Back in the comfort of her spacious bedroom, Akira hugged a cat-shaped pillow while lying down on her stomach facing Kenta, who sat crossed-leg near the edge of the bed with his sound processors turned all the way up. 

"I don't suppose you remember much about the prom night other than your fight with Johan about him not being ready to be your boyfriend in public," Akira began, "but that night Ezie and I got into a fight too. Well, sort of. Not a huge one, but enough to make us end what we barely started. The reason you didn't hear of our fight until now is because we kept it quiet." 

"I'm sorry I was so deep into my own problems with Johan to realize you have relationship problems too," Kenta reached for Akira's hand, "but now I'm all ears. I remember Ezekiel saying good night at the door and you looking tired, but in hindsight maybe you were more than just tired. I guess that must be after Aunt Chiharu had a one-on-one talk with him?" 

"M-hm. My mom called him into her room and they talked for what to me felt like an eternity and a half. Ezie summarized everything for me, though. Basically, my mom asked him if he has any intention of still having me as his girlfriend after high school graduation, and of course, he said yes because he was so sure that a long-distance relationship could work just as well as an in-person one. But you know my mom, right? She always has follow-up questions. She interrogated Ezie about his post-high school plan and everything went downhill from there." 

"Ouch. Way to put too much pressure on someone she has just met." 

"Ezie is an honest guy, way too honest if you ask me. He said the Deaf boarding school he's attending has not been that great in giving him and other students career guidance, but he's hoping to get into some kind of trade school along with Aiden. His first choice of trade is in culinary art, more specifically beginner-level nutrition and kitchen sanitation certification in cooking plant-based diets for meal-kit companies, and his second choice is studying supply chain management for grocery stores. His third choice is to become a junior teacher of home economics at the same school he attends and his fourth choice is to become a nurse aide at a retirement house in Mizunotori." 

"None of these sounds good enough for Aunt Chiharu, I'd assume?" 

"Suffice it to say that she wasn't delighted to hear of Ezie's plans, but her real issue is with how Ezie plans to finance trade school. He said he's considering taking out a private bank loan. When mom asked how he would pay the loan back, Ezie told her while earning his trade license he would work part-time as a truck driver for coast-to-coast shipments of vegetables, a cashier at a national bank, or a shelf stocker at a factory outlet. You know Ezie is realistic rather than ambitious, but that's precisely why my mom thinks he is not a good match for me." 

"Aunt Chiharu said that to his face? I can't imagine her actually saying that." 

"Ah, she didn't say it quite that harshly, mind you, but it was still something to that effect. She was implying that Ezie is a guy of little to no ambitions and he would only be dragging me down. She believes I already have a hard time finding my own purpose in life and being with Ezie is going to make me even more purposeless. Needless to say, I strongly disagree with her views. I understand Ezie's background. I understand both he and Aiden came from broken homes and are trying their goddamn hardest to survive. They don't have lofty goals, just survival." 

"And did you tell Aunt Chiharu about Ezekiel's upbringing? Did you tell her she was being elitist? Or did you think it was a matter of privacy and left the decision to disclose it to Ezekiel himself?"

"I was waiting for him to defend himself, but nada, nihil, null. He just bowed his head in deference and said, and I quoted word for word, "I understand I'm not good enough for your daughter, ma'am, and please forgive me for daring to approach her romantically." He was beyond defeated, Kenta. I have never seen a sadder scene in my life." 

"This is surprising," Kenta shook his head, "I thought Aunt Chiharu only wanted you to be happy with whatever you choose to do with your life. You were happy with Ezekiel, no?" 

"It is precisely because she wanted me to be happy that she is against my relationship with Ezie!" Akira clarified. "Don't you see? She thinks the happiness Ezie and I have will only be momentary. Ephemeral. Short-lived. If Ezie struggles to support himself and Aiden today, how do we know he's not going to have the same struggle when we are well into adulthood?" 

"And has she discussed this with Uncle Lee? Your parents don't usually have extremely different opinions when it comes to your life, do they?" 

"My dad didn't immediately come to my aid or take my side, but he called me into his office in the morning and told me to understand mom's objection because she was only thinking of who's gonna take care of me once she's gone," Akira buried her face under the blanket, "and obviously she thinks that Ezie can't take good care of me because... he's not you, Kenta." 

"Wait, go back and slow down, what do you mean he is not me?" 

"Mom wants me to date someone more like you. Someone mature, wise, and with a good head on his shoulder. Someone caring, sensitive, and, most importantly, someone with a guaranteed future. In my mom's eyes, Ezie lacks wisdom but he also is lacking in the... brain department." 

"Oh, Akira, I wish there was a way to communicate to your mom that brain isn't all that matters. I never think of myself as a guy with a brain, far from it. I'm just a regular guy living a regular life." 

