She pulled me along right to the center table. Even from a distance, I could see my second uncle’s punchable, sour expression, next to whom sat my second aunt, who looked like a total old witch. The moment she saw Shohi walking over, she squealed nauseatingly, "Darling, come sit over here!"
I almost threw up right then and there. Next to her sat Grandpa and Grandma. Grandma was smiling brightly at Shohi and Shizune, wiping down a chair for them with a napkin while saying, "Come, sit next to Grandma."—completely ignoring my existence.
Dad was already sitting there, so I quietly took a seat beside him without saying a word. On my other side was my favorite aunt—my eldest aunt, who was Shizune’s mother. She was truly a virtuous, kind-hearted woman who treated everyone with utmost respect, easily enjoying the best reputation in the whole family. Seeing me sit down, she gently said, "Fuitsu came too!" while pulling out the chair for me.
I smiled and greeted her, "Hello, Oba-san."
She smiled back and nodded. Right then, Dad gently nudged my foot under the table and glanced over at Grandma. I instantly understood his intention—he still harbored the naive hope of touching Grandma’s heart so she would finally accept Mom. I sighed internally. Dad was far too sweet and idealistic. After all these years, when had this snobbish grandmother ever cared about our family?
If Dad weren’t her biological son, she probably wouldn’t even acknowledge him. But looking at Dad’s pleading eyes, my heart softened. Resigned, I called out to Grandma.
I swear my voice was plenty loud, yet she acted like she was completely deaf, continuing her lively conversation with that rich kid from earlier. My face dropped instantly as a surge of anger flushed to my head; I was ready to stand up and walk out right then and there.
Just as I was about to rise, my eldest aunt pressed her hand down on mine under the table, keeping me in my seat. Taking another look at Dad’s apologetic face, I suppressed the urge to leave once again and sat back down. Looking up, I caught second aunt sneering at Dad—the meaning behind her look couldn’t be clearer; she was mocking our whole family. Like mother, like son indeed.
Grandma squinted her eyes into tiny slits and asked the rich guy warmly, "Your name is Hikaru Li, right? Are you having a good time visiting Tokyo with Shizune this time?"
The rich guy named Hikaru Li quickly replied with utmost respect, "I’m having a wonderful time, Grandma! When I was in Hiroshima, I really had no idea Tokyo had so many street food stalls that could stretch out for a whole block." It was impossible to tell he was the same arrogant brat from earlier—his acting skills were truly something else.
Grandma beamed even brighter upon hearing his answer. "Are your parents busy these days?"
"My dad is pretty busy; after all, he’s responsible for the public security of the whole Kyoto region. Mom’s company recently launched a new project too, so I haven’t seen her in almost a month!" Turns out he really was a privileged elite.
"Being busy is good, much better than having nothing to do. I heard you’re Shizune’s classmate?" Grandma asked.
"Yes, we’re juniors in the same class," Hikaru Li replied.
"Ah, that’s wonderful. I had no idea Hikaru-kun was such a top student at the University of Tokyo. It’s really rare for young people nowadays to achieve what you have. Our Shohi just finished his college entrance exams as well; he’ll probably end up at the University of Tokyo too, so please take good care of him when the time comes!"
"Haha, of course!" Hikaru Li nodded hastily in agreement.
"Mom, Shohi doesn’t even know his score yet! It’s too early to say," second aunt chimed in. Her words sounded modest enough, but the smug grin at the corners of her mouth gave away her inner pride to anyone watching.
"Auntie, with Shohi’s abilities, I’m sure he’ll easily score at the very top. University of Tokyo won’t be a problem at all!" Hikaru Li immediately seized the chance to kiss up. Shohi held his chin up so high with pride it was almost touching the ceiling.
Sitting on the side, Shizune spoke up as well: "Back when I took the exams, we could call in to check our scores a week later. Though I didn’t score top of the region, I’m sure Shohi can do it this time. The hotline should be open by now, why not call right away?"
Second aunt smiled and said, "It’s available already? Great, let’s call now!" She pulled out a sleek little phone from her handbag and handed it to Shohi. Shohi took the phone and dialed the score-checking hotline, which went through in just a few seconds. Shohi said excitedly, "It’s connected, we can check!" He tapped in his exam registration number furiously. Setting it on speakerphone, a crisp female voice began reading out: "Hello. The exam number you entered is 320xxxxxxxxxxxxx, belonging to Fu Shohi. Your total score is 885 points. Thank you for using our service, goodbye!"
"Haha, last year’s cutoff for University of Tokyo was 875. He’s definitely getting in this year!" Hikaru Li blurted out as soon as he heard the total score. Shizune agreed, "Yeah, I got in with a 870 back in my year. Their cutoff threshold is the most stable of all; he’s definitely getting into the University of Tokyo!" Hearing two Todai students confirm it made second aunt glow with even more joy, while Shohi cast a smug glance at me.
Grandma smiled so wide her eyes disappeared completely: "Our family has produced two real talents so far, both entering top universities. I knew since they were little that these two children would achieve great things!" The way she looked, she seemed ready to shower them with kisses.
Second aunt shot a glance at Dad, her eyes dripping with mockery as she asked, "Fuitsu is a high school senior this year too, right? Even though his grades aren’t usually as good as our Shohi’s, if he works hard, he should be able to get into some university. I wonder what score he got this time?" She stared at Dad with a fake, hollow smile, clearly waiting for us to make fools of ourselves.
Dad let out a forced smile and said, "I don’t know yet, we haven’t checked!"
Hearing Dad’s reply, second uncle sneered, "You can check right now anyway. If the score is really too terrible, he can just register for a nominal job at my company. Even if he does no work and gets paid for free, it’s fine. A company as big as mine can easily afford to feed an extra mouth—after all, we’re family, aren’t we?" Those words were a blatant slap in our faces, openly calling us useless. My frustration reached an absolute boiling point. Second aunt hastily shoved the phone into my hands, saying, "Go ahead and call, there’s still money left on the phone!"
I took the phone and dialed the number. Since it was on speaker, everyone could hear. "Welcome to the exam score hotline. Please enter your registration number followed by the hash key." A pleasant female voice rang out. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, I entered my registration number, after which the line fell completely silent. Dad and my eldest aunt looked at me in confusion, while the rest stared with utter disdain, assuming I had hung up out of fear.
Just as I was starting to lose patience myself, a noisy commotion came from the speaker, followed by a middle-aged man speaking: "Hello, am I speaking with student Fuitsu?"
"Yes, this is Fuitsu," I answered in confusion.
"Hello, I am the head of business operations at NTT Tokyo branch. Is your registration number 320xxxxxxxxxx?" the voice asked with a hint of urgency.
"Yes, is there a problem?" I asked, bewildered.
"Of course not! Congratulations! You are this year’s top scorer in the humanities track for all of Tokyo, with a total score of 997. NTT will be awarding you a scholarship of 3,000,000 yen!"
Hearing the director’s words, I froze instantly. What? I’m the top scorer of Tokyo? And there’s a 3,000,000 yen scholarship?!
"Hello? Student Fuitsu, are you still there?" The voice over the phone snapped me back to reality. I quickly said into the mic, "I’m here! Sorry, I was just a bit shocked!"
"Haha, completely understandable! We will contact your school to host an event, please make sure to attend when the time comes!" The director let out a warm, friendly laugh; anyone receiving news like this would react the same way.
I agreed hastily before hanging up the phone.