Today, as usual, I went to school. I neatly packed the clay I was told to bring as a preparation material into a bag. I heard we’re going to have a class where we make something out of clay.
Since it’s the 3rd grade of elementary school, there aren’t many textbook-focused classes. Instead, there are a lot of activities to experience various things. Even in our country, known as the “exam hell,” we’re encouraged to have diverse experiences when we’re young.
I also remember going to various academies when I was younger. Starting from Taekwondo to piano and other things, I had a lot of shallow but diverse experiences. Sadly, I didn’t discover any talents, but it was still fun to try different things.
When I entered the classroom, Jiyu and Yumi were already sitting in their chairs. I usually come to school early, but these two came even earlier than me. No matter how much you like school, there’s no need to come this early!
“Hi, Hana!”
Jiyu and Yumi waved at me, greeting me warmly.
“Hey!”
I greeted them with my usual pose. Even though we meet every day, I still can’t get used to Jiyu and Yumi’s ever-changing hairstyles. I only stick to a ponytail. Of course, Bora and Haru offered to do my hair differently, but I firmly refused.
No matter how much I think about it, there’s no hairstyle as perfect as a ponytail. It’s a hairstyle you can do in just 10 seconds by grabbing a handful of hair and tying it with a rubber band. I’ve had my hair down before, but I mostly stick to a ponytail.
“Did you bring the preparation material today?”
Jiyu and Yumi plopped a big lump of clay on their desks. Instead of answering, I took my clay out of the bag and placed it next to theirs.
“Of course, I didn’t forget!”
Even though I’m a kid, I’m not one with bad memory. I didn’t forget to bring the clay the teacher asked for. Even if I had forgotten, I could’ve just bought it from the stationery store in front of the school.
As I was casually kneading the clay, the practical session started. After the teacher came in and gave some instructions, we were told to make whatever we wanted with the clay. I already had something in mind.
Jiyu and Yumi were next to me, kneading the clay to make something. Seeing that, I couldn’t let myself fall behind and started kneading the clay too. The cold texture of the clay felt vivid in my hands.
“Ugh!”
I tried my best to focus and make what I wanted. However, Jiyu and Yumi were chattering away while making theirs. I was putting in the effort, crafting with the spirit of an artisan…
“What are you making, Hana?”
Jiyu asked, curious about what I was making. I had been waiting for that question. I pointed to my masterpiece, which was almost complete.
“It’s a dinosaur! A dinosaur!”
The creature that makes a man’s heart burn with passion. As I imagined a giant dinosaur running across a vast plain, I was giving life to my creation.
“Isn’t that a monster?”
Yumi made a strange comment, seemingly not recognizing my masterpiece. I ignored her unworthy remark and focused again on shaping the dinosaur. Once the form was complete, I took a plastic knife to carve out the dinosaur’s expression and scales.
It was a high-difficulty task that made me sweat. I was giving birth to the dinosaur with the delicate hand movements of a master craftsman. If this were a game, a system notification would’ve popped up saying, “Masterpiece Complete!” with an enormous value attached.
“Phew~”
Almost done, I glanced over to see what Jiyu and Yumi were making. Yumi was making a rabbit, which she usually likes. Jiyu was making some round object, but I couldn’t tell exactly what it was.
“Ta-da!”
I managed to make a Tyrannosaurus. Of course, I don’t know exactly what a Tyrannosaurus looks like, but since it’s the only dinosaur I know, I named this masterpiece “Tyrannosaurus.”
Jiyu and Yumi seemed to have finished theirs too and came over to see my dinosaur.
“Did I do a good job?”
I proudly showed off my dinosaur. Jiyu and Yumi gave awkward smiles and said,
“Is that a worm?”
“I feel like I’ve seen this in a movie somewhere…”
Even after seeing my majestic creation, they said things like that… I could understand that they’re still kids and lack the eye for art.
Disappointed by their reaction, I showed my masterpiece to Maru, who came to pick me up.
“Wow, did you make this, Hana?”
“Yeah!”
“You did a great job! Did you make a monster?”
Unbelievable… Even Maru, whom I trusted, didn’t understand my masterpiece. With a pout, I said to Maru…
“Maru, this is a Tyrannosaurus rex!”
“Uh… really?”
“Yeah! It has arms here, and even a majestic head!”
I showed it to Maru, turning it around everywhere. But maybe she couldn’t handle my dazzling control, and the dinosaur’s head plopped right off.
“No!!!”
I couldn’t help but scream. It was the moment my masterpiece was disappearing.
————————————————
“Sniff…”
I somehow managed to reattach the fallen dinosaur head. It was a moment when my heart almost dropped. It must have been because the clay hardened. At this rate, it would be smashed before I could even show it to the research institute people.
I was holding the dinosaur carefully. Maru seemed to understand my feelings and was driving the car smoothly. The Maru who was a driving beginner at first was gone.
Now she drove as well as a corporate chauffeur. Indeed, time is the answer to driving. No matter how bad someone is at driving, if they invest time in it, they can drive like a human. Of course, there are those who really have no talent and wouldn’t be able to drive even after a hundred or a thousand days.
There are grandmothers who take the driving test hundreds of times to get their license. And then there are stories of people who wreck their car right after getting their license.
So I was staring at Maru, who was driving.
The clumsy Maru was nowhere to be seen; the Maru holding the steering wheel was a full-on career woman. Just by driving, she looked like a different person.
From the way she skillfully turned the wheel to how she freely shifted gears!
Seeing Maru like that made me want to drive too. In my past life, I only got my license but never actually drove, so I wanted to try even more.
“Maru.”
“Yeah? What’s up, Hana?”
“I want to drive too.”
When I said this, Maru glanced at me briefly before looking ahead again.
“Hana, you want to drive?”
“Yeah! I even have a license!”
When I said I had a license, Maru’s eyes shook rapidly. Was it really true? It felt like that.
“Isn’t Hana an elementary school student?”
“Yeah. I’m an elementary school student.”
“Then you don’t have a license yet, right? Do you have a license, Hana?”
I could only stammer in response to her pointed question.
“I… I had one, but I lost it.”
“Wouldn’t it be better for Hana to get one when you grow up?”
I puffed up my cheeks with air. Hearing Maru say that made me feel betrayed. She gets to drive, but I can’t!
But Maru’s words were also reasonable. My legs were too short to reach the pedals properly. If I tried to press them, my body would be too low to hold the steering wheel. That’s how tiny and small I was.
I already had a concept of driving in my head. So it would be a huge help when I get my license.
“I want to get my license!”
Starting today, I planned to study to get my license. I wanted to drive. And since I was an adult, there were no obstacles!
But seeing me like this, Maru gave an awkward smile and said,
“Hana, you might have to wait 10 years to get your license.”
“Maru, I’m confident! I feel like I can drive right now!”
Isn’t it just about putting the gear in drive and stepping on the gas? Driving seems hard at first glance, but once you do it, it’s easy. That’s why I got my license in one go. If driving were hard, I wouldn’t have passed the test on the first try.
“But Hana, aren’t you too young…?”
“Too young…?”
“Yeah. You have to be 20 to get a driver’s license.”
As Maru said, since I’m in the third grade of elementary school, I’d have to wait at least 10 years to get my license. I was deflated. All I could do was fiddle with my dinosaur.
