(50 Power Stone Bonus)
Chapter 194: Graduation Ceremony
On the main stage, the school board spoke before the assembly of students, wishing the third-year graduates a bright future and hoping they would find good careers.
After the school board, the student representative, Shiromeguri Meguri, stepped up to speak. She was clearly emotional; the core of her speech was a series of heartfelt goodbyes. After three years here, she had gained and learned so much. Eventually, she shed tears of sorrow right there on the stage.
Many other third-year students were also tearing up. Their eyes held a complex mix of emotions: hope, anxiety, worry, and excitement.
No one knew what the future would hold.
This year, a lot had happened at Sobu High. As students of Sobu High, they would draw attention once they stepped out into the world, even if most of the questions they'd face would just be about Chishima-sensei and Hachiman.
The first and second-year students mostly felt conflicted. Thinking that they would be in this exact spot in a year or two made their spirits dip, causing a somber mood to settle over the entire venue.
Most of the teachers showed no reaction. This was something they had to go through once every year. Some had probably seen it dozens of times and were long since used to it.
In reality, the Graduation Ceremony didn't mean an immediate departure for everyone. The ones leaving were those not taking university entrance exams and those collecting their graduation certificates today. For Shiromeguri Meguri and others aiming for university, they still had to study diligently for a while longer before facing the national exams that would decide their fates.
For these third-years, from here on out, unless it involved a major life-altering issue, nothing else really mattered besides those exams. Six years of elementary, three years of middle school, and three years of high school—twelve years of hard work would be decided very soon.
Japan is a country where, in a very real sense, one's entire life can be determined by a single exam. Unlike China's "one exam determines all" system which is literally a single sitting, Japan's "university entrance exam" involves two stages. The first is the unified national exam held in January, and the second is the individual entrance exam held by each university from mid-February to late March.
But the real difference between Japan and China is how much Japanese companies care about "loyalty." Once you join a company, you basically prepare to work there for life. People who job-hop frequently aren't wanted unless they are exceptionally talented.
Therefore, finding a job right after graduation is vital. But major corporations like the big trading houses or major banks only recruit from top-tier universities; students from average universities essentially have no chance.
In Japan, taking civil service exams is also divided into Category One, Two, and Three. Those who pass Category One are elite candidates for high-ranking officials; Category Two are frontline workers. The former requires a university degree—and is still split between top-tier and average schools—while the latter only requires a junior college or high school diploma. Even if a Category Three worker stays until retirement, if they see a Category One recruit just starting their first day, they still have to salute them first.
Another example is in medicine: a graduate from the University of Tokyo's medical faculty is still considered superior to a graduate from an ordinary medical school. The latter might not even reach the former's starting line even after decades; in the journey of life, by the time they enter university, the former is already miles ahead.
That was just how the environment was. Complaining was useless, resisting was useless, and those with the power to resist didn't bother complaining. People had to learn to adapt to their environment and accept reality; only after adapting and ensuring they could survive smoothly could they talk about changing that environment.
Back to the main topic.
Soon, after Shiromeguri Meguri finished her speech, the first-year representative Yuika also went up to read her script. One by one, the graduates began looking for teachers or underclassmen they knew to say their goodbyes.
Akishin and Shizuka stood together, surrounded by Yuika, Kaiko, Mitsuha, and the others, as well as Hachiman and Yui.
"Hikigaya-kun." Shiromeguri Meguri's voice called out. She was hiding her hands behind her back, the edges of her eyes slightly red, as she walked over with a somewhat lonely expression.
Hachiman responded with a smile. "Meguri-senpai, congratulations on your graduation."
"Thank you." Shiromeguri Meguri offered a smile before turning toward Akishin and the rest. "Chishima-sensei, Hiratsuka-sensei, and all the underclassmen, hello." She hadn't come to say a formal goodbye, just to greet them.
Yuika and the other four responded in kind. "Shiromeguri-senpai, congratulations on your graduation! We wish you a bright future." It was sincere; their relationship with Shiromeguri Meguri was quite good.
Akishin smiled and nodded. Shizuka grinned. "Meguri, have you decided which university you want to attend? Do you need me to help with some extra tutoring? Akishin will help too."
She really liked Shiromeguri Meguri; she had been interacting with her since Shiromeguri's first year as Student Council President. Similar to Hachiman's thoughts, honestly, while Shiromeguri's personality might not have been suited for a "leader" type, her cheerful nature was incredibly infectious.
During Shiromeguri's tenure as President, while Sobu High didn't do anything mind-blowingly massive, no major mistakes ever occurred. Even the small errors could be counted on one hand; that alone was impressive.
Shiromeguri Meguri had previously hoped the three from the Service Club would join the Student Council. Hachiman only realized this after the fact, and he actually felt a bit of a sense of loss.
Hachiman still remembered the words Shiromeguri said while helping him move boxes back then: "To be honest, I had this hope... wondering if Yukinoshita would become the president. Then, Yuigahama would be the vice president, and you'd be in charge of general affairs. Then, after I graduated, I could occasionally drop by the Student Council to hang out, chatting about how fun the Cultural Festival and Athletic Festival were... that kind of stuff."
At that time, her eyes had curved into beautiful crescents, and she had said in a joking tone: "Actually, I still have a little bit of that hope..."
Hachiman had felt a pang of regret afterward; a scene like that truly was something to long for.
Shiromeguri Meguri nodded happily. "Mhm mhm, it's all decided! Thank you for the offer, Hiratsuka-sensei, but there's no need to trouble you. I have 100% confidence, you know~ Hiratsuka-sensei and Chishima-sensei have to be happy, okay? You must invite me when you get married~"
She held up two cute fingers between Akishin and Shizuka, forming a heart shape, and then laughed happily, sounding innocent and sweet.
After chatting a bit longer with Shiromeguri Meguri, they parted ways. Hachiman and the others returned to their respective classes, while Akishin and Shizuka went back to the faculty office to drink tea, read books, and eat snacks as usual.
When it was time to teach, they left their seats; otherwise, they organized lesson modules in the office, and for the rest of the time, they just waited for the clock to hit home time.
—What kind of veteran employees work while slacking off like this! (laughs)
In short, the repeating cycle of life was restored, and time accelerated once more.
Two weeks later, Komachi's grades came out. A group of them excitedly rushed out of school toward Komachi's school, only feeling at peace once they saw the grades with their own eyes.
Komachi had made it, of course. Her grades were excellent, ranking 12th. Furthermore, the number of students applying to Sobu High this year had increased by a quarter compared to last year; many previously abandoned classrooms were being tidied up for use again.
An emotional Komachi hugged Yui while crying. No matter how much self-confidence one had, the natural anxiety never truly disappeared.
...
As more time passed, the calendar flipped to February 14th. The snowflakes vanished, the air of spring grew thicker, everything began to awaken, and Valentine's Day arrived in Japan.
In Japan, girls who want to confess their love give gifts to the person they like on February 14th. The boys who receive gifts will give a return gift on White Day, March 14th, which is when they reveal their feelings to the girl. Naturally, the value of the return gift is usually double or triple the original.
On February 14th, chocolate is the primary choice for girls giving gifts to boys. Every shop in Japan is flooded with chocolate at this time—statistics show that 30% of all annual chocolate sales in Japan happen in the ten days leading up to Valentine's Day.
Some girls choose to make their own to express their feelings. Chocolates also have different definitions depending on who they are given to—the reason for this can be traced back to the 50s and 60s, where businesses used marketing to encourage women to actively give chocolate to men, thus building this consumer habit.
Honmei Choco: Chocolate given to the person one loves.
Giri Choco: "Obligation" chocolate given to male friends who aren't romantic interests.
Tomo Choco: Chocolate exchanged between female friends.
Generally, guys look forward to Honmei, but the reality is that most think just getting a Giri is good enough.
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