After flipping through Yui Yuigahama's notebook from cover to cover, Izumi Kotomi closed it and sighed.
"I don't know if I underestimated your English or overestimated it."
Hearing the hint of exasperation in Kotomi's voice, Yui could only awkwardly touch her cheek and let out an embarrassed laugh.
While Yui was usually carefree, she wasn't oblivious to her own situation. If her math grades were abnormally bad, then her English grades were catastrophic! The most troubleso part for her was the inevitable English essays in every exam.
"Learning English isn't sothing you can master by just studying hard for a few days. It takes long-term effort," Kotomi explained. "But since the exams are next week, there's no point in lecturing you on that. We don't have ti to start from scratch."
"So, does that an I should just give up on the English exam?" Yui asked anxiously.
"Don't give up so easily! Pull yourself together," Kotomi said firmly. "I knew from the start that your English might be pretty bad, but I still agreed to help you. Do you know why?"
Why indeed? Yui pondered this.
Could it be that…
Perhaps because she had recently been reading a few romance manga, Yui's mind started to conjure up scenes from those stories. She knew it was just her imagination, but the more she thought about it, the more vivid it seed. Her face began to blush, and she stamred nervously.
"Could it be because… K-K-Kotomi, you… like…"
Before Yui could finish, Kotomi interrupted.
"Of course, it's because I have a thod to boost your score! Don't worry, back in middle school, my English wasn't great either, but my scores were never terrible."
She wore a proud little smile as she said this.
"Huh?" Yui blinked in confusion.
"Well, English exams actually have so techniques you can use. For example, take the listening section. First-year high school listening tests aren't too difficult. Most of the answers are pretty straightforward. If your English isn't good, listening is actually the best way to improve your score!"
Yui's eyes lit up, as if she had just discovered a new world. "It works like that?!"
"Exams are rciless, so you've got to learn a few tricks," Kotomi said matter-of-factly, adding, "Of course, these are strategies for listening comprehension, not cheating. How have you been handling listening exams until now?"
"I just… listen directly," Yui replied.
"Listening exams usually play each section once or twice. The speed isn't too fast or too slow, but they don't give you much ti to find the answers afterward. Let guess—you wait until after the reading is over to start looking for the answer, but before you finish, the next question's already started playing, right?"
"How did you know?!" Yui gasped, surprised that Kotomi had nailed her process down to a T.
It was almost as if Kotomi had so kind of supernatural insight!
"Because I went through the sa thing," Kotomi said with a shrug.
What she described were issues she herself had encountered in her past life during English exams. She had only intended to give Yui an example, but to her surprise, Yui had the exact sa shortcomings that she had experienced.
When it ca to struggling with studies, it seed they were kindred spirits.
Hearing this, Yui was a bit surprised. Seeing how good Kotomi was at school now, she hadn't expected her to have struggled with English in middle school. But any nervousness Yui had felt earlier began to lt away.
"I'll teach you a good technique. Actually, it's more of a habit than a trick. If you pick it up, you'll at least be able to score more points on the listening exam."
Kotomi grabbed her black gel pen and tapped it on the English exam papers she had prepared, ready to share the wisdom she had gained from her previous life's struggles.
"When the test papers are handed out, after you've filled in your class, na, and student number, quickly scan through the listening section's answer choices and silently read them over in your head. Try to rember as much as you can. Even if you don't get everything, just having a rough idea will make it easier to find the answers while you're listening."
"And…"
In just five minutes, Kotomi laid out all the little tips and tricks she knew for the listening section.
Yui's expression lit up with understanding. Following Kotomi's thods, the listening part of the exam suddenly didn't seem so scary!
"I've prepared two English tests for you. I've also downloaded the corresponding listening audio on my phone. Let's strike while the iron's hot and try out these techniques with a practice run."
"Okay!" Yui nodded enthusiastically, no longer feeling nervous but instead full of motivation.
It was the first ti she had ever felt this eager to tackle an English exam.
After finishing the two listening sections, Yui stretched with a contented smile. Following Kotomi's thods, answering the questions had indeed gone much more smoothly!
Kotomi Izumi—the eternal champion!
A few minutes later, Kotomi, who had been grading the tests, set down her red pen.
Of the two listening sections, Yui had scored a perfect score on one and missed only one small question on the other, losing just two points.
Her answers were impressive, and Kotomi began to wonder if Yui's poor English grades were simply due to lack of effort. Could it be that if she really tried, she could not only pass but even score perfectly?
Was this a case of playing dumb to hide her true ability?
Could it be that the seemingly clueless girl next to her was secretly a genius?
Kotomi chuckled inwardly at the thought. Joking aside, Yui's learning ability was actually quite good. She was smart and quick to understand things.
Given Yui's family circumstances—losing her father early and needing to help her mother support the household—it made sense that she hadn't been able to focus fully on her studies.
It must have been tough, Kotomi thought sympathetically.
She herself had lost her parents early in her previous life, back when she was in her second year of middle school.
After a silent sigh, Kotomi placed the two graded papers in front of Yui and said, "One perfect score and one with just two points off. You did really well, Yui."
"Really?!" Yui bead, grabbing the papers and staring at the scores in disbelief.
"I wouldn't lie to you. Follow my thods, and while I can't promise your English will magically improve, your score in next week's exam should be decent. Scoring well isn't just for your mom's sake—it'll feel good to see those grades too, won't it?"
"Of course!" Yui smiled brightly.
"Then let's keep going."
"Please, Kotomi-sensei!"
An hour later.
Most of the key points had been covered. While Yui had many areas of confusion, she was also a quick learner. One hour was enough for Kotomi to explain everything Yui hadn't understood.
If Yui applied herself, she wouldn't necessarily beco the top student, but she could easily beco the most dependable student.
She learned quickly, understanding simple problems after one explanation, and with a bit more effort, she could grasp even more difficult concepts after a few tries.
Where could you find such a reliable student?
"Alright, today's lesson is over. Class dismissed! Review what you learned today while I take a quick trip to the bathroom."
"Got it!" Yui responded, still smiling with satisfaction. It was hard to bla her—thanks to Kotomi's help, she had finally understood so many things that had been baffling her for so long. The sense of achievent and joy she felt was hard to put into words.
Kotomi headed downstairs to use the bathroom.
—She had drunk a bit too much orange juice earlier.
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