My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 208

Although it's the most basic of the basics, the very beginning of the basics, it's precisely because it's impossible to do it that sometimes we need to go back to the basics for convenience. Let me explain briefly.

"If you don't understand something, you still won't understand it no matter how hard you try. If you can guess, use your intuition. For other questions, do your best. In other words, just pick and choose which questions to answer. If a question is difficult, it means that other people have a low success rate, so skip it and spend more time on the questions you know to make sure you don't make any mistakes. That's about it."

It's important to approach the challenge with the mindset of giving up from the start.

That being said, theoretically, after writing many exam papers, one will naturally grasp this method. However, keeping the idea in mind should be more effective than doing it unconsciously.

I felt like I'd rambled on, but when I turned around, I saw Komachi squinting and sobbing, wiping away nonexistent tears with her hands.

"Brother, Komachi wanted this kind of advice from the very beginning..."

Komachi nodded in agreement while feigning tears, seemingly understanding something. If only this guy's problem could be solved.

After saying a long string of words, I moistened my parched throat with coffee. Komachi also brought her cup to her lips at the same time.

"Brother, I wish you would answer this seriously now."

That's a very reasonable opinion. People who spout a series of grand pronouncements but don't put their words into practice are indeed unconvincing.

However, not all problems in the world can be explained and solved by reason alone.

So, that was all I replied with.

"I've... given up on mathematics..."

"His tone sounds like he's given up on his dreams, so cool!"

Komachi let out an "Oh~" sound, her eyes shining brightly.

"Right? Your tone sounds like a player who gave up baseball due to injury but returned to the field because they couldn't bear to give it up, right?"

"Yeah, if your right shoulder breaks, you get your left; if your left shoulder breaks too, you switch to being a hitter. That's how cool he is!"

Wow, he's that handsome. Looks like this is already at the Major League level of handsomeness (Note: 36 and above are all references to Goro Shigeno, the protagonist of the manga "Major League Baseball").

"Hahaha."

"Hahaha!"

Komachi and I burst out laughing... What an amazing family!

Perhaps it was the heightened excitement unique to the late night, but we both found ourselves laughing uncontrollably over such a trivial matter. Then, as soon as the laughter stopped, the stillness of the night returned.

Komachi and I quietly drank coffee.

"So, you've considered getting recommended for admission? You were involved in the student council, weren't you?"

I don't know how well Komachi is doing now, but judging from her usual rankings in midterms, passing the entrance exam should be quite difficult. I thought about whether there were other methods, and this is what came to mind.

Komachi must have been a student council officer. I think I heard her mention it in the car during the summer training camp.

Being a student council officer is a position that can greatly boost your chances of getting into a good university. About half of the junior high school students who become student council officers do so for this reason, while the other half are interested in being students because of manga and anime, but are disappointed when they find that the reality is completely different from what they imagined.

"Since you're an idiot, wouldn't it be better to get admitted through recommendation than to take the entrance exam and decide your fate?"

Upon hearing this, Komachi gave a cold laugh.

"Hmph, big brother... is it because Komachi is an idiot that her grades are so bad?"

How could this guy say something like that with such pride...?

I was speechless. Komachi seemed to be hit by her own words and reached out to press her chest.

"So recommending this route is not a good idea..."

Then, she collapsed to the ground, sobbing. This is entirely your own fault. Apparently, Komachi had also considered recommending her for admission...

However, never looking back is the Hikigaya family's style. I, too, have abandoned my past. Of course, Komachi, as the final weapon of the Hikigaya family to exchange weapons with others, has indeed inherited this style. Komachi raised her head and continued nonchalantly:

"My brother only has decent exam results, why doesn't he take the recommendation route?"

"Hmph, you fool. My attitude in class is terrible, so the teacher has a bad impression of me and I get a bad grade. I never intended for this to happen in the first place."

My tone sounded a bit arrogant; it seems the excitement from last night hasn't subsided yet. Upon hearing this, Komachi muttered to herself, "I see~" while nodding her head. Hmm~ That's not a very good attitude, is it? Is your brother a little injured?

