The room we were in had ended up devolving into a cacophony of absolute frustration. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, what even is going on?" Michael muttered with exasperation as he paced, looking like he wanted to punch a wall.
I stood in the corner, my own headache blooming behind my eyes as I stared at the university portal. The main course was one thing, but now there were Minors, Electives, and General Education Requirements. It was like a Xiangliu; cut off one head, two more sprouted with even more confusing names. My screen was a blur of words: Introduction to Statistics, The Romantic Poets, Principles of Microeconomics. Which warlord devised this torture?
Haruki was beyond exasperated, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Didn't you all research anything before you landed here?"
"Well, what do I freaking know about THESE THINGS?" Gabriel wailed, throwing his hands in the air before flopping onto his bed like a discarded ragdoll. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!"
Hongbing's eye had begun to twitch, a furious, rhythmic spasm. I felt a visceral, overwhelming urge to simply sit on the floor and weep like an infant. This was worse than any tactical retreat."You're living in America! The most developed country IN. THE. WORLD!" Haruki shot back, his calm finally cracking. "Shouldn't they, like, teach you about this early?"
"Ya think school teachers teach this stuff?" Gabriel retorted, sitting up. "The last thing I even remember was the damn circumference of a circle and how many apples Jack had and how much he lost in fractions!"
"So you Yanks are goin' backwards?" Michael asked, momentarily distracted from his own rage.
"You don't say..." Gabriel glared.
Haruki took a deep, shuddering breath, visibly summoning his last reserves of patience. "Okay. Keep your heads together. For the minor, just pick one from this shortlist: Statistics, English Literature, Mathematics, or Commerce."
"Isn't statistics just math but with words?" Gabriel asked, his brow furrowed in genuine, profound confusion. "Why are those two clumped together?"
"These are different types of math, the last time I checked," Haruki replied, his voice strained.
The "discussion" that followed was less a debate and more a verbal brawl.
"So, who's in for English as the minor?""Boring. What about Commerce?""I think the stream we chose won't need that, Gabriel!""I can't stand English, like, at all, Michael!""I'd rather choose English; it's easier to score that way!""I barely know a lick of English... Statistics. Statistics," I interjected quietly, a cold dread settling in my stomach. Failure was not an option I could entertain Nope Absolutely NOT"Do you honestly think I can handle statistics? I can barely handle elementary-grade maths as it is!" Hongbing shot back, his voice a low, furious growl."Then learn, DAMMIT!""WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO LEARN WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN IN THE FIRST PLACE?""DO YOU EVEN KNOW ENGLISH?"
"Guys... Guys... please, calm down," Haruki tried to interject, his voice drowned in the tide.
It droned on for what felt like hours, circling into the same arguments without an inch of progress. The sun outside began to dip, painting the room in shadows of our collective indecision. Finally, looking utterly defeated, Haruki held up a hand for silence. He didn't get it, but he spoke over the diminishing grumbles.
"Enough," he stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. He pulled out his phone with an air of weary resignation. "This is getting us nowhere. I'm calling my senpai. He took this stream four years back. We'll ask him what the sensible choice is, and then we are all picking it. Consensus by delegation."
He put the phone on speaker, and as it rang, a fragile, exhausted silence finally fell over the war room. Our fate now rested in the hands of a stranger named Kenji"Alright, so I called him," Haruki announced, setting his phone down. We all leaned in, a council of beleaguered generals awaiting intelligence from the front. "He said the most important one for the first two years is statistics. It's foundational for research in the later years. Since you all are joining as a Gakushi- undergraduates, for you guys, you'll be doing this for a grand total of four years."A heavy silence followed, absorbing the twin blows: Statistics and Four. More. Years."Wait, hol' up," Michael's drawl slicing through the quietness. "There's research?"Haruki gave him a look that was pure, unadulterated pity. "Bud. At the very least, you have to know what you're even doing in the first place.""Damn so we are irreversibly screwed...." Gabriel finally said after registering what we are actually going to do for four years.
Hongbing let out a slow, controlled breath, the kind he used to take before an impossible mission. Michael ran a hand through his hair, muttering something that sounded like "bloody hell" under his breath.
"And he also said to join all the orientation classes before making a final decision," Haruki concluded, offering the one sliver of flexibility in this rigid new world."So when does class start again...?" I asked, the words feeling clumsy. The concept of a structured academic calendar was still foreign.
"Day after tomorrow," Haruki confirmed. "Professor Elliot Ichihara will be taking the English for research classes and Professor Kaede will take Intensive Japanese I, in the eastern block I will take you there since its nearer to my classes, so you don't need to worry about which classroom to find in the morning, then afterwards you have an introductory seminar from 1pm to 2pm where you will be given a general Idea as to how the university works and after that from 3pm to 4pm you have introduction to psychology by professor Kansa Abe "
A small, unexpected wave of relief washed over me I dont need to run around and be late for class. One less immediate decision. One less chance to get lost in these endless, identical hallways. "Okay," I said, nodding slowly. "I can say that part is settled, then...."
At that moment, Haruki's phone buzzed loudly on the table, shattering the fragile calm like porcelean. He glanced at the screen, his expression shifting. "I have to take this," he said, already standing and gathering his things. He gave us a quick, final look. "Take care. Don't... do anything irreversible before orientation." And with that, our temporary guide was gone leaving us in the room with only the dubious comfort of Professor Elliot Ichihara's English class to look forward to.