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Ah, it’s almost that time of the year again: the dreaded high school entrance examination season. In Japan, high school and college entrance exams, held in early March before the start of the new school year in April, are the bane of every student’s existence. To get into a top-notch school or university, students need to pass a grueling entrance examination, for which they will study months on end until they essentially become zombie slaves with no social lives.

However, Sofmap, a retailer of new and used electronics in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, is apparently using a different tactic to cheer on stressed-out students before their exams. The following twee, which shows a rather inappropriate sign found in the store, almost makes us question the sanity of the store’s employees.

The night before a big exam, it’s typical for students to eat a Japanese dish called katsudon (katsu can be read as both “cutlet” and the verb “to win”) for luck, or nibble on some Kit-Kats (by lucky coincidence, “Kit-Kat” pronounced in Japanese sounds like the phrase kitto katsu, or “you’ll definitely win!”). But it would seem that Sofmap feels enough of those kids are instead spending their study time in their store, so decided to create this rather awkward message of support.

Here’s the (not-so-subtle) sexual sign that was spotted by one Twitter user:

a2“Akiba Sofmap Main Store wishes
good luck to all the students preparing for exams!
All of the b**bs on the erotic games floor are waiting for you!
One point advice:
All you need are two b**bs and one d**k.”

Girl’s message underneath: “What on earth is Sofmap doing…?”

…OK. We’re not quite sure what to make of that, either.

Here are the reactions of some Japanese netizens when they saw the tweet:

“It means, “If you pass, then feel free to come here and buy something!” But really, stop it.”

“Doesn’t “No one under 18 allowed” leave out high schoolers to begin with…?”

“Students preparing for entrance exams do not always have to equal high school students. So it’s safe!”

“They’re saying that if you pass and once you turn 18 THEN you can come, right?”

”The staff must have officially lost it.”

“Well, you can buy erotic games whether you study hard or not…”

“They’re probably targeting ronin.” [Ronin are students who have failed getting into their university of choice and spend the following year studying to take the same exam again.]

“The most disgusting part is that they’re trying to use this as motivation.”

Oh, Japan. Regardless of whether this ad was actually targeting underage kids or not, sometimes you really do worry me…

Source/Images: Hachimakiko