02 At the Elementary School
I often wondered what “normal” actually meant. My dad and mom were always saying “Normally this,” or “Normally that,” but there aren’t actually many things that are “normal.”
When I entered elementary school, my mom told me:
“You shouldn’t hang out with weird kids; it’s better to make friends with normal kids, okay?”
So, I looked around the classroom I’d just entered, trying to find who the “normal” kids were, but I couldn’t really tell.
However, I had heard there was a kid from a mage family, so I thought I should be careful not to become friends with that one.
Nagumo Sakurako. A girl with a sharp gaze who felt a little scary. Just as I thought, she might not be “normal.” But I was a little curious about her. She looked cool, her long hair was glossy, and her skin was white and beautiful.
So, after I got home, I asked my mom about it.
“There was a kid from a mage family.”
“A mage? Nagumo Sakurako-chan?”
My mom already knew her name, but she knit her brows together.
“She certainly looked like an odd child. I suppose it’s because she’s from a mage family. mages haven’t had a very good image for a long time. There were people with strange connections who got arrested. It might be better to be a bit careful.”
As expected, she didn’t look pleased. I thought that if I became friends with her, I might get in trouble.
As I continued attending school, I made a few close friends. However, I didn’t know if those friends were “normal” or not. Some were good at sports, some weren’t. Some were good at studying, some weren’t. Some were pretty, some were just okay. Even the clothes they wore were all different.
There were kids who said, “My house only wears Uniqlo,” while others wore clothes that looked like slightly fancy brands. My house was mostly Uniqlo too, but sometimes we’d buy different clothes, so it was a bit of a mix. Maybe wearing Uniqlo was what “normal” was.
But I started to think it was weird to choose friends based on that.
Sakurako-chan didn’t have many friends, but she was close with Rin-chan, who was at the center of the class.
Shiba Rin-chan. A girl who was good at sports, had a loud voice, and was very active. She would even win fights with boys, so she looked like she could even become a PreCure. Conversely, that was exactly why I thought she wasn’t “normal” and was a bit wary. But she was bright and always seemed to be having fun, so I was starting to think I’d like to try being her friend.
So, when I asked my mom about Rin-chan,
“She seems like a bit of a violent child. I heard she’s been causing trouble, too. It’s better not to get too close to her.”
she said
I can’t deny that Rin-chan was violent. She was always hitting or kicking the boys.
But usually, the boys being hit were the ones in the wrong, so it didn’t feel particularly unpleasant. Of course, I did think it would be better to scold them with words instead.
Sakurako-chan was often teased at first for being from a “mage family,” but thanks to Rin-chan, that stopped happening. If they call that “trouble,” I think the kids who were doing the teasing were the ones who were the real problem.
Is “normal” really such a great thing?
Thinking that, one day I asked my mother:
“What does ‘normal’ mean?”
“It means not being strange,”
she replied.
She had a look on her face like I was asking something very odd.
But I had noticed something.
People who use the word “normal” aren’t usually very nice.
They try to force you to agree with something that doesn’t quite sit right by saying, “Isn’t that just normal?” Or they get angry and push their own capabilities onto others, saying, “Why can’t you just do it normally?”
Because of that, I started to think that maybe it’s okay not to be normal.
When the second semester started, Sakurako-chan brought a black book to school and was always reading it. It was a book of magic, and apparently, if you studied hard enough, you’d be able to use magic.
However, this was a secret; it was decided that we couldn’t tell anyone.
The truth was, Sakurako-chan’s father and mother didn’t like magic, so she couldn’t really read her black book much at home.
So, Rin-chan and Sakurako-chan asked everyone during a class meeting:
“Can we bring a book for studying magic to school?”
The teacher looked troubled, but everyone in the class agreed.
That’s because Rin-chan and Sakurako-chan had asked everyone in advance.
When someone as popular as Rin-chan said, “Please let Sakurako study magic at school,” no one wanted to say no.
Besides, Sakurako-chan herself bowed her head and said, “Please.”
