Chapter 27. [Parent-Child Fight In The Hospital Room]

During the discussion about entering a private school, my mom collapsed.

I was too confused to do anything.

The cram school teacher called an ambulance and took my mom to the hospital.

I got into the ambulance with her without any prompting.

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“You are overworked, aren’t you?

“Overwork? Does that mean she has some serious illness?

“She’ll be fine as long as she gets good nutrition and sleep.”

I collapsed into a heap.

On the hospital bed, my mom was apologetic and said, “I’m sorry I startled you.”, Wow.

The doctor poked the clipboard with a pen and made a noise.

He looked at us sharply.

“But what in the world are you people thinking? A mom and daughter being brought in together due to overwork?”

“”Ugh!?”””

Come to think of it. This doctor happens to be the same one who took care of me.

He seemed to have recognized me because I was young and overworked.

“Take better care of yourself. Especially your ma’am, you are in a position to set an example for your children, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Children grow up watching their parents. Will you teach your children that working until you collapse is good? If you want your children to have a future, you need to stop pushing them because they are still young and rethink your own life.”

“Excuse me.”

I thought she was a pretty bold mother, but she was indeed intimidated in front of the doctor.

It was a good feeling. I’m not sure how much I worried about my mom.

……I suddenly thought of my mom when I collapsed.

I wonder if this is how my mom felt when I collapsed.

No, maybe more than that.

I am her child.

“Mom, do you have any relatives or acquaintances you can rely on?”

“Um, a friend.”

“?”

Her gaze glanced at me.

I tilted my head, not knowing what she meant.

Am I misrepresenting something?

Come to think of it. I don’t know my father or grandparents.

“I see. Then please stay the night today. Tomorrow, we will do another examination, and if everything is OK, you can go home.”

After a couple of exchanges, the doctor left the room.

I exhaled a “whew.” and slowly looked around.

A patient in the same room is also lying on the bed.

“I’m worried. Mom, why are you overworked? …… No way. Lately, You’ve been coming home late, but I didn’t expect to work all the time――”

“Hey, Iroha. Are you serious about not going to school? What about the middle school exams? ”

I felt my temples twitch.

I let out a big sigh, “Haah?”

“No, that’s not what we should be talking about right now, is it?”

“No. It’s time to talk.”

My mom stared at me.

I thought, “That’s a pain in the ass.”, but I answered.

“I’m serious. I’m not going to apply to junior high school.”

“Why not?

“Hey, mom, you’re being too loud. There are other patients here.”

I pulled back the curtains around the bed to shield my eyes from the surrounding area.

I straightened my posture and sat back down.

“Well… I’m sorry that I wasted your money on summer school. But I still don’t think I need to take the junior high school entrance exam.”

“That’s not true. You should take the middle school entrance exam. Even your cram school teacher said so. [The result of the last mock exam was very good]. [If you enter the academy and keep studying, you’ll be able to enter the special class this year.] they said.”

It’s true.

The teacher thought I could get into a difficult junior high school.

And I learned that she had misunderstood a few things.

The teacher said.

[Iroha-san had a deviation score of 50 at the time of the entrance test. A deviation of 50 seems average, but it is outrageous]

[Unlike the high school entrance examination, a very small percentage of students with high grades take the middle school entrance examination. Therefore, the level of deviation is higher than it should be. A deviation of 50 on the junior high school entrance exam is equivalent to a deviation of 65 on the high school entrance exam.]

[There are two patterns of students who can get such high scores when they’re not preparing for the exam. One is the genius type who can solve applied problems that require conceptual thinking. The other is the gifted type who can solve basic problems that test their knowledge.]

[Do you know which type of student can start taking the junior high school entrance exam in the summer of 6th grade and still make it in time for the exam? It is the gifted type.]

[It takes a lot of time to acquire basic academic skills. On the other hand, solving applied problems can dramatically improve your score in a short time by taking measures and understanding the patterns specific to the middle school entrance exam.]

[In particular, Iroha-san’s performance growth in the summer course was very good. What she learned once can be utilized the next time. Her comprehension is as good as an adult’s.]

[Depending on the questions on the exam, I would say that there is a good chance that she will pass the exam to a difficult middle school.]

Something like that.

When the teacher first recruited me, she said, “You can become a special student.”, and it was not lip service.

[Amazingly, you can get into the middle class from the very beginning without any preparatory study!]

I found out later when they told me that.

Moreover, I heard considerable foot-dragging based on the deviation score for each course.

Most students who enter a school from the 6th grade would have a hard time even getting into the course I chose in the first place.

I was special.

Oh, damn. I should have felt a sense of incongruity when I was in the middle of my second life and my cheat’s influence.

No, but that’s why.

“Is that why you collapsed from overwork? Do you earn money for my school and exam fees? Did you do such a stupid thing for that reason!?”

“Oh, what do you mean ‘such a stupid thing’? Then why are you the one who is saying such a stupid thing? I’m serious about you going to summer school and studying, and your mother will surely help you. Why are you wasting your talent!”

“No, I don’t have any talent. You’re right. I’m stupid.”

“You are not stupid! Unlike your mother.”

Realizing that she had gotten too heated, my mom exhaled and let her body fall back onto the bed.

She closes her eyes and mumbles a potty mouth.

“Hey, Iroha. Are you having fun at school?”

“Huh? No, it’s normal.”

“Really? You think school is boring, don’t you?”

My mother opened her eyes and stared at him.

Our gazes met.

My heart skipped a beat.

I felt as if she could see right through me, so I involuntarily looked away.

If she asked if I enjoy elementary school,……, honestly, it’s not so subtle.

I’m just rehashing what I did in my previous life. There is a big difference in mental age between my classmates, and my sensibilities do not match.

In other words, I was ‘have free time’ and ‘bored’.”

I would be lying if I said I didn’t think I would rather spend my time at home watching VTuber videos if I had time to do such things.

“I thought a kite could turn into a hawk. Or maybe your mother is just a kite who couldn’t turn into a hawk. Hey, Iroha. A child’s time is precious, you know?”

My mom’s voice was tinged with regret.

I huffed.

“Your mother did a stupid thing and threw that time away on her own. I made it hard for Iroha to be without a father. I can’t even make your memories with your grandma and grandpa. Even with this, even your mother  had good grades when she was in school.”

She said to herself, “Not as good as Iroha.”

Well, mom met dad when she was in school.

“I guess once you stop trying, you lose everything you’ve built up,” she said. I once tried to try again, but I didn’t have enough memory, time, and heart to do it again. ……Iroha.”

My mom’s gaze shot through me.

“Your mother wants you to get a better education. I want you to take classes at the right level for you. I don’t want you to spend your days just wasting time, letting your talents rot. The time you can focus only on your studies is rare, and it’s only when you’re a child.”

I honestly thought that taking the junior middle entrance exam was a parent’s ego thing.

And I’m still not wrong.

But not all of it.

My mom saw through my true feelings. I learned that parents watch their children more than their children think. And she cares about my future.

“…… I get it, mom.”

So I–.

“I–”

“–I still won’t enter the school.!!!!!”

“EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH!”

My mom zipped away.