However, Komachi would agree that there was nothing she could do. My attitude and impression in class were terrible, and my practical subjects were even worse. While my scores in major subjects were passable, others like physical education, art, music, and home economics were abysmal. This was due to the devilish mechanism known as "if you can win the teacher's favor, you won't have to worry about getting bad grades." Furthermore, if the teacher was a club advisor, they would show particular favoritism towards their own club members, or be extremely lenient towards students who admired them and cute girls. I wasn't a devilish survivor who could survive in this environment (Note 37: A famous handheld game made by Atlus), so I dropped all four of those subjects.

Soubu High School is a preparatory school for higher education. To be admitted through recommendation, students must have a grade of 40 or higher in nine subjects.

Even if you get the highest score of 5 in each subject, the total score is only 45 points, which shows how high the threshold is.

Well, anyway, Komachi never intended to recommend this path in the first place... It's more efficient to cram for the last six months than to spend two and a half years working on your grades.

I need to teach Komachi... The quality of the artwork is not enough to judge the quality of an animation, and the grades in class are not enough to affect whether you pass or fail!

In conclusion, results are more important than process.

"Just try to get a high score on the exam. Good luck!"

Because there was some distance between me and Komachi, instead of patting her on the shoulder, I slightly raised my mug in acknowledgment. She responded by raising her mug as well.

"Yes, I will do my best."

I hope my ramblings can give Komachi a little encouragement...

Well, it's time to go back to my room and read until I naturally fall asleep. I finished my coffee in one gulp and then put the mug in the kitchen sink.

"Well then, I'm going to sleep—"

I was only halfway through my sentence when Komachi suddenly stood up.

"Okay—! I'm going to give it my all, brother!"

"Huh, let's go all out, but what are we going to go all out for?"

A night battle? You want to have a night battle with your brother? Your brother was just about to go to sleep...

Xiaoxue yawned, looking like she really couldn't do anything about this guy, stretched, and left the living room.

× × ×

The desk was piled high with reference books and past exam questions. It was well past midnight, but Komachi seemed determined to keep working on it.

As I watched the books and stationery she had specially brought to my room, I brewed my second cup of coffee of the day.

Komachi mustered her energy and gripped the mechanical pencil tightly.

"Brother, Komachi noticed something. Just like we were talking about the tricks to taking exams, there are tricks to studying too."

"Oh, that's progress!"

To be honest, I'm quite puzzled as to why she only noticed this now, but perhaps everyone is surprisingly the same.

Teaching the content of a book is easy, but reading methods and note-taking techniques are not so simple. Even with the same education, differences will inevitably emerge between students without them even realizing it.

Komachi is now in the exploratory stage.

"There are actually tricks to memorizing, right?"

Komachi's question made me reflect on my study methods. Hmm... I do have some tricks, but some people might find them too cheesy, so I don't really want to share them...

"Yes, there is, but that method only works for me. I don't know if it will work for you."

"It'll definitely suit you!"

She asserted with unwavering confidence for some reason.

I had initially intended to gloss over the topic, but since they had already said that, I couldn't continue to stall. Looking into those bright, expectant eyes, I felt I had no choice but to speak…

"Methods for memorizing...use association to memorize."

"Be more specific!"

Komachi reprimanded me severely. Oh, um… what's going on? Is this guy my boss? How can you give a presentation or briefing smoothly without prior preparation…?

I picked up the history textbook next to me and flipped through it.

"To be more specific... for example, like world history."

The book was open to the section on modern history. Komachi moved her chair to sit next to me, her elbow brushing against my body, and her face pressed against mine. "You're getting in my way, it's hard for me to explain... though I don't mind."

History must be recorded using causes and consequences.

"Oh, so that's the cause and effect..."

Komachi looked like she didn't quite understand, and read it aloud after her. Although the teacher often said that history should be remembered using cause and effect, she never explained the specific methods, so it was difficult for people to truly understand.

I cleared my throat, composed myself, and began to explain in a calm and steady voice.

"A long, long time ago, there was a girl named Su and a girl named Mei..."

