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To: Minatozaki Sana

You have 2.5 hours to finish the following evaluation. Additional time will not be given if the following occurs: the implosion of a universe, loss of self-identity during an expansion of grief, or the appearance of an oversized carnivorous goose. Your answers will be used to determine the length of your punishment for violating company policy. Honesty is recommended, but not required. Do not leave any questions unanswered. There are correct answers. You may ask for tissues.

Question 1

Soup can be defined as such: a substance or mixture regarded as resembling soup in appearance or consistency. Alternatively, one might refer to soup as liquid containing bits. Please describe the difference between soup and cereal.

Question 2

Will Park Jihyo’s encyclopaedia of universes ever be fully complete?

Pick one: Yes / Maybe / No

Question 3

In Universe #652, civilians live in clouds. Do you consider this practical?

Pick one: Yes / No

Question 4

Which of these statements is false? Please check the false statement only.

___ Hirai Momo was born the same year as Minatozaki Sana.

___ Minatozaki Sana loved Hirai Momo.

___ One shouldn’t make promises one can’t keep.

___ Minatozaki Sana misses Hirai Momo.

Question 5

Who should be to blame for Hirai Momo’s disappearance? Pick one:

Hirai Momo

Minatozaki Sana

Question 6

By twenty-five, the average human will have 206 bones that can be broken. To a certain degree, these can all be put back together with pins and screws and rods. Comparatively, there are only 5 vital organs a human requires for survival. Some things are meant to be broken. For example: bones, hearts, and pinkie promises. What happened to Minatozaki Sana’s heart when Hirai Momo broke her promise and never returned?

Question 7

Littlewood’s law states that one can expect to experience a miracle (an event occurring with a frequency of one in a million) at an approximate rate of one per month. According to this reasoning, events we consider miraculous are in fact quite common. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to meet people who will be with us until the end of time. Was meeting Hirai Momo a miracle?

Pick one: Yes / No

Question 8

In Universe #9, the fates have decreed that Hirai Momo and Minatozaki Sana are destined to be together for always. In every life they live, they will find each other. Is this fair?

Pick one: Yes / No

Question 9

In the universe that includes the planet Earth, there exists Greek mythology. According to Greek mythology, humans originally had four arms, four legs, and two faces. Zeus punished humans for their pride, splitting humans into half. Since then, humans are said to have always looked for their other half. What does it feel like, to have found your other half and then to lose them? Show your work.

Question 10

Correlation does not equal causation. Minatozaki Sana knows everything there is to know about Hirai Momo. Hirai Momo knew everything there is to know about Minatozaki Sana. Did Hirai Momo’s existence in your life lead you to be kinder, gentler, happier?

Pick one: Yes

Question 11

Did Hirai Momo love Minatozaki Sana? Does Hirai Momo still love Minatozaki Sana?

Pick one: Yes / No

(If yes, please answer Question 12)

Question 12

Did Hirai Momo love Minatozaki Sana the same way Minatozaki Sana loved Hirai Momo? If your answer to this question relies on love language theory, please elaborate on your definition of “love”.

Question 13

Below are two long answer prompts. Please pick one. There is no word limit.

Topic 1: The morning Hirai Momo disappears, she makes a promise to return after her deliveries. You promise the same. Only one of you fulfils your promise. The other breaks Minatozaki Sana’s heart. Does this make Hirai Momo a liar? A terrible promise keeper? A victim of unfortunate circumstance? A heartbreaker? If you answered yes to any of the above, please elaborate.

Topic 2: The day Hirai Momo disappeared, eight girls waited for her to return. More than two years since, there has been no official sighting of Hirai Momo. Would it be ethical for these eight girls to stop hoping for her return? Does Hirai Momo know that she needs to return? Why do they continue to wait for Hirai Momo? Please elaborate.

Question 14  

Consider the following scenario:

Meeting Hirai Momo is not a miracle. She says hello to you first, and you decide, right then and there, that you are going to know Hirai Momo forever. You quickly realise that you want to love her forever, too. Naturally, you choose to love Hirai Momo. This feels right. Everything about you, Hirai Momo is there to see. You forget what it’s like to not have her in your life, by your side. One day she gives you a ring. There, on her right hand, she has one too. The time now is precious, the rings say. The two of you say the phrase to each other like the two of you know what it means to be without your other half, like the two of you have ever bothered to count the minutes you’ve spent together. In exchange, you give your heart to Hirai Momo. You love her, so this seems like the next logical step. It hurts only a little, and the process is quite simple. If found, please return to Momoring, you write onto the right atrium. She laughs when you show her what you’ve written, and it feels like you’ve done something right. She tucks your heart under her ribcage, close to her sternum, next to her own heart. The mess on the bathroom floor is worth it. How long did it take for you to clean the mess on the bathroom floor that day? Did you ever tell Hirai Momo that you loved her in other ways besides these? Was there anything else you could have done to show Hirai Momo that you loved her? How does the scenario change if you never meet Hirai Momo? Which scenario do you prefer, given the possibility that Hirai Momo would have been loved by someone else? Where is your heart now that Hirai Momo has disappeared along with it?

Pick one: Yes / No / It doesn’t matter

Question 15

Sometimes forgiveness is easy. We forgive and absolve you from all your sins. Guilt demands absolution. In Question 5, did you pick your own name because it is the truth or because you seek absolution, or both?

Question 16

How long has it been since Hirai Momo disappeared? Please show your calculations in units of grief.

Question 17

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being nothing and 10 being your soul, how much of yourself would you be willing to lose for the following paragraph to be real?

The lights are off and there are two girls tucked together under the blankets of a too small bed. One talks of the crotchety old man in Universe #652 and the other talks of the dog she saw in Universe #159. Inside one of the girls is a growing ball of unspoken things. She hasn’t said them yet aloud because she still has time to say them. The next morning, when they wake up curled into each other, she will say: You’re always by my side. Would you like to hold my hand? Let’s share our desserts tonight. I already have an extra spoon.

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Question 18

Is there anything else we should know about Hirai Momo?