What will it be like after graduation?
Until school the next day, Futaba Rio's words still lingered in Shinra's ears.
He inexplicably felt that this might be the main reason for Futaba Rio's 'split'.
Last night, Shinra just gave a rather generic answer to Futaba Rio's question, roughly meaning that even after graduation, they could still contact each other often.
In fact, students who have graduated know that some bonds are reset to zero directly after graduation. There are many reasons: region, studies, employment direction... These realistic factors cause many friends who got along well in school to become 'person not found' after graduation.
If contacted later, it's either selling insurance or borrowing money. In short, it's terrifying.
After all, some people graduate to further their studies, while others enter society directly to work. A very small number of people inherit the family business, like Haruno and Shinra, who have to be dragged by their families to work while still in school.
Schools gather children from different classes and families, creating an environment where they can communicate with each other. Once out of the ivory tower of school and stepping into society, everyone will return to their respective positions.
Take Yukino for example. If not for being classmates, Yui, after entering society, probably wouldn't even have a way to see Yukino.
One is a child from an ordinary family, and the other is the second daughter of a local councilor's family. The difference in their social environments dooms them not to meet.
Even realistically speaking, the most precious thing Yui gained in school was not the knowledge taught by the school, but the fact of knowing and becoming friends with Yukino itself.
Mm, maybe this applies to Futaba Rio too. Once Mai graduates, if she wants to see her in the future, she either has to go to the same university or can only see her at offline commercial events.
After all, she's a big star~
"Asking for leave again today?" Yukino put down the paperback book in her hand and looked at Shinra pushing open the club room door.
"No, working normally today." Shinra shook his head, deciding to grace the Service Club after a long time.
Hachiman beside him had deep feelings about Shinra's word 'working'. For him, participating in Service Club activities was no different from working. Coming every day, slacking off when there was nothing to do, but being very busy when busy—wasn't that just working?
No, working at least pays wages. Working in the Service Club is purely voluntary, and sometimes one has to pay to work. The return obtained is just a better-looking resume for further studies.
...Okay, maybe for some people, just helping with further studies is enough to become a self-funded member of the Service Club.
But Hachiman felt his grades were not bad. Even without adding glory to his resume, he could still successfully enter his ideal university with the grade ranking of third... no, fourth in the grade.
With the sudden rise of Shinra, Hachiman's liberal arts ranking went from the perennial third to the perennial fourth.
"Welcome~" Yui was happy about Shinra's 'return'. In her opinion, the Service Club was better complete; missing one wouldn't do.
Eh, although Saki didn't come today because she had to work part-time.
"We just happened to prepare to discuss the graduation trip today." Yui proposed a topic, preventing the Service Club from becoming a self-study club.
Unknown if it was because of Shinra's arrival or just happening to be interested in the topic of 'graduation trip', Yukino didn't read the paperback book while listening to Yui speak like usual.
She put away the paperback book and got up to walk towards the kettle.
It seemed they were going to have a tea party after a long time.
Previously, Service Club activities were suspended due to preparations for the school festival. After the school festival ended, Shinra kept 'asking for leave', so the Service Club had been in a 'self-study' state for the past two days, i.e., everyone doing their own thing.
Neither Yukino nor Hachiman spoke much. Only Yui tried her best to provoke topics, finally getting only slightly perfunctory answers from the two.
Why does it feel inexplicably pitiful?
And this situation made Yui realize the most indispensable person in the Service Club—Shinra.
After all, when Shinra was present, there had never been an awkward silence. Although everyone did their own thing when there was nothing to do, the club atmosphere with Shinra present was completely different from without him.
"Yay, it's snack time!" Yui shouted very supportively, then looked at Yukino with anticipation.
Making Yukino a bit embarrassed. When Shinra wasn't here before, she didn't bring out snacks and black tea. Now holding a tea party immediately upon Shinra's return, wasn't it a bit too deliberate?
It could only be said that Yukino overthought a bit. They had been together for a semester; who didn't know who?
Those who understand understand.
Hachiman was still the same. Unlike Yui, he wasn't interested in tea parties. Such social behaviors that only riajuus would do were naturally insulated from him.
Of course, the snacks and black tea were delicious, so he didn't reject them either.
"Hachiman."
"...What?"
Hearing Shinra suddenly call his name, Hachiman looked vigilant.
Don't know why, whenever he heard this guy Shinra calling his name, he felt like the King of Hell calling the roll, even having a physiological reaction of hair standing on end.
Very scary, bro.
"What do you think it will be like after graduation?"
"Liberation."
Hachiman showed a happy look on his face.
But the next second, Shinra burst his fantasy directly.
"If furthering studies, there will still be social interaction. Rather, after entering university, social interaction is the first priority. But if not furthering studies and entering society directly, needing to work goes without saying. Even working requires having a good relationship with colleagues; otherwise, there is a high probability of facing workplace bullying. Earning little money while being messed with by others in various ways, maybe getting work PTSD, and finally degenerating into a useless NEET who only gnaws on the old (lives off parents)."
"Stop stop stop, stop reading."
Shinra's long and difficult sentence invigorated Hachiman directly. After listening to the other party, Hachiman felt he might have gotten PTSD before even starting work.
"Don't you already know the state after graduation very well? Why ask me?" Hachiman stared with dead fish eyes. After listening to Shinra's description, Hachiman, who originally had some expectations for graduation, suddenly felt campus life wasn't bad.
After all, in school, one was at most disgusted by riajuus, but entering society meant being disgusted by all kinds of strange people.
The most infuriating thing was that you probably couldn't do anything about them.
