Free Time Events: Kotaro Kumakura (Side C)

EVENT 1: Kumakura-san believes that living a healthy lifestyle is a matter of hard work and discipline.

Kumakura-san and I took a walk together in order to get some exercise in. There was obviously a wide gap between our physical abilities, but since the walk was gentle and didn't involve physical strength, that gap wasn't evident here.

"I'd like to know something, Nagato-san," Kumakura-san said. "Have you been exercising since this cruise began?"

"Somewhat," I said. "I try to go out for walks like this when I can, but I don't really do any strength training outside of gym class. I've never been all that athletic, so I doubt I can ever change that."

Kumakura-san sighed disapprovingly. He clearly set high standards for himself, but did he also do the same with everyone else?

"That's not a good mindset to have," Kumakura said. "Even if you aren't an athlete, you should try to keep up a healthy lifestyle, something that involves discipline and hard work. Not many people can become competitive weightlifters, but anyone can strive to lead a healthier lifestyle."

"You're right about that," I said, "although there is a limit as to how far certain people can get."

"I suppose," Kumakura-san said, "but anyone can do better. Walking is by far the easiest form of exercise to start and stick with, especially since you can incorporate it into your daily routine."

I made a mental note of what Kumakura-san had said. The ship didn't have any exercise machines or weightlifting equipment, but I could go for a walk around the deck, or below decks if it was raining.

"That's true," I said, "but I suppose being healthy requires more than just walking, doesn't it?"

"It does," Kumakura-san said, "but it's best to begin with the small, easy things and build upward from there. Even if you don't do better than that, then at least you're doing better than someone who isn't trying at all. In the end, effort's what matters."

"I'm glad you think so," I said. "You seem more understanding than most of my teachers."

Mom believed grades were meant to evaluate one's performance, rather than serve as a be-all and end-all measurement of one's value as a person. She believed that parents who didn't try to convince their students to do better weren't doing their jobs, while those who were too fixated on students' scores risked unwittingly encouraging them to place grades ahead of actually learning, thereby potentially leading their children to cheat.

"So your grades... aren't necessarily the best, right?" Kumakura-san said. "I can't say I know your teachers, but at the very least, I'd like to think that it's just their way of saying that they think you can be doing better."

"I guess so," I said. "That's what Mom says, anyway."

While I was never a very good student, and had always found my lackluster grades more discouraging than anything, I wasn't sure whether the problem was more with my teachers or with me. Kumakura-san didn't know the answer, either, but he'd encourage me to keep on trying harder, which is what I sought to do.


EVENT 2: Kumakura-san started out as relatively frail, and became strong through hard work. He believes it's important to have the determination to better yourself.

Kumakura-san showed me how to safely lift weights, and spotted me as I did. I was worried about dropping them onto my feet, but he warned me that while that was a legitimate concern, it wasn't the only thing I had to worry about.

"Thank you for the guidance, Kumakura-san," I said. "I hope I'm not causing you too much trouble."

"Not at all, Nagato-san," Kumakura-san said. "So far, you're listening and following my instructions, so you're a good student. I can't necessarily give you top marks for your performance, but your attitude is commendable."

For me, that was rare praise. Some of my teachers commended my good attitude in class, but most of them judged me by my mediocre test scores.

"This might surprise you," Kumakura-san said, "but I wasn't always as strong as I am now. Back in elementary school, I was one of the worst in gym class. When we split into teams to compete against each other, no one wanted me on theirs."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said. "I've... been there myself."

"There was a time when I felt sorry for myself, and believed it was unfair that I was being left out," Kumakura-san said, "but eventually, I got over that. I then realized that the best way to be accepted was to become someone worth accepting."

"I guess that's true," I said, "at least in theory."

I personally felt that way, too. I believed that if people knew me as the Ultimate Tech Support, they would forget about my less desirable qualities- an ordinary, untalented student born to an unwed mother. That being said, I realized that Kumakura-san's solution was probably different from mine.

"I definitely believe that," Kumakura-san said. "There are certain people whose expectations cannot reasonably be met, whether because they're asking for too much or they want something that you can't give them. Of course, there are also other people who don't have any such standards."

"In other words, people who will accept you for who you are?" I said.

"Well, yes," Kumakura-san said, "or at least, those who don't hold you to unreasonable standards."

So in other words, most of the people who'd shunned me in the past. Of course, since I'd spent my childhood attending all-girls' schools, Kumakura-san had obviously never met any of the people in question, so he almost certainly didn't know them.

"While I set out to become stronger so that I could fit in more easily, I realized that wasn't the right reason to seek to bette rmyself," Kumakura-san said. "Rather than improve myself so others would accept me, I should improve myself to become someone I could be proud of. If you do that, everything else will take care of itself."

Kumakura-san was a strong person, and not just in terms of body. He had excellent discipline and the desire to improve himself, which must have been why he was able to get as far as he had.


EVENT 3: Kumakura-san knows that improvement takes time, and not everyone can achieve greatness. Despite that, he still believes people should pursue their goals.

I exercised with Kumakura-san until I started getting tired. Kumakura-san noticed first, and decided to call it a day when I thought I could still keep going.

"I think you're done for the day, Nagato-san," Kumakura-san said. "It's important that you know your limits, since overtaxing your body will hurt you more than it helps."

"I know," I said. "It's too bad that my limits aren't very high."

Kumakura-san shook his head.

"By now, you know that I wasn't always this strong," Kumakura-san said, "but what you may not realize is that I didn't change overnight. It took years of training, during which time there were many days when I didn't feel as though I was making any progress."

