*pitpatpitpat*

Rain hit the glass of the windows in the nearby classrooms as Li Ming walked down the hallways of his school. He had been called to the counselors office to discuss his future prospects. He had submitted his Future Prospects Survey last week. Although what he wrote there was a bit ambitious, he believed that it was well within his grasp to achieve his goals.

As he reached the counselor's room, he peered in through the window of the door to see who was in charge of the discussions today. Luckily, it was Counselor Watanabe. Counselor Watanabe was Li Ming's mother figure in this boarding school. She had encouraged Li Ming to try a variety of different activities and hobbies to try to get him cheer up after he had first arrived here in Osaka.

Counselor Watanabe was looking at her monitor with a grim look on her face. Her gloomy expression seemed fitting for some reason.

"Ahhh... Li Ming..."

"I'm here, Counselor Watanabe!"

Rubbed her temples, Counselor Watanabe gestured for Li Ming to take a seat before proceeding to peer at a file on her desk.

"Li Ming..."

"Yes?"

"What do you want to do in the future?"

The counselor looked hard at Li Ming, as if praying with every micrometer of her body that Li Ming wouldn't disappoint him.

"Well... to be honest, I'm not too sure. I thought I wanted to be a mechanic previously, but after seeing a couple of them work in person, I'm not too sure if that's the profession for me."

"... I see... so what do you plan on doing next year?"

"I figured I'd just go to a community college in America or something. Something cheap probably. It should be easier for me to find out what I want to do after learning a thing or two there!"

The ambient sound of the rain falling against the window could be heard for some time. The two people in the small counselor's room stared at Li Ming's Future Prospects Survey that was laid out in between them. Despite the sparse wording on the paper, the two words "American College" in the future plans box seemed to stand out more than the silence in the room.

"Li Ming... I don't know how to tell you this..." The counselor began.

"It's okay, just tell it to me straight!" Li Ming replied. How bad could it be?

"I'm afraid... you won't be able to get into any American college, even a community one."

BAM

These words flew at Li Ming like a right hook from a professional boxer. He could feel himself getting choked up, his mind buzzing like an angry swarm of wasps.

"Why... why is that?" Li Ming said, biting back his tears and emotions.

This had been the first time the counselor had told him that he wasn't capable of doing something. She had always supported him. Whether it be in his struggle to become a basketball player, or a violinist, or even a mechanic for cars, she had always cheered him on and given him help when he needed it. This shock was akin to a young child being told "no" for the first time.

"Your grades aren't up to par with other international applicants... Even though community colleges will accept anyone despite their grades, that only applies to American citizens! As a foreigner, you need to have at least passing grades... But even this year, you're already barely scraping by your math class... I'm afraid... no college is willing to accept you."

Another moment of silence passed. The atmosphere in the room was so heavy that it felt hard for Li Ming not to lie down at this very moment and stay there for the rest of his life. If he could dig a hole in the floor and jump into it and never see anyone ever again, he would do it. Even without the counselor saying the words to him, Li Ming felt the sting on his cheek. It was like he was slapped across his face with a shoe, and the shoe left a mark on his cheek that read "FAILURE" on it.

"I see..." Li Ming managed to say, "I guess I'll think of something else..."

"I wish you luck," Counselor Watanabe squeaked as tears started rolling down. She leaned back in her reclining chair and covered her eyes. "You're excused..."