"Shizuru, have you been thinking about what high school entrance exams you want to take?" Mr. Kuwabara asked one night over dinner.
Shizuru took a sip of her drink and said, "I'm not going to high school."
Kuwabara paused in his eating when Mr. Kuwabara froze. "What do you mean you're not going to high school? Of course you're going!"
"I don't want to," Shizuru said. "When I graduate from middle school, I'm going to start working for Mrs. Yamata at her beauty parlor."
Mr. Kuwabara glowered. "You can work part time while attending school."
"There's no point in me going," Shizuru said. "I've been talking to Mrs. Yamata; if I work for her she'll teach me to be a beautician and hire me on to work for her. I don't need high school for that."
"And being a beautician is what you want to do with the rest of your life?" Mr. Kuwabara asked incredulously.
Shizuru shrugged. "It'll pay the bills."
"You're going to high school," Mr. Kuwabara insisted.
Shizuru raised her chin defiantly. "No, I'm not."
Unnoticed, Kuwabara slipped out of his chair and away from the table. He wasn't sure who would win this argument, but he really didn't want to be there until it was over.
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