Chapter 15. [A Visitor From Another Country]
“Did you get a call from the school? What did your teacher say?”
“Oh, it was the bottom of the general course class.”
I told my mother when she came home.
The mother was shocked when she heard this. Perhaps she imagines that I would suddenly be in the highest class.
“Yeah, but it’s like that at first. Don’t worry about it. If it’s you, I’m sure you’ll be able to go straight to the next class.”
I laughed, “Yeah, I guess so.”.
I thought it wouldn’t go so well.
In the back of my mind, I recalled the phone call I had just had.
* * *
[Would you like to be our special student?]
“Yes
No, no, no. Something is going on behind my back.
I immediately thought so.
I knew how well I did on the test.
I knew that my score on the test was not good enough to be a special student.
If there is a possibility, it would be that my English was outstanding.
I don’t think that would be enough to make me a special student. There must be many returnees and bilinguals who can get the same score.
As I listened to the story, I understood how it worked.
According to her, the special student status is not immediately granted, but upon fulfillment of certain conditions.
There are two conditions.
The first is that the student must take a course designated by the school for difficult-to-enter junior high schools.
The other is to get a high grade on the test at the end of the summer course.
In other words, if I understood the previous statement correctly, it means this.
[You had a chance to be a special student at our school.]
Ha-han, is this what I think it is?
That’s what they’re saying, right?
No child would feel bad about being told, “You have talent.”.
The same goes for parents who are told, “Your child is gifted!”.
I bet it! The possibility is not zero, right?
I was disappointed in my expectations.
That was just a lure.
Using the word “scholarship student” as bait must be the aim of trying to get into the school right now.
Mom was already on board with the idea of joining the school.
I thought they told every parent and child with even a little talent the same thing.
After all, it’s all in their words.
If I become a special student and get into a difficult junior high school, it will be a positive result for the school.
Even if not, the school will make a profit when the child enrolls in the school.
Parents can also enjoy free tuition if they assume their child will be a special student.
It is not surprising parents would turn away from the high monthly fees and loosen the purse strings, thinking, “If only for now.”.
There are two types of special students.
“A” students exempted from all fees. “B” students exempted from half of the fees. If someone told me that, I would get one of the two.
Whenever anyone buys stocks, they do so with the expectation that the stock will go up.
And once you put your money in, it is hard to back out.
The money will be salted away until next February when the entrance exam is over.
Of course, this teacher did not have any malicious intent.
The basis of business is to offer what the customer is looking for.
* * *
Well, that’s the reality of it.
Even I was expecting a little when they said that. She’s a good talker, you know.
<Hey, so that’s how it is? We didn’t take the junior high school entrance exam. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t study hard for the high school and college entrance exams either.>
Today I’m collaborating with Korean VTubers.
I’ll play a game, which is rare for me. I’ve been playing an FPS game in the Korean language.
<I understand well. Korea is a much more academic society than Japan, although there are no entrance exams for junior high school or high school. A school is a place for studying, and there are no club activities like in Japan.>
<Is that so? >
<Yes. When I was in high school, I was always worrying about exams. On exam day, the whole country cheers for the students.>
>It’s traumatizing to take exams. (Hangeul)
>I don’t want to take the exam again even if they’ll give me 10 million won.
>I was almost late and got a ride to the venue in a police car.
<What, in a police car?>
>I had an old man I didn’t know who gave me a ride home on his motorcycle.
>I still dream about the time I was almost late.
>Sunun, is that you?
<Ha~, I guess everyone in Korea had a hard time with exams too.>
<Hmmm, wait a minute? Wait a minute? Iroha, didn’t you just read my comment in Hangul?>
<Oh, yes, I did. The other day, I became able to read it.>
>I can read now. <– wwwww
>Seriously? Try to pick up some comments.
>The soy sauce factory manager is Factory Manager Kang, and the miso factory manager is Factory Manager Chang.
<The head of the soy sauce factory is Factory Manager Kang, and the head of the miso factory is Factory Manager Chang.>
>!?!?!?
>You speak Korean better than me??? (Korea)
>I was terrified that the tongue twister was better than me.
<What? Was that a fast word?>
Ganjang gonjang gonjang jang unkang gonjangjangyigo, tenjang gonjang gonjangjang unchan gonjangjangyida…
Wow, I swear, it’s hard to say!
