Chapter four (segment nine), twenty four years earlier, May, Nakagawa

Principal Nakagawa nodded at Hamarugen as the presentation proceeded. The kid had been right all along, and whatever doubts remained from their conversation yesterday vanished.

In terms of relative competence the students from Sweden were light years ahead when it came to present concepts in a readily understandable way. Glumly he admitted that the girl on the screen probably was better at it than most of his teaching staff. And she was Japanese with only a few years experience from a foreign educational system.

Still, that system performed atrociously on average. At least according to international tests. But Hamarugen had something else in mind.

Nakagawa listened and watched, and understood. How the planned summer schedule would mesh with the one in Japan. Because on this end Hamarugen and Ageruman had fired up their own thoroughly professional presentation. That they would be able to was less surprising. He knew their backgrounds after all.

But those Swedish high school students. That was troublesome.

“Until you find another teacher,” he had said. That was no longer an option. He'd stay on as advisor for as long as possible. Hamarugen had suggested they use the exchange club as a learning platform based on his experiences from providing educations in his previous life.

I knew the arrivals were important, but I had forgotten their impact when they're there in real life.

Obviously a lot was thoroughly rotten with the foreign education system, but stealing what worked was pure brilliance. You'll have your 'walking talking' sessions. As long as your club members perform better than average. And they would, he knew that. Himekaizen Cultural Exchange Club was turning into a thinly disguised cram school. No, something different than merely a cram school.

Somewhere deep inside Nakagawa realised Hamarugen wouldn't stop there. “I can't transform Japan by myself, but I can create those who will, and I will start here,” he had said. Kiddo, you know, you might just be able to.

Nakagawa watched how the Swedish students tried to adapt to the pacing of a near perfect, professional presentation given by two persons who had done this for a living. He watched how those students made a frighteningly good job at it.

You two, you're inside this small room in Tokyo, and you're changing people on another continent. You scare me.