Does gravity make me stronger?

Page 249

"Hey?"

Her additional words rekindled Hachiman's almost extinguished hope: "So, what Shinomiya-kun means is..."

"At Haneoka Academy, the chances of getting first place in the grade are less than 50%, right?"

"Fifty percent...!"

Hachiman's expression was solemn.

According to Kaguya Shinomiya, her raw talent has reached a level where she can compete for the top spot in her grade, but it's not very consistent.

But don't forget, he has cheat skills like Black Flash.

Wow, so cool!

Chapter 244, Episode 241: Aine: You Can't Go Overboard

Unaware of the crucial trump card in Hachiman's hand, Kaguya Shinomiya continued, "Hachiman, if you're just trying to pass the exam, I have another ace up my sleeve."

Then, in front of Hachiman, she gracefully took out a brown paper document bag from her schoolbag and placed it in a prominent position in the center of the table.

"This is?"

Hachiman's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the mysterious file folder.

"This is a set of practice questions I compiled based on your school's final exam papers from the past few years. The accuracy rate should be around 70-80%."

"Exam prediction papers?"

Hachiman narrowed his eyes, then quickly looked up: "Wait, this is such a good thing..."

"You mean why I didn't give it to you sooner?"

As if she had anticipated Hachiman's answer, Kaguya Shinomiya sneered: "If I had given it to you earlier, would you still be able to concentrate on your studies like this?"

"Even if Hikigaya has strong self-control and can stay focused at all times, his subconscious will still relax, which will affect his learning state."

"That's true."

Hachiman nodded, picked up the file bag with a complicated expression, and a question arose in his mind.

"But wouldn't doing this go against Shinomiya-kun's style? At least when it comes to studying, shouldn't you use fair and square methods to settle things?"

"That's a very naive view. Putting aside the fact that practice exams are just a perfectly normal study method..."

Seemingly having heard a very stupid question, Kaguya Shinomiya rubbed her temples and sighed, "With your talent, even if you studied for another month, you still wouldn't be able to consistently get the top grade in your grade, would you?"

"Hey, why are you trying to discourage me like this the day before the exam?"

Hachiman's lips twitched violently.

"I'm just telling the truth. Success is 99 percent effort and 1 percent talent, but sometimes that 1 percent talent is far more important than the 99 percent effort."

"Hachiman doesn't have the talent to consistently hold the number one spot for a month, so whatever you do, the right thing to do is to work hard to improve your chances of winning."

"As for my attitude towards learning, that's just my personal value, why should I impose it on you?"

Kaguya Shinomiya's frank and cold tone made it impossible not to agree.

Human beings have their limits.

In this final week, Hachiman experienced firsthand what Dio had felt back then. No matter how much he studied, it was impossible to consistently become the top student in his grade within just one month.

Unless you stop being human.

Unfortunately, he didn't have the Stone Mask, and it's not clear that Dio's grades improved after he stopped being human.

In the half-step first realm, the only way to defeat other masters of the same level with absolute certainty is through extraordinary means.

"I understand. I'll accept these test papers then. Thank you."

Hachiman carefully placed the document bag into his schoolbag.

Kaguya Shinomiya must have put in a lot of effort to come up with these questions, as faint dark circles could occasionally be seen under her long eyelashes during this time.

After everything is over, I should thank her properly.

Kaguya Shinomiya: "Diligence can make up for lack of talent, Hikigaya-kun, keep up the good work!"

Hachiman was about to nod when he immediately realized something was wrong: "Hmm... wait, what does 'diligence can make up for lack of talent' mean?! Can't it just be 'heaven rewards kindness'?"

He realized that Kaguya Shinomiya was indirectly insulting him, and he said this with a mix of laughter and tears.

"Hey, Kaguya-san, could you make me a practice exam paper too?"

Fujiwara Chika, standing to the side, looked longingly at the practice exam papers. If she had Shinomiya Kaguya's help, she could probably slack off during this final exam.

Kaguya Shinomiya looked at her: "Oh, Fujiwara-san, do you want to slack off too? Then take it, I've hidden everything there."

"Oh, so it really exists?"

Under Fujiwara Chika's expectant gaze, Shinomiya Kaguya took out a workbook, patted it lightly, and revealed several large characters written on it.

Five-Year Simulation, Three-Year College Entrance Examination... Neon Special Edition

“Unlike that idiot Hikigaya over there, Fujiwara-kun has a very good foundation. As long as he understands the difficult questions above, I believe he can easily take on even the top ten in Shuchiin High School.”

Hachiman: "Hey! Hey!"

"Kaguya-san is so mean!"

Fujiwara Chika stomped her foot and turned her face away angrily.

Kaguya Shinomiya smiled contentedly, her icy expression seemingly melting slightly.

"That's all for today, Hachiman. Please make sure you get enough sleep tonight and don't spend too much energy on practice exams. Your performance on the day is the most important thing."

