[CH.75] Signature Book and Call From Junior High School
**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 Azusa Oshima: Sumire's mentor. Touka Kimura: Sumire's close friend and classmate in Tokyo. Haruka Sasaki: Sumire's kouhai |
Around the time I heard that Touka had successfully passed the middle school she aspired to, March was approaching soon. The atmosphere in the classroom was bustling, and it was evident that my classmates were looking forward to graduation, spring break, and the middle school life that would follow.
"Sumire-chan, sign this!"
A girl from the same class as last year handed me a paper with a cute character design. The sheet had fields for name, address, phone number, as well as items typical of older girls, such as hobbies and crushes. Since all the girls in the grade were exchanging them, I couldn't refuse to participate, so I bought a sign book and distributed it to my classmates.
In a previous life, I remember being given a sign book by childhood friends who wanted me to write in it before graduation. I never imagined that I would be on the distributing side. The sign book I bought had deformed cat drawings, and my optimistic estimate that I wouldn't need more than one book was betrayed. Girls from other classes would come and ask for an exchange with their own sheets, and boys would persistently request me to write in theirs, making it difficult to refuse.
At first, I left the "crush" section blank, but after being booed several times when I returned the completed book, I decided to write the names of Haruka and Touka for the time being. Although I often received scolding at first with comments like, "Write it properly!" when I tilted my head with a bewildered expression, they would suddenly give me a somewhat affectionate gaze, and I had no choice but to back down. I suspect they might be treating me like a child who hasn't experienced their first love yet, but since I haven't had romantic feelings for someone across past lives, I've resigned myself to being perceived that way and accepted it.
However, now that I think about it, the sign books and the personal information like names and addresses recorded in the last few pages of the graduation album seem to expose too much personal information. As someone with the ethical standards of the late Heisei era, I can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear. I orally requested the kids who signed my book not to tell Ms. Azusa and the other dorm residents because it would cause them trouble. I also wrote the same message in the blank spaces of the sign book just to be sure.
When Haruka and I become more famous as entertainers, it would be a nightmare if people who have nothing to do with us found out our addresses and came to the dorm out of curiosity. The dorm currently only has female residents, and it would be frightening if a man entered the premises without permission. I conveyed this concern to Haruka, and she is taking similar precautions. Seeing her nod with a solemn expression, I believe my fear of the hypothetical situation I described got across. In this era, even if a woman were assaulted, there was a tendency to blame her, suggesting that she might have provoked it or dressed provocatively. In other words, we had to take precautions to ensure nothing happened to us. Even if people thought we were overly cautious, it would be far worse to have someone from the dorm or myself attacked without taking proper measures.
By the way, I discussed this with Touka beforehand and asked her to reinforce the warning to all the girls in the grade. It's challenging to make a request to the entire grade when you're only interacting with a limited number of people, like me. However, Touka, who knows people in other classes, found it easy. She shared a similar anecdote to the one I told Haruka, and most girls seemed to understand the discomfort of entrusting their information to strangers and the subsequent fear of potential incidents happening without their knowledge. Touka told me that almost all the girls promised to be cautious, giving me a bit of relief.
One day, I received a call from the private middle school I had been accepted to, asking me to come to the school. I wondered what it could be; perhaps I had initially passed the entrance exam but was now being reconsidered for rejection.
With a vague sense of anxiety, I found myself heading to the middle school in Ms. Azusa's dedicated car, who was inexplicably called along with me. If even Ms. Azusa, who acted as a guardian, was summoned, this could mean that my acceptance was about to be revoked. Unable to stop my thoughts from heading in a more negative direction, Ms. Azusa, sitting next to me, chuckled.
"Don't worry so much. You received the acceptance notice, and they even took your uniform measurements. It's not like they would suddenly declare you unfit after going through the formal admission procedures. That would risk the school's credibility."
Indeed, when she put it that way, it made sense. Rejecting someone after officially sending acceptance documents and taking measurements for the uniform would seriously affect the school's reputation. In that case, why was I called in? Ms. Azusa didn't seem to know when I asked, and the journey to the school continued to be filled with inner turmoil.
Upon arrival, we were immediately led to the principal's office, where we exchanged greetings with an elderly man and a woman slightly older than Ms. Azusa, who were waiting in the room. The man was the principal, and the woman seemed to be one of the directors. Perhaps this director was the acquaintance Ms. Azusa mentioned before?
As I hesitated, sitting on the seemingly expensive sofa, the cheerful principal, with a smiling face, spoke to me.
"We, the teaching staff, are delighted to have someone as promising as Matsuda-san enroll in our school. We sincerely hope that Matsuda-san continues to hone her skills and grows into a person with a well-known reputation in a field with a solid foundation, rather than pursuing ephemeral careers like acting."
Perhaps because the words came unexpectedly, or maybe my brain refused to comprehend, I had no idea what was being said. At least I understood that my involvement in the acting profession was being denied, so I vaguely sensed that this person might not be an ally.
