There were only five minutes left before the final bell rang. At this point, everyone behind me was quietly putting away their belongings. And the more they put away, the less they paid attention to what Nakamura-sensei had to say.

Given that my seat was front and center in the classroom, I was too afraid to move in a way that would give the impression that I was trying to pack up early as well. And looking to my left and right, it seemed as if everyone in the first row had the same idea.

"All right everyone, that concludes today's lesson." Nakamura-sensei's voice had a tinge of exhaustion in it.

Even though she concluded that lesson, she stood at her desk as her finger tapped away.

It took a good minute for the class to realize she was waiting on the early packers to stop. And when the last guy finally took the hint, she thanked him and looked at the class.

"Now, as third-year students, you guys won't have as much free time as you would have had last year or as first-year students since you now have to worry about entrance exams-"

She took a brief pause when the bell rang, but no one dared to move.

"As I was saying, while I want everyone who plans to go to college to study hard for the entrance exams, I also want to remind you guys that your mental health is just as important. So just take a breather once in a while…Enjoy your weekend everyone."

With that, everyone collected their things and headed straight for the door.

"Yuigahama-san…" Nakamura-sensei called out to me.

"Yes, Nakamura-sensei?"

"Don't forget to meet me in ten minutes in the staff room for your career counseling."

"Y-yeah, I'll just use the bathroom first before going there." Crap, I forgot about the counseling.

She gave me a gentle nod before walking out.

I fished out my phone before I threw everything into my backpack. And as expected, my phone was drier than a desert with the exception being Yumiko's text.

[Yumiko: Want to go to a karaoke place after school? Hina and the guys are coming as well.]

The text was sent during lunch, but I never had the chance to respond since I was asking for help from my English teacher.

Going to the Service Club was an obvious no-go. Cram school doesn't start until Monday. So, if I want to do anything at all, the remainder of today and the whole weekend were the only times to do it until entrance exams are over.

My fingers hovered above the keyboard to type 'yes' or 'no'

Yes or no….

[Me: Sorry! I just saw this-]

"Yui!" A familiar voice called out to me from the door.

Hina…

"Hello, hello!" She made her usual friendly greeting.

"Hey," I said, with no energy in my voice.

Hina made her way over to me, but the friendly look on her face started to disappear the closer she got.

"Whoa, Yui, are you okay?"

"Yeah…why?"

"It looks as if you didn't sleep at all last night. Several nights for that matter."

Damn, it's really starting to show, huh?

"Oh…um, well, I found this really good show last week and the episodes are suuuuper long. So, I've just been, you know, binge-watching everything." That's right, Yui. Keep this act up and no one would know.

"That's fine and all, but try and get more regular sleep. Staying up too late for so long is never good." She completely bought my b.s answer to her question.

"I will, I will don't worry. I'm just doing whatever until cram school starts next week."

"Oh yeah," she said as if she remembered something. "That's the reason why Yumiko sent me here. She said you never replied to her text."

I brought up my phone and showed her the text. "I was about to text back, but now that you're here…"

Go out with friends or go home?

I clapped my hands and bowed. "Sorry! I won't be able to go since I have to go to Nakamura-sensei for career counseling and I have to deal with personal after."

"Aww." She pouted.

"Yeah, again, I'm sorry." I looked at my phone. "But, listen, I promise once the entrance exams are over, I'll totally hang out with you guys. See ya!"

I made a dash for the door towards the staffroom. A sense of guilt washed over me after I lied to Hina's face. But at the same time, I felt relieved knowing that I don't have to go anywhere.

It was just me time for the entire weekend.

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◤

While Nakamura-sensei was sitting down at her desk reading a piece of paper, I looked around the staff room taking inventory of the changes that were made since last year. For starters, the way that the desks were set up has been changed to accommodate the new batch of teachers that Sobu got this year.

However, the biggest change in my opinion was on Nakamura-sensei's desk. Despite being part of the new batch of teachers, she got a desk that a teacher used last year. It was Hiratsuka-sensei's.

What replaced the overflowing ashtray was a picture of her, her husband, and a toddler; despite being the same age as Hiratsuka-sensei. The cheap lighter and pack of cigarettes were now replaced with a health shake. And instead of keys to a red European sports car, were keys for a Toyota.

"So, in your survey from last year, you said 'I want to get with everyone and wish to be friends with them even after graduating'. How is that going so far?"

I groaned silently when I realized that what she was reading was my guidance survey from last year.

"Um. mmm-"

"Not good?"

