Chapter 129: Multiple Choice: 1, 2, or All of the Above?

That day on the way home, there were indeed advertisements of all sizes posted near Hiroo Station.

All of them were covers of "Detective A".

There were also promotional slogans:

【"Please write my name on the book cover, then add 'wildly sought after' — a certain bestselling author."】

"Brother!" Ono Mizuki lowered her voice, yet still couldn't hide her excitement and thrill.

Seeing his own novel's promotional ads — so this is what it feels like, Qingshan Li thought.

"Li."

Qingshan Li looked at Ono Mika.

【8】 "Let's take a photo." Smiling, Ono Mika held up her mobile phone.

"Take a photo." Ono Mika, smiling, held a Mobile Phone.

"Okay!"

In front of the promotional ads, Qingshan Li struck pose after pose in a put-on manner — gazing, ignoring passersby, detective, heart sign, and so on.

They took group photos too.

Him with Mika, him with Mizuki, Mika with Mizuki, him with Mika and Mizuki.

Boarding the train home, their emotions still hadn't calmed down.

"Too bad it's got nothing to do with me anymore, can't get the money." Qingshan Li sighed.

"If it gets adapted into a movie, anime, or stage play, you'd still get money, right?" Ono Mizuki said expectantly.

"Maybe."

"Then let's go watch together!" Ono Mizuki said excitedly, "Who'll play the female lead? Hamabe Minami? Touma Ami? I so want an autograph!"

Qingshan Li mused, "If the director asks my opinion, I'd recommend Ono Mizuki."

Ono Mika, thinking seriously, immediately looked over: "Height's not enough, right?"

Always gentle and composed, she was a bit worked up at this moment too.

Ono Mizuki glared at her sister, as if about to jump up and punch her.

Ono Mika covered her lips and averted her gaze.

"Not tall enough. Indeed a problem." So both sisters stared at Qingshan Li with reproachful eyes.

Buzz~

"Oh, a message." Qingshan Li took out his phone as if nothing had happened.

He wasn't the only one who got a notification — someone posted in the 【Sunny Band Club】.

It was Drummer Mumi.

She posted her study results in the group every day.

The system's cram school effect was indeed powerful.

Like drinking water and quenching thirst instantly, Drummer Mumi's math grades climbed steadily.

Not just cram school exams, even school quizzes showed obvious improvement.

【Drummer Mumi: Everyone, wait for my return!】

【Ono Mika: This Saturday, Sunday, study sessions every afternoon at my place. Mumi, you coming?】

【Drummer Mumi: Coming!】

【Drummer Mumi: I'll tell my family, trick them into going to the cram school's self-study room early to study!】

【Bass Sakurako: Damn, guess we really have to hold study sessions then!】

【F·Rino: Huh? Senior, what did you originally plan to do?】

【Bass Sakurako: Mika's place is pretty big, I wanted to play hide-and-seek. Whoever gets caught must be 'played with' by the 'ghost' for ten seconds!】

【Agatsuma Haruka: There's no such game】

【Agatsuma Haruka: Mumi, don't worry and come. Because of you, everyone doesn't dare slack off in studying either. It'll be a serious study session!】

【Drummer Mumi: Because of me? I want to cry.】

【F·Rino: Inspiration came!】

【Drummer Mumi: Don't you write it!】

Saturday morning, Agatsuma Haruka, Bass Sakurako, and F·Rino arrived early at the Aoshan Ono Family home and trained with Ono Mika.

In the afternoon study session, Bass Sakurako was more serious than anyone.

After the study session ended, they left with Drummer Mumi and went to their respective cram schools.

Meanwhile Qingshan Li, Ono Mika, and Ono Mizuki continued studying at home.

Japanese high schools have many activities, one after another — early May ball games tournament, late May long-distance running tournament; early June workplace visit, mid-June forest school — camping.

The more time for play, the harder one must study when reading.

Monday, not even the sounds of the brass band club, cheerleading club, or sports clubs could be heard anymore; time drew closer to the midterm exams day by day.

When the campus fell completely silent, the midterm exams began.

Class 1-3.

"Can Senior Mumi return to the band?" After finishing a question and starting the next, Ono Mizuki would occasionally wonder.

Class 2-1.

