In the library, steeped in the scent of wisdom, under the gentle gaze of great thinkers' portraits on the walls.
"Among the Sasanian Empire's rulers, who defeated the Roman army and captured their emperor?" The vice-principal leaned forward, hands propping his chin, sharp eyes glinting behind round glasses, his balding head shining, words rapid as gunfire.
"Shapur I," Takizawa answered instantly, unfazed.
"In the Thirty Years' War, a Protestant nation with strong Baltic influence joined the fight. Who was its king?"
"Gustav II Adolf."
"Islamic forces, controlling all but northern Spain, crossed the Pyrenees to attack southwest France but lost at the Battle of Poitiers in 732 to the Frankish Kingdom. Name the Islamic dynasty and the Frankish dynasty."
"Umayyad Dynasty, Merovingian Dynasty."
"The religious group in Punjab, India, after the 15th century, founded a kingdom and fought the British East India Company. What religion, started by Nanak, did they follow?"
"Sikhism."
"In 508 BC, in Athenian Rome, who abolished the old four-tribe system, created a ten-tribe system, and laid the foundation for democracy?"
"Cleisthenes."
"In 90 words or less, describe Poland's prosperity from the late 14th to 15th century and its decline in the late 18th century!" The vice-principal surged to his feet, leaning forward like a pouncing tiger.
"Poland thrived under Casimir the Great, later uniting with Lithuania to form the Jagiellonian Dynasty to counter Teutonic Knights. After the dynasty ended, elections caused political chaos. Nobles, enriched by grain exports to Western Europe, fought internally, inviting foreign interference." Takizawa recited dryly, fluent but flat, like a robot reading a script.
"…All correct." The vice-principal slumped back, pride beaming as an educator. "The world's history, humanity's story, and civilization's arc are etched in your soul. You're a living encyclopedia. Your knowledge surpasses mine—you could narrate humanity's tale in the dark cosmos after Earth's end."
"If Earth blows up, I'm already in the anime world. What about geography?" Takizawa pulled a brick-like World Geography: Asia Edition from the stack. "Keep testing?"
"No need. I'm convinced you ate a memory loaf," The vice-principal said, waving it off. "Literature, world history, Japanese history, geography—done. Next, foreign languages and sciences."
"You can choose your exam language: English, Korean, German, Chinese, French," The vice-principal explained.
"That's an option?" Takizawa's eyes lit up, as if a pie fell from the sky. "English would be a slaughter."
"Many pick English, but don't underestimate it. The grammar twists—irregular verbs, tenses stacked on tenses, exceptions everywhere. To the half-informed, it's a maze. And the old literature is no joke. Two layers in one exam. You sure you can handle it?" The vice-principal cautioned.
"If I mess that up, take my head as a winter hand-warmer!" Takizawa radiated unshakable confidence.
"Since you're that cocky, fine. Only sciences left." The vice-principal crossed his arms. "No time to build problem-solving logic, so brute-force it. Question-sea tactics—win through sheer volume. Grind questions until you're in a trance, and every exam feels like déjà vu. Early on, it's slow, but once you know the question patterns, you'll speed up. Less than a month to the national exam—you'll have to grind."
"Will it work?" Takizawa asked skeptically.
"I was a test conqueror back in the day. Trust my battle experience," The vice-principal said, chin high.
"A principal who's a test king, you a test conqueror… yet neither of you cleared Tokyo U," Takizawa said, voice drifting.
"That dragon's gate is tough to leap. But, much as I dislike that smug principal, you've got him wrong. Calling him the king of test kings is no exaggeration," The vice-principal said, sighing.
"Some hidden drama?" Takizawa leaned in, eager for gossip.
"You know deviation scores, right? Fifty's the national student average—above it, you're smarter than most; below, you're not. It's a fair measure." The vice-principal shifted comfortably, patting his beer belly. "Say you score 90 in literature, 50 in math. Looks like you're skewed and weak in math. But if 40 kids in your class get 100 in literature and only 10 score above 30 in math, your 90's average, but your 50's elite."
"It's about context—objective ranking," Takizawa said.
"Roughly 75's the upper limit, 30 the lower. A 60 gets you into solid schools. By the way, your score before dropping out was 53. Now? Hard to say, but likely 65 or higher."
The vice-principal sighed, a flash of the principal's lofty figure in his mind.
"Principal Kozumi Yusaburo hit 78 back then—past the normal cap, nearing theoretical limits, almost inhuman."
"?!"
Takizawa, mid-gossip, was baffled. "And he still didn't pass?"
"He would've, but his competitive streak was insane. Though he loved literature and philosophy, he only applied for Tokyo U's Science III."
"What's that?"
"Science III—medicine. Nicknamed the 'cosmic genius' track. The university takes 3,000 students yearly; this department takes 100. Even academic gods who don't want medicine apply just to tackle the nation's toughest exam. The principal was one of them."
"What happened?"
"That year, 446 titans clashed—geniuses with brains, guts, and grit, all near-perfect on the national exam. Ambitious high school prodigies, battered ronin re-takers, even parents with lingering obsessions."
The vice-principal spoke slowly, recalling that twilight of the gods, his words dancing with the clash of titans.
"Their battle raised the average to another plane, the struggle scorching. Normal students would've burned to ash. Minds raced, sweat poured, Einstein, Tesla, and Newton watched from above. Knowledge surged like an ocean, relativity warped time itself."
"Results came, converted to a staggering 80.7 deviation score—the highest in history. The principal broke his limits, hitting 78, yet still lost. His heart shattered, his pride crumbled, and he fell to earth. The next year, he retook with 73.5, a shadow of his former glory. At Waseda, he wept, his invincible, peerless self left dead on the exam field."
"…" Takizawa was speechless.
"Your Arts III choice won't erase his pain. To truly save the principal and fulfill his family's three-generation dream, you'd need to pass Science III as his student," The vice-principal said, gazing deeply.
"That's a death sentence," Takizawa laughed dryly.
His phone in his pocket suddenly rang and vibrated. He pulled it out. "Sorry, gotta take this."
"Class is over anyway. Time to prep your Endless Sea: Yusaburo Tombstone Edition," The vice-principal said.
"What's that?" Takizawa turned, confused.
"The blazing sun and stars over Tokyo's top students— the principal's curated science question set." The vice-principal waddled off, hands behind his back.
Takizawa flipped open his phone.
"Takizawa-kun, it's Kashiwai Ippei. I got you an audition this Saturday—your debut's here!" His long-absent agent announced brightly.
"Got it… Any prep I need?" Takizawa asked, nervous.
"Haha, I trust your skills and basics—top of the entrance exam! Just bring a good mood and a smile, and you're golden!"
The agent, more confident than Takizawa, hung up. Staring at the call-ended screen, Takizawa fell silent.
Humiliation might come today.
***
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