Chapter 172: Chapter 171 - Graduation
It was quiet in the hallways.
Not because there was nobody in them.
But because everybody understood the importance of that moment.
Dressed up graduates were going towards the gym.
No rush there.
Every step felt important.
As if everybody wanted to keep these last moments a little bit longer.
---
The doors to the gymnasium opened.
Sunlight came in through high windows, illuminating rows of well-arranged chairs.
There was a stage decorated with fresh flowers and the emblem of the school.
Parents and other family members occupied chairs behind graduates.
Their conversation was light and full of pride.
Kuro found his parents’ faces in the crowd.
His mother was smiling and waving.
His father nodded at him.
That was enough.
Kuro smiled back.
---
"Graduates, please take your places."
And the ceremony started.
Principal came to the stage, receiving polite applause from the audience.
He gave an interesting speech about responsibility, courage and possibilities that lay ahead beyond the school’s walls.
Kuro listened carefully.
These words seemed distant months ago.
Now...
It sounded much more personal.
---
When the speech finished, long-awaited announcement resounded through the gym.
"We are going to award graduation diplomas now."
Silence descended on the gymnasium.
Names were being read.
Graduates got up, went to the stage, bowed respectfully and received their diplomas.
Some smiled proudly.
Others tried not to cry.
---
"Aoi."
She went to the stage as usual, with her calm confidence.
Every movement of hers was precise.
After getting her diploma with a respectful bow, she returned to her place.
Akari whispered as she passed by,
"You graduate scientifically."
Aoi looked at her.
"I don’t see anything scientific in that sentence."
"It doesn’t have to be."
"Most of it isn’t."
Even now...
They could not stop annoying each other.
---
"Mina."
She got up, took a quiet breath and moved to the stage.
Her hands were trembling slightly.
Not from fear.
From emotions.
When she got her diploma, she smiled so kindly that some teachers couldn’t resist smiling back.
Returning to her place, she was carefully holding the diploma in her hands, like a treasure.
Because it was.
---
"Rika."
She ran on to the stage with enthusiasm just enough to make several classmates laugh.
Halfway, she almost tripped.
She quickly fixed herself, bowed, got her diploma and left, bowing again.
Akari said loud whisper,
"Almost made your graduation memorable."
Rika answered back with a whisper,
"I did make it memorable."
---
"Akari."
At the sound of her name, she got up proudly.
She marched on the stage with such confidence that could hardly hide.
But just before reaching the principal...
She tripped very slightly.
Gasps went from the audience.
Akari fixed herself quickly.
She straightened and accepted her diploma.
Returning back with her proud stance, she whispered,
"...Nobody noticed that."
Rika bent closer.
"About two hundred people did."
Akari covered her face.
"I’d rather not believe it."
---
Finally...
"Kuro Kurogane."
His name sounded in the gymnasium.
He got up.
For a second...
Everything became quiet.
He moved towards the stage.
Every step brought back memories of the person he used to be.
Of that uncertain boy who entered the school without having any ideas about the future.
Of the student who was sure that everybody else knew everything about theirs.
Of the friend who listened more than he spoke.
He went upstairs.
Bowed.
Got his diploma with both hands.
It was not heavy.
But somehow...
It had all the memories of the last two years in it.
Turning back to go, he looked at the audience one more time.
His parents.
His classmates.
His teacher.
His friends.
People who changed his life without even knowing it.
He smiled.
Just a little.
And quietly returned to his place.
The ceremony continued.
But somewhere deep inside...
Kuro realized something.
Today was not just the end of high school.
It was a proof that all those uncertain steps...
Led him where he needed to be.
As the last diploma was presented,
a warm applause filled the gymnasium.
And it lasted for a few seconds,
not because anyone was told to clap,
but because no one wanted the moment to end.
The principal left the stage.
The teacher adjusted the microphone.
And...
Quietly but confidently,
Minami Asakura stepped into the center of the stage.
Applause became louder.
Each of the graduates sat up straight.
For many of them...
She was much more than a teacher.
She was someone who paid attention to their struggles,
even when they claimed that everything was just fine.
---
Minami looked at the crowd of the graduates.
And for a few seconds...
She remained silent.
And then she smiled.
A sweet gentle smile.
"When I became a teacher..."
"I was sure my task was to provide you with all the answers."
She hesitated.
"But soon I understood my mistake."
The whole gymnasium became absolutely silent.
"My task.....wasn’t to give you all the answers."
"No."
