Chapter 1 ー 99% worst first impression

“Do you remember the formulas for determining column separation R and the theoretical number of steps N that you studied in the second year?”

I sat in on the lecture, uncertain if I should pay attention or not.

Of course, diligently listening to the lecture would be ideal, but…

There are two types of college lectures, the type where paying careful attention to what the lecturer is saying is worthwhile and those where it is not.

To be honest, listening to a lecture from someone who merely reads from a textbook is pointless.

What is likely to appear on the national certification exam, and what do you want to ask students about on the regular test? The only professors I’ve heard of who can explain these things coherently are the ones who are like Buddhist monks.

You couldn’t do that type of judgement in high school because you were afraid of getting promoted, but in college, you don’t get promoted, thus I always listen to lectures like that.

Only those who provide pointless lectures give us attendance points or quizzes to see whether we understand the class and compel us to write the answers on the attendance card, which typically makes me think that the world is not a convenient place.

“F-fufu… Don’t turn your head at me…”

It’s been 30 minutes since the lecture began, and she’s still chuckling over the professor’s bald head, her face hidden under her textbook. It was quite annoying.

It’s difficult to be a college professor when you’re so young, and every year you’re stressed out with too many free college students, too many exams and grades to keep track of.

Don’t laugh so hard. There’s a chance your future husband may be bald as well. If you laugh that much, you’ll get divorced.

This is a touch off topic, but I think the Japanese are pretty stringent about baldness. Everyone who is bald says the same thing.

Nobody turns bald on their own accord.

Everyone has taken measures to deal with this great enemy. They ate seaweed and used hair growth products. They were, however, no match for the overwhelming might of baldness.

Everyone laughed and pointed, completely oblivious to their efforts. Can such injustices be tolerated? No, I don’t believe so.

That is why I believe that all bald people should be proud of themselves.

“Yes, this is important. Make a point of going through this section again.”

“Ah, crap… I missed it…”

I did it. I thought about something I didn’t understand, and as a result, I missed some of the class’s most important points.

The most problematic part of being a college bocchi student is a lack of information. There are many aspects of relationships that you should not be aware of until high school, such as who is dating whom.

But did you know that colleges nowadays frequently publish important information on the Internet and that merely looking at bulletin boards is no longer necessary?

If a professor who isn’t technologically savvy sends out emails, it may not go smoothly, and they may require it to be picked up through personal connections. Having a buddy with whom to share past exam questions is invaluable.

This current situation may be prevented if someone had attended the lecture with me, but the man here was a little fish who couldn’t even accomplish that…

“Did you miss it? Well, here’s the problem…”

She stuck her head out from beside me and scrawled a note in lovely, flowing characters on my notebook.

“T-thanks…”

“You’re welcome.”

She was paying unusually close attention to the class for someone who had been laughing so hard before. I accused her of being irritating and failing to pay attention in class, but it embarrassed me. I couldn’t hear the lesson any better than she could.

I sat in class silently, reflecting about what had happened. In the lecture I’m now listening to, the lecturer was making a lot of points, and I’m going to have to pay close attention every time.

The bell finally sounded to signal the end of the lecture, and the first period ended.

“Haa…”

You’re going to feel bored during the lesson, which lasted over 30 minutes. It had been a long time since I had concentrated for an extended period, and it exhausted me after only one session.

I mean, it seemed incredibly quiet just next to me earlier.

“Zzzz…”

She was sound asleep next to me, her head on the textbook. This might explain why I was thinking earlier that it was unusually calm and that I could focus.

“Hey, the lecture is over.”

“Feee~!”

She murmured in a cute voice as she forcefully lifted her head.

“Ugh, you’re lying, right… The lecture is over?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Ugh, I dozed off… Despite his baldness, he is an excellent teacher!! Ah… I missed most of it–!”

Bald is too much.

She did, however, appear to be depressed and dropped her head.

“… It’s a little messy, but I’ve put down all the points, so you can copy them.”

As she was depressed, I handed her my textbook, in which I had written the contents.

“Is it okay?”

“It’s not a problem. Foremost, you helped me. I’m only repaying the favour. I’m the only one who can tell me what to do, but since you’re in trouble, I can’t just walk away.”

“Thank you!”

She cheerfully opened my text and began copying it into her own.

“… What’s up with the worm-crawling letters…?”

“Sorry for the messy handwriting!!”

“No… Isn’t this really awful…?”

“If you keep talking like that, I won’t show it to you!”

“Ahhh! Don’t be mean!”

I showed it to her, but what is she up to? How could she have complained about my cool handwriting the moment she opened the notebook?

She giggles at people, yet despite her beauty, she lacks class. She was only somewhat nice, but she was a typical young lady, much like the flirty, low-quality ladies who criticize and play it cool with inferior guys.

For the time being, I’m helping this woman since she helped me, but the next time, I won’t help her at all.