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<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Yoshino]: "I've had it. This is the final straw..."
Thus spoke Yoshino Haruhiko, the only delinquent in our class.
[Yoshino]: "Tennouji, you must duel me."
[Kotarou]: "Sorry Yoshino, I have no idea how to play card games..."
[Yoshino]: "I meant a fistfight!"
His eyes are serious.
He's a lone wolf, as one might expect, but normally he's calm and collected.
So there are surprisingly few people who know that he talks like a cheesy anime or manga character.
He sees me as a rival for some reason.
I've managed to avoid any conflict so far, but now that's all about to change.
I greet him sociably during every break period.
I follow him to the bathroom and watch him from behind.
I laugh out loud at every single cheesy line he says to show how well we get along.
I never stop displaying our friendship through kicking him in the back of the knees and such.
Honestly, I can't even imagine why Yoshino's acting so gloomy.
[Kotarou]: "This is so sad, Yoshino...friends as close as us should never fight."
[Yoshino]: "You were never my friend! I'll pound that into your bones today."
[Kotarou]: "You sound serious."
[Kotarou]: "...all right, I accept."
[Yoshino]: "Meet me behind school after class. There, I will end you."
[Kotarou]: "Okay...one thing though."
Yoshino's seething rage makes me feel nihilistic.
[Yoshino]: "What?"
[Kotarou]: "I won't go down that easily."
[Yoshino]: "Perfect. I look forward to seeing you cry like a little girl."
[Yoshino]: "...after school. Don't forget."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, I know."
A manly, passionate promise with "Mad Dog" Yoshino.
I completely forgot that promise and went straight home after school.
I'm not a very respectable person.
[Kotarou]: "Uhahahaha."
I thoroughly enjoyed some late-night television, never once remembering our promise.
[Kotarou]: "Wahahahaha."
I had fun downtown on Saturday, never once remembering our promise.
I didn't realize I'd broken our promise until later that night.
It was far too late to regret it.
I told myself I'd apologize to Yoshino the next chance I got, then went to sleep.
Maybe the fact that I treat people lightly is what makes Yoshino dislike me so much. |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
October 3rd (Sunday)
...as punishment for that half-hearted lifestyle, a certain someone summoned me on Sunday night.
[Rikako]: "Kotori hasn't come home yet."
[Rikako]: "So..."
[Rikako]: "Can you bring her back please."
Those two lines don't connect at all.
But...
[Kotarou]: "All right."
I dare not disobey her.
She's Madam Rikako, the mother of Kanbe Kotori, my childhood friend.
We've been neighbors for a long time, and both of my parents get along with her, so to me, she has more authority than most relatives.
Actually, this isn't the first time she's asked me to find her lost daughter.
I know where to look for her.
I gathered up my equipment and set off immediately.
[Kotarou]: "Okay..."
I fiddle with my antique cell phone and start up an application.
[Kotarou]: "...uuuuwa."
She was here...I knew it.
[Kotarou]: "You're sleeping...?"
She's so defenseless.
I suddenly feel tired.
All that worrying was for nothing.
Kotori's been playing out here since she was a little kid.
She showed no interest in the stuff normal girls did, and chose instead to spend all her time in the forest.
[Kotarou]: "...what's so fun about it?"
To be honest, her playing in the forest at night worries me.
But Kotori knows this part of the forest better than anyone, and it's my job to look after her.
I should be able to protect her if anything happens.
Now, let's bring her home.
I poke her shoulder.
Kotori doesn't mind being touched just a little.
[Kotarou]: "Hey, wake up."
[Kotori]: "...uuu."
[Kotarou]: "You won't be able to sleep tonight if you sleep now."
[Kotori]: "...uuu."
[Kotarou]: "Come on."
[Kotori]: "...suya."
[Kotarou]: "Damn."
[Kotarou]: "Hey, Kotori, wake up already."
I try shaking her harder.
No good.
[Kotarou]: "Oh well."
I try shaking her again, but she's still not waking up.
Her body feels cold too. She must've been sleeping for a while.
There are two things I can do in this situation.
One, lure her with something she likes.
Two, pressure her with something she hates.
Okay then.
[Kotarou]: "Kotori, I know you love this."
I take something out of my pocket, and drop it piece by piece into her palm.
*chink* *chink*
Pocket change.
[Kotori]: "Uhuu..."
Kotori's brow furrows.
[Kotarou]: "How's that?"
*chink* *chink*
[Kotori]: "Uunnnn."
She stands up.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, follow me, follow me."
I shake the rest of my coins and walk back the way I came.
Kotori staggers behind me.
[Kotarou]: "Good, good, keep it up."
[Kotori]: "...uuu, uuu."
...she's still half asleep.
[Kotarou]: "...you're like a zombie."
[Kotori]: "Uuu..."
*chink* *chink*
[Kotori]: "Uuu～"
*chink* *chink*
[Kotori]: "Uuuuu～"
It's a little scary.
I'll have to use this.
[Kotarou]: "...don't blame me for this, I'm just doing my job."
I take it out of my pocket, and make a small sound with it.
*snip* *snip*
[Kotori]: "...uu!"
Kotori hates the sound of scissors.
Cutting noises in general are bad for her.
*snip* *snip*
[Kotori]: "Uuu, it's cutting me...!"
[Kotori]: "Don't cut meee..."
She's not waking up, but at least she's muttering in her sleep.
I move the scissors closer to her ear.
*snip* *snip*
[Kotori]: "...stop it."
She rolls over to avoid it.
Then she stands up and stumbles away.
[Kotori]: "...uuu."
She's still asleep.
[Kotarou]: "It's like you're sleepwalking."
*snip* *snip*
[Kotori]: "No, don't cuuut..."
She flees.
That's the right direction.
I continue to use the scissors as I follow her.
[Kotarou]: "This is nice and easy."
Kotori running away.
Me following her, brandishing scissors.
If someone saw this, I might get into trouble...
But we got back in one piece.
[Kotarou]: "Wake up already."
I gently thump her back.
[Kotori]: "...uu!"
She looks around.
Then at me.
[Kotori]: "Ah...Kotarou-kun......?"
[Kotarou]: "Morning."
[Kotori]: ".........morning."
[Kotori]: "Ummm..."
She looks around again, and her eyes widen.
[Kotori]: "Wa!"
[Kotori]: "It's night! It's dark!"
[Kotarou]: "You were sleeping in the forest."
[Kotori]: "Ah.........that's right. I see, I see."
[Kotori]: "Did you carry me all the way here?"
[Kotarou]: "...kinda."
[Kotori]: "I see...sorry for making you do that."
She smiles.
[Kotarou]: "It's fine."
[Kotarou]: "You were sleeping really well though. It was hard to wake you up."
[Kotori]: "I was having a really nice dream."
[Kotarou]: "What like?"
[Kotori]: "I bought some juice at a vending machine."
[Kotarou]: "Okay."
[Kotori]: "But when it gave me change, the coins never stopped pouring out. It was amazing!"
[Kotarou]: "I guess."
[Kotori]: "I kept putting them into my savings box forever and ever and ever..."
[Kotori]: "In fact, recently I bought a savings box that can hold ten million yen."
[Kotarou]: "You what?"
[Kotori]: "It's as big as an oil drum. Aaah, such luxury～"
[Kotarou]: "So it can hold 500 coins?"
[Kotori]: "...what?"
[Kotarou]: "...20,000 bills?"
Can she actually save like that?
Even if she put in one a day...
[Kotori]: "I'll be set for life, heheh."
Well, if she's happy, I guess it doesn't matter.
[Kotori]: "Actually, I had a really scary dream."
[Kotarou]: "What like?"
[Kotori]: "I was in a dark forest, being chased by a scary man with scissors. It was horrible."
[Kotarou]: "...that was no dream."
[Kotori]: "If something like that ever happened in real life..."
[Kotarou]: "...you would...?"
[Kotori]: "I'd sue him. For money."
[Kotarou]: "That dream sounds terrifying."
[Kotori]: "I almost wet myself."
It was a close call in many ways.
[Kotarou]: "Anyway, your mom was worried. You'd better go talk to her." |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotori]: "Uuoo! You're right!"
[Kotarou]: "She'll probably be mad, but you can handle it."
[Kotarou]: "If you need to run away, you can stay at my place. We've got a spare room."
[Kotori]: "It's fine, my parents are very hands-off."
[Kotarou]: "You sure? I think even they'd be mad about you staying out this late."
She's come home after sunset before, but this is a record for her.
[Kotori]: "That's just because you..."
[Rikako]: "Kotori-san, is that you?"
[Kotarou]: "Owa!"
Madam materializes without warning.
[Kotori]: "Ah, yeah. We're back."
She gives her daughter a single cold glance.
[Rikako]: "I'm glad she wasn't hurt."
[Kotori]: "Of course not. That forest is like my backyard."
[Kotori]: "It felt so nice I went to sleep by mistake."
[Rikako]: "...if you say so."
Eh? That's it?
She gets acquitted that easily?
Madam Rikako looks really harsh, but is she that lenient on her daughter?
Her eyes fall on me next.
[Rikako]: "Good work."
I lower my head like a servant.
[Kotarou]: "Sorry, it took a bit longer than expected."
[Rikako]: "No, you did well."
[Kotarou]: "Thank you."
[Kotori]: "Mom, Mom, Kotarou-kun did well."
[Kotori]: "Thank him for it. Give him something good."
Madam closes her eyes, contemplating this.
[Rikako]: "...all right."
[Rikako]: "Kotarou-san, I will reward you for this in the near future."
[Kotarou]: "Reward...?"
[Rikako]: "What?"
[Kotarou]: "I gratefully accept."
[Rikako]: "Good. Come inside, Kotori-san."
She gives off an air of aristocracy as she gracefully walks inside.
Kotori stares at me.
[Kotarou]: "So..."
[Kotarou]: "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"
[Kotori]: "Yeah, I think I will. I can't skip every day."
[Kotarou]: "Okay. Bye then."
[Kotori]: "Good night～"
She stiffly waves her hands before following her mother.
[Kotarou]: "...okay, that's dealt with."
[Kotarou]: "Time to go."
[Kotarou]: ".........hm?"
I feel someone watching me from behind.
[Kotarou]: "...no way."
It's gotta be a cat or dog or something.
[Kotarou]: "I should go home..."
But the moment I start walking, something pushes forward from behind, engulfing my back.
Like a sheet of silk.
A thick sheet.
[Kotarou]: "...eh?"
I turn around.
Nothing's there.
No one's there.
There is only the forest.
But I can still feel that strange sensation wrapped around my neck.
It's smooth...but disturbing.
...a deep forest.
A few seconds later, I get goosebumps.
I hurry home, almost running.
Kotori said the forest was like her backyard.
But I just couldn't agree with her on that.
Late at night.
I was starting to fall asleep, when...
[Kotarou]: "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
Suddenly, someone grabs my wrist.
Their hand was as cold as ice.
[Kotarou]: "Wh-who's there? Who are you!?"
I roll out of bed and turn on the lights.
No one's there.
[Kotarou]: (...am I imagining things?)
I can still feel it on my wrist.
I know someone tried to pull me by the arm.
And their grip was strong enough to make me instantly wake up.
As if they were about to pull my arm out of its socket...
[Kotarou]: "The hell just happened...?"
I look at my wrist under the light.
I can see a clear mark where I was grabbed.
A hand-shaped mark.
I immediately faint.
...this is a dream...right...? |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
I start up an application called Mappie.
A map appears on my phone.
This thing's kinda like the people version of a satnav.
It came bundled with the phone.
It records all the terrain I walk through.
It counts the number of steps I've taken and can give me simple directions.
I guess it's designed for people who like to take walks.
It's fun to wander around buildings it has no data for, and watch it automatically draw a map.
Plus, I can always find my way out of the forest with this thing.
It's pretty good.
Now...
A huge forest...
I'm still close to town, so I can't see many animals or insects.
They're probably hiding farther in, away from humans.
The forest is a good place for kids to play.
Come to think of it...when I was little, I tried to catch stag beetles here.
I never found a single one.
And that's why I'll never know the true form of a stag beetle.
I think I came here a lot when I was little.
But at some point I stopped playing here.
Because I noticed something.
There were no animals or insects in the forest.
It felt like an empty world, and I found that boring.
But Kotori still comes here a lot for some reason.
No one goes with her.
She's always alone.
She never hangs out downtown.
She never stays up late partying.
She spends all her free time in the forest.
...it feels a little lonely.
I think I've been walking for about thirty minutes.
After coming this far, there's no longer any sign of the town.
This forest is dark even during daytime.
I feel uneasy, like I'm in a deep sea.
I've been here a lot, but it still unnerves me.
Even when I was little, I never went this far in.
I check Mappie.
It's still charting my progress.
No need to worry about getting lost.
I pull out my flashlight and point it ahead of me.
Thankfully, the Moon is bright tonight.
It's not that hard to walk around here.
It's very quiet.
It's so humid it feels like a tropical forest.
But I can't hear a single insect.
It's so unnatural, it makes me wonder if some supernatural creatures are hiding here.
I have a baseball bat and helmet, just in case, but I still don't feel safe.
Something about this beautiful forest feels wrong.
I want to go home.
But I need to complete my objective first.
[Kotarou]: "...heeey."
[Kotarou]: "Heeey, Kotoriii."
No answer.
Maybe she's farther in.
She's living a dangerous life...
[Kotarou]: "...heeey, are you here?"
[Kotarou]: "Kotori-saaan."
[Kotarou]: "Ouwa!?"
[Cat]: "Meow～"
[Kotarou]: "Oh, it's just a cat..."
Don't scare me like that.
[Kotarou]: "Go away!"
[Cat]: "Hissss!"
He tries to intimidate me before running off.
That was definitely someone's pet.
[Kotarou]: "Geez..."
I continue walking as my heart pounds.
[Kotarou]: "Gya!?"
[Boar]: "Bufu!"
[Kotarou]: "Oh, it's just an even-toed ungulate..."
It was a boar. For some reason, my embarrassment made me talk like an academic.
Don't scare me like that.
[Kotarou]: "Go home now...the rest of the zodiac's waiting for you."
[Boar]: "Bu! Bu! Bu!"
The boar snorted before leaving.
[Kotarou]: "That was a pretty rare find..."
Now I look like an idiot for saying there were no animals here.
[Kotarou]: "Heeey, Kotoriii, time to go home!"
[Kotarou]: "Kotoriii?"
[Kotarou]: "Can you hear meee?"
Going even farther in might be a bit tough.
[Kotarou]: "Hiii!?"
Something's there!
It's huge!
[?]: "...mosu."
[Kotarou]: "Oh, it's just a.........just a........."
[Kotarou]: "...what is this thing?"
It's neither a cat nor a boar.
It's neither a dog nor a fox.
I don't think I've ever seen it before...but it feels familiar.
[Kotarou]: "Have we...met somewhere?"
Where was it...
[?]: "Mosu! Mosu!"
It's the size of a large dog.
It's round, with a powerful body.
Long hair...
A long trunk...
Long tusks...
I know, this is a...
[Kotarou]: "That's right...it's just a mammoth..."
I saw it in a social studies textbook once.
Apparently people used to hunt these things.
[?]: "Mo!"
[Kotarou]: "Wow, I've never seen one of you before..."
It stares at me for a while, but eventually loses interest and looks away.
[?]: "Mosu."
It walks away calmly.
Judging by its size, it's probably just a baby.
When it grows up, it'll be the size of a small hill.
[Kotarou]: "I'd better hurry..."
I start walking faster.
...I stand still.
[Kotarou]: "Hm? Is that..."
[Kotarou]: "Is that the special kind of book that sets boy's hearts aflame...!?"
[Kotarou]: "I know no one's here, but I feel the need to check anyway."
[Kotarou]: "Yeeees! I got iiiit!!!"
[Kotarou]: "It's just a pamphlet!? God damn iiiiiiiiiit!!!!"
[Kotarou]: "From the bottom of my heart: God damn iiiiiiiiiit!!!!"
[Kotarou]: "...this is..."
[Kotarou]: "...the special kind of book that sets boy's hearts aflame...!?"
[Kotarou]: "I can't resist the urge to make sure there's no one here."
[Kotarou]: "Heh, heheheh..."
[Kotarou]: "She looks plump..."
[Kotarou]: "Wait, these are bodybuilders!!! God damn iiiiiiiiiit!!!!"
[Kotarou]: "From the bottom of my soul: God damn iiiiiiiiiit!!!!"
[Kotarou]: "It's a bird nest. I can see the chicks."
[Kotarou]: "What!? A weasel is heading right for them!"
[Kotarou]: "Nooooooo!!"
[Weasel]: "―!?"
[Kotarou]: "He ran away..."
[Kotarou]: "But this is just a part of nature. Weasels need to eat too."
[Kotarou]: "I don't know what's right anymore...maybe people have to spend their whole lives constantly thinking about it..."
[Kotarou]: "Well, I don't need to take it that seriously."
[Kotarou]: "Something's written on the tree."
[Kotarou]: "It's written in scary letters, like something from a horror movie..."
[Kotarou]: ""You are cursed.""
[Kotarou]: "There's no way this is talking about me, right...?"
[Kotarou]: "One of the branches has bent down really far."
[Kotarou]: "Shuu! Shuuu!"
[Kotarou]: "This feels a lot like batting a fan's pull string over and over."
[Kotarou]: "Mm...?"
[Kotarou]: "Th-this is..."
[Kotarou]: "A turd!?" |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "Have I really wandered this deep into the forest...?"
[Kotarou]: "An animal turd..."
[Kotarou]: "Gaaah! I can't stand this!"
[Kotarou]: "At least that's how I'd like to respond, but..."
[Kotarou]: "This is an animal turd."
[Kotarou]: "Let us poke it with a tree branch."
[Kotarou]: "*poke* *poke* *poke*"
[Kotarou]: "Wahooooo!!"
[Kotarou]: "It's not much fun really."
[Kotarou]: "Wh-what is this...?"
A bizarre creature.
Something that cannot exist in daily life.
[Legendary Sukumon]: "Gao."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? Is this paper mache or something?"
[Legendary Sukumon]: "Gao."
[Kotarou]: "Crap, it looks fresh..."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? What? You're following me? Why?"
[Kotarou]: "You'll hide your form so people won't freak out? Well, if you insist..."
Then it vanishes in an instant.
[Kotarou]: "...am I dreaming...?"
You caught Legendary Sukumon! |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
October 4th (Monday)
Morning.
[Kotarou]: (Huh...?)
What happened last night...?
[Kotarou]: (...my wrist...)
A ghost...?
A chill runs down my spine.
I check my wrist, but there's nothing there.
[Kotarou]: (Did I imagine all that...?)
I should just forget that stuff. Focus on reality.
[Kotarou]: (Today...)
[Kotarou]: (Kotori said she'd go to school today...)
This is an important day.
I got back at dawn, so I've only been asleep for a few hours.
I'm pretty tired, but I'll be fine.
I eat breakfast and get ready for school.
I make my morning call.
[Kotarou]: "Is that you, Kotori? It's almost time for school."
[Kotori]: "Owaaaa!?"
That's all I need to hear to understand her predicament.
[Kotarou]: "Kotori, did you...!?"
[Kotori]: "Owaaaa!"
[Kotarou]: "...hey."
[Kotori]: "Owawaaaa!"
[Kotarou]: "...come on."
[Kotori]: "Owaaaa! Owawaaaa!"
[Kotori]: "I just woke up!"
[Kotarou]: "Thought so..."
[Kotori]: "What do I do!?"
[Kotarou]: "Could you get your stuff together and meet me outside? I'll wait five minutes."
[Kotori]: "But I can't go outside looking like this, it'll take half an hour..."
[Kotori]: "And I have bed hair."
[Kotarou]: "...uuu."
I should've called when I got up.
I was hoping to go to school with her for once, but...
[Kotarou]: "We won't make it if we don't leave in five minutes. Should I wait anyway?"
[Kotori]: "Uuu, you don't have to do that. Go without me, Kotarou-kun."
[Kotarou]: "I don't really care if I'm late."
[Kotori]: "No, no, don't be late because of me. That's not right."
[Kotarou]: "Mmmm, but still..."
[Kotori]: "Just go. Don't wait for me."
[Kotarou]: "...fine. I'll go by myself today."
[Kotori]: "Sorry."
[Kotarou]: "...just to be sure, are you feeling okay?"
[Kotori]: "Unya...I'm feeling fine, but...I slept for too long."
[Kotarou]: "Probably because of that long nap yesterday."
[Kotori]: "Probably..."
[Kotarou]: "Mm. Anyway, see you later."
I hang up and sigh.
This is the Kanbe Kotori I know.
Dealing with her is pretty tough.
I'll be walking to school alone today, as usual.
Let's go...
[Kotarou]: (It's huge...)
I think that every time I arrive here in the morning.
The interior is ridiculously huge too.
There aren't even that many students.
This is the pinnacle of inefficient education.
[Kotarou]: (Finally made it...)
[Kotarou]: (...what's going on?)
The classroom is in an uproar.
Everyone turns toward me.
I feel like I did something bad.
[Kotarou]: "...good morning."
The room suddenly became less tense.
[Schoolboy A]: "Good morning, Tennouji-kun."
[Schoolboy A]: "What happened? You're wet and smell like moss."
[Kotarou]: "Don't worry about it."
That's because I dove into a lake.
[Kotarou]: "...what happened?"
[Schoolboy B]: "A transfer student's coming today."
[Kotarou]: "Really?"
[Schoolboy A]: "But no one's seen her yet."
[Kotarou]: "I see. So that's what you're all excited about."
[Schoolboy A]: "Exactly. And we know it's a girl."
[Kotarou]: "Oooh..."
[Schoolboy C]: "Kaaaa! It's no good!"
Someone rushes into the classroom.
[Schoolboy A]: "Oh, how'd it go?"
[Schoolboy C]: "I got as far as the staff room, but I couldn't get a visual on the transfer student."
[Kotarou]: "Are you guys in middle school?"
[Schoolboy B]: "Don't you wanna know what she looks like too...?"
[Schoolgirl A]: "Boys are so stupid. This isn't that big a deal."
One of the girls spoke up.
[Schoolboy A]: "Wh-what? ...what's wrong with it? Why do you care!?"
[Schoolgirl B]: "You're just making a bigger idiot out of yourself by acting defensive."
[Schoolboy B]: "What did you say!? Only idiots call other people idiots!"
[Schoolgirl C]: "How old are you?"
[Schoolboy C]: "Shut up, stupid girl!"
A traditional gender war began.
[Kotarou]: (Again...?)
This happens a lot here.
It makes me think of plants in a greenhouse.
Grasses and flowers carefully raised in a gentle environment.
Does Kazamatsuri just make people live more happily?
Anyway, there's an exception to every rule.
As always, this guy is just...
He's glaring at me sharply.
He doesn't seem to care how dangerous he looks to everyone around him.
Me, Kotori, and this guy called Yoshino are the outcasts of the class.
We're completely different from each other, but...
We all stand out from the crowd somehow.
Kotori and Yoshino have no friends either.
I'm the only one who can talk to everyone.
