The Affection Multiplier - Chapter 270: Epilogue 1/3 – The second year. (Patreon)

Author's note: Did a bit of editing on the second half of the chapter based on some feedback after initial publish. Nothing drastic, just adding a couple of extra lines and editing dialogue to match, hoping to give the scene some more context. New pharagraphs are in bold, just to make them easy to spot.

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Jake Baker’s friends laughed at him when he told them he was enrolling in Hayes Academy.

“That’s a school for girls, dude!” they had said.

Short-minded, the lot of them. Hayes Academy, now under the leadership of a new headmistress, accepted a grand total of 10 male students for its only coed class. That means 10 guys among 290 girls. No doubt, it would be paradise.

Jake is proud of the body he built as a football linebacker in high school. He trained day after day, and although his grades had to suffer a bit for it, it was worth it. He’s proud of his broad shoulders, thick arms and overall burly frame. He kept his dirty blonde hair short for the sport, but it was now starting to grow slightly and his bangs were starting to cover most of his forehead. He’s proud of it because it makes him a chick magnet. Back in high school, there wasn’t a single girl who wouldn’t have given anything for a night with him, and he knows it will be the same here at Hayes.

An athletic and strong physique; the confidence to get what he wants; and decent academic results to allow him to enroll in one of the most prestigious pre-university academies. Jake knows he has it all. He knows he can quickly make the whole school his and become its king. He said as much to his male classmates once, but they seem to have taken it as a joke when he was 100% serious about it.

Then why has it been two weeks already and he hasn’t been able to score once!?

It’s not just him, but all the other guys in his class are treated like aliens and kept at arm’s length. Well, it’s not that surprising that the girls wouldn’t want to talk to his male classmates, but why him, too? Jake tried talking to one of the girls in his class, but she just yelled at him, called him a pervert and walked away. He tried speaking to another girl and she avoided him nervously before escaping into the women’s restroom. He figured it was because the first years were sheltered little princesses. He soon realized he should be going after the more mature and experienced ones, the second years.

Walking down the hallways of the school, he sees a prime candidate walking in the opposite direction with her hands in the pockets of her blazer. An athletic looking blonde with a cute, long ponytail and nice bust. Jake has seen her before, in the soccer field. If he remembers right, she’s the captain of the soccer team. Surely she would appreciate his build, having an idea the effort it took to get it.

“Excuse me,” he says, approaching with a friendly smile. “You’re the captain of the soccer team, aren’t you?”

“Mmh? Yeah, I am,” the girl nodded. “You’re one of the new guys. Everything going well?”

Yes! That’s exactly what he expected from a senior! Her eyes are not filled with disgust, apprehension or contempt. She looks at him as a person, an equal. Yes, he can go for this one.

“It’s been so weird,” Jake tells her, laughing. “It’s like everyone is scared of me or something. I’m so glad to see you’re not like that. What’s your name?”

“I’m Emily. You?” she asks casually.

“Jake. Jake Baker. A pleasure,” he introduces himself with a charming smile. “You know, I still don’t quite understand how things work here, but you’ve been here a year already. Could you maybe help me out? I’d treat you to a nice restaurant I know.”

Emily sighs, and he can practically hear in it her disappointment.

“You’re asking me out on a date the moment you first talk to me? You’re bold, I’ll give you that, but I’m not sure that’s gonna work very well for you here, especially with the first years. Most of the girls here have never even spoken to a man, and they’re on their toes about the subject. I’d say be careful with that, or it could turn ugly. That’s all the advice I can give you. Besides,” she pulls out her left hand from her pocket, a big smile slowly growing on her lips, and shows him the back of it. There’s actually a ring in her ring finger, a silver band with small diamonds in it. “I’m engaged.”

“O-Oh. I’m sorry,” Jake apologizes, trying to hide his own disappointment. “I hope you don’t think I’m trying to get in your way or anything.”

“It’s fine,” Emily shrugs. “Good luck, Jake. And be careful who and how you approach them.” With that last advice, the soccer team captain walks away. It was really unlucky that the first girl he could actually see a chance with was engaged. But in his defense, who even gets engaged at this age?