Could only be humiliated by life, then shrink under the quilt shedding little pearls (tears) and lamenting the biodiversity of human species.
Low wages, inevitable shitty overtime, no money if quitting—most cowardly.
Just thinking about it made him depressed.
Hachiman closed the paperback book, feeling his good mood for the day was completely ruined by this guy Shinra.
Directly changing him from isolationism to pessimism.
"What about Yui? Have you thought about things after graduation?" Seeing Hachiman couldn't give any valuable advice, Shinra turned to ask Yui.
Yui thought seriously for a moment, then looked at Shinra and said: "Can't imagine at all!"
Their high school life had only passed halfway. Graduation felt a bit too far away.
But thinking carefully, it didn't seem too far, because in a while, there would be the only school trip in three years of high school, also known as the graduation trip.
"Regarding this, you can ask Yukino." Yui gave the most pertinent advice. She felt among the few of them, Yukino should be the one considering the furthest.
Yukino didn't respond immediately after hearing Yui's words. Instead, she continued doing the things at hand, putting black tea into the glass teapot, then pouring in boiling water. Tea leaves fluttered up and down like flying snow in winter.
The girl's thoughts also began to float with the tea leaves.
Graduation...
If no accidents, she should choose to further her studies like her sister. The only question was which university to choose.
Whether to choose a university in Chiba City like her sister, or go to big cities like Tokyo or Kyoto—these were all things Yukino needed to consider.
And compared to which university to go to, Yukino was more curious about which school Shinra would go to in the future.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help moving her gaze to Shinra, coincidentally finding the other party also looking at her. Gazes crossed, and Yukino finally responded.
"Should further studies after graduation, just don't know which university to go to."
"Is that so..."
"Rather than this, why do you suddenly pay attention to things after graduation?"
Shinra scratched his head. He 'told the truth': "Just someone close to me is graduating, feeling time passes so fast."
Pillow partner is also a close person; no problem.
Yukino and the others thought the close person Shinra mentioned was his friend or relative or something. After all, although Shinra's parents were both deceased, he had quite a lot of relatives.
The Mori family, thriving population.
"Never seen you so sentimental usually." Hachiman touched his chin. Intuition told him there must be something fishy.
He didn't know what exactly, but there must be something.
Shinra looked at Hachiman with a smile. Say more nonsense and I'll send you flying.
Feeling Shinra's 'death stare', Hachiman immediately lowered his head, looking at the paperback book in his hand, thinking this paperback book is really paperback.
"After all, graduation is a matter for a year and a half later. Rather than thinking about things so far away, better think about how to spend the recent school trip." Yui felt the school trip was more important.
"You are right." Shinra nodded slightly. Regarding Futaba Rio's problem, he didn't expect to get an answer from the Service Club. Asking this was purely to find some inspiration from their answers.
After all, whether it was Yukino or Hachiman, they had few friends at school like Futaba Rio. Maybe he could find some problem-solving ideas from their answers?
As for the school trip, Shinra treated it as an autumn outing requiring staying overnight outside.
"Speaking of which, where are we going this time?" Hachiman asked. This one obviously spaced out during the homeroom class.
Mm, maybe because the topic of school trip was too riajuu, triggering Hachiman's built-in keyword blocking directly.
"Kyoto, I think."
Although Shinra spaced out during the homeroom class, he still knew where they were going.
"Kyoto..." Yui let out a sigh of unclear meaning, "Really wish our school could go to Okinawa for the graduation trip."
Shinra looked at Yui. By the time of the graduation trip, it should be almost winter, right?
Going to the seaside in winter, really? Do you also have some super physique?
"Personally, I don't recommend going to the seaside in this season." Although Yukino had two 'Yuki' (snow) in her name, it didn't mean she wasn't afraid of cold.
This could also be seen from the material of the black stockings on her legs changing from core-spun silk to velvet after entering autumn.
As for how Shinra knew the material of Yukino's stockings, it could only be said that his eyes were rulers.
Actually, it was easy to judge. Stockings made of core-spun silk would reflect light when the light was strong, while although velvet would also reflect light, it was not as obvious as core-spun silk, and velvet stockings had a matte texture.
Please type 'detail' in the comments.
"But, Yukino, don't you think going to Kyoto is boring? Kyoto is full of temples and shrines. It's not like Chiba doesn't have these things, like Inage Sengen Shrine; we can even walk there after school..."
Yui couldn't quite understand why people would visit tourist attractions like shrines and temples. In comparison, beaches, seaside, and amusement parks suited her better.
Yukino showed a headache expression, seemingly thinking about how to explain the charm of such cultural landscapes to Yui.
Shinra felt Yukino was overthinking. Some things, if one doesn't like them, one doesn't like them. Even with much explanation, Yui wouldn't understand the fun in it.
Of course, Shinra himself wasn't qualified to say these things, because he also had no feeling for shrines and temples.
"Yukino should be very interested in Kyoto, right?" Shinra changed the subject.
"Yes." Yukino admitted simply. Influenced by literary works from the Kyoto area, she was indeed very interested in Kyoto.
"Have you considered going to university there in the future?" Shinra pursued.
Why start talking about this again?
Yukino just thought for a moment and replied: "Possibility is very small."
The reason was simple: Kyoto was too far.
Chiba City is located within the Tokyo metropolitan area, belonging to the Kanto region, while Kyoto belongs to Kansai. Although in the eyes of Shinra, the two were not far apart, for Yukino, it was a bit far.
More importantly, if she went to university in Kyoto, the interpersonal relationships around her would be reset.
Previously she didn't care, but now... she had to think about it carefully.