Only me, out of the three of us.
Yes, that's why...
[Kotarou]: (It's like he wants to cut me up or something...)
I'm scared, so I look away, pretending not to notice.
[Yoshino]: "...you're not fooling anyone."
Yoshino's always aggressive, but it's worse than usual today.
...did I do something to him?
[Yoshino]: "You bastard...stop playing dumb..."
[Yoshino]: "...dead end..."
[Yoshino]: "I will...give you a taste of my...dead end knuckles."
Dangerous whispers reach my ears.
[Kotarou]: (Crap...he's saying some scary things...)
[Kotarou]: (But I can't do anything about it right now...)
The teacher should be coming any minute now.
He won't try to pull anything yet.
Or so I thought. Yoshino's standing up.
[Yoshino]: "...hey, shithead."
I pretend not to hear him.
[Yoshino]: "I know you can hear me."
[Kotarou]: "...Kotori's really late...I'm getting kinda worried."
I know it won't work, but I try ignoring him anyway.
[Yoshino]: "...mm!"
[Yoshino]: "Are you so worried about Kanbe that my words don't even reach you...?"
[Yoshino]: "...hmph."
I don't believe it. He's backing off.
[Kotarou]: "...phew."
After a while, I tried glancing in Yoshino's direction.
[Kotarou]: (Crap! Eye contact!)
[Yoshino]: "Hey, I saw that."
[Kotarou]: "I didn't do anything."
[Yoshino]: "Look at me." |
<METADATA>
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "I don't wanna."
[Yoshino]: "What...?"
[Yoshino]: "My face is so disgusting...you can't bear to look at it...!?"
[Kotarou]: "That's not what I said."
Something's wrong with him.
[Kotarou]: "Calm down a bit. Let's talk like adults here."
[Yoshino]: "You know I can't do that."
[Yoshino]: "You and I are like Abel and Cain, water and fire, darkness and light."
[Yoshino]: "Either I destroy you, or you destroy me...that is all."
[Kotarou]: "You really have a way with words."
[Yoshino]: "Silence."
Yoshino reaches out and grabs me by the chest.
The whole class is tense now.
I can feel it.
[Yoshino]: "...are you mocking me? Are you?"
[Kotarou]: "No I'm not. Calm down."
[Yoshino]: "No, you are mocking me."
[Kotarou]: "Why are you so mad today?"
[Yoshino]: "Are you serious?"
[Kotarou]: "Huh?"
[Yoshino]: "Put your hand on your heart and think about it."
[Kotarou]: "I still have no idea."
[Yoshino]: "You really aren't joking?"
[Kotarou]: "Did something happen? Sorry, but I forget things a lot..."
[Yoshino]: "Then you'll have plenty of time to remember it in the sick room."
Yoshino clenches a fist.
[Teacher]: "Okaaay, Yoshino-kun, time for homeroom～ Let's all sit down～"
[Yoshino]: "...fine. I'll deal with you later."
Yoshino returns to his seat.
I'm safe for now.
[Teacher]: "Good morning everyone."
[Students]: "Good morning teacher!"
[Teacher]: "So...we were going to introduce the transfer student today, but for some reason she's not here yet～♪"
Everyone in the class immediately falls to the ground.
[Kotarou]: (What does that mean...?)
[Teacher]: "So we'll introduce her tomorrow."
[Teacher]: "If she shows up during class, please tell her to go to the staff room instead. I'll take roll now."
That's odd.
The moment homeroom ends, Yoshino leaps at me again.
[Yoshino]: "How dare you blow me off over the weekend...!"
[Teacher]: "Sit down, Yoshino!"
The first period teacher got here fast.
[Yoshino]: "...fine. Just you wait."
He's wasting a lot of energy on this.
About halfway through class, the rear door creaks open.
[Kotarou]: "Hm...?"
It moves a centimeter every ten seconds.
Someone's trying to sneak into the classroom.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
It stops at about thirty centimeters.
[?]: "Okay, there..."
The intruder enters on all fours.
She's clearly trying to melt into the classroom without getting spotted, but...
...it's just not gonna work.
Her seat is in the second row from the front.
How could she possibly get there unseen?
A grand battle is about to begin.
[?]: "Nn! Mm..."
She holds her bookbag in her mouth, and crawls toward the front.
She's small enough it might actually work.
[Teacher]: "I already marked you absent, Kanbe, so you can just go to your seat."
[Kotori]: "...oops."
She heads to her seat uncomfortably.
[Kotori]: "Sorry...I'm late."
[Teacher]: "Be more careful next time."
Break time.
[Yoshino]: "Youuu! Tennouji! Why did you-...!?"
[Kotori]: "It was just terrible, I didn't think she'd actually see me! Me! I have a newfound respect for teachers! You can't get away with doing bad things no matter how hard you try."
She starts talking to me with a bright smile.
He shuffles back to his seat.
[Kotori]: "Sorry about this morning."
[Kotarou]: "It's cool."
I should be the one thanking you right now.
[Kotori]: "I was so close to getting in unnoticed."
[Kotarou]: "No, you weren't. You were really obvious."
[Kotori]: "Was I?"
[Kotarou]: "I saw the door open."
[Kotori]: "Oh my."
[Kotori]: "Honestly I thought I'd done it the moment my butt fit through that thirty centimeter gap!"
[Kotori]: "But apparently not."
She squeezes her own butt.
[Kotori]: "Having a small butt comes in handy sometimes."
[Kotori]: "But I'd better not be late next time..."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, they count you as absent after five minutes, so no point turning up if you don't make it on time."
[Kotori]: "True."
[Kotori]: "Gotta go to the bathroom."
Kotori leaves and Yoshino immediately lunges toward me.
[Kotarou]: "You look restless."
[Yoshino]: "Tennouji, listen."
[Kotarou]: "O-okay."
[Yoshino]: "I cannot forgive anyone who looks down on me..."
[Yoshino]: "No matter who it is, I will knock them down. Even if it's God himself!"
Suddenly he's talking like a fighting manga protagonist.
[Kotarou]: "Even if it's God himself..."
I say it myself, and the hilarity overwhelms me.
[Kotarou]: "Hu!"
I couldn't hold it in.
[Yoshino]: ".........I'll kill you."
He grabs my chest.
And then I finally remember.
[Kotarou]: "I-I am sorry about blowing you off over the weekend..."
[Yoshino]: "So you did remember it!"
[Kotarou]: "Would you believe me if I said I only just remembered it?"
[Yoshino]: "Hell no. I'm telling you to stop belittling people. Keep it up and I'll take your money too."
[Kotarou]: "You sound serious about this."
[Yoshino]: "Yeah, prepare yourself...you'll be sleeping with the fishes in ten minutes...in a sea of your own blood."
[Kotarou]: "Sleeping with the fishes...in a sea of my own blood?"
[Kotarou]: "Huhuuu!"
[Yoshino]: "...screw youuuuuuuuu!"
[Kotori]: "What are you two talking about? It sounds fun."
[Kotori]: "Come on, tell me."
His raised fist falls weakly to his side.
[Yoshino]: "...it doesn't involve you. This is between men."
[Kotori]: "Hm? Are you two fighting?"
[Kotarou]: "Help me, Kotori. Yoshino's going to hit me."
[Yoshino]: "...damn."
[Kotori]: "Yoshino-kun, is that true?"
[Yoshino]: "Women have nothing to do with it..."
[Kotori]: "That's a really outdated attitude. You won't get popular talking like that."
[Kotarou]: "She's right! Stop bullying her!"
[Yoshino]: "Shut up. I'm the victim here!"
[Kotori]: "What does he mean, Kotarou-kun?"
I hide behind Kotori and speak firmly. |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "He's exaggerating. All I did was forget to meet up with him over the weekend."
[Yoshino]: "It was an important promise!"
[Kotori]: "What were you planning to do?"
[Kotarou]: "Well..."
[Yoshino]: "Don't tell her! I'll hit you!!"
[Kotarou]: "You rely on violence too much."
[Yoshino]: "Uuuuu..."
He grinds his teeth, enduring.
[Kotarou]: "...as you can see, he's bullying me."
[Kotori]: "But it looks like you're having a friendly squabble."
[Kotori]: "Let's try to get along."
[Kotarou]: "We can all be friends."
[Yoshino]: "Don't joke about this. Who would want to be friends with..."
[Kotori]: "Actually, I think it might work."
[Kotori]: "Be friends, be friends."
[Kotori]: "You can do it, I know you can."
[Yoshino]: "Shut up! That's just disturbing..."
[Yoshino]: "The only thing we'll do together is settle this fight!"
He raises his fist again.
[Yoshino]: "Tennouji... Take this!!"
[Teacher]: "Use that linear acceleration to get back in your seat, Yoshino."
[Yoshino]: "...shit."
[Yoshino]: "The education system has saved you again, Tennouji..."
[Kotarou]: (He's sounding weirder and weirder...)
[Kotori]: "It's a draw, it's a draw."
They both return to their seats. I feel a little lonely.
At times like this, I always think...
If we hung out together, we'd have all sorts of fun.
Lunch break.
Yoshino's leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.
Apparently he's given up for now.
He always eats his meals alone.
He's kind of a loner.
Around lunch he usually kills time like that, then once the crowds have finished moving he leaves.
And he doesn't seem to think anything of it.
[Kotarou]: (...it's a lot like what I do.)
I look around the classroom.
People going to the cafeteria.
People putting their desks together to eat with friends.
Everyone's having a fun lunch.
Kotori's also sitting alone at her desk, opening up the bentou she brought.
I want to get along with Yoshino better.
Maybe I should try eating with him...
[Kotarou]: "Yoshino, you don't have anyone to go get your food for you, right?"
[Kotarou]: "Some delinquent you are."
[Kotarou]: "But at this rate you won't eat anything, will you?"
[Kotarou]: "Let's go to the cafeteria."
[Kotarou]: "Come on Yoshino, no whining."
[Kotarou]: "You'll miss out on all the good lunches."
[Kotarou]: "That hurts, Yoshino."
[Yoshino]: "Stop talking to me like we're friends!"
[Yoshino]: "Why do you think I started ignoring you after third period...?"
[Kotarou]: "You got sick of trying...?"
[Yoshino]: "I was being merciful! How thickheaded are you!?"
[Kotarou]: "You've always been so harsh."
[Yoshino]: "Because you won't stop pestering me."
[Kotarou]: "I'm not pestering..."
[Kotarou]: "I'm just talking to you."
[Yoshino]: "And I do not want to talk to you."
[Yoshino]: "If you don't wanna get hit, leave."
[Yoshino]: "And don't come back until you want to fight."
[Kotarou]: "You really don't like me."
[Yoshino]: "No I don't."
[Kotarou]: "You shouldn't be like that."
[Kotarou]: "You know that's why you have no friends, right?"
[Yoshino]: "Good. I don't want any."
I have learned one thing from talking to him.
Acting too cool makes you look stupid.
[Yoshino]: "...why are you smirking?"
[Kotarou]: "No, I'm not."
But I can't stop my shoulders shaking.
[Yoshino]: "...begone."
[Kotarou]: "...the solar plexus? ...that hurts..."
[Yoshino]: "...hmph."
He grunts before standing up, for some reason.
[Kotarou]: "You won't eat?"
[Yoshino]: "Not with you."
...he really does hate me.
[Kotarou]: "...Kotori."
[Kotori]: "Hm?"
She makes a frighteningly loud noise.
[Kotarou]: "Mind if I eat lunch here?"
[Kotori]: "If you want...but did you bring a bentou?"
She's right.
I never bring my own lunch to school.
It's already too late to go to the cafeteria.
[Kotarou]: "...I'll go find something to eat."
[Kotori]: "Bye-bye."
...there's this sad distance between us.
Whenever I try to hang out with someone, it ends up not happening for some reason.
Instead I go to a high-class bentou store near the school.
I got a bit overexcited though, and bought something they called a "Parisian Sandwich Bentou."
Of course, we're not allowed to leave campus.
But it's a rich-boy school, so there isn't a single guard.
Just like when I left, I get back to campus by simply climbing a fence.
Admittedly, if a teacher sees me it'll get confiscated.
And I wasted a lot of time waiting in line.
Everyone else is probably done eating by now.
I'd better eat this before heading back.
[Kotarou]: (Why do I do everything by myself?)
I'm over halfway through my second year. I must have had chances to make friends at some point.
I'd really like to do something about this.
While thinking about that, I hop down from the fence.
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
The plastic bag got stuck on something.
Looks like one of the wires in the fence is sticking out.
[Kotarou]: "C-crap."
Plastic bags tear so easily.
...*splat*
[Kotarou]: "Uwacha!?"
The bentou falls apart and kisses the ground.
[Kotarou]: "Uwaaa...now what?"
I'm gonna have to buy another one...
I return to the shop, and realize something.
My wallet feels light.
[Kotarou]: "Oops..."
A mere 150 yen.
The best food I can buy with this would probably be cup ramen.
Without any other choice, I rush into a convenience store and pick a random cup.
I heat it up in the store before leaving.
Then I head to the park to eat it.
This is one of my favorite places.
It's the ideal location for sitting down on a bench and staring off into space.
And there are just the right number of people, so it doesn't feel empty or crowded.
I make loud noises as I slurp the noodles.
[Kotarou]: "This is good..."
[Kotarou]: "But my sandwiches..."
They fell directly onto the ground when I dropped them, so I'd better give up on them.
But poor people like me have trouble throwing things away.
...Parisian sandwiches and cup ramen.
That's a huge difference... |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
Just the fact that one is called "Parisian" makes the gap between them huge...like a Pomeranian versus a greater daemon.
But this cup ramen is good...
When you only eat it once in a while, it's really good.
Given the price, it's impossible to complain about it.
Cup ramen is a powerful ally for the commoner.
But no one wants to eat it every day.
It's a strange food.
Come to think of it, how are you supposed to abbreviate "cup ramen?"
Maybe "cupra?"
[Kotarou]: "Haaa, this cupra is gooood."
[Kotarou]: "*slurp*～"
[Cat]: "Meow～"
A friendly cat approaches.
[Kotarou]: "Oh, you want some too?"
A cat probably wouldn't mind having dirt on their food.
[Kotarou]: "But do they eat sandwiches?"
I offer it to the cat anyway.
[Kotarou]: "Oh...he ate it."
[Kotarou]: "He seems to like it..."
There's another cat watching us from afar.
[Kotarou]: "Come on, you can eat too."
[Cat]: "Hiss!"
[Kotarou]: "Mm."
He seems violent.
I pull bits of tuna out of the sandwich and toss them toward the violent cat.
[Cat]: "Hiss!"
The cat picks it up with his mouth and runs off.
[Kotarou]: "He's really bad at this..."
[Kotarou]: "Friendly cats like you probably get much more food."
[Cat]: "Meow～"
Well, some humans are like that too.
I pick up my trash and leave the park.
[Kotarou]: "Oh, almost forgot..."
At some point three other cats had joined in, so there were four of them crowding around the empty sandwich box I forgot to throw away.
[Kotarou]: "Bye now, have a good life."
As I leave...
[Cat]: "Hiss."
The violent cat returns for the scraps.
[Kotarou]: "...that guy's always hissing."
I wave goodbye to the hissy cat and walk away.
The uphill road to school.
Below me I can see the city, covered in green.
I've never compared it to other cities, but this is a lot of green.
The nearby mountains in particular are completely covered in it.
In elementary school we took a kind of social sciences class called "Our Town." From what I learned back then, the forest around here is under government control.
Which means humans are protecting the forest here.
I could even go look for beetles there in the summer.
Memories are beautiful.
Viva mother nature.
I think all children need to go looking for insects at some point.
If they don't get used to how icky critters like that move around, they won't be able to calmly deal with more disgusting creatures.
Boys need to be able to deal with things like that.
Ideally, if something leaps at them, they should be able to go "hmph" and punch it to the ground.
Unfortunately I didn't get used to those things, so I'm still kinda bad at dealing with insects.
In fact, I'm like a herbivore who goes "Kyaaa!" the moment I see them.
...I did go looking for bugs, but I never found any.
[Kotarou]: "Mm..."
*rustle*
I hear something above me.
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
...I look up, and see nothing.
I look down, and find a cardboard box at the bottom of a tree.
[Kotarou]: "What's this doing here?"
Is there something above it?
I try looking into the tree again.
That instant...
[???]: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?"
*rustle* *rustle* *rustleeee!*
A tremendous noise erupts overhead.
[Kotarou]: "Whoa!? Wh-what happened?"
[???]: "O-owowow..."
[Kotarou]: "Uwaa..."
A girl fell from the sky...
Her uniform is different from ours, so she must be from a different school.
I could tell she was in trouble, but I couldn't think for a few seconds.
The loud rustling of leaves. The light pouring through the tree.
A girl with orange hair.
...writhing around like a fish in a net.
I can't tell if this is poetic or tragic.
Wait, doesn't this mean she fell!?
[Kotarou]: "Heeey, a-are you okay!?"
I try getting her attention.
[???]: "Ah!"
She starts wriggling.
The branches shake, but she fails to dislodge herself.
Her body is stuck in a U-shape between two huge branches, and she can't seem to get up.
[Schoolgirl]: "I'm probably not okay...I can't get down."
[Kotarou]: "Umm..."
After falling that spectacularly, you'd think she'd be injured somehow...
[Kotarou]: "Are you hurt?"
[Schoolgirl]: "I hurt all over because all the branches scraped me."
So no serious injuries...
Once I know that, I start thinking again.
First, let's reassess the situation.
This cardboard box probably contains the girl's stuff.
It's a perfectly ordinary box, with a moving company's logo on it.
There's nothing strange about it at all.
The girl didn't exactly fall from the sky either.
She probably slipped and fell from somewhere higher up the hill.
But still, there should be guard rails up there, so something must've really knocked her over.
But even then, would she fall over it...?
Come to think of it, I saw an American cartoon once where the hero got blown into a dump truck, then leaped out of it along with what he was carrying, and landed at his destination.
She must've been trying to do something like that.
Hop off the hill, and...
"Hello～ You've got mail!"
...completing the delivery the moment she landed.
Yeah, that would be pretty quick.
So, when the dump truck showed up...
"Uooryaaaaaaa! Now's my chaaaaaaance!!"
...and she managed to jump this far, but didn't quite stick the landing at the end...I guess.
A perfect explanation.
Although it makes perfect sense, most people would die from that so it's clearly not right.
I stopped being an idiot and looked back up.
[Kotarou]: "Dare I ask how you ended up in there?"
[Schoolgirl]: "I fell～"
[Kotarou]: "I see...I guess that makes sense."
That's normal.
No helping it if she fell.
Anyway, she can't move right now, so I'd better help.
[Kotarou]: "I'll come up there and help. Sit tight."
[Schoolgirl]: "Ah!"
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
[Schoolgirl]: "D-don't you dare look at my underwear!!"
[Kotarou]: "Well...I wasn't planning on looking..."
[Kotarou]: "But given the position you're in, it's gonna be really hard not to see it."
[Schoolgirl]: "Waaa! Waaa!!"
She tries to push her short skirt down.
...incidentally, why do girls wear such short skirts if they don't want anyone to see their panties?
[Schoolgirl]: "If you're gonna come up here make sure you don't look!"
[Kotarou]: "It's kinda hard to climb without looking up, you know. Not much I can do about it."
I'd almost certainly see them as soon as I reached the base of the tree.
[Schoolgirl]: "Don't look at them anyway!"
[Kotarou]: "Umm, what do you want me to do then?"
[Kotarou]: "Do you want my help or not?" |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Schoolgirl]: "N-no! Please help me! I can't get down!"
I think.
This is quite a conundrum...
Let's check some other angles.
...ah, crap, I saw a bit of pink.
[Kotarou]: "Can't you hide them with something?"
[Schoolgirl]: "No, I can't move at all."
[Kotarou]: "So you want me to climb up that tree and save you without looking up, or in your general direction?"
[Schoolgirl]: "Yes!"
[Kotarou]: "Can't do it."
[Kotarou]: "Since you give me no other choice, I'll just move on and pretend I saw nothing."
I wave my hand, turn around and walk off.
[Schoolgirl]: "Aaah!? What's with you? Don't be so mean!!"
[Kotarou]: "But it's impossible. What am I supposed to do?"
[Schoolgirl]: "And you call yourself a man!?"
[Kotarou]: "Should you really be talking like that when asking someone else for help?"
[Kotarou]: "Well, I saw nothing, so I'll just move on..."
[Kotarou]: "So you can keep waiting, and imagining what it'd be like if some old pervert found you, said "Nice panties!" and took a picture. I'm sure it'd be much worse than letting me see them."
[Schoolgirl]: "I-I don't want that～!"
[Kotarou]: "Whoops, I started talking to myself even though I didn't see anything. I should keep walking while mimicking a certain someone."
[Kotarou]: "Namely, our former Prime Minister Koizumi, who used to watch little kids' hero shows despite his age."
[Kotarou]: "...umm, hey, the warrior, hey...oh, hero! This...destroy...this organization!! I am in awe!!"
[Schoolgirl]: "Huhuu!"
Ah, she laughed.
No one's ever laughed at that gag before.
[Schoolgirl]: "A-anyway, you're a boy, so you should help me!"
[Kotarou]: "So it's okay if I see them?"
[Schoolgirl]: "N-no!"
[Kotarou]: "Okay then...Nice panties!"
[Schoolgirl]: "I-I get the poooint!"
[Kotarou]: "There."
I rescue her without incident.
[Schoolgirl]: "Haa, I'm saved..."
Fortunately, she really does have no serious injuries.
...how tough is she?
[Kotarou]: "So how did you end up here again?"
[Schoolgirl]: "The truth is, I'm actually a transfer student."
[Kotarou]: "Oooh."
What else could you possibly be?
Well, I guess that means this is the girl everyone was excited about.
[Schoolgirl]: "But I couldn't figure out where the school was..."
[Schoolgirl]: "I finally found it and walked all the way here, but I was kinda tired so I put my stuff on the guard rail to take a break."
[Schoolgirl]: "Then I lost my balance and fell headfirst..."
[Kotarou]: "Well, that's pretty dumb..."
[Schoolgirl]: "Uu, uuu..."
[Kotarou]: "Nah, it's fine. It happens to everyone."
I reassure her with a cheery smile.
Ah, she blushed...
I can't quite tell if she's mad or embarrassed.
[Kotarou]: "So you spent all morning wandering around town?"
[Kotarou]: "Nah, it's fine. It happens to everyone."
Once more I reassure her with a cheery smile.
[Schoolgirl]: "Uuu...th-this is humiliating..."
[Kotarou]: "Should we get going then?"
[Schoolgirl]: "Huh?"
[Kotarou]: "...to school?"
[Schoolgirl]: "The humiliation is becoming unbearable."
[Kotarou]: "Like I said, it's fine."
[Schoolgirl]: "Eh? ...aaah, well, okay."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, is this your stuff?"
I gesture toward the box.
Did she carry this thing all around town...?
I should at least carry it for her.
[Kotarou]: "Umph..."
I put my hands in the holes on each side, and raise my hips.
