I Long To Become An Adult

“Oh, so this is Imari’s room.”

As I entered the room, I couldn’t help but let out a sound of amazement. At the same time, I glanced around the entire room.

A single bed was placed against the wall, with a study desk and bookshelf nearby.

A small low table was placed on the white carpet, with minimal items, making it a typical Imari-like room.

“Don’t stare too much, it’s embarrassing.”

“Oh, sorry, my bad.”

“Well, let’s get studying right away. We don’t have much time until the exam.”

“Yeah.”

Prompted by Imari, I sat on the floor and laid out the study materials on the low table. Imari sat opposite me, spreading out her own study materials.

“Then let’s start with math. If there’s anything you don’t understand――”

From there, the study session proceeded methodically.

Imari’s teaching method was indeed easy to understand, and she adjusted her explanations to match my level of comprehension, allowing me to feel like I was steadily improving my abilities.

“(It feels somewhat nostalgic. Come to think of it, something like this happened before, didn’t it?)”

Suddenly, a memory from about two years ago at this time came to mind.

“(Oh no… I don’t understand any of this.)”

As the difficulty level of my studies increased with high school, I struggled to keep up. I ended up scoring poorly on a quiz and had to work on extra assignments assigned by the teacher after school.

“Which formula do I use for this?”

“Well, you use this formula here.”

“Huh?”

When I turned around, Imari was smiling and pointing at the textbook.

At that time, Imari and I were just classmates like any other students, with no special relationship.

“Oh, sorry for suddenly approaching you like that.”

“No, no, it’s a huge help, honestly! I see, so this problem can be solved using this formula… I get it now. Then, do you know how to solve this problem?”

“Yeah, for that one――”

After that, before I knew it, it was almost sunset, and I had been getting lessons from Imari.

“Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it.”

“No problem at all, helping each other out is just what classmates do.”

Even though it had only been three months since we started school, I had witnessed Imari saying this to other students multiple times.

It’s easy to say those words, but it’s not so easy to back them up with actions that give them credibility.

Imari managed to do just that, and I remember being surprised by how genuinely righteous a person could be.

After that, Imari and I started talking a lot more and became good friends.

「… Wow, has it really been two years already? Time flies,”

As I paused with my pen, lost in nostalgia, Imari shot me a sharp look.

“Miyoshi-kun, are you spacing out?”

“Ah! Um, well, I was just feeling nostalgic, you know?”

“Why would you feel nostalgic in my room, though?”

There was no retort to her valid point, so I admitted to feeling nostalgic.

“Yeah, it’s just… being here, studying with you, it reminds me of when we first became friends.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that. We used to study together after school in the classroom.”

Imari also stopped writing and joined in reminiscing.

“Thinking about it, we’re already seniors, huh?”

“High school life goes by so fast. It’s crazy how quickly we’re becoming adults.”

“Adults, huh… I wonder if I’ll ever feel like one.”

“Huh?”

Imari’s unexpected remark made me pause and ask for clarification.

“Isn’t it strange? I mean, this time next year, we’ll be university students.”

“If I get into university, that is…”

“Haha, leaving that aside. I used to think university students were so mature, but when you think about it, we’ll become them in just a year. Do you think we’ll feel like adults after spending a year there?”

“I don’t think so. But just being university students doesn’t automatically make us adults, right?”

As I responded, Imari looked at me with a serious expression.

“So, when do you think we’ll become adults?”

Imari’s question didn’t seem like something that had just occurred to her. It felt more like something she’d pondered many times before without finding an answer.

“Um, it’s not really about when, is it?”

“Then, what do you think we need to do to become adults?”

“What do we need to do…?”

Certainly, the more you think about this question, the more complex it becomes. How do we become adults? Will someone give us the answer?

“Imari wants to become an adult, huh?”

I casually mentioned my realization to Imari.

“Hehe, I wonder. But, now that you mention it, maybe I do want to be one,” Imari replied.

“What’s the reason for that?”

“Because adults are kind of cool, aren’t they?”

Imari’s answer caught me off guard. It was so unlike her.

“Oh, they’re cool?”

“Well, don’t kids always admire adults?”

Imari said, averting her gaze shyly. Then, as if realizing something, she let out a small exclamation.

“Just by admiring adults, I guess that makes me still a kid,” Imari chuckled softly.

Her innocent laughter made me smile too.

“(So, Imari has this side to her, huh?)”

Realizing this aspect of Imari in our third year together made me feel a bit happy.