Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Math Classroom (2)
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"No way. Math symbols are the same in Korea too."
"Ah~ heh heh heh, sorry, I just don't know much~. You Koreans are so... proud of those characters that look like fish cakes~."
At this point, even the JKs who had initially taken it as a joke were turning pale. He was spewing outright anti-Korean remarks. Honestly, I don't have any patriotism, but this was grating on my nerves.
I was genuinely pissed. Should I just beat the crap out of him?
"Y-Yuu-gong. Allow me to apologize on your behalf."
Shizune whispered in my ear from the side. Her expression was stiff; she clearly knew that last remark was incredibly rude.
And when Shizune leaned in close to my lips, Sato's eyes twisted again. Looked like jealousy.
"Koreans seem especially proud of their math skills. Are you that type too, Yuu-sang? Care to give it a try?"
He was acting all cocky, guts practically hanging out. I could tell at a glance—this guy was one of those types.
The kind who gets scared shitless but gets mad at himself for being scared. A total wimp.
I'd been planning to play along vaguely and then tail him after class to find out where he lives, but nah, not with this asshole.
"Sure, why not. Doesn't look like much."
"Not much...? Ah, yeah, right. This one's pretty easy. It'd be weird if you couldn't solve it. No way a Korean exchange student couldn't handle something like this."
He bit hard.
Idiot.
Of course, the problem on the board was clearly way beyond beginner level at a glance. Limits and series expansions—you'd need that knowledge just to touch it.
A closer look showed it was blatantly rigged with traps. Logs, trig functions, a high-order term in the denominator converging to zero—you couldn't brute-force derivatives and expect to reach the answer.
Still, no big deal for me.
"Well, Yuu-sang."
Sato forced a friendly smile.
"Want to give it a shot?"
Repeating the same line over and over was just his way of trying to humiliate me. He wanted to bait me into saying, "I can't do it... sorry."
Even funnier—he hadn't even stated what the problem was asking.
I stared at him blankly and asked.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Can't even grasp it, huh. This is—"
"No, I mean... what is it asking?"
"Pardon?"
"Expand the series? Or find the radius of convergence?"
The guy's movements froze for a second. Guess he was dead certain I wouldn't have a clue.
"How...?"
The unspoken question: How does a musclehead like you understand the expression?
"Math prodigy? You seem to get the concepts pretty well. Crafting a tricky problem like this means you're not just some random major doing a side gig."
I snorted and started working on the board.
I skipped steps the girls wouldn't follow but hit the key points. Probably cleaner than if this jerk solved it himself.
"Tsk tsk. 0/0 form tempting L'Hôpital's, but using it leads you wrong. Pretty messy problem for beginners. How are basic students supposed to solve crap like this? As if this dirty trick helps them at all..."
"Guh...?"
I muttered loud enough for him to hear while solving, and I caught his jaw clenching.
Visibly rattled.
"At least you've got some conscience. Tailored to academy-level advanced calc."
Screeech!
With that, the chalk in my hand drew its final line.
I turned to see Shizune's mouth agape, eyes wide in shock. She didn't get it, but she knew I'd breezed through.
Whoa, I made the sleepy-eyed girl go full wide-awake.
Meanwhile, Sato stood there like a dummy, face frozen. Then he forced another smile and opened his mouth.
"Ha... haha. Creative solution. But didn't you skip a term in the expansion? Others might not follow."
That's the best nitpick he had?
I nodded.
"Ah~ want it simpler? If you insist, I'll explain. Want me to?"
"...Guh..."
Asking for an explanation looked pathetic; refusing just proved he was butthurt.
"Should I or not? No answer. Got honey stuck in your throat? Fine, I'll do it."
I chuckled and picked up the chalk again.
A completely different approach: applying the limit definition directly with substitution and division. Same answer. Showing two paths converging made the smarter girls nod in understanding.
"That enough? You there, getting the feel?"
"Ah, y-yes...!"
"Whoa~ impressive."
Her face flushed. Must feel good to be acknowledged.
The guy was seething with rage and embarrassment at not trapping me.
Time for me to ask something.
"Hey, Sato."
"...What."
"Saw a problem like this in a book recently. Couldn't solve it. Can you help?"
I wrote a sneaky one on the board. Seemed like a standard limit where numerator and denominator both go to zero.
But two variables—path-dependent multivariable limit trap.
"Find the limit of this... Teacher should do it in 10 seconds, right? No way slower than me—you're supposed to be amazing, heh heh heh."
All eyes turned to Sato.
He gave a ridiculous smile.
"Ha... unbelievable..."
Like, "Who do you think I am?"
His real skill would spot it wasn't easy, but he was hyped up now.
Staring up at my intimidating bulk, with 10 JKs and Shizune—who he'd been hitting on—watching.
He'd want to solve it fast and look cool.
Sure enough, obsessed with beating me, he rashly picked one path.
Along x-axis, terms cancel, answer 0.
Sato set down the chalk, satisfied.
"So the answer is 0."
Like, "Testing me with this kiddie stuff?" All smug.
He had no idea he'd been hooked.
"Really? Weird~."
I calculated the y-axis approach on the side. Numerator left with different order. Totally different result.
"Zero, right? Watching you sweat made an idea pop up... but looks like 'limit does not exist' to me."
Two contradictory results side by side on the board.
Whispers.
"Isn't that different from before?"
"Who's right...?"
I set down the marker and looked at Yusuke.
His eyes were shaking wildly.
"Thanks to Teacher Sato kindly showing a wrong example, I get it now. Appreciate it. Pfft... sorry."
My mocking tone with a hint of laughter finally cracked his facade.
"Whoa... Sato-sensei got it wrong...?"
"No way..."
Even worse, the JKs he'd been teaching were gossiping behind hands. Veins bulging on his forehead, he ground his teeth.
"You... math major? Heard you couldn't even differentiate."
"Me~? Math major? Nah... anyone struggling with trash like this couldn't be! Right, Sato?"
Said, "You're trash."
"Heh, haha... ha ha..."
Yusuke couldn't continue, busy controlling his twitching eyes.
Forcing his face rigid to hold back laughter, but deep in those pupils burned rage and humiliation.
Humiliated in front of the girls, caught in his own trap.
In the old days of zero student rights, he'd have slapped a kid for this.
Shizune covered her mouth, unable to hide her shock. The other girls buzzed, glancing at each other.
I dusted my hands and returned to my seat.
"Fun problem, Teacher. Self-sacrifice! True mentor spirit, using yourself as a stepping stone! I'm in awe. Puhahaha!"
His cheeks quivered now. Bloodshot eyes.
Whoa, facial tics on Reina's level. Impressive.
"...Good work, everyone. Class dismissed early today."
"Eh? But it's not over yet—"
Flash!
"Eek!?"
A girl who met Sato's sudden murderous glare shrank back.
Taking it out on innocents—what a pathetic jerk.
He grabbed his textbook and bolted from the class.
"S-Sanghyeon-gong! What just happened!?"
"Wooow!! Yuu-sang, Yuu-sang, teach us your secrets too!?"
Instant flood of high-fives.
Sure, childish emotions, but being swarmed by girls always feels great.