"Ah."

"If you lack confidence, please trust me, trust me who believes in you."

This is a line from some kind of shonen manga, it's so cool!

Unconsciously, Kaguya Shinomiya's image in Hachiman's mind rose rapidly.

After saying goodbye to Kaguya Shinomiya, Hachiman returned to his dormitory.

"Dong dong!"

Just as I closed the front door, there was a knock on the door in the hallway.

"coming!"

Hachiman roughly guessed who the visitor was and quickly walked over: "Wait a moment, I'll open the door right away."

"Squeak."

The door opened, and Xiangzi, carrying a bag of fresh ingredients, greeted us and walked in naturally.

Hachiman stepped aside and followed Shoko into the house: "Didn't you say you didn't need to come and help me prepare dinner today?"

The exam is tomorrow, and Hachiman hopes she can study hard and not let him drag down her grades.

Xiangzi put some of the ingredients into the small refrigerator before saying, "It's okay. I've mastered everything I need to learn. As for grades, as long as I can consistently stay in the top twenty, that's fine."

Xiangzi ranked in the top ten of her grade in the last exam, but she has been busy with the band this month and has neglected her studies. She would be satisfied with maintaining a ranking in the top twenty of her grade.

"Alright then, I'll help you."

With the two working together, a simple dinner was quickly prepared.

Around the newly purchased small round table, Hachiman placed his phone on the phone stand and dialed a video call with Suze.

And so, the three of them finished their dinner in a strange way, taking turns talking.

After the meal, Xiangzi got down to business.

"Hachiman, Sawamura-sama has already decided on the destination for summer vacation."

"is it?"

While tidying up the dishes on the table, Hachiman absentmindedly gave a reply.

According to Xiangzi's description, the summer club activities were mostly held in Tokyo, with some places outside the Tokyo metropolitan area, but not too far away, and could be covered in a day.

"To be honest, I really don't want to go far in this weather."

The thought of braving the scorching sun to take the train made Hachiman feel a little tired.

"It's alright, I'll be with Hachiman too," Shoko said with a sweet smile.

"Hey, I thought you were busy with the band. By the way, as a public figure, isn't it okay to travel around like this?"

Currently, AveMujica has around 300,000 followers on their social media channels, while Xiangzi, the band's leader and captain, has 50,000 to 60,000 followers on his personal fan account.

Compared to the band's slightly improved following of over a thousand fans, Xiangzi was already a star they could hardly look up to.

Xiangzi shook his head: "It's okay. In the end, we're just a band project. As long as we don't do anything that goes against our established personas, it's fine."

"Your persona is...? Speaking of which, your persona in the band is called..."

“Oblivionis!”

Before Hachiman could speak, Shoko eagerly revealed her code name, indicating that she really liked it.

"What does that mean?"

"Hehe, it's a secret~"

"Hey?"

Shoko deliberately didn't tell Hachiman, and then brought up another matter: "So, during summer vacation, will Hachiman stay in Tokyo or go back to Chiba?"

"I'll probably go back for a while and then come back, since I also have work to do at Fanxing."

Hachiman said casually.

Working is a lifelong commitment, there's no escaping it, but you can still go back home and relax for a while during summer vacation...

Wait a minute, I haven't even asked his parents' opinion yet. I'll just say "okay" to Komachi later.

"Really? Are you going back to Chiba?"

Xiangzi pouted, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he continued, "Could Hachiman tell me before he goes back? Actually, AveMujica is also going to Chiba to put on a performance."

"no problem."

Hachiman nodded in agreement.

It seems there's one more thing to do this summer vacation. Ah, I can't wait for his summer vacation to come!

After calming his slightly laziness, Hachiman escorted Shoko back to her room and began his final sprint of studying.

Around 11 o'clock, just as I was about to go to bed.

Komachi sent a message.

Komachi: Onii-chan, I've already asked about the summer vacation stuff for you!

Hachiman: How did it go? What did Mom and Dad say?

Komachi: Sure, Onii-chan can go home, but the conditions are the same as last time.

Hachiman: Are you taking people back again?

Komachi: Yeah, but don't worry this time, Onii-chan. I've already spoken to Mom and Dad beforehand, so it's fine if you bring Su-se-neechan and Sho-ko-neechan back together!

Komachi: Well, praise me now!

"..."

Looking at this message, Hachiman was speechless with emotion.

What's going on? His old-fashioned parents actually condoned their son's two-timing behavior!

I immediately popped open a whole champagne bottle!

Hachiman: Komachi, Onii-chan loves you to death!

Komachi: Ugh, that's disgusting. You should say that to Sister Suze and Sister Xiangzi.

Hachiman: That's so lewd, even I find it disgusting...

Komachi: So it's okay to say such disgusting things to Komachi?

Hachiman: It's okay because Komachi is my favorite character.

Komachi: Hi hi (reading the words in a flat, emotionless tone)