I turn to Tachibana, a bit hurt by her words.
"You don't lose anything by trying, Haruka. We can apply to both schools. If I'm not mistaken, the exam dates don't overlap. If we get into Koudo Ikusei, great. If not, no big deal—Danto's a solid choice."
'Hold up! You're saying I have to prep for *two* entrance exams?'
I keep that thought to myself, but Tachibana stares at me like she can read my mind.
"Haruka, you don't really have to study for two exams. Just take the entrance tests twice. That's doable, right?"
Tachibana and Akabane look at me with expectant eyes.
'Ugh, this is low-key bullying!'
I sigh.
"Fine, if it makes you happy. But don't get your hopes up. Passing that exam is mission impossible."
I reluctantly agree to the plan.
Before I can finish, Akabane rushes to hug me.
"I knew we could count on you, Haruka! Who knows, maybe this'll help kick that laziness of yours."
'Leave my laziness out of this… What am I saying? I'm not lazy to begin with!'
We keep walking, chatting about random stuff until we reach our homes.
And so, my two friends and I settled on the high schools we'd apply to.
My mom was shocked by my choice, crying tears of joy that her daughter finally had ambition. Did she really think I was a deadbeat?
The weeks flew by—okay, I'm kidding. Time crawled, but exam season finally arrived.
As planned, my friends and I took the entrance exams for Danto and Koudo Ikusei.
If I had to guess before the results, I'd say I'm screwed. No way I passed Koudo Ikusei. I don't know how my friends did, but as their friend, I'm pretty sure they didn't do much better than me.
Yeah, we're a trio of not-so-bright girls.
Time dragged on again.
Results day finally came.
The outcome?
I failed Danto but passed Koudo Ikusei?
What the heck?!
"HARUKA!"
A piercing scream hits my ears, jolting me awake.
"HARUKA!"
The voice keeps yelling my name, banging on my bedroom door like they're trying to break it down.
'God, can't I ever sleep in peace?'
In this context, without knowing what's up, you'd think some intruder was trying to bust in, right?
But nope.
The person acting like a burglar is my mom. No need to see her to know—it's her voice. I'd recognize it among a thousand.
Annoyed by the shouting, I get up.
My feet wobble for a second before I steady myself.
I head to my desk and grab my phone.
'The sun's not even up.'
To check the time, I glance at my phone.
[4:03 a.m.]
'Seriously? It's only 4 a.m.! Why's Mom waking me so early?'
I ask myself, already knowing the answer.
Today's April 1st, a special day.
It's the first day of school.
I turn off my phone, yawning, and crawl back to bed.
'Doesn't matter what day it is—I'm sleeping.'
"I know you're up. Open this door, Haruka, before I get mad!"
The voice behind the door yells again.
"Damn."
'How'd she know?'
Sometimes my own mom creeps me out.
I sigh.
Busted. No point in stalling.
'Goodbye, sweet pillow and cozy sheets.'
With that nostalgic thought, I finally go open the door.
"You're up late."
Mom greets me.
To keep it simple, let's just say Mom's an older, grumpier version of me. That's it.
"Good morning, Okaa-san."
I greet her.
"Hurry and get ready. You know you've got packing to do."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
'What's with this three-year boarding school nonsense?'
Against all odds, I passed the entrance exam for the prestigious Koudo Ikusei High School.
It was a huge shock to my family, friends, and me.
This is supposedly an elite school that trains tomorrow's leaders.
And me, a lazy—er, I mean, *average* girl—passed its exam…
You believe that?
No?
Me neither.
Why?
Because I failed Danto's exam.
Danto's another high school, not as prestigious as Koudo Ikusei but still respectable.
So how is Danto's exam harder than the supposedly elite Koudo Ikusei's?
Tachibana and Akabane, my two friends, passed Danto's exam but failed Koudo Ikusei's.
It makes no sense.
I keep telling everyone something's off, but they all think I was secretly aiming for Koudo Ikusei. It even caused some tension with my friends.
Seriously, girls, how could you think I'd play you like that?
Then again, maybe they're not entirely wrong. Maybe I subconsciously worked harder for Koudo Ikusei than Danto.
Whatever, no use dwelling on it.
Back to the packing.
Why do I need to pack?
Am I moving to an apartment near my new school?
Nope.
I'm living in the school's dorms.
At first glance, that's no big deal. What's weird about living in a high school dorm? Given how far it is from my house, it seems like a smart choice, right?
Well, it'd be normal if that's where it ended.
The truth is, I'm not just living in the dorms—I'm stuck there until I graduate.
To be clear, I'll spend the next three years within the school's walls, cut off from the outside world, including my family.
When I heard this, I figured I'd have to take another exam because there was no way my parents would agree to that.
But to my shock, Mom confirmed I'd go.
I don't know how they convinced her, but hats off to them. Persuading super conservative, clingy parents like mine is no small feat.
"You didn't forget anything, did you?"
Mom asks.
Despite my reluctance, she managed to get me to finish all my tasks in record time. She's terrifying.
"The school said they'll pick up your luggage, so you don't need to worry."
"I know, Mom."
'We found out together.'
Mom walks me to the bus stop and only leaves once the bus arrives and I'm on board.
I'm sure she was holding back from hopping on with me.
I take an empty window seat.
The sky's still a bit dark.
It's 5:47 a.m.
Still super early.
But the school's two prefectures away, and I'll need to catch another bus to get there.
Quite the journey.
My eyelids grow heavy.
'Crap.'
I promised Mom I wouldn't fall asleep on the bus.
But a quick nap never hurt anyone, right?
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