Sitting in class, staring at the papers.
I was accepted into the tryouts sports, I guess i was to talented smiling to myself with a certification paper.
Walking around the school with my hands in my pockets, I entered the classroom. The students looked at me silently, the teacher handing out exam note papers one by one.
Then—
A shock.
I was announced to have the highest scores in all subjects. The one with the cross haircut just stared at me. Then, without a word, he crumple his paper in half and put it on his band. He'd failed the subject despite being the second-highest scorer. I think his name was Trotell.
The whole class had failed. Only I had passed.
People crowded around me, asking how I did it, how I got the score.
But it was just a simple quiz-like exam.
Why was that so hard?
It's not like mastering physics, biology, or mathematics in a week is impossible.
Then he ran up to me and grabbed my hand.
I looked at him. "What?"
"You must have cheated, Adam…" he said, scratching his head again and again, anxious. "You know it's impossible for a normal person to pass this exam… even I—"
Adam waited for him to continue complaining. "Even you?" he said.
Trotell stuttered, saying nothing.
"Don't worry too much. This exam doesn't mean anything anyway. It doesn't affect your will, your future, your gu—"
"Shut up! You don't know!"
He walked away before I could finish.
I sat down, affected.
I don't understand why they treat it as despair over something this small.
I'm so confused.
Why are they so human?
Failure doesn't mean the end.
It's a way to know you're doing something.
Why don't they realize that?
Yeah… maybe if you were talented, you wouldn't experience failure.
But still... That doesnt mean that i didnt tried.
Time passed.
I walked around the field.
Then—
"Sir, please…"
The boy's voice trembled. There were cuts all over his hands and feet.
"I tried again and again… and somehow again, this time I didn't make it into the big leagues. I trained for it."
The man sighed, unbothered.
"Sorry, kid. There are just too many people more talented than you. You should've tried harder."
"I did…"
"Then do it harder," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Quit nagging me about this."
I was there—kneeling by the wall, listening.
Looking at the certification paper for the sport trial on my hand.
I stood there for a moment, thinking. Then sighed, and walked toward him.
"Sorry, man."
He stood still.
"Oh… hey. It's you."
A few seconds of silence passed.
"Can you just leave it alone?"
I smirked and joked. "You're trying too hard."
He snapped. "If you didn't exist, I might've had a chance!"
That annoyed me for a moment.
"Well… you wouldn't know what kind of person you are right now if I didn't exist."
I walked away, hands in pockets again.
I grasped my paper tightly… then threw it into the garbage.
I dont care... It doesnt matter...
As I walked toward the classroom, everyone was wrapped up in their own things. I crossed my legs in the chair, settling in comfortably, and opened my lunch box. Inside, mushroom stew, beans, and some chicken I had bought myself—though i was given some to the old man. First day of work, first real day of school... A relief in Adam internally having be able to have a source of income to sustain myself.
I smiled to myself. Five eggs, some broccoli, no rice. I dug in and ate my fill. The broccoli was crunchy, the eggs soft and creamy, the beans large and crisp, and the chicken and mushrooms exploded with flavor in my mouth.
Time passed. I doodled while others were absorbed in their friends or activities. Trotell was sitting across from me, buried in books he'd found in the library, studying for the next topic. I smirked, resting my hands on my chin. If you focus on studying like that… of course you'd forget everything else. You didn't enjoy it, and there were no moments that would stick in your heart.
Still, I was happy for him. He had record books as notebooks, trying to note it all. Some students played cards or whispered about events around the room, like who's the teacher you hate the most.
Eifer, meanwhile, just stared at Mai and me. Strange. I tried to ignore it, closing my eyes and attempting to forget everything.
A touch on my shoulder made me open my eyes. It was Mai."What are you doing?"
Sigh. If every girl were this bold… never mind. I trapped that thought deep down."I'm bored and tired."
"Me as well." She fiddled with music on her PC—American tracks, some of it familiar. Wait a minute… if I'm in Japan, why do the labels and text look American?
She glanced at me."What are your hobbies?"
Then, suddenly, Eifer spoke."Hey, do you guys read novels?"That was odd. "Yeah, I think so," I thought. It had been a long time since I read anything.
"Me too," Eifer said nervously, his gaze fixed only on Mai.
Mai thought for a moment."Sorry… I don't read novels," she muttered to herself.
Eifer's body tensed, fidgeting with his legs. He pulled out his flip phone and started reading some novels there.
I finally realized what was happening and sighed again. What was I supposed to do?
I turned to the window, thinking how awkward it all was. Then I saw something. Something enormous. A long, multi-limbed human feature and a body of a pig-like creature, kilometers above the city, moving slowly. I rubbed my eyes, but it didn't disappear. Even stranger, huge orbs of flesh clumped together, rolling over the city, with chains connecting far away.
Thinking to myself... Dont be afraid... I will never be alone.
I couldn't tell anyone yet… it was too blurry. Schizo?
The ground shook. Students were evacuated outside. I walked slowly out of the building, grabbing my bag, as the mole goes to my bag and sit there resting.
By the time I looked back outside, the things had vanished. The wind blew, the sky was a dark orange, and the stench of burning metal and wood hung in the air. I started walking home when a voice called out:
"Fresh bread! Fresh bread!"
A large café stood at the edge of town. Inside the glass cases were all kinds of bread: sourdough, whole loaves, buns, intricately shaped brown shiny bread.
Bread was always tasty… no matter what kind.
The mole squeeking and looking at the bread; i guess we had the same thought.