Chapter 21: Petrified
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing, Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing…
It’s time to wake up. I slowly remove my eye mask and turn off the alarm.
The eye mask. When I told Shizune that the curtains in my room cannot be shut tight, she bought me this thing. “Such a simple problem” as she claimed. Indeed, it was a simple problem. I didn’t manage myself well enough in the past.
Can’t rely on the President like this. I need to be more independent.
I pull myself up from my bed, perform my daily rituals, take my seventeen life-saving pills, and head towards the kitchen.
Let’s prepare breakfast according to Shizune’s procedures. Pour water into the pot. Turn on the gas. Get today’s portion of oatmeal using a measuring cup. Get milk and eggs from the fridge. Break the eggs. Mix the eggs. Wait for the water to boil.
When the water boils, pour the oatmeal into the pot. Stir well. Add the milk. Add the eggs. Stir while cooking for a few minutes. Done.
I pour the oatmeal into a bowl, wash all the dishes quickly, and return to my room carefully with my oatmeal. I desperately need to dodge Kenji at all costs if I want to preserve my breakfast and my morning.
Especially this morning. Today is a very special day.
When I close and lock the door, I can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief. I put down my oatmeal bowl and prepare myself for a last-minute revision of the last few mock exam papers.
Oh yeah, I should check if I have everything in my bag. Stationery. Notes. ID card. Water bottle. No calculator for today. Gloves. And, last but not least, my music player and earphones; their purpose will be clear very soon.
Yes. Today’s the first day of the National Center Test. I’m slightly nervous, since it’ll be the first time I participate in a public exam on a national level. On the other hand, I’m extremely confident. In my previous mock exam run with Shizune, I got an average of 85, even though I lost that duel again. Barring maybe a sudden blackout, I’m going to pass the exam easily.
Yet, I still want to score as high as possible. I want the scholarship.
And win against my ex-girlfriend rival.
But before entering the exam venue, let’s sit down, enjoy my oatmeal, and start my final revision session.
Shizune is probably doing the same; I don’t think she’s going to oversleep for this occasion. Misha, however, might. I hope Shizune can wake her up in case she does.
I can’t believe I find oatmeal delicious. If Shizune didn’t become part of my life, I most likely would have gotten myself a cup of coffee, which should keep me awake but will compromise my health. Oatmeal is infinitely better.
When I’m half-done with my oatmeal, I hear several knocks on my door.
I’m very used to Shizune’s knock, so I’m 100% sure this is not from her. I really hope this is Misha. But when I swing the door open, my hopes are cruelly dashed to the point that I had to fight hard to resist letting out a sigh of frustration.
“Hey roomie!”
Man! I tried so hard and successfully dodged him during my breakfast preparations, but he came personally to knock on my door anyway.
“I’m not your roomie, Kenji. We don’t live in the same room.”
“Whatever. I tried knocking on your door last night, but you didn’t answer.”
Let’s make my replies short and get rid of him as soon as possible.
“What time was that?”
“Around midnight. I need your notes on the aerodynamics stuff. I heard that you did very well on Physics, so I want your help.”
I’m fortunate not being able to hear his knocking. Otherwise, I think I might fail today’s exams.
“I see. I was sleeping. I sleep at 11pm.”
Unsurprisingly to me, my “roomie” reels in shock at my normal routine.
“What? You slept? Today’s the exam! How could you sleep right before the exam?”
Isn’t it common sense to sleep well before exams? Well, I guess this “friend” of mine doesn’t necessarily adhere to general rules of life.
“Why not? I’m fully prepared! And by sleeping, I recover enough energy to do well in the exams.”
“No! You cannot sleep! I’ve heard that the girls here are extremely dangerous!”
The truth is, someone who doesn’t sleep at night is extremely dangerous.
“How?”
“I know their venomous plan! They want to dominate the education sector by sending more of their troops into universities. They will do anything to deny men of tertiary education! Once they control all the universities, they will take all the good jobs, get all the money, and make better weapons to wipe out all male beings in the entire world!”
I really shouldn’t waste my precious revision time on Kenji.
“And how’s that related to sleeping?”
