Chapter 13. [A Call From Teacher]

One day before my summer vacation.

As I stood up to go to the library to check out a foreign language book and go home, my homeroom teacher stopped me.

“Shall we have a little chat?”

“What?”

“Please follow me.”

What? Scary!? Did I do something wrong! ? Did I do something wrong?

I followed my homeroom teacher with trepidation.

Oh no, I have too many ideas!

The teacher took me to a room with a nameplate that read “Reception Room”.

It was a room derided by the students as the “student advisor’s office”.

When I opened the door, there was a sofa facing me with a table in front of it.

I was made to sit opposite the teacher.

“Well, um, uh, …….”

Which was the cause of the call? I was about to throw the question.

The door opens with a bang, and a new person comes into the room.

“Eh, mom!”

It was my mom who came.

Even they called my parent! What in the world have I gotten myself?

“Sorry to keep you waiting, miss teacher.”

“Thank you for coming, mother.”

My judgment was quick.

“Oh, I just remembered something I have to do. I’m going home first!”

“Hey, don’t run away!”

“Geez.”

She had me by the scruff of the neck.

I can’t run away from my mom!

“I’m sorry for my stupid daughter.”

“No, no,  it’s okay.”

“Um, mom, what are you doing today?”

“Well, I took the day off for someone else.”

That’s it?

I’m screwed. How angry was mom going to get?

I gave up and sat down on the couch with my mom.

Then the story began.

“Your recent test scores have been remarkable, Iroha-san.”

“Thank you.”

Oh? I rolled my eyes at the unexpected start of the conversation.

Could this possibly work? There’s a chance that I’ve been summoned not for a sermon but for a compliment.

“But, your attitude towards school life is not very good.”

Oh, I knew it was bad.

Oh, so I was called out because of my attitude. I had a pretty good idea of what it was.

“You’ve been reading unrelated books in class.”

“Ugh!

“Watching videos on your smartphone during recess, which is forbidden in school.”

Ugh!

“Your children are, frankly speaking–”

Ah, I’m done.

Cut into my VTuber viewing time. It was the other day, right? No way they’d allow it.

“Frankly speaking – she may be a genius!”

“Yeeeeeeeeeessssssss?”

“Perhaps Iroha-san is highly intelligent!”

How can you be so sure?

My brain is filled with question marks, wondering what this lady is talking about. It’s not connected to what you just said!

Mom nodded deeply at the teacher’s words.

“That’s right! I was feeling that from mother’s point of view!”

“Yeah, yeah~!”

Why are they hitting it off with each other?

I don’t get it. I can’t keep up.

“The regular classes are too easy for Iroha-san. Perhaps she’s attending a cram school and has already learned there?”

“No, I don’t send her to cram school.”

“That’s right. That’s what you said in our previous interview.”

The teacher was flipping through a binder.

Perhaps my grades are listed in the binder.

“Iroha-san was self-studying during class by reading unrelated books – foreign language materials. Of course, she understood the class content for that hour and got a perfect score on the test.”

“Oh, was that so?”

My mom glanced at me.

I shake my head, buzzing.

No, I’m not! No, it wasn’t, but it was!

It was true that I was reading foreign language materials I had borrowed from the library. But it was only because my brain overheats when I input too much at once, so it was convenient for me to read them in small chunks during class and in my free time.

“And even during breaks, she was using her smartphone to study listening to foreign languages.”

The teacher said, “Another student told me that.” I was in turmoil.

No, I didn’t do that!

Who told this big lie to the teacher?

And then I realized.

I had once tried to watch a foreign VTuber stream during recess and accidentally put it on my speakers. That’s it!

“Maybe Iroha-san is what we call gifted. Mother, why don’t you send Iroha-san to middle school!”

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ~~~~!”

“It would be a waste to let Iroha-san’s excellent talent remain buried! It would be fine if she continues to public junior high school, but we should let her take higher-level classes if possible. Why don’t you let her test her ability?”

What are you talking about? Even the teacher too?

It was completely unexpected that there was an ambush even at the school. This flow is bad. I panicked and covered my mouth.

“I can’t do it. I can’t take the junior high school entrance exam!”

“That’s right. The most important thing is your own will. If it’s too much of a hurdle for you, how about joining a summer course first?”

The teacher took a pamphlet from the binder and laid it out in a row.

My mom looked at him and grinned.

“That’s a great idea! Hey, Iroha would love that!”

“Eh, it’s just a normal pain!?”

The teacher secretly pinched me and I couldn’t see her.

Against violence! Whispered in my ear before I shouted.

“Promise, right?”

Ugh, that was it. I was going to consider taking the junior high school entrance exam.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to attend summer school.

“Didn’t you watch VTuber during your break?”

My sweat broke out.

She knows.

“That’s strange. Mom, I’ve confirmed that you watched VTubers at home for exactly two hours every day. Where on earth did you count the time you spent watching VTubers at school?”

“Woe~, Iroha, summer school, daisuki.”

“Yes! I’m glad you’re thinking positively! Now, which summer course do you want to go?”

The teacher lays out pamphlets and explains the price and class contents differences.

The prices are quite different.

“Mom, I think I’ll take this one.”

“You just chose the cheapest one by looking at the price, didn’t you?”

“Ugh, but it costs a lot of money.”

“You don’t have to worry about that!”

“Iroha-san, if you care, some cram schools have a special student program. If you get high grades in the summer classes and become the best, you can make your mother’s life easier. Don’t worry. I know you can do it!”

No, no, no… ~~~~!

That was just a pretext. I chose the less expensive course because it was shorter and seemed easier!

“It’s a cram school and has a special student program?”

“Yes, mother. If you want to go for it, you’ll be limited to a reasonably large cram school, and since all the kids start studying at an earlier age, it might be tougher–”

In the end, the conversation proceeded very quickly.

I ended up taking a summer course at a fairly large cram school.

“Ugh, how did this happen?”

“Don’t worry, Iroha-san. It’s not too late to decide whether or not you want to take the junior high school entrance exam after taking the summer course.”

That ain’t it~~~~!