Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner

He knew that Taira Sakurako lacked a sense of security, and if someone had died at school, this little one's fear and anxiety would likely intensify significantly.

Thinking of this, Fushimi Roku offered some reassurance, "Wasn't it an accident on the school grounds?"

The reception teacher understood his meaning, nodded seriously, and said, "Of course not, please rest assured, our school's security and ethos are both very strict. Teacher Chiba had an accident outside of school, and we are deeply saddened by it..."

Fushimi Roku nodded repeatedly and casually patted Taira Sakurako's hat, "In that case, I'm relieved."

The latter relaxed a little, at least not trembling as much, but still clutched Fushimi Roku's clothes tightly.

The reception teacher exchanged a few more pleasantries and smilingly commented on how shy the young lady was; Fushimi Roku nodded along, effortlessly coming up with a line, claiming that Taira Sakurako was different inside and out, and was especially strong-willed at home.

As they chatted, they walked, going upstairs to the reception room of the administration office. The reception teacher made tea for the two and inquired about which primary school Taira Sakurako intended to transfer from, whether she had a letter of introduction from a teacher or principal, and the specific reasons for the sudden transfer...

Fushimi Roku answered truthfully, stating that Sakurako had never attended school and usually stayed at home alone; he was not Sakurako's father but her half-brother. Recently, she was commended by the police and received a tuition subsidy, so he planned to send her to school.

"Ah, I read that report too, your sister is really a kind-hearted child."

The reception teacher praised her for a couple of sentences, then mentioned that the situation of a transfer student was special, and he needed to consult the principal and the board of directors for their opinion... He kept saying a lot of roundabout words, without knowing whether they could admit her or not.

Fushimi Roku didn't want to dance around the subject, if the next thing was to say go home and wait for notice, wouldn't he have to make several more trips? It's best to finalize this today!

He fully utilized his social charm, using psychological guidance to explain the benefits, claiming that admitting a student like Taira Sakurako could enhance the school's reputation, and if treated as a long-term investment, the returns would be considerable. If Taira Sakurako succeeded, her inspirational story would be the best advertisement...

Afterwards, he got acquainted with the reception teacher, talking about the recent teacher employment pressure, the bottleneck in school development, and schools closing along with the economic bubble, and casually mentioned his status as a civil servant, stating that with government reimbursement, there was no need to worry about tuition fees...

The reception teacher nodded frequently, and after more than an hour, he suddenly slapped his thigh and said he could help inquire about the principal's opinion.

Upon hearing this, Fushimi Roku knew the matter was almost settled, he had done all he could, and next the assessment would probably focus on Taira Sakurako herself—if she's too unruly, physically handicapped, or has unsatisfactory grades, she might also be rejected at the door.

After the reception teacher left the reception room, Fushimi Roku gave a hint to Taira Sakurako, telling her to be smart and perform well in order to get admitted.

The latter took a deep breath, hiding her left hand in her sleeve, and pinched her fingers hard, trying to calm herself down.

Fushimi Roku glanced at her, withdrew his gaze, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "With me here, what are you afraid of?"

He paused, adding, "They should be afraid of you instead."

Hearing this, Taira Sakurako's fingers trembled, she took a deep breath, and indeed calmed down. She looked up at Fushimi Roku, who had a faint black line showing around his collarbone, gently reminded, "It's showing."

Fushimi Roku fastened his collar tightly, scolded, "Kids shouldn't look at adults with strange eyes."

Taira Sakurako wanted to say he's sick, but then thinking about it: she was about to 'interview' and must quickly adjust her state and could no longer joke around with Fushimi Roku.

She straightened her back, put her legs together, and placed her palms flat on her thighs, emulating Minamoto Tamako's posture when receiving guests.

A few minutes later, the principal pushed in the door, at first glance noticing Taira Sakurako. The latter appeared calm, with a standard sitting posture, suggesting good family education, perhaps even one of noble birth... He had taught many students, but none was as stable and introverted as Fushimi Sakurako.

On the way, the assistant had broadly explained the situation.

The principal thought that with no issues in family background and tuition, they would have to consider the student's academic level and personality traits... The former could be seen by writing a few test papers, the latter needed his vision to judge.

In his eyes, admitting special students is like gambling on jade, and if there's no probability of yielding a treasure, he would never let outsiders take shortcuts into the school.

The primary school department has a transfer test (編入試験), but the slots are few and competition fierce. The primary school acceptance rate is usually below 10%, and the secondary school admission proportion is even lower due to internal advancement—many nobles strive to transfer, but the incapable are rejected one by one.

The main reason he came for the interview was because of the assistant's strong recommendation.

Fushimi Roku proactively stood up for a handshake, and after introducing themselves, the principal named Ando Metaro, who was a middle-aged man in his fifties, somewhat overweight, wearing thick glasses like beer bottle bottoms, spoke with a smile, looking very amiable.

"If you don't mind, I have a test paper here about simple geometric cognition and memory questions... it's not very difficult, just some simple little questions."

Principal Ando took out two small booklets, on which various circles and rectangles were drawn, segmented into tiny fragments by fine lines, filled with various colors.

