After everyone had eaten their birthday cake, Michiko took out the revision materials and handed them over, saying, "Alice, these materials are two copies, one is for the primary semester and the other is for the secondary semester, you and Ronnie can look at them first, and if you don't understand you can ask my brother, he is a very good learner, and these are issued by the city-state, so don't lose them, and we have to take them back."
"Thanks!" Alice said as she reached out and took them.
"The City-state has exams at the end of every month, today is the twenty-fourth, there are five or six days left. If you don't pass this time, you can take it again next month," Michiko explained.
Ronnie picked up one of the piles of review material, looked at it and said, "Sis, I can memorize this information in two hours.”
Alice nodded and said nothing. Michiko wasn't convinced though, "Ronnie, you're getting braggadocious now, it took me a week to read these materials.”
"I'm serious, if you don't believe me, ask my sister, I'm smart," Ronnie exclaimed.
Ignoring his words, Alice pointed to the blue flag hanging outside the window and asked, "Why was the last flag pattern you designed triangular? does it have any meaning?"
"Haha! You finally asked, I've been trying to explain to you, the cave here is called 'Umbrella House', the triangle represents the umbrella, the circle inside alludes to the burning flame, the X-line represents the fiery ferocity of the blaze, and it symbolizes a firm belief that burns like a flame and lasts forever,”Ronnie said with a smug look on his face.
"Not bad, you're pretty good," Alice touched his head and praised him.
At that time, Hasegawa, who was standing on the side, suddenly laughed and said, "Ronnie, why is the pattern of the flag you designed almost the same as the flag of the 'New World'? did you steal someone else's design?"
Ronnie was worried when he heard this and defended himself, "No way, I made the pattern myself, I've never seen what the pattern of the 'New World' looks like.”
Alice was also surprised and asked, "Hasegawa, do you have the pattern for the New World flag? can I see it?"
"Of course I do!" Hasegawa pressed his nine-star watch a few times, and an AR-generated flag appeared in front of the crowd, "This is the flag of the city-state!" He said. Ronnie had sharp eyes and immediately pointed it out, "What's the same? The X in the center of their design doesn't go through the circle, and they also have an eagle standing on their triangle, which mine doesn't have."
Hasegawa also compared them carefully and apologized, "Ronnie, maybe it's just a coincidence, but they really are so similar.”
Fearing that the two of them would argue, Alice changed the subject, "Hasegawa, are your parents still alive? I didn't hear you mention them."
"Like you, Michiko and I have no parents. Our parents were exiles who died within a few years after leaving the city-state," Hasegawa sighed, a sad expression on his face.
"I'm sorry to bring up your sadness."
"Today is your birthday, instead of talking about these things, how about we get up and dance like last time?" Michiko said.
"Michiko, why do you like dancing so much?" Ronnie couldn't help but ask rhetorically.
"Didn't you have so much fun dancing last time, you kept pulling my hand and wouldn't let go."
"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get up if you were drunk, what do you think of my kindness?"
"Well, count your conscience, will you still dance with me this time?"
"Sister and Hasegawa are jumping together, what choice do I have? I'm out of luck."
As soon as Ronnie finished speaking, Michiko had already come over to hold his hand and the two of them danced slowly to the music, "Ronnie, do you think Sister is pretty?" Michiko asked suddenly.
"Of course my sister is pretty, all the women in Shire Town put together are not as pretty as her."
Michiko froze as she pointed at herself and said, "I mean me, not your sister Alice."
"Oh ... forget about you. you're not as good-looking as me," Ronnie said with a straight face.
Michiko's cheeks instantly flushed and she reached out to slap him, "What do you know!"
"I'm just being honest, you're really not that good looking. Not as good as my sister."
"I'm going to get mad if you keep saying that!" Michiko pouted and pretended to be angry.
Next, Alice and Hasegawa joined in, and the four of them got more and more into the dance, and time passed quickly. The next morning, Michiko and Hasegawa went to school early, Alice and Ronnie ate something and started preparing for the entrance exam, Ronnie took the revision material Michiko brought and memorized it all in one hour, there's just something about it he doesn't quite understand, he wanted to wait until the next time Hasegawa came. Alice wasn't as smart and struggled a bit to learn. Her foundation was too poor and she hadn't been to school properly.
Ronnie looked at her and asked, "Sis, I've memorized everything. how about you?"
Alice blushed slightly, lowered her head, averted her eyes and whispered, "I've only seen page seven, there's a lot I don't understand."
"Then take your time reading it, I'm going to go play for a while."
"Ronnie, do you think Sister is stupid?"
"No! I think everyone is stupid," Ronnie said with a smile.
The siblings went about their own business, and in the evening, the Hasegawa siblings came over again with food. Michiko asked, "How are you two getting ready? do you need any help?"
"I have a few questions I'd like to ask Hasegawa." Ronnie said, taking out his study materials and pointing to some chemistry questions.
"Ronnie, you're taking middle school questions, you should start with elementary first," Hasegawa said.
"Elementary school is too easy, I'll go to middle school like my sister."
"Then I'll ask you some questions, and if you can answer them, you can go to middle school, okay?"
"You don't have to ask, I'll memorize them all for you." Ronnie didn't say anything and went straight to memorizing all of his hundred pages of review material for elementary school.
Michiko was stunned when she heard this, "Ronnie, did you study it all before? otherwise you wouldn't have memorized it so fast."
"I didn't, don't you dare accuse me," Ronnie rolled his eyes.
Alice explained, "It's true that Ronnie didn't study before, he grew up with an exceptionally good memory and can't forget it."
"Guys, I'm not lying!" Ronnie shrugged and said with his hands outstretched.
Hasegawa said, "Then Ronnie is a genius, he should be able to go straight to middle school.”
Michiko smiled back and said, "Little Ronnie, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were that good.”
When they finished talking, Hasegawa explained all the questions that Ronnie couldn't do. Ronnie understood and quickly grasped the content.
After that, Hasegawa went back to ask Alice, "Do you want me to help you?"
"Yes, there are still many things I don't know." Alice couldn't compare with Ronnie, it took her six hours to learn one twentieth of the course.
This made her a little depressed, "I guess I'm really not good at studying!"
"Alice, do you have no confidence in yourself because you think Ronnie is a fast learner? You know, you're already pretty good compared to ordinary people, Michiko would learn even slower than you if she didn't have a foundation. People like Ronnie are different, you can't compare yourself to him, "Hasegawa comforted her.
After hearing that, Alice calmed down a little and asked, "Hasegawa, what grade are you in now?”
"City-state elementary school is for kids from four to eleven, middle school is for kids from twelve to fifteen, and at sixteen you can go to university, but these are general rules, if you learn fast you can pass the exam and go straight to the next grade, I'm in the third year of university now, I've moved up a grade."
"So when Ronnie goes to high school, won't he jump three grades?"
"Yes, I've heard that the best student in the city-state right now has jumped seven grades and is now in his second year of graduate school at the age of seventeen."
"It seems there are a lot of smart people in this world. Hasegawa, you're not bad either, smarter than me."
"How am I considered smart? I'm just harder working," Hasegawa replied with some embarrassment.