The next day, Takumi and his mother returned to Yoshino.
Just one day after the results of the high school entrance exam were published, the news spread like wildfire: Takumi Sato had obtained second place in the district. Neighbors, distant friends and even strangers came to congratulate him when he passed by on the street.
Aiko couldn't stop smiling, even during lunch. Laughing, serving him more meat than usual, he remembered something:
"By the way, Takumi, Ishida-sensei told me yesterday about the graduation certificate. You should go get it this afternoon.
"Okay.
Unable to bear the gleam of pride in his mother's eyes, Takumi went to school in the early afternoon.
Yoshino's No. 3 High School didn't usually figure well in the district's education statistics. In previous years, his pass rate on the high school entrance exam was mediocre. But upon arriving, Takumi found a huge red wood-framed sign above the front door. The text, written in exuberant calligraphy, read:
"Congratulations to our student Takumi Sato for coming in second place in the district and sixth in the entire prefecture in the high school entrance examination!"
Takumi covered his forehead with one hand and sighed.
"I went too precise... I should have made more mistakes," he murmured, half-jokingly.
I didn't want to attract attention, but it was too late. Many students had already picked up their certificate in the morning. The campus was deserted. Takumi headed straight to the office to look for Ishida-sensei.
"Takumi!"
As soon as he entered, Ishida-sensei, with his typical sharp gaze, greeted him with a smile.
"You're finally here. They don't print your graduation certificate yet, but second place is already in the house!
Other teachers came up to congratulate him:
"Good job on the exam, Sato-kun!" "You brought honor to the school, excellent performance!"
Takumi smiled, somewhat embarrassed, and bowed politely to each of them.
"Thank you all. Sorry for being late. I went home for lunch and came right away.
Ishida-sensei let out the air in a breath. Although he was smiling, he knew that his previous attitude had not exactly been kind to the boy. I had always underestimated Takumi. But now, surrounded by praise, he could do nothing but act as if he had believed in him from the beginning.
Takumi, as if he knew, gave him a respectful look. He was giving it an elegant exit.
"Well, boy... "Since you're back, take your time and come again tomorrow," Ishida joked. Or better, take your certificate right now," he said, handing him the document with a more genuine smile.
"Thank you, sensei.
The document reassured him. In a few days he would move to Osaka, and Kurosawa had already promised to arrange enrollment in a new school. Everything was on track.
"By the way, Takumi. Could you write a few lines about your learning experience? The professor asked, putting pen and paper on the table. We archive reflections from the top three of the exam each year. We'll also take some photos of you later.
"Of course.
As Takumi leaned over the table to write, Ishida-sensei asked in a casual voice:
—Have you already decided which high school you are going to attend?
In the district, it was common for students to stay at a local high school, but top scores were often recruited by prominent schools in other prefectures. With his second-place finish, Takumi was a valuable candidate.
The professor had connections with several institutions. If he could convince the boy, he could receive some benefit in return.
"Yes, I've already made up my mind," Takumi replied, without taking his eyes off the paper. I'm moving to Osaka.
"To Osaka?" The second largest city?
Ishida-sensei gasped. It was rare for a student to be able to enter a high school there, especially without prior residence. Years of local registration were required to participate in the university entrance exam. But a score of 725... It was another story.
All his plans fell apart in a second.
"Osaka is a great place. In fact, he reminds me of JieShiori. Did you know that she will go there too?" said the professor, trying to hide the blow.
"Jie Shiori?" Takumi asked, raising an eyebrow.
He didn't recognize that name. Why did I mention it?
"Don't you know her?" She is from the Experimental High School. He obtained 746 points, the first place in the district and in the entire prefecture.
Takumi felt a slight twinge in his chest. It had been only 4 points below the maximum. He didn't even try at all... But that feeling only lasted a few seconds. Inside he knew that his path was different.
He finished writing his reflection and stood up.
After that, Ishida-sensei took him to the director's office and they took some pictures of him with the director and deputy directors. They also gave him an envelope with money.
"Fiveteen thousand yen," they explained. A scholarship from the district for having placed sixth in the prefecture.
