The two days of exams passed in a flash.
In Japan, the high school entrance exam for third-year middle school students is usually divided into two main stages.
The first stage is the unified academic ability test, held in late January, covering Japanese, Math, English, Social Studies, and so on. Akira and his classmates had already taken this part.
The second stage is the secondary exam, consisting of interviews, short essays, and sometimes practical tests. It usually lasts two days, though most schools finish within one.
And now, just like that, it was already spring break.
Akira stretched out on the sofa, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
The printing of Anohana was proceeding smoothly. Shouko and Takagi had gone to a "Chickenzilla" exhibition, leaving him alone at home.
His mother, Miyamura Shizuka, had gone shopping with Yaeko, while his dad, Daiki, had gone fishing with his usual group of buddies.
Even Yuzuru had taken Hachiko out to play with friends.
"…No way. I can't just waste spring break like this."
He sat up suddenly, fired up with resolve.
Then, after a moment of staring blankly into space, he flopped back down. …I really don't have anything to do.
The book was still on schedule for release in late April, by which time school would already have started again.
As for part-time work, technically he was old enough—he had graduated middle school, so he met the legal requirements for minors in Japan. But he didn't need to work. Pocket money from home was enough as long as he wasn't extravagant, and besides, his light novel advance payment was arriving in just a few days.
Going out with friends? That was a dead end too.
Shin-chan's family had gone to Osaka for the break. Daiki was busy helping his sister in the shop. Nakateru had disappeared into some unknown business.
And Kazama? Forget it. His mother had crammed him into three different prep schools over break—"study until you drop," basically.
As for Nini, Miu, or Chika… with Shouko away, there was no way he'd call them out. Besides, Nini was probably spending all her free time with her new boyfriend anyway.
So much for spring break fun…
"Ding—"
His phone buzzed.
Akira pulled it from his pocket and unlocked the screen. It was a LINE message.
Nishikata:Miyamura, wanna hang out?
"…Huh?"
Akira blinked. He remembered Nishikata saying after the exam yesterday that he was working part-time all break.
Akira:Weren't you starting a part-time job? Did you get fired on your first day?
Nishikata:(speechless and wiping sweat.jpg)
Nishikata:Manager said it wasn't busy today. Told me to rest and come back tomorrow.
"…A sushi restaurant not busy during spring break?" Akira muttered, raising a brow. Still, it was none of his business.
Akira:Alright, where to?
Nishikata:No clue. We'll figure it out on the way.
Akira:…Fine. Meet at the school gate?
Nishikata:Okay.
Akira slipped his phone back into his pocket, pulled on a thin black jacket, and headed out.
By the time they met at the entrance of Minato Namikaze Middle School, it was a little past two in the afternoon. Mid-March air still carried a bite of chill.
They ended up deciding their destination by rolling dice, which pointed them to Akihabara.
In the blink of an eye, they were stepping out of Akihabara Station. The sharp chime of electronic announcements faded behind them, blending into the noise of the streets.
"Nameko, didn't you say you wanted to see Yonezu Kenshi in concert? Did you get tickets?"
"No… It was impossible. Way too hard to get. And resale prices were insane."
Akira and Nishikata's attention wandered for a moment to a pair of passing JK girls, then promptly away again, their conversation forgotten as quickly as it started.
If this had been a few years ago, in elementary school, Akira might've been floored to hear such things. But now… he was used to it.
Back then, he had even wondered if he'd been reborn into a parallel-world Japan. In terms of literature, anime, and certain arts, this world lagged behind his previous one.
He still remembered the shock when he first heard the name "Yonezu Kenshi" here. He had rushed home and borrowed Shizuka's old flip phone to look him up.
The results were strange—different, yet vaguely familiar.
Classical works like The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book still existed. Tanizaki's A Portrait of Shunkin and Tayama's Futon too. But modern literature had developed down a completely opposite path, with mystery writers like Keigo Higashino and Seicho Matsumoto not even novelists here—one was a private detective, the other a forensic pathologist.
It was surreal. Music, film, TV—they had shifted, but not nearly as dramatically.
As for Akira himself taking on the banner of modern literature? He scoffed at the thought. Sure, he knew the light novel scene "a little bit," but mystery novels? He'd rather inherit his grandfather's office than try to fake those.
"…Miyamura, are you listening?" Nishikata waved a hand in front of his face.
Akira blinked back to reality. "Sorry, zoned out. What'd you say?"
"I said—" Nishikata glanced at the street. "If you keep staring at those girls across the way, Nishimiya's gonna be mad when she finds out."
Akira followed his line of sight. A trio of flashy "landmine-type" girls leaned against a railing, and unfortunately, one of them caught his gaze.
He quickly nodded politely and looked away. Definitely not the type to mess with…
"Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "So where do you actually want to go?"
"Hm…" Nishikata hesitated. He hadn't really thought of a plan either.
"Let's just wander," Akira decided, stepping forward. "If we see something interesting, we'll go in."
Nishikata hurried to catch up. Standing around wouldn't get them anywhere—and besides, with New Year money still in their wallets, wandering Akihabara didn't sound too bad at all.
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