Shizuka Hiratsuka scratched her head in confusion. What did this have to do with Yukino again? And what did Haruno mean by "chance of winning"?
It felt like Haruno Yukinoshita was deliberately speaking in riddles, which irritated Shizuka. If she weren't in such a bad mood today, she would've already punched Haruno twice by now.
That's what you get for not speaking clearly!
That's what you get for always being cryptic!
See if I don't beat you up for it!
Black belt in aikido? So what? I'll still pin you down and beat you senseless!
Though Shizuka had no actual intention of hitting her, Haruno still shivered unconsciously. Her instincts told her that Shizuka might really punch her any second now. But since Shizuka hadn't moved yet, the air remained deceptively calm...
Just in case, Haruno subtly took a few steps back. She wasn't about to risk finding out whether Shizuka would really throw a punch when she wasn't looking.
At this moment, Haruno couldn't help thinking that all the money she spent learning aikido had been a complete waste. If her dojo hadn't gone bankrupt last year, she might have actually gone to demand a refund.
Before learning aikido, she had to constantly watch out so she wouldn't get hit by Shizuka. After learning aikido, she still had to constantly watch out so she wouldn't get hit by Shizuka.
She'd spent her own money, trained hard, even earned her black belt... and for what? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Shizuka, noticing Haruno's distracted expression, asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I just suddenly realized that all the money I spent learning aikido was basically flushed down the drain..." Haruno sighed.
"That's why I told you not to bother learning aikido in the first place. But no, you just had to. Honestly, I don't even know what possessed you to want to learn it. Was it from reading too much manga or something?" Shizuka said.
Haruno gave her a long, pointed look before replying sourly, "You really have no idea, huh? Why do you think I started learning aikido in the first place? It was because you used to pin me to the ground and beat me up every single day when we were kids!"
Shizuka rolled her eyes. "Please. And you never thought about why I kept hitting you? Every single time, it was because you pissed me off first."
Haruno couldn't refute that. Shizuka had a point. When they were younger, she had been a little too good at running her mouth.
"Let's drop this topic," Haruno said quickly, changing the subject. Her gaze drifted to the stack of papers Shizuka was holding. "What's with all the documents? You going to a meeting or something? Making teachers work during the cultural festival is so cruel. Want me to carry those for you?"
"No thanks. I'm not going to a meeting," Shizuka replied flatly.
"Then why are you carrying all those files? Wait a sec—"
Haruno's eyes caught on the envelope sitting at the top of the stack. To a student, it might've looked like just an ordinary white envelope. But as someone who had already graduated from college and started working, Haruno instantly felt a sense of familiarity.
She reached out without thinking, her hand darting toward the envelope.
"Don't touch that!" Shizuka reacted quickly, but Haruno was faster—she'd always been fast when it came to grabbing things.
Before Shizuka could stop her, Haruno had already taken the envelope. One glance at the front was enough to confirm her suspicion.
Her mouth fell open slightly as she stared at it, stunned. After a moment of silence, she murmured, "So I was right. It really is..."
On the white envelope, two black handwritten characters stood out clearly—辞呈 (resignation letter).
Haruno rubbed her eyes, thinking she might've misread it. No wonder the envelope had looked familiar—she'd seen plenty of these at work. It was a resignation letter, plain and simple.
"This resignation letter... it's yours? You're quitting? You're not going to be a teacher anymore?" Haruno asked, unable to hide her shock. She truly couldn't understand why Shizuka, of all people, would suddenly want to quit her job.
"Yeah... I'm thinking about it," Shizuka admitted quietly. "I haven't decided whether to hand it in yet."
"Why? Did something happen? Is someone giving you trouble? Who is it? I swear, tell me their name and I'll go smash every single window in their house. Every time they replace it, I'll smash it again—especially when someone's standing right behind it!"
"I'll smash them right when they're home. If they dare to fight back, I'll grab a chair leg and make sure their family registry goes from several pages to just one—though honestly, it's probably already just one."
"Who the hell would dare mess with my friend?" Haruno Yukinoshita cursed under her breath. That was just the kind of friend she was—the type who'd tease you endlessly, irritate you on purpose, but the moment someone dared to bully you, she'd be the first to pick up a rock or a chair leg to defend you without hesitation.