The next day, Jake sees not one, not two, but three beauties walking in the direction of the cafeteria during lunch break. One of them has long, straight brown hair that reached her waist and the face of an angel, the other was obviously Hispanic, also straight hair, yet shorter than her friend’s, and the last girl was a slender blonde. They all had killer figures, with the blonde having a comparatively small chest beside the other two. Jake just HAD to make a move on them.

“Hello, ladies,” he greets with a friendly smile. “I forgot to bring my own lunch today, so it’s my first time using the cafeteria. Can you tell me how it works?”

“That’s your excuse to talk to us?” the blonde asks, raising an eyebrow.

“What? What do you mean? I’m just asking for advice here,” Jake laughs it off.

“Word is already going around about you, Mr. Jake Baker,” the brunette in the middle tells him. Though her face is very pretty, her eyes look at him cautiously and menacingly. “You’ve been trying to ask out any girl that crosses your path. No wonder no one wants to talk to you.”

“Guh,” Jake flinches, his face twisting uncomfortably at the jab to his ego.

“Go easy on him, Olivia,” the Hispanic girl chuckles.

“I AM going easy on him,” Olivia insists. “I’m just pissed. He walks as if he already owned the school. It just shows how clueless he is.”

“Everyone knows who the real king of this school is,” the blonde laughs. “Well, everyone but this guy.”

These three are starting to piss him off. No matter how hot they are, with personalities like those, they’re not worth it. “Alright, sorry I bothered you,” he says, turning back.

There’s something strange happening in this school. The first years are either scared of him or shun him, while the second years seem to hold him to some sort of gold standard he isn’t aware of, and he doesn’t measure up. He needs to do something. But what?

…

He needs to change people’s perception of him. He needs to know more.

After school, he gathers all the other guys in his class in the park near the school. The 10 of them make for an odd group. No, it’d be best to say Jake sticks out like a sore thumb. All of these guys are the more studious, quiet type. They have to be in order to get into Hayes. Jake was bigger than any of them, and his arms were at least three times as thick theirs. It made sense for them to not have any luck with women, but it made no sense for him.

They sit in a circle on the grass, and Jake starts. “How’s school been treating you guys?”

“The curriculum is tougher than I thought,” one of them sighs. “Ms. Owens goes through content too quickly and thoroughly, it’s hard to keep up.”

“That’s not what he meant, idiot,” his friend elbows him in the ribs. “He’s talking about the girls.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly,” Jake says. “Have they been treating you badly? Coldly?”

The guys share a look, and give him mixed answers. “Yeah, it’s been bad,” one of them admits. “We noticed some of them whispering and laughing behind us. We don’t know what they were saying, but they were definitely talking about us.”

“I don’t speak to them much,” another says. “But they haven’t been mean or anything. Just distant, but that’s nothing new for me,” he laughs shyly.

“Right?” another laughs with him.

Yeah, these guys have been keeping to themselves, seeking comfort in a group of male friends while surrounded by women. Not that Jake blames them, but they’re wasting a golden chance!

“But don’t you think it’s weird? Girls who’ve never spoken to a man should be full of curiosity. All of us should be drowning in pussy right now!” Jake’s words make the introverts uncomfortable. He scolds himself for it. He knows they aren’t like him, but he still needs their help to understand what’s happening. “Okay, that may be too much. But you guys agree with the sentiment, right? You can’t deny you were hoping for something to happen, or you wouldn’t have gotten into Hayes. There are other schools other than this one. You can’t lie to me and say you didn’t come here BECAUSE of the girls. I know I did.”

“Well… yeah,” says a guy with long hair. “But what can we do? We’re weirdoes to them.”

“A-Actually,” a tall, lanky guy in glasses starts speaking, and he seems taken aback when all eyes turn to him. “I… I have a friend who’s in her second year at Hayes. I was curious, too, so I asked her why all the girls seem to think so little of us,”

“And what did she say?” Jake asks, leaning forward with interest.

“She said it’s probably because they’re all comparing us to the president.”

“The president?” Jake asks, confused. “What president?”

“You don’t know?” a different guy asks. “We aren’t the first men to get into Hayes. Apparently there was only one guy last year. He won the elections like four days ago and is now the student council president.”

