Note: Lines enclosed within a slash symbol (/text/) indicates that it is the character's present monologue during the scene. The ones that don't have a slash symbol are NARRATIONS since this is in the past tense.
Another note: Haruki's POV isn't the only POV that is going to be featured in the whole story. There are chapters that the other character's POV is the ones being featured to clearly elaborate their own stories.
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"Haruki, ah~"
"Mhmm, this cake is now my favorite! This is so good!"
Huh? Voices? Where are they coming from? Who am I talking to?
"I-I'm sorry, you can take that book with you…"
"N-No, it's fine. You can take it."
T-This was from the library... Uh... Middle school time....
"Let's just break up, Haruki. Nothing's going right, anyway."
"Likewise. You couldn't even trust me enough."
I-It's raining...? W-Wait... This was from... Don't leave... I-I'm sorry.... Aya...!
The voices suddenly got erased and the whole surrounding turned so bright. I was dreaming of something from before.
"Uhh it's already March, why is it still cold?" I uttered.
I shivered as I set aside my blanket. My alarm activated a minute after I got up. Is this going to be a good day?
"It's the 4th of March, today is the day! The scholarship results!" I said.
I applied for the Genius Four position in our school. To clarify, they are like the main faces of the school. They represent the school on the national examinations to increase our ranking. To tell the truth, the odds have been against the school. Our ranking was low the past 8 years, and if we didn't show any improvement in this coming national examination, we might be closed for good.
I am only staying at the school for six months but I already love that place. This is where my drastic change will go on! I vowed after my recent break-up six months ago that I'll be a better person in every category and the first step is to make that elite group! Though, my intention is the benefits~ Members of that group will have an expense-free school life and more! Free cafeteria food, free from replacement fees, etc. This is what a student wants to enjoy! Plus, I do not want to be a burden on my Mom. She has been working alone for my little sister and me.
"Haru! Breakfast is ready!" yelled my Mom from the staircase.
"Coming!" I replied.
Watch me, Mom. I'll get that golden scholarship!
After taking a quick facial rinse, I sitted with my Mom and little sister Hotaru to eat our breakfast. In the middle of chewing a spoonful of omelet rice, my phone suddenly rang.
"Someone's texting, I think?" asked Mom.
"Yes, I'll check it. Let's see...," I said. " 'You are requested to come to the office as soon as you arrive at school today. -Headmaster.' I-It's coming! Today is the day, Mom! I might just be selected!"
The joy overwhelmed my hunger enough that I was ready to leave the house any moment!
"That's great, Haru! I do hope you are selected!" said Mom.
I hope she can retain that smile for a long time. No, I will make sure of that! Since Dad is already having tea with the gods, I have to make Mom be proud of me!
"I'll take a quick bath! I have to be presentable for today!" I said.
I quickly ran to the bathroom due to the excitement that I forgot to consume my breakfast. This is bad, my dopamine levels should be at their peak this time.
"Guhehe... Guhehe..," I laughed while I was scrubbing my balls.
After like fifteen minutes, I get to dress up in my school uniform and my Mom and Hotaru were already waiting for me downstairs.
"I'm gonna go now, Mom, Hotaru," I said.
"Take care, Haru," said Mom.
"Haruki, Haruki, your nose hair is sticking...," said Hotaru as he points at my nose.
"T-That's not true... Is it?" I asked then wiped my nose for a moment.
She calls me directly by my first name normally. For me, it's fine. She's about 7 years old already. I left the house after a while and walked to the school. I headed straight to the headmaster's office while chanting "Scholarship, scholarship, here I come~". Good thing no one was around. Then, I finally entered the office. A somehow 50-year-old looking dude was already waiting for me, holding a paper that probably is my application form.
"It's good to see you, Osaka Haruki, am I right?" greeted the headmaster.
"Yes, it is my honor to be in your presence!" I said.
/Was that too formal? Hehe./
He looked at me diligently while looking at the paper afterward. He might be doing some mini-assessment of me!
/Why the look, sir? I'm sweating, this is weird. I-I am excited to come here right?/
"You're too nervous, please take a sit," said the headmaster.
/H-He noticed? F-Fine, I'll do what he says./
"Osaka Haruki-kun, we recognize your application for the Genius Four title," said the headmaster.
I smiled for a bit when he said it but...
"We were done evaluating a week ago and...," said the headmaster.
/A week ago? Then, they should have already selected...?/
"And I regret to tell you that you didn't make the cut," added the headmaster. "So, the next set of Genius Four is still the present. No changes in the lineup."
"E-Eh?" I reacted.