“You don’t know!? They can picklock the door and sneak into your room. Then they steal all your notes and spray some powder onto your nose, and you’ll be asleep until the exams end! They have so many strategies to keep us from entering university!”
The fact is, you are the one who’s keeping me from entering university.
I decide to leave our feminine conspiracy discussions for another day. Fortunately, I have enough experience with this particular schoolmate to quickly dismiss him.
“You’re right. I’ll make sure to be more watchful from now on.”
Which is to verbally agree with him and promise to do a better job, except that have no intention to.
“Good bro. Now, I need your notes. Quick.”
In order to protect my sanity, I should throw him some of my old notes which I don’t need any more. He probably won’t be able to read them all before the Physics exam starts, and after the exam, well, everybody throws the notes away.
“Gimme a second. Here. Take it.”
“Thanks bro. Hey, what’s that food on the table? It looks very suspicious!”
“It’s oatmeal. Nothing special.”
“What? Oatmeal? It’s deadly, dude! Only women eat oatmeal! If you keep eating oatmeal, you can turn into a girl!”
I need to protect my oatmeal at all costs!
“No. There’s a man’s picture on the cover of the oatmeal box. I’ve been eating oatmeal for some time, and it’s healthy. I’m as manly as ever. What’s more, I cooked this myself earlier this morning, so nobody can poison it. Don’t worry.”
“Oh, maybe I made a mistake then. But bro, be on guard as always.”
Again, the best way to dismiss the only sane man left in the planet, or so he claims to be, is to verbally agree with him and his female conspiracy theories.
“Sure, I won’t disappoint you.”
“Good. Thanks for the notes. See ya.”
I breathe an even heavier sigh of relief when I lock the door again, finally safe from potential random acts of craziness from him such as tosses of apple fragments into the rubbish bin after rebounding from the dormitory walls.
I’m happy that my breakfast is still intact, just a little bit cooler. I’ll add some hot water on it.
Well, at least the nightmare is over. Now I can finally enjoy my meal safely.
It’s almost time for the first exam. Shizune called me on phone, and I disconnected. We established this practice two months ago. Whenever either person wants to remind the other of something, just make a call. If the other party disconnects, that means the reminder is taken.
I didn’t ask for my rival’s reminder today, but she did it anyway. How caring.
With all the necessary notes on my backpack, I set off for the exam hall for the first battle of the week. The Student Council should be waiting for me.
My hands are shaking involuntarily. Not only because this is my first public exam, but also due to the cold weather. I hate having exams in the middle of a winter. Let me put on a pair of hand gloves. Again, another cool suggestion given by none other than our Student Council President.
I love you, Shizune.
When I arrive at the scene, I immediately sense that something’s wrong. Instead of studying their notes or cramming their textbooks, almost all the students are whispering to each other. I see a stretcher, followed by some school nurses, heading towards where I believe is the girls’ dormitory.
Oh man, don’t tell me Shizune or Misha got hurt.
I notice, from afar, a teacher pointing towards the exam hall, and students start following the teacher’s order. Seems to be Lilly’s homeroom teacher. Now that the students start to move in, I can see Lilly standing next to her teacher, probably making some polite exchanges.
Also, for the first time since more than two months ago, I’m finally able to see Hanako again. She’s talking to the girl who I recognize as Natsume from the newspaper club. Natsume sticks out a hand to Hanako, who puts her hand on top of Natsume’s. The two then give a defiant nod to each other and follow the rest of the students into the exam hall. Lilly slowly follows them as well after bowing to her homeroom teacher.
We never heard from Mutou again after our appointment two months ago. Maybe Hanako will be fine after all. I really hope her therapist helped.
My eyes unexpectedly go blind. For a split second, I thought my “sudden blackout” proposition has become a reality for some unknown reason. Then a bubbly voice tells me I’m still physically functional.
“Guess who, Hicchan?”
“Definitely not Misha.”
I respond reflexively, but then I realize immediately that I’m actually correct, because the fingers that are covering my eyes are much slimmer. Knowing that my crush must be standing very close to me, I feel my heartbeat instantly doubling, my face turning red, and my body temperature rising. Which is great, because it’s really cold standing outside of the building.
“You’re right~! How d’you know, Hicchan??”
[Good morning, Shizune.]