I bit my lower lip trying to think of a proper response. "I wouldn't say that, but looking back at it, trying to get along with everyone seemed a bit too…what's the word?"

"Idealistic?" Nakamura-sensei said without a second thought.

Idealistic. If I were to describe my expectations for last year in one word, that would be it.

Trying to get along with everyone, even after graduation was a total pipe dream.

"Yeah, that."

She hummed in response before putting my paperback into a manila folder. "I see. Since it was something that happened before I was here, I can't give much input on it. What I can give input on is your future. So sit down." She ordered.

I did as I was told and she took out two new pieces of paper. One is the career survey that we took at the start of the school year, and the other was my academic records.

"Now, on your career survey, you put Chiba University as your number one college of choice, followed by Keiai University, and Toyo Gakuen University." She read the list with a look of concern written all over her face.

"What made you choose Chiba U in the first place?" she continued.

Why did she go straight for that?

"Hmm…I don't know." I scratched the back of my head. "I wanted to try and see if I have a shot at getting into Chiba U."

She sat on my response for a second before saying anything back. As I waited, I noticed my English teacher just over Nakamura-sensei's left shoulder grading the test that we just took today.

And the way he looked made me guess that the results of the test left much to be desired. Almost like he wanted to drink the disappointment away after he graded all of the tests.

"I understand where you're coming from. It's good to push yourself beyond what is expected of you." She gave a generic response.

"But," she continued, "if you want to have a shot at the entrance exam for Chiba U, then you're going to have to study hard. You've always been near the bottom in terms of grades. And this is most especially true in English." She pointed to my latest English grade.

Even though it was slightly better than around the same time last year, it was still pretty bad by Sobu's standards.

I looked over Nakamura-sensei's left shoulder again to see my English teacher giving me a quick glance.

She continued talking, but everything went in one ear out the other. The sense of embarrassment that I felt when she read out that Chiba U was my number one school of choice overpowered everything.

I knew that my grades were not the best and that I would have to try harder at the entrance exams than most, but there was something within me telling me to do it. But not just do it, but to give it my all.

Whether it was me being idealistic or stupid, I didn't know.

"Now, from what I have been told by the other teachers, last year, students would be directed to the Service Club for some peer-to-peer teaching."

"Ah-" a lump formed in the back of my throat before anything else could come out.

Please don't send me there. Please.

"Huh?"

I recollected myself. "Um…sorry, but why the Service Club?"

"Oh, I was about to say that last year students would be directed to the Service Club for assistance. However, since most of its members are third-years, they'll also be worrying about entrance exams. So, I recommend that you go to the newly established English Club for help."

Thank God. I thought I had to see their faces again after such a short time.

"Okay, I'll go check them out before I go home today."

"Good. Their room is right next to the Service Club, so you'll know where to go."

Great…

"Anything else you want to ask me?"

I shook my head.

"All right, enjoy your weekend Yuigahama-san!" She ended our conversation with a courteous smile on her face.

"You too." I showed myself out and headed towards the special building.

I took the final turn to a breezeway that connected the main building of the school to the special buildings. But I was stopped in my tracks when I saw a couple.

The perfect scene was set. The wind blew through hairs. The smiles on their faces, as one guy would put it, were genuine.

People here would do inappropriate things with their boyfriend or girlfriend in the dark corners of the school where the teachers would not see them. But not with these two. It was pure.

It was utterly disgusting.

I could feel a bit of bile coming up my stomach the longer I looked at them. It took every fiber in my being to fight the tears, but to no avail, as a single tear rolled down my face.

Seeing Hikki smiling at Yukinon like that, standing so close to her where he was simply one step away from wrapping his arms around her.

At this moment, a small part of my brain was telling my body to move towards, to run towards them to…to do what exactly? There was nothing that I can do now that would change the outcome.

But why? If those two were happy, why can't I be the same? What sort of crime did I commit to deserve such punishment? It was so not fair.

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

"Hey, Yumiko?" I asked while eating our lunch in her classroom.

"Yeah, what is it?" she asked bluntly.

I avoided looking up at her as I tried to find the right words to say.

Even though our relationship was rough at the start of last year, there were parts of me still afraid of saying the wrong thing to her.

"I'm sorry for not hanging out with you and the others last Friday. Some things with Nakamura-sensei came up."

"I know, Hina told me about it, so don't worry." She waved me off.

"I'll try to hang out with you guys next time-"

"Huh?" She interrupted me. "Don't you start cram school today?"

Shoot.

