"Because I have a special privilege—I only need to take the exam once."
Kiyono took a bite of the Yanami family's special toast, a proud look on his face.
He paused, then continued, "Don't overthink during the exam. Just relax and solve the problems."
"That's not something you should be saying!" Yanami glared at him.
"Is everything ready? You didn't forget your admission ticket, did you?" The blue-haired girl paid attention to every detail.
"It was in the bag yesterday."
Yanami nodded. The whole family seemed experienced and at ease.
Because this was already the second exam.
The Japanese university entrance exam is different from the domestic one, divided into two steps. The first step is the "National Center Test for University Admissions," a unified national exam hosted by an organization under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This exam serves as a basic assessment for universities to gauge a candidate's high-school education level.
This exam is held in late January each year. Afterwards, national, public, and private universities decide—based on these scores—whether candidates must take the "University Entrance Center Exam," and which subjects they must take. Finally, the scores from the second exam are used as the basis for evaluation and admission.
Simply put, it's a standardized test and a university-specific test.
Yanami had already passed the standardized test with good scores, and now she was taking the second, university-specific test.
For this university-specific test, she had applied to Waseda University—the university with the highest admission rate for editors.
After breakfast, it was time for the Old Father to drive them. The pillar of the family stood up, every movement exuding an aura of reliability.
"Grab your things—let's go."
Kiyono also planned to hitch a ride. Neither of them thought anything was amiss, when the middle-aged man suddenly slumped into his chair, slapped his forehead, and looked utterly shocked and caught off guard:
"Oh no! I remember now! I forgot to fill up the car yesterday—now I have to go to the gas station again…"
He turned his gaze to Kiyono, as if looking at his one hope. The natural shifts in his expression were those of a seasoned actor.
—Last time, the couple drove their daughter. This time, let's give this kid the chance.
Yanami also looked over, as if she had thought of something, and playfully nudged him with her elbow, smiling.
"Will you walk me today?"
"I don't mind… but isn't it snowing outside? Getting wet from the snow might affect your condition a bit," Kiyono said.
"It's fine, it's fine—just light snow, and it's not a long walk, less than half an hour."
Yanami switched from nudging him with her elbow to gently bumping him with her shoulder, accompanied by a "Dong—" sound effect.
"Then let's go." Kiyono waved his hand casually, not minding accompanying her for the last stretch.
He walked to the entrance to wait, while Yanami ran back to her room to get her schoolbag and other things. Pat-a-pat-a—the blue-haired girl trotted up to him and spoke softly. She took a sky-blue umbrella from the stand; her mother stepped aside, watching her from behind with her father.
"Then we're off, Dad, Mom!"
Yanami changed her shoes, then turned around, waving at them with a bright smile.
"Remember, you are a daughter with the Yanami family's blood flowing through you. A mere exam is a piece of cake," the middle-aged man said nonchalantly.
"…But Dad, you didn't even get into university?" the girl retorted.
The Old Father was defeated.
"Check your things again, Anna," her mother said.
"Okay."
"Don't panic if you encounter a difficult problem. Calm down and think about your usual approach."
"Okay."
"Anna has worked so hard—she'll definitely be fine."
"…Okay!"
Her mom and dad were as they always were, gently watching her, tirelessly reminding her of every detail. Word by word. For some reason, standing there looking at her parents, her eyes welled up, and a surge of emotion filled her heart.
Dad, Mom, thank you. I've caused you so much trouble over the past year or so. Thank you for supporting me; thank you for giving me everything I needed to firmly pursue my goal.
When everything is over, even if you no longer remember any of this, I will definitely cherish all these memories, little by little, in my heart.
The girl bowed deeply.
And Kiyono just watched it all with a gentle gaze.
After the two disappeared from the doorway, the father and mother still gazed at the door, as if there were a precious treasure there worth their continued watching, their expressions calm and serene.
After a long while, a soft sigh echoed in the room.
"Youth."
When Yanami pushed open the door, snow from the eaves rustled down, and the girl instinctively hunched her shoulders.
The two looked up. A fine, powdery snow was falling from the sky. The girl reached out her hand, catching a thin flake; before she could look down, it had already melted.
"Let's go. Although we have plenty of time, it would be bad if something unexpected happened on the way."
Kiyono and the girl both opened their umbrellas.
"Are you cold?" Kiyono glanced at her.
"It's very warm." The girl leaned closer to him.
He adjusted the angle of the umbrella, looked into her eyes, and said softly:
"It's okay."
