When an Oblivious Handsome Older Man Went Back in Time and Was Building Harlem - Chapter 14

Today is the midterm exam. The classroom is overflowing with classmates frantically opening reference books and pre-prepared notes to review before the test.

(I’m one of them too…)

“Hey, Aki. For this problem, we just need to substitute this number into this A and just bar it.”

“…It’s correct, but the explanation is way too rough. What do you mean by ‘bar’?”

Today’s test has Math II in the first period, Japanese in the second period, and English Communication in the third period. Only Math II requires memorization, so once this math test is over, I will be free from today’s memorization-heavy subjects. The bell rings, the teacher calls out, and my classmates return to their seats.

While the teacher distributes the question and answer sheets, I check the lead in my mechanical pencil. Since there was a time when the lead in my previous pencil was only about 2 cm long and I almost ran out of it, I’ve become more careful about it.

“Okay, we’ll start in 45 minutes, so please don’t touch the test papers until then.”

The classroom fell silent, and a unique tension before the test filled the air. At that moment, I noticed Sasaki-san sitting diagonally to my right.

(For some reason… She’s really fidgety. What’s wrong?)

It seemed like she was clicking her mechanical pencil and fidgeting. Maybe it didn’t have any lead in it. Since I usually keep spare leads in my mechanical pencil, I took one out and raised my hand. I could just hand it directly to Sasaki-san here, but it would be troublesome if she made some weird accusation and accused me of cheating.

“Sensei.”

“Yes. What is it, Takai?”

“I dropped my mechanical pencil lead, can I pick it up?”

After getting permission, I pretended to pick up the pencil lead that had fallen on the floor and delivered it to Sasaki-san’s desk.

“!!”

For now, I winked at Sasaki-san as a signal. It’s been about 15 years since I last winked, so I don’t think I did it well, but Sasaki-san, who had tears in her eyes, seemed to understand, so I think it’s okay.

With this, I should have naturally been able to deliver the lead to Sasaki-san as well, so personally, I’m satisfied. I sit back down and fiddle with my mechanical pencil just in case. It feels strange to do nothing after saying I dropped the lead.

It was 45 minutes in, and the test had started for 80 minutes. The math test was a bit long, but I was able to finish it without any issues.

“Alright, let’s collect the math worksheets. Please bring them.”

When the class representative was about to collect the work, Sasaki-san, who was sitting diagonally in front of me, suddenly bowed her head towards me with great force.

“God, Buddha, Takai-sama!!! Thank you so much this time!!”

“God, Buddha, Takai… I’m not that great or anything.”

“No, you were like a god to me for saving me from that situation! My math grades weren’t good, and if I had handed in a blank test, I would have failed the course!!”

Is it just me, or do you think you’d fail a test if it was blank regardless of your overall grades? No, if you didn’t even write your name, they probably wouldn’t make you retake it. I don’t know, I didn’t do that badly last time either.

“Yeah, you really helped me out!! I’ll give you some chocolate!”

After saying that, she handed me a Crunch chocolate and went to join the group of girls.

“Ah, Aki-kun? Hehehe… I saw you. Casually handing over the lead to Sasaki-san without making it obvious. You’re going to be popular again, huh?”

“Annoying. Study, Midori.”

“Plus, you even got chocolate. Oh, this is a new flavor, isn’t it? I saw it at the convenience store this morning, it said the new release. It’s a matcha strawberry flavor. It must be delicious. Let me know how it is after you try it. I’ll decide whether to buy it or not.”

Matcha strawberry flavor, huh? It has quite a Japanese taste. When I take a bite, the matcha flavor wafts through my nose, and then the rich taste of strawberry spreads.

“Ah, delicious.”

“Really? Then I’ll buy it. Thanks a lot!”

Today, Midori is pinning back his bangs, which were getting in the way, but I think he still attracts attention. Secretly, classmates at the edge of the classroom are saying things like, “Midori-kun’s bangs are up today! So cute!!” However, just because they were a happy couple last time doesn’t mean they will be this time. I must watch over my best friend to ensure his happiness again.

(…But for now, I need to focus on the test.)