Takumi was almost certain that wasn't the total amount. But at least... it was something.
"With this, I can buy a phone.
Smiled. That was his immediate objective. He left school happy, but stopped in surprise when he got home.
"Takumi is back!" A cheerful voice shouted from within.
"Come, come!" I already knew that you were a studious boy. "Xiaomei, say hello to your cousin. If you have doubts, you can ask him.
The room was full. Uncles, aunts, cousins... people who before hardly spoke to him. Now everyone surrounded him with smiles.
Family members who used to ignore him, who looked the other way at meetings, now held out their hand to him. All for coming in second place on an exam?
Takumi understood it at that moment: he had underestimated the value that this society placed on academic achievement.
And he swore to himself that, if that was enough to change things... then he would learn to play that game to his advantage.
The following days were even more overflowing. Relatives, neighbors, and old acquaintances began visiting the house almost daily, bringing milk, candy, cakes, and words of praise wrapped in smiles.
Aiko even took Takumi back to the field. In the grandparents' house, firecrackers were lit, there was glutinous rice, hot soup and sincere tears. Grandpa squeezed his hands as if they were gold, Grandma hugged him tightly and kept repeating: "Our Takumi... how intelligent he is."
Takumi's heart quivered. In his afterlife, his grandparents were proud of him, too, but that scene only came after he was adopted by a strange millionaire. On this occasion... he had achieved it on his own. And that made it different.
They were hectic days. But little by little everything calmed down. Aiko returned to work. The house regained its silence.
Takumi refocused: he hurriedly delivered the second and third episodes of Detective Conan to Hinotori Publishing, and in his spare time, he was trying to unlock again that flash of inspiration that had shaken him during the exam. But no matter how much he concentrated, he could not replicate it. That lucidity did not respond to effort. It was like chasing a breeze.
At the same time, he was studying at home while anxiously waiting for the official publication of his manga. Magazines were late for Yoshino, so it took him several days to figure out which bookstore sold Weekly Shonen.
—
"What the hell is this?!"
One morning, as he entered one of the few bookstores in town, he heard that exclamation aloud.
Two teenagers were leafing through magazines next to the bookshelf.
"The quality of Weekly Shonen drops every month," complained one, a boy with rectangular glasses and a thin face. This cover... Pathetic. I don't buy it!
"Yes," laughed the other. At least before there was a pretty model on the cover. Now they want to sell us "original manga". Who reads them? If they don't put girls showing skin, this magazine sinks.
—Hinotori Publishing is finished. Let's go and see the new Tatsuryū Publishing. They say that the adaptation of La Dama Caballero is already out. It only costs 300 yen.
"That novel?" It was addictive. Does it work as a manga?
"Ha... even more. They say that elementary school students can't even handle the scenes!
They walked away laughing, disinterested.
Takumi waited for them to get lost in the hallway and walked over. He located a copy of Weekly Shonen and took it in his hands with a tingle in his fingers.
I wanted to see which cover had provoked so much rejection.
The first thing he noticed was a huge black silhouette in the center of the cover. As he approached, he distinguished that it was a portrait. It was not clear, the features were blurred on purpose.
And below it, a line in white letters stood out:
"The debut work of a unique genius! Next Issue: New Serialization — Detective Conan"
Takumi froze.
He looked carefully at the dark figure. "That shadow... this is me?
The journal did not offer information about the author. Hinotori had kept his promise of confidentiality. But Takumi recognized his stroke even under the blur.
And the most striking thing was not the drawing. It was the fact that he had been given the cover.
A debutant.
With a single chapter. A chapter that had not even been published yet.
There was a week to go.
He felt nervous. For the first time in days, the weight of what was coming reached him fully.
He ran his palm over the deck carefully, as if something might break. Below the portrait only the pseudonym appeared:
Mirai.
There were no last names. Just that name. But before long, thousands would see him as Mirai-sensei.
Takumi lowered his gaze for a second. "..." You'll see it too, right?
The silhouette of a woman crossed his mind like a fleeting memory. It didn't hurt. But it didn't happen at all.
He put the magazine under his arm, and with his heart beating a little faster than usual, he left the store without saying a word.