Watching Haruno look ready to throw hands at any moment, Shizuka Hiratsuka hurriedly said, "No one's bullying me. I'm resigning because... I'm going back to school."
Hearing that no one had been harassing Shizuka, Haruno finally let out a breath of relief—but when the words "going back to school" registered, she froze. A line of question marks might as well have appeared above her head.
A Japanese teacher and homeroom instructor at a high school... suddenly quitting to go back to school?
If this were a young teacher just a few years out of college, it wouldn't be strange. But Shizuka had been teaching at Sobu High for years. By the time she sent off Kotomi Izumi's class after graduation, she would've been teaching for nearly nine years.
To resign all of a sudden—it was no wonder Haruno was shocked. If the students' parents ever found out, they'd be equally stunned.
"I'm going to say something, but don't hit me first," Haruno said cautiously.
"Go ahead," Shizuka replied flatly.
"Ahem. You're thirty now—after your next birthday, thirty-one. And you're saying you're quitting your job to 'go back to school'? Can I ask what kind of school you're planning to attend?"
Shizuka let out a small sigh. "You know this already. Ever since elementary school, I've always been interested in interior design. I even majored in it in college. My goal was to one day study at a more advanced design academy overseas. I worked hard for that during university, but during the entrance exam... I made a few mistakes on the test and wasn't accepted."
Hearing that, Haruno's expression softened as old memories came back. She remembered that back in elementary school, Shizuka had loved to doodle on paper. Once, Haruno had joined her, and Shizuka had drawn a big house. When she finished, she flipped the paper over and drew the inside—the rooms, furniture, and decorations, all from her imagination.
Looking back now, those sketches were childish and full of wild ideas, but even then, her passion was clear. When Shizuka's parents saw her drawings, they'd asked curiously, "Shizuka, do you like drawing?"
Little Shizuka had shaken her head. "I don't like drawing pictures. I like designing the inside of houses. Every wall, every floor, every piece of furniture—I can arrange them the way I want. I really like that feeling."
That was the first time her parents realized their daughter had a genuine interest in interior design.
Later, when she entered university, Shizuka finally got to study interior design as her major. But she soon realized that to truly master her craft, she'd need to study abroad.
Among art and design institutions worldwide, the Royal College of Art in London was the most prestigious—renowned for nurturing top-tier artists and designers.
Back in college, Shizuka's greatest dream had been to get into the Royal College of Art. She worked toward that goal with single-minded dedication, studying harder than she ever had in high school.
But in the end, nerves got the better of her. She made a few mistakes on the exam and lost her chance. She hadn't been accepted.
Haruno still remembered that time clearly. For as long as she'd known Shizuka, she'd never seen her cry—but after that failure, Shizuka locked herself in her room and cried quietly. For a long time afterward, she'd lost interest in almost everything. That emptiness lasted until she decided to become a teacher and took a position at Sobu High.
After becoming a teacher, Shizuka had never mentioned design or the Royal College of Art again. Haruno had assumed she'd given up on that dream.
Now, hearing her bring it up again, Haruno finally understood the real reason behind her resignation.
"So that means... you got accepted into the Royal College of Art?" Haruno asked softly, her tone a mixture of shock and awe.
"Yeah. Because I couldn't accept the failure, I took the Royal College of Art exam again recently. I told myself it would be my last try—if I failed this time, I'd never apply again."
"But this time... I actually passed. I received a Skype interview invitation from the Royal College of Art and successfully passed the interview too. At the end, the professor said, 'Welcome to the Royal College of Art!'"
"After I hung up, I just sat there staring at my computer for a long time. I laughed, then cried, over and over again. My emotions were so complicated. After finally getting into the school I'd dreamed about for so many years, the first feeling that came to me wasn't happiness."
"Was it... that you couldn't bear to leave?" Haruno asked softly.
"Mm." Shizuka nodded and took the resignation letter back, her expression uncertain. "I'm torn. Should I turn it in or reject the Royal College of Art's offer? I don't want to resign from Sobu High... but this is the closest I've ever been to my dream."
"You don't want to resign because of Kotomi, do you?" Haruno asked bluntly.
Shizuka hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.