Taira Sakurako knew this test was meant to assess if children were mentally challenged, a routine test often required by schools when admitting transfer students—she had some mental problems but her intelligence was normal, and she finished them quickly.

Principal Ando glanced over and confirmed she wasn't colorblind or mentally deficient, then explained the details of the 'entrance exam'.

The general entrance exam is divided into written and interview parts; the primary school written test requires only two subjects, national language and arithmetic, parents are not required; the interview examines etiquette, expression, and logical ability, parents need to be involved, and the school needs to understand whether the family education concept aligns with the school.

Fushimi Roku smiled and said that indeed it's a prestigious school, but inwardly thought the school's nonsense was really excessive.

"For the sake of the child, not a day should be delayed. If possible, we can start the written test now, so we can give an accurate reply as soon as possible."

Principal Ando spoke the truth; he doesn't have much time to waste on admissions. Generally, the assistants can filter out ninety percent of the transfer students. Whether they are dignitaries or wealthy, unqualified is unqualified, unless they donate a building to the school; otherwise, they can't pass this threshold with just a little contribution.

Of the remaining ten percent of students, five percent are directly eliminated by him, such as those from middle-class families, families without educational philosophies, or families centered around the parents... He can usually tell this at a glance.

Fushimi Sakurako is special; she has no parents and receives government subsidies. The school's influence on her is certainly greater than the family's.

If she is a piece of uncut jade, then she is worth polishing.

Fushimi Roku had no objections; he was eager to finish quickly, expressing that the exam could start anytime.

The assistant brought the exam paper without asking Fushimi Roku to avoid it. He mainly wanted to see if the child could maintain a normal mindset to answer under the double pressure of the principal and the parent. Some candidates usually perform well but fail at crucial exams—examining the child's stress tolerance is also a part of the evaluation.

The coffee table was relatively low, requiring a bent head and waist to write on the exam paper.

Taira Sakurako stood up directly, imitated Minamoto Tamako's sitting posture, smoothed an imaginary skirt, and knelt by the coffee table with her back still straight, maintaining a correct writing posture.

'Elegant!'

'So elegant!'

Principal Ando marveled in his heart. A child with such good upbringing must come from a prestigious family! As her brother, Mr. Fushimi must also be a gentleman who observes etiquette...

His gaze shifted, only to see Fushimi Roku sneakingly scratching his foot.

"..."

Actually, it wasn't Fushimi Roku's fault; his wound was scabbing and healing, very itchy. To be precise, it was both painful and itchy, and he couldn't resist scratching the edge of the wound.

Principal Ando pushed his glasses, thinking, after all, it's a family with different mothers and fathers, and their living habits are understandably different. Cоntеnt prеsеntеd by МV|LЕМР|YR.

He did not speak to disturb the silence, and everyone waited patiently, the reception room quiet save for the sound of the pen on paper.

After a dozen minutes, Taira Sakurako finished the test paper, gently pushed it forward, and returned to her seat without saying a word.

Principal Ando was very satisfied with her demeanor.

He put away the test paper, took out the answer sheet, compared scores, and gradually frowned.

On the two hundred-point exams, Fushimi Sakurako scored sixty in both, no more and no less, just passing.

This level is certainly no problem for primary school, but what kind of school are they? The "Waseda Industrial School Founding Statement" of 1901 said:

– "In today's world, one must abandon ostentation, take practical learning as the foundation, and cultivate talents to manage the world and benefit the people!"

How could a talent to manage the world and benefit the people only score sixty in national language and arithmetic?

Principal Ando sighed in his heart. This child is kind-hearted, observes etiquette, and is brave and strong. Unfortunately, she is not cut out for studying—a mere sixty score is plain and mediocre. He could only choose to reject her.

But he was also not the type of teacher to measure a student's value by exam scores. This child has a good personality and talent and may become a ski athlete in the future. He planned to write a recommendation letter, suggesting Fushimi Roku take his sister to Yanazawa Primary School, which has strong traditions and resources in sports.

When Fushimi Sakurako advances to middle or high school and achieves good results in competitions, she can still return to Waseda Industrial School for an interview—he's willing to admit talented students exceptionally.

Principal Ando had made up his mind. He drafted in his mind, crossed his ten fingers, coughed lightly, and was about to speak, when unexpectedly the assistant whispered in his ear: "Principal, you took the wrong test paper. This isn't the primary school's second-grade test..."

He frowned and reprimanded softly.

Earlier, he didn't look closely, just calculated the score roughly against the answer sheet. Upon closer inspection now, he found that it was a junior high second grade test paper in his hand.

This...

It couldn't be mistaken...

A definite genius!

Principal Ando's eyes lit up, and then he suddenly realized something, he couldn't help but raise his head and carefully look at Fushimi Sakurako.

From the first moment he entered the door, the expression on this child's face hadn't changed.

He had a vague guess in his heart. To verify whether it was true, he personally took out the primary school's second-grade test paper and asked Fushimi Sakurako to do it again.

"Sorry, I took the wrong test paper earlier. Please do it again..."