When my eyesight gets restored, I see my neighbor in front of me and her best friend coming to my side. My crush is surprisingly crossed.
[It’s not a proper etiquette to make girls wait for you.]
If that’s why you’re unhappy, it’s fine. I’m relieved that neither of you got hurt.
[“Sorry, Shizune. I wanted to study a bit more in my room. You know, today’s going to be tough for me, even though I’m well-prepared. We’re on time, aren’t we?”]
Today I’ll have Ethics and Japanese History. Two of my worst subjects. My ex-girlfriend seems to understand my concern.
[Yes. The students are entering already, so let’s get in too.]
[“Wait.”]
I want to repeat Hanako’s gesture. Removing my gloves, I stick out my right hand. The girls immediately understand. Shizune puts her hand on mine, and Misha puts hers on Shizune’s.
[“Let’s do our best together!”]
[Yes. We’ll do our best.]
[“Try your best, Hicchan and Shicchan~!!”]
We give each other a firm nod, and enter the exam hall together. The brief body contact with my crush settling me a bit, I prepare myself mentally for a grueling week of decisive battles. Let’s put my gloves on again.
I think I did okay in the Ethics exams. Japanese History is coming up in the afternoon. Lunch break first though, and the best partners for lunch have to be the Student Council members. In order to block myself from worrying about the previous exam or the upcoming one, I volunteered to order food for the girls and serve them with everything they need. Then we eat our lunch in relative silence, none of us having the desire to discuss about the exams.
Well, the idea of not talking about exams during exam breaks is, surprisingly, provided by the President. She claims that it is for emotional management. In addition, in order to block ourselves from unintentionally overhearing others’ comments on their exam performance, she told us to bring our music players such that we can listen to music while exiting the exam venue without being able to hear anything (music players are allowed in the exam venue as long as you don’t take them out). As a result, we created a hilarious scene of all three of us meeting in the cafeteria wearing earphones. As funny as it looks like, Shizune’s idea worked wonders. My mood is no longer affected by random (and possibly wrong) comments such as “the answer to Question two is B”, so I’m able to mentally focus on the upcoming exam in the afternoon. And the idea makes total sense because discussing how you did isn’t going to change your score anyway.
Of course we remove our earphones after finding ourselves a corner in the cafeteria away from everybody else.
I’m suddenly reminded of the stretcher this morning. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it to the girls.
[“Did anything happen in the morning? I saw a stretcher heading towards presumably the girls’ dorm.”]
My rival puts down her chopsticks and nods, confirming what I witnessed.
[So you noticed. It was Inoue.]
I choke on my ramen upon hearing the familiar name. I need to drink a glass of water before being able to reply.
[“You mean Naomi Inoue?”]
Misha’s helpless shrug tells me the affirmative.
[“Yup. She had an epileptic seizure this morning, and had to be carried by a stretcher.”]
[“Oh no! Will there be any make-up exam for her?”]
The President’s stern facial expression tells me no.
[Regulations regarding the Center Test are extremely strict, and there’s no chance for a retake.]
[“So Naomi’s going to fail the test?”]
This time it’s Shizune who gives me a helpless shrug.
[Unfortunately. She’ll have to take it again next year if she wants to enter university.]
Next. Year.
Oh. My. Goodness.
My head is spinning right now, even though my heart is doing fine. I need some time to digest the news.
So it turns out that you can practically waste a whole year because your body decides to screw up and prevent you from taking the exam. I never thought about that possibility. Well, I did think about a “sudden blackout”, but I never linked it to the triggering of a disability, and I didn’t expect the consequence would be so big.
If my heart condition had kicked up this morning, all of the hard work with my study group for the past few months would have been completely for naught. In other words, If Shizune didn’t write me that lifestyle changing letter, I can’t imagine what would have happened to me today.
“Sup, Hisao?”
I never knew having a disability can affect your exams to this extent.
“Hisao?”
If I had kept the same lifestyle as the beginning of my Yamaku school life, I could’ve easily triggered a heart condition during the exam. Say, who knows what would have happened if I was drinking coffee daily instead of eating oatmeal?
“Hisao!”
If Shizune didn’t force me to start studying way before the Center Test, I would have been cramming overnight. That might also trigger a heart attack.
