The train announced his stop. He stood up, adjusted his tie, and added, "The listening section has trick questions. Watch for ～てしまう. That's free advice."

Yuki had been studying for the JLPT N3 for three months. Her desk was piled with textbooks, but her favorite was Goukaku Dekiru N3 . The layout was clean, the grammar points came in small, manageable chunks, and each unit ended with a mock test that felt exactly like the real exam.

Yuki zoomed in on Unit 7: ～ばかりだ, ～つつある, ～かねない. The train jolted. Her phone slipped. For a heart-stopping second, it slid between the legs of a businessman in a gray suit. He caught it with surprising speed.