Life As Tomoya Aki Chapter 2: I, Tomoya Aki, Aim for the University Of Tokyo!

Chapter 2: I, Tomoya Aki, Aim for the University Of Tokyo!

Eriri Spencer Sawamura, Tomoya Aki's childhood friend.

At Toyogasaki Academy, there are three well-known personalities, and besides Tomoya, one of them is the blonde, blue-eyed, twin-tailed girl before him.

She is recognized as a school beauty, with a petite figure and impeccably groomed golden hair tied into adorable twin-tails, like a trademark that has become her iconic feature.

With clear blue eyes and porcelain-like fair skin, this half-Japanese, half-European girl perfectly blends the best traits of both heritages.

In the daily life of the academy, she stands out, and any male who meets her for the first time finds his gaze instantly captured by her.

However, as her childhood friend, Tomoya knows Eriri better than anyone else here.

This outwardly dazzling girl, who seems to live under a spotlight of beauty and charm, is actually an otaku just like he used to be.

But Eriri is a closet otaku, and only a few people know about her otaku side. If people here knew Eriri was an otaku, the shock would be akin to the sky falling.

"Eriri, what brings you to me?"

Tomoya’s eyes flickered with curiosity. He wasn't sure if his relationship with Eriri was good or perhaps strained.

If their relationship could be described as good, it was only because Eriri maintained a certain distance from him to uphold her image; since elementary school, it had taken a long time for them to even communicate normally as childhood friends.

Conversely, if one were to claim it was bad, before spring break they were game and manga-sharing otaku friends, although there were some twists along the way. But now, that didn’t matter.

“Guh…”

Under the gaze of her childhood friend, Eriri felt a bit tense. Folding her arms and feigning composure, she bit her lip, hesitant to speak, a small fang adding a touch of cuteness to her expression.

She may have managed to stop Tomoya, but now that she was in front of him, the words she had prepared sunk back down, too difficult to voice.

“If you have something to say, spit it out. If someone comes by and sees us together, that’s not something you want to be caught in, is it?”

Tomoya looked at his childhood friend with a hint of irony in his eyes. It really was rare for her to approach him at school.

Perhaps because Tomoya didn’t hide the sarcastic tone in his voice, this comment stung Eriri’s ears. Yet, seeing the calm expression on his face, she found it hard to lash out.

Everyone else had noticed Tomoya’s "unusual behavior," so if Eriri, as his childhood friend, didn’t, she would have to be blind.

In fact, Eriri was the first to notice something was off about Tomoya.

“This makes me mad for no reason…”

She muttered through clenched teeth, prompting Tomoya to chuckle.

“You’re the one who came looking for me, so what are you upset about?”

Tomoya didn’t see why Eriri would have any reason to be angry with him.

If it were before, Tomoya might have calmly placated her with a smile, but now he had no time for this twisted childhood friend game.

“Guh…”

Once more, seeing the unfamiliar look in Tomoya’s eyes, Eriri stared at him in disbelief, unable to accept the reality.

“D-did you really sell all those things at home?”

She stammered at first, then asked with a nonchalant tone, whipping her golden ponytail to the side—a well-practiced tsundere gesture.

Tomoya frowned slightly and replied, “You already know, don’t you? Thanks to all those games and anime, manga, and light novels, my time was utterly consumed. Selling them was the only way to recoup my losses.”

He had accumulated too much stuff in his room, and it had cost quite a bit of money.

During spring break, after some careful reflection, Tomoya decided to completely sever ties with his past and set his sights on the University Of Tokyo.

This was not going to be an easy path, especially with a deviation score of only 45. Studying also required money!

To prove his determination, Tomoya decided to make a clean break, selling all his treasured items to those interested on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

"You spent years gathering those! Did you really sell them?!"

Eriri was furious, her eyes wide with disbelief. Perhaps she thought it a waste for him to sell those items, but likely she also recognized his resolve to leave his otaku lifestyle behind.

In response to her questioning, Tomoya adjusted his glasses and calmly replied, "I have the pressure of exams to face, too."

An unassailable reason. Even Eriri couldn't refute this.

Tomoya wasn’t shy about making a comparison: "Unlike you, our deviation scores might be close, but I can't rely on becoming a famous ACG influencer for a living. If I spend the next two years buried in those interests, I'll be the one paying the price in the end."

Eriri didn’t have to worry about further education in the same way Tomoya did.

Not only was her family wealthy, but she was also a well-known illustrator in the doujinshi community, promising her a bright future.

And even if things went awry, she had a diplomat father as backup.

Tomoya knew he didn’t have any fallback options and felt he couldn't just play games or try to live off being a famous influencer.

He believed people should have more ambitious goals.

"But why the University Of Tokyo of all places? With a deviation score of just forty-five, do you really think you can get in there? Don’t be ridiculous! Baka!"

Eriri's frustration boiled over. It was true that he faced the pressure of exams, but leaving behind his otaku ways completely and dreaming of getting into Japan's top university seemed excessive.

A deviation score of forty-five seemed hardly enough for the University Of Tokyo, especially considering he was already in his second year of high school!

She couldn't understand why, despite being physically close to Tomoya, there was now an enormous gulf between their hearts.

"There’s no conflict between the two. Precisely because it's the University Of Tokyo, I need to work twice as hard as everyone else. Where do you think my cram school funds are coming from?"

A glint of determination shone in Tomoya's eyes that Eriri couldn’t hope to match.

Is Japan’s college entrance exam harder than others?

In fact, it’s tough everywhere, and relying on superficial knowledge won’t show you the whole picture.

Even in high school, Japan sorts schools into tiers like university prep schools, regular high schools, non-prep schools, and sports-focused high schools, among others.

As for Toyogasaki Academy, Tomoya bluntly noted that it was average—neither too good nor too bad.

To get into a good university, the school’s curriculum wouldn’t suffice.

Most students aiming for university would attend cram schools, which represented a significant expense.

If Eriri thought Tomoya was just dreaming out loud, she was dead wrong.

She had no idea the magnitude of Tomoya’s determination when he set the University Of Tokyo as his goal.

While a deviation score of 45 was something he could comfort himself about before the spring break, realistically, he thought the knowledge from his past life might help a bit with science and English.

But even that now seemed like a drop in the bucket.

If he didn’t take action, people would really just laugh at him!

"If I don't take action, others will think I'm all talk. If I don't cover the first term's cram school fees myself, my parents will never believe I'm serious about this!"

Tomoya's firm and powerful words left Eriri utterly stunned.

Studying costs money!

Especially to change his parents' perceptions. Tomoya gritted his teeth and paid for the first term of cram school on his own, showing them his determination.

Only then did they promise to support him if they saw he was truly committed in the first term.

Eriri was left speechless by his words. It was only now that she realized the Tomoya standing before her was no longer the innocent childhood friend she once knew.

In the short span of a single spring break, Tomoya had undergone a complete transformation!

"But…but…"

Eriri couldn’t hold his gaze, her eyes darting away, and she clenched her hands subconsciously. Her delicate body trembled slightly, as if she was on the verge of tears.