[Kotarou]: ".........!?"
Th-this is heavy!!
Unbelievably heavy...!
[Kotarou]: "Uu! Uuoooooooooooooooo..."
*thud*
I dropped it.
No way...
I'll try lifting it from the bottom.
[Kotarou]: "Uu! Uuoooooooooooooooooo..."
It's still really heavy.
My hips start screaming almost instantly.
I try handing it to the girl.
[Schoolgirl]: "Hm?"
She grabs it without effort.
No, I'm pretty sure I'm not that weak.
[Schoolgirl]: "Umm～?"
[Kotarou]: "Hang on a sec."
I try doing pull-ups on one of the tree's lower branches.
[Kotarou]: "Uu! Uu!"
Not too hard.
If anything my arms are stronger than average.
Something's not right here.
This girl was able to hold that box with her slender arms and wander around town for hours with it.
[Schoolgirl]: "What are you doing?"
[Kotarou]: "Checking something."
[Schoolgirl]: "I don't understand."
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's try this."
I take the box again.
Here goes...
[Kotarou]: "Uu! Uuoooooooooooooooooo..."
It's still heavy...!!
[Schoolgirl]: "Umm..."
[Kotarou]: "What is it?"
[Schoolgirl]: "I can tell you're trying to look calm, but your face is bright red, and your veins are popping out."
[Kotarou]: "I'm just embarrassed."
[Schoolgirl]: "I don't think that'd make your veins pop."
[Schoolgirl]: "Is it heavy?"
[Kotarou]: "There's no way this box can be heavy if a girl carried it around for hours all by herself."
[Schoolgirl]: "Your arms are quivering."
[Kotarou]: "They're just excited..."
[Schoolgirl]: "No, I'll carry it. I'm pretty strong."
[Kotarou]: "No way...!! I can't walk empty-handed while a girl carries this..."
[Kotarou]: "My pride as a man will not allow it...!!"
I find myself spurred on by a bizarre sense of duty.
[Schoolgirl]: "Umm...I can tell you're eager to do this, but I'd prefer you didn't drop it."
[Kotarou]: "Leave it to me...you have nothing to worry about...!!"
[Schoolgirl]: "Umm, I'm already very worried about it."
[Schoolgirl]: "It's fine, I'll carry it."
[Kotarou]: "Eeeeeeeh..."
She grabs the box from me.
But I can't let her take it.
It's just not cool.
[Schoolgirl]: "Mu."
*yank*
She pulls on me.
I fight back.
[Schoolgirl]: "Mumu..."
*yank* *yank* *yank*
[Schoolgirl]: "Please give it back!!"
She puts a little more strength into it, and...
*pop*
[Kotarou]: "Ah."
The box tears.
[Schoolgirl]: "Wa...!"
She loses her balance. |
<METADATA>
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Schoolgirl]: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"
*thump!*
*roll* *roll* *roll* *roll* *craaaaash!!!*
She rolled and fell down the hill...
[Kotarou]: "N-not good! Not good!"
She collides with the guard rail and falls right over it...!
I rush toward her.
[Kotarou]: "Heeey! Umm, transfer studeeent!"
I listen.
[Schoolgirl]: "O-owww～"
An answer. She isn't dead.
Looks like a tree caught her again.
That's twice in a row...she's really lucky...
Well, actually she had pretty bad luck.
[Schoolgirl]: "What on earth do you think you're doing!?"
She yells at me.
[Kotarou]: "Eh? Umm..."
This is my fault?
Anyway, she seems fine.
[Schoolgirl]: "Wait, waaaaaaaaaa!"
And then she falls.
More loud rustling noises.
[Kotarou]: "Uwaaa..."
It's hard to react any other way at this point.
Then...
I hear a loud siren going wee-ooo-wee-ooo as an ambulance approaches.
[Paramedic]: "Hey! Are you all right!?"
[Schoolgirl]: "Eh? Yeah, I'm fine."
[Paramedic]: "Thank goodness we were driving by! Hurry, to the hospital!!"
[Schoolgirl]: "U-u-umm! I'm just fine!"
[Paramedic]: "There's no way you'd be fine after falling from that height! Bring the stretcher!"
[Schoolgirl]: "Wait, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!?"
The paramedics put the transfer student on the stretcher with incredible efficiency, and carry her into the ambulance.
[Schoolgirl]: "I told you I'm just fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!"
Wee-ooo-wee-ooo...
The siren exhibits the Doppler effect as the ambulance drives away.
I simply stand there, agape.
[Kotarou]: "That was quite the transfer student..."
Transfer students really do make crazy things happen.
By the way, cherries.
...well, you know, I was able to see them.
It's kinda childish for a girl at her age. I can see why she wouldn't want anyone to see.
Still...
[Kotarou]: "Is she really okay...?"
I don't feel worried, but she did fall from the hill twice, so any normal person would have broken bones.
Though I guess that ambulance will take care of her...
She did seem pretty tough too.
[Kotarou]: "Okay."
I refocus myself, and climb up the hill.
I get a push cart from the janitor's room and go back down the hill.
[Kotarou]: "Well, I can't just leave it here."
I put the box on the cart and turn around.
Fortunately only the handles tore.
If I tried carrying it again it'd probably break, so getting this cart was a good call.
[Kotarou]: "Mmm...it's still really heavy."
And since I'm going uphill, it keeps leaning to one side.
Speaking of which, what's in there anyway?
Unfortunately looking inside would violate her privacy.
I'm not the type of person to do such a horrible thing.
I am curious, but the right thing to do is carry this to the school without looking.
I push the cart up toward the school.
When I get inside, it hits me.
Where am I supposed to leave this?
She's transferring into my class, so if I leave it in the classroom it should get to her.
But it seems important to her, so that might not be good enough.
Maybe I should leave it in the staff room.
[Yoshino]: "Hey. You. What're you doing?"
[Kotarou]: "Oh, perfect timing. Get on!"
[Yoshino]: "Huh? On what?"
[Kotarou]: "This thing."
I point to the cart.
[Yoshino]: "...are you stupid?"
[Kotarou]: "You think so? Sitting down here gives you a lower point of view so you get a great sense of speed."
[Kotarou]: "I'll push you as hard as I can, so get on!"
[Yoshino]: "Screw you. Play your stupid games by yourself."
[Kotarou]: "Come on, it's fun."
[Yoshino]: "You're wasting my time."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? You're sure it won't be fun?"
[Yoshino]: "You...do you really think I'd do something that childish...?"
[Kotarou]: "Don't hold it in."
[Yoshino]: "What makes you think I am!?"
[Kotarou]: "Hmmm, Yoshino, you're more serious than I thought."
[Kotarou]: "I guess you'd never do something as lawless as ride on a push cart."
[Yoshino]: "What did you say...?"
[Yoshino]: "I like the way you think."
He gets on without a fight.
[Yoshino]: "Don't underestimate me...I'll show you how lawless I am..."
He sits down on the cart.
[Yoshino]: "Do it!"
[Kotarou]: "Oouu!"
Yoshino plays with me.
*roll* *roll* *roooooll!!!*
We race down the hallway with a tremendous rolling sound.
Yoshino sits on the cart as I push him along.
[Kotarou]: "Yahoooo!"
[Yoshino]: "Uwaaahahahahaha! This is so much fuuun!"
[Kotarou]: "Uwaaai! Gooo, full speeeeed!"
*rollrollrollrollrollrollroooooooll!*
[Third-Year Girl]: "What's going on?"
[Third-Year Girl]: "Uhuhu, they're playing with the push cart. How adorable."
[Yoshino]: "We're just making girls laugh at us!!!"
[Kotarou]: "Well...it was still lawless."
[Yoshino]: "I understand now...there's nothing lawless about that! You're just a stupid child!!"
[Kotarou]: "You suuuure?"
[Yoshino]: "Yes I'm sure!"
I receive a kick for my trouble.
[Kotarou]: "Ow! Okay! Okay, fine!"
[Kotarou]: "Then let's throw out the childish part and try going for some truly insane speed."
[Yoshino]: "A mad rampage throwing caution to the wind...sounds dangerous. Now that's lawless."
He sits down on the cart.
[Yoshino]: "I am the king of speed!"
[Kotarou]: "Oouu!"
Yoshino plays with me again.
*roll* *roll* *roooooll!!!*
We race down the hallway again with a tremendous rolling sound.
Yoshino sits on the cart as I push him along.
[Yoshino]: "Come on, come on, outta the way! Move it, move iiiit!"
[Yoshino]: "Uwaaahahahahaparariraparariraaa!"
[Kotarou]: "Parirariparirariii!"
[Third-Year Girl]: "What's going on?"
[Third-Year Girl]: "Uhuhu, they're playing with the push cart. How adorable."
[Yoshino]: "They're reacting exactly the same way they did last time!!!"
[Kotarou]: "Eh? But wasn't it lawless?"
[Yoshino]: "The fact that we're racing around on a push cart is what they're finding "adorable!"" |
<METADATA>
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "Well, aren't you glad it wasn't any worse? Some people might just call it stupid."
[Yoshino]: "Don't make me do stupid things!"
Yoshino takes a stance as he says that. Being kicked hurts, so I step back.
[Kotarou]: "Wasn't it fun?"
[Yoshino]: "You...after causing me such shame, you dare ask if it was fun?"
[Yoshino]: "How do you plan to compensate me for this...?"
[Kotarou]: "Didn't you ride it voluntarily?"
[Yoshino]: "You tricked me into doing that with your skilled conversationalism!"
I guess I can have some confidence about that.
I've leveled-up to a Skilled Conversationalist.
*ding* *dong*
[Kotarou]: "Ah, five minutes left."
[Yoshino]: "Geh, saved by the bell...you have some damn good luck..."
He returns to the classroom.
It's hard to call him lawless when he always goes to class on time.
And he did seem to enjoy playing with the cart.
Well, now that I've had my fun, I should go to the staff room.
My original goal was to deliver this box, not to play with this cart.
[Kotarou]: "Parariraparariraaa."
*roll* *roll*
I encounter a teacher in front of the staff room.
[Teacher]: "Hm? What are you doing here, Tennouji-kun?"
[Kotarou]: "Delivery!"
[Kotarou]: "I stumbled across the transfer student's belongings."
[Teacher]: "Huh? You found her things, but not her?"
[Kotarou]: "She wandered around town for hours in search of the school but then fell into a tree and dropped this box before an ambulance took her away."
[Teacher]: "Sorry, come again?"
[Kotarou]: "She wandered around town for hours in search of the school but then fell into a tree and dropped this box before an ambulance took her away."
He seems confused by this.
But it's all true.
[Teacher]: "I know you're not lying, Tennouji-kun."
[Teacher]: "But...I'm starting to get worried about what kind of student is transferring here..."
He lowers his shoulders sadly.
[Kotarou]: "Cheer up. She seems really tough, so I'm sure she'll be fine."
[Teacher]: "Really...?"
It's a bit odd to have to say this, but she's not a problem student or anything.
[Teacher]: "Ah, right...if an ambulance took her away, she must be..."
[Teacher]: "Hm?"
He looks behind me.
[Kotarou]: "What?"
I turn around.
[Schoolgirl]: "Haa, haa..."
The transfer student arrives, out of breath.
[Teacher]: "Aaa...there you are, Ohtori-san."
[Schoolgirl]: "Yes..."
Oh yeah, I hadn't heard her name yet.
Ohtori-san.
Her uniform makes her stand out, so there are students whispering about her here and there.
Everyone really is curious about the transfer student.
I'd like to tell them to go back to class, but I'm out here myself.
I can't really criticize them for doing the same thing I'm doing.
[Ohtori]: "Sorry...so much happened I'm not even sure where to begin..."
[Teacher]: "Ah, it's all right, Tennouji-kun already told me about it."
[Teacher]: "I'm glad I asked, otherwise I'd be panicking about now."
[Ohtori]: "Well, thank you..."
[Ohtori]: "Geh."
[Kotarou]: "Why is "geh" the first thing you say when you see me, Ohtori-san?"
That's kind of a gloomy face.
[Kotarou]: "...hmmm."
[Kotarou]: "Did I do something to make you dislike me?"
[Ohtori]: "That's the first thing you ask!?"
[Ohtori]: "Terrible things have been happening ever since I met you!!"
[Ohtori]: "I fell three times, I rolled down the hill, and that ambulance kidnapped me!!!"
I'm pretty sure I had nothing to do with one of those falls.
[Kotarou]: "Come to think of it, what happened after that?"
[Ohtori]: "They wouldn't listen to me, so I had to escape by force..."
Oooh, that must've been a cool scene. Like something from a movie.
Wish I could've seen it.
[Ohtori]: "And every one of those unfortunate events..."
[Ohtori]: "Was all your fault!!"
[Ohtori]: "It's all because I met you!!!"
[Kotarou]: "Eeeh? I thought I saved you...please don't attach that kind of karma to me."
[Kotarou]: "Besides, it's not my fault the box tore..."
[Kotarou]: "And if I hadn't come along you'd be nothing but cherries by now."
The secret is announced to the public.
[Ohtori]: "Gyaaaaaaaaa! Why do you know about thaaaaat!!?"
Oops, I wasn't supposed to mention that.
[Kotarou]: "Sorry."
[Ohtori]: "Uuu...say that again and I won't let you off so easy..."
[Teacher]: "What? What's all this about?"
[Kotarou]: "Oh, I helped her when she got stuck in a tree."
[Teacher]: "You should thank him for that, Ohtori-san."
He speaks the truth.
[Teacher]: "Come on, say "thank you" as loud as you can!"
[Ohtori]: "Uu..."
[Ohtori]: "...thank you."
She lowers her head.
[Kotarou]: "You're welcome."
[Ohtori]: "But for unrelated reasons, I hate you."
[Kotarou]: "Eeeh...?"
The kind girl became my enemy.
Why did it have to come to this?
If we'd met normally, I'm sure we could've gotten along fine.
[Kotarou]: "Hey..."
[Kotarou]: "Could we start over from scratch...?"
[Kotarou]: "Like when we first met?"
[Ohtori]: "H-huh?"
[Ohtori]: "Wh-what?"
[Teacher]: "Oh my...were you two a couple? Did something happen between you two?"
[Ohtori]: "No! Nothing like that!"
[Ohtori]: "Stop confusing people like that!"
[Student]: "Eh? ...the transfer student is Tennouji's ex?"
[Ohtori]: "Ah-aaah! Look! They're all misunderstanding now!"
[Ohtori]: "I-it's not true! Come on, tell them it never happened!"
[Teacher]: "I thought Tennouji-kun was closer to Kanbe-san."
[Kotarou]: "Nope, Kotori's just a friend. For now."
[Ohtori]: "Listen to meeeeeeeee!!!"
[Ohtori]: "Haa! Haa...!"
[Teacher]: "...you seem to be getting along well."
[Kotarou]: "It does kinda feel that way."
[Ohtori]: "Huh?"
[Kotarou]: "Well, sorry for making fun of you."
[Teacher]: "Sorry for playing along."
[Ohtori]: "Uwaaaaaaaaaaan!! I hate you aaaaaall!!!"
[Kotarou]: "So, what do we do with her stuff?"
[Teacher]: "No problem, I'll take care of it." |
<METADATA>
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
[Teacher]: "So, Ohtori-san, please go say hello to the principal first. Then...it seems pointless to go to homeroom this late, so you can just go home after that."
[Ohtori]: "Uuuuu...o-okay..."
[Kotarou]: "I'd better get back to class then."
[Teacher]: "Okay then."
We disperse immediately.
I feel a burning gaze.
She's glaring at me.
The transfer student already hates me...
[Ohtori]: "Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa it just hit me that "cherries" means you saw them back then didn't youuuuu!!!?"
Crap, she remembered something bad.
I must make my escape posthaste.
[Teacher]: "What's all this about cherries?"
[Ohtori]: "Uuuuuum!"
This transfer student seems to have a few screws loose.
[Teacher]: "...and that's it for today."
Homeroom ends.
[Kotori]: "Hello."
[Kotarou]: "Hey."
[Kotarou]: "Did that class make any sense to you?"
[Kotori]: "Not really..."
[Kotarou]: "We've been covering a lot of material lately."
[Kotarou]: "The midterms are gonna be tough."
[Kotori]: "I might be in serious trouble."
[Kotarou]: "Is your attendance okay?"
[Kotori]: "I think I'm still barely okay on that."
[Kotarou]: "You aren't part of any clubs after all. It's hard for teachers to recommend you."
If Kotori ever had to do an interview, she'd have to say something like...
"I was in the going home club as a student, and I learned a lot about the importance of going home."
...because she does absolutely nothing else at school.
I also ended up in the going home club because of that.
[Kotarou]: "Should I help you study before the test?"
[Kotori]: "Would you do that for me?"
[Kotarou]: "Well, I'm not keeping up all that well myself..."
[Kotori]: "I know."
[Kotarou]: "We need a friend who can study."
[Kotori]: "Then we'd nickname him "Professor.""
[Kotarou]: "It can't be just some honors student. He needs to be fun to hang out with."
[Kotori]: "He does?"
[Kotarou]: "It hurts being surrounded by more serious students than yourself..."
Some trauma from my first year resurfaced.
The class was split into groups back then.
...it was horrible.
[Kotarou]: "Some people just aren't on the same wavelength, you know?"
[Kotori]: "I think I get what you mean."
[Kotarou]: "We want someone who's easy to talk to, and not in any groups already."
[Kotarou]: "Actually, I know one guy who might fit the bill."
[Kotori]: "So do I."
We both look at Yoshino.
[Kotarou]: "Where would we ever find a Yoshino like that?"
[Yoshino]: ".........uu."
We were talking loud enough for him to hear it.
[Yoshino]: "...someday, I will crush you."
He grabs his bag and leaves. That must've really bothered him.
[Kotori]: "He's avoiding us."
[Kotarou]: "But he's the only loner left in the class."
[Kotori]: "Your motives are impure."
[Kotori]: "And you never make a serious effort."
[Kotarou]: "Neither does he. You've seen the act he puts on."
[Kotarou]: "He's tempting me...I just know it."
[Kotori]: "This is troubling."
[Kotarou]: "Oh, wait, I need to be somewhere."
[Kotori]: "Where?"
[Kotarou]: "A part-time job interview, I guess."
[Kotori]: "You're getting a job?"
[Kotarou]: "...it's a bit of a strange job."
[Kotori]: "What is it?"
[Kotarou]: "Wanna come with me? It shouldn't take long."
[Kotori]: "Hmmm..."
[Kotori]: "I'll pass for today. I haven't come to school in a while, so I'd like to talk to some other friends."
[Kotarou]: "Okay."
[Kotarou]: "See you tomorrow."
[Kotori]: "That's the plan. Bye."
[Kotarou]: (Talk to other friends...hmm.)
...no, I shouldn't pry.
Being in a town full of rich people really does feel lacking somehow.
Lots of people at school are rich too.
My family isn't exactly poor.
But I still have my reasons for wanting a job.
I would be happy with anything new.
Anything that might broaden my horizons.
I have a feeling it might help me change...
[Kotarou]: (It's really crowded...)
There are a lot of people here.
Even compared to a few months ago, it's noticeably different.
Just walking to the station would be a challenge.
If it's like this during the day, it'll be even worse in the evening.
[Kotarou]: (...come to think of it, it's already October.)
It'll be time for the festival soon.
Of course there'd be more people moving around.
The entire city gets involved in that festival, so a lot of preparation is required.
The bulletin board near the station had lots of recruitment posters for festival-related part-time jobs.
"Looking for harvest festival temporary part-timers, 1100 yen per hour～"
"Waiters and waitresses needed! Students may apply! 750 yen per hour～"
"Part-time barkeeps needed for harvest festival."
"Part-time construction job starting on November 1st, 950 yen per hour."
"Would you like to work part-time this harvest festival? We need help organizing the outdoor music events～"
"Harvest festival temporary event staff. 1200 yen per hour."
Come to think of it, most of these festival jobs are to fulfill emergency needs.
They all look pretty nice.
[Kotarou]: (...that just means it'll be a tough job.)
I don't mind if it's tough.
I'm willing to do all sorts of manual labor.
But I've already scheduled an appointment.
[Kotarou]: "It's almost time..."
[Editor]: "...that concludes the interview. Should we contact you by phone?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes, that's fine."
[Editor]: "Okay. Good evening then."
[Kotarou]: "Goodbye."
The interview went well.
I chose a part-time job as a column writer in a local magazine.
It was a strange magazine, so all they wanted me to do was write something interesting twice a month.
Make fun articles using a plethora of images.
I have to find the material on my own.
Any interesting event, or just something the writer's interested in. Apparently anything goes.
They value the writer's enthusiasm over the material itself.
They say if the writer can't get their passion across, nothing else matters.
It's kinda like a blog.
So it's not much of a stable income source.
I get some money each time I submit an article.
Personally, I like that kind of relaxed business model.
Not only that, the young editor I was talking to is an alumnus of my school.
I was nervous at first, but by the end I was getting really into it.
I'd like to think I made an impression there. |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "It's still evening...?"
There's still some time left before it gets dark.
[Kotarou]: (Not that I have anything to do.)
Actually, he said in the interview that a digital camera would be really good for this job.
I could borrow one from them, but it'd be a pain to go get it every time.
If it's not that expensive, I might as well buy one now.
[Kotarou]: (Guess I'll get out my savings and go buy a camera.)
I walk around aimlessly for a while, but nothing jumps out at me.
I have no way of telling which of the cameras on display are any good.
[Kotarou]: (...I might have to do some research first.)
I should probably go home.
But right now I'm in an unfamiliar alley.
[Kotarou]: (...this place doesn't feel right.)
There's a lot of young ruffians here.
Some of them are sitting down against the wall and laughing, and others are practicing their dancing.
These people all live in a different world from me.
Nothing good will come from talking to them.
I'll just walk by them.
[Tattooed Man]: "Hey, boy, wait up."
[Kotarou]: (That was fast...)
This man is so huge I have to look up at him.
Maybe I shouldn't have come here in my (rich boy school) uniform.
[Kotarou]: "Wh-what is it...?"
[Tattooed Man]: "...look."
The man has a flame tattoo on his face.
[Kotarou]: "...that's an impressive tattoo."
[Tattooed Man]: "Not that. Look at this."
[Tattooed Man]: "They're all bargains."
The man was running a shop.
There are all sorts of devices on display.
[Tattooed Man]: "Boy, I can tell by your face that you want a digital camera."
[Kotarou]: "...you're right."
[Tattooed Man]: "You want it for work or a blog...and you want photos better than what your cell phone can take."
[Kotarou]: "Yes..."
[Tattooed Man]: "How about this one? You can have it for cheap."
[Kotarou]: "That looks expensive."
[Kotarou]: "What's the price...?"
The man smirks.
This is the face of a man who kills people on a daily basis.
[Tattooed Man]: "It's on special sale right now for only 50,000 yen."
[Kotarou]: "Eh...?"
[Tattooed Man]: "How about it? You can even use your student loan for it."
[Kotarou]: "No, my budget is a little...umm..."
[Kotarou]: "Sorry!"
