Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330662545387095/episodes/16817330663940016367
Me, Ari san, and Misumi senpai then wandered around the campus.
Since the campus is frequented by a large number of students, anyone can enter the campus except for important facilities.
However, that was on weekdays, and today, Sunday, none of the school buildings could be entered because they were all locked.
Students can enter the buildings with their student ID card, which is combined with a card key. The members of the club use the kitchen door to move equipment in and out of the building, so it is not impossible to enter the building. However, since the kitchen door is for staff only, I decided not to use it this time.
Therefore, we mainly walked around outdoors. However, that seemed to be enough for Ari san, who asked me like a child every time she saw something.
And now, we had walked to the plaza near the center of the campus.
“Hey, Kingo. Isn’t this where you used to perform?”
Ari san asked in a voice that contained her excitement.
“Yes, right here on the special stage.”
What Ari san was referring to was the live stage at the festival held in September. Lyconess had performed at the festival’s live show.
I naturally felt my cheeks tear up at the thought that she had come to see that as well.
“I heard that Kobayakawa kun was in a band. Ari chan told men.”
“Y-yeah, well. When I was in high school……well, with my friends.”
“I had no idea. Come to think of it, you sometimes carried a guitar on your back,…….”
“When I had ensemble practice after school, I carried it on my back.”
“Fufu, Kobayakawa kun is Ari chan’s idol? I’m glad I can meet him”
Senpai said in a teasing tone. She doesn’t seem to have any taste for rock bands, but I wonder if she got interested in them after hearing about them from Ari chan. I’m a little tickled.
“We had a lot of fun at that time. Not many people knew who we were, but people stopped to listen to us and get into the groove.”
I was immersed in memories of just two months earlier.
The viewing space at the festival was much larger than the usual live music clubs. The crowd looking down from the stage was bigger than usual. Looking back on it now, that was the biggest concert for me.
I was so nostalgic that I talked about the old days.
It was frustrating that I was fired from Lyconess. But that frustration is also a reflection of the sense of accomplishment and fulfillment I felt at that show. That in itself is a good memory. There is no lie there.
“Did you enjoy it too, Ari san?”
Now the only proof that I was standing on that stage is in people’s memories. I asked her that question, perhaps wanting to make sure of it.
Ari san did not speak. She remained silent, her gaze turned slightly upward. Her eyes seemed to be looking at a distant place, and they were somewhat sad.
I thought something was wrong and turned my attention to Senpai. I wondered if she felt the same way, and our eyes met.
“Ari san, what’s wrong? Are you thinking something about Lyconess?
“Huh?”
Ari san turned around with a puzzled look on her face.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry about me anymore. It’s true that I’m disappointed that I was fired, but it’s over now.”
I spoke my mind one-sidedly.
I don’t want you to remember me performing as a guitarist for Lyconess and feel sorry for me.
I can’t and won’t go back to Lyconess. Even if I were to resume music in some form, it can’t be just for Lyconess.
So I want her to miss me, but not to regret or feel sorry for me.
But that was a hasty decision on my part.
“That’s not it ! I was just thinking about my school of choice……”
“School of choice? Come to think of it, I didn’t ask you which university you will attend. Where will you take the exam?”
I asked her casually, and after a short pause, she answered.
“Ichiritsu University. But, at first, I was planning to attend Hokusei University.”
Her voice was still somewhat regretful.
There are two public universities in Hokusei.
One is the National Hokusei University, and the other is the Ichiritsu Hokusei University.
The national university has a longer history and is better known, so the term “Hokusei University” usually refers to the national university. The other is usually referred to as “Ichiritsu University”.
“I recently changed my school of choice because the deviation score was not good enough. If I’m at Ichiritsu University, I can easily get a good score. My parents want me to go to a national or public university, and I’m still scared of leaving my hometown, so I felt relieved that it was a decision that would fulfill my hopes. I don’t really like studying. But now I wonder if it’s a good idea.”
“Is the reason you’re so confused…because I’m there?”
Did she change her mind now that she wants to go to the university where the band she was chasing goes to?