"I think Mom is being super unfair, honestly. Why does Ezie have to be the one who financially supports me if we end up being together well into adulthood? Why can't I be the one who supports our little family? Why does it have to be the man? A woman can't be independent?" 

"Sure you can, Akira, sure you can. Even better, you and Ezekiel can share household responsibilities just like my parents do. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. You guys have broken up. He basically was forced to dump you even though you'd never dump him. So, what are you planning to do about it? Are you going to prove your mom wrong or...?" 

"For the first time in my life, I want to defy my mom," Akira sat up straight, "and I don't mean being a rebel with no cause. The problem is that I don't know how to be defiant. All I know is that if Ezekiel can show an ounce of maturity that meets or exceeds Mom's standard, and if he can show that he is smart, then there's still a chance for us to get back together. But how?" 

"That would highly depend on your mom's definition of maturity and intelligence, wouldn't it?"

"I'm guessing in my mom's terms being mature means having a well-defined path for one's future. You have a well-defined path for yours, Kenta. It's plainer to see than the plainest-tasting porridge that you're meant to be in Blue Orchid Xenobiology. I wonder if Ezie would have a shot at the entrance exam. I wonder if that would show Mom that he has true grits." 

"But wouldn't it be wrong to push him to go there if that's not what he wants for himself?" 

"Oh, get real, Kenta! Who wouldn't want to be admitted to one of the best universities in our entire interplanetary system, possibly even the entire galaxy? It's the highest honor!" 

"Okay, I hear you, but do you want to stress Ezekiel out?" 

"If he loves me, he would do anything for our relationship. I would do anything if I were him, even if it means being sleep deprived. I mean, he was already helping me study mathematics so that I can join the Math Olympiad, he might as well be a contestant himself." 

"Is this what you and Ezekiel have been quietly fighting about? So you want him to register as a Math Olympiad contestant rather than just your humble cheerleader? That sounds one-sided." 

"So you would rather see me and Ezie stay separated by the circumstance of our wealth disparity? You would rather see me unhappy, is that it?" 

"N-no, that's not what I mean..."

"I envy you so much. I envy the brain you were born with that I am not endowed with." 

"Akira, you're mistaken if you think my brain is the only reason I've been successful in academics. I owe my success to Kami-sama's grace and mercy and the help of our teachers." 

"Get out of my room."

"But.."

"GET. OUT." 

***

Kenta knew better than to irritate Akira even more, so he retreated outside and absent-mindedly threw pebbles into the koi pond while Miyuki judged him unapprovingly. 

"I've never asked to be born a genius," he said to the judging cat, "or to be perceived as one."

"Meow." 

"Being perceived as a genius is a curse, trust me. Perhaps I should pray to be reincarnated as a cat like you in my next life. What difficulties does a sweet cat like you have, Miyuki? I suppose the only thing you think of is whether you'll get to eat sashimi on your birthday." 

"Meow!" the cat hissed in protest as if offended at Kenta's remark. 

"I don't blame you. Sashimi is one of the finest things a cat can dream of. Heck, I'm a human and I won't ever get bored of eating sashimi if only it were cheaper and we live closer to the sea." 

"Meoww," Miyuki jumped onto the boy's lap, "meoww." 

"You ever think of eating one of these koi?" Kenta gestured to the pond. "Just curious." 

"Meow!" 

"Good to know. We are rich people experiencing a thrilling riches-to-rag story, but at least we're not that desperate. You're a good cat, Miyuki. Thanks for listening. By the way, I wonder how little Nardho and Nardhia are doing. I should check my emails, they usually send something cute like their drawings or spoilers of that Angelic Sienna and Kuroneko Ren series. Last time I heard, Sienna is in some sketchy kingdom trying to make a deal with some bandits slash wizards." 

There was no email from the Sitohang twins but Kenta found a forgotten voicemail from Johan.

"Moshi-moshi, hikari!" the voicemail began, "I've been meaning to tell you that my school has selected Bethany and me as the Black Elm representatives for competing at the interplanetary Math Olympiad. Don't ask me why and how. It's a long story. Just know that Bethany does a complete 180 degrees and becomes the second-highest ranking student in our district and that our district happens to be situated in the capital city of our planet. She and I are now preparing for the semi-preliminary against Red Sycamore and White Banyan representatives, which will be held approximately four months from now." 

Kenta had to replay the voicemail over and over to understand the news properly. 

"If Bethany and I beat both White Banyan and Red Sycamore contestants," Johan continued through the voicemail, "then we will get sent to Silver Pine. You know what that means, right?" 

The voicemail ended there, but Kenta didn't need any more explanation. 

"I should be happy," he muttered under his breath, "I should be happy that Johan is possibly coming to Hinotori. But that also means he might be up against Akira and Ezekiel." 

There was no meowing from Miyuki.

"I think Kami-sama is testing me. I'm so torn between cheering for Johan or for Akira."