"…"
The girl paused for a moment, then laughed and trotted along like a primary-school student, her laughter echoing far away.
Crunch, crunch—two clear sets of footprints, one large and one small, were left on the snow-covered path.
Walking side by side with the boy like this, looking at his profile, a strange emotion deep in her heart made her speak without thinking:
"Kiyono, this is the first time I've had something I absolutely want to achieve."
The self that always drifted with the current.
"In the beginning, many times I wanted to sink into the world of food and forget everything, but Kiyono kept moving forward, and Komari and Lemon were also constantly improving, so I couldn't stay still either."
You always watched me and gave me courage.
"Now, I've worked hard to get here."
"So, next time—"
Her emotions transformed into syllables, grinding between her teeth.
"I will walk to your side with a proud smile."
Why… does it sound like a farewell?
Kiyono, who had been listening silently, stopped, gazing at her, feeling a strange, inexplicable sadness.
He also thought about many things in the future.
This might be the first time he felt this kind of emotion—the feeling of separating from someone important.
After this, will they truly be able to meet again?
If they do meet again, will they be able to spend time together like they do now?
The Yanami of that time would no longer be the Yanami he knew.
She would still love to eat, spending all her pocket money on snacks, but she would no longer share them with others.
She would still be innocent, lively, and cheerful, but she would no longer reveal her gentle inner self to him.
Even if they met by chance on the street, she would no longer wave at him with a wide smile—not just her, but other people, other girls, would be the same.
He understood Yanami's feelings…
Huh? No, no.
Kiyono suddenly fell into deep thought. Yanami didn't mean that, did she? From Yanami's perspective, this was just a university exam, not a life-and-death separation! What the heck was he understanding?!
At this moment, Yanami took a few steps forward and turned around in front of him.
"We'll meet again in tomorrow's sunshine."
She beamed—a smile like a clear summer sky—raised a finger, and pointed at him for emphasis.
The path to the examination hall quickly came to an end.
Unbeknownst to them, the light snow had stopped, and the accumulated snow on the roads and eaves looked incredibly clear and sparkling.
"This is about as far as we go."
Yanami gently exhaled a puff of white air. The examination hall was not far ahead, and many candidates wrapped in scarves with serious expressions could already be seen.
"Alright… but first, let's change your shoes."
Kiyono's voice came. Yanami followed the boy's gaze to her shoes—after walking through the snow, they had inevitably gotten wet.
"Wet shoes are very uncomfortable."
Kiyono took out a pair of spare shoes and new socks from his bag—these were given to him by Yanami's mother. He pointed to a nearby seat.
"Go change over there."
The blue-haired girl blinked, obediently sat on the bench, and took off her shoes and socks.
"Hey."
She gazed at Kiyono, smiling. "Will you help me change?"
"It's almost time—can't you hurry up a bit…?" The kind young man could only play the role of an Old Father, quickly squatting down to put on her cotton socks.
Let's just consider it a final act of devotion.
His hand held her foot; when he lowered his head slightly, she could see his serious face. The warmth made the girl's cheeks flush faintly.
This feeling… it should be a good thing for the exam, right?
"Okay, okay! I'm fully charged!" The girl put on her shoes and clenched her fists.
"Are you a robot or something…?" Kiyono stayed with her.
The snowy wind blew, and time passed little by little. It was almost time to enter the examination hall.
Yanami glanced around. Even outside the examination hall, everyone looked ready to kill, which made her nervous too.
"Here."
The boy's hand suddenly appeared in front of her. A pink candy lay quietly in his palm. Yanami lowered her head and, without thinking, took it. It was her favorite strawberry flavor.
"Eat this, and you won't be so nervous," Kiyono said with a smile.
Her fingers tightened in time with her heartbeat.
Then, a candy-sweet smile bloomed on her face.
"Mhm!"
She eagerly unwrapped it and put it in her mouth.
Was this a role reversal? She happily waved and ran into the examination hall.
"Wait for me."
Yanami sat in a corner of the examination hall, looking around. Waseda University's classroom was astonishingly quiet, with only the sound of pens scratching paper and slightly heavy breathing. Every candidate wore a solemn expression.
This was a crossroads in life.
Whether days of effort would be rewarded, whether dreams would come true… everything would be decided on this day. From then on, whether successful or not, they would transition from callow students to mature adults.
Yanami felt she was far from mature, but she would pursue it with all her might.
"Begin!"
The examiner's cold voice exploded in everyone's ears. At this moment, everyone straightened their backs, as if drawing swords.