Chapter 153: Dreams that were not fulfilled in my previous life

I’d barely any memories of the cultural festival. Why? Because I was too busy admiring Aya in her butler outfit, and I ended up with another nosebleed!

“Rina, are you okay? That’s a lot of blood…”
“Let’s go to the nurse’s office, Rina! You need to rest!”
“N-No, I’m fine… Ugh, it’s happening again!”

Aya dragged me to the nurse’s office, and I missed out on the entire cultural festival. Ugh! It was so frustrating. I’d missed out on the first-year cultural festival because of the poster incident, and now, in my second year, I’d missed it again because of a nosebleed caused by Aya’s stunning visuals.

But the image of Aya in that butler outfit was forever etched in my memory, so I was… satisfied.

The eventful autumn and winter of my second year passed, and spring arrived. We were now third-year students, the highest grade in Takamari Academy. The realization hit me as I stared out the classroom window, dressed in my school uniform, on the first day back.

“We’re finally graduating.”

“I know… Time flies.” I glanced at Aya and Mizuki. They’d lost their girlishness, replaced by a more mature aura. Mizuki, though still cheerful and playful, now carried herself with the grace and poise of a young lady from a prestigious family.

We hadn’t physically grown much, but we were definitely more mature.

And Aya… she was even more beautiful now. She’d always been perfect, but with her height, her figure, and now a touch of mature elegance… she was captivating. Just being near her made my heart race.

I looked at my reflection in the window. Had I also matured? I still felt… younger than Aya and Mizuki, but I was also… different from my past self.

“Do you think… the three of us will still be together after graduation?”
“Rina-tan, what are you talking about~? Of course, we will! Graduation isn’t the end!”

“That’s right, Rina.” Aya said, smiling gently. Her words made my heart flutter. I took her hand, and she intertwined her fingers with mine, a familiar gesture.

As third-year students, we had to fill out forms stating our future aspirations, specifying which university and department we intended to apply to. It was for college counseling…

“Tokyo University, Faculty of Science, Department 3?”

“…Yes.”

“So you’re aiming for the medical department?”
“Yes.”

And with the memories of my past life… I couldn’t choose anything else.
Unlike other universities that admitted students directly into specific departments, Tokyo University had a general science faculty divided into three departments. In a way, the memory of my past life was like a lingering ghost, a desire to go to medical school that haunted me. To lay that ghost to rest, I had to get into… Department 3.

“Hmm, I’m sure you’ll do well, Kurosawa-san. Are you applying with Yukikawa-san?”
“Yes, probably.”
“Well, you two will get in without any problems. I have faith in you.”
“Thank you…”

Wait… what? Other students had hour-long counseling sessions, but mine ended with a pat on the shoulder and a “I have faith in you”? Was this… neglect?

I left the staff room, bewildered, and Aya was waiting for me in the hallway. She’d finished her counseling session quickly too.

“You’re done already?”

“Yeah… Sensei just said he had faith in me… and that was it. You too?”

“Yes, same here.”

Was this Takamari Academy’s laissez-faire approach to education? Well, Aya and I were the top two students in the grade, practically guaranteed admission to any university. It was a bit anticlimactic, considering I’d been mentally preparing for a long discussion.

“Rina, should we start preparing for the entrance exams now?”
“Now…?”

“Yes. We need to study to get in. It’ll be easier if we prepare efficiently.”

Aya had always planned on attending medical school. It was a natural choice, considering her family’s background.

So, me too…!
With Aya, I felt like I could achieve anything.

“We’ll focus on past papers and basic concepts for the first semester. We should also start working on our research papers.”
“Research papers…? Already?”

“Yes, they’re important for the Department 3 entrance exam. We can choose topics and give each other feedback.”

“Okay.” Aya laid out a detailed study plan. Until now, my goal had been to do well on the Takamari exams, but now, it had shifted to university entrance exams.

“Our practice test scores don’t really matter. The final exams are more important. They’re usually similar in style, so we should focus on past papers.”
“O-Okay!”

“Questions 5 and 6 in math are usually tricky… We should aim for perfect scores… You’re choosing physics and chemistry, right?”
“Yeah, probably.”

We stuck together, studying diligently. Mizuki, who was aiming for law school, had a different curriculum. If we all got in, we’d be attending the same university. But our different study plans meant we spent less time together.

“Rina-tan~!”
“Mizuki…!”
“Haa… I’m so tired…”

We still hung out whenever we could, but our third year was mostly spent studying. Aya and I would stay up late, studying at cafes and libraries, working on our research papers, and reviewing past and practice papers for the Tokyo University entrance exams.

We often ended up at Aya’s house, and sometimes, I’d fall asleep at her desk. Aya would gently carry me to her bed, and I’d wake up in the morning, nestled in her blankets, startled and embarrassed. We hadn’t explicitly been told not to… but her parents’ subtle disapproval made me nervous.

Anyway, our third year came to an end. I even struggled to find Tokyo University within Tokyo. And I’d managed to get birth control pills from my cousin in Korea to regulate my period. Seriously, I always seemed to get it during exams. Thanks to the pills, I was able to focus and do well, except for one tricky question.

“I got in! Aya, I got in!” I cheered, looking at the results on my phone. I’d been so anxious, but I’d finally done it. I was going to Tokyo University!

“Good job, Rina!”

Aya hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back. All those late nights studying together, working on our research papers, taking endless practice tests… flashed through my mind.

“We… we’re going to the same university!”
“Yes, we’ll be together.”

“Rina-tan~! Aya-ring~! I got in too~!” Mizuki shouted, running towards us, her phone also displaying the acceptance message.

“Mizuki, that’s great! Congratulations!”

“Of course I got in~! We’re all going to Tokyo University!”

We hugged each other, jumping up and down in the hallway, laughing and cheering. Some of the younger students stared, but we didn’t care.

“Hey, this calls for a graduation trip!”
“A graduation trip?”

“Yeah! We have to celebrate getting into the same university. Just the three of us, no parents, no teachers! Just us!!”
“Wow, that sounds amazing!”

We immediately started searching for destinations on our phones.

“Where should we go?”
“Somewhere warm for a graduation trip, right? Okinawa? Or how about overseas?”
“Overseas sounds fun! Not Europe, that’s too far… somewhere closer?”

“Taiwan? Korea’s also popular these days.”

“Ah! I really want to eat Korean food!”

“Korea sounds good! Mizuki, are you okay with that?”
“Of course! Tteokbokki, cafes~!”

We laughed and chatted, making plans for our graduation trip. I’d never felt so happy.

I was finally going to medical school, a dream I hadn’t been able to achieve in my past life. I felt tears welling up, but I held them back, not wanting to cry in front of Aya and Mizuki.