I run away.
[Tattooed Man]: "H-hey, wait up...!"
I almost bought some horrible Chinese knockoff product.
The back alleys are a really scary place.
After walking for a while, I find another shop.
The owner here is smiling gently.
He also has lots of cameras on display.
I can tell this is the right place.
[Kotarou]: "How much for a digital camera?"
[Nice-Looking Man]: "A thousand yen."
[Kotarou]: "No way! This place is godly!!"
[Nice-Looking Man]: "Thank you very much."
[Nice-Looking Man]: "You can have three for two thousand."
[Kotarou]: "Whoa! That's a huge discount."
I was 80% taken in by him.
[Contemporary Man]: "Wait a sec."
[Nice-Looking Man]: "...what?"
A man appeared, wearing contemporary clothing.
[Contemporary Man]: "That's a knockoff, you know."
He points to the camera.
[Kotarou]: "Eh?"
[Contemporary Man]: "A low-quality copy made in a foreign country. An illegal one at that."
[Contemporary Man]: "Look at the bottom of the box."
I look.
In very tiny letters, it said this:
*This product is a joke designed to resemble a high-quality digital camera*
[Kotarou]: "Even the warnings are terrible!"
[Contemporary Man]: "Right?"
[Kotarou]: "Geh..."
I put the camera back.
And then the man picked it up.
[Contemporary Man]: "It's a well-made fake though."
[Contemporary Man]: "There's been a lot of suspicious types around here lately, old man."
[Nice-Looking Man]: "Wh-what are you talking about?"
[Contemporary Man]: "It's fine. If someone gets deceived this easily, it's their own fault."
[Contemporary Man]: "But I happen to know that kid, so I'd like it if you didn't pull one over on him."
[Nice-Looking Man]: ".........umm, well..."
[Kotarou]: "Umm, thanks."
[Contemporary Man]: "It's fine, it's fine."
[Contemporary Man]: "I just couldn't stand to watch you get fooled so easily."
[Kotarou]: "But you said you knew me."
[Contemporary Man]: "Ah, I was making stuff up."
[Kotarou]: "Thought so."
[Contemporary Man]: "Is that uniform what I think it is?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes. I'm Tennouji, a second-year."
[Contemporary Man]: "Hmmmm."
He looks at me from top to bottom, as if there's something odd about me.
[Contemporary Man]: "Tennouji-kun..."
[Kotarou]: "...what?"
[Contemporary Man]: "Nothing."
[Contemporary Man]: "What are you doing here?"
[Kotarou]: "Umm, looking for a digital camera."
[Contemporary Man]: "Oh, you actually were looking for one?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes, for my part-time job."
[Contemporary Man]: "Hmmmm, a job..."
[Contemporary Man]: "Is it one of the harvest festival jobs?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes, one of those."
[Contemporary Man]: "Well, I guess you can save up enough for a camera by doing one of those."
[Kotarou]: "That's right."
[Contemporary Man]: "...I see. So that's what you're like, Tennouji-kun."
[Kotarou]: "Yes...what about it?"
[Contemporary Man]: "No, no, nothing. I see, I see, okay."
[Contemporary Man]: "You're a serious student then."
He seems to be figuring something out on his own.
[Kotarou]: "?"
[Contemporary Man]: "If you're after a camera, that tattooed guy earlier would be a good bet."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? Seriously?"
[Contemporary Man]: "Seriously. He does that for fun, so I know his stuff is good."
[Contemporary Man]: "This is a flea market so he usually doesn't have the latest models, but everything he does have is high quality."
[Kotarou]: "...so 50,000 is actually a fair price for one of those things?"
[Kotarou]: "Wait, this is a flea market!?"
[Contemporary Man]: "Technically, yeah..."
[Contemporary Man]: "Though their customers all look like gangsters, so people seem to think it's a slum."
[Contemporary Man]: "Well, there have been a lot of suspicious guys here lately, so try not to get tricked too easily."
[Contemporary Man]: "Bye."
The man walks off.
I didn't even ask his name.
But he feels familiar somehow.
I don't think I've met him before...
[Kotarou]: (Have I...seen him somewhere...?)
No matter how much I think about it, I can't remember him.
[Kotarou]: (Oh well...) |
<METADATA>
</METADATA>
I decide to head home after that... |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
Kazamatsuri is an experimental afforestation city.
There are lots of research institutions and companies throughout the city.
And a lot's being done to deal with environmental issues.
It's a blessed town.
Calm, wealthy, and there's greenery everywhere.
I'm a little late. I'd better hurry to school.
[Kotarou]: "An ordinary asphalt road."
[Kotarou]: "There are lots of students and company employees here in the morning. Kazamatsuri couldn't be a more peaceful, relaxing town."
[Kotarou]: "Normal Kazamatsuri."
[Kotarou]: "My house. I just left it."
[Kotarou]: "I'm hooome!"
[Kotarou]: "Didn't you just leave five seconds ago!?"
[Kotarou]: "Being my own straight man feels so lonely..."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? I forgot something? I don't think so..."
[Kotarou]: "Why am I wandering around my own house so much?"
[Kotarou]: "Where are you trying to go? This is the forest."
[Kotarou]: "You want to be even later? ...I've never skipped school entirely."
[Kotarou]: "*whistle!* I've gathered a bunch of acorns! Now I can stick toothpicks in them to make tops!"
[Kotarou]: "I've reverted to a young child."
[Kotarou]: "That's enough childishness. Time to go."
[Kotarou]: "Tamura-san's house. Is it really okay to cut through here...?"
[Kotarou]: "I'll try to sneak along the edge of the backyard."
[Kotarou]: "What...? Do I need to do something at Tamura-san's house...?"
[Kotarou]: "If I hang around here any longer I'll be a trespasser."
[Kotarou]: "Fine...I'll go talk to him directly."
[Kotarou]: "Hey there!"
[Kotarou]: "Ah, thanks. I didn't eat much for breakfast."
[Kotarou]: "This nukazuke is great!"
[Kotarou]: "Eh? Will I take your daughter as my wife? This is happening a bit quickly..."
[Kotarou]: "He likes me so much he wants me to marry his daughter."
[Kotarou]: "By the way, his daughter is in sixth grade. She's pretty cute."
[Kotarou]: "Marriage aside, I'm late."
[Kotarou]: "I'd better get going."
[Kotarou]: "Am I living in Tamura-san's house now?"
[Kotarou]: "Wait, Tamura-san went to get a marriage registration form! How can you set your daughter's fate in stone so quickly!?"
[Kotarou]: "Ah, hello, my name is Tamura Kotarou."
[Kotarou]: "Crap, even I'm getting into it now...I'm gonna get adopted."
[Kotarou]: "I'm too young to marry and switch families...I'd better run."
[Kotarou]: "You want me to start a life drama here?"
[Kotarou]: "I'm running away, now."
[Kotarou]: "Oh, a cat."
[Kotarou]: "He's looking at me like he wants to be my familiar."
[Kotarou]: "...actually, he just ran away like any other cat."
[Kotarou]: "There's a noisy dog here. He's annoying."
[Kotarou]: "Let's sneak by quietly."
[Kotarou]: "I told you, he won't shut up if he sees me."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, crap...he's looking this way."
[Kotarou]: "He's barking! Ruuuun!"
[Kotarou]: "You want me to fight him!?"
[Kotarou]: "Woof! Woof!! Woof!!!"
[Kotarou]: "Grrrrrrrr..."
[Kotarou]: "We continue our fierce barking competition."
[Kotarou]: "Friendship has bloomed between Jackie and I."
[Kotarou]: "He's wagging his tail and coming toward me. He gave me his treasured bone. Such a nice guy."
[Kotarou]: "Bye, Jackie."
[Kotarou]: "I'm gonna swim! Wheee!"
[Kotarou]: "So cold!!"
[Kotarou]: "I'm gonna swim some more! Whee! Wheee!"
[Kotarou]: "This is not the right time to dive into a lake!"
[Kotarou]: "How long do you want me to stay here!? I'll die!"
[Kotarou]: "People are gathering here. I can see why."
[Kotarou]: "After floating here for a while, everything seems meaningless..."
[Kotarou]: "This is Old Man Kaminari's house. He used to get mad at everyone."
[Kotarou]: "His name is Kaminari Shinji..."
[Kotarou]: "Annoyingly, the "Shin" is written with the kanji for "new.""
[Kotarou]: "I've outgrown that. I don't want him to get mad at me anymore. Let's go."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, he came out..."
[Old Man]: "What is it? If you're looking for a shortcut, go right ahead. Hurry along to school now."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, thank you."
[Kotarou]: "That's right...if you don't do anything bad, he's actually nice. He even lets you take a shortcut through his place."
[Kotarou]: "He won't get mad if I do nothing bad."
[Kotarou]: "Apparently I really need to hit a home run."
[Kotarou]: "I want to make him mad...even though it's Old Man Kaminari..."
[Kotarou]: "What could I do..."
[Kotarou]: "Sorry."
[Old Man]: "What's wrong?"
[Kotarou]: "I want to hit a baseball into your house."
[Old Man]: "I'm not sure I understand..."
[Kotarou]: "Well, I want you to get mad at me."
[Old Man]: "Oh, is that all..."
[Old Man]: "...okay."
[Old Man]: "You're prepared to hit a home run then?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes."
[Old Man]: "All right."
[Old Man]: "Heeeey! Where's the brat who knocked this ball into my house!?"
[Kotarou]: "Aaah...! Y-yes!! It was me!!"
[Kotarou]: "I'm sorryyyy!!"
[Old Man]: "Mmm...kids these days..."
[Kotarou]: "I got a long lecture."
[Kotarou]: "...at least it felt long, but only one minute has passed..."
[Kotarou]: "It was a deep lecture, capable of making one minute feel like thirty."
[Old Man]: "Come again sometime."
[Kotarou]: "Yes, I'm sorryyyy!!"
[Kotarou]: "He's a nice guy."
[Kotarou]: "I should've hit a few baseballs toward him when I was a kid..."
[Kotarou]: "An empty lot. The neighborhood kids like to play here."
[Kotarou]: "Of course no one's here this early, and nothing here stands out."
[Kotarou]: "Let's get through it quickly."
[Kotarou]: "There's a bat and a baseball. The kids must've left them here."
[Kotarou]: "I can hit a home run with this!!!" |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "Okaaaaay!!! Gooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"
[Kotarou]: "Ha..."
[Kotarou]: "Should I really do this? ...damaging the old man's carefully crafted bonsai would be..."
[Kotarou]: "...no, I should stop."
[Kotarou]: "Anyway, I feel like hitting one now."
[Kotarou]: "*whack*"
[Kotarou]: "Aaaaaah! There it goes!"
[Kotarou]: "Yes!!"
[Kotarou]: "This house only plants cacti for some reason."
[Kotarou]: "I won't say anything about other people's tastes, but..."
[Kotarou]: "This is one of the well-maintained houses they use in advertisements."
[Kotarou]: "The old ladies around here are a bit hard to talk to..."
[Kotarou]: "A feral cat ran by with a fish in its mouth."
[Kotarou]: "Why do we call them "feral" anyway?"
[Kotarou]: "I saw a barefoot housewife chasing after the feral cat."
[Kotarou]: "This is a piece of Japanese culture we should preserve for posterity."
[Kotarou]: "An intersection...let's be careful here."
[Kotarou]: "If we all cross on a red light, we'll just get run over all at once."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, an old lady needs help crossing the street..."
[Kotarou]: "It's too dangerous! Excuse me, car, please wait!"
[Old Woman]: "Thank you for the help."
[Kotarou]: "It was nothing."
[Kotarou]: "I feel like I've done a great thing."
[Kotarou]: "It feels good when you do good things."
[Kotarou]: "Is anyone else in trouble..."
[Kotarou]: "Dammit! No one needs any help! Everyone, be more needy!"
[Kotarou]: "Ha...that's not the right way to think about this..."
[Kotarou]: "I mustn't wish for others' misfortune. But I can cause my own misfortune."
[Kotarou]: "*chink* Ah! I dropped a coin!"
[Kotarou]: "I dropped this."
[Kotarou]: "Thank you, me!"
[Kotarou]: "I did something good."
[Kotarou]: "Are you stupid, me?"
[Kotarou]: "Uheheh, I am stupid."
[Kotarou]: "Self-mockery...masochistic humor."
[Kotarou]: "It's a factory. I can see men inside working hard to keep the machines running."
[Kotarou]: "I shouldn't disturb them. Let's keep going."
[Kotarou]: "Actually, why am I taking a detour here anyway?"
[Kotarou]: "You wanna go in!? Think about the busy workers!"
[Kotarou]: "But I will go in nonetheless."
[Kotarou]: "In addition, I will talk to them."
[Kotarou]: "Good morning, factory workers!"
[Kotarou]: "...the workers are all rushing toward me..."
[Kotarou]: "Unsurprisingly, they scolded me."
[Kotarou]: "I shouldn't disturb them when they're working...I learned something."
[Kotarou]: "But they look cool when they're working like that. Like big, strong men."
[Kotarou]: "I hope I look that cool when I work."
[Second-Year Boy]: "Hmmm, hmmm."
One of our students is thinking hard about something.
I kinda like dealing with troubles.
I talk to him.
[Kotarou]: "Something bothering you?"
[Second-Year Boy]: "Ah, yes...my high school life has only just begun, but I'm already in huge trouble."
[Kotarou]: "Could you tell me what's wrong?"
[Second-Year Boy]: "You'll listen to it? ...such kindness..."
[Second-Year Boy]: "Everyone in my class calls each other by nicknames."
[Kotarou]: "The girls too?"
[Second-Year Boy]: "That's right."
[Kotarou]: "That sounds kinda nice."
[Second-Year Boy]: "...but I'm the only one without a nickname."
[Second-Year Boy]: "Everyone else picked one early in their first-year, and I'm the only one left."
[Second-Year Boy]: "This is the sort of thing that never happens if it doesn't get done along with everyone else's."
[Kotarou]: "True. Once they get used to using your surname they won't want to switch to a nickname."
[Second-Year Boy]: "Exactly. But I want a nickname."
[Kotarou]: "Nicknames are usually based on personality, right?"
[Second-Year Boy]: "Yeah. But I don't have much of a personality..."
[Kotarou]: "That's a problem. You can't make a nickname for someone with no personality..."
[Second-Year Boy]: "That's what's bothering me. There must be a nickname for me somewhere..."
[Kotarou]: "You sure...?"
[Second-Year Boy]: "I'm such a failure. I should've tried harder to make friends in the beginning."
[Second-Year Boy]: "And my name is really ordinary, so it won't be long before they forget my surname..."
[Second-Year Boy]: "My life has been cursed from the beginning!"
For some reason this guy's problem bothers me deeply.
I really want to help him.
[Kotarou]: "...hey."
[Second-Year Boy]: "Just leave me alone..."
[Kotarou]: "Giovanni."
[Second-Year Boy]: "―!?"
He instantly looked up at me.
[Kotarou]: "You kept saying "beginning," (yoban) and it was getting a bit annoying."
[Kotarou]: "So your nickname is Giovanni."
[Second-Year Boy]: "Oh...oooh!"
[Giovanni]: "Oooooh!"
[Kotarou]: "Go ahead and use it."
[Giovanni]: "Thank you so much! That's exactly what I wanted!"
[Giovanni]: "Seriously, thank you! I'll treat you to bowling sometime!"
[Kotarou]: "Okay, I'll take you up on that. But right now, we need to get to school."
[Giovanni]: "Yahoo! I say "beginning" (yoban) too much, so I'm Giovanni! Beginning, Giovanni! Beginning, Giovanni!"
He runs merrily toward the school.
[Kotarou]: "...it's not that clever."
You are now friends with Giovanni!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!" |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "This is the bus heading for the station. Kazamatsuri has a lot of buses."
[Kotarou]: "I wonder if I'll ever leave this town."
[Kotarou]: "There are a lot of shops here."
[Kotarou]: "Half of them aren't open yet...it's far from complete."
[Kotarou]: "That island in the middle of the road used to be someone's home."
[Kotarou]: "But this city chased him away..."
[Kotarou]: "The modern era is tough for hunter-gatherers..."
[Kotarou]: "Lots of office buildings..."
[Kotarou]: "I wonder if I'll be a salaryman in the future."
[Kotarou]: "Being a civil servant might be nice."
[Kotarou]: "Either that or a comedian."
[Kotarou]: "That place is huge."
[Kotarou]: "Cleaning the windows must be a pain."
[Kotarou]: "There's a band performing there."
[Kotarou]: "Everyone gets popular doing something like that."
[Kotarou]: "I'd like to be popular..."
[Kotarou]: "Another band. There are tons of them here."
[Kotarou]: "...wait, Yoshino's the vocalist for that one."
[Kotarou]: "A perfectly ordinary vending machine."
[Kotarou]: "Did anyone forget their change? ...nope."
[Kotarou]: "Guess I'll drink something."
[Kotarou]: "Drinking non-diet cola tastes strangely good after having diet for a while."
[Kotarou]: "I'm gonna drink more...?"
[Kotarou]: "This coffee has an interesting, sweet taste to it."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? I have to drink even more...?"
[Kotarou]: "Real Gold-brand cola is great!"
[Kotarou]: "Why are you so fixated on the vending machine...?"
[Kotarou]: "The only thing I can do here is drink juice."
[Kotarou]: "The sensation of it going down my throat is great."
[Kotarou]: "*burp*"
[Kotarou]: "Uha...you still want more...?"
[Kotarou]: "*glug*..."
[Kotarou]: "I can't even enjoy the taste anymore."
[Kotarou]: "As you might have noticed, I'm approaching my limit."
[Kotarou]: "Pffffffffffff!!"
[Kotarou]: "*cough!*...t-take that!!!"
[Kotarou]: "Seriously, I can't take any more."
[Kotarou]: "There's a dog here."
Added a number to your contact list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
[Kotarou]: "I can be friends with this dog."
[Kotarou]: "No, I'm not that desperate, really!!!"
[Kotarou]: "There's a cat here."
Added a number to your contact list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
[Kotarou]: "I can be friends with this cat."
[Kotarou]: "No, I'm not that desperate, really!!!"
[Kotarou]: "There's a crow here."
Added a number to your contact list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
[Kotarou]: "I can be friends with this crow."
[Kotarou]: "No, I'm not that desperate, really! I can at least get a human friend!!"
[Kotarou]: "...what's this...a boar? Sure looks like it."
Added a number to your contact list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
[Kotarou]: "I can be friends with this boar...I assume."
[Kotarou]: "No, I'm not that desperate, really! This guy might understand me a little, but I'd much prefer a human!!"
[Kotarou]: "It's an orc! A super monster from the fantasy world!"
[Kotarou]: "...actually it's just a fat human."
Added a number to your contact list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
[Kotarou]: "I can be friends with this orc-like human."
[Kotarou]: "He's human...but he left before I could talk to him..."
[Kotarou]: "Role-playing the hero by myself is pretty lonely, but my life has only just begun." |
<METADATA>
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
October 5th (Tuesday)
The alarm clock rings.
Half-asleep, I unleash an attack upon the source of the noise, and it stops.
I wake up.
[Kotarou]: "......uuu."
I sleep.
[Kotarou]: "And that's why I was almost late today."
[Kotori]: "Oooh."
It happens sometimes.
[Kotori]: "So is that bed hair? I thought you were trying out a new style."
[Kotarou]: "Hm...?"
She hands me a mirror.
[Kotarou]: "Uhe...I didn't have time to fix that..."
I'd better go to the bathroom later and straighten it.
Suddenly, I notice Yoshino staring at me with his arms folded, leaning back in his chair.
[Kotarou]: "What? You don't want to join our fun morning conversation?"
[Yoshino]: "Shut up."
The usual reaction.
I'll have to give up on having an intimate talk with Yoshino for now.
[Kotori]: "Yoshino-kun, you kinda feel like a samurai."
[Kotarou]: "He does?"
Yoshino lowers his eyes and acts uninterested.
[Kotori]: "He feels like he'd fight alongside a guy in a red jacket."
[Kotarou]: "Aaah, I think I know what you mean. He'd be the one cutting through steel."
[Kotarou]: "Your mouth loosened up a bit. Are you happy?"
[Yoshino]: "Shut up. Be quiet."
The teacher comes in after the bell, but the students keep talking instead of returning to their seats.
Everyone's talking about the same thing.
The transfer student who was supposed to arrive yesterday.
Her chair and desk were procured yesterday, but they're still sitting in the corner without an owner.
The teacher could probably tell that's what they were talking about, so he didn't scold anyone.
[Kotori]: "I wonder if she'll come today."
[Kotarou]: "Maybe the teacher's just putting on a weird show."
[Kotori]: "Eeeh? But I still wanna know..."
If the teacher's plan is to have the transfer student arrive when everyone's eager to see her, then it's working perfectly on Kotori.
[Kotarou]: "Well, I did meet her yesterday."
[Kotori]: "Eh? You did?"
[Kotarou]: "Well, all I did was bump into her on the hill and guide her to the staff room..."
Ah, wait, I didn't do the second part.
[Kotarou]: "So I've only seen her in the staff room so far."
[Kotori]: "Oooh, so Kotarou-san's the number one transfer student escort."
[Kotarou]: "Hahaha."
Sorry, but I didn't escort her.
If anything, I made her hate me in less than half an hour.
[Teacher]: "Okay, everyone, please sit down. Let's get started."
The teacher looks around, as if the time is ripe.
[Kotori]: "Yeees."
Yoshino's lying face-down on his desk.
[Kotarou]: "Hey, Yoshi, wanna hear about the transfer student?"
[Yoshino]: "Don't talk to me like that. I couldn't care less."
[Yoshino]: "Use that nickname in front of me again and you'll be lying on a bed in a hospital."
I want to tell him that "lying on a bed" sounds rather erotic, but that'd change the topic too much.
[Kotarou]: "You say that, but you still wanna know, don't you? I can tell."
[Yoshino]: "You don't know a thing about me."
[Kotarou]: "But don't you wanna know just a little?"
[Yoshino]: "I said no and I meant it."
[Kotarou]: "How did you feel when we called you a samurai?"
[Yoshino]: "...I didn't feel anything. Don't compare me to you."
Ah, he's really mad.
[Kotarou]: "Ah, orrysay, orrysay～"
[Yoshino]: "You keep mocking me...everything you do is aggravating..."
[Yoshino]: "Why don't I beat the living crap out of you until you become a transfer student too?"
[Teacher]: "Yoshino-kun, please try to keep it down. We're starting homeroom."
[Yoshino]: "Damn, interrupted again..."
He starts taking roll as usual, but the classroom can't quite calm down.
Everyone's on the edge of their seats about the transfer student.
[Teacher]: "Now, I'll introduce the transfer student. Sorry to make you wait a whole day for this."
[Teacher]: "Everyone, let's greet her with a round of applause."
"Ooooo..." says the whole class.
Even Yoshino's looking at the door now.
[Teacher]: "Okay, transfer student, come in!!"
The classroom becomes even more excited.
The transfer student, Ohtori-san, enters quietly.
