Entering the Palace 〜宮入り〜
By mid-March, Ehime High School announced the results of the final exams.
In front of the staff room, every student’s name was posted in large print, ranked in order of academic performance by grade.
There was always a certain tension around this announcement. It affected class placement for the next school year.
Ehime High had what was called the “3–8 system.” The top students were gathered into Class 3 and Class 8. To enter either of these classes, one had to rank within the top 80 in the entire grade.
For third-year students, the system became even more severe. Class 3 was for top humanities students, and Class 8 for top science students. Classes 1 and 2 were for national-university-track humanities students, Classes 6 and 7 for national-university-track science students, and Classes 4 and 5 for the rest.
Because of such a blunt system, drama inevitably arose around class assignments, and even slang terms were born.
Miya-ochi” (宮落ち)
This referred to students who fell out of Class 3 or Class 8 and into one of the regular classes. The “miya” comes from 3 (mi) and 8 (ya). The emotional impact was said to be severe, since everyone could see exactly who had “fallen.” Every year, there were students who would freeze in front of the posted list.
“Miya-iri” (宮入り)
The opposite of miya-ochi. Many people were happy to enter these classes, but some became anxious, wondering if they could keep up. Others reportedly became suddenly arrogant.
“Miya-modori” (宮戻り)
When a student who had fallen from the elite classes in their second year returned to them in their third year. This was surprisingly common. Many students who went on to enter elite national universities were said to come from this group.
“Ippo” (一歩)
Students ranked 81st to 90th. They were “one step away” from entering the elite classes. Those who narrowly missed entry were pitiful, especially those who fell just short.
“Corridor Miya” (廊下の宮)
Even within each classroom, seating was strictly ranked by performance. Students were assigned seats strictly according to their academic rank, from the back window seat for the highest scorer to the front corridor seat for the lowest. Even within the elite classes, students who ended up in the lowest-ranked seats were jokingly called "corridor miya.”
“Shigo” (しご)
A slang term for students placed in Classes 4 and 5 in their third year. Sometimes written with the kanji meaning “after death.” It implied they were “done for”—essentially declared unable to pass national universities.
Some girls were said to cry upon seeing their class assignment, as it felt like an official verdict on their future. Just as there was “corridor miya,” there was even “corridor shigo.”
When alumni would casually say, “I myself was corridor shigo,” it oddly created a sense of familiarity for current students’ parents.
This kind of social atmosphere was something outsiders could never really understand.
In the first year, the top two students were still the same as they had been since the entrance examinations: Tōko Mishima and Haruka Saijō.
“Hey, Soto—this is amazing!”
Shion, who had been looking at the results with me, gave my shoulder a firm slap.
I was ranked 51st. My best result since entering school.
“I really tried this time, you know.”
“Next year, I’ll have to start working harder too.”
Even Shion, who said that, was ranked 62nd, so it wasn’t a bad result at all.
Takako was 88th, Asuka 103rd, and Zumii was 185th.
“Soto, we made it into the ‘Miya-iri’ group, didn’t we?”
Shion murmured quietly, staring at the number 62.
Right. I really was getting into one of the elite classes. Next year, I might end up in the same class as Tōko-chan. That would be the first time since elementary school.
“I always thought Ehime High would be hard just to keep up with, but if you try, it kind of works out, doesn’t it?”
Shion said that, and I replied,
“Even keeping up is hard though.”
Then we both laughed.
We went to check the second-year grade list as well.
“Kinashi Miko... Kinashi...Miko... Whoa, sixth place.”
Amazing. My brother finally broke into the top ten.
He’d been working hard every day since New Year’s. All right—tonight I’ll make him a steak as a reward♡
“Whoa!”
Shion let out a loud voice too.
“Honestly, that's almost too much.”
That’s not true.
When it comes to family, for some reason I feel like I want to deny praise like that. I just don’t say it out loud.
“Dating your brother would be intimidating. I'd feel like I'd have to become a better person first.”
“Determination?”
“Because you’d have to keep up with that level, right? How much would you have to improve yourself?”
That level?
Improve yourself?
“That’s going too far.”
“People around you wouldn’t allow it either. If the level doesn’t match.”
“People around you wouldn’t allow it?”
“Would your brother even accept some weird girl as his girlfriend?”
Weird girl?
“For example, someone like Tomochika?”
She even brought up a specific name again. An image of a gloomy expression came to mind.I hardly knew Tomochika at all. How was I supposed to decide whether she was good enough for anyone?
“See? That’s what I mean.”
Shion laughed as she said it, but I still wasn’t convinced.
