CH#301
#301
People are not equal.
Some are blessed with good looks, while others are not. Some excel in athleticism, while others struggle. Some are fortunate in physique, while others are not.
People dislike being labelled as having talent. Instead, they prefer to attribute their skills to their own efforts.
Certainly, this is not without merit.
Perhaps the initial spark is accidental. However, itās a fact that individuals understand and develop their exceptional qualities.
Thatās why people dislike the word ātalentā. However, those who donāt possess it often envy and yearn for it.
Opposing opinions and thoughts. Perhaps this is another result of the inequalities that arise.
People struggle, envy, and pretend not to care even though deep down they desperately desire it.
Thatās how people go through the process of what adults call āgrowthā.
ā¦But deep down, they also want to be the protagonist.
Now, letās talk about Valentineās Day. Miura initiated the Valentineās Day commotion. As a result, Koizumi received the chocolates Miura handed out.
However, her reaction after confessing her feelings was slightly different than expected. His response was to maintain their relationship.
The reason is simple: he wants to fulfill his duties as student council president and get closer to Akane, the former president.
Apparently, they made a promise to officially start dating once he completes his term as student council president at the end of their third year.
Miura was also content with Koizumiās response.
He optimistically told us that he would feel more at ease focusing on their relationship after successfully handing over the student council to the next generation.
The sweet atmosphere when we entered the student council room, and the subsequent interactions between the two, filled with the innocence of newlyweds, made not only me but also other student council members smile wryly.
Shiraishi couldnāt help but click their tongues at the sweet atmosphere between the two. Certainly, it canāt be helped to think even if you declare that you are not in a relationship, things wonāt change.
After a few days, the two of them returned to their usual working attitude, so it must have been a temporary relief.
Thatās how the Valentineās Day incident was successfully resolved.
But not everything has been resolved so neatly.
Itās become clear to me that the reputation of Shizuku and Kirasaka has suffered due to their association with a person like Shinra Minato.
I donāt live my life caring about the opinions of others directed towards me.
But if my actions are negatively impacting those around me, then the responsibility lies with me.
If I dislike being looked at with strange eyes by others, then I should just avoid getting involvedā¦ But such a relationship has long since passed.
In the future, weāll continue to be involved with each other.
So, what do I do from here?
Thatās the issue Iāve been pondering over these past few days. What can I do and what canāt I do?
Rapidly improving my academic abilities to impress others is nothing but a pipe dream. Life isnāt made on easy mode where you suddenly gain something through sheer luck.
In the ever-changing environment ahead, I must continue to demonstrate my usefulness and worth to others.
Just standing around wonāt make me popular. Picking up a pen wonāt make me the top student in the school.
So, I have to find something exceptional and prove it. If I want to continue being close to them for as long as possible.
āThatās not something easily found, is it?ā
āWhat is it that you want to find?ā
Unconsciously revealing my thoughts, the one sitting next to me naturally asked the question.
During class, in a corner of the library.
The place where students come to work on class materials provided a different atmosphere than usual.
As my thoughts drifted away from the lesson, Kirasaka confidently sat next to me, just close enough for our shoulders to touch. Shizuku placed the materials in front of us, with Yuuto and Miyashita sitting next to her.
Those of us who had become quite accustomed to this arrangement were now focused on our respective materials, but Kirasakaās remark caught everyoneās attention, even though only she seemed to notice.
āWhatās wrong?ā
āMinato said weāre using the same materials, so thereās really no need to find something different, is there?ā
Shizuku raised a question, and Yuuto lightly tapped the materials in front of him with his fingers.
If I were to speak, how would they react?
Laugh, be astonished, or get angry.
Surely, they would just laugh and assure me thereās no need to worry.
Itās not because I possess any special talent that Iām by their side, but because they see me as someone special.
So, this is fine as my own monologue.
Itās fine to have monologues sometimes.
āI guess he just have a tendency to dislike using the same materials and having same preferencesā¦ Heās struggling to improve himself.ā
āI think heād do better if you didnāt have that struggle, considering your academic abilities.ā
āNo, no, Minato isnāt seeing any improvement because heās wasting his brain on unnecessary things.ā
āā¦ā
I seeā¦ Just as expected of the insensible complain generator.
