A few days later, the weekend for the interview finally arrived.
After my usual morning workout, I looked in the mirror for the first ti in a while and applied wax to my hair.
Normally, I would have just applied so skin lotion, but since we were taking pictures for the newspaper today, I put in a bit more effort.
After finishing my morning preparations and eating breakfast, my mother handed a bowl of soup and asked,
“Are you going on a date today?”
“What? A date?”
“I thought so because you, who usually don’t style yourself much, suddenly used wax.”
Ah, that was it.
“No, it’s not that. I have an interview with soone from the school’s newspaper club today.”
“An interview? Did you do sothing bad?”
“What do you think of your son…?”
“Haha, I’m just kidding.”
My mother said that, patted my shoulder, and then stared straight at .
“Still, maybe because you resemble your father, you have a handso face. Son.”
“Really?”
I usually receive comnts that I look scary, so this made feel good.
“What other reason would your mother have to stick with your not-so-great father? It’s all because of his good looks.”
“Hahaha.”
I laughed awkwardly and looked away.
Because objectively, my father wasn’t particularly handso.
Anyway, after breakfast, I took the bus for the first ti in a while to et Senior Ayabe.
The reason for not using the subway, as usual, was that Senior Ayabe lived in the sa Setagaya-ku as .
‘It’s been a while since I took a bus.’
“Mom, that guy is huge. He looks like a gorilla.”
“Shh. Be quiet. He’ll hear you.”
“……”
I used to call Mr. Yamada a gorilla without much thought, but now I realize it was a hurtful nickna.
I should stop using it next week.
Trying not to look at the child until we reached the destination, I pressed the bell and got off as soon as we arrived.
Vroom!
After the bus left, I looked around ‘Nikotama’, a neighborhood I don’t usually visit.
Its official na was ‘Futakotamagawa’ station, but it was commonly abbreviated to ‘Nikotama’ due to its lengthy na.
The area around Nikotama station had recently beco a popular district with many convenient facilities like shopping malls and departnt stores, making it a good place to et people.
And the sushi restaurant near the station was where I agreed to et Senior Ayabe.
Ding! Ding!
“Ah! Here you are! Kim-kun!”
As I entered the restaurant, Senior Ayabe, who seed to have arrived earlier, waved her hand cheerfully to greet .
I approached the table where she was sitting and asked,
“Why did you choose a sushi restaurant for the interview?”
“This is my favorite place. We’re just here to eat. You’re taking the ti to do the interview, after all. So, I thought I should at least feed you well.”
Senior Ayabe said this and introduced the two people sitting next to her.
“This is Takagi, the vice head of our newspaper club, and this is Hanamiya, a first-year student.”
“I’m Ayase Takagi. I’m in the sa year as you, a second year.”
“I-I’m Hanami Yuzuko.”
Their faces were familiar.
Because I t them when I visited the newspaper club before.
“We’ve t before.”
Senior Ayabe, not knowing the details, tilted her head and said,
“Really? That’s good. These two will assist with the interview today. Anyway, sit down. Let’s order food first and then talk.”
After hearing that, I sat down across from Senior Ayabe.
As it was a four-person table, Hanami Yuzuko, the first-year, sat next to . She was so small that she seed like she could compete well with Karen.
“Head, are you treating us today?”
“Of course. Order whatever you want.”
“Then I’ll have the dium fatty tuna set…”
“Ah, you two, keep it under 2000 yen.”
“…I’ll have the lunch set.”
Maybe because they were the head and vice head, they seed to sync well.
I looked at the nu and asked,
“So, should I also order sothing under 2000 yen?”
“No, Kim-kun, no price limit for you. Order whatever you really want.”
“Then…”
I decided not to hold back and order.
“I’ll have the family set.”
“A family set for four? We can order whatever we want without worrying.”
“Ah, I’ll eat it by myself.”
“…The family set?”
“Yes.”
Hanami, the first-year sitting next to , said in admiration,
“n are amazing. Being able to eat that much.”
Then Senior Ayabe waved her hand.
“No, no, Kim-kun is the odd one out. Normal people can’t eat that much.”
Despite saying that, Senior Ayabe called the waiter and placed the order without hesitation.
“Three lunch sets and one family set, please.”
“Yes, understood.”