"Huh? What's wrong, brother?"

Komachi stared at me uncomfortably, then pulled her chair back sharply with a loud thud, as if to say, "What the hell is this guy doing? It's awful." You little brat... I'm serious about explaining this to you.

"I'm going to teach you how to memorize texts. Keep your mouth shut and listen carefully."

"Um……"

Komachi straightened her back and faced me with a serious expression, but the chair remained pulled back to keep the distance. This must be making my brother a little sad… I suppressed my grief and continued explaining in a choked voice.

"Xiao Su is a composed and beautiful slut, while Xiao Mei is an energetic and cute slut."

"A slut?"

"A slut without a doubt."

Although I'm making this assertion, it's just a character setting anyway, so it doesn't really matter. If I were to be killed by the CIA or KGB, it would definitely be because of making such a statement.

The focus shifts back to the love-hate relationship between the two harlots. And that's where the real story begins.

"Two sluts are in the same class, vying for the title of most popular person in the class. They are hostile to each other because they both want to be number one."

"This kind of thing happens quite often."

This kind of thing happens all the time... Girls are really scary. Although I tried to hide my fear, my voice trembled involuntarily.

"...Yes. However, because of the way people around them look at them, or you could say the way the boys look at them, they can't show their hostility. Therefore, Xiao Su and Xiao Mei are constantly engaged in a high-level intelligence war, or secretly trying to find ways to mess with each other, or even organizing their own factions to fight each other."

"Information and pranks..."

Komachi murmured to himself with emotion.

"That's right. Things like 'That girl seems to be dating a college student she met while working part-time,' or 'That guy doesn't greet people at all,' or 'The entire Nanoha booth is sold out (Note 38: When the official Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha participates in Comic Market doujinshi events, there are always people spreading similar fake news online in an attempt to mislead the queues.)' are all part of the information war."

"This kind of thing happens quite often..."

These kinds of things happen quite often! Enough already, I don't care how many monsters there are in Komachi's class, I'll focus on continuing my explanation.

"This is the struggle between communist and capitalist countries, the Cold War."

Komachi seemed to have heard of the term before and nodded. If you understand this part, you can continue explaining.

"Then, as a result of their ongoing struggle, Xiao Su and Xiao Mei each possess a colossal secret that, if spoken aloud, could destroy the other. They each hold the other's weakness. Guess what the outcome will be?"

"Neither side can act rashly..."

"That's right. Although it can destroy the other party, you may also suffer irreparable trauma from their retaliation, and it could even cause the collapse of the entire class. In the history of the real world, this huge secret is the so-called nuclear bomb."

Both sides possess the means to destroy the other, and both are fully aware of this. This idea is called "mutually assured destruction."

"That's about it."

"Hmm... I think I understand, but I also think I don't..."

The Cold War topic has come to an end, but Komachi's reaction is somewhat subtle. However, what's important now is not the meaning or content of the Cold War, but the method of endorsement.

"Because I'm just giving a very general explanation. You can personify things if you want, but history is about remembering causes and consequences. First, lay out the framework, then fill in the flesh called knowledge, and it will be easier to remember. Simply memorizing a bunch of terms won't be efficient."

If you memorize using this method, not only will you be able to easily answer essay questions, but the answers will also come out one after another like digging up taro. This is the learning method I recommend. That being said, I only have Komachi as my listener.

"The key is to fictionalize the textbook content, right?"

"That's mostly correct. However, my method isn't the only one; you just need to choose the method that best suits you."

After I finished explaining, I yawned and was thinking that I could finally relax in my room when, through my tear-blurred vision, I saw Komachi's figure, who had already started writing.

...Never mind, I might as well spend more time with her.

In the quiet room, the only sound was the mechanical pencil slicing through the paper. Komachi occasionally turned the pages of her book, erased the pages, and used a highlighter to mark important points.

"Will Komachi be able to pass the exam...?"

Komachi said this, but she didn't stop her hands.

"Who knows... But it would be great if I could get in."

This is not an answer to Komachi's question, but simply my personal wish.