"First of all, I would like to talk about the result of the recent exam… Well, I actually don't have much to say. Your son managed not only to get to the top of the class, but also the top of the grade. If he keeps this up, he should be able to get into the university of his choice."
"Oh my, that's amazing. Good job, Maki, I'm proud of you."
"Well… I didn't join any club, so I have to focus on studying to make up for it…"
Although my words implied that I didn't think it was a big deal, inside, I was extremely happy. I managed to get the first rank in my class and even got to the top ten of the grade.
Everything was thanks to Umi, who had been keeping a watch on my studies. Yes, I spent most of my time teaching Amami-san and the others, but I didn't neglect my studies at all. I asked Umi and other people who had better grades than me like Nakamura-san to help me study. And now, all those efforts bore fruit, the kindness of those people didn't go to waste.
"Also, personally, I see no problem with the career path form that he submitted. While his first choice, K University, is a national university and an overall difficult one to get into, he still has one whole year to prepare himself… It's just, I believe the university is a little too far to commute from home, isn't it? Can I have your opinion regarding this, Maehara-san?"
"Seeing that he has a strong desire to go there, I can only respect his wishes… I've put this child into a lot of hardships in the past, and I believe that he's free to use his money for whatever he likes."
My father left me enough money to pay for the university tuition, but I still needed to work to get by. Tuition wasn't the only thing I should be concerned about, there were other necessities too, like textbooks and living expenses in general.
Also, my mom said that she had put me into a lot of hardships, but that wasn't true at all. It was because of her that I was able to live without any inconveniences like this. That was why I had been thinking of lightening her burden in the future.
I had thought about getting a part-time job, but at this point, it was a little difficult to do that. That was why I decided to raise my grades as much as possible instead.
"By the way, can I ask you what kind of job you want to do in the future, Maehara-kun? Your answer on the form was a vague one."
"Well… I don't have any clear thoughts about it yet, but I figured that I should think about it after I go to the university. I heard that K University graduates have good track records to land decent and stable jobs, and that's due to the university's strenuous efforts to help their students in that regard…"
"Oh my, you're more talkative than usual, Maki. Have you thought of that answer in advance?"
"…Mom, please."
In preparation for the interview itself, I've written down some safe answers. The only thing that mattered on that form was my first choice of university, since I planned to go there with Umi.
Aside from that, I really had no job or university that I wanted to go to.
As long as I could get some money and spend my days happily with Umi, I really couldn't care less about what kind of job I'd get.
When you think about it, you'd come to think that being a civil servant would suit me. But, from what I've seen with Hayato-san, Amami-san's father, who was a civil servant, it seemed like the job was busier than you'd imagine… Well, I hadn't asked Amami-san about the details of his father's job, I probably should do it when I got the chance.
"That means it's still undecided for now. In any case, if at any point while you're still in school, your view of the matter has changed, Maehara-kun, please feel free to consult with me. After all, there might be better universities that could help you land on the specific jobs you want."
"If it's my son, I believe that he doesn't mind with anything as long as he could spend the rest of his life with Umi-chan."
"M-Mom!"
Relieved by Sensei's reassurance that there was nothing wrong with my career choice, my mom's expression had considerably relaxed. She could even throw those kinds of unnecessary jokes now.
Yagisawa-sensei was our Homeroom Teacher last year, so she had a rough guess about my relationship with Umi. That was why she only let out a wry smile when she heard my mom's words.
…See, this was why I wasn't looking forward to this interview. Can't it be over already? Or at least, can't I just run away?
After that, the topic of the conversation moved on towards my attitude at school. This session was a brief one. Amami-san's interview took a long time, but mine barely even took half of the scheduled time. Even Yagisawa-sensei had a relieved look on her face when she looked at her watch.
…By the way, she did leave me a note, saying that I should interact with other boys more. I was making progress in that part, mind you, but I didn't say anything to her and just let out a wry smile.
Well, I understood where she was coming from. The school trip is coming up soon, so it would be better if I were to get some friends of the same gender as me. Other than Nozomu, who was in a different class, and Takizawa-kun, who was a year before me, I didn't know anyone else. My classmates were too reserved around me, mostly because the people I normally interacted with; Amami-san, Arae-san and Nakamura-san, were such big shots… Well, whatever, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
"Then, it feels a bit rushed, but that should be the end of the interview. Maehara-san, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come all the way here."
"No, no. I can see that even though you're still young, you do take good care of your students, Yagisawa-sensei. Maki, don't give her too much trouble, okay? And, stop playing around with girls too much."
"I get it, I get it. Also, it isn't like I'm close with girls on purpose… Well, I'll do my best in that regard."
Until the time we left the classroom, the atmosphere was peaceful. Maybe it was because I had attained freedom, but the air outside felt fresher than usual.
Alright, now that I was done with my interview, all I needed to do was to wait for Umi's and go home… Or so I thought. For some reason, the atmosphere turned a little strange.
"Ah, welcome back, Maki… How did it go?"
"Nothing noteworthy happened… That aside, is something the matter?"
When I left the classroom with my mom, the first thing that I saw was Sora-san and Eri-san running around in panic.
Then, there was Umi, who was waiting for me. But, there was one person missing from the group.
Amami-san.
"Jeez, that girl, suddenly yelling like that… Sorry, Sora-san, it's almost time for Umi-chan's interview, yet you had to help me look for her…"
"No, it's fine, I'm worried about Yuu-chan too… Umi, how long is it until your interview starts?"
"If we follow the schedule, around five minutes… Maki, sorry for asking you this out of sudden, but can you help look for Yuu? She was talking with Eri-Obaa-san, but she suddenly ran off somewhere."
Her bag was still here, so she most likely hadn't left school yet.
While I didn't know the details of what happened, I couldn't just leave her on her own, I guess.
At that moment, the Homeroom Teacher of class 11 came out of the class and called out to Umi. It was time for Umi's interview to start.
"Let's go mom. We'll leave everything to Maki and Nina for the time being. Please don't make any complaints during the interview so that it'll end quicker."
"Okay, okay. Eri-san, I'm sorry, it's time… Maki-kun, we'll join you as soon as we're done."
"Understood."
Since Nitta-san should be free by now, if we were to ask her help, it shouldn't take long for us to find Amami-san.
"…Everyone is depending on you, huh, Maki?"
"Well, I'm the only one who can move in our group and I can't just not help Eri-san, can I? You also have to go back to work after this, Mom. So, don't worry about this and do your best at work."
"Okay. But, Maki, don't push yourself."
"I know… See you, Mom."
After parting ways with my mom, who had to go back to her work, I went to look for Amami-san. I told Eri-san to wait in front of the classroom and promised her that Nitta-san and I would bring Amami-san back after calming her down a little.
…Well, I hadn't told Nitta-san about this, but I doubt that she'd refuse to help in this kind of situation.
Anyway, time to look for Amami-san.