It was now Monday, the first time I had felt excited or nervous about exams in a long while.
"Put only the pens you'll need on your desks, the test will start soon," said Mori sensei.
Tests would be conducted throughout the week, ending on Friday. We'd be taking them all week.
"For the record, cheating is prohibited, and if caught, it will result in a failing grade," explained Mori sensei.
I placed my pen on the desk and waited for the test papers.
Two hours later, we finished the first test and had a 10-minutes break.
"How was it?" Takasaki asked.
"I think I did well, but I'm not expecting too much," I replied.
"And you?" I inquired.
"I did well," he replied.
"This might sound sudden, but when you write, for how long do you do it per day? And how do you feel afterward?" I queried.
"I thought you'd ask sooner or later," he said.
"Well, let's see. The first thing I do after going back home is school work for about 4 hours, and between checking previous chapters I've written, studying for reference, and writing new chapters, it usually takes me about four hours as well, sometimes more.
But when I finish and look at what I've done, knowing that I fully deserve the sleep I'll be getting that night, a great sense of satisfaction kicks in," he explained.
"That's... impressive," I said, letting the surprise show on my face.
"The hours don't really matter, the better you get, the less time it'll take you. That's the tricky part. I remember writing all day when I first started," he said.
"I see, so it's much harder than I thought," I acknowledged.
"Are you considering starting to write?" he asked.
"No, at least not now," I replied.
"Is there something else you dream of pursuing? Like a hobby or something you dreamed of as a kid?" he inquired.
"I used to carry a sketchbook with me everywhere I went, but for the last year and a half, I haven't touched one," I revealed.
"What kind of art were you drawing?" he asked.
"A bit of everything, but I used to imagine manga characters and draw them a lot," I answered.
"Manga, huh? That's interesting," he said. "You can start writing and drawing manga then," he suggested.
"I tried, but I gave up shortly after," I confessed.
"It's never too late, you know. I did write a couple of manga stories for some people online last year, but I prefer writing my own stories," he revealed.
"Take your seats, everyone. The second test will begin," announced Mori sensei.
"See you later," said Takasaki before sitting back at his desk.
That guy's really amazing, I thought to myself.
As soon as class ended for the day, I headed to a nearby convenience store and bought several notebooks, from similar ones to those we use for school, to pocket notebooks and journals.
I can use my laptop or phone instead, but carrying a pocket notebook is more convenient for me. Besides, I've been trying to limit device usage as much as possible lately. I even started using a flip phone as my main phone and limited the usage of my smartphone to GPS and the default necessary apps only.
I heard that journaling manually is an effective way to become more creative and learn more about oneself. I'll start doing it tonight.
"Let's see, what should I write," I said aloud.
No need to stress it, I'll just start writing and see what I'll get. It's not like anyone will rate what I write here. I can do whatever I want.
Just as I thought of that, it clicked—an epiphany, a moment of deep self-realization.
I felt like a kid who realized how small we are in the face of the huge, mysterious universe for the first time.