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Fujiwara Toru pulled out his phone and opened the Japanese version of "Yelp," searching for nearby restaurants that were still open and had good reviews.

Soon, he settled on a ramen shop.

Leaving the mansion at a leisurely pace, he decided against driving and instead walked to the ramen shop, mainly to familiarize himself with the surrounding area.

Exiting the mansion and stepping onto the roadside, he saw Asukayama Park across the street—one of the famous cherry blossom viewing spots. However, it was only early March, and the cherry blossoms wouldn’t bloom for at least another month.

The ramen shop was two kilometers away from where Toru lived. With no rush, he strolled slowly and arrived at his destination after about twenty minutes.

The ramen shop was small, resembling an izakaya (a Japanese pub). Its name began with "sugoyi," which could be colloquially translated as "Awesome Ramen."

Seeing the name, Toru chuckled and entered the shop.

"How many in your party?"

"Just one."

"Feel free to take any seat."

The chef behind the counter greeted Toru warmly.

The ramen shop was filled with salarymen unwinding after work, chatting in pairs while seated at the counter. Toru found an empty seat and sat down.

Next to him was a lone woman who exuded maturity and elegance. Her features were refined, and she carried herself with a casual, stylish confidence.

She wore a vest over what looked like a doctor's white coat, her sleek black hair flowing freely. At the moment, she was heartily slurping up her ramen.

"Boss, add more noodles!"

The woman called out loudly to the shop owner.

"Coming right up~"

The owner temporarily set aside the large pot he was working on, using long chopsticks to scoop noodles from another pot and placing them into her bowl before handing it over.

"No smoking allowed here! If you keep smoking and drinking like that, no wonder you can't find a boyfriend."

Seeing the woman pull out a cigarette, the owner immediately scolded her with a teasing tone. Clearly, they were well-acquainted, and she was a regular customer.

"Tch! Boss, why do you always bring that up?"

The woman in the vest grumbled irritably but obediently put the cigarette back. She glanced around, noticed Toru sitting next to her, and her eyes lit up. Turning to him, she said boldly:

"Hey, handsome, do you have a girlfriend?"

Toru froze, but before he could respond, the owner laughed and interjected: "Hiratsuka, don't scare off my customers. Besides, this kid looks like he’s still in high school."

"You're already pushing middle age, and you're a teacher at that! Not only are you trying to eat young grass, but you're also asking for trouble. I might just call the cops."

The woman retorted, flustered: "Stop exposing my secrets!"

Then, turning back to Toru, she continued: "Don't listen to him. Let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Hiratsuka Shizuka. You’re not really a high school student, are you?"

If he were, she’d have to back off—she couldn’t date someone who was practically her own student!

"My name is Fujiwara Toru. In two days, when school starts, I’ll officially be a university student."

Toru introduced himself with a gentle smile and a calm demeanor.

"Oh? Where did you attend high school? Maybe I know your teacher. How were your grades? Which university did you get into? It’s okay if you didn’t do well—just tell me honestly."

"I’ve taught high school seniors before. Life isn’t defined by a single exam—it doesn’t determine everything."

Hiratsuka spoke in a friendly, straightforward manner, adopting the tone of a teacher without coming across as awkward or insincere.

"I attended Shūchiin Academy during high school. As for the exams… I think I did pretty well. In two days, I’ll be enrolling at Tokyo University."

Toru spoke in a relaxed, matter-of-fact tone, as though this were nothing special.

As his words sank in, even the other customers nearby couldn’t help but glance at him.

Attending Shūchiin Academy meant that his family was either wealthy or influential—it was one of Tokyo’s most prestigious private schools. And now, despite such a privileged background, he had also passed the entrance exam for Tokyo University. His future truly seemed bright, worlds apart from their lives as overworked office workers.

Hiratsuka was momentarily stunned.

She hadn’t expected the casually dressed young man sitting beside her to be so impressive.

Going to Shūchiin Academy wasn’t surprising—it simply indicated wealth or connections. But passing the entrance exam for Tokyo University? That made him extraordinary.

"This isn’t just 'doing well'—this is doing exceptionally well."

Hiratsuka sighed. "If even one of my students could get into Tokyo University, I’d feel like all my efforts as a teacher haven’t been wasted."

The owner brought over a bowl of ramen and placed it in front of Toru, then joked with Hiratsuka: "This guy’s a top-tier student from Tokyo University. He’s probably way out of your league, Hiratsuka. Looks like you’re still not finding a boyfriend anytime soon."

Infuriated, Hiratsuka shouted: "Shut up! Bring me a beer—I’m drinking extra tonight!"