The results aren't out yet, but high school entrance exams are over

My daughter's high school entrance exams have safely concluded.

She didn't catch a cold on the day of the exam, was in perfect health, ate a hearty breakfast, and I sent her off to take the exam with a bento containing a pork cutlet bowl (it came out! A guy's bento lol) and three pieces of high-end strawberries that cost 1,200 yen for eight (suddenly lovely lol).

Since I was off that day, and it would be awkward to just wait around feeling restless, I went to "Manga Park" in Tachikawa. It's amazing that you can read all the manga you want for 400 yen a day. I ended up staying for four hours. (I enjoyed it too much lol)

A while after I got home, my daughter came back in a flurry.

"Hmm, I think I did okay on science and social studies. English was tough, though... so I'm not sure. I'm intentionally not self-grading."

She didn't have a bright face, nor did she look disappointed; it was just the look of someone who had finished taking an exam.

Come to think of it, six years ago with my son, he had a C-grade on his mock exams, and at the three-way conference in December, his homeroom teacher made a reckless bet, saying, "Murakami-kun, you need to raise your score by another 100 points." He crashed and burned on the day of the exam, self-graded as soon as he got home and crashed even harder, and went to eternal sleep without even eating dinner. (Somehow, it was a miracle he passed)

Compared to that son of mine, what is this composure my daughter has, which is no different from her usual self?

"I'm really sorry to say this, but honestly, I'm okay even if I fail this time. The private school I applied to as a safety is a really good school, and I'm even thinking I'd rather go there. I'm sorry for saying that honestly. But maybe that's why I was able to study with peace of mind, and the exam preparation itself wasn't painful. It's just, if it's a private school, it costs money, right? That's the only thing I'm worried about..."

To my daughter who was worrying about money, I told her that even if she went to a public school, it would cost quite a bit of money for cram school and exam fees for university entrance exams. Since the private school she's going to is affiliated with a university, I told her that if you calculate the mental stress of taking entrance exams in terms of money, the amount we pay is by no means high.
(Furthermore, since tuition is covered by taxes, I would like to express my gratitude to all taxpayers once again)

"So you don't need to worry about money. Mom just wants you, Lily, to have a fun high school life. I wanted to avoid a school you'd have to go to reluctantly if you failed the public one, so hearing you say that really puts me at ease."

My daughter said she wasn't putting on a brave face or anything, and that she really felt that way from the bottom of her heart.

"I don't care where I go to university. I don't have any particular dreams for the future, well, I want to get a teaching license to become a social studies teacher, so if I can get that, I don't care where it is. Anyway, I want to enjoy the present to the fullest right now. So I'll think about university after I get to high school. Mom, that's okay, right? That's fine, right?"

Of course, absolutely.

Even if you work this hard on high school entrance exams, there are many high schools that start chanting "university entrance exams," "university entrance exams" as soon as you enroll. (My son's high school was like that too.)
What is high school for?
Are students just pawns to get as many people as possible into famous universities, just to gain popularity for the school?
What are entrance exams?
For the children?
For the parents?
For the school?

Unlike my son's high school entrance exams six years ago when I was desperate, my daughter's high school entrance exams gave me a chance to think about many things.

I'm sorry, I'm a hopeless parent for saying this, but here is what I thought after my daughter's exams were over. It was,

fun

I was very impressed watching her, wondering how far she would go. I thought it was truly amazing to see up close that there are people who get 100 points on mock exams, and people who have so many 5s lined up on their report cards.
It was just that the whole situation was such an unknown world to me, and it was genuinely interesting.
My daughter, thank you so much for entertaining your mother.

So, regardless of the results, whether we cry or laugh, it's over for now.

Right now, my daughter is watching the recorded episodes of Wednesday Downtown and laughing out loud. And sometimes,

"Ah, I want a handsome boyfriend!"

she mutters. It's so peaceful.

That is all.
Thank you for your support.

Please forgive me as I am going out for a drink right away lol

Note: The top image is of Suwa Shrine in Tachikawa.
The person in the photo is not me lol