"Time's up."
Airi handed her last worksheet to Yamamoto-sensei, her teacher, who began to grade it leisurely while chatting with her.
"This is the last subject you will be learning in elementary school syllabus, so after summer vacation we will begin to prepare for examination. It will be rigorous, so prepare well and try to review as much as possible so you do not get overwhelmed." Yamamoto-sensei advised.
"En, I know, sensei."
"By the way, have read the school pamphlet I got you before? Do you have any school you want to go to?"
Airi shook her head.
"I discussed it with my parents but it's not decided yet. I don't really have preferences for any of them as of now."
"It's preferable if you choose early. Some school has different admittance grade, so you might need to up your study if you want a particular school."
Airi nodded in understanding.
"Then, until you choose your school preference, teacher will set your passing grade to a minimum of 85 points. Generally, you can go to almost every school with this grade. This will ease your workload later and increase your probability of admittance."
"Yes, sensei."
"Beside your grade, teacher suggest you to try doing a group activity with your peers."
"Eh?!" Yamamoto-sensei's word startled Airi.
"Interpersonal communication skill is important. As you didn't attend school with your peers in elementary school, it can be a little challenging when you start at junior high school. Since we will start to review rigorously after summer vacation, it is just right if you can do a peer activity as practice before you go to a learning environment that will be more intensive and competitive."
Airi listened to Yamamoto-sensei's word a bit dazedly. She still didn't understand what some words mean, but she got what her sensei said.
Airi's daily contact was with her parents and her siblings, who were much older than her. She talked with her teacher and her auntie at home, but she didn't have any friends of her age. Sensei was worried that she would have difficulties in junior high school.
It was a heartwarming thought, but Airi was a bit panicked.
She didn't know how to make friends of her age!
To take the coward's way, Airi hoped she won't need to make friends ever, as it was very daunting in her thought.
Yet remembering the children playing at the park in Odaiba just yesterday, she was filled with want.
Airi also wanted to have friends, who would go home together from school and went out to have fun on holiday.
So, Yamamoto-sensei's suggestion might just be the push Airi needed.
"Here, I have some pamphlet of some common academic and extracurricular activity that often attended by elementary student. You can take a look and discuss with your parents."
Airi accepted a bunch of pamphlet Yamamoto-sensei had handed to her. She took a look at some of them. There were sports, public speaking, debate club, even choir. She stopped at one particular pamphlet.
['Mikami Summer Camp Activity' Guaranteed to be unforgettable!]
--Accepting group AND individual entry--
Airi remembered the conversation she overheard from the children in the park yesterday, which talking about summer camp.
It sounded really cool in Airi's ear.
She had never camp in the wild before, would she be able to do it?
She had not been sick recently, so Airi hoped that her parents could permit her to join.
While Airi was perusing the pamphlets, Yamamoto sensei had finished her grading.
She handed her the worksheet. Airi got one question wrong. She will review it later at night.
"Then today's lesson is finished. Make sure to review the question later."
"I will, sensei."
"Oh, have you picked the one you like already?" Yamamoto-sensei asked, as she look at Airi holding one pamphlet.
"Yes, sensei. I am interested in this summer camp."
Yamamoto-sensei blinked.
"Is that so, well, it's a great acitivity to do and you can learn many skills along the way. See you later, Airi-san."
"Thank you for your hardwork, sensei." Airi bowed.
As Yamamoto went out of Airi's home, she mused out loud.
"I do not recall putting a summer camp pamphlet there… oh, well."
--=--=--=--
At night after eating dinner, Airi conveyed Yamamoto-sensei's word to her parents.
"Summer camp?" Airi's parents wondered.
"Are you sure? A camp will be tough, especially for your body!" Airi's mother refused immediately.
"No, okaa-san. I've seen the program they have, it's only for a week, I think it's doable. Aren't I in good condition lately?"
"There are plenty of other activity you can do, right?" Her father reasoned.
"There are, but I'm not interested, truly. I want to try the summer camp, otou-san."
Her brother Hiroto, had just finished perusing the pamphlet Airi had brought out and had passed it over to Airi's sister, Touka.
"Well I don't think why not. It looks like it will benefit Airi, and it's a short program too." Hiroto said casually.
"Hiroto-kun!" Their mother glare at Hiroto, who just raised both his hand to placate her.
"It's true that Airi has gotten better lately, and I think she needed to do this, okaa-san."
"En, okaa-san. It wil be good for her. And if she feels bad in the middle of the camp, she can just call home and we'll pick her up, right?" Touka chimed in.
Airi sent a grateful look to her siblings.
When she imagined how Airi could get sick in the middle of a camp with no one in the family to help, Airi's mother became more worried.
"Listen to your father, aren't there other activity you can do first? Why don't we save camping for later when you are older and do something else first?"
"Or, if what Airi wants is going camping, we can schedule a trip as a family." Airi's father proposed.
Airi's mother brightened at the idea.
"That's a great idea, otou-san! It can't be this week, but I think otou-san can spare some time next week for at least a couple of night, right otou-san?"
Asked like that, Airi's father could only grunt a confirmation.
Touka, exasperated, could only exclaim, "Okaa-san!"
"What's the matter? Isn't it a good solution? Airi can try camping like she wanted."
"I think the main point here is not the camping." Muttered Hiroto lowly. Their mother just continued like she didn't hear him.
"And we get a family bonding time too! Isn't that great, Airi?" Airi's mother asked.
Airi felt hopeless. There was nothing stopping her mother when she was on a mission like this.
Having no other choices, Airi tried to use her ultimate move.
Pulling a corner of her father's shirt beside her, she asked with a small voice, hesitantly.
"I really want to go to the summer camp. Can I go, Papa?"
--=--=--=--=--=--
Later that evening, at Shirogane parent's bedroom.
"Kengo-san! Why did you give permission to her like that? Aren't you worried?" Shirogane Mana, Airi's mother interrogated her husband.
"Be at ease, Mana. It's true that she's better now. Which old father wouldn't be worried? I want to keep her home forever and never let her go out. But she is a big girl now. We must try to let her experience her own things."
"I understand, but isn't it better if we go camping together as a family as you suggested?" Mana was not convinced.
Shirogane Kengo could only sigh.
"The truth is, what Airi wanted was not camping, but to make friends. She's lonely, you know? She doesn't have any friends of her age."
Hearing this, Mana couldn't get angry anymore. She indeed felt that Airi was lonely, and her whole world was still so small, consisting of many adults who care for her and her own family.
Maybe she really needed this opportunity.
Seeing Mana's softened feature, Kengo guessed she had finally relented. He sealed the deal with hugging her.
Mana, exasperated yet charmed, could only huff.
"Are you sure it's not because she called you Papa again, like when she's still small?"
Hearing Mana's accusation, Kengo just coughed unnaturally.