Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard Chapter 16 Neither Chopsticks Nor Sticks

Several people stepped into the fourth floor of the teaching building.

"Look at , I'm completely different," Goto Iwao said confidently.

Tsubokawa Takahiro pushed him, looking disdainful: "You're not much better. You send at least ten good morning ssages every day. What's the point of adding so many people, to be a scumbag?"

A second later, he added, "Or a virgin scumbag."

Goto Iwao refused to back down on this point.

He said, "This is called multi-line developnt. Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. I'm looking for my destined person, and sending good mornings every day is to observe their attitudes."

"The idea that quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes is just a generalization, and it doesn't apply to everything. It certainly can't be your excuse for being a scumbag," Uesugi Sakura suddenly spoke up, breaking his usual silence.

He was pleased to see the topic being diverted.

"Do they know you're chatting with multiple people at once?" Tsubokawa asked.

"Of course not. So might accept it, but surely soone wouldn't. To be safe, they mustn't know about it."

Tsubokawa Takahiro adjusted his glasses, still full of contempt:

"People shouldn't, at the very least they should not."

Back in the classroom, it was close to one o'clock. Kamigoe High School's afternoon classes officially begin at one-thirty, with two classes in the afternoon.

Thanks to the morning cleaning, they had more free ti at noon, allowing Uesugi Sakura to nap on his desk for a while; otherwise, after lunch, he'd nearly have class right away upon returning to the classroom.

Goto Iwao and Tsubokawa Takahiro were still excited after doing extra cleaning tasks, gathering to discuss which junior girls' legs looked nice and which had attractive hairstyles.

anwhile, Uesugi Sakura closed his eyes and thought of the class leader's abrupt departure in the morning.

Should I apologize?

Forget it... let it be...

With these thoughts, his mind calmly drifted along with the sound of leaves rustling by the window.

...

"Uesugi-kun... Uesugi-kun..."

Uesugi Sakura, who was sleeping, was awakened by this soft voice. He opened his bleary eyes and first looked at the dial of his watch.

13:23:45

Class hadn't started yet.

He sat up, trying to adjust to his blurred vision, slled the gentle breeze, and saw the cute girl in a black sailor uniform in front of him. He asked:

"Hanabi, what's up?"

Hanamaru Hanabi, her cheeks flushed red, was holding a large stack of brand-new books. She reached out to pass them over, saying softly:

"Uesugi-kun, you forgot your books. Here..."

Uesugi Sakura looked at the books being handed over in surprise for two seconds.

Then he realized he had actually forgotten to pick up the books from the teacher's office at noon, truly a goldfish mory.

But Hanabi sohow knew this and brought them over before class.

He looked at the girl in front of him and politely said, "Thank you."

"Uesugi-kun... no need to thank Hanabi..."

Hanamaru Hanabi shook her head cutely, "After finishing the morning cleaning, when I went to get books, I noticed that Uesugi-kun's books were still in the office, so Rie-chan and I brought them along...

"After lunch I saw you were asleep... and didn't want to bother you..."

Uesugi Sakura casually said, "It's okay, besides, if I slept any longer I would've overslept."

"Mm."

Hanamaru Hanabi gave him a bright smile, her delicate face full of a pleasant cheerfulness.

As she returned to her seat, Uesugi Sakura noticed Ayaka Rie glanced at him.

He turned away and didn't pay much attention to her.

"Goto."

He reached out and tapped Goto Iwao's back hard with the corner of his book. This guy had fallen asleep too.

"Ow!"

Goto Iwao felt the sting on his back and instantly woke up. He imdiately looked toward the podium and saw it was empty. Frowning, he turned back, "Uesugi, what are you doing?"

Uesugi Sakura pointed to the new books on his desk:

"Books, did you get yours?"

"Books? What books? Wait... I forgot!!"

Goto Iwao's pupils shrank suddenly, but then he rembered sothing,

"Wait, weren't you sleeping? When did you get them? Why didn't you tell earlier?"

"Hanabi helped get them earlier."

"..."

Goto Iwao was silent, then he looked at Uesugi Sakura with extre disdain,

"This is the detestable Uesugi, with a single phrase that could destroy a small universe. You seriously wounded my fragile heart."

Uesugi Sakura glanced at the watch and said:

"You have 4 minutes left; it's still possible to run to the teacher's office. And by the way, the first class in the afternoon is math."

"4 minutes!? That old man's class!?"

Goto Iwao couldn't sit still any longer. He quickly woke the drowsy Tsubokawa Takahiro, and they rushed out of the classroom.

"Hope you make it."

Uesugi Sakura watched them leave, then turned his gaze outside the window.

Outside were several lush green tree crowns swaying gently with the spring breeze.

The most noticeable was an ancient banyan tree.

The thick, old branches spread out extensively, and the heavy leaves covered a large area below. When the wind blew, it didn't sound like the rustling of the surrounding trees, but rather a muffled murmuring.

It's said this tree is over 300 years old, standing since the founding of the school.

Many people rembered this old banyan tree, and most students took pictures under it upon graduation to commorate their past youth and hope for a bright future.

It was also where many couples had lunch.

A stern voice pulled him back to reality.

"Hey! Goto, Tsubokawa! What are you two doing? Coming into class this late, are you not taking seriously!?"

The speaker was an old, stern teacher nearing sixty, wearing black-frad glasses and with a severe look in his eyes, glaring at the two standing with books at the door.

The whole class's eyes followed them, silently lanting their misfortune for running into Professor Eikawa.

Goto Iwao lifted the books in his arms and said matter-of-factly:

"Fetching books."

He had a rather fearless look.

Eikawa Hikoshiro's expression was as monochro and serious as his clothing:

"Isn't there plenty of ti at noon to do it? Now you go and fetch them during class, get in here quickly and start class! Co to my office after class."

Under the old professor's authority, the two had no choice but to return to their seats sheepishly.

Eikawa Hikoshiro began the class imdiately once they sat down, efficient and precise.

One had to admire him; being a twenty-year veteran teacher, his teaching was exemplary.

Clear logic, well-structured, conducting the math class with skill, reviewing last term's key points while introducing new knowledge.

At the sound of the bell, he declared the end of class, stopping abruptly with whatever he was explaining, just as swift and forceful as he comnced.

Uesugi Sakura liked this type of teacher.

Eikawa Hikoshiro organized his books and placed them in his black briefcase, then sternly called out to the two on his right:

"Goto, Tsubokawa, you two co with ."

After this, he walked straight out of the classroom, and the previously quiet atmosphere turned noisy following the old professor's departure.

Goto Iwao stood up and sighed, "Ah, just missed it, didn't think the old man would still be so punctual, wouldn't it be nice if he ca a little late."

Tsubokawa Takahiro, being an old hand, remained fearless:

"No need to worry, we'll just get a scolding, it's not a big deal."

Sure enough, the two who had gone out returned quickly, appearing quite relaxed.

Uesugi Sakura, who was reading, looked up and asked them, "How was it?"

"Ha, what can that old man do? Apart from scolding us in front of all the office teachers, he had nothing else,"

Tsubokawa Takahiro adjusted his glasses, now a trademark action:

"Chopsticks and rods aren't used" (an idiom aning unyielding).