Everything went blank for a second. I was hoping that he called me here because I passed but... ugh, I was disappointed at this point.
"I-Is that so...? Well, I guess that's it for this year. See you later, headmaster," I said.
/I am holding back my tears so hard!/
"W-Wait, Osaka-kun," said the headmaster. "I'm not done talking yet."
"Eh?" I reacted.
"You didn't make it but you are a special case," said the headmaster.
"S-Special case?" I asked.
I was filled with confusion the moment he said it.
"Your weighted average is so great that it almost, by a tiny amount, is on par with one of the Genius Four," said the headmaster. "Plus, you have great marks in every subjects. Even I am in awe because you didn't make it."
/S-Stop it, headmaster. I'm starting to get allergic to that 'You didn't make it.' line./
"Y-Your point is...?" I asked.
"I want you to be the personal tutor of those four big brains," said the headmaster.
This dude offered me to be an instructor of those four people that I wanted to oust, of course, I'd take it immediately, right? Hell no!
/I-Is he insane?/
"Sir, if you may, why would I teach those geniuses when I myself couldn't even make my way to their throne?" I asked. "More obviously, why the need for a tutor if they are the geniuses? That doesn't make sense."
/I-I made a right point, didn't I?/
"The qualification of being in the Genius Four only reflects on the General Weighted Average and their term examinations," said the headmaster. "In their case, they received a perfect mark on every subject, except for one. That subject is more likely their ultimate weakness. To expound more, they got an A+ on every subject but received a D on that odd subject. If you compute the average, they accumulated like above 95, in numerical terms."
I couldn't believe that that was possible. No wonder I didn't make it, because my weighted average was still insufficient.
"So you want me to mentor them on their weaknesses?" I asked.
"Right, you got it!" said the headmaster. "I want you to maximize their potential! Haha, you really have a lightning-quick awareness, eh? That's why I selected you!"
"And what if I refused to do so?" I said. "I think no one will accept a big hassle of work without getting anything in return..."
"If you refused, then you are trashing the chance to get the same benefits of the Genius Four," revealed the headmaster.
/C-Come again?!/
"W-What do you mean, headmaster? A-An earwax must have blocked my hearing for a second."
"You'll get the same benefit of the Genius Four if you tutored them," said the headmaster. "Expense-free school life, additional stipend, access to the rooftop..."
I almost salivated when I heard his offer. But! I TRIED to resist it! I felt that there's something big in return!
"P-Phew... D-Don't think that I-I'll bite t-that...," I pouted.
"Of course, if they have shown improvement within your stead, then I can DOUBLE your benefits," revealed the headmaster.
/D-Double?!/
The word 'Double' echoed in my mind several times. T-This situation has pushed me to the limit of my resistance!
"D-Double... As in 2 times, 2.0 times, One replicates one?!" I asked. "T-This isn't a scam, right?!"
"Yes, you heard me," said the headmaster. "Oh, no. In fact, you're signature and thumb mark is what this contract waits for."
"Y-You leave me no choice, Mr. Headmaster," I said. "I'll sign that contract, then."
I did sign the contract and placed my thumb mark print with it. With the agreement, I am officially the tutor of the Geniuses. It sounds odd, though. Geniuses having a tutor, I always laughed when I thought of it.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you Osaka-kun," said the headmaster. "If you mess up, you'll pay your tuition fee and other expenses in a triple, okay?"
"W-Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" I reacted.
"Hahaha! I'm just kidding!" said the headmaster.
I-I thought I was going to suffer a sudden heart attack! He's pranking me at the wrong time!
I was ready to depart the office and he called me again to ask something.
"Osaka-kun, I checked your records before you enrolled here and it was worse compared to your present grades now," said the headmaster. "Is there some sort of motivation behind this?"
Ah, yes. The moment I was in a relationship back in my last year in middle school, my grades actually depleted. It was probably the worst grades I have received in my life. But, the whole breakup thing became my motivation. I was frustrated that someone I liked just vanished like that. I was mad at myself because of my immaturity. I wanted to fix things up.
"Yes, headmaster," I answered. "It's born from frustration, I guess."
"Is that so?" said the headmaster. "Everyone has their way of climbing up, really."
"Headmaster, where can I find them again?" I asked. "I wanted to meet them this lunch."
/I wonder what they look like. I never paid attention to the stars of the school. I mainly focused on studying during my stay./
"Hmm, I guess they are in the library at that time," said the headmaster. "It's their sanctuary, after all."
"Thank you, sir," I said. "I'll be going now."
"Yes, good luck." said the headmaster as I closed the door.