Aaah, it doesn't feel interesting anymore since I've met her already.
I look to one side. Yoshino's face is on his desk again. He must've been satisfied after seeing her face.
[Kotarou]: "Look Yoshino, it's Ohtori-san the transfer student."
[Yoshino]: "Huh?"
[Teacher]: "Tennouji-kuuun, no spoilers."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, sorry."
Crap, now everyone's annoyed at me for ruining the mood...
So, as for Ohtori-san...
[Ohtori]: "...Tennouji?"
She doesn't say it this time, but she makes the "Geh" face again.
And now she's glaring at me.
[Teacher]: "Introduce yourself to everyone."
[Ohtori]: "I-I'm Ohtori Chihaya, the transfer student...pleased to meet you all..."
That felt a little forced.
...and she seems disgusted by me.
[Schoolboy]: "Pleased to meet you!"
But the boys all seem to think she's just tense, so they aren't bothered by it.
Honestly, Ohtori does look cuter than the average girl.
People do tend to expect something exceptional from transfer students (even though 99% of them are ordinary).
Though the lawless guy over here has no interest in her.
[Kotarou]: "Hey, Yoshino. Ohtori-san's pretty cute."
[Yoshino]: "Don't care."
[Kotarou]: "That was blunt."
[Yoshino]: "I have no interest in yelling about it like all the idiots around us, no matter who this transfer student is."
[Kotarou]: "You only like ugly women anyway."
[Yoshino]: "No I don't!"
[Kotarou]: "Eh? So you're gay?"
[Yoshino]: "Who are you calling gay!?"
People around us began whispering "Eh? Yoshino-kun's gay...?"
A certain group of girls started giving us weird looks.
...why both of us?
[Kotarou]: "Craaap! If you're gay then I'm the only love interest!"
[Yoshino]: "Uu...if you dare start a Yoshino x Tennouji fandom...then...I'll have to kill you..."
[Kotarou]: "Yoshino-kun, you seem weirdly familiar with this."
[Yoshino]: "Shut up. Stay away from me."
*bam*
He kicks me. |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "Ow! I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
[Teacher]: "Also, there's been some difficulty getting her a new uniform, so she'll keep wearing this one for a while. Please don't pry about it."
[Teacher]: "As for your seat...might as well use the one in the back until we have another seat change."
[Ohtori]: "Ah, okay."
But the seats at the back are...
[Kotarou]: "Eh? ...right behind us?"
[Yoshino]: "Okay, she's behind you."
[Kotarou]: "Eh? What's wrong? Let her sit behind you so you can help her."
She hates me after all.
[Yoshino]: "...don't you know her already? I'm not looking for any new friends."
[Kotarou]: "Hmmm."
She glances toward me.
Then she looks at the hallway.
I guess she wants a seat on that side.
[Teacher]: "It's probably easiest to see from the center, so how about behind Tennouji-kun?"
[Ohtori]: "Eeeh!?"
Ohtori starts shivering.
I have no idea what to do.
She seems to hate me with a passion, so it wouldn't feel right for her to sit near me.
And from my point of view, it isn't exactly pleasant to sit between her bloodlust and the transfer student fever.
Maybe I should try to help Ohtori here, for both our sakes...
But if I speak up now, I might just make things worse somehow.
Let's see what happens naturally.
[Ohtori]: "Umm, the truth is, my eyes aren't so good..."
Oh, she started resisting.
If her eyesight is bad, then she won't be forced to sit in the back.
[Teacher]: "But according to the health exam, your vision is 2.0."
This teacher prides herself in paying close attention to her students.
[Teacher]: "Isn't 2.0 above average?"
[Ohtori]: "Ah, no, that's not how it works..."
She sighs and starts walking this way. I guess she gave up.
She moves her chair and desk directly behind me.
Okay, let's see what I can do.
I move my seat back little by little.
This is my "Huh? Actually there isn't much space behind Tennouji. Let's try somewhere else" plan.
If it works, all Ohtori has to do is say "I'd like a seat near the hallway!"
[Teacher]: "Huh? ...come to think of it, there doesn't seem to be much space behind Tennouji-kun."
It's working, sir.
[Teacher]: "Then Yoshino-kun..."
Yoshino smoothly moves his desk back a little, with his face still lying flat on his desk.
[Teacher]: "Huh...?"
[Teacher]: "Oh well."
It's working again, sir.
[Teacher]: "You can sit next to Tennouji-kun. You seem to know each other already, so he can help you out."
[Kotarou & Ohtori]: "Stooooop!!!"
Dammit, she's dead set on putting her near me!!
[Teacher]: "Wh-what? Why are you two suddenly in sync...?"
[Kotarou]: "Actually, there is space behind me..."
I move my seat back.
She sighs and starts walking this way. I guess she gave up.
She moves her chair and desk directly behind me.
[Teacher]: "Yoshino-kun, please move your desk back too."
Well, this sort of plan usually doesn't work out.
I'm glad the teacher was willing to play along with it though.
[Teacher]: "So, here's the contact information..."
The teacher starts writing something about a meeting in the corner of the blackboard.
I can hear her put down the chair and desk behind me.
...I'll try saying something casually to her. Maybe she'll be easier on me now.
I could try giving her a nickname right away, like in one of those old crime dramas.
Ummm, let's see...
[Kotarou]: "Hey, cherry..."
Gataaa!!!
She picked up the desk with one hand!!
[Kotarou]: "Ah, well, you don't need to go quite that far..."
She puts it back.
[Ohtori]: "...pleased to meet you. Try not to talk to me."
[Kotarou]: "...pleased to meet you too."
Yoshino's a bit scared too.
It's hard to believe, but this transfer student is a high-level power fighter.
When homeroom ends, the students immediately surround Ohtori.
[Boy]: "Hey, where are you from?"
[Boy]: "What are your hobbies? Will you join a club?"
[Boy]: "Do you have a boyfriend? If not, I nominate myself!"
Most of the typical transfer student questions get thrown out.
[Kotarou]: (...I doubt she'll get along with that last guy.)
It seems only Yoshino and I saw her super strength a moment ago.
[Kotarou]: "...this is pretty tiring, Yoshino-kun."
[Yoshino]: "...hmph."
Unable to leave his seat, Yoshino turns his back on the crowds.
I'm completely engulfed, but fortunately for him there's an empty space around his desk.
I'm in an extremely odd position here. I can't exactly join in the transfer student fever...
[Kotarou]: "I guess I'll go to the bathroom for now."
[Kotarou]: "Wanna come with me?"
[Yoshino]: "Disgusting...just go on your own."
Well, that's a normal reaction.
[Yoshino]: "Screw you...screw this transfer student..."
I hear Yoshino muttering behind me.
[Yoshino]: "Why is everyone around me so irritating..."
Is he trying to make me hear him on purpose?
...well, I'll just ignore it for now. I didn't hear a thing.
Just as I escape the crowds, the door opens.
[Teacher]: "Oh, perfect timing, Tennouji-kun."
[Kotarou]: "What is it?"
[Teacher]: "Ohtori-san's textbooks have arrived in the staff room. Could you escort her there, and show her around the school while you're at it?"
[Kotarou]: "Eeeh? Me?"
[Kotarou]: "Wait, why didn't you just bring the books here...?"
[Teacher]: "Well, I forgot～♪"
Saying it with playful eyes doesn't help...
[Teacher]: "I'm counting on you. Bye now, I've got another class to teach～♪"
Are you joking?
[Kotarou]: "No, can't you get some..."
...she's already gone.
[Kotarou]: "Eeeh...?"
I guess I was just the first guy she bumped into.
I should ask someone else to do it.
Not Yoshino. He's dead set on ignoring her.
Which means...
There is only one choice.
Having friends really is important...
Well, it's too late to regret it now.
And then I realize Kotori is not here.
Where on earth could she be...?
Kotori does do a lot of stuff by herself. It's probably futile to ask where she went.
Which means...
[Ohtori]: "Why you of all people?"
[Kotarou]: "My thoughts exactly...haha."
This is perilous.
I can feel a constant pressure coming from Ohtori behind me.
Well, I still have to show her around...
[Kotarou]: "Ohtori-san, this is 2-B's classroom." |
<METADATA>
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Ohtori]: "I can read the sign."
[Kotarou]: "Good point."
The conversation ends.
We proceed in silence.
Our footsteps sound really loud in the hallway.
...we really shouldn't be fighting this much so soon after our first meeting.
Maybe I should apologize.
...no, I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything wrong.
So what is it then? Bad chemistry?
I probably did make fun of her a bit more than I should've.
Okay.
[Kotarou]: "Hey, Ohtori."
[Kotarou]: "I actually feel really bad about what happened..."
[Kotarou]: "And my attitude hasn't been great either. I'll try to fix it, so..."
I turn around.
[Kotarou]: "Sorry!"
I lower my head.
[Kotarou]: "She's gone!!"
Where'd Ohtori go!?
[Kotarou]: "Heeey, Ohtoriii!"
I go back to the previous corner, and see her running down a different corridor.
[Ohtori]: "Ah! Wh-where did you go!?"
[Kotarou]: "I wanted to ask you that..."
[Kotarou]: "How do you get lost when following behind me?"
[Ohtori]: "You're the one who disappeared when I took my eyes off you for two seconds!"
[Ohtori]: "Some random stranger even asked me what I was looking at!"
[Kotarou]: "Ouch..."
Apparently a similar thing happened behind me.
[Ohtori]: "Uuu...I got humiliated again..."
[Kotarou]: "Well, I'm not doing this on purpose."
She's glaring at me so hard...apologizing right now isn't a good idea.
[Kotarou]: "...let's go."
[Ohtori]: "Ah, wait up."
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
[Ohtori]: "What's that building over there?"
She points out the window.
[Kotarou]: "Hm? Where?"
I look out at the courtyard and the gym.
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, that's the gym."
[Ohtori]: "The gym...aaah, I see."
[Kotarou]: "It does have kind of a weird shape. But the inside's pretty normal."
[Ohtori]: "I see."
Wait, suddenly things are going a lot better.
[Ohtori]: "Okay, let's continue the tour."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, sure."
So her curiosity just outweighed her hatred of me...
I feel like I've completely missed the right time for something.
We approach the stairs.
[Kotarou]: "Watch your feet...huh?"
Ohtori was gazing out the window.
[Kotarou]: "You're so easily distracted..."
This is probably how we got separated before.
[Kotarou]: "What is it this time, transfer student?"
[Ohtori]: "Ah, nothing."
[Ohtori]: "I just noticed you can see the whole town from here."
[Kotarou]: "Hm? Yeah, I guess."
I open the window.
Ohtori leans out a little.
[Ohtori]: "...waa."
She gasps as the wind blows in, making her hair float up.
[Ohtori]: "This town really is covered in greenery."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, Kazamatsuri's all about afforestation."
[Ohtori]: "I'd heard about it, but still..."
I look out the window too.
I've lived in this town my whole life, so it's pretty ordinary to me.
...it must look invigorating for someone like Ohtori.
[Kotarou]: "The forest just feels like a part of the town."
[Kotarou]: "Especially down there, at the bottom of the hill. That place is completely covered in trees."
[Ohtori]: "Ah, yes."
[Kotarou]: "When I was a kid, there was a concrete building there."
[Kotarou]: "Then it burned down or something."
[Kotarou]: "They left the place alone for a while, but after a year they started planting stuff."
[Kotarou]: "...and now that whole area is overgrown."
The land around here is probably ideal for growing plants. Every time they try planting something, it thrives and flourishes.
[Ohtori]: "Wow...the whole city is like that?"
[Kotarou]: "I think the soil here is just good for growing stuff."
[Ohtori]: "What about that area? Beyond the city..."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, that's a rural area. Our food is all made by the farmers out there."
[Ohtori]: "Wow...it's like a green sea."
That was a little poetic.
[Kotarou]: "I've actually never seen the ocean."
[Ohtori]: "Eh? You haven't?"
[Kotarou]: "I've been in this town my whole life. Is it rare to see a landscape like this?"
[Ohtori]: "I don't know if it's rare, but I like it."
[Kotarou]: "Hmmmm."
[Ohtori]: "...you aren't a very emotional guy, are you?"
[Kotarou]: "I'm just used to this."
Unfortunately, I'll always want to leave this town and be a city boy somewhere else (and yes, I'm proud of it).
And lots of people feel like that. People always want things they don't have.
...though I do have some attachment to my childhood memories here.
[Ohtori]: "...I'd like to live in a modern place like this. There are loads of places to take walks."
[Kotarou]: "You seem to like this town a lot."
[Ohtori]: "Do you not like it?"
[Kotarou]: "...I'm not sure."
[Ohtori]: "I still can't understand you at all."
[Kotarou]: "Eeeh?"
[Ohtori]: "Anyway, let's go."
[Kotarou]: "Fine, fine..."
I start walking again.
I might never be able to understand how someone from the outside world sees things here.
This town is probably special.
But it's all normal to me.
That fundamental difference changes everything. There's no way for me to put myself in her shoes.
...Ohtori and I couldn't be a worse match.
When I start living in another town, what will I think of that place?
What if it's a seaside town?
What if it's in the middle of a concrete jungle?
...what if I don't know a single person there?
[Ohtori]: "Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
*bam* *roll* *thud* *thud!*
Is there really a need for me to reconcile with a transfer student who just tripped on a can and fell down the stairs?
[Ohtori]: "O-owwwww..."
[Kotarou]: "Hey, you okay?"
[Ohtori]: "I-I'm fine～"
She gets up.
[Kotarou]: "You're not hurt at all?"
That was a pretty impressive tumble.
[Ohtori]: "I might've left a mark on my butt. It hurts when I touch it..."
[Kotarou]: "That sounds bad. Let me see it."
[Ohtori]: "Eeeh? It's right around..."
She starts pulling her skirt up, then freezes.
[Ohtori]: "Why would I show youuu!?"
She leaps up to her feet and stomps on the ground.
[Kotarou]: "Good question."
She seems fine. She really is tough.
[Ohtori]: "Anyway! I'm just fine, so let's get going already!!"
[Kotarou]: "Okay...though you're the one who wanted to stop." |
<METADATA>
Name: Akira Inoue | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
</METADATA>
[Ohtori]: "Uu..."
We're late enough as it is. This should be a quick tour.
I grab Ohtori's hand.
[Ohtori]: "Wha―!?"
She pulls her hand back.
[Kotarou]: "It's safer if I hold onto you."
[Ohtori]: "Wh-wh-wha...?"
[Ohtori]: "Wh-what makes you say that!?"
[Kotarou]: "1. You get lost by walking in a straight line. 2. You fall all the way down the stairs for no apparent reason. 3. You've done similar things before."
[Kotarou]: "Seems like plenty of justification to me."
[Kotarou]: "Besides, we haven't seen anyone this whole time, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about."
[Ohtori]: "Uu..."
[Ohtori]: "Th-then you can hold my wrist..."
[Kotarou]: "Okay."
I pull Ohtori's wrist and start walking.
...now I kinda feel like a babysitter.
We get her stuff from the staff room and quickly return to class.
Most of it was textbooks.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's go."
I hold out my hand toward Ohtori.
[Ohtori]: "Eh? Ah, okay."
She hands me her stuff.
[Kotarou]: "Umm..."
[Kotarou]: "Well, at least I can carry this."
[Ohtori]: "??"
[Ohtori]: "Ha!"
[Kotarou]: "Now, let's go back. I'll hold your hand again."
[Ohtori]: "Uu..."
[Kotarou]: "I know you don't like it, but it's your fault for getting into trouble so easily."
I can't let her get seriously injured after all.
We walk back the way we came.
[Ohtori]: "Ah!"
[Kotarou]: "Whoa."
...she stumbles on the stairs again.
[Kotarou]: "You trip a lot."
[Ohtori]: "I-It's hard to walk with you holding my hand!"
[Kotarou]: "Well, this does prevent you from getting hurt."
[Ohtori]: "Uu...uuu..."
And thus, we reach the classroom.
[Kotarou]: "Here we are."
[Ohtori]: "Th-thank you..."
[Kotarou]: "No problem. I can show you around whenever, just ask."
[Ohtori]: "A-again!?"
And that's how I escorted her safely back to the classroom.
...though I'm not sure if I managed to bridge the gap between me and the transfer student.
During break time, as I walk through the halls...
[Schoolgirl]: "Are you Tennouji-kun?"
[Kotarou]: "That's me."
A girl I don't know talks to me.
[Schoolgirl]: "I'm Inoue from the newspaper club. Pleased to meet you."
She makes a quick, polite bow.
[Kotarou]: "Ah, thanks..."
I bow too.
[Kotarou]: "I didn't know we had a newspaper club."
[Inoue]: "Well we do."
[Kotarou]: "I've never seen a newspaper here..."
[Inoue]: "It's on the web."
It's possible to do club activities through the school website.
We vote for student officials online.
We can even write blogs or hold meetings online.
But they're supposed to be for educational purposes, so we can't make blogs just about ourselves or anything.
[Kotarou]: "Hmmmm."
[Kotarou]: "So, what does the newspaper club want with me? Or are you confessing your love?"
Inoue looks at me with cold eyes.
[Kotarou]: "You want to know more about me? Ask away."
[Kotarou]: "I'm single by the way, so feel free to confess."
[Inoue]: "Have you ever not been single?"
[Kotarou]: "Actually, no."
[Kotarou]: "Haha!"
[Kotarou]: "If that makes you pity me, then pretend this is just the trial version and try going out with me."
Inoue writes something in her notebook.
[Kotarou]: "What are you writing?"
[Inoue]: "...has never had a girlfriend in his life."
[Kotarou]: "Hey."
[Inoue]: "By the way, I wanted to ask you something."
[Kotarou]: "...I won't tell you anything personal."
[Kotarou]: "Also I was joking earlier. I have a girlfriend."
[Inoue]: "Kanbe-san, right?"
Does everyone really think that?
...it kinda hurts.
[Kotarou]: "...so what was your question?"
[Inoue]: "Tennouji-kun, is it true you were accepted into this school illegally?"
[Kotarou]: "You're pretty blunt."
[Kotarou]: "In fact that's close to being rude."
[Inoue]: "So, were you?"
[Kotarou]: "I've never heard a rumor that stupid before..."
[Kotarou]: "Is there even such a thing as illegal admission to high school?"
Inoue writes something down, making it as obvious as possible.
[Inoue]: "...in obstinate denial."
[Kotarou]: "Wait a minute."
[Kotarou]: "Why are you trying to make me sound bad?"
[Inoue]: "I'm a journalist, so I have to be suspicious of you no matter how implausible the rumor."
[Kotarou]: "That's just mean."
[Kotarou]: "I got in by having decent grades. Go check your facts."
[Inoue]: "Hmmm, so the cover-up is thorough."
[Kotarou]: "Th-that's just wrong..."
[Inoue]: "This is the spirit of mass media!"
[Kotarou]: "That's rather pitiful."
[Kotarou]: "...must be a pretty ridiculous newspaper."
[Inoue]: "Here's my card."
She hands me a light green, plastic business card.
Inoue's name is on it.
It even has a QR code on it, so I can get straight to their website if I scan this.
[Kotarou]: "A school newspaper can afford this sort of thing?"
[Inoue]: "It's handy when we're trying to get information from external sources. Try it."
She sounds confident.
[Inoue]: "Our job is to pry as deeply as possible."
[Kotarou]: "I can't respect you for prying deeply into a perfectly innocent person's history."
[Inoue]: "Your grades were pretty bad until last year."
[Inoue]: "Anyone would wonder how you got in here."
[Kotarou]: "The classes suddenly got harder and I couldn't keep up."
[Kotarou]: "I don't remember having any trouble when taking the entrance exam."
[Inoue]: "That's something else I can look up. I'll make you confess soon enough."
[Kotarou]: "I-I'm being investigated...!"
I start shivering.
I take out my cell phone.
I put her business card under my phone's scanner.
The scanner contains a powerful all-purpose sensor.
It finishes the scan in under a second.
This way I can access their site without typing a URL.
[Kotarou]: "Let's see what you've got..."
It looks like a proper website.
It's well-designed and easy to search.
It does a good job of getting the feel of the school across, and there are plenty of videos and pictures. |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Akira Inoue | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
This would be a very useful page for anyone considering going to this high school.
[Kotarou]: (This is a good site.)
[Kotarou]: (I'd better use some of this stuff for my part-time job...)
[Kotarou]: "...anyway, so you're going to investigate my spotless history no matter what I say, right?"
[Inoue]: "That I will."
[Inoue]: "I'll get the truth out of you soon enough."
You met Inoue!
[Kotarou]: (Still...)
[Kotarou]: (People take their clubs pretty seriously...)
I'm a little jealous, actually.
[Kotarou]: "Clubs...work...a part-time job writing articles...the newspaper club?"
Something connects.
As if to prevent me from finishing that thought, a piece of paper falls from the business card.
[Kotarou]: (Hm? A receipt?)
"Inoue's Special Memo (If anyone sees this, the government will try to kill them!)"
[Kotarou]: (Crap...she's insane.)
She's completely lost it.
She's beyond all help.
This is embarrassing the earth in front of the entire universe.
It's best I don't get involved.
But I can't hold back my curiosity.
List of suspicious people:
Third-year "Witch" Senri Akane
President of the Occult Research Club. Has tremendous authority, far beyond that of a normal student.
Extremely dangerous to approach (Need a careful plan!)
Second-Year "Gray Boy" Tennouji Kotarou
Many suspicious details in his history. No one seems to be backing him.
Direct investigation may be effective.
Second-Year "Messiah" Tanuma Imako
Might be the messiah.
Is there a gag law in effect?
Need to question his doctors.
First-Year "Scissor Girl" Shinsaibashi Hitomi
Might have been held back a year. Has high athletic ability but refuses to join any sports teams.
→Transferred on September 1st (No explanation given)
[Kotarou]: (Why is my name here...?)
This is an eccentric list.
Several people are on it.
It's overwhelming.
But this is the reason Inoue contacted me.
I guess "illegal acceptance" is what she got out of my "suspicious history."
[Kotarou]: (It's just a rumor...)
I shove the list into my pocket.
It'd be bad if she finds out I picked it up.
I'll get rid of it later.
[Kotarou]: "No, wait..."
I open it up again.
As I feared, there are comments next to some of these entries.
I didn't notice it before, but...
Inoue's crossed the line.
[Kotarou]: "...this is bad."
There aren't any special comments next to my entry, so she probably hasn't found out yet.
But I can't risk her sniffing around.
[Kotarou]: (...gotta be careful.)
I warn myself.
[Kotori]: "What's that?"
[Kotarou]: "Wawa!"
Kotori peeks over my shoulder as I study Inoue's memo.
[Kotori]: "What does "Gray Boy" mean?"
[Kotarou]: "It's my street name..."
[Kotori]: "Street name?"
[Kotarou]: "Think of it like a nickname."
[Kotarou]: "They come up a lot in games, you know? Kojirou of the Flames, or Leonheart the Supersonic."
[Kotori]: "Hmmmm."
[Kotori]: "Why's your street name "gray," Kotarou-kun?"