I wasn’t aware I was speaking fast at all earlier.
How can I be good at fast speech when my singing is barbed? There are still many things I don’t understand about this ability.
<Uwaaaaaaaa! ? I don’t have a place to stand now! ?>
>LOL
> I’m out of position ww
>I’m out of position www
<She can read Hangul and even speaks Korean better than I do.>
<Oh, enemies are coming from the right.>
<Ahhhh. Well, even this little girl is good at FPS! ?>
<No, I’m bad at FPS. ……>
I once lurked for a while because I wanted to get matched with a VTuber in my previous life.
But in the end, I couldn’t find the time to play due to work conflicts, and I retired without getting much better. The best way for me was to watch the video streaming, which I could do on the train, in the bathroom, or the bathtub.
<But I’m impressed with the Japanese, English, Korean, and ……. I was not good at studying when I was a kid, and even now, I just play all the time.>
<I’m not a good student either. But I wanted to understand your words better.>
<Haaaah! …… Eh, wait a minute? What’s with this girl, isn’t she too cute?>
>They fell www
>This is too EZ www!
>She’s cute.
<Many people speak Japanese-English, but not many speak Japanese-Korean. Korean is said to be the third most popular language in Japan after English and Chinese. However, compared to English, it is only 1/100th.>
<Is that so?>
<Yes. So I hope there will be more people like Iroha-chan in the future. Then, one day, we’ll have a large-scale collabs!>
That’s what she said.
As a fan, I would love to see that happen. I became a fan of hers even more.
Even though she said such nice things, the clip that got the most views was the one from the scene when she said, “Our position has become nonexistent.”.
That’s just as well.
* * *
In the meantime, the summer course started in earnest.
The contents were quite hard. Each one is simple, but the amount of work is massive.
It is natural to say that.
The junior high school curriculum entrance examinations usually begin in the fourth grade and take three years to complete.
It is too late to start studying for junior high school entrance examinations if I started in the summer of the 6th year.
The standard will vary depending on the school to which you want to apply.
“……Haah.”
To be honest, I was troubled.
Many of the people around me, including the listeners, are in favor of taking the junior high school entrance exam.
I think it is necessary to study.
Is it necessary to take the junior high school entrance exam? I have a question.
I don’t need to go that far to live.
In my previous life, I was a professional.
In extreme cases, if I jump into the same field, I can play a stronger new game+.
Although it is a somewhat overtime-intensive job, I can earn enough to survive.
I had no desire to buy more VTuber goods if I got a higher-paying job, but even so, I was not dissatisfied with my previous life, even though I had some unfinished business with it.
So there is no reason to ask for more – no need to work hard.
Besides, wouldn’t this probably be the case even if it wasn’t me?
Imagination only takes a moment, but the effort is meaningless if we’re not continuing it.
If you start your life over as a child, will you always make it big?
The answer is no.
Ideal and reality are different.
Most people will not work hard if they are placed in an environment where they do not have to work hard.
If there is a person who will make it big, they’re already working hard right now.
However, I owe my mother a debt of gratitude for raising me, and she provides me with food, clothing, and shelter.
Therefore, I would like to follow my mother’s wishes as much as possible.
But only to the extent that I can do so.
The amount of effort required to get good grades at school, and to pass the junior high school entrance exam is very different.
If you ask me if I would cut back on my VTuber viewing time, I would say no.
There are things I can only do now. Today is the only time I can watch today’s stream in real-time.
I’m currently limited to 5 hours of viewing per day.
That was really out of concern for me, so I accepted it. However, I wondered if taking the junior high school entrance examination was really for my benefit.
The answer to this question came from an unexpected visitor.
* * *
[Iroha-chan, come to my house now~!]
I got a sudden phone call from Ah-nee. Well, as usual.
I didn’t have cram school today, so I went to her house as she called me.
“I’m coming in!”
I was in Ah-neer’s room, which I already knew well.
I opened the door with a bang, and there was another person I didn’t know.
<Hey~. It’s nice to meet you, Iroha-chan. Do you know who I am?>
<Oh, ……,aaaaaaaaahhhh!!!??>
I knew at once if I heard her voice.
There was no way I could have made a mistake. She’s my best oshi.
<“Gurururu …… Domo Zombie desu”. I’m Angu-ogu!>
There she was, the “inside person (naka no hito)” of Angu-ogu.