W-What!? There was a guy before them!? And Jake didn’t pay attention to elections, so he never even heard of it. He was too busy, well… yeah. Is that why the second years don’t have problems interacting with him? No, that can’t be. How much could a single guy do? Though… he’s popular enough to become the student president only two weeks into the school year.

“Oh, I spoke to him, actually!” the guy with the long hair says. “I had dropped my phone and bent down to grab it, but two girls thought I was peeking up their skirts and started yelling at me. The president stepped up and calmed them down. He then told me to be mindful of what I did and what I said. He also told me to hang in there, that he was working to make things better for us.” He nods enthusiastically as he speaks. “He seemed like a really cool guy, really levelheaded.”

“Um… I don’t know if this is true, but I overhead some girls in class talking,” another guy says. “Apparently the president is dating several of the second years. Actually, not only dating, but they sounded really giddy because they were all engaged to him.”

W-W-W-Whaaaaaaaaaat!?

‘I’m engaged,’ had said the soccer team captain.

‘We all know who the real king of this school is,’ had said the slender blonde.

Then… then it’s all his fault! They were all being compared to the student president!

“Guys, listen to me,” Jake says, voice serious. “If we stay like this, we’ll just disappear in the shadow of this guy, the council president! I think things will only get worse. We need to stick together and change perception around us!”

“W-What?”

“Jake, none of us is as confident as you. You get that, right?”

“None of us wants to take a wrong step and become a pariah in a school full of girls.”

“The president said he was making things better for us, and I believe him.”

“So, what? You’re just gonna sit there and hope things get better? You have to actually work for it!” Jake stands up. “If we don’t do anything about this, I’m sure it’ll only get worse! They will start talking behind our backs! Hell, I bet they already are!”

“A-And what would you have us do, then?” the lanky guy asks. The rest of the guys look to Jake, expectantly.

“Push forward! Don’t be intimidated by the girls! We need to change how they see us, and to do that we have to get involved in the school! We can’t stay passive anymore!”

“What if…” the long-haired guy starts. “What if we joined the clubs? They started recruiting yesterday, I think.”

“That’s excellent!” Jake praised with a huge grin. “They’ll have no choice but to accept that we’re there, and the teachers so far have ranged from neutral to nice, so I think you’ll be safe so long as they’re watching.”

“Holy shit,” one of them says, grinning. “This could actually work!”

Jake smiles. The guys are getting excited about it. It seems they had it in them and just needed a push and the right guidance. But this won’t be enough. There’s that other guy to worry about. The student council president.

The next day, during lunch break, he asks his homeroom teacher, Ms. Miller, to tell him where the Student Council office is and heads there with heavy, confident steps. He stops in front of the door and takes a deep breath. He’s here to…

He’s here to…

To…

…

What is he here to do again? Why did he come talk to the president?

“Hey you! Stop whatever you’re doing! It’s making us look bad!” Is that what he’s going to say? That sounds so stupid! He really should’ve thought this through! But hey, he’s here already, so he might as well get to meet the guy. Jake bets he’ll be a stuck up asshole, since he thinks himself king of the school. The door opens before he even has a chance to knock. From behind, the girl with the angel face, Olivia, he remembers, blinks at him a couple of times. What is she doing here?

Jake looks past her and sees the beautiful headmistress, Emma Campbell, inside the office and talking to a guy he’s seeing for the first time. “Sorry to dump so much work on you,” the headmistress apologizes.

“No problem. Olivia and I will have the budget reports done by tomorrow,” he says, looking at some papers in his hand.

“You know you can have them by next week, right? Not all clubs are done recruiting yet, and they haven’t all submitted their paperwork, either.”

The guy nods. “But some have, and I don’t like to let work pile up.”

Jake swallows. In his mind, he’d pictured a guy not unlike his classmates. Small and weak but somehow making up for it with smarts and maybe charisma. But what he sees is different. This guy obviously has muscles. Not like Jake’s, which were born out of the need to be big as possible as a linebacker. No, this guy is lean, toned, firm. His posture, with a straight back and relaxed shoulders, along with eyes focused on the contents of the papers, clearly speak of confidence. Jake is at least two heads taller than him, but does that really matter when the look even the headmistress is giving him conveys so much trust and respect?