She usually seemed a bit stuck-up, so since she didn’t seem like the type of person to do something like that, everyone was surprised. Many people even cheered her on, saying, “Good luck!”
To tell the truth, I think most of the kids didn’t really care, so either way was fine with them. As long as it didn’t cause them any trouble, they didn’t mind.
Seeing the result of a unanimous “yes,”
“Actually, it’s not good to bring books that aren’t related to school, but I will pretend I don’t know about it. Everyone, please keep this a secret from your fathers and mothers. If other teachers or your parents find out, I’ll have to ask you to stop.”
the teacher said with a serious expression
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Surprisingly, this secret was kept for a long time. I thought someone would blab right away, but sharing a secret might have actually brought the class together.
That’s why my time in first grade is a pretty good memory.
We all united and accomplished one thing together.
On the last day of first grade.
Everyone was worrying about what would happen to Sakurako-chan’s black book once the classes changed, wondering if there was some kind of solution.
“Why don’t we just persuade everyone who ends up in the same class as Nagumo-san?”
I think some pretty reckless ideas like that were coming out.
Sakurako-chan and Rin-chan both looked a little anxious.
Then, the teacher entered the classroom, and the final homeroom began.
As soon as it started, the teacher said:
“You all might have been worried about Nagumo-san’s magic book.”
(How did sensei know?)
I was surprised,
and I think everyone else was too.
“But, starting from second grade, it has been officially decided that she can bring that book.”
The teacher smiled brightly.
For a moment, we didn’t understand the meaning and just stood there blankly. Then, Rin-chan jumped up.
“Yes! For real!?”
she shouted in joy.
A moment later, everyone else started cheering and celebrating.
The “cool” Sakurako-chan was just standing there, stunned.
The teacher continued:
“I’ve received permission from the principal, and the PTA gave their okay as well, so there’s nothing to worry about. We also have the consent of Nagumo-san’s parents.”
“Eh? What does that mean?”
Rin-chan asked in a slightly dazed voice.
“It means she can study both at home and at school,”
the teacher’s voice was kind.
“Is it true!?”
For once, Sakurako-chan raised her voice.
“It’s true. They said it’s fine as long as you do your schoolwork properly.”
Sakurako-chan was the best student in class, so that condition basically didn’t even exist.
“You did it, Sakurako!”
Rin-chan grabbed Sakurako-chan’s hand and shook it violently up and down.
The whole class was laughing; it was a heartwarming sight.
That day, when I went home, I told my mother what happened because it wasn’t a secret anymore. I might have been a little excited.
However, my mother didn’t seem surprised, and her reaction wasn’t very interesting.
After listening to the story, she said:
“I’ve known about that for quite a while. The teacher spoke about it at the PTA meeting.”
“Eh?”
For a moment, I felt betrayed. Even though the teacher told us not to tell anyone, they had gone and told the adults first.
“Sensei bowed and said, ‘This is something the children started spontaneously for their friend, so could you please just watch over them silently for now?’ When it’s put like that, naturally, no one could object. Though Nagumo-san’s mother did have a complicated look on her face.”
“I see…”
Knowing that the teacher had worked hard in their own way made the back of my nose tingle.
“But, she’s allowed to bring it normally from second grade, right? Why is that?”
“Well, that’s because no problems occurred during the second and third semesters. You kids worked hard, so you built up a track record. It seems the principal gave the okay because of that.”
It felt like we had all been recognized, which made me happy.
“But, Mom.”
“What?”
“You don’t like things that aren’t ‘normal,’ right? Don’t you want to oppose something like this?”
“Hmph,” my mother snorted.
“Well, I don’t exactly think it’s good, you know? I have my doubts about that kind of special treatment. But listen, a first-grade girl is trying her best for her future dream, right? An adult who wouldn’t support that… well, they aren’t normal. Even if you started doing something strange, if it was your dream, I’d support you the same way. That’s what’s normal.”
(Wait, maybe “normal” isn’t so bad after all.)
That’s what I thought on the last day of first grade.
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