"But you were sure that you actually were making progress, weren't you?" I said.

"I was," Kumakura-san said, "and, unfortunately, that's more than I can say for some people. Obviously, you can't succeed if you don't try, but you might not succeed even if you do."

"Like who?" I said.

Kumakura-san paused to think about an answer to my question, and possibly as mull over whether he should give it to me. After a moment, he decided to answer.

"One of my friends had an older brother, who tried out for American football," Kumakura-san said. "He was a pretty strong guy and a fast runner, but he didn't quite get how to play the game, so he never became a regular. He trained harder than anyone I knew, but in the end, it wasn't enough."

"That must have been disappointing for him," I said, "but not just anyone can become a football player, can they?"

"No," Kumakura said. "Most people fail when they set their sights that high, but the reasons vary from person to person. Some don't have it in them to succeed, others don't try hard enough, and still others don't apply their effort correctly. I know not everyone can get what they want, but at the very least, I'd like to ensure that people who try for their goals are able to achieve something that's worth their time and effort."

I agreed with Kumakura-san, and thought my mother would feel the same way. Hard work didn't always get you what you wanted, but it did give you results, and I hoped that everyone would get what they deserved.


EVENT 4: Kumakura-san doesn't believe in talent. He thinks that if he succeeded, it's because he worked hard and applied his effort correctly.

Kumakura-san and I talked for a little bit about what Talent High School hoped to learn from studying talented individuals.

"I have a question for you, Nagato-san," Kumakura-san said. "What do you suppose 'talent' is?"

I paused to think for a moment, knowing that a basic definition wouldn't be enough to answer his question.

"I guess it's some unknown factor that helps determine how quickly you master something or how far you go," I said. "For example, two students are part of the same sports club and put the same amount of effort into practice, but one gets a spot on the team and the other doesn't. Hope's Peak Academy and Talent High School exist to study talent... or so they say."

While Mom was a teacher for Talent High School, and had dated the son of the school's chairman, she didn't know much more about the school's mission than most people. Neither did I, although I had to wonder whether the school's promising a spot to me flew in the face of its mission.

Kumakura-san paused to think for a moment. I wondered if he was about to ask whether one of the two student-athletes had somehow gotten the favor of the coach through connections (not unlike how I had), but he seemed to accept the assumption that both athletes were equally hard-working, and the decision was based purely on merit.

"So in other words, some people learn more quickly than others," Kumakura-san said, "and there's a limit to how much certain people can master a skill, no matter how hard they try?"

"It seems so," I said. "I mean, this is conventional wisdom, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Kumakura-san said, "but it's a rather depressing sort of conventional wisdom. I was happy to be called the Ultimate Weightlifter, but because I saw it as proof that anyone could become stronger with properly applied hard work. I don't want to believe that I only succeeded because I have some gift that ordinary people lack."

"Fair enough," I said, "but isn't the point of Talent High School and Hope's Peak to unlock the secret behind your success?"

Kumakura-san shrugged.

"Maybe it is," Kumakura-san said, "and I'm sorry if I end up disappointing those who are researching my talent. But if there's any secret waiting to be uncovered, a key to helping some other weightlifter reach or surpass my level, I hope that it's my methods, rather than any special gift."

"I'm sure it is," I said. "I may not know much about weightlifting or talent, but I believe your success is due to hard work and mastering lifting techniques."

"Thank you, Nagato-san," Kumakura-san said. "It means a lot to hear you say that."

I smiled and said, "You're welcome, Kumakura-san." I wasn't sure how convincing it was, but it was probably what he wanted to hear.

"In any case," Kumakura-san said, "I wonder what Talent High School intends to do with what it learns from researching talent. I hope that they use it to help other people master their talents."

"I hope so, too," I said. "I don't know what the school's ultimate goal is- only that they're still gathering information for it."

I'd always been curious about what schools like Talent High School and Hope's Peak did with their research on talent. Would they use it to help other young people master their crafts and realize their dreams, or would they keep it to themselves and use it for their own purposes? I'm sure Kumakura-san would hope it was the former, as did I.


EVENT 5: Kumakura-san hopes to pass his wisdom on to others, just as he has to me.

Kumakura-san invited me over to his cabin, mentioning that it was nice to have someone else in it for once.

"I have a question, Kumakura-san," I said. "What would you say if I told you that I wasn't really worthy of being the Ultimate Tech Support?"

"Why do you ask?" Kumakura-san said. "Is this about Asakura-kun claiming that he's the one who actually deserves the title?"

"Partially," I said, "since he also seems to believe that I wouldn't have earned the title unless I... well, even if he weren't around. What if my title is fake?"

Kumakura-san paused to think for a moment.

"You're more than your title, Nagato-san," Kumakura-san said. "If you managed to master tech support well enough to earn an invitation to Talent High School, I'm sure you'll do the same with anything else you put your mind to. With enough training and dedication, you may become an accomplished weightlifter."

I smiled. There were still many things that Kumakura-san didn't know about me, but his words were said with conviction, so I chose to believe him.

"I'm glad you think so," I said. "Thank you very much."

"The pleasure is mine," Kumakura-san said. "I look forward to seeing what you will accomplish in the future."

We shook hands, hoping we could escape from this place together. We had our lives ahead of us, and so much we had yet to accomplish, so I promised to devote myself fully to becoming a teacher, just like Kumakura-san gave his all to weightlifting.


Author's Notes

There's just one more Free Time Events chain- Yamazaki's.