It sounds egotistical, but it’s possible.
“That too. I want to go to the same university as Kingo. But that’s not all. There are Ryoko san and Shino san here. There’s also the Tea Club, which is a very interesting club. The cultural festival was a lot of fun. I was thinking that I could come to the event again, but next time I want to participate as a student, not as a guest.”
Ari san expressed her desire with a vacant, cheerful smile. Her expression seemed to me to be one of resignation as she gazed covetously at the unreachable heights.
“Is your grade that bad?”
“The last mock exam I took was a C. But the one before that was a B……”
I see. It’s like the club members retired and were forced to catch up. Did it break due to shock?
“What did my sister say to you?”
This is a question from Misumi senpai. The evaluation from the homeroom teacher is certainly something to be concerned about.
“Erm…..[Hokusei University is difficult]…….”
“I see…….”
Misumi senpai’s expression was not one of regret or pity, nor did she seem to be apologizing for the callousness of her relatives. It was deep, like she was thinking about something.
I wondered what she was thinking, but decided not to ask her now.
“I wish I could wait for another year, but my parents are against it. Well, I wasn’t sure if I could make it another year, so I ended up dropping the school I wanted to go to……”
As Ari san spoke weakly, she seemed to have given up.
It is true that waiting for another year is a difficult choice. For the parents, it extends their child-rearing period by one year. The cost of sending them to a prep school would be ridiculous. Even if she chose to wait, she would be forced to fight a lonely battle for a year. It must be hard for her to struggle alone in the shadow of her classmates who are enjoying campus life.
So I don’t think Ari san is soft or anything.
I just think it’s a waste of time.
“How about trying a little harder, Ari chan?”
In contrast to me, Misumi senpai gave her a pep talk.
I was surprised. I thought she was a person who usually likes to be by herself and doesn’t show much interest in other people.
Maybe she was moved by Ari san’s depressed face, since she had just claimed that she was her important friend to Yamashina.
“Now must be the hardest time for you, when your academic performance is sluggish and your rivals are overtaking you. But if you give up now, all your efforts will be in vain. It is during these difficult times that you should take a look at what you have accumulated.”
As usual, Senpai’s voice is quiet. However, her voice had a core of strength and power that was unprecedented.
I was inspired by that. It was true that it was still too early to give up. I also sent her words of encouragement.
“It’s November now, so there are two months until the common exam and three months until the final exam. I think it is still too early to give up. The decision on whether to take the national or public exam depends on the results of the common exam, so why don’t you hang in there until then?”
“Kingo……”
Ari san looked at me and Senpai alternately with an anxious look on her face.
I continued to say to her.
“Universities may all be similar, but none of the students who attend them are the same, right? So I think it is more important who you spend time with than which university you go to. If you want to go here because you see the faces of the students, isn’t that reason enough to give it another shot?”
I think the experience gained in the last four years of being a child before becoming a member of society is a lifetime.
No matter where she goes to college, she will have that kind of experience. However, if possible, I would like her to gain experience at a place she chooses with her own strong will.
“It’s hard to change the university after you get in, so it doesn’t hurt to think it over. It’s a choice you make only once, so don’t have any regrets.”
“Kingo…….thank you. I was under a lot of pressure and took the easy way out. I’ll think about it more and talk to my parents. After all, Kingo gives me courage.”
Ari san smiles at me. She still had a tinge of anxiety, but as she said, she must have found the courage to do it. I was relieved to see her back to her normal self.
“Thank you, Shino san. I’ll talk it over with Misumi sensei as well.”
“No, I’m sorry for saying something so impertinent…….”
It seems that Senpai’s emotions got ahead of her and she said something like that earlier.
But thanks to her, I was able to hear some cool words.
[The most important thing is to never give up.]
Recently, there has been a cold trend towards such sports-oriented lines.
But in life, there is always a turning point that changes the fate of the rest of your life.
Even if you give up or compromise elsewhere, if you don’t stick with that moment, you will regret it later.
I don’t want her to regret it. That’s why I want her to do her best just for now.
Is there anything I can do for her?
I desperately asked myself.
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