A New Day
Merlin: "So students, you'll be receiving your uniforms and books soon. I'll be circulating forms for you to fill out and submit by tomorrow. The day after, you'll receive everything."
Lucky: "I don't get it. What's all this about?"
Kaiho: "It's simple. We have seven main subjects: Combat, Engineering, Ayurveda, General Knowledge, History, Magic, and Science. On top of that, we need to pick one out of three sub-subjects: Language, Mathematics, or Strategy."
(Lucky stares blankly, smoke figuratively coming out of his head.)
Kaiho: "Well, you're doomed."
Nat: "Seems easy enough."
Kaiho: "Doesn't look that way from your face, though."
Merlin (clears throat): "I wasn't done speaking."
Kaiho: "Sorry, sir."
Merlin: "Your marks will be divided into a 20+30 system. You'll need to score 35% in each part to pass. The 20 marks come from your internal assessments, which include presentations, assignments, and tests. The 30 marks will be your external exam. That's all for today."
Kaiho: "Lucky, you get that?"
Lucky: "Totally."
Saito: "Then would you care to explain?"
Lucky: "Um… well… if I have 20 bananas and 30 bananas—"
Saito: "Stop right there."
Kaiho: "Alright, let me make it simpler. You need to score at least 7 bananas out of 20 for your internals and 10.5 bananas out of 30 for your externals to pass. Got it?"
Saito: "Nat, at least you understood, right?"
Nat: "Yeah. We need… uh… 17 bananas?"
Saito (sighs): "I don't think any of them understood."
Kaiho: "Anyways, what sub-subject are you guys going to pick?"
Lucky: "One banana… two banana… hey, I'm out of fingers."
Nat: "Don't worry, man. You can use my fingers."
Lucky: "thanks Nat you're the best !"
Kaiho: "Why am I even asking… Saito, what about you?"
Saito: "I think I'm going for Language."
Kaiho: "I'll go for Language too."
(Lucky and Nat, still counting.)
Lucky: "Sixteen banana… seventeen banana… there's no way to stop us now!"
Kaiho: "Guys, listen carefully. No matter what, don't—and I mean absolutely don't—choose Maths, okay?"
Lucky and Nat (nodding earnestly): "Got it, no Maths."
Kaiho: "Repeat after me. You won't choose Maths."
Lucky and Nat (in unison): "We won't choose Maths!"
Kaiho: "Good. Let's go now."
Back home
Kaiho tells Mikoto and Koshiro about what transpired at the Academy
Koshiro " maths can be a tricky subject but with enough practice I am sure they would crack it "
Kaiho "they won't u don't know them "
Kaiho "anyways I am thinking of taking Language as my sub Subject what do u guys think "
Koshiro "well , Language is an interesting subject since proper pronunciation and ruin Language can help u with magic like casting "
Kaiho "So did u take language "
Koshiro "no I took Mathamatics but your mom took It "
Kaiho "really mom "
Mikoto " well I wasn't that talented at studying like your father so I took language, maybe I could help u with that subject "
Kaiho "well it would be a relief ,By the way were u close since school times
Koshiro " quiet the opposite, your mum used to burn in the flames of passion back in the day "
Mikoto " well youth "
Kaiho sat at the dinner table with his parents, recounting the events of the day at the Academy.
"Math can be a tricky subject," Koshiro said after listening to the struggles of Kaiho's friends. "But with enough practice, I'm sure they'll crack it."
Kaiho shook his head, his expression skeptical. "They won't. You don't know them, Dad. Lucky and Nat are hopeless when it comes to numbers."
Koshiro chuckled. "Well, they might surprise you someday."
"Anyway," Kaiho continued, "I'm thinking of taking Language as my sub-subject. What do you guys think?"
Koshiro leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "Language is an interesting choice. Proper pronunciation and understanding of runic language can be really useful for magic casting."
"Did you take Language?" Kaiho asked.
"No," Koshiro admitted. "I took Mathematics. But your mom, on the other hand, took Language."
Kaiho's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to his mother. "Really, Mom?"
Mikoto smiled softly. "I wasn't as talented at studying as your father. Math and Science weren't my strengths, so I decided to focus on Language. It worked out well for me, and maybe I can help you with it if you choose it."
Kaiho felt a wave of relief. "That would be great, Mom. By the way, were you and Dad close back in school?"
Koshiro smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Quite the opposite. Your mom used to burn in the flames of passion back in the day."
Mikoto flushed slightly but laughed. "Well, youth," she said dismissively.
Kaiho leaned back in his chair, a perplexed look on his face. "Wait, hold on. What do you mean by 'burn in the flames of passion,' Dad?"
Koshiro smirked as he set his chopsticks down. "Your mom was… how do I put it? A bit of a firecracker. If someone so much as looked at her the wrong way, she'd set them straight. I kept my distance for my own safety."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow, her smirk growing wider. "Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad. Besides, someone had to keep the arrogant boys in check. Right, dear?"
Koshiro chuckled nervously, his hands raised in mock surrender. "Sure, sure. Let's not bring up old memories now."
Kaiho leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "Wait… so you two weren't close at all in school? How did you end up… you know, together?"
Mikoto waved her hand dismissively. "That's a story for another day."
Koshiro nodded, his smile softening. "Yeah, let's just say your mom has her ways. I didn't stand a chance."
Kaiho burst out laughing. "This is gold. So, Mom, you were the tough one, and Dad was the quiet math genius?"
Mikoto gave a playful shrug. "Exactly. He'd sit in the corner solving equations while I dealt with anyone causing trouble."
"And somehow," Koshiro added, leaning back with a grin, "she managed to ace Language, even though she spent more time arguing than studying. Must've been sheer talent."
"Talent, huh?" Mikoto said with a sly smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Kaiho laughed. "Alright, so if I struggle with Language, Mom's the expert, and if I need help counting bananas, I'll come to you, Dad."
"Deal," Koshiro replied, raising his tea cup.
"Don't worry," Mikoto chimed in, her tone turning reassuring. "You've got the best of both worlds with us as your teachers."
Kaiho smiled, but a fleeting shadow crossed his mind. It's moments like this that make me forget… forget that I'm not really the Kaiho they think I am.
Koshiro broke the silence. "By the way, how's your friend Saito doing? You've been mentioning him a lot lately."
Kaiho snapped back to the present, shrugging lightly. "Oh, he's doing fine. He's… well, he's trying to adjust, I guess. Kind of like me."
Mikoto reached across the table and gave Kaiho's hand a squeeze. "Then make sure to look out for him, okay? It's not easy adjusting to a new environment."
Kaiho nodded, her warmth easing the weight in his chest. "I will."