Lesson Learned

I'm Sorry

"Yes," she and her brother replied at the same time, nodding.

Their dad had said that they would be expected to answer some question during the night, so they'd both made sure to do the prep work he'd given them both.

She held her brother's hand tighter, feeling more nervous than she should.

"Well, let's see..." The man thought for a second or two. "Would you be able to tell me the nearest decimal place for 156 divided by 7?"

"22.3," Gakushuu replied instantly.

Mr Kakita blinked but then smiled. "Oh, well, very good."

"I did say," their dad commented lightly, smiling pleasantly. "Children, what is 532 multiplied by 4?"

She multiplied under her breath, moving her mouth. "2,128!" she said before Gakushuu got the chance.

"And divide that by 7 equals?" their dad asked.

"304," her brother answered quickly.

Their dad looked back at Mr Kakita. "Go ahead."

Mr Kakita frowned slightly, looking impressed, rubbing his chin as he looked down at them. "Well, uh...let's see..." He hummed. "Do you know what Xylem is?"

"The hollow woody tissue in plants that carries water and minerals from the roots to throughout the entire plant," Gakushuu replied, sounding bored.

Mr Kakita started too look more and more impressed. "What is the scientific name of a Sydney Blue Gum?"

Oh, that was easy.

Mitsuko smiled brightly. "Eucalyptus saligna!"

The man's eyes widened. "What is the hardest substance in the human body?"

"Tooth enamel!" Mitsuko said quickly, earning an annoyed look from Gakushuu.

A few more people had started to come closer to listen.

Mr Kakita scratched his head. "What is...what is a Pyrogen?"

Gakushuu squeezed her hand hard. "A substance that causes fever."

"Ooh!" A few people who had gathered around were smiling in interest.

Mitsuko blushed when she saw they were getting all the attention.

Then more people started asking them random questions on history, maths, science, and geography.

Her smile wavered the longer they kept asking more questions, starting to feel tired when the time ticked towards 10:30 pm.

"I have one!" A young man with too much wine in his hand said. "How far is the earth from the sun?"

Mitsuko bunched up the ends of her dress, trying to think quickly, but she started to feel sick when she realised she didn't know the answer.

"93 Million miles," Gakushuu answered instead.

"Oh, come on that was easy!" The woman with a very pointed face next to him said. "What about...can they recite all the bones in the human body?" she asked their dad. "Or recite each country?"

Mitsuko frowned at the onslaught of questions, and how the adults were gawking at them like they were animals at a zoo; she started to feel uncomfortable, leaning closer to her brother who gently squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"They're not circus performers, Hoga," one woman with light short hair muttered near the back, looking slightly concerned.

"Yes, but can they do it?" the woman, Hoga, replied impatiently. "I was only asking, Anaya."