“Oh!” Ms. Campbell exclaims, seeing Jake and walking up to him. “You’re… Jake Baker, correct?” The kind smile she gives him could melt any man’s heart. She even knows his name! “It’s been two weeks already. Are you adapting to you new school life?”

“S-Somewhat, ma’am!” he answers hastily. Jake has never had issues with girls, but speaking to older women is different! His mother always told him to respect his elders.

“Somewhat?” she asks, her brow wrinkling with worry. “Is this why you came to the student council?”

“Y-Yes ma’am!”

“I see,” she smiles. “I’m sure they’ll be able to help you. Good luck!”

Jake watches the headmistress walk away before the other girl, Olivia, coughs once to draw his attention back. “Come in, Mr. Baker,” she says with a neutral expression, gesturing for him to get inside the room.

The place is small, more like a repurposed empty storage room than an actual office. There’s a desk with neatly arranged stacks of paper, drawers full of folders and even an electric kettle with six cups on another table.

“Our office is modest, but it gets the job done,” the dude says. He walks up to Jake with confident steps and scrutinizing eyes. He extends his hand for a greeting, and Jake shakes it. His grasp is strong, but Jake could still probably crush his hand…

…What is he thinking? This isn’t a strength contest.

“My name’s David Walker. Second year, class 1. I’m currently the student council president,” he says politely. His eyes then turn to the girl. “This is Olivia Hughes, our secretary. We were just cleaning up here today, so the other members aren’t here.”

He turns back and sits down on the chair behind the desk, with his elbows on the table and casually interlacing his fingers.

“What can we do for you, Mr. Jake Baker? First year class 3, right?” he asks, gesturing for Jake to take a seat across for him. “Would you like something to drink?”

Just now Jake realizes his mouth feel dry for some reason. “Water would be nice.” He nods.

Behind him, Olivia opens a bottle of water and fills two glasses she gets from a cupboard. She sets one in front of the president and, as she’s setting the other in front of Jake, he sees a ring in her left hand, just like the one the soccer team captain showed him the other day.

Then she’s also…

‘Apparently the president is dating several of the second years,’ had said one of his classmates.

Jake takes a long drink of water before he starts speaking. “I wanted to ask you something,” he says, slowly finding his confidence again. “Why the hell does it look like every girl in this school has something against us? I mean, the first year guys.”

The president lets out a heavy sigh and turns to the secretary. “I’ll talk to him alone. No need to stay here. Go have lunch.”

“You sure?” she asks him. He nods, and without another word, the secretary leaves.

“Jake Baker, graduate from Oswald Private High School. Football linebacker, captain of the team on the last two years. Good enough grades to pass your courses, but you put a bigger focus on the sport. Out of the 10 men who were allowed to enroll at Hayes, you were the one with the lowest score in the entrance exam, but still beat about 90 other applicants.”

W-W-What…? How does he know!? They’ve never met!

“Word around you in school is spreading quickly. Flirting too much, they say. Trying to prey on innocent young maidens, say some others. Bad luck, I say,” he sighs again. “Made the wrong move a couple of times and rumors were already spreading. I’d say your mistake was underestimating this school’s students.”

“W-What the hell?” Jake stands up, and he now towers over the president who’s still sitting down, eyeing him calmly. “How do you know all this?”

“Everything I said is easy-to-acquire information if you do proper research. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I know, and what I can do about it.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I know how you said you’d make this school yours. Become its king.”

There’s a short, menacing glint to his eyes that sends a shiver down Jake’s back. He even knows that? It was just a throwaway comment!

“This school can be dangerous, Mr. Baker. You’re not dealing with some helpless maidens. Some of them might be naïve, yes, but they’re careful. I suggest you believe me when I say I speak from experience.”

Slowly, Jake sits back down. “What’s with this school?”

“Years of traditionalism have shackled it. Girls enrolling here usually meet a certain profile. Parents know, or think they know, what to expect when getting their daughters here. The new headmistress has been trying to make changes since last year, when she was one of the teachers. She knows she can’t suddenly make the school coed. She’s taking small steps, and class 3 is the biggest one.”

