●April 1 (Friday) Yuuta Asamura
The seasons slip by softly, tiptoeing until they overtake you, only to rush past in a blur once they’ve caught up.
Before I realized it, March had faded away. The Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms were in full bloom, their delicate petals at their peak, or so the TV’s bloom forecast had declared today. Yet, I had no time to bask in the cherry-tinted scenery, hurrying instead to Ichinose University for an English placement test alongside other freshmen.
A placement test—a measure of a learner’s ability. At Ichinose, it determined English proficiency, sorting students into classes based on grammar, reading comprehension, and listening skills. When the test ended, I let my pencil roll onto the desk with a soft clatter and stretched, easing the tension from my shoulders.
I’d done what I could.
For a test like this, showing your true ability mattered more than cramming for a fleeting high score. The university’s reasoning was sound: students should study at a level where they could feel accomplished without being overwhelmed. That’s why the classes were divided based on these results.
Ayase-san and I had been practicing English diligently—through daily conversations, quizzing each other, and the like —not for short-term gains but because we believed language mastery would shape our futures. Still, having a short-term goal gave our efforts direction. As some wise soul once said, a journey begins only when you choose a destination. This test was our chance to hone our conversational English, I’d given it my all and I intended to keep doing so.
As I left the university, the April sky outside the train window stretched faintly blue, chased by the evening’s red glow creeping from the west. The announcement called out Shibuya’s name, and I passed through the station gate just before the world was draped in twilight’s shadows.
“I’m home,” I called, pushing open the living room door.
Ayase-san peeked out from the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist, clearly in the middle of preparing dinner.
“Welcome back,” she greeted warmly. “How was the test?”
“Decent, I guess. Not as confident as you’d be, Ayase-san. Yours is tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah,” she replied, her tone light. “I figured cramming for a high score wouldn’t mean much, so I prepared as usual. I’ll just take it as it comes.”
“That’s what I thought too.”
“But?” she prompted, catching the hesitation in my voice.
“Still, I can’t help wanting to memorize a bit more English, you know?” I admitted with a sigh. “Today, though… I’ll take a break.”
Even with a level-headed approach, a test’s weight always stirred some nerves.
“You’ve worked hard,” Ayase-san said, her smile bright. “Congrats! Lucky you—tonight, you’ll get to be comforted a lot by me!”
Her English phrase, “to be comforted,” caught me off guard. I mentally translated it, piecing it together slowly. Comforted? By Ayase-san? …How, exactly?
“Tonight, we’re having fancy temaki zushi!” she announced.
A lavish treat, indeed.