After the waiter took the order and left, Senior Ayabe took a sip of water and said,
“But you can eat it all, right? I won’t forgive you if you leave any.”
“Don’t worry. It’s enough.”
As I said this and patted my stomach, she looked skeptical but then sighed softly and said,
“Anyway, today’s interview will have 20 questions selected from those I sent you before. Have you prepared your answers?”
“Of course.”
“We will be recording the interview for accurate information transmission. Is that okay with you?”
“Yes, that’s fine with . If you don’t mind, I can record it too.”
“Hmm. That’s fine. Then, is that all we need to confirm in advance?”
She seed to have written today’s agenda on her phone, as she kept looking at the screen. She then put her phone in her pocket and asked ,
“But, I have a personal question that I’ve been curious about. Can I ask you?”
“What is it?”
“Where are you working out these days? I’ve been sitting at my desk studying lately and feel like I’ve put on so weight.”
“It’s a gym near my house. If you need it, I can give you a business card.”
Saying that, I took out Master Nakayama’s business card from my wallet.
“Can I know, too?”
“ too!”
Perhaps due to the common interest in dieting, the two who had been awkwardly sipping water also asked hastily.
“If you call this number, Master Nakayama will kindly assist you. It’s also where Senior Fuma from the Kendo Club goes.”
“Fuma!”
At the ntion of a familiar na, the three from the newspaper club raised their voices in unison.
“If that strict club president goes there, it must be good.”
“Let’s definitely go!”
The influx of new female mbers—I could easily picture Master Nakayama and the male mbers being extrely happy.
Anyway, as we talked, the food we ordered arrived.
“Wow! It looks delicious!”
The plates were neatly arranged with colorful sushi.
The lunch set had 12 pieces of sushi, but the family set had 50.
Honestly, I could eat more if I wanted, but I felt a bit guilty ordering more since I was being treated.
“Then, let’s eat.”
As the saying goes, “Even Mt. Geumgang should be visited after a al.” Let’s think about the interview after eating.
30 minutes later.
After a fulfilling al, we moved to a nearby coffee shop.
The other three, excluding , ordered coffee and desserts, speaking in a language hard to understand.
On the other hand, I just ordered a basic Aricano.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”
“Yes, this is enough for .”
It seed true that won had separate stomachs for desserts, as the three of them, who had claid to be full just monts ago, each ate a large piece of cake.
Anyway, feeling sufficiently full and thinking it was ti to get to the main point, I initiated the conversation.
“So, when do we start the interview?”
“Oh, sorry. Just after I finish this.”
As she popped the last piece of lemon cheesecake into her mouth, Senior Ayabe wiped the cream from her lips with a satisfied expression and said,
“Don’t be too nervous about the interview. Even if you make a mistake, we’ll adjust it appropriately, so just speak the truth.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Let’s start now, then.”
After saying that, Senior Ayabe took out a small recorder and a notebook from her handbag on her right.
“Could you start by introducing yourself briefly?”
I cleared my throat and, looking straight at Hanami, who was holding the cara, said,
“Uh… I am Kim Yu-seong, a second-year student currently attending Ichijo Academy. I appreciate your ti for the interview today.”
“Wowwww!”
Then, Senior Ayabe responded with exaggerated gestures and applause.
“Ahem, now for the much-anticipated first question. Are you aware of the rumors about you circulating in Ichijo Academy?”
“Not all of them, but I am aware of so. I’ve overheard them, and my friends have told .”
“Hmm, hmm, I see.”
Senior Ayabe nodded, holding a pen to her chin.
“Then, the next question is related. There’s a rumor that you are an elite yakuza. Is that true? Soone claid to have seen you frequenting a certain mansion outside of town.”
“Uh… that’s…”
I was montarily at a loss for words.
The forr was a blatant lie, but the latter could actually be true, as soone might have really seen it.
Because Karen’s house was a yakuza hideout.
Seeing my hesitation, Senior Ayabe’s eyes lit up.
“Is it true?!”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that I know soone who’s involved in that industry, so I went there casually…”
I chose to skirt around the truth to protect Karen’s privacy.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Unlike my already tarnished image, it seed her being the daughter of a yakuza was a secret at the academy.
Senior Ayabe’s sharp questions continued unabated after that.
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