Classes went through and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. It's time to deal with those pseudo-idiots!
"I never went inside the library to study, though," I uttered. "I wonder why."
/Ah, the library. This brings back a lot of core memories. Especially, this is the kind of place where Aya and I first met./
I lied when I wondered why I didn't come to the library even once. It makes me remember those precious moments I had with Aya. To be honest, it still stung me a little a bit at this juncture but I always tell myself that I have moved on.
Without further ado, I opened the sliding door after a deep exhale. No one was around, except a girl with long, black silvery hair and probably what I can call a nice body was sitting on the library chair while eating cookies with a cup of coffee in pair. She caught my attention for like 6 seconds but... I noticed something familiar.
/W-Wait, I know this girl...!/
She looked at me the moment I opened the door and guess what? Fate must have been playing with me.
"I-Is that you, Aya?!" I asked.
The girl blushed like hell when I asked her. I knew it. This girl is my ex-girlfriend, Natsuki Aya!
"H-H-H-Haruki?!" asked Aya.
/W-What's with this scenario?! Have I been Isekai-ed?! Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World With My Ex-Girlfriend?! D-Did the headmaster do this to me?!/
"W-W-What are you doing here?" asked Aya. "Were you stalking me all along?!"
I noticed drastic changes on her, especially on appearance. She used to wear glasses. I guess she's using contacts now. She likes to braid her hair but I thought that she wanted to try something new. Of course, I could recognize her. She was my first love, after all.
"I didn't even know you're studying at this school!" I said. "Why are you here, anyway? D-Don't tell me... you are one of the Genius Four?!"
P-Please say no. Please say no!
"Well, yeah," said Aya.
/That Time I Got Reincarnated as My Ex-Girlfriend's Tutor! T-This is nuts! Are these really coincidences? There's no way this is an Isekai, eh?! What are the odds?!/
"The headmaster said that our new tutor will be arriving today and he instructed the person to go here and I am waiting for him/her, though I prefer a woman to be our instructor," said Aya.
Time for some spicy revelation!
"S-Sorry to disappoint you, but," I said. "I am the tutor."
Aya looked at me intently and requested a reiteration.
"C-Come again?" asked Aya.
"As I said, I am the tutor," I repeated.
Aya expressed a blank expression on her face. It was more like a look of agony than disappointment.
"I-I-I can't accept this!" said Aya.
"Idiot, look, here's the official contract! Mwahaha!" I laughed. "Here, here~"
"T-This can't be... It's legitimate...," said Aya.
I was also extremely shocked and feel awkward about the situation, but I had to snap the embarrassing atmosphere!
"I'll call the headmaster for a replacement!" said Aya.
/I won't let this girl ruin my benefits!/
"S-S-Stop...!" I said.
I held her arm that had her phone to prevent the call. She then kicked me in the groin immediately.
"A-A-A-A-Awww..." I said as I held my crotch.
"D-D-Don't touch me....!" said Aya.
"S-Stupid, don't do it! Or maybe you can't accept it because you're still conscious of me, eh? Hehehe, don't pair me with those generic Main Characters who are denser than osmium!" I teased.
She blushed heavily again and glared towards me.
"T-That's not true! You were the one who's captivated by my new-look! You were staring at me for like 5.86 seconds when you entered!" said Aya.
My face suddenly went red as well after she said that!
"D-D-D-Dummy! Y-You're wrong! I looked at you for like six seconds!" I rebutted.
"Then you really stared at me!" answered Aya.
"It's because you're so beautiful that I couldn't control myself from staring!" I said.
/W-W-What did I just tell her?! T-That was embarrassing!/
"I-I-Idiot! Don't say stuff like that! Take it back! Take it back!" said Aya.
We averted our gaze to each other for a few seconds, then she finally talked again.
"It seems like I can't do anything about this situation," said Aya.
"Then, that means...," I said.
"Don't get the wrong idea," answered Aya. "I'll consider you tutoring me since the headmaster appointed you, but I won't respect you as our tutor yet."
/Yet, huh?/
"Then, I guess we're good," I said.
"And, you have to hear my conditions first before you can start teaching me, hear me?" said Aya.
She wasn't this demanding before!
"Whatever you say," I said. "Then as your formal tutor, I do hope that we can get along."
She pouted and glared towards me. This was still awkward to say, you know!
"N-No...!" replied Aya.
-That said, this was the start of our rowdy relationship as a tutor and student.
"Can I have a cookie, though?" I asked. "I'm hungry."
"I guess you can, as a sign of my professionalism," said Aya.
She did let me get one.