As anger bubbled up inside me, and I was about to impulsively speak out, Ms. Azusa, who was beside me, adjusted her posture slightly and spoke in a calm voice.
"Oh, Principal, saying such things in front of me, who makes a living in that 'ephemeral' profession."
"Well, discussing someone like Ms. Oshima, who has achieved great success in the entertainment industry, would be a different matter. I, too, dreamt of the entertainment world as an educator and witnessed many young people getting hurt when their dreams were shattered. Among them were individuals with very sharp minds, and I sincerely felt it was a waste. If they had become knowledge workers guiding this country, the loss would have been regrettable. However, if I've offended you, I apologize."
Apologizing, he bowed his head, but the courteous gesture felt like he was looking down on Ms. Azusa, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. Perhaps sensing the displeasure on my face, the woman who introduced herself as a director gave the principal a cold look.
"Principal, I will handle this situation, so please leave. It's not praiseworthy to display such an attitude in front of a prospective student. It's also disrespectful to Ms. Oshima."
"I apologize for that. Matsuda-san, please take care from now on."
With those words, the principal stood up from the sofa, leaving the room without acknowledging Oshima-san. While internally expressing frustration with his behavior, I gave a slight nod and watched him leave. Unlike that man, the principal was a mature adult, and I understood that getting angry with such a rigid person wouldn't accomplish anything. I didn't want to interact with him more than necessary, and I hoped to keep contact to a minimum even after enrollment.
After a short pause following his departure, the director bowed her head.
"Our school representative behaved very rudely... I apologize. He used to be a dedicated educator, but at some point, he started talking as if education was all about academic achievements. Recently, it's become even more pronounced."
Although a bitter expression appeared on the director's face, I accepted the apology sincerely because I didn't want to delve deeper into the matter. Ms. Azusa seemed to share the same sentiment as she urged the conversation forward.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself, I'm Director Fukayama. As one of the younger directors, I tend to handle various school-related tasks, so if you ever encounter any problems that the teachers can't address, feel free to consult with me. I believe I can be of assistance."
"Th-thank you very much."
After receiving the offered business card, I bowed my head to Director Fukayama, who introduced herself as Fukayama. It seemed that, unlike the principal, Ms. Fukayama was approaching me in a friendly manner. The tense atmosphere in the room lightened, and I felt a sense of relief.
"I believe people have various opinions, but I wonder if it's not an issue that the principal talks in a way that imposes his own thoughts. As a sponsor, I would like to express my concern about the impact on the students."
"Of course, Ms. Oshima's opinion is correct both as a sponsor and as an adult entrusted with children. I will share your opinions with the directors and promise to bring them up in the board meeting for discussion."
With a straight gaze at Ms. Azusa, Ms. Fukayama made the promise, and Ms. Azusa nodded. As if signaling the end of the conversation, she clapped her hands together once, a gesture that Ms. Fukayama seemed to pick up on, as the atmosphere became softer.
"First of all, Matsuda-san, since you ranked first in the entrance exam, you'll be giving the freshman representative speech at the entrance ceremony. We'll provide you with the scripts from the speeches of the representatives from the previous two years for reference. Take some time to think about the content."
Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered hearing in my past life that if you ranked first in an entrance exam, you might be called the class representative or the top student and would have to give a speech in front of everyone. It was something completely unrelated to me, so I had no experience with it. In manga and novels, it often portrayed a high-achieving girl being assigned such a role. I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about not meeting expectations.
But it seemed I would receive a template, and compared to performing in front of a camera, reading a script on stage might not be as nerve-wracking. I decided to take it easy since there would probably be a rehearsal.
"Next is this, our school grants special scholarships to students ranking first to third in the entrance exam. They receive the right to a special scholarship that covers all miscellaneous expenses like uniforms and textbooks, but more importantly, it fully exempts them from entrance fees and tuition. Of course, they need to meet strict conditions to maintain it. But I believe you'll probably be fine, Matsuda-san."
A special scholarship, that's a fantastic system. If I can save on middle school tuition and entrance fees, it means more money for high school and university. The conditions like achieving high average test scores, maintaining good behavior, and high attendance might be a disadvantage for me, considering the possibility of missing school due to work. I wondered how that would work.
When I asked about it, Ms. Fukayama explained that since my presence in the school would serve as publicity, I could take official leave for work-related absences. If I focus on doing well in tests and consistently handle routine tasks like class participation and assignments, I could probably meet the conditions.
Expressing my desire to apply, Ms. Fukayama smiled warmly and handed me the application form. Since Ms. Azusa had brought her agreement, bankbook, and seal just in case, I filled out the form on the spot, and they accepted it. I felt grateful to Ms. Azusa for introducing me to this school, and I thought private schools were indeed generous.
It seemed that the same benefits were granted to the top three students when advancing to the senior division, so I decided to aim for that as well. Having a new goal filled me with more motivation, and I realized I needed to work even harder in both acting and studying to maintain good grades!
Support Tangerine Translation on Ko-fi! 🍊 ko-fi.com/tangerinetranslation 🍊
Comments
Post a Comment