Miyashitaās casual words, which would have raised my evaluation, are ruined by her.
Ignoring my icy glare, the two of them resumed their interrupted conversation from class.
On the other hand, I focus on connecting the interrupted lines and start working on the task in front of me.
Running my pen across the almost blank pages of my notebook, erasing and writing again.
As I work up to the line where the teacher would consider me somewhat serious about the lesson, my gaze drifts sideways once more.
āā¦ā
The view from a window different from the classroom.
My hand, which had come to a stop as it gazed upon the scenery of the river and trees behind, shows no signs of moving again.
Shizuku and Kirasaka watched me with somewhat worried eyes.
Class usually ends when the teacher signals it, but this time, with the class being held in a different room, the sound of the chime echoing through the school marks the end.
As the final class of the day comes to a close, a feeling akin to liberation permeates among the students.
Yuuto, Miyashita, Shizuku, and Kirasaka all gather their materials and start walking out of the library.
Following them, my steps feel heavy.
Another day has ended without any solutions coming to mind.
As I exit the hallway and casually glance at the entrance to the gymnasium, I notice many students forming a line.
Though there are few familiar faces, itās clear theyāre all third-year students.
Itās a rehearsal for the upcoming graduation ceremony, with practice for the entrance procession currently underway.
Their faces will only be visible a few more times. And then, a year from now, it will be us lining up in that procession.
Even if we live to be eighty, high school life is only three years. In the big picture, it might seem like a fleeting moment. But many adults speak of their student days as a bright time.
After graduation, what awaits us is a multitude of responsibilities and constraints. And perhaps, compared to student days, those days seem less happy because of it.
To me, the colourful school life is nothing but a product of fantasy and delusion.
ā¦But recently, Iāve begun to understand the meaning of the adultsā words, if only a little.
Perhaps, the colourful school life does exist.
The scenes reflected in my eyes sparkling, with many friends who share my values and no restraints. Yesterday, something happened, today something else, and tomorrow promises even more fun.
Worrying over trivial matters, yet having a firm belief that this is where I belong.
Few achieve the ideal student life, and itās not something everyone can attain. But unlike grand dreams beyond our reach, everyone can step into their nearby environment and witness it.
Something within reach, in the truest sense, or perhaps, something already attained by many.
Among the third-year students Iām gazing at now, I wonder how many can speak of their student days as bright.
And what awaits us is only one more year.
Though weāve been accumulating bits of happiness, I wonder if those around me standing here can speak of bright days in the future.
āThe graduation ceremony will be attended by us second-years and the student council, but it will be their last meeting with the first-years at the farewell event, right?ā
āI think itās a week before the graduation ceremony, rightā¦?ā
āYes, Koizumi-kun also mentioned that there should be a gathering of students organizing a farewell event soon.ā
Shizuku stopped walking and spoke while looking at the third-year students chatting ahead, sharing my gaze.
Last year, we were first-years, so it was a farewell to the then-third-year students.
We didnāt do anything ourselves, just watched a few students speak as representatives of the current students and hand over bouquets.
While thereās a saying āAllās well that ends wellā, for us current students, itās like our last farewell before moving on.
And itās also the last gathering place for the current students of Sakuranaoka Academy. Thinking about it that way, it seems like quite a significant event.
Following Yuuto, Miyashita, and Kirasaka, Shizuku and I continued down the corridor.
In the meantime, I typed a message to Koizumi on my phone and sent it without hesitation.
Power of Procrastination, you get suddenly productive at something else.
> **Mirilu** *(on 2024-02-12 03:27:04)*: > Side note because it's somewhat related. So I thought my lectures would start tomorrow and I'm taking a course in Algorithms and Data structures I previously failed last year. I thought this was the last week of my uni break and motivated myself to review all of the content. I think I'm actually back to the level I was right before the exam. I just found out that I was by one week off and that the lectures start on the 19th. I could have had one additional week of break but welp... **BrutalBotX** *(on 2024-02-12 12:02:36)*: > >You studied extra, couldn't be of no use right?
Just ace it this time š