face was now completely flushed, her violet eyes glaring at Chisato in frustration.
How could she just blurt this stuff out?!
Even if it was true, saying it so openly in public was way too much—
At the very least, Takina couldn't handle it.
But more importantly—
After checking once again that no one was nearby, she leaned in and muttered through gritted teeth,
"And besides, that so-called 'hubby' of ours hasn't even shown up at Riko-Riko lately. He only ever stops by on weekends."
As she spoke, Takina felt a mix of frustration and resignation.
It was true.
Minami Shouji hadn't been coming around Riko-Riko nearly as often as the fragmented memories in her head suggested.
At most, he showed up on weekends to help in the kitchen.
Sure, thanks to him, business had picked up.
But that alone wasn't enough.
It was completely different from what she remembered.
Takina let go of Chisato's mouth, her normally poised expression darkening slightly.
"What if he doesn't actually remember anything? What if he has no memory of you and me at all?"
Her voice was unusually quiet.
Anyone who knew Takina would be shocked to see her like this.
After all, Inoue Takina was always composed, always focused.
But—
"That's impossible!" Chisato interrupted, her face beaming with confidence.
"Minami definitely remembers us! And he definitely has memories of being with us!"
She declared it without a second thought.
"Sometimes, I really envy how optimistic you are," Takina sighed, shooting a sideways glance at her best friend.
She honestly couldn't understand how Chisato always managed to stay so positive.
"This isn't blind optimism, though. Didn't you notice something?"
"Notice what?"
Takina frowned in confusion.
"About Mika."
Chisato raised a finger, her expression serious.
"Remember what he told us the other day?"
"The other day..."
Takina recalled Mika's return to the shop a few days prior.
He had looked uncharacteristically relieved—almost excited.
And he had flat-out told them they didn't need to worry about the orphanage anymore.
At the time, she had been too busy handling the sudden rush of customers to give it much thought.
But now that she looked back on it...
"Chisato... are you saying..."
Takina turned to Chisato, wide-eyed.
"Bingo!"
Chisato grinned, hands on her hips. "Minami definitely helped us!"
Yes.
In those fragmented memories—
It had been Minami Shouji who pulled the strings and got financial support for their orphanage from the Tokyo Red Cross.
"I wonder what he's thinking right now..."
Chisato pulled out her phone, staring at the contact name: Tokyo's #1 Pretty Boy (Hubby), complete with a panda profile picture.
She let out a giggle, then suddenly perked up.
"Speaking of which, Takina, isn't Minami's school having their cultural festival soon?"
"Yeah... I think it's called Shuka Festival?"
"Then it's decided! We're taking the day off to go check it out!"
"Eh...?"
"We gotta surprise our dear husband!"
"...Fine."