[Kotarou]: "I dunno..."
[Kotori]: "I don't get it."
[Kotarou]: "It's just stupid. There's no reason for it."
[Kotori]: "But I know the witch on top."
[Kotarou]: "The witch? You mean Senri Akane?"
Third-year "Witch" Senri Akane
President of the Occult Research Club. Has tremendous authority, far beyond that of a normal student.
[Kotori]: "Yeah."
[Kotori]: "She's actually infamous."
[Kotarou]: "I had no idea."
[Kotarou]: "What's the Occult Research Club?"
[Kotori]: "I'm not sure. I only know it exists."
[Kotori]: "I guess it's a club that doesn't do much. They never recruit new members or anything."
[Kotarou]: "So some of this information is actually true..."
[Kotarou]: (...does that mean Inoue might already know my secret?)
I'm worried now.
I'd finally started to forget about it.
It took a lot of work to get this far.
If people found out about it, and started a commotion...
[Kotarou]: "Mi dios..."
[Kotori]: "Mediate...?"
[Kotarou]: "Kotori, didn't you used to say "Don't leave my beehive" when you meant "Don't leave me behind?""
[Kotori]: "...did I say that...?"
Her face goes red.
[Kotarou]: "You did. You did."
[Kotarou]: "It was cute."
[Kotori]: "Stop it..."
[Kotori]: "Uuu...I was so dumb back then..."
[Kotori]: "So dumb!"
[Kotarou]: "Hoho."
I satisfy myself with Kotori's shame.
[Kotarou]: "So what's this Senri person like?"
[Kotori]: "She's famous, but she doesn't make herself obvious."
[Kotori]: "People call her the don of the underworld, or the witch of the school."
[Kotarou]: "Is "witch" meant as an insult?"
[Kotori]: "They're afraid of her."
[Kotarou]: "Doesn't that mean they just find her creepy?"
There's a big difference in nuance.
[Kotori]: "No. They really do fear her."
[Kotori]: "They're terrified of her."
[Kotarou]: "Because she has so much authority?"
[Kotori]: "If you disobey her..."
[Kotarou]: "...then?"
[Kotori]: "A fearsome magical power will..."
I gulp.
[Kotarou]: "Th-the power will...?"
[Kotori]: "Transform your pocket change into pigeons! Scaaary～"
[Kotarou]: "That's just a magic trick!"
[Kotarou]: "And they're just giving her money!!"
[Kotori]: "Or perhaps, she uses her supernatural powers to instill fear in their hearts..."
[Kotarou]: "Now she's supernatural?"
[Kotori]: "She'll make a balloon that won't pop no matter how far you poke a needle into it. What do you do!?"
[Kotarou]: "That just means she put a piece of tape on it!"
[Kotarou]: "Then she pokes it where she put the tape! That keeps it from breaking!"
[Kotori]: "And last but not least, she chops a banana into pieces without removing the skin. It looks like an explosion."
[Kotarou]: "Wires! That's all wires!"
[Kotarou]: "She cuts the insides with wires! I know you can do that!!"
[Kotarou]: "Don't underestimate the supernatural!"
[Kotori]: "...so yeah, she's like that."
[Kotori]: "She can wield magic, supernatural powers, curses, spirits, all sorts of things." |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "That's a lot of inconsistency..."
[Kotori]: "That's the occult for you."
[Kotarou]: "There's no way any of that's real."
[Kotori]: "But everyone is afraid of her."
[Kotarou]: "That annoys me somehow..."
[Kotori]: "Ah, but..."
[Kotori]: "She never comes to class."
[Kotarou]: "She just doesn't want to go because everyone will treat her like a creep."
[Kotori]: "No, she does show up once in a while."
[Kotarou]: "Wouldn't she be kicked out for bad attendance?"
[Kotori]: "You would think, but no. No matter how much she cuts, she never gets held back or expelled. Why is that?"
[Kotori]: "She almost never went to class, but she still made it to third year."
[Kotarou]: "...I see."
That explains the rumor that she has tremendous authority.
A lightbulb appears over my head.
[Kotarou]: "Kotori, you don't think she really is a witch, do you?"
[Kotori]: "...not really."
[Kotarou]: "Hey, you wanna go find out?"
[Kotori]: "Eh? How?"
[Kotarou]: "Let's go investigate."
[Kotarou]: "Like a journalist."
[Kotori]: "It's strange for you to suggest something like that, Kotarou-kun."
[Kotori]: "...do you like her?"
[Kotarou]: "How would I fall for someone I've never met?"
[Kotarou]: "I haven't even seen her face."
[Kotori]: "Do you wanna go out with her?"
[Kotarou]: "No!"
[Kotarou]: "I just want to know who she is, since she's allegedly making a living out of some superpowers."
[Kotori]: "So this is what you're saying!"
[Kotori]: ""Akane, I'm right beside you, and I will learn who you are, even if I spend the rest of my life doing it!""
She says in a husky voice.
[Kotarou]: "I'm not proposing to her!"
[Kotori]: "Lovey-dovey～"
[Kotarou]: "You be quiet."
[Kotarou]: "Dammit...stop mocking me."
[Kotori]: "Sure."
[Kotarou]: "Huh?"
[Kotori]: "Let's try investigating."
[Kotarou]: "...you'll help?"
[Kotori]: "Yeah, sure."
[Kotori]: "If you want to do it, Kotarou-kun, then we should."
[Kotori]: "And we might meet a nice person at the end of it."
[Kotarou]: ".........well, that's not really..."
For just a moment, a memory buried deep in the back of my mind comes back to me.
[Kotori]: "You've been more energetic lately, Kotarou-kun."
[Kotarou]: "...I guess."
[Kotori]: "I'll help out."
[Kotarou]: "...thanks."
I haven't sorted out my feelings at all.
But for now, I just have to believe that time will fix it eventually.
And then, we eat lunch together.
Kotori brought a bentou.
I have a yakisoba.
As we eat, we talk about how to look for Senri Akane.
[Kotori]: "We really need more information."
[Kotarou]: "She's a third-year after all...we'd never come into contact with her."
Neither Kotori nor I know any third-years.
[Kotori]: "Should we ask around?"
[Kotarou]: "When you think about it, it takes a lot of courage to do that."
Going to the third-year's floor and asking about someone we know nothing about.
We'll just have to start talking to random people like in an RPG.
This is gonna take a lot of nerve.
[Kotarou]: "I wonder if Senri's actually a bully victim."
[Kotori]: "It doesn't feel like that to me."
[Kotori]: "But she might be moody or something..."
[Kotarou]: "Then I'll just have to use the conversationalist powers I've been practicing on Yoshino..."
[Kotori]: "You're gonna hit on her. I know you will."
[Kotori]: "Go Kotarou-kun!"
[Kotarou]: "...I have no idea what you mean."
[Kotarou]: "Anyway, I'm not confident about that."
[Kotarou]: "Remember how Yoshino was acting earlier?"
[Kotori]: "Just give it a shot. You'll kill some time either way."
[Kotarou]: "...I guess."
[Kotori]: "Gimme that yakisoba."
She brings her own bentou to school, but she still feels the need to steal pieces of my bread.
And she takes all of it.
[Kotarou]: "Don't take the yakisoba out of yakisoba bread. Then it's just bread."
[Kotori]: "...it's all dry."
[Kotarou]: "Because it's meant to go inside bread..."
[Kotori]: "Yuck."
[Kotarou]: "You..."
[Kotarou]: "I never wanted you to eat that yakisoba."
[Kotarou]: "Gimme that tamagoyaki in exchange."
[Kotori]: "No. That's the best part."
[Kotarou]: "Gimme something then..."
[Kotori]: "...you can have my kinpira."
[Kotarou]: "Just kinpira...?"
That's barely appealing at all.
[Kotori]: "It looks kinda similar. Be happy."
[Kotarou]: "That's not enough to change my mind."
She dumps kinpira onto my bread where the yakisoba used to be.
I try a bite.
[Kotarou]: "This is spicy...should it be this spicy?"
[Kotori]: "My family likes lots of red pepper."
[Kotarou]: "This is actually good. It might go well with rice."
[Kotori]: "So we got lucky?"
[Kotarou]: "...it doesn't go well with bread."
After eating...
[Kotori]: "Should we go now?"
[Kotarou]: "Probably..."
[Kotarou]: "No, just two of us is a bit lonely."
[Kotori]: "And people might think we're a couple."
[Kotarou]: "Hmmmm."
[Kotarou]: "That might be nice, actually."
People might start assuming it's true...
[Kotori]: "Don't get any weird ideas."
[Kotarou]: "...all right."
She's no fun.
[Kotarou]: "Then we'd better hire some mercs."
[Kotori]: "Mercs?"
[Kotori]: "Know anyone we could use?"
[Kotarou]: "I might."
Yoshino is sitting in his seat.
I approach his desk.
[Kotarou]: "Yoshino, let's go on an adventure."
[Yoshino]: "...no."
[Kotarou]: "We need more people."
[Kotarou]: "Help us out."
[Yoshino]: "...stop bugging me."
[Kotarou]: "Join a party with me and Kotori!"
[Yoshino]: "...I'll kill you."
I return to Kotori.
[Kotarou]: "Yoshino will help us in spirit."
[Kotori]: "What does that mean?" |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "Deep in his heart, he is our friend."
[Kotori]: "You two sounded really friendly just now."
[Kotarou]: "In video game terms, it's like Yoshino's health bar is displayed, but he's stunned and can't really participate in the battle."
[Kotori]: "...he's glaring at you."
[Kotarou]: "Don't make eye contact. You'll get teamkilled."
[Kotori]: "...so he's not on our side?"
We decided to have the adventure without him.
This should be fun, so let's invite someone to join in and deepen our friendship with them.
But who...
I open up my cell phone's contacts list.
I can count the number of entries on two hands.
This is a microcosm of my life.
Exchanging contact information with random people always felt too casual, and I never saw the point in having friends that wouldn't hang out with you consistently.
But by doing that, I also cut off any chances to make real friends.
I need to live with a purpose, instead of just drifting along.
And I need to gain things in life.
Didn't I resolve to do that?
Human relationships are important.
I need to meet a lot of people, talk to them, learn things, smile...and...
[Kotarou]: "I'll bring some helpers. Wait here."
[Kotori]: "Okay."
I talk to a classmate.
He has nothing else to do with his lunch break, so he joins in.
He invites his friends too.
[Suzuki]: "Tennouji-kun! I'm back!"
[Suzuki]: "I brought some first-years who also have nothing to do. Come on, say hi to Tennouji-kun."
[First-Year Suzuki A]: "I'm Suzuki. Pleased to meet you."
[First-Year Suzuki B]: "I'm Suzuki. We're not twins or anything, we just have the same surname. Also pleased to meet you."
[Female Suzuki]: "I'm also Suzuki. Pleased to meet you, Tennouji-senpai."
Task Force SUZUKI has assembled.
[Kotarou]: "H-how is this possible...I want...I need an explanation..."
[Suzuki]: "What? It's just a coincidence."
[Kotarou]: "This goes beyond coincidence..."
[Suzuki]: "It's been forever since we hung out, Tennouji-kun. This should be a fun adventure!"
I deepened my friendship with Suzuki!
I became friends with First-Year Suzuki A!
I became friends with First-Year Suzuki B!
I became friends with Female Suzuki!
Added 4 numbers to your contact list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
We prepare for our adventure.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, here's the plan for today's operation."
[Kotarou]: "Somewhere in this school, there's a witch...apparently."
[Kotarou]: "We're trying to find her."
[Kotori]: "What do we do when we find her? Talk to her?"
[Kotarou]: "...I figured she'd drop an item for us."
[Kotori]: "What item...?"
[Kotarou]: "What Higo?"
[Kotori]: "Where's Higo?"
[Kotarou]: "What Kumamoto?"
[Kotori]: "Where's Kumamoto?"
[Kotarou]: "What Senba?"
[Kotori]: "Mt. Senba supposedly has tanuki..."
[Kotori]: "No wait, I asked you what you meant by "item.""
[Kotarou]: "You played along though."
[Kotori]: "I don't care about tanuki."
[Suzuki]: "For a second I had no idea what you two were talking about."
[Kotarou]: "Sorry, it's an inside joke."
[Kotarou]: "Anyway, I was imagining some kind of exorcising tools."
[Kotori]: "Seems like a witch would carry that stuff."
[Kotori]: "But why exorcising?"
Her casual question reminds me.
Of that terrifying night...
...my wrist feels cold again.
Even if it was just a dream...something bad is happening to me.
I just know it.
[Kotarou]: "...I just thought it'd be nice to have some."
[Kotori]: "?"
[Kotarou]: "Any other questions?"
[Kotori]: "Me, me!"
[Kotarou]: "Kanbe-san, go ahead."
[Kotori]: "We have no idea where she is, so what do we do?"
[Kotarou]: "We know she's a third-year, so let's start by going to the third-year floor."
[Kotori]: "So the game's afoot..."
[First-Year Suzuki A]: "Me!"
[Kotarou]: "Yes, Suzuki."
[First-Year Suzuki A]: "Should we split up?"
[Kotarou]: "We'll all have to talk to third-years we don't know. Can you do that on your own?"
Suzuki makes a troubled face.
[First-Year Suzuki B]: "Umm, can I say something?"
[Kotarou]: "Go ahead, Suzuki."
[First-Year Suzuki B]: "We know a couple of third-years, so we might be able to learn something from them!"
[Kotarou]: "Nice one, Suzuki. Let's go with that."
[Kotarou]: "Everyone, go talk to whichever third-years you know."
[Suzuki]: "Umm, Tennouji-kun?"
[Kotarou]: "Go ahead, Suzuki."
[Suzuki]: "Since I'm a second-year, the third-years might take me more seriously."
[Suzuki]: "So I'll try asking my third-year friend, Suzuki-senpai, since I know he's friends with a lot of people."
[Kotarou]: "...are you guys all in the Suzuki Club or something?"
[Suzuki]: "Of course not! Tennouji-kun, your jokes are too good! That was great!"
[Kotarou]: "Suzuki."
[Suzuki]: "Tennouji-kun."
*grasp!*
We shake hands firmly.
[Kotori]: "...oooh, you're getting along."
[Kotarou]: "This is pretty easy when I actually try."
[Kotarou]: "But I still don't have a circle of friends like everyone else."
[Kotarou]: "...I guess I'm not popular."
[Female Suzuki]: "No, Tennouji-senpai, you're actually famous among the first-year girls."
[Kotarou]: "Seriously? Wh-what do they say about me?"
My heart pounds with anticipation (mostly for romantic information) as I ask.
[Kotarou]: "What do they say!?"
[Female Suzuki]: "...they all think you were accepted here illegally."
[Kotarou]: "Today's mission objective is to determine the source of this malicious gossip."
[Kotori]: "No changing the objective."
[Kotarou]: "We'll probably end up in a boss battle so everyone be ready!"
[Kotori]: "He's lost it."
[Kotarou]: "We have not a moment to spare. To arms!"
We head to the floor where the third-year classrooms are.
[Kotori]: "This is kinda nervewracking."
[Kotarou]: "Well, we do have to ask our senpai a bunch of questions."
[Kotarou]: "This isn't like talking to NPCs in a village." |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
[Kotori]: "If you were in a club you might know someone here."
[Kotarou]: "Don't make it my fault..."
[Suzuki]: "Tennouji-kun, we're going to leave the party for a minute."
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's meet up here five minutes before lunch break ends."
[Kotarou]: "Good luck, Suzukis."
The Suzukis have left your party.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's go."
[Kotarou]: "Oh, he looks bored. Let's try talking to him."
[Kotori]: "O-okay."
[Kotarou]: "Excuse me, could you spare a moment?"
[Third-Year Boy]: "This is a third-year classroom."
[Kotori]: "He's reacting like an NPC in a village."
[Kotarou]: "So this is what third-years are like..."
[Kotarou]: "Umm, we're trying to find someone."
I ask him about the witch.
[Third-Year Boy]: "...dunno, never heard of her. Try someone else."
[Kotarou]: "Okay, thanks."
[Kotarou]: "...so much for beginner's luck."
[Kotori]: "What do we do?"
[Kotarou]: "What do you mean? We just ask more people."
[Third-Year Boy]: "Dunno."
[Third-Year Boy]: "Never heard of her."
[Third-Year Boy]: "Not a clue."
Three strikes in a row.
[Kotarou]: "The witch isn't as famous as we thought."
[Kotori]: "Maybe we should try asking girls?"
[Kotarou]: "Third-year girls...that's a bit stressful."
[Kotori]: "But girls are more into good luck charms and such."
[Kotarou]: "Oh, that's what you mean...good point."
We decide to focus our attention on girls.
[Third-Year Girl]: "Aaah, I know her, I've heard about it before."
Instant success.
[Kotarou]: "Really?"
[Third-Year Girl]: "I've been told she's around here somewhere."
She knows basically nothing.
[Kotarou]: "I've heard she's a third-year."
[Third-Year Girl]: "She is? I don't think she's in our class."
[Kotarou]: "I see...thanks."
We continue our investigation.
[Third-Year Girl]: "I think I know her."
[Third-Year Girl]: "I think I've heard about her."
[Third-Year Girl]: "I think there've been rumors about her."
[Kotarou]: "...none of them know any details."
[Kotori]: "Such a mystery."
[Kotarou]: "She's supposed to be a witch so I guess it makes sense..."
[Kotarou]: "Oh well, on to the next one."
[Third-Year Girl]: "A charmer...? Yeah, I know her."
[Kotarou]: "Do you know where she is?"
[Third-Year Girl]: "I've heard she's in the Occult Club."
[Kotarou]: "Oh, now there's some detail."
[Kotarou]: "Is the club active?"
[Third-Year Girl]: "It's not on the usual club list, but I'm pretty sure there used to be one."
[Third-Year Girl]: "Ah, but I've heard a rumor that it got shut down."
[Kotori]: "Kotarou-kun."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, I think we're on to something here."
[Kotarou]: "Senpai, is there anything else you could tell us about that?"
[Third-Year Girl]: "I don't know that much, but I've heard...their club room is an empty classroom..."
We have all the information we're going to get out of the third-years.
[Kotarou]: "...an empty classroom..."
[Kotori]: "There are a lot of those."
This is the era of low birth rates.
Our school is mammoth, but the number of students is normal.
There's plenty of money to run the place even without filling it with students.
So there's a huge supply of unused classrooms.
[Kotori]: "I just checked the site."
Kotori closes her cell phone.
[Kotori]: "The Occult Research Club isn't on the list of clubs."
[Kotarou]: "So she was right about that. Think it's because it's a "research" club?"
[Kotori]: "Probably."
Either they have too few members, or they aren't active.
For whatever reason, the Occult Club isn't an officially recognized club.
[Kotarou]: "It's quite impressive that such a small group managed to get their own classroom."
[Kotori]: "What if they didn't?"
[Kotarou]: "...they're using it without permission?"
[Kotori]: "Yeah."
[Kotori]: "But doesn't the school lock all the unused classrooms?"
[Kotarou]: "Ah, you're right."
[Kotori]: "So maybe the club did something really bad at some point."
[Kotarou]: "...this is starting to sound like a huge scoop...maybe Inoue's actually good at this."
[Kotori]: "Hm? You have an idea?"
[Kotarou]: "Nope."
[Kotarou]: "...and now I get it. If the Occult Club is actually active, we just have to look for an unlocked classroom."
[Kotori]: "That's assuming it's still active."
[Kotarou]: "Okay, we know what to do now."
[Kotori]: "And lunch break is just about over."
[Kotarou]: "Perfect timing. Let's head back for now."
We return to the rendezvous point and meet up with Task Force SUZUKI.
[Kotarou]: "Hey. How'd it go?"
[First-Year Suzuki A]: "They say the witch is in the Occult Club."
[First-Year Suzuki B]: "And apparently the club was last active two years ago."
[Female Suzuki]: "They couldn't get any new members so it simply died out."
After hearing their report, Kotori and I look at each other.
[Kotarou]: "...so the club really is gone."
[Kotori]: "Seems like it."
As we think, second-year Suzuki returns.
[Kotarou]: "Hey. How was it?"
[Suzuki]: "I got some good info."
[Suzuki]: "Tennouji-kun, please use this to improve your youth!"
Obtained Info: "Mysterious Flying Object Downtown!?"!
[Kotarou]: "Well, I guess this is nice..."
Though it has absolutely nothing to do with our objective.
[Kotarou]: "Did you find out anything about the Occult Club?"
[Suzuki]: "Hmmmm, I didn't run across anything about that."
[Kotarou]: "I see..."
We feel dejected, but Suzuki shines a ray of hope upon us.
[Suzuki]: "But I did find part of a pamphlet put out by the Occult Club."
[Kotarou]: "Suzuki!"
I roughly embrace Suzuki.
[Suzuki]: "Tennouji-kun! Aaah, Tennouji-kun, that's...!"
We exchange a passionate hug.
[Kotori]: "...stop. People are looking."
[Suzuki]: "Here's the pamphlet."
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's see it."
Hmm, this does look handmade...
No, it's been printed out. |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Female Suzuki]: "They must've made copies of this with the printer."
[Female Suzuki]: "It's like doujinshi or something."
[Kotarou]: "I dunno about that, but this is pretty nice...do you have to pay money for copies like this?"
[Female Suzuki]: "Yes."
The bulletin itself has lots of specialist terminology, so I can't understand it.
[Kotarou]: "I'll have to examine it later."
[Suzuki]: "So we're done for now?"
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, thanks for helping. I think we can do the rest ourselves."
[Suzuki]: "Thank you for asking. It was fun helping you, Tennouji-kun."
[First-Year Suzuki A]: "Senpai, thank you so much!"
[First-Year Suzuki B]: "Ask us for help anytime!"
[Female Suzuki]: "We learned a lot!"
[Kotarou]: "Suzukis...thank you..."
[Kotarou]: "You're all...such good friends..."
[Suzuki]: "Tennouji-kun!"
[Kotarou]: "Suzukis!"
[Kotori]: "...the bell's gonna ring."
So, after school finally ends...
[Kotarou]: "Let's go!"
[Kotori]: "All for one, one for all!"
[Kotori]: "...you're awfully eager about this."
[Kotarou]: "It's getting fun."
[Kotori]: "Mm-hmm."
[Kotarou]: "Doing stuff like this...it's really fun."
[Kotarou]: "And not just because I made a bunch of friends."
[Kotori]: "That's true."
We go to the third-year floor.
There are lots of people walking around after school.
People going to clubs, people hurrying home, people chatting with classmates...
[Kotori]: "Where should we start?"
[Kotarou]: "Good question..."
[Kotarou]: "Unused classrooms I guess."
[Kotori]: "There's a lot of them though...should we check them all?"
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, we should."
[Kotori]: "By the way, Kotarou-kun, shouldn't we look at that thing Suzuki-kun found?"
[Kotarou]: "Oh right, the pamphlet."
I take it out of my bookbag.
[Kotarou]: "Hmmm..."
It's filled with strange words that only occult enthusiasts could possibly understand.