“Hiiiisaaaaaaooooooo!!!!”
If I didn’t sleep at 11pm last night, Kenji’s sudden visit might have been disastrous.
“HISAO!!”
“Huh!”
I feel a forceful pat on my shoulder. I reflexively turn around to greet the person who just dragged me out from all those random thoughts.
“Almost thought you got petrified! Are you alright, boy?”
“Sorry Miki, I was spacing out.”
And I’m still partially confused.
“Figured. You’re always spacing out. What’s keeping your mind busy this time?”
“Nothing. I, I mean…”
“Hi Miura, we’re talking about the accident this morning.”
My brown skin classmate produces the same helpless shrug as my lunch partners’.
“Oh yeah, how unfortunate. Can’t do anything.”
“I just heard the news from them. I am shell-shocked. It hit me really hard.”
My face must be as pale as a ghost now.
“Makes sense that you didn’t know ‘bout it earlier. Happened in the girls’ dorm.”
“I was thinking, if I had a heart condition before or during the exams, it would have been game over for me.”
“Yeah. Can see why it hit you so hard. ‘ve got to take care of your health, boy.”
“Thanks to Shizune, I’ve been able to handle things quite well. How ‘bout you? Haven’t seen you in a while.”
The stumped girl gives me another casual shrug, this time it’s more like a “whatever” rather than “helpless”.
“Your idea really helped. I might limp through, with some luck maybe.”
“How did you fare in your mock papers?”
“Tried several of them. Got 52 on average. Gives me some hope.”
That has to be way better than before, given that she failed her Mock Exams (since she has to take supplementary classes). At least she is now passing.
“Try your best, Miki. I root for you. Remember, our friendship is on the line. Suzu’s too.”
“Gee, thanks for reminding! I’ll try my very best. Promise.”
“Good girl. Where are the folks?”
“Over there. Wanna join us?”
“I’ll come over in five minutes. But promise me, no exam discussions.”
“Sure. See ya in a while.”
As Miki waves us bye and heads back to presumably Suzu and our friends, I turn my attention back to my remaining ramen and my study group members.
[“So, a fourth year for Naomi then?”]
[I don’t know. Fourth years in Yamaku has been exceptionally rare.]
[“Really? Then what happens to Naomi?”]
[Transfer to another school. That is, if there’s one available and is willing to accept an epileptic.]
The logical conclusion of our discussion gives me an ominous feeling about Naomi. Now I’m curious why Hanako hasn’t fainted from the news.
[“If no school is going to accept her, does that mean she’ll have to quit high school and go to work?”]
[Well, you can always self-study, like what Yuuko is doing. But you obviously need a great deal of self-discipline to do so. And whether you need to go to work depends on your family’s financial situation.]
In other words, Naomi is basically screwed.
[“Are you alright, Hicchan~?”]
I hope my complexion has gotten better after finishing my ramen.
[“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… Still shocked by the news.”]
Wearing a worrying face, Shizune reaches across the table to get hold of my hand, then faces me directly.
[I understand your concern, but we should let the staff handle her case. We’ve got an exam to take care of.]
Yeah, she’s right. It’s not the time to space out again. Need to focus on the next battle. Naomi, I wish you a swift recovery, and perhaps I’ll pay you a visit after the exams if you’re still stuck in the hospital.
[“You’re right. And look, it’s almost time to go back to the hall.”]
[Yes. Misha, let’s go.]
After taking care of the trays, all three of us wear our respective earphones and set off towards the Japanese History exam. I feel my mind going blank from the shocking news. I should review my notes one last time when I get to the hall.
Still listening to classical music (Shizune recommended playing relaxing music instead of pop songs so that my mind won’t get stirred up by emotional lyrics), I calmly exit the exam hall and come across with my best friends. An advantage of using sign language is that we don’t need to remove our earphones in order to communicate. I know it’s a funny statement, but, yeah, sign language becomes handy in this case.
[You did okay?]
I don’t think I’ll outscore Shizune, but I’ll be shocked if I score less than 75.
[I think so. I’m glad my form wasn’t affected by this morning’s event, at least during the exam. I was completely focused on the questions.]
My soulmate adjusts her glasses proudly and gives me a thumbs-up.
