The plans for university.

It goes without saying that I told the girls everything that next Friday as soon as I could. That morning in the club room, I told them I was confident that Luke had no ulterior motives, that I wanted my cover job to be real, that he would introduce me to a construction group and that they could have a house ready for us in the next two months.

“...”

There was an unexpected silence when I finished. The girls looked thoughtful and a little conflicted. “Did… something happen?” I asked.

“No,” Grace said, sighing. “It’s just… It’s finally time to make the real choices. We can’t put it off much longer.” She looked up at the ceiling with a bitter smile. “I’m not looking forward to talking to my parents. They’re not gonna be happy.”

“Yes…” Alice sighed as well, staring into her cup of tea. “I’ll do what my parents want and study law, but it’ll be here in town. I’m not moving away. If they’re not okay with that, then I’ll go work with my brother in his shop and forgo higher education.”

I grimaced. Alice was one of the most intelligent people I knew. She had the academic abilities to excel at whatever she wanted to do. I didn’t doubt she’d find success as a mechanic, but… It felt like a waste of her talents not to go to university.

Noelle took a deep breath. “I’ll just go ahead with what my parents want and get into medicine. It’s… not like I’m super against it, and they won’t object to me picking Hyogen University. That’s one area where they’re very good at.”

“But you wanted to be a vet, didn’t you?” Mila asked her, frowning.

“I did, but… It’ll be better for us if I do what thet want. My dad was a doctor, too, but ended up becoming the biggest investor of a private hospital. He wants me to work there. Says it’s the safest way to guarantee my economic stability. And… I think I agree.” She smiled wryly at me. “It’s not that I’m afraid to be poor or anything. But our situation is already complex as it is. If we can avoid dealing with money issues, then I’ll do my part, too.” Her smile brightened. “B-Besides, who says I can’t be a vet? Maybe it’ll take longer, but one day I’ll study again and get a second degree, so I’m not exactly giving up on it. Just… postponing it.”

“...” Noelle’s stance was conflicting, too. Her heart was in it, and I didn’t know if that made it better or worse. She really was willing to put aside what she truly wanted to be just to help our livelihood. It just made me sad. I wanted Noelle to do what she really wanted. With the house being the biggest concern right now, would I have enough left over to pay for Noelle’s vet studies, too?

“I’m practically set,” Mila said, though the heavy mood didn’t let her sound too happy about it. “After talking it through with my parents, I decided not to go to university. Instead, I’ll take acting classes in a good drama school in the city. We figured that would help more with modeling and a random English degree.”

Okay, Mila had it figured out already and had the approval of her family. That was reassuring.

“I’m set, too,” Sarah said. “I’m going into psychology at Hyogen. They’re not great at it but they’re not bad, either. I can always ask my dad to recommend more studying material if it feels like the courses are lacking. He has a doctorate, after all, and he always stays up to date with new research as it comes out.”

Yeah, I still remember when her dad saw right through all my issues when I first talked to him. The man was good. More than that, though, it was gladdening to see Sarah so confident. She wasn’t the best student and didn’t have the best grades, but that was in part because she didn’t care about half the subjects in school. When it was about the stuff she was interested in, Sarah really put her all into it.

“And you, Oliver?” Alice asked me. “What are you going to do?”

“Tsk. I’m still not sure,” I said, groaning. “I think I should just start working full time. Even if I trust Luke, that still doesn’t mean the business venture will succeed like he expects it to. Maybe my partnership with him won’t last too long. If it doesn’t, well… We’ll be living on our own. We’ll need a steady income.”

“What about your music?” Grace asked me.

“I won’t stop playing, if that’s what you’re wondering,” I told her with a smile. “I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. Besides, the best place in town to study music would be Hyogen University, too, and I’ve already told you they’re not actually very good.”

“But you always said you wanted to study music,” Mila said.

“And I will,” I told her. “There’s still a lot I can learn from the internet. It’s not like I need a degree to play guitar, right?”

“I suppose…” Alice said.

The girls looked at each other with uncertain looks. They accepted my reasoning but weren’t sure my heart was in it. And they were right, to an extent.

Hyogen University didn’t have the best music courses. However, I still thought there was value in going there. Meeting other musicians, hearing what the teachers had to say and even just pushing my music out of my comfort zone could be beneficial. But at the end of the day my priorities were elsewhere.

I’d continue playing music and continue learning. I just wouldn’t have the formal studies I always thought I’d have.

…

But man, the atmosphere was heavy, and the girls had had enough of it.

“Well, now that we know that, what are we doing in summer?” Sarah asked.

The mood immediately brightened with that.

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