I try reading it carefully, but I can't come close to understanding it.
[Kotarou]: "Reading this makes my head swim."
[Kotarou]: "This is for hardcore fanatics."
[Kotori]: "Lemme see."
[Kotori]: "Whoa! Hardcore...!"
Even Kotori is taken aback by the level of esoteric jargon.
[Kotori]: "There!"
She unfolds it further without reading most of it.
[Kotori]: "Ah, look at this!"
[Kotarou]: "Oooh! What's this...?"
Farther down, it says this:
RITUAL MAGIC #47
"Written By
Kazamatsuri Academy Occult Research Club"
"Published By
Astral Plane 2nd District 3rd Street #15 Temple Leader Solor Soran"
"Telephone Number
: XXX-XXX-XXXX
[Kotarou]: "...it has a phone number. Considering how many privacy problems there are these days, this is a bit risky."
[Kotarou]: "Think we should try calling it?"
[Kotori]: "Well, you're not gonna prank call her, so I can't think of a reason not to."
[Kotori]: "But she's still an alumna here..."
[Kotarou]: "What're the odds this number still works?"
[Kotori]: "If it does, this'll be an amazing find."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah."
I decide to try calling.
The person picks up on the fifth ringtone.
[Kotarou]: "I'm Tennouji...pleased to meet you."
[?]: "Eh? ...who is this?"
[Kotarou]: "Tennouji."
[?]: "Tennouji? Who are you?"
[Kotarou]: "To make a long story short...I'm always walking behind you."
[?]: "...eh? You're a stalker?"
[?]: "Then I'll sue you."
[Kotarou]: "Sorry, I should have been more serious. I'm a kouhai."
[?]: "Kouhai...from high school?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes. I'm a second-year at Kazamatsuri Academy. My name is Tennouji. We've never met."
[?]: "Haa...so I haven't met you. So what do you want then? Where'd you get this number?"
[Kotarou]: "I saw it on an Occult Club bulletin, Ex-Prez."
[Ex-Prez]: "!?"
[Ex-Prez]: "What did you say?"
What makes you say that?
[Kotarou]: "I read it in great detail."
[Kotarou]: "It really took me back...reading that incredible explanation of pentagram-based ceremonies."
[Kotarou]: "Turn toward the east, imagine the flow of the holy powers and use your right hand to..."
[Ex-Prez]: "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
[Ex-Prez]: "Why would you read that!?"
[Kotarou]: "Eh? I just wanted to prove I'd read it...let me prove it even more."
[Ex-Prez]: "Are you torturing me!?"
[Kotarou]: "That's not my goal. I was just impressed by your knowledge on the subject."
[Ex-Prez]: "Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
[Ex-Prez]: "I'd finally started to forget about iiiiiiit..."
[Kotarou]: "You must've had a wonderful school life, paying money to make copies of these things."
[Kotarou]: "Not many people can do that. I'm impressed. Seriously."
[Ex-Prez]: "That makes it hurt even more!"
[Kotarou]: "Huh?"
[Ex-Prez]: "I'm just a perfectly normal alumna right now, nothing more!"
[Kotarou]: "Yes. According to this bulletin, occult ceremonies are a component of advanced mental training regimens for raising one's soul to a higher plane of existence."
[Kotarou]: "A true magician must keep their personal lives neat and tidy, yes?"
[Ex-Prez]: "Stop! Stooop! Don't say such things!"
[Ex-Prez]: "I know I wrote that article, but don't keep reminding me about it!"
[Kotarou]: "...stick a dagger into the center of the pentagram you draw in the air, and speak the name of the holy one you worship."
[Kotarou]: "Envelop yourself in the image of his holy name and astral body vibrating, and fly off to the farthest reaches of the universe..."
[Ex-Prez]: "STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
[Kotarou]: "Le oram amen...be eternal!"
[Ex-Prez]: "Are you bullying me!? Do you enjoy harassing alumni!?"
[Kotarou]: "No, I'm serious. These spells are all written out in full. I'm so impressed my astral body is vibrating."
[Ex-Prez]: "Gopuaaah!"
I hear what sounds like her vomiting up blood.
[Kotarou]: ".........senpai, are you okay?"
[Ex-Prez]: "Do you want money?" |
<METADATA>
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "Eh?"
[Ex-Prez]: ".........do you want my money? I can send 20,000 yen to your bank account right now..."
[Ex-Prez]: "Just burn it! BURN IIIIIIIIT!"
[Kotarou]: "Eh? Twenty thousand just for talking? ...I'm not sure what's going on, but yay!"
[Kotori]: "Blackmail. Blackmail. Threatening people."
[Ex-Prez]: "Is that not enough!? I'm just a temp worker! I can't give you any more!"
[Kotarou]: "No, you really don't have to...I wasn't after money anyway..."
[Ex-Prez]: "You aren't? Then what? ...my body? Do you want my body?"
[Kotarou]: "No, I wasn't after anything sexual..."
[Kotarou]: "What celebrity do you most resemble?"
[Ex-Prez]: "A long time ago I was a highly fashionable model."
[Kotarou]: "Oooooh!"
[Ex-Prez]: "But right now my waist is 69 cm."
[Ex-Prez]: "I got addicted to donuts."
[Ex-Prez]: "If anything that's an understatement. So would a young boy like you really be able to satisfy your lust with me?"
[Kotarou]: "No...I wasn't after your body...that's not why I called..."
[Ex-Prez]: "Then what is it!? What is it!? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM MEEEEE!?"
[Kotarou]: "Please calm down, Solor Soran."
That appears to be her magic name.
Something you give yourself for magical ceremonies.
I don't really get it, but I assume it's like a pen name.
So I tried respectfully addressing her that way.
[Ex-Prez]: "Ouu..."
[Kotarou]: "Ex-Prez?"
[Ex-Prez]: ".........that one...really hurt........."
[Ex-Prez]: "You've forced me to remember...all of my repressed high school memories...thank you...I love you so much I want to kill you."
[Kotarou]: "Glad to hear it."
[Kotarou]: "So, there was something I wanted to ask you."
[Ex-Prez]: "...what is it? ...speak..."
Her voice is filled with reverberations of darkness.
[Kotarou]: "I wanted to know where the Occult Club's clubroom is..."
[Ex-Prez]: "Huh? We never had such a thing."
[Kotarou]: "You didn't have one...?"
[Ex-Prez]: "What issue is that pamphlet?"
[Kotarou]: "Umm, it says #47."
[Ex-Prez]: "Yeah, that's from when I was in charge. That bulletin's over ten years old."
[Kotarou]: "Eh?"
Come to think of it, it didn't have a date on it.
[Ex-Prez]: "That's how long it's been since I graduated."
[Ex-Prez]: "One of my kouhai took my place, but at that point there were only three members left."
[Ex-Prez]: "I was told they couldn't get any new members, so the club disbanded."
[Kotarou]: "Aaah, okay. So where did you do your club activities back then?"
[Ex-Prez]: "It wasn't a public research group to begin with, so we used any place we could find...usually empty classrooms after school ended."
[Ex-Prez]: "And we'd talk about which rooms were better or worse for magic...uheheheheh...no wonder I couldn't get a boyfriend."
[Kotarou]: "Have you heard of a witch?"
[Ex-Prez]: "Hm? You mean people who can use magic? That's a hardcore question."
[Kotarou]: "No, I didn't mean it like that. There's a girl called the witch of the school..."
[Kotarou]: "And she's supposed to be a third-year..."
[Ex-Prez]: "Third-year...well she wasn't around when I was there, so I have no idea."
[Kotarou]: "I see..."
[Ex-Prez]: "Ah, I remembered something. There was one room we used an awful lot. It was sort of like a club room."
[Ex-Prez]: "A long time ago, when the third school civil war broke out, some of the more extreme left-wingers among the third-year students destroyed it."
This school has an amazing secret history to it.
[Ex-Prez]: "That was twenty years ago. It was marked for renovation and no one was allowed in, but nothing ever happened to it."
[Ex-Prez]: "It's far away from the other rooms, so it was a good place to do secret things in."
[Ex-Prez]: "There were lots of legends about it. At midnight the school was said to suck you into an alternate dimension."
[Kotarou]: "They didn't lock that room?"
[Ex-Prez]: "We managed to make a copy of the key in secret. It was handed down through the Occult Club presidents."
[Ex-Prez]: "We were very careful to make sure the school never found out."
[Ex-Prez]: "That takes me back...we had a ceremony for handing the key down. Everyone had to look for it with their favorite magic, pseudoscience or supernatural power...we still had more than ten members back then."
Despite what she said earlier, she seems to have had quite the fulfilling youth.
[Kotarou]: "So where was that room?"
[Ex-Prez]: "Ummm..."
You learned where the abandoned classroom is!
[Kotarou]: "Thank you so much, I'll go there right away!"
[Ex-Prez]: "Now keep your end of the bargain and burn that pamphlet."
[Kotarou]: "Understood."
[Ex-Prez]: "Burn it!"
[Kotarou]: ".........okay."
[Ex-Prez]: "Good. I'll save this number so I can ask tomorrow if you burned it."
[Kotarou]: "...gotcha."
You became friends (?) with the Ex-Prez!
Added one number to your contacts list!
[Kotarou]: "Amigooo!"
We decide to investigate the Occult Club room.
[Kotarou]: "Here we go, Kotori!"
[Kotori]: "Onward! One for all!"
We begin wandering around the school.
We check every classroom-like location we can find.
It's a path toward hell.
A trial with no end in sight.
We search every last nook and cranny.
[Kotarou]: "...uuu."
[Kotori]: "Uuuuu..."
Our faces are pale, and we groan as we walk down the halls. We look like zombies.
Everyone steps aside when they see us.
Someone holds up a cross.
It's futile.
Such things won't work on us.
How far have we walked?
At some point we gained control of the entire school.
You completed the map of the school!
And then, only one place remained.
[Kotarou]: "This place feels kinda occult-y."
We arrive at a lonely hallway.
It's in the far corner of the school, and since no one uses this room there aren't any students or teachers in sight.
The lights are off too.
[Kotori]: "Come to think of it, it's probably supposed to feel like that."
[Kotori]: "And here's the empty classroom..."
[Kotarou]: "From what the Ex-Prez told me, it should be near here."
[Kotori]: "I can smell 'mission complete' from here."
[Kotarou]: "Let's check it out."
I push the door. It won't open. |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "She did say we needed a key..."
[Kotarou]: "Makes sense it'd be locked."
I try a few more times, but it won't move.
...then suddenly it does.
[Kotarou]: "Waaaoh! Crap! Crap!"
[Kotori]: "What's wrong?"
[Kotarou]: "...apparently it wasn't locked. It's wide open."
I lie as I open the door.
Broken parts of the lock land near my feet.
[Kotori]: "Ah, you broke it! Kotarou-kun, you broke it!"
[Kotarou]: "Idiot! Be quiet...we can't let anyone find us!"
[Kotori]: "You break things so easily."
[Kotarou]: "I don't break stuff that often."
[Kotori]: "Yes you do. You even broke a faucet recently."
[Kotarou]: "That was a long time ago...I barely even remember it."
[Kotarou]: "Aaah, I've been so careful about it recently. I guess I had to mess up eventually..."
[Kotori]: "You're gonna have to pay for breaking public property. It's gonna be expensive!"
[Kotarou]: "I've heard guard rails are quite expensive...but school doors...?"
[Kotarou]: "Also it might've been broken before I got here."
[Kotori]: "No, I heard it snap."
I try picking up the metal on the floor.
Part of it is twisted.
There's no way this can be reused.
[Kotarou]: "Damn..."
[Kotori]: "You're gonna have to apologize if the Occult Club really is in here."
[Kotarou]: "That's a bad first impression..."
Not much I can do about it now though.
[Kotarou]: "Hello, anyone in here...?"
[Kotarou]: "It's dark."
If there are any windows here, they're covered by curtains.
[Kotori]: "Ummm, where's the switch..."
Kotori runs her hands along the wall, but...
[Woman]: "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
[Kotarou]: "Whoa!?"
[Kotori]: "Wa!"
We both leap up in the air.
[Kotarou]: "Who's there!?"
.........
[Kotarou]: "Hello...?"
I say toward the darkness, but no one answers.
I can't feel any signs of life.
[Kotarou]: (But...it does feel like death in here...)
My stupid imagination makes my body shiver.
[Kotori]: "...that scared me."
[Kotori]: "But I've heard that voice somewhere before. Kotori-san is mighty curious about this."
[Kotarou]: "Where's "somewhere?""
[Kotori]: "I don't know. But Kotori-san finds this room suspicious."
She steps into the darkness without fear.
This is the kind of bravery you might expect from a middle-aged woman.
[Kotarou]: "Ah, don't be so reckless...do you want to get cursed!?"
[Kotori]: "I think it came from over here..."
She seems to be feeling around the walls.
[Kotori]: "Ah, found it."
[Woman]: "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
[Kotarou]: "Uwa!"
[Woman]: "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
[Kotarou]: "Hieeeh!?"
[Kotarou]: "S-someone! Someone with supernatural powers, help!"
I scream toward the hallway.
[Kotori]: "Calm down."
[Kotori]: "Wait, I'll turn the lights on."
After a few seconds, the lights come on.
[Kotarou]: "Wa, what's this...?"
This room is incredible.
[Kotarou]: "It goes way beyond a classroom...in fact, this is better than most school facilities..."
[Kotori]: "Look, no corpses anywhere."
[Kotarou]: "You're right. So what was that scream?"
[Kotori]: "Come here, come here."
I walk over to where Kotori beckons.
She's pointing to the light switch.
[Kotarou]: "There's a lot of switches."
There's a panel on the wall filled with dozens of switches.
[Kotori]: "Try this one."
I try pushing the one she indicates.
[Woman]: "Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
[Kotarou]: "...I see."
[Kotori]: "Pressing the button plays a recording of a scream, and I guess it's set to play automatically when someone enters."
[Kotarou]: "This would go on a top ten list of most useless household appliances."
[Kotori]: "What's this switch for?"
[Man]: "Wax museum～!"
[Kotori]: "There!"
[Man]: "Wax museum～!"
[Kotarou]: "...umm."
[Kotarou]: "What do you use that for?"
[Kotori]: "...maybe when you need material for a hundred ghost stories?"
[Kotarou]: "But how would that voice help? Does it make something else happen?"
[Kotori]: "Dunno."
[Kotarou]: "This thing's so pointless..."
[Kotarou]: "This room is weird."
[Kotori]: "Well, anyway..."
Kotori looks sharply around the room.
The eyes of a woman checking something out.
[Kotori]: "Someone's definitely using this room. It's too clean."
It clearly hasn't been abandoned for a decade.
There isn't a speck of dust anywhere.
[Kotori]: "I smell a girl."
[Kotarou]: "No way. Is that what that sweet smell is?"
[Kotori]: "That's soap and shampoo you're smelling."
[Kotori]: "But there's also a girl smell here too."
[Kotarou]: "T-tell me more...I wanna smell it."
[Kotori]: "Boys can't understand."
[Kotarou]: "Dammit...I'm so curious...!"
[Kotarou]: "I wanna smell...I wanna smell..."
[Kotori]: "Have you forgotten our objective?"
[Kotarou]: "...you're right."
[Kotarou]: "So this place used to be a classroom, but she's renovated the hell out of it."
[Kotori]: "There's even a fridge..."
[Kotori]: "Ah, does this couch have a pull-out bed?"
[Kotori]: "A PC, and AC, a humidifier, a TV, game consoles..."
[Kotori]: "Executive office chairs."
[Kotori]: "Trout and mackerel sushi! I wanna try this!"
[Kotori]: "...there's even a bathroom, shower and changing room..."
[Kotori]: "And it's soundproofed..."
[Kotori]: "Just as I feared...a karaoke machine!"
[Kotori]: "This is Dyson's state-of-the-art automatic cleaning robot..."
[Kotori]: "A whole box of cupra...that's sad."
She runs circles around the room and pulls all sorts of things out to inspect them.
Every few seconds she lets out a cute scream.
[Kotori]: "It's like a secret base! All the blessings of civilization are here!"
[Kotarou]: "This is more than just expensive..."
[Kotarou]: "Is she secretly in charge of the school or something...?"
[Kotori]: "Okay, question."
[Kotarou]: "Yes, Kanbe-san?"
[Kotori]: "Conclusion:"
[Kotori]: "...someone could live here."
[Kotarou]: "That's not a question." |
<METADATA>
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "But I've gotta admit, if I knew of a club with this much stuff I'd gladly resign my position in the going home club."
A new question comes up.
[Kotarou]: "...do you think the Occult Club would be capable of getting all this?"
[Kotarou]: "There's no way you can do this without the school's help, right?"
[Kotori]: "Maybe we're in the wrong place?"
[Kotarou]: "This feels more appropriate for the President Club, the Fortune 500 Club, or maybe the Rockefeller Club."
[Kotori]: "What are those clubs?"
[Kotarou]: "But based on the books I see around here, this is definitely occult-centric."
The bookshelves are filled with books about that stuff.
[Kotori]: "This witch must be earning a ton of money."
[Kotarou]: "...you think so...?"
[Kotori]: "She must deliver teacakes to some big name politician or Echigoya or something."
[Kotarou]: "Aaah, you're right, those bright yellow teacakes."
[Kotori]: "Maybe she puts curses on their political enemies, or reads their futures."
[Kotarou]: "Unfortunately, that's actually plausible."
[Kotori]: "What should we do? She doesn't seem to be here..."
[Kotarou]: "...it's already evening. If she's not here now, she probably won't show up anytime soon."
[Kotori]: "Maybe we should leave a note? Ask her to call us when she gets back?"
There is a pile of sticky notes on the table.
[Kotarou]: "Might as well."
[Kotarou]: "...that should do it."
We're looking for the witch of the school.
We'd like you to contact us.
And I'm sorry for breaking your door.
[Kotori]: "I hope she's not too angry about that."
[Kotarou]: "Normally mysterious girls like this are the kind to heal you with kindness."
[Kotori]: "But she's into black magic."
I lose confidence.
[Kotori]: "Ah, look at the time. Should we go?"
[Kotarou]: "Yeah."
[Kotarou]: (Still...this room is kinda insane.)
[Kotarou]: (It feels like there's a big secret hiding here...)
[Kotori]: "Come on, turn the lights off."
[Kotarou]: "...okay."
I spend the night alone in my big house.
My parents haven't come home for weeks because of work.
It's pretty fun living (sort of) on my own.
But there have been a few minor problems recently.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, everything's locked."
I lock all the doors and windows.
My defenses are perfect.
...against physical intruders.
Anyway, I get into bed.
I don't really want to turn the lights off.
I'd like to leave them on.
But I can't sleep with the lights on.
Darkness covers the room.
I cover my face with the blanket.
I immediately become terrified.
[Kotarou]: "―!"
I pull my phone into bed and start calling Kotori, while feeling sorry for bothering her.
She picks up on the third dial.
[Kotarou]: "Hello!? Kotori, I love you!"
[Kotori]: "Guupiii..."
She was asleep.
[Kotarou]: "...that's weird."
Why did she answer the phone?
Is she sleep...answering?
[Kotori]: "Munyamunya...I can't eat any more..."
[Kotarou]: "She speaks the legendary lines!?"
[Kotori]: "Double...soda ice...is just..."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah."
[Kotori]: "I'll give Kotarou-kun...the smaller piece..."
[Kotarou]: "That's kinda mean!"
I see, humans can't hide their true feelings when they're asleep.
This is my chance.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's talk about love."
[Kotori]: "Supipipipi..."
[Kotarou]: "Who does Kanbe Kotori-san like most?"
[Kotori]: "Herself..."
Grrr...
[Kotarou]: "Okay, what do you like in a guy?"
[Kotori]: "Money..."
[Kotarou]: "That's evil!"
[Kotarou]: "I mean...that's pretty mean!"
It wasn't exactly malicious, so I corrected myself.
Still, she really has no hopes or dreams, does she?
[Kotori]: "I'm not asking for ten million yen a year."
[Kotori]: "But...I'd like a little spending money every month."
[Kotarou]: "You're cheap."
[Kotarou]: "What about love? To me that's most important."
[Kotori]: "Love..."
[Kotori]: "Some would be nice."
[Kotarou]: "You should care more about that. A wife needs to love her husband."
[Kotarou]: "Your kids will end up heartless."
[Kotori]: "Right now...living is hard enough..."
Is she just taking feminine modesty a little too far?
I don't wanna leave that alone...
But...
I have no idea what I can say to her about it.
[Kotori]: "Hey, Kotarou-kun."
Kotori asks me something in her sleep.
[Kotarou]: "What?"
[Kotori]: "Go see...as much as you can."
[Kotarou]: "Eh?"
[Kotori]: "Don't stay...cooped up in one place..."
[Kotori]: "Broaden your horizons...decide who you are...become someone..."
What's she talking about?
[Kotori]: "...become someone...who could run for cabinet..."
[Kotarou]: "So it's all about money for you..."
[Kotori]: "I look forward...to white day..."
I have no words left.
[Kotarou]: "One kilogram of fat, two kilograms of fat, three kilograms of fat..."
[Kotori]: "Uuuuun...uuuuun........."
Enjoy your dreams of getting fat.
Talking to someone got rid of most of my fear.
I should be able to sleep no problem now.
In fact, I can feel sleep's gentle embrace right now...
...I can actually feel an embrace.
It's like...a real woman is holding me...
This must be a dream.
A dream.
Sleep has a strange smell, actually.
Almost like a rainforest...
[Kotarou]: "...eh.........?"
There's just no way.
I almost fell asleep, but that tinge of anxiety makes my eyes open.
[Kotarou]: "..................eh?" |
<METADATA>
Name: Nakatsu Shizuru | Gender: Female | Aliases: Shizu
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
October 6th (Wednesday)
I wake up...and feel very strange.
[Kotarou]: "Last night..."
I think something happened.
Something...something very scary.
[Kotarou]: (A ghost...?)
Just thinking about it sends shivers down my back.
[Kotarou]: "Stop, stop..."
I start getting ready for school.
I tell myself it's a dream.
It must be a dream...
I sit down in my seat, and of course, the transfer student Ohtori sits behind me.
What is it...?
She greets me normally, but it doesn't feel like she's warming up to me at all.
Maybe I should try mixing some trivia into my morning chatter?
If something catches her interest, it might spark a conversation and then we'd be friends.
...well, it's a bit strange trying to become friends with someone using a trick like that.
But let's try it anyway.
[Kotarou]: "Hey, Ohtori."
[Ohtori]: "...good morning."
She definitely isn't warming up.
[Kotarou]: "By the way...you know that movie called "Jaws?""
[Kotarou]: "A lot of Japanese moviegoers seem to think that "Jaws" is the name of the shark, but it actually means "Jawbones.""
[Ohtori]: "Oooh."
I got her attention.
[Kotarou]: "...that was kinda tough to understand. I should've picked one with a localized title."
If we want to make the title clearer, "Jawbones" is kinda the only option...
But that's a bit weird.
Hmm..."Jawbones..."
That probably wouldn't sell many tickets.