"Good thing, science isn't as hard as the monthly exam. Hope my grades don't drop. Mumi, you do your best too!" F·Rino worked seriously on the problems.

Class 2-4.

"Recently secretly cramming national language, some effect too." Qingshan Li thought while solving problems, "This time's goal: rank 37 in the whole year. There's hope."

Third Year.

"Questions got easier, but what matters isn't the score, it's the school ranking." Bass Sakurako had her own direction.

"Mumi, add oil! I'll also get into the Top 50! The band won't give up, and grades will improve too!" Agatsuma Haruka received the exam paper and took a deep breath.

"Li, as the elder sister, I have the duty to protect this home. I'll get into my First Choice University, earn more money, and protect you and Miyuki." Ono Mika tied her hair up behind her ears and answered the questions seriously.

Class 2-2.

"Done for, done for!" Drummer Mumi clutched her stomach.

After school on Friday, everyone gathered in the Sunny Band Club.

From the open window came the shouts of the Sports Clubs, and the Brass Band's instrument sounds drifted about.

After a moment of quiet, Agatsuma Haruka asked: "Mumi, how did the exam go?"

"My stomach hurt during the exam!"

"Is it your menstruation?" Agatsuma Haruka glanced at Qingshan Li, but wasn't embarrassed.

"No, it's nervousness." Drummer Mumi replied, "But during math it got better, because I knew how to do so many questions!"

"That's great!" Everyone showed smiles.

Knowing how to do them doesn't mean being able to get them right — Qingshan Li didn't say it out loud; pouring cold water at this time would have no effect on the exam results anyway.

He was thinking of another thing: today is the release date of "Detective A".

If he didn't feel the topic everyone was chatting about was serious — grades, the club's survival — playing with his phone wouldn't be good; he had already gone online to check evaluations.

Sales started at nine o'clock in the morning; by now it should have already stirred up ripples online.

Most importantly, he cared a lot about sales volume.

How many copies can it sell?

Can it repay Mikami Ai and Miyase Yaeko's kindness?

Mikami Ai is like that too; whether evaluations or sales, she should have news, so why hasn't she sent it to him?

Could it be the grades are bad?

"Little Brother, why do you have the expression of someone with frequent urination, but too embarrassed to reveal it, so you can only silently endure it?" Bass Sakurako asked curiously.

Everyone looked at Qingshan Li.

"Would diapers or sanitary pads be of any help?" Agatsuma Haruka tried to say.

"Once a certain bottom line is crossed, even I would hit a woman." Qingshan Li raised his fist.

Back when Ono Mika was still working part-time at the Dental Hospital, he had hit her.

"Could it be... you didn't do well?" F·Rino asked even more nervously.

"Wait!" Bass Sakurako interrupted, "There's a question: bad grades or frequent urination, which do you choose? Mumi, you answer first!"

"Eh? Hmm, I choose frequent urination."

"Naive, bad grades can be solved by self-reliance, I choose bad grades!" Agatsuma Haruka said.

"If it's frequent urination, even good grades are useless, right?"

"Didn't I just say? You can use diapers or sanitary pads."

"Taking the exam while peeing?"

"Taking the exam while bleeding, I've done that too."

"Qing Shan Jun, what do you think?" Drummer Mumi asked.

Qingshan Li sighed.

Memory Awakening, Second Life, having a system, being an orphan, and also working part-time — fine, but why do I have to make a choice here, between "bad grades" and "frequent urination"?

"Go practice!" He truly got angry.

Like a group of mice that stole milk — except for Ono Mika — everyone scattered in a hubbub, hurriedly picking up their instruments.

"Definitely bad grades." F·Rino murmured.

"Is it my fault?" Drummer Mumi said.

"Getting angry from embarrassment like this, it's definitely frequent urination." Bass Sakurako comforted.

"Li doesn't have that kind of illness." Ono Mika smiled wryly — she spoke while holding the microphone.

"Then it's bad grades." Agatsuma Haruka gave the conclusion.

"Life isn't a multiple choice question." Ono Mika said.

"So Little Brother plans to take both?" Bass Sakurako said.

Qingshan Li stood up.

Just like background music for a character in a movie, the moment he started moving, the Sunny Band's music immediately rang out.

(Chapter End)