Being in the club was fun.
On Mondays, we had book discussions, when we would all read one novel and talk about it together. On Tuesdays, we had debates. That might sound stuffy, but it was really just a carefree chat session about anything related to literature. The salon was closed for “library organizational purposes” on Wednesdays, the one day that we wouldn’t meet. Thursdays and Fridays were our “free activity” days. We could write if we were so inclined, or dive into any of the books on the shelves. Participation was generally voluntary, but the attendance rate was high. I’m sure that the desserts from our pastry chef, Akane Kominami, must have had something to do with this.
However, a high school student like me can only make money after school. So only one week after I had become a member of the prestigious Literature Club, I found I was almost never able to make it to the meetings.
“You’ve just become a member, but you don’t come to the salon very often. Have you been busy?” Itsumi asked me when we passed each other in the hallway one day.
“No, umm…Actually, I have a part-time job,” I replied honestly.
“A part-time job?” Itsumi frowned.
The academy strictly forbids part-time jobs. This rule also applies to scholarship students; the scholarship fund system was created so that students can focus on their studies. However, even though my family wasn’t spending money on my education, they were still barely scraping by. If I didn’t have some sort of income, they couldn’t make ends meet.
I knew that Mr. Shiraishi might revoke my scholarship funds if Itsumi found out about my part-time job, but I didn’t want to lie to an upperclassman as lovely and honest as she was.
“What kind of job do you do?”
“I’m a cashier at a supermarket. I work with my mother.”
“Oh, I see…” Itsumi narrowed her eyes and thought for a while.
“Hey, I don’t want to make things awkward by asking,” she started to say. “But I think I might know of something more suitable for you. I’m not saying that being a supermarket cashier is bad or anything. You’ve just got to put the right people in the right place. And I’m just saying that your intelligence shouldn’t go to waste. What if you tried using that?”
“Use that?”
“Well, we’ve been looking for a private tutor for my little brother. He’s in fourth grade right now, but he’s not very good at math or Japanese. You do well in both of those subjects, right?”
“But I’m just a…”
“If you tutored my brother, the school wouldn’t have any problems with it and I’m sure it would make my father happy, too. That way you won’t have to work in secret anymore,” Itsumi said with a soft smile.
I was elated. She’d understood what I was going through and had immediately come up with a way to avoid problems with the scholarship program, the academy, and my family. Her thoughtfulness meant more to me than anything.
“I’d be delighted to. Thank you for this opportunity.”
Since then, my respect and adoration for Itsumi only kept growing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Itsumi’s house, no, her mansion, is in the upscale area in the hilly part of town.
I sat in the backseat of the Shiraishi family’s black car, gazing at the lush, green foliage as we went up the gently sloping hill. The driver looked to be over sixty years old and was white down to his eyebrows. He wore a navy-blue suit and white gloves and spoke to me with great courtesy.
“Shall I turn off the air conditioning, Miss Mirei?”
“Do you feel carsick, Miss Mirei?”
“How is Miss Itsumi doing in school, Miss Mirei?”
I had never been called “miss” before in my life. I could only manage to answer in a quiet and trembling voice, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“Mr. Muro,” Itsumi called to the driver, “Mirei is going to be Kazuki’s private teacher from now on.”
“Wonderful. I am sure Master Kazuki will be happy to have another lady in the house.”
My eyes met with Mr. Muro’s in the rear-view mirror. Just from the look in his eyes, I could tell that he was a quiet man who loved the Shiraishi family and had worked for them for many years. I remember thinking how happy they all seemed.
The rumors were true: Itsumi’s mansion really did have a pool. Not only that, but there was also a pond with koi fish, a small waterfall, majestic stone lanterns, and an old, worn-out building that looked like a tea house, separate from the mansion. The place was huge, like one of the chic European-style homes that had been built before the war.
Itsumi’s family was even more fascinating than any of their possessions. Her mother was courteous and graceful. Her father’s gaze was so piercing it felt like he could see straight through to your soul, and I found out that he also runs a general hospital and major construction company on top of the academy. (I think Itsumi got her elegance from her mother and her quick-wittedness from her father). Her little brother spoke politely and had impeccable manners for a boy in elementary school, yet was also quite playful and mischievous. No matter what they did or said, the Shiraishi family emanated elegance. Even a young, sixteen-year-old girl like me knew that this was what real “high-class” looked like; I was deeply impressed.
That night, I tutored Kazuki in math and Japanese for an hour each, and then the Shiraishi family fed me dinner. I received an envelope when I was about to go home. I got in the car and peeked in it—and was startled to find a ten thousand yen* note inside. Is this my monthly salary? I wondered. This can’t be for the two hours I tutored today. It’s rare for even professionals to get five thousand yen an hour.
When I asked Itsumi about it the next day at school, she told me that it was, in fact, my pay for just that day.
“It’s too much. I can’t accept it.” I tried to give the bill back to her, but she refused to take it.
“It’s fine. I mean, that’s what we paid our last tutor.”
“But I’m not a professional or some student from a famous college or anything like that. I’m just an ordinary high school student. Besides, I’m younger than you. I’d be happy to work for you for just one thousand yen an hour.”
We went back and forth on the issue until Itsumi finally relented.
From then on, I worked as the Shiraishi family’s private tutor.