"Was to help you to ask better questions."
---
Minami slowly looked around the room.
"You have all failed at something."
"At an exam."
"At a competition."
"At a friendship."
"At a promise to yourself."
Some students lowered their heads.
Others silently nodded.
"Yes."
"Because I was there."
"I saw your disappointment."
"I saw your tears."
"And I saw something much more important."
Minami smiled gently.
"I saw how you stood up."
---
"People usually think that growing means becoming stronger."
"I don’t agree with them."
"I think growing means becoming more honest."
"To be able to admit your fears."
"To be able to ask for help."
"To be ready to start again after your failures."
Minami let her words sink in.
"This kind of strength..."
"...will always stay with you."
---
Her gaze fell on the graduating class.
"There will be days when you will be comparing yourselves to others."
"Days when you will wonder whether you have taken the right path."
"Days when you will feel lost."
"And when such days come..."
"I hope you remember one thing."
"There is no such way which all the successful people have walked."
"The only thing that matters..."
"...is that the path is yours."
---
Kuro listened silently.
Every word that she said reminded him of the past two years.
Of the day Yui admitted her fear of failure.
Of those many occasions when Mina helped someone with a simple smile.
Of Rika who learned to believe in her stories.
Of Aoi who realized that understanding people requires more than facts.
Of Akari who made everyone laugh in those moments when it was really needed.
And of himself...
Once a boy who believed that he had nothing special to offer.
But now...
He had his dream to pursue.
Not because anyone chose it for him.
But because he chose it himself.
---
Minami took a deep breath.
"I am proud of your grades."
"I am proud of your achievements."
"But most of all..."
"I am proud of who you have become."
Her voice became soft.
"Thank you..."
"...for being my students."
And she deeply bowed.
For the first time...
The graduates got up not being asked to do so.
Applause filled the gymnasium.
Some teachers quietly wiped away tears.
Parents were proud smiles on their faces.
Minami looked up once again.
Her eyes were slightly red.
But the smile remained on her face.
Music teacher approached the piano.
First gentle notes filled the hall.
Graduates stood up.
The graduation song started playing.
And at first...
The voices sounded steady.
Clear.
Confident.
But slowly...
They began trembling.
Some students couldn’t pronounce some lines.
Some smiled through tears.
Akari tried to sing the whole song.
But halfway through...
Her voice cracked.
"It’s..."
Weak laughter.
"My allergy again..."
Rika quietly gave her handkerchief.
"...Sure."
"Allergy."
Even Aoi smiled without correcting her.
---
Kuro sang quietly.
He stopped paying attention to the words of the song.
He thought about the people surrounding him.
Ordinary mornings.
Common lunches.
Arguments.
Laughter.
Those ordinary days...
Which became memories later on.
He understood that...
The happiest moments in our lives don’t announce themselves while we live them.
We realize them only...
When they are already gone.
The last note sounded.
Complete silence filled the gymnasium.
And then...
Ring...
The school bell sounded.
Not the one announcing class.
Not the one announcing lunch.
The last school bell.
Announcing the end of their school years.
No one moved immediately.
They just listened.
One last time.
And when the sound finally died down...
Kuro looked through the windows of the gymnasium.
Beyond them...
The future was waiting.
Unknown.
Uncertain.
But for the first time... He wasn’t afraid of it.
As the graduates of the school slowly started to leave the gymnasiums slowly indeed, but with hard work Kuro instinctively looked back with his shoulder.
Across from him were rows and rows of seats, completely empty,
just minutes before that had held nervous students waiting for their names to be read from the podium.
Now they too lay silent.
He smiled at himself, "So this is what it is like to graduate?".
As if by appointment a hand rest lightly upon his shoulder...it was Akari.
"Told you not to get so wrapped up in your thoughts" as Kuro chuckled in response, Akari stated, "See I told you that was going to happen!"
"Well you caught me!" Akari said who suddenly arrived where they were standing with his diploma in hand "I vote we never become boring adults".
"I second that!" was this voiced by Mina in a nice warm smile.
"Just make sure your diplomas are securely fastened" stated Aoi who made adjustments to hers.
"Based upon the statistics of adulthood, becoming boring is not really a solid requirement, but knowing that I will be" continued Akari with her goofy grin.
It was at that moment that the 6 of them were laughing out loud as their voices echoed within the hollowed out hallways.
For one last moment all of these students were not graduates worrying about what tomorrow was going to bring, but just classmates enjoying one more "normal" afternoon.