[That’s the mock exams paying off! You enter auto battle mode once the question paper arrives at your desk! And then you’re in a prime position to sweep the field and dominate the position! Grab all the points! Take no prisoners!]
Is she treating the Center Test as a game of Risk?
[And I’m winning this one too, boy.]
Competitive as ever. I wonder how Misha would translate the previous proclamation if, say, Lilly is in the scene. She’ll probably go, like, “You’re in a prime position to sweep the field? And dominate the position?? Uh… are you sure Shicchan? I don’t think we’re playing Risk~ And take no prisoners? We’re not in the middle of a war, Shicchan Well… I think Shicchan is saying we should focus and try our best in the exam, right? Right! Wahahahaha!!!”
[We’ll see. Anyway, I suppose you’re going to drag me to the track next?]
[Yup, that’s the plan. And Misha will be joining us too.]
Our pink-haired friend doesn’t look too pleased with the idea, but I’ll pre-empt her before she files her complaint.
[Sorry, but I’m not joining this one.]
Not expecting my rejection, Shizune looks flustered, pausing for a moment before signing her reply.
[But why? Are you skipping your exercise during the exams?]
[Don’t get the wrong idea. Just today. I want some time alone to sort things out. You know, about this morning.]
[Are you sure?]
[Yes. But I’ll see you both tomorrow morning, okay? We’ll resume our afternoon run tomorrow.]
Apparently disappointed that I’m still at least partially affected by Naomi’s episode, my crush turns to her best friend. I’m glad that Shizune respects my decision to be alone instead for forcing me to go with her plan.
[Well, you’ll be joining me then, okay?]
With me out of the picture, Misha has no choice but to accompany our leader, even though I’m quite sure she wants a swim instead. Sorry, pal.
[Alright then. Just a couple of laps though, Shicchan~.]
[Good enough.]
[See you both tomorrow then.]
After waving the Student Council duo goodbye, I head towards the garden where I confessed to Shizune a few months ago in order to let everything sink in.
Man! That news hit me really hard. I feel so sorry for Naomi. One extra year! What a disaster!
Now I think about it, what Hanako did this morning makes total sense. She probably already knows her friend is not making it to the exam venue, so she’s determined to take the exam on behalf of her. I hope she can keep this attitude through the Entrance Exams.
I know I shouldn’t be loitering around like this; even though I’m not joining Shizune’s run or her study group in the evening, I should be at least studying in the dormitory. But I have no mood to study now.
But my ex-girlfriend is right: Need to control my emotions. Her metaphoric use of a battlefield to describe the exams is at least partially appropriate. You’re fighting against other students, and failure means you go down in a battlefield, needing at least one more year to fight again. Her competitiveness is often annoying, but at certain times it becomes an advantage.
Maybe I should join her study group in the evening after all. Spend some time alone, grab dinner, then I’ll head towards the Student Council.
With my earphones still on, I sit down under the exact tree where I got my first ever girlfriend while listening to classical music prepared by Shizune. Even though I already lost my Shizune’s boyfriend status, this place will still mark a crucial milestone for my short and cursed life.
My first ever confession, and my first girlfriend.
I had never confessed to a girl before that. I didn’t even have a female friend before I came to this school except Mai, whom I had no interest in. Then there’s Iwanako. I barely know her – I don’t even know her real name, as even the teachers address her by her nickname – and she confessed to me. Hilarously enough, the only one time I got a confession, I didn’t even get to make my response.
For almost six years of secondary school, my life had been nothing but boring, with nothing spectacular. Then, just a few months into this new school, I confessed to a girl, got myself a girlfriend, then got dumped shortly afterwards. Life is so funny.
At least this crazy journey of love life will provide me with experience when I get into university, whether Shizune will be my girlfriend again or not. I’ll handle my love relationship a bit better in the future.
I realize I’m not “letting this morning’s news sinking in”, but rather just trying to think about something else to forget about the news. Perhaps distraction is a better approach after all. I’m feeling okay with my heart, so there’s no need to worry at the moment.
Except if Kenji suddenly appears from the bush behind!
Now I realize that the Student Council is the best hiding place.
Let’s quickly grab dinner and take refuge in the study group.