Part-3 Final Chapter Ep-01

(Maki’s POV)

Right after the new year began, we sat for the Common Test for University Admissions.

Generally speaking, university entrance examinations are conducted in several stages after a little time has passed since the beginning of the year.

First, in early January, every student hoping to pursue higher education takes the Common Test simultaneously at testing venues all across the country.

After that, from mid to late January, there are the individual examinations where you travel to each university you’ve applied to and take their separate exams, after which the results are announced based on your performance there.

So, broadly speaking, there are two exams.

Naturally, that also meant there were two separate peaks for anxiety to hit.

In reality, there are various other admission methods as well, but this was the route that both Mari and I were taking, at the very least.

The schedules for the individual exams after the Common Test differed depending on the university in question.

Because of that, our high school switched to voluntary attendance starting in January. Basically, regular classes disappeared, leaving us in a state where self-study and individual tutoring sessions simply continued without end.

“Haa... No matter how much I study, it still feels like it’s never enough.”

Holding a sandwich in one hand, Mari muttered that with a thoroughly worn-out expression.

Today, Mari and I had come to school early in the morning and settled into a sparsely populated classroom, sharing chocolates and cookies we had bought while studying for the exams together.

By the way, the first and second-year students were attending their regular classes as usual.

Amid all that, spreading sweets and juice across our desks while working through practice problems somehow felt special, and it put me in a slightly better mood.

“Mari, though, you seemed so relaxed back during the high school entrance exams.”

I tilted my head as I recalled what she had been like back in our junior high school days.

Well, maybe it was unfair to compare university entrance exams with high school entrance exams in the first place.

Even so, I remembered feeling a little encouraged back then by how she hadn’t doubted for even a second that she would get into this high school.

When someone goes as far as saying, “Maki, you’ll absolutely pass the exam for this high school! If you don’t, then there’s something wrong with the world!” it’s impossible not to gain some confidence from that.

“Well, back then, I had confidence that I’d definitely pass...” Mari said awkwardly before biting into the sandwich she had bought earlier for lunch.

From my perspective, the fact that she could think that way at all was amazing, something I admired, and because of that, seeing her lacking confidence now felt strangely fresh to me.

“So does that mean you don’t have as much confidence this time as you did back then?”

“Hmm, or rather, it’s because I’ve never experienced this before.”

“Does that mean you have experienced high school entrance exams before? Mari, have you lived through life several times already?”

When I teased her like that, Mari hurriedly denied it.

Laughing, I told her I knew that already, then picked up one of the chocolates Mari had bought and popped it into my mouth.

Our conversation echoed quietly through the silent classroom.

Perhaps it was because the entire school was in the middle of classes at this hour, or perhaps because of the tense, freezing atmosphere of midwinter, but everyone’s voices in the classroom were subdued, and most people remained silent altogether.

That said, aside from Matsuri and me, there were only a handful of other students in this classroom to begin with.

From the hallway, the only thing we could hear was the faint voice of a teacher conducting class somewhere else.

Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered if more people had been around, but everyone was probably either studying at home or at some fast-food restaurant instead.

Several times already, I’d spotted classmates silently studying with textbooks spread across the tables at the hamburger shop I stopped by on my way home.

“Hey, um...”

I turned toward Mari again to continue the conversation, only to stop myself midway and clamp my mouth shut.

It was because the profile of Mari’s face, as she rested her chin on one hand and gazed absentmindedly out the window, looked as though she were deeply lost in thought.

There even seemed to be the faint trace of anxiety lingering across her expression as she stared quietly into the distance.

I’d started noticing Mari behaving like that shortly before the new year began, and as the days passed, the number of times I caught her looking like that only increased.

At first, I wondered whether she was still bothered by the fact that our future paths had diverged, or whether her anxiety over the exams had simply intensified. Worried, I’d tried asking her about it several times, but it didn’t seem to be quite that simple.

She was thinking about something.

And whatever it was, it seemed to be making her uneasy.

Seeing Mari in that state lately had left me a little worried as well.

I’d already asked her what was wrong countless times before. Even so, there were still no signs of whatever was troubling her clearing up, and because of that, I wanted, as much as possible, to stay close to Mari emotionally through my actions instead.

“Hm?”

“...For now, I thought I’d hold your hand.”

I gently took hold of the hand resting on the desk, the one she wasn’t using to prop up her chin.

Her fingertips were slightly cold, and wanting to warm her with my body heat, I squeezed her hand tightly.

“Hehe, what’s this? Did you want to be spoiled?” Mari laughed.

It wasn’t that I wanted to be spoiled.

I wanted to spoil her.

She really didn’t get it at all, huh.

That was what I found myself thinking.

“Yeah, I guess I ended up wanting to be spoiled, so let’s take a break a little longer.”

When I answered that while looking at Mari’s smiling face as she laughed softly in delight, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I did want to be spoiled a little after all.