"Y-yeah, I do." Why does it feel like I said something I shouldn't have said?

"Yui." The slight irritation in her voice made me cower back in my seat and the bento that mom made me looked a lot less appetizing.

Yumiko opened her mouth and closed it again as if she was reconsidering what she wanted to say to me. Her olive-green eyes had not shown any sense of irritation like her had eyes.

She sighed tiredly. "Listen, Yui." Her tone lightened more than what it was a second earlier. "It's okay that you're not able to hang out with us. You have waayy more important things to worry about. So don't sweat it."

She had a gentle look on her face. Something that I had grown used to after the ordeal with her and Yukinon…

"Okay." I tried to take another bite, but after the near scare with Yumiko, it was hard to even bring the food up to my mouth.

"Oh yeah, are you still in that club with those two? Or is it already disbanded?" she took a sip of her tea.

I closed my bento box and put it back in my backpack

"It was disbanded for a bit, but it came back when Hikki's sister reinstated it." I clarified. "But I didn't end up signing up for the club when it was reinstated though."

"Because of cram school?" she asked.

Yeah, let's go with that answer.

I nodded, "Mhm, it was too close to when I start cram school. So there really wasn't any point in rejoining if all my free time after school is going to be taken up by cram school."

Her response came in the form of her nodding as she took a bite of her sandwich.

Was the answer to her question a truthful one? No. Was it the answer that got her off my back? Definitely.

"Since we're on the subject, what college are you trying to get into?"

"Chiba U."

She looked at me with a blank expression on her face. "Huh?"

"I said I was going to Chiba U," I repeated.

The blank expression remained after I repeated my answer.

"Is there a problem with it?" my eyes slightly twitched.

For a while, the first impression that people have of me is the typical high school bimbo that will only get into some backwater college or straight to work after graduation. Even Hikki and Yukinon called me dumb indirectly a lot. Now that I think about it, they called me dumb directly a bunch of times too.

The gentle expression that was on her was now replaced with a stern look.

"Yeah, there is," she said bluntly. "Yui, I'm not trying to be a jerk, but your grades are not that good, nor are you good at studying. Getting into Chiba U with barely passing grades and bad study habits is next to impossible."

That's a little harsh.

"I'll be fine-"

"You would've been fine if you started taking things seriously last year." she interrupted. "Taking cram school to get ready for Chiba U's entrance exams is going to be a living hell for you for the next few months."

I tried to defend my case but Yumiko was on full attack.

But I honestly don't know what to say. Everything that Nakamura-sensei said to me on Friday about my grades was right. Even during my first year I just barely passed my classes. Second-year was slightly better, but this year seems like it's going to be a repeat of the first year.

Yumiko was also right. Studying wasn't really my thing, even when I was prepping for the entrance exam into Sobu. And no one was on my case about more than my dad.

He called me every day from work and made sure I was studying. I would also send him pictures of what I was studying to make sure I wasn't lying. I hated it, but it paid off.

Maybe I should tell him to do it again.

"Yumiko." I looked deeply into her olive-green eyes. "I'll be fine, so don't worry."

Even with that reassurance, I knew for a fact that Yumiko wasn't entirely convinced.

"Fine." she conceded. "But why the sudden change?"

"Hmmm. Well, for one, I just want to have a better future, and going to a university like Chiba U was the place to do it. It took me joining the Service Club to finally get that through my head."

I honestly have no idea what I just said right now. However, Yumiko's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

In regards to the future, I never planned it out. I was more in line with the concept of living one day at a time without much worry about what tomorrow might bring. And look where that was getting me now.

But, if I study hard enough for the entrance exam, then I'll be able to prove to Yumiko and everyone that someone like me can end up going to a high-ranking university.

Yumiko still didn't buy it. "Are you sure that you're trying to get into Chiba U for a better future? Or -you know what? Nevermind."

"No, go on. Or what-"

Before I could go on, the bell rang marking the end of lunch.

"You should go back to class, Yui." She put her bento box back into her bag and pulled out her notebook.

The whole conversation started to get on my nerves, so leaving there was probably for the best.

"Yeah, see you later." I hastily grabbed my things and quickly left her classroom.

Yumiko's concerns were not without their merits. And I know for a fact that I was biting off way more than I can chew. But even with that, there was something within that told me to just keep going.

Thank you to these three individuals who patiently helped me create this chapter, along with others from the Oregairu Discord Server.

Xynovitch, Bagration, RAfan2421.

Read their stories as well!

-tabasco571