[Kotarou]: "Wait, maybe I shouldn't be interpreting the "s" as a plural suffix?"
[Ohtori]: "Who are you talking to?"
S...
[Kotarou]: "...as in "super" or "special?""
[Ohtori]: "Seriously, who...?"
Jawbone Super...
Probably better as "Super Jawbone."
"Heart-pounding, jaw-dropping thrills are coming to a theater near you!
The number one movie in America, "Super Jawbone!"
Run to the theater now!"
Odds are no one would run to the theater after reading that. It has 'B-movie comedy' written all over it.
Makes me wonder why America liked it so much.
[Kotarou]: "What about "special...?""
[Ohtori]: "I have no idea."
Jawbone Special...yeah, definitely better to put the s-word in front.
"Heart-pounding, jaw-dropping thrills are coming to a theater near you!
The number one movie in America, "Special Jawbone!"
We'll be waiting for you!"
Odds are everyone will just let them wait, so now I feel sorry for them.
This isn't working. I need to come up with a more appealing translation for Japanese people.
S...stupendous.
"Stupendous Jawbone"
...what kind of jaw is that?
[Kotarou]: "If the number one hit movie in America was called "Stupendous Jawbone," wouldn't you want to go see it out of sheer curiosity?"
[Ohtori]: "Well, I would want to know what it's about..."
[Kotarou]: "But that translation feels too unfaithful. Maybe "Jawbone Stupendous" would be better..."
[Kotarou]: "Then we shorten it to "JawboneS..." Perfect."
[Kotarou]: "Wait a minute, "Jawbones" is what I started with!!"
[Ohtori]: "I don't get it."
And then homeroom begins.
Once we reach lunch break, I stand up.
[Kotarou]: "Crap, I'm late..."
There probably won't be anything good left by the time I get to the cafeteria.
Guess I'll have to buy something off-campus again.
I gaze aimlessly out the window as I walk.
[Kotarou]: "Ah."
I catch a glimpse of Ohtori-san.
Hmmm, if I get in a fight with her now, I won't have any time to go buy lunch...
[Kotarou]: "Evasive action."
I turn back the way I came, and try heading down a different route.
As I turn the corner...
[Kotarou]: "Okay..."
I widen my strides.
And...
*pwheeeet*
An awkward whistle-blowing noise.
*fwump*―――
Now the noise of rustling fabric.
I turn around to find a tiny girl whose head doesn't even reach my shoulders.
Her appearance is unique in several ways, so I could identify her immediately.
I do know her, by the way.
[??]: "Mmm..."
My acquaintance groans, then takes a deep breath.
*pffwee*
A pitiful sound.
[??]: ".........?"
She taps her whistle.
Is it broken?
I could just ask her, but...what'll happen if I ignore her?
My curiosity forces me to leave while pretending not to notice her.
[??]: "......!"
*fff*―――
*fffwe*
*ffffwee*
*ffff!*
*ffff!!*
*FFFFFF!!!*
She frantically tries to blow her whistle.
She gazes down at her whistle with a face that says "What happened to you?"
I'm starting to feel guilty for being quiet.
[Kotarou]: "Ummm..."
[Kotarou]: "What are you doing?"
[??]: "Muu..."
Apparently her whistle is giving her trouble.
[Kotarou]: "Lemme see that."
I gesture that I'll be right back, and head for the nearest water source.
I wash the whistle.
After drying it off with a handkerchief, I hand it back to her.
It's the kind of metallic whistle the umpire would use in baseball.
I look inside, and see some water. This definitely won't blow properly.
[Kotarou]: "I thought so. Listen."
[Kotarou]: "It's good to keep stuff clean, but if water gets stuck in this thing it won't blow."
[Kotarou]: "You washed this earlier too, didn't you?"
[??]: ".........!"
"Oooh...it all makes sense now..." her face says.
I shake the water out, then hand it back.
*pwheeeet*
[??]: "Oh～..."
*point* *pwheeeet*
She points at me and blows the whistle.
[??]: "Warning."
[??]: "Do not run in the halls."
We're finally back on track.
[Kotarou]: "Mm..."
[Kotarou]: "Well, I guess I kinda was running, but..."
[??]: "The student handbook says "Do not run in the halls.""
[Kotarou]: "Why are you repeating that?"
[??]: "I'm a moral guard."
It's like we're in America.
Also the expression is "moral guardian."
[Kotarou]: "I see. What's your name?"
[??]: "Shizuru."
[Kotarou]: "Your height?"
She shows me a 1, and 4 and a 9 with her fingers.
[Kotarou]: "Your weight?"
She shows me a 3 and a 9.
[Kotarou]: "Your three sizes?"
[Shizuru]: "Mmmmm..."
She thinks.
[Kotarou]: "It's fine if you don't know."
She's very honest.
She lowers her shoulders a little.
She seems sad that she couldn't answer my question. |
<METADATA>
Name: Nakatsu Shizuru | Gender: Female | Aliases: Shizu
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
</METADATA>
[Kotarou]: "By the way, girls don't have to answer that question."
"They don't? I see..." she thinks.
Every so often we bump into each other and have silly encounters like this.
I think we first met in a meeting of some kind.
I went there in place of some student council member.
For whatever reason, she took a liking to me.
Her eyepatch is quite distinctive, so for once it took me no time at all to learn her face.
...though I've never asked why she wears it.
I've never seen her without it, so there's probably something wrong with her eye.
I don't want to ask about it though.
[Kotarou]: "So, what do you want with me, Shizuru-san?"
I feel like a big brother whenever I talk to her.
I am aware of that though, so I try not to go overboard.
She hits her palm with her fist, as if to say "Oooh, that's right!"
[Shizuru]: "Kotarou."
Incidentally, Shizuru has been consistently addressing me that way ever since I asked her to.
I told her it was easier on me, but it seems like she just isn't concerned about senpai-kouhai etiquette.
[Kotarou]: "What is it?"
[Shizuru]: "Do not run in the halls."
[Shizuru]: "The student handbook says "Do not run in the halls.""
She repeats what she said earlier.
[Kotarou]: "On what page?"
"Hmmm, fine" her face says as she pulls the student handbook out of her pocket.
She flicks through the pages.
She flicks through it again.
[Kotarou]: "Umm..."
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
[Kotarou]: "I don't think it's actually in there."
[Shizuru]: ".........!!"
"How could this be...!?" her wide-eyed expression says.
We're not in elementary school anymore, so they don't bother writing down obvious stuff like that.
[Shizuru]: "I can't use that line anymore..."
She hangs her head in sorrow.
Was she imitating one of the other hall monitors...?
She must've thought that line sounded really cool.
[Kotarou]: "But it is true that we can't run in the halls."
I agree with her, and she nods and smiles, as if to say "That's right, that's right."
[Kotarou]: "So, is that all? Moral Guard Shizuru-san?"
She thinks.
She puts the whistle to her mouth.
*pwheet* *twirl* *pwheet*
She blows the whistle, makes an X with her arms, then points at me.
[Shizuru]: "Traveling."
Taking three steps without dribbling the ball is illegal.
But...
[Kotarou]: "Unfortunately, I don't have the ball."
Clearly a bad call by the ref.
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"What is it?" her face says.
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
I look closer, and see her blushing.
Was that last joke just to hide her embarrassment?
Sometimes I can tell what she's thinking, but other times...
[Kotarou]: "I'm not sure I understand, but...isn't there a punishment for this sort of thing?"
[Shizuru]: "Punishment?"
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, a punishment. Like losing points for going too fast, or having extra cleaning duty due to a rule violation."
She looks through the handbook again.
[Shizuru]: "Unfortunately, there are no mandated punishments..."
[Kotarou]: "Then it's up to you to choose one, Moral Guard Shizuru-san."
[Shizuru]: "...punishment...punishment..."
She thinks hard.
Then she hits her palm with her hand.
[Shizuru]: "Let's eat lunch in the courtyard together."
She acts like it's a great idea.
[Kotarou]: "That's a strange punishment."
[Shizuru]: "Muu..."
"What? It is?" she starts thinking again.
[Kotarou]: "Actually, wasn't that your goal the entire time?"
[Kotarou]: "Not that I mind or anything."
Blush.
Evidently it was.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's go."
She glances at me, fidgeting.
[Kotarou]: "Is something wrong, Shizuru-san?"
She follows behind me.
[Kotarou]: "Well, at least it's sunny."
[Kotarou]: "Might be nice to sunbathe while having lunch."
She nods.
[Kotarou]: "The problem is though, I still don't have any food. Should I go buy something..."
Even more time has passed since I decided there would be nothing good left. Whatever's still there is going to be horrible...
"That's a big problem." She folds her arms and thinks.
[Shizuru]: "Kotarou."
[Kotarou]: "Yes yes?"
[Shizuru]: "Good luck."
She gives me a thumbs up.
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, will do."
I give her one too.
[Kotarou]: "I have failed..."
All I got was two pieces of anpan.
[Kotarou]: "I've been having a lot of bad luck with food lately."
[Shizuru]: "Are those bad...?"
She looks sadly at the anpan.
[Kotarou]: "They're not bad, but they're a type of bread no one wants."
[Kotarou]: "I only got these because I went too late."
[Shizuru]: ".........!"
She timidly offers her bentou.
...then she lowers her head slightly.
[Kotarou]: "No...you didn't do anything wrong, Shizuru."
She probably feels guilty for taking up my time with those jokes earlier.
*sad*
[Kotarou]: "Don't worry about it..."
"Really?" asks her face.
"But..." her face says.
"This will remain a disgrace to my dignity as a warrior. I must do all in my power to atone for it," her face says.
It wasn't quite that old-fashioned, but you get the point.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, gimme a part of your bentou. Any part you like."
She nods.
That exchange seems to have reassured her.
Now then...
[Kotarou]: "Hmmmm..."
I think again.
It's not a very good idea to bring a hall monitor with me off-campus to buy lunch.
[Kotarou]: "In this situation...we must barter."
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
[Kotarou]: "Just watch."
I return to class.
[Kotarou]: "Heeey, Kotoriii!"
[Kotori]: "Yes yes, what be the trouble, Kotarou-san?"
[Kotarou]: "Perfect, you haven't eaten yet."
[Kotori]: "I was just about to start eating..."
[Kotarou]: "You're in luck, Kotori-san. If you'd eaten already you'd have missed out on a great deal."
[Kotori]: "Eh? What deal?"
[Kotarou]: "First, I will explain things."
[Kotori]: "Okay."
[Kotarou]: "What do you think of when I say Hokkaidō?"
[Kotori]: "Hokkaidō...Hokkaidō..."
[Kotori]: "It's cold?"
[Kotarou]: "Indeed it is cold. But what about the food?" |
<METADATA>
Name: Nakatsu Shizuru | Gender: Female | Aliases: Shizu
Name: Kanbe Kotori | Gender: Female
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
Name: Haruhiko Yoshino | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
[Kotori]: "So it's about food. Hmmm..."
[Kotori]: "It's good?"
[Kotarou]: "Yes, that's right."
[Kotarou]: "As we all know, the natural northern climate breeds the finest seafood and agriculture."
[Kotori]: "So much nature. It's almost romantic."
[Kotarou]: "So, I have here an anpan chocked full of northern blessings."
[Kotori]: "Wow! That's amazing, Kotarou-san!"
[Kotarou]: "Just look at this thing. The filling was made from nothing but Tokachi beans."
[Kotarou]: "The Tokachi fields output the highest quantity and quality that Japanese agriculture has to offer."
[Kotori]: "Tokachi fields!"
[Kotarou]: "Which means these beans are none other than the northern lands themselves."
[Kotori]: "Amazing! That's sure to be delicious!"
[Kotarou]: "You want it?"
[Kotori]: "I can't back down after hearing the words Tokachi fields."
[Kotarou]: "Good. Then let's make a deal."
[Kotori]: "But are you sure? Isn't that your lunch?"
[Kotarou]: "I'm trying to swap this for part of your lunch, Kotori."
[Kotori]: "Oooh, nice idea!"
[Kotarou]: "And thus I obtained furikake rice and pickled vegetables."
She's in awe.
[Shizuru]: "Impressive..."
[Kotarou]: "No. It's the northern climate that's impressive."
[Kotarou]: "Especially the taste of Tokachi fields."
[Shizuru]: "Hokkaidō...a formidable foe."
Well, Kotori should be fine with that anpan and the rest of her bentou.
Though they might not go together well.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, I could satisfy myself with this..."
[Kotarou]: "But while I'm at it, let's aim even higher."
[Shizuru]: ".........!!"
"What? You're going to go even higher? ...what a terrifying man this Kotarou is!" says her face.
I'm starting to have fun dubbing Shizuru's thoughts.
[Kotarou]: "Heeey, Yoshino～"
[Yoshino]: "Don't talk to me so casually...I'll kill you."
[Kotarou]: "Eeeh?"
Whoops, he's in a bad mood.
[Yoshino]: "Right now I am a starving wolf...carelessly approaching a wild dog will get you hurt..."
Are you a dog or a wolf? Pick one.
But the point is he hasn't eaten lunch yet, so he's starving to the point of insanity.
He's getting irritable because he's hungry. Cute little Yoshino-kun.
Anyway, at times like this, I need to go out of my way to talk in sync with him.
[Kotarou]: "Don't listen to me...I'll kill you."
[Yoshino]: "What? Excellent...I'll listen to every word you say."
[Kotarou]: "Don't look at this. I'll kill you."
[Yoshino]: "Ha! Screw you. I'll look all over it."
He'll disobey any order I give him.
[Kotarou]: "Guess I have no choice. Here."
I take out the anpan.
[Yoshino]: "Oooh? What is this?"
[Kotarou]: "Ever eaten it?"
[Yoshino]: "No...now that you mention it..."
[Kotarou]: "Why don't you give it a try?"
[Yoshino]: "Don't mock me. I'm going to clean out my arteries with this vegetable sandwich."
[Kotarou]: "Wait, wait, are you saying this anpan is bad for your health?"
[Kotarou]: "Look, all of the wheat was made in Japan."
[Yoshino]: "...what?"
[Kotarou]: "Come on, smell it. Suu, haa, suu, haa."
I open the bag, put it to my nose and inhale.
I try to make Yoshino do the same thing.
Incidentally, the image of him doing this is extremely unpleasant.
[Yoshino]: "Kuaaa...the..."
[Yoshino]: "The sweet, fragrant scent is almost unbearable..."
I want to laugh at that so badly, but I hold it in for now.
[Kotarou]: "All right, you can have this for that vegetable sandwich. I'll pay the difference."
[Yoshino]: "So that was your goal all along? That was needlessly roundabout..."
[Kotarou]: "But still, all of the beans come from Tokachi fields."
[Yoshino]: "Wow, all of them? If there's that much Tokachi in it, I have no choice...here."
[Kotarou]: "Behold, I am victorious."
She looks at me with sparkling eyes and a jealous gaze.
[Shizuru]: "Go Kotarou..."
[Kotarou]: "I'm surprised how powerful the name "Tokachi fields" is..."
She nods.
[Shizuru]: "But why did smelling that anpan make him so happy...?"
[Kotarou]: "He's just like that."
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"Hmmm?" her confused face says.
And that is how I procured my lunch for the day.
[Kotarou]: "Okaaay, now let's go have our exciting lunchtime."
[Shizuru]: "Exciting lunchtime."
I'd prefer you say that with a little more emotion.
Shizuru tags along with me to the courtyard.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, about here seems good."
She nods and takes a newspaper out of her skirt.
Does she have secret pockets under there?
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"What is it?" asks her face.
[Kotarou]: "Just...look around before pulling your skirt up."
[Kotarou]: "I almost saw your panties."
[Shizuru]: "Not a problem."
[Kotarou]: "Really?"
I can't tell if she means it's fine because I didn't see them, or it'd be fine even if I did see them.
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"What stupid thing are you worrying about now, Johnny?" says her face.
[Kotarou]: "Don't worry about it, it's nothing."
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"Anyway, who's Johnny?" says her face.
Well I did lie about that part, so she seems annoyed about it.
She shrugs and goes back to spreading out the newspaper.
One piece for me, and one for her.
After thinking for a bit, she moves my newspaper in front of hers.
[Shizuru]: "Kotarou."
She pats it.
I guess she wants us to eat facing each other.
Since she asked, I sit opposite her.
[Shizuru]: "Good."
She smiles wide and sits down in front of me.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's see what's in here..."
I open up the bentou box I got from Kotori.
Rikako-san's special seaweed and bonito furikake rice.
This is enough for a meal, but I still want something else.
I look toward Shizuru as she pushes the straw into her juice box, making it leak.
[Kotarou]: "No, no, you've gotta hold the corner."
I take out a tissue and wipe her hands. |
<METADATA>
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Nakatsu Shizuru | Gender: Female | Aliases: Shizu
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
She lowers her shoulders in shame.
[Kotarou]: "Cheer up, it's not like you lost all the juice."
"You sure...?" her sad face says.
[Kotarou]: "Come to think of it, I need some other stuff to go with this."
She raises her head.
[Shizuru]: "Have whatever you want."
She holds out her bentou.
Some octopus weiners, fried spinach and bacon, and two cherry tomatoes.
There's some seaweed furikake rice in her hand.
These are all lightweight, but well-balanced items.
[Kotarou]: "Then I'll have some of the octopi."
[Shizuru]: "Half."
Three octopi board my bentou box.
[Kotarou]: "Wait, you're sure it's okay for me to take that many?"
[Shizuru]: "I have this."
The fully prepared Shizuru-san rests her bentou lid on her lap.
[Kotarou]: "What's that? Saury kabayaki?"
She looks at me, "You want it?"
[Kotarou]: "No, if you were saving it then you should have it."
[Shizuru]: "Unfortunately..."
[Shizuru]: "I cannot allow you to have this."
She's showing her pride now.
Well, I didn't want it that badly anyway.
[Kotarou]: "Then I'll take some octopi."
[Shizuru]: "Please do."
*munch*
Mmm, this is good.
Whose idea was it to pack meat into a sausage and then smoke it?
Whoever it was, these wieners are his legacy. We must be grateful for that great man who made this possible.
[Shizuru]: "Mu!"
She looks at the vegetable juice at her feet.
[Shizuru]: "Ants! Ants!!"
Shizuru-san freaks out.
Ants are climbing up the side of her vegetable juice.
She looks back and forth between me and the ants. "What do I do!?"
I'm not sure why she's reacting that badly.
Guess I'll help her for now.
I pick up the juice.
[Kotarou]: "Fu!"
I blow off the ants.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, it's fine now."
I hand it back to her.
She seems calm now.
[Shizuru]: "Mumu..."
Then suddenly her face darkens again.
It looks like holding the juice took up her free hand.
But if she puts it back down, ants will assault it.
But her lap is already full with her bentou box and canned fish.
She looks desperately at me again.
Those eyes make me want to tease her for some reason.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, let's do this."
I put the juice on Shizuru's head.
She accepts it and begins eating again.
I was expecting her to fight to keep her balance, so this is kinda disappointing.
[Kotarou]: "What's that!?"
I try to make her turn her neck.
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"What is it?" she tilts her head.
But the juice on her head doesn't budge.
She's got damn good balance...
[Kotarou]: "No, it was nothing."
"You sure?" she sticks her chopsticks into the saury.
That's such a happy face...
It's like a cat lounging in the sunlight.
Just seeing it fills my heart with kindness.
[Shizuru]: "♪"
She happily reaches for something else.
After finishing it, she returns to the saury.
It's like she's reached the pinnacle of bliss...
[Kotarou]: "You like saury that much?"
She nods.
[Kotarou]: "I see..."
[Shizuru]: ".........?"
"Why ask something so obvious?" she asks with her eyes.
[Shizuru]: "You want some?"
[Kotarou]: "I guess..."
[Shizuru]: "But there's only one here..."
[Shizuru]: "You can have one bite."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, I can?"
She puts one piece on top of the rice.
[Kotarou]: "Okay, here goes."
*munch*
Yeah, this is good.
But it's just normal canned saury.
I don't think I'm capable of making a face this happy...
[Shizuru]: "Haa～..."
After she enjoys the aftertaste for a while...
She drinks the vegetable juice.
[Kotarou]: "Was it good?"
[Shizuru]: "Very good."
She answers with a full smile.
Her face tells me she must've enjoyed it from the bottom of her heart.
She's bad at talking, but she's still good at getting her emotions across.
This is what Shizuru's like.
Today's class ends, and I look toward Ohtori's seat.
Well...more like I couldn't avoid seeing it...
Transfer student Ohtori-san is reading a book.
That impossibly heavy box is at her feet (so she did find it).
And she's reading an amazingly huge book from it with one hand.
All the boys here seem unable to approach her now that they've seen this bizarre sight.
[Kotarou]: (She might as well stand up and say "I'm a power fighter...")
Though she doesn't seem to care at all.
Her eyes zoom across the page.
[Boy]: "*whisper* *whisper*...(she's a power fighter...)"
[Boy]: "*whisper* *whisper*...(is she for real...)"
She's drawing attention.
Of course she is. She only just got here and she's already doing weird things.
[Kotarou]: "...hey."
[Kotarou]: "Hey, Ohtori."
I get the urge to talk to her.
[Ohtori]: "Yes?"
[Kotarou]: "About that book..."
[Ohtori]: "You can't have it."
[Kotarou]: "No, I wasn't gonna say it looked interesting."
[Kotarou]: "...you sure you wanna be weirding everyone out?"
[Ohtori]: "Weirding them out?"
[Kotarou]: "Well...you were popular with the boys, but the cuckoo's already calling."
[Ohtori]: "......?"
Evidently she didn't even notice it.
Come to think of it, she didn't react all that positively to the transfer student fever either.
[Ohtori]: "I'm just reading some books I borrowed."
[Ohtori]: "I don't like big crowds anyway, so it's fine."
She reaches a good stopping point, bookmarks it and closes the book.
[Kotarou]: "Ah, I see..."
So she borrowed them from someone.
What was that guy thinking when he gave her these books?
Unfortunately the world isn't made to accommodate girls who take completely abnormal actions.
In more precise terms, she'd just be an oddity.
Did the guy who lent her these books want her to get in this awkward position?
...did Ohtori want it?
What on earth am I thinking? I only met her a few days ago.
I worry about people too much...
[Kotarou]: "Hey, have any plans this afternoon?"
[Ohtori]: "Huh? What do you mean?"
[Kotarou]: "I was thinking of showing you around town."
[Ohtori]: "...h-huh?"
[Kotarou]: "Well, you know, you ended up hating me right off the bat, but I never meant to cause harm or anything."
[Kotarou]: "So I want to do something to show I'm sorry about it." |
<METADATA>
Name: Ohtori | Gender: Female | Aliases: Ohtori Chihaya, Chi
Name: Tennouji Kotarou | Gender: Male
</METADATA>
I'm a modern youngster, incapable of apologizing to people directly.
[Ohtori]: "Y-you don't have to...say it like that..."
[Ohtori]: "Now I can't say anything but sorry either..."
Oh, I got through to her. Thank goodness.
[Ohtori]: "But I hate you and your overly casual