“A test run, then?”

“Not only that, but an attempt at softening the first years to the idea. When they become second year students, they will relay their experiences and help the first years. Over time, the school will become capable of accepting men and women without issues, and then move on to other manners of inclusion. That’s what the headmistress hopes for.”

“So why are the girls treating us like this, then?”

“Some do it out of fear,” he says calmly. “Others just generally distrust men. The collective student profile won’t change drastically just because some men were suddenly allowed. In fact, I’d say their parents must’ve warned them about being too trusting, or even telling them to stay away. We’re talking about the kind of overprotective parents who actually send their daughters to all-girls schools, after all.”

It makes sense, Jake realizes. It was all stuff he didn’t consider. He was expecting girls here to be like the ones back in high school, or even quieter. He was wrong. He made wrong moves, and now his reputation was in shambles.

“I worry about it, Mr. Baker,” the president said. “I’m worried about the girls shunning the guys, and I worry about the guys taking advantage of the girls.”

It’s like he’s reading Jake’s intentions, and that gets him on edge.

“Don’t get me wrong, if a healthy relationship were to come out of all this, I’d be happy. But I’m a man as well, and I know our thoughts can be less than pure at times.”

“R-Right…” Jake laughs nervously. This guy definitely has his number.

“I have a proposal for you, Mr. Baker.”

“A proposal?”

“I know you’ve been trying to get the boys together in an attempt you fix your reputation,” he says. “It’s a commendable attempt, but you risk making things worse if you’re not careful.”

“Why do you say that?”

There’s a small, even cocky smile on the president’s face. “This is my school, Mr. Baker, and I’ll tell you what that means. I’m responsible for it. I’ll guide it and protect it. I won’t have the new guys take advantage of the girls, and I won’t have the girls harassing the guys, either. I have eyes and ears everywhere. I know some men have already joined clubs, and I’ve heard the annoyed whispers. The girls are feeling like the guys are intruding in their space.”

Shit.

“That’s where my proposal comes in, Mr. Baker,” the president says, grinning. “Join the student council as an assistant secretary, and help me keep the balance in this school.”

Jake couldn’t believe his ears, but after listening to the president for a few more minutes, he came to an important realization. The president, David Walker, is an incredibly smart guy. And he doesn’t seem like a bad dude at all.

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“We actually managed to finish the budget report,” Olivia grunts as she stretches her arms up, walking beside you as you exit the school. “But there are some clubs that are still taking their time. I can give Emily and Sophia shit for this, right?” she asks you.

“The deadline is still a week off, so no, you can’t,” you tell her, taking her and in yours and interlocking fingers as you walk back home. The two of you are quiet until you’re far enough away from school.

“This is far enough, right?” Olivia releases your hand and wraps her arms around your neck. “Come here you nasty bastard!” she grins and presses her lips against yours, slipping her tongue in for a passionate kiss that last a good, long moment before pulling away. “Your plan is all going as expected, isn’t it.”

You groan. “It is, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

Olivia holds your hand tightly as you start walking home again. “You’re gonna start again?” she asks, exasperated.

“What right do I have to do this?” you ask.

“David, you said it yourself and the teachers agreed. It’s necessary!”

You groan again. “I’m such a fucking hypocrite.”

Yes, the whole plan is going well. It’s something you came up with in response to Emma’s fears of imbalance in the school. She fears exactly what you told Jake you were going to prevent.

“Emma doesn’t want a repeat of what happened to you last year,” Olivia says. “Which is fair. Even if I’m not doing anything, it doesn’t mean the other girls are pure angels. Someone’s gonna pick up the slack in the bullying department.”

“I know,” you sigh.

“But if, on the other hand, the guys go wild and start fucking every girl, the school’s gonna face the wrath of the Parents’ Association. Especially if some of them get pregnant. If that happens, all chances of turning the academy into a coed school are out the window.”

“I know.”

“That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing, David.”

“Yes, but how is it any different from what I did last year?” you tell her. “I went on a fucking spree!” Even getting the teachers involved.

