"Come on, Hiroshi—you'll definitely win if you enter!" Masaaki excitedly whispered as we sat next to each other in class. "I mean, come on! The top prize is 100,000 yen; aren't you always complaining about being broke? This is your chance to score some sweet cash."
Masaaki might have been right at one point, but the contest is nothing more than an elaborate way for the female students to openly leer at their male classmates—while making them wear skimpy clothes like school uniforms, maid outfits, and even cosplay clothes. It's a sure-fire way to bring out the pervert in every girl attending the university.
Not all of us were dumb enough to participate just to earn some easy money, and only a few did it to satisfy their vanity or for cheap thrills. To be honest, Masaaki is one of those few guys who were stupid enough to succumb to this shallow challenge, that is, if he dared to actually go through with it.
"Masaaki-kun—I'm not participating in the 'Wear your best outfit to the mall and get lots of girls to notice you' contest," I informed him as I turned away from the lecture board. "You, of all people, should know what a scam this is."
"The money is real, though!" Masaaki protested weakly. "Besides, the outfits are cute too!"
"Masaaki, If you like the whole idea so much, why don't you just sign up for it?" I retorted immediately without giving him time to reply. "I mean, you like wearing cute stuff, don't you?"
Masaaki snorted at my response—showing his usual annoyance at getting berated by me in class. "I'm not as pretty as you; why would I enter such an embarrassing contest?"
I sighed, unable to suppress a groan that escaped from between my lips. "And you think it won't be embarrassing if I do it instead?" I shot back without missing a beat.
In response to my provocation, Masaaki just stuck out his tongue—making me elicit another sigh of defeat before I replied. "Listen to the professor, today's lecture is important for our upcoming assignments."
Just as I was about to turn my attention to the lecture again, "Kinoshita, Hirano!" called out Mayumi-sensei from the front of the class. As I raised my head to look at her, she glared angrily at Masaaki and me.
"Stop whispering like little kids!" she ordered in an irritated voice, her dark eyes glaring at us.
Masaaki just sat there like a deer in the headlights while I bowed my head to the professor. "I'm sorry, Mayumi-sensei."
"Hm," she huffed and continued her lecture after giving us one last glare that sent chills down my spine.
"Damn, that old woman is scary as hell!" Masaaki said afterward under his breath. "Who wants to listen to some boring ancient history?" he complained half-heartedly—his attention directed somewhere again.
"Easy credits. That's what they said. No one mentioned that the lecturer was so damn crazy." Masaaki went on ranting about the class while ignoring me. "'Oh yes, let's begin with the lesson on how some empress's mother's brother-in-law ate a huge fish which was actually a toxic frog!' Then there was the girl who had a pet snake named Bijou and wouldn't shut up about it—What a fucking pervert! The only interesting bit came from this lady—"
Stifling my laugh at Masaaki's reaction, I tried to zone out the rest of his babbling and listen attentively to Mayumi-sensei's lecture.
As the last classes for the day ended, I made my way to Mayumi-sensei's office in the university's faculty building. Shizuka Mayumi was my personal counselor, someone who could be approached freely to discuss problems. All students enrolled in the University of Tokyo were assigned a counselor, whether they wanted to see them or not—it's considered mandatory by the Institute.
At the end of each month, students were supposed to meet with their counselor for a report on everything from academic achievements, health issues, and other problems, If any.
While Mayumi-sensei was very good at her job, she would be extremely strict with my progress if I didn't keep up with the college curriculum. That being said, I didn't dislike her all that much—she had helped me a lot when I was still having trouble adjusting to life in Tokyo after moving here from my old town.
The first thing that caught my eyes as soon as I entered Mayumi-sensei's office was the gigantic mahogany desk in one corner of the room. An oak bookcase filled with academic books and documents was set against another wall, next to the window. As well as a small computer unit and various other necessities for her academic career. And none of them seemed too outdated or cheaply made compared to what students could buy off-the-shelf at local stores like Ginza.
There were no photos of her family members on display anywhere around the room either, suggesting she did not have any close relatives or didn't care for any of them much. There were rumors that the professor was already divorced from her ex-husband years ago—her spouse apparently didn't like her conservatism or her overly controlling nature.
