* * * *
"Hah!"
I regained consciousness, finding myself in my familiar bedroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my younger self, back in elementary school. It seemed I had successfully returned. Now, before I forget, I need to jot down those exam questions.
"There, that should do it."
Though I couldn't recall every detail, I managed to write down most of the questions and answers. Time had passed while I was doing this, and I suddenly heard my sister's voice from outside the room.
"Kaya, are you up? You're in there, right? I'm coming in."
Oh no, I hadn't realized it was already that time. It would be bad if she saw these notes. I quickly hid them in my desk drawer.
"Oh, good morning, Sis."
"So, you were already up. Hurry, or we'll be late."
"Y-Yeah. I'll be ready soon."
Prompted by my sister, I hurried to get ready. There were still some parts I couldn't remember, so I'd think about them again when I had more time. After quickly finishing breakfast, I prepared to leave.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sis."
"Really, you're such a slowpoke. Let's go, or we'll be late."
"Y-Yeah. Mom, we're heading out."
"Take care, you two."
With that, we left the house. Since we were running late, we walked briskly. As we hurried along, my sister suddenly stopped, causing me, who was holding her hand, to stop as well.
"What's wrong? We'll be late if we don't hurry."
"Kaya, have you been worrying about something lately? Like the entrance exams or anything with your friends?"
My sister asked this with a serious expression. Was I showing my anxiety on my face? But this time, I'm fine—I should be fine. Besides, there's nothing I can talk to my sister about.
"What? There's nothing wrong, Sis. Come on, let's go."
I tugged at her hand, trying to move us along, but she remained still.
"We'll really be late, you know?"
It was getting to the point where we'd need to rush. She should have known that, but she just held my hand tightly and didn't budge.
"Are you sure there's nothing? Even something small?"
"I told you, there's nothing. What's the matter with you? Let's just go."
I forcefully pulled my sister along, finally getting her to move forward. Even as we walked, I heard her mumbling something, but I was too focused on not being late to pay attention.
We made it to school just in time, and after parting ways with my sister, I headed to my classroom. Though relieved that we weren't late, I couldn't help but wonder why my sister had asked me those questions. Maybe she was just worried because I woke up late today. There's no way she could actually sense my inner turmoil.
Once I decided on that, I refocused on trying to recall the parts of the exam I hadn't written down yet. I got so engrossed in this that I forgot I was in class. Though I embarrassed myself by not realizing the teacher had called on me, I eventually managed to remember most of the questions.
After school, I walked home with my sister. As I thought about organizing my notes and making sure I could finish the exam within the time limit, my sister spoke to me.
"Sorry about this morning."
"This morning? What do you mean?"
"You know, when I stopped and nearly made us late?"
"Oh… right, that."
I had been so focused on recalling the exam questions that I'd almost forgotten. But since we made it on time, it wasn't a big deal in the end.
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. We didn't end up being late, and you were just worried about me, right? So don't beat yourself up over it. Besides, it was partly my fault for waking up late."
"…Thanks."
"Heh, you're welcome. But let's drop it now. Let's talk about something more fun."
"You're right. We're walking home together; it'd be a waste to dwell on it. —Oh, remember that time we went to the zoo to see the pandas?"
I did remember. There was one time our whole family went to the zoo. I think it was when we were in the second grade. Having relived my life so many times, it felt like a distant memory, but it was only about four years ago. Back then, Dad was still kind, and we used to go out together as a family.
"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"
"Here's a quiz for you: what color is a panda's tail, black or white?"
"Hmm… I don't remember. Which one was it?"
"It's a fifty-fifty chance."
"Umm… black, I think. I vaguely remember it being black."
I wasn't sure, but I thought the tip of its tail was black.
"The correct answer is… white! A panda's tail is white, just like its belly. So, what does that mean…?"
"What does it mean?"
When I asked, my sister declared with a triumphant smile:
"It means it's 'Omo-shiroi!'"
"'Tail is white,' really? That's a pun? Heh, heh."
"See? Wasn't that funny?"
"No, it's just that you said it so confidently that it made me laugh."
"What? It was funny, right?"
My sister pouted, which made me burst out laughing.
"You know, Sis, I don't think you're very good with jokes."
"Then can you tell a funny story, Kaya?"
"Well… that's a bit hard to do on the spot."
We continued chatting like that all the way home. It felt like it had been ages since I'd laughed so much. If I can pass the entrance exam, I'll be able to go to school with my sister like this again, and I'll finally meet my parents' expectations. That's why I have to succeed this time. If I pass, my parents will notice me again.