三月も半ばになって、愛媛高校では期末試験の結果発表があった。
職員室前に学年ごとに、成績順に全員の名前がでかでかと貼り出される。
この発表には少し緊張感がある。次の学年のクラス選定に関わるからだ。
愛媛高校には「三八制」がある。３組と８組に成績優秀者を集めるというもので、このいずれかに入るには、学年全体の上位八十人以内に入っていなければならない。
三年生のクラス分けはさらにシビアで、３組は文系の成績優秀者、８組は理系の成績優秀者が集められ、１、２組が国立文系、６、７組が国立理系、４、５組がその他となる。
こんな露骨なことをやってくれると、クラス分けを巡ってドラマが生まれ、隠語もできる。
「宮落ち」
３組と８組にいた生徒が、そこから他のクラスに移ることを言う。み＝３、や＝８に掛けたものだろうけど、その精神的苦痛は相当なものらしい。成績が下がったことが誰にもわかるので、「宮落ちした」誰々と枕詞を陰で付けられるそうだ。貼り出された紙の前で動かなくなる人が毎年何人か出ると言う。
「宮入り」
宮落ちの逆。単純に喜ぶ人が多いのかと思いきや、そんなクラスに入れられて、ついてゆけるのか不安になる人もいると言う。また、急に尊大になる人も出るらしい。
「宮戻り」
二年生で宮落ちした生徒が、三年生で宮入りすることを言う。けっこう多いらしい。だけでなく、国立トップクラスの現役合格者には宮戻り組が多数含まれるとか。
「一歩」
八十一番から九十番の人たちのこと。宮入りまであと一歩ということで、成績が上がって一歩ならまだいいけど、一歩で宮落ちする人たちはかわいそうとなる。
「廊下の宮」
媛高は教室の中でも厳正な席次がある。窓側最後列から成績順に座らされる。廊下側最前列の席が最も成績の悪い生徒の席だ。３組、８組でもそれは同じで、成績優秀者が集められた中でも比較劣位の生徒は「廊下の宮」と揶揄される。
「しご」
三年生で４組、５組になったことを言う。「死後」の漢字を当てる場合もある。終わってるってことらしい。学校から国立は無理と宣告されたようなもので、女子生徒の中には泣き出す子までいると言う。「廊下の宮」があるくらいだから、「廊下のしご」もある。OBから「わたしなど廊下のしごでしたから」なんて挨拶されると、在校生の親近感が一気に増したりする。このあたりの感覚は、部外者には絶対わからない。
一年生の一番、二番は、入試以来変わらずの「三島透子」と「西条はるか」。
「ちょっと、そとー、すごいじゃなーい！」
一緒に見に行ってた紫音ちゃんから、どんと肩を叩かれた。
わたしは五十一番。入学以来、最高の出来。
「今回はけっこう頑張ったんだよねー」
「二年なったら、わたしも頑張らなきゃ」
とか言ってる紫音ちゃんも六十二番だからわるい成績じゃない。
貴子ちゃんは八十八番、明日香ちゃんは百三番だった。ヅミーは百八十五番だった。
「そとー、宮入りだね、わたしたち」
紫音ちゃんは62の数字を見つめながらしみじみと言った。
そう言われて、そっかあ、わたし宮入りすることになるんだと思った。二年生になれば、透子ちゃんと同じクラスになるかもしれない。そうなれば、小学校以来となる。
「媛高ってさあ、ついてゆくだけでも大変って思ってたけど、頑張ったらそれなりになんとかなるよね」
という紫音ちゃんに、
「でも、ついてくだけでも大変だよ」
と返して、ふたり笑った。
二年生の成績表も見に行く。
木梨皇子・・・、木梨皇子・・・、わ、六番。
すっごーい。お兄ちゃん、とうとう一桁になっちゃった。
お正月明けてから、毎日頑張ってたもんなあ。よーし、今晩はご褒美にステーキでも焼いてあげよ♡
「はー！」
紫音ちゃんも大きな声を出した。
「ルックスよくて頭いいなんて、完璧だよね。なんだか畏れ多いわ」
んなことないよ。
身内を褒められると、なぜか否定したくなる。口にはしないけど。
「そとーのお兄さんとつきあおうとしたら、相当の覚悟がいるよね」
「覚悟？」
「だって、あれだけのレベルに合わせなきゃいけないんだよ。どんだけ自分磨かなきゃいけないんだろ？」
あれだけのレベル？
自分を磨く？
「そんな大層な」
「だって、まわりが許してくれないよ。レベルが違ってると」
まわりが許してくれない？
「そんなの、当人たちがよければいいんじゃないの？」
「そうはゆかないわよ。そとーだって変な女がお兄さんのカノジョなんて許せる？」
変な女？
「たとえばよ、友近さんだったら？」
また具体的な名前を出したものね。暗い表情が頭に浮かんだ。でも、許せるかって聞かれても。知らない子のことを。
「ほーら、やっぱり違うでしょ？」
紫音ちゃんはそう言って笑ったけど、わたしは納得してなかった。