As my eyes took in the interior of Mayumi-sensei's office, they happened to catch sight of the professor sitting behind her desk, reading through some papers while puffing on a cigarette. Donning a black blazer over a white blouse and dark pencil pants—she looked just as usual. Despite the dated fashion of the ensemble, it seemed rather appropriate for her, given her age and personality. In addition, Mayumi-sensei was one of those few people who could pull off wearing formal wear due to her tall stature. Even while seated, her imposing height and presence projected authority well.
"Good afternoon Mayumi-sensei." After entering the room, I greeted her with a quick bow of my head. "I'm here to meet with you about my monthly report—"
"Take a seat, Hirano," Mayumi-sensei said to me, still looking down at some papers on her desk. "It won't be long."
"Thank you," I replied before taking the seat in front of her desk.
With a deep sigh, she closed the folder and set it aside. The smell of tobacco filled the room as she exhaled one last puff of smoke before stowing away the cigarette into an ivory ashtray sitting on the edge of her desk.
After a moment of silence, Mayumi-sensei broke the ice first. "You have done well since your arrival here in Tokyo. You've made enough progress so far that I can stop worrying about you...and hopefully, you'll continue doing well in future semesters too."
I was surprised to hear a compliment from Mayumi-sensei—though her next words brought me back to reality.
"But that doesn't mean there aren't things I need you to work on further," Mayumi-sensei continued, pointing at the stack of papers on her desk. "Your scores in history were good. Your written summaries were pretty decent too—but for a merit student like you, these weren't even close to adequate. Like this one—"
Mayumi-sensei didn't hold back this time! She read through the rest of my essay with a stern expression on her face. Though not an angry one, it was still far from relaxed or pleased.
"Isn't history supposed to be your specialty?" She asked me once she finished reading the whole thing. "Do you feel that this 'B+' grade in history is what you're capable of?"
I gulped. This isn't the first time I've been scolded by Mayumi-sensei over my grades—maybe because it's her area of expertise, she knew just how bad they are.
"You can't compare yourself to normal students anymore," she added coldly. "The first three months can be excused, as you were adjusting to life here, but as a distinction student, I expect more from you ."
I nodded meekly, knowing full well that she was right. "Yes, sensei," I said apologetically. "I'll try harder in the future."
After a brief silence, Mayumi-sensei sighed—sounding more tired than angry at that point. "There's no need to apologize, Hirano. You're already better than most boys your age. You just need to improve on your writing skills. Your writing isn't fluent enough; I can see this in all the writings you give me. You lack the ability to speak out your thoughts clearly."
I tried not to let the disappointment show on my face. "Yes, sensei—I understand. Do you know any books or resources that can help me improve my writing?"
The professor paused. to think over my request before her eyes lit up with intrigue. "Actually... Yes, I believe there is something," she replied with a spark in her eyes. "It's a little unconventional though—"
I eagerly leaned forward on my chair—my interest piqued. "Unconventional? How so?"
"Not some books or sources as you mentioned earlier, but tutoring in general," Mayumi-sensei started slowly, using her long fingers to stroke the length of her cheek. "I can give you a few lessons...if you're willing."
Mayumi-sensei wasn't the type who would joke about such serious stuff. Even so, I waited for the punchline with bated breath. Simply because I found it hard to believe that Shizuka Mayumi—Head of the History Department of Japan's oldest and most prestigious university, would offer me private lessons. An enigmatic figure whose reputation precedes her.
"Stop gawking like a country bumpkin!" the professor snorted, flashing me an annoyed look. "This is just an act of kindness. And it will only be for a short period until you improve your barbaric writing skills."
I blinked at my professor, grateful for her kindness—but also unworthy of such benevolence. "Yes, sensei..." I said softly to her. "Thank you very much. You're very kind, but are you sure—"
Mayumi-sensei lifted her hand to cut me off and waved her hand dismissively. "It's nothing. It's for your benefit, so stop complaining," she snapped before turning away from me and closing my report on her desk.
"I'll have to look at my schedule and see if I can find a few hours to help you out later this week," she muttered as she brought her gaze back to me. "You can leave now... and stop hanging out with that dim-witted friend of yours."
I gave out a nervous chuckle at the mention of Masaaki. Shameful as it was, the two of us did hang out quite often, and we shared quite a few of the same classes together, including the history class taught by Mayumi-sensei.
Standing up from her seat, I bowed respectfully to Mayumi-sensei. "Yes, sensei...I appreciate all your help. Thank you."
The thirty-something professor looked over at me before giving her usual nod of acknowledgment. With that, she went back to her own work.
I smiled faintly in return before leaving her office with a skip in my step.