“Yes, you did. And no one was there to stop you. You could’ve destroyed the whole school. You didn’t, of course, because you’re you, but you could’ve if you wanted to,” Olivia insists, frowning. “We’re just making sure none of these guys have the chance to fuck everything up.”

You know that. But it doesn’t stop you from feeling like a hypocrite.

The plan is to have your girls spread different messages among the first and second year students. Some of them warmed up first years to the idea of more guys in the school, while others told them to be careful of them. So far, that had gone as expected. The girls weren’t overly mean like they were with you, but they were still apprehensive about having boys around. The second part was using Jake Baker. You read all the profiles of the new male students, and Jake’s caught your attention. Hearing from him and meeting him confirmed most of what you thought. He’s a player, but he means well. He’s trying to fix the situation not only for himself, but for the other guys. He has natural charisma, but doesn’t think too far ahead. That’s why you planned on offering him an assistant secretary position in the council. The idea is to give him a more public role, let the school see him work and warm up to him while also having him close enough to prevent him from going too far. Raising his popularity will also improve the reception to the other male first years, since Jake is serious enough about this to keep hanging out with them.

In short, you’re manipulating public opinion on the guys to keep things from going too far while using the outgoing yet earnest Jake to create a good image for them, keeping him in a position where you can watch him and advise him while also limiting how wild he can go with his popularity. Really leaves a bad taste in your mouth, but it was the best, most subtle solution you could come up with.

“Enough. Forget about school,” Olivia tells you. “We’ve done everything we can already, so at least while you’re home, don’t think about it.”

“You’re right. You’re right,” you sigh. “Enough worrying for today.”

As you approach the door to your small abode, you hear loud voices coming from inside, and though all your instincts tell you not to go inside, you do so anyway. Emily, Megan, Jessica and Lilian are watching as Katherine and Sophia scream at each other while Anzu tries to calm them down.

“That the hell is going on?” Olivia asks.

“David!” Katherine angrily points a finger at you. “You knew about this!”

“W-What did I know…?” you ask, but you think you know what this is about.

“You knew Sophia was quitting the debate club!” Katherine yells.

Yep. It’s exactly what you thought it was.

“You’re quitting?” Olivia asks the black-haired girl.

“I am. And it’s my decision to make!” Sophia tells Katherine. “I don’t get why you’re so upset!”

“You’re running away!” The redhead responds. “Just when I win the captain seat from you this year, you come and tell me you’re quitting? You’re being such a sore loser!”

“I told you, dammit! It’s not because of that! I didn’t want to quit the club! I wanted to stay, but I also want to help David and Olivia with the student council. I decided that if I lost today’s debate, I’d quit and join the council as the treasurer, and that I’d stay if I won. I’m pissed that I lost, I really am! You know me well enough by now to know I gave it my all!”

Angry tears start forming around Sophia’s eyes, but the same goes for Katherine. They get to the point where they’re just silently glaring at each other, and it’s difficult to watch.

“Katherine,” you start, walking to your bed and throwing your bag on it before sitting down. “Sophia is a big girl. She knows what she’s doing.”

“So you DID know!”

“Of course I knew, and I already tried talking her out of it. She wouldn’t have any of it,” you tell her. “It was her idea, her decision.”

“You feel like she’s leaving you alone, don’t you?” Anzu asks Katherine, her voice soft and careful.

Both Katherine and Sophia are now outright crying. They keep their faces stern, lips pursed and swallow their sobs, but the tears are rolling down their cheeks. Slowly and with quivering lips, Katherine nods to Anzu’s question.

“Ugh, you idiot!” Sophia walks up to Katherine and gives her a tight, powerful hug. “Of course I don’t want to leave you alone! That’s one of the main reasons I don’t want to quit! But I’ve seen you grow, woman! You’re more than capable of taking care of yourself AND take care of the team!”

“But it’s not gonna be the same without you!” Katherine cries.

“Better get used to it soon,” Emily says, her face hardened. “This’ll be out last year in the same school. Next year we’ll be heading to different colleges. We won’t see each other as much as we do now.”