Haruno opened her mouth to speak but, in the end, said nothing. Instead, she gently patted Shizuka's shoulder and smiled. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you as a friend. Whether you hand in that letter or tear it up—it's your choice."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Anyway, I'll stop bothering you. I should go find my stupid little sister. It's the culture festival today, after all. You should take a break too—after you drop those documents off in the office, go enjoy the festival a bit. You work so hard every day; take a few days off~"
With that, Haruno Yukinoshita turned and left.
Neither of them realized that, just around the corner, Kotomi Izumi had been standing quietly the whole time—listening to every word of their conversation.
Kotomi hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She had just reached the corner of the hallway when her phone buzzed with a message. Out of habit, she took it out to check. It was from Mai Sakurajima, who had heard Kotomi would be performing at the festival and sent her a message of encouragement.
[Before going on stage, it's natural to feel nervous. When that happens, take a deep breath and tell yourself with confidence: I've practiced to perfection. From now on, the entire stage belongs to me! Every gaze in the audience will be drawn to me and me alone!
[You've got this, Izumi-chan! I'll be in the audience cheering for you once your performance is over!
[P.S. You know Rinako Kominato from the festival committee, right? The tall girl with glasses and twin tails who always speaks softly? She's in my class. I saw her adjusting the schedule yesterday, and by default, your group was set for the first slot in the afternoon. But I pulled a few strings—now you're performing last! The final performance slot!
[That time slot's the most crowded, and since it's the final act, you'll have more freedom to play longer if you want. The last few minutes are just the MC saying some boring closing remarks anyway. Every performer wants that slot, but it's mostly luck who gets it.
[To make it happen, I had to sign my autograph on her phone case. Turns out she's been my fan all along but was too shy to ask for one. So I made sure you'd get that prime time slot, Izumi-chan. Give it your all up there! I'll always be your biggest supporter! (P.S. Don't tell Utaha or Kisara about this, okay? It's our little secret.)]
Reading Mai's message filled Kotomi with a warm feeling, like holding a roasted sweet potato in winter. She felt both touched and thrilled—the final act! The highlight of the entire day!
For anyone performing on stage, there was no greater honor than being the closing act.
After sending Mai a heartfelt thank-you message, Kotomi took a deep breath and was about to run off to find Yukino and Yui to tell them the good news... when she suddenly overheard Haruno and Shizuka talking.
"That resignation letter... it's yours? You're quitting? You're not going to be a teacher anymore?"
"Yeah... I'm planning to resign. I just haven't decided whether to submit it yet," Shizuka's calm but hesitant voice replied.
Ms. Hiratsuka... is resigning?! Kotomi froze, staring blankly at the ceiling as confusion filled her eyes. She couldn't understand why Shizuka wanted to quit.
She had been about to walk away, but after hearing that, she stopped in her tracks and stayed hidden behind the wall, listening silently until the end.
When she heard Shizuka's uncertainty—the way her voice trembled with attachment and reluctance—Kotomi's first instinct was to rush out, grab her, and say everything she could think of to make her stay.
She didn't want Shizuka to leave.
But then she heard Shizuka mention being accepted into the Royal College of Art—the dream she had worked for all her life—and Kotomi's resolve to stop her evaporated instantly, like a blazing flame snuffed out in an instant, scattering into nothing but ash in the air.
"So she finally got into her dream school... Interior design, huh? When I think about it, Shizuka really is lucky. She majored in what she loved, and now she's been accepted into the most prestigious design academy in the world. Has the goddess of fortune been watching over her all along?" Kotomi whispered softly to herself.
Hearing Haruno's footsteps fade away, Kotomi knew it was time to leave too. If Yukino saw Haruno without her, questions would follow.
Her steps were heavy as she walked away, but before heading downstairs, she turned back to look at Shizuka's back.
In a voice only she could hear, she murmured, "You can't bear to leave because of me, huh? Hah, you always say you're not interested, but now your true feelings are showing. Twenty-nine years and twelve months old, and still so tsundere. From now on, I won't call you 'Shizuka the Cute' anymore... I'll call you 'Shizuka the Childish.' Dummy, what's there to hesitate about? This is the closest you've ever been to your dream. Go for it."
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