Press enter or click to view image in full size Hi. I’m Kan Soda, a sophomore at Zero High — an unconventional Japanese school built around founders and self-directed action, not exams. Two months ago, I was a student at Tokyo Metropolitan Nishi Senior High School, one of the most competitive public high schools in Japan. I felt like writing something down. So here it is: the last few years of my life. When did I start hating it at Nishi High? I’m not sure I can name the exact moment. Press enter or click to view image in full size Middle school. I genuinely loved figuring out how to study. In middle school I got obsessed with studying. I climbed to the top of my class almost without meaning to. I picked Nishi High because it sounded like it was full of interesting people. For the first few months, I was a model student like everyone else. Press enter or click to view image in full size A typical class at Nishi High. Homework in on time. Studying hard for every exam. Then came the summer of my first year.…