Your chest goes cold at her words. It’s true, after all. Starting next year, things are going to drastically change. You’ve known that for some time and already come to terms with it, even if that doesn’t mean you like it. You’ve always been looking at the future, and for the last couple of months, you’ve been encouraging your schoolmates to do the same. Your path for higher studies is clear, but what about your girls?

“Speaking of which,” you say. “Have you decided on what you’ll be doing next year?” There’s a collective groan in the room, but the matter is serious enough that they have no choice but to suck it up. You’re not letting them half-ass their futures.

“Emma, Mia and Julia will continue working at the academy, right?” Megan says, then turns to Anzu. “And you won’t only be doing that, but also going back to study medicine.”

Anzu nods. “I always wanted to get into orthopedics, but my family didn’t like it. They said that if I wanted so work on something related to health, I should be a nurse because that’s what women do.” She then looks at you with a smile. “But I want to be more than that.”

You give her a firm, reassuring nod.

“Megan, you and Emily will be trying out for professional teams, right?” Lilian asks.

Megan’s face hardens, she puffs her cheeks in a pout and looks away. “I will, anyway.”

“Oh no…” Jessica gasps. “What happened?”

“I’m not dropping soccer, just so you know,” Emily points out. “I guess being around Emma, Mia and even following Julia’s example made me want to do something similar. I’ll study to be a P.E. teacher, but what I really want is to build a soccer school. I love the sport, and I want to help other girls find it and grow to love it, too.”

“I’ll throw you a shout-out when I get interviewed after I win my matches, I guess,” Megan says, still pouting.

You chuckle. Megan accepts Emily’s path, even if she doesn’t like it. Those two have grown more independent from each other, in a good way. They’re still close as sisters, but they’ve learned that they don’t need to be together 24/7 to find fulfillment in their lives.

“Lilian and I decided to go to the same university for business management,” Olivia says. “She’ll be working with her mom and I’ll be working with my dad. Jessica will be taking theatre, too, so it works out well for us.”

“I got a couple of minor roles in voice acting for some internet shows, and that’s given me some exposure,” Jessica says. “But people keep telling me I can do better, so I’ll take theatre and improve all my skills.”

“We always knew we’d be going to university together, anyway,” Lilian shrugs. “In that sense, we were kind of ready.”

“Have you two decided already?” Anzu asks the now calmer Katherine and Sophia.

“I’m… I’m going for journalism, after all,” Sophia says, taking a seat beside you. “Not sure where I’ll specialize, but for now I’m looking at the academic side of things. I’d like to keep myself informed on the development of sciences and bring that knowledge to a wider audience. Perhaps start an academic magazine? I’m not completely sure yet.”

“Katherine?” Anzu asks.

“I… I think I’ll be aiming for law school with David.”

You raise an eyebrow at that. “Oh? First I hear of this.”

“I still don’t know if I’ll specialize in anything, but I think I’d like to be a defense attorney. There’re people accused of false charges that spend the rest of their lives in prison, or even if they don’t their reputations are forever ruined. I think I want to do something about that.”

“So you two will be going to the same university,” Lilian sighs. “Boy, I’m jealous.”

“I’d like to say we just need to enjoy our last school year together as much as we can,” Jessica says, sighing, “But to make things worse, Emma, Mia and Julia can’t come here as much as before.”

Yeah. They’re busier than last year with all the changes that are happening, and the other teachers are paying more attention to them. As the student president, you’ll be working closely with them, but working is not the same as being with them.

“About that…” Lilian says. “Since my mom knows about them already, she said we could go to my house and hang out if we wanted to. And since the people there don’t know our teachers, they won’t go telling anyone.”

“That’d actually help a lot, but I feel bad imposing on your mom,” you tell her.

"She’s usually away on some trip or something. She’s a workaholic and loves it. She doesn’t spend much time home.”

The year is only starting and it’s already this stressful. The following years will be even harder, with you all taking different paths. But it’s okay. You’ll weather the bad times, because it’s worth it. Because even an hour a week with them is better than the thought to having to leave them. And it’s all just temporary. You’re already eyeing some land and making calculations. It’s difficult to say what the future has in store for your group, but it pays to be prepared.

You’ll endure.