[CH.73] Cooking, Exams, and Reckless Behavior
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Azusa Oshima: Sumire's mentor. Toyo-san: An elderly maid who works for the Oshima-san Haruka Sasaki: Sumire's kouhai Yumiko Kurita (Yumi): Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Maho Iida: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Natsumi Shirakawa: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. |
In the end, I decided to cover the expenses for the pressure cooker from the money I obtained when I handed over the car to the office. I purchased the pressure cooker myself. The beef stew I made, which also served as a confirmation of how to use it and a tasting session, received good reviews from everyone in the dorm, as well as Toyo-san and Ms. Azusa, so I felt relieved.
However, the difficulty lies in the fact that the types of meat used are different in the Kanto and Kansai regions. Since I'm from Kansai, I use beef, but everyone is accustomed to pork-based beef stew. It seems to be related to the historical background of each region, but I can't do anything about it now, so I decided to behave as if nothing happened and serve it Kansai-style.
At first, it seemed a bit awkward, but I was happy when they praised it as delicious as they continued eating. Everyone may have their own preferences, but deliciousness seems to dissolve even those differences.
As it's getting colder with winter approaching, it might be nice to make various simmered dishes and stews. Until now, I didn't have the time flexibility, and even if I wanted to eat, I had to give up.
The film shooting is over, and although there are appearances in VTRs (Video Tape Recorders) for promotion toward the year-end release, there is no long-term commitment like during filming, so I can secure some free time to cook.
Of course, there are regular jobs that have been continuing, so it's not every day. Despite having to pay some of the income as taxes, I think it's truly grateful to have regular income like this. I don't really know how much tax I'm paying because I leave the processing to Ms. Azusa.
Leaving that aside, the submission of application forms for the private junior high school entrance exams begins in late December, with the exams scheduled for late January next year. Despite having taken the entire month of September off from school, the teacher, concerned about me, conducted an academic test on a relatively free afternoon and had also prepared a test for exam preparation based on past questions.
Having already completed studies up to the level of university entrance exams, I was able to score full marks on any test. The teacher was reassured by the results, but there was one criticism. It was about not showing intermediate steps when solving math problems on the answer sheet. However, I feel like elementary school math forces unnecessary detours to reach the same answer, saying you can't use equations or certain methods, even though the result is the same. Perhaps it's due to rigid reasons like it not being in the curriculum.
So, I solve them using equations in my head because nowhere in the problem does it say you can't use equations. I've never used "tsurukame" method in my adult life. I remember the calculation methods in case I need to teach others, but I probably won't have many opportunities to use them in the future.
I passed the exam, but it was more challenging for Haruka, who took the test alongside me, considering we were applying to the same school.
Originally, I was adequately keeping up with school studies, but it seems that the entrance exams posed a challenge because they included problems not covered in regular school lessons. Once confidence is lost, it can lead to a negative spiral of making mistakes, losing confidence again, and subsequently losing the motivation to study, causing a decline in regular academic performance.
Until I started filming the movie, I had been helping Haruka with her studies while studying together, and we managed to maintain our academic abilities. However, it appears that during the slightly over two months we were apart, Haruka had avoided studying. She was making mistakes on problems she used to solve correctly, and with this trend, passing the exams seemed like an impossible dream.
While silently cheering for Haruka, who was reviewing incorrect problems with the teacher, I left the classroom so as not to be a disturbance.
Today is a rare completely off day for me. I want to tidy up my room, which I've been gradually neglecting, and also clear up the accumulated laundry in one go.
As I plan the activities after returning to the dorm in my mind, I walk briskly along the usual route home.
While reinforcing the vague areas within myself as I watched Haruka's exam preparation, I managed to handle my usual work, and before I knew it, December had arrived.
Due to the approaching release date of the movie, I often had to go to Osaka and Aichi for promotions, and there were times when I had to stay overnight and leave Tokyo. Leaving Haruka, who had a history of slacking off once, was a concern, but it seemed that she had lit a fire under herself at this time. When I returned after finishing work, I found Haruka not only working on the assigned tasks but also voluntarily studying on her own.
Perhaps she heard about the local public junior high school from Yumi-san, and that might also contribute to Haruka's current motivation. If she fails, she'll have to attend that school, so she's probably desperate.
It's not that the school is in turmoil or bullying is occurring, there seems to be a firm school policy prioritizing study and club activities. Yumi-san, who cannot join the club due to work, was forced to join by saying that she must join the club, and she was marked absent without any discussion when she took a day off from school on a workday. Ms. Azusa and Yumi-san had several discussions with the school, and they were able to get some flexibility, but Yumi-san, the party involved, said that they would probably have to start discussions from scratch when Haruka entered the school.
By the way, when I asked why Yumi-san wasn't recommended to take the junior high school entrance exam, it seems her academic ability was lacking. The situation might have been different if she had someone in her class like Haruka and me who could support her, but Yumi-san was alone. Although there were Maho-san and Natsumi-san around the same age, at that time, they didn't seem to be good at studying, and it was a difficult situation.
Yumi-san herself had gone through some tough times, but she laughed, saying that she can use those experiences in her acting, so she's okay. It might be her way of putting on a brave front, but I also want to be as eager to incorporate various aspects of daily life into my acting.
During winter break, Haruka endured what would be considered a hardship for a typical elementary school student—studying, taking breaks, and studying again. However, she persevered well. Her breaks included chatting while replenishing sugar levels with tea, wearing warm clothes to avoid catching a cold while taking a stroll around the dorm, and even doing radio calisthenics in the garden. Although she solved problem sets to the point of wearing out collections that included past questions, I focused on the studies I wanted to pursue.
Thanks to Cathy-sensei, my English conversation skills were now about 80% effective in communicating with foreigners. However, my grammar skills were still lacking, and I couldn't read English sentences accurately. It all started when Yoko-san jokingly suggested that I might get offers from overseas. Studying turned out to be surprisingly rewarding, with an increasing number of books I could read. Occasionally, I would encounter unfamiliar phrases and decipher them with an English-Japanese dictionary in hand. In my past life, I had an aversion to English to the point where just seeing the alphabet made me nauseous, so I quietly laughed at the change in myself.
"You can read books where hardly any Japanese is written so fluently. Sumire, are you really not hiding your age?"
"I'm not deceiving anyone. Besides, when Haruka enters junior high in the spring, she'll also start learning English."
"Really? Since she's living in Japan, she only needs Japanese, right? I mean, she probably won't have many chances to talk with foreigners."
While watching Haruka with her puffed-up cheeks, I quietly murmured in my mind that if things continue this way, the number of foreign visitors to Japan will triple in the next 20 years. People from Japan are increasingly going abroad for overseas studies and travel. English, once considered a global lingua franca, is a valuable skill to have. If you master reading, writing, and conversation, it seems there's little worry about falling behind.
On another note, the fact that she approached me with something other than a question indicates that Haruka's concentration is probably waning. Perhaps she has solved enough problems to understand the trends in questions, as she has been practicing with entrance exam questions from other schools lately. Private school exam questions have high flexibility, including unusual text-based and descriptive problems that require expressing personal opinions.
Since you can't be sure such questions won't appear, it's good to stay calm at that time. Rather than focusing solely on the accuracy rate, it's important to maintain composure. We each prepared a drink for the break and returned to the dorm's living room. Haruka, seeming a bit bored, turned on the TV, and a celebrity news segment was just starting.
"Oh, they're talking about Sumire's movie. The release date is coming up soon, so we need lots of promotion, right?"
"According to Yoko-san, the sponsors seem to expect a satisfactory level of audience turnout. But, you never know until you actually open the lid, she said."
They predict things like the pre-sale ticket sales and make forecasts based on that data. In my past life, on the night of the release date, you could quickly tell if the movie was well-received or not by the abundance of reactions on Twitter. However, in this era, it's different. Film critics attend preview screenings, share their opinions on TV and magazines, and the evaluation often relies heavily on word of mouth within a limited circle.
For me, I'll give my all in acting and do everything I can, so I intend to accept the audience's feedback wholeheartedly. But for those who make movies to make money or boost a company's reputation, the real test comes now. I don't have any strange desire to willingly have the audience dislike me, so if possible, I hope the movie becomes popular.
"...Hey, Sumire?"
While pondering these thoughts, Haruka, sitting in front of me, took a sip of hot milk, making a 'slurp' sound, and then quietly called my name. Tilting my head slightly, I waited for her to continue. She smiled a bit shyly and continued.
"Thank you, Sumire, even though it was a challenging time for you too. During the second term, you were almost always by my side, helping me with my studies. Unlike me, you have regular work, and on top of that, you helped me with studying, meals, and various other things... I always felt sorry about that."
Listening to her sincere words while being earnestly looked at, I couldn't help but smile wryly. Certainly, it was challenging in terms of the schedule, dealing with Haruka trying to escape, and various other difficulties leading up to this point. But it wasn't all 100% altruistic. For example, if we were in the same school after entering, I could ask about any announcements on days off or see her notes. I also benefited in various ways, so honestly, I would be in trouble if she didn't pass.
When I conveyed that honestly, Haruka, perhaps thinking I was being modest, teared up even more, seeming deeply moved. Well, it doesn't matter. No matter how many words I use, it would likely be perceived in a similar way. So, let's talk again when the exams are over and we're both settled physically and mentally.
After that, calming down an overly excited Haruka who said things like, "Sumire is my idol!" or "I'll work hard to become an actress who can co-star with Sumire someday!" and getting her back to studying proved to be a considerable challenge. If she truly feels grateful, I hope she can keep that tendency to go overboard in check in the future. It would be a great help.
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