Chapter 88

The results of the final exams were announced. Of course, my name wasn't posted.

The top three this time were the same as last time: Daidōji, Enjō, and Wakaba in that order. Wakaba, you really are smart. Amazing! Some eyes are even more critical now...

And, oh, my friend Atéuma is in 7th place! Friend, did you drop a bit in rank?! I hope you're working hard for me too. You are the star of hope for our village, a candidate for the next village chief.

As for my rank, it's 86th. Oh, I've dropped so much I can't even criticize others! If this continues, I might fall into the triple digits in the second semester. I need to get serious about the summer classes. This summer will be busy with studying, dieting, and training.

"Hey, why don't we all go somewhere for the summer vacation?"

Kikuno suggested to us.

What! Going out with friends! That sounds great!

"I wonder if we can get a reservation for this season."

"Hey, why don't you come to my family's cottage?"

Everyone started making plans with excitement.

Most of our families have cottages, so we discussed which one to use. We need to check with our families first.

And of course, I'm included in the cottage plan, right? Right? Oh, you can use our cottage too? So please, include me properly?

On the last weekend before the summer vacation, I was taken to a zazen session by Sakura.

First, we listened to the monk explain how to do zazen, then we entered the hall. I was worried it might be stiflingly hot, but it was pleasantly cool.

Following the instructions, I couldn't do the full lotus position, so I sat in the half lotus position and half-closed my eyes. I tried to regulate my breathing and calm my mind. I wonder if I can really calm my mind... I'm full of杂念 (distractions).

In the dimly lit and silent hall, I kept sitting, and my eyes gradually started to close. Ah, when the mind is calm, you get sleepy.

The monk stood behind me. Did he notice? He struck my right shoulder with the keisaku (a wooden stick used to keep practitioners awake). It wasn't as painful as I imagined. Maybe he's being gentle because I'm a delicate girl? But then, I got sleepy again. Smack.

In the end, I started swaying from drowsiness, and I don't even remember if I received the keisaku.

After about 30 minutes of zazen, we had tea and listened to the monk's sermon, then we moved on to copying sutras. I thought it would just be zazen, but we also did sutra copying.

I placed the paper over the sample and traced it. It was easier than I thought. I've been practicing calligraphy since I was little, so I thought it would be a breeze, but as the monk said, the same text can look completely different depending on the person's mindset. Compared to Sakura's neatly written sutra, mine had parts where the characters seemed to dance.

I was probably thinking about the Japanese café we were going to later. I'm full of desires.

After we finished the sutra copying and put it away, the day's training was over.

"Reika, you didn't really reflect on yourself at all, did you?"

As soon as we arrived at the Japanese café, Sakura gave me a stern lecture. Come to think of it, that was the original purpose.

"During zazen, I kept getting distracted by the sound of people being hit next to me. And then I felt my body swaying..."

"That was a test of your spirit. You shouldn't be distracted by such things."

"...You should have received punishment instead of the keisaku."

The monk said that the keisaku is given during zazen, and there's also a punishment called batsu (a more severe form of the keisaku) for breaking rules during training. That one is really painful.

"I chose a gentle temple today. In a stricter one, you'd be hit a hundred times."

"Hey, you got hit too, Sakura."

"I asked for it."

That's impressive.

"So, the results of your zazen and mental training... seem to be non-existent."

Sakura sighed as I stared at the menu's Japanese-style sweets.

No, I'm just looking. I didn't say I was going to eat.

"Human beings can't easily reach the state of Nirvana."

"Go down the path of obesity."

Stop it. The monk said that words have power, and you shouldn't say bad things to people. What if I really become fat?

"Reika, you don't exercise, which is not good. How about hot yoga or aerial yoga?"

"Sakura, you like yoga, don't you?"

I'm already doing sit-ups and hula hooping every day and doing yoga at home, so I'm good. If I do yoga, I'd prefer a different sport.

I managed to resist the temptation of the Japanese sweets and only had a cold matcha drink.

My stomach gets smaller when I don't eat, but it gets bigger when I do. That's what makes me careless. If I don't eat, I can lose weight quickly.

But this time, I'll really try. Being mistaken for a pregnant woman was a real shock. I'm still affected by it.

I've sealed away the dress I was wearing then. I won't wear anything that makes me look pregnant. When I sit, my belly fat tends to bulge, so I always keep it tight.

"Hey, Sakura, do I look old?"

"No, I don't think so. Your face has become rounder recently, which makes you look younger. Don't worry about it."

My face has become rounder too...

I came to the cram school for the first time for the summer classes.

The number of students is different from the cram school I attended until middle school.

The seats are free, so I sat in a seat a bit to the back of the middle. I wonder if any Ruiran students are here. Hmm, everyone seems so smart.

Then, a group of boys and girls sat next to and behind me. They all seem to be friends. Wow, the sense of isolation is intense.

The boy sitting next to me started encroaching on my space with his belongings. But he's facing away from me, talking enthusiastically to his friend, so he doesn't notice. What is this neglect?

Oh no, the trauma from the middle school remedial classes is coming back.

Just then, the boy who was laughing overreacted and his hand hit me. It hurt...

"Ah, sorry."

"...It's okay."

It would be nice if he noticed my belongings too.

"Wow, this girl looks like a real lady!"

"Your hair is so nicely curled!"

Oh no.

"Hey, hey, which school are you from?"

The boy behind me asked. He had several piercings in his ear. He's a bit of a playboy.

"Ruiran."

"Wow, Ruiran! You're really a lady!"

Everyone was laughing, but I don't know what's so funny.

The girls were laughing but also sizing me up. Scary...

"Hey, what's your name?"

"...Kichijō Reika."

"Your name is also lady-like! So funny!"

...These people.

I completely failed in choosing my seat. No, I failed in choosing the cram school. This Kichijō Reika has never been treated so poorly in her life.

After the pregnant woman incident, this treatment. I'm sure I'd draw a big bad luck in a fortune-telling now.

"Stop it, that's mean. She's having a hard time. Ruiran ladies are different from us."

The boy next to the playboy with piercings tried to stop them. The girls also said, "Yeah, stop it." Hmph, not really.

I pretended to be unaffected and pretended to look at the problem set. Now is the time to have an unshakable zazen mind!

But then, the idiot behind me started pulling my hair and teasing me! Of all things, my curled hair! If it were a different time, you'd be sent to the Bastille!

Pulling a girl's hair, what kind of high schooler does that? How stupid.

And when the lecture started, I was even more hurt to realize that these idiots were much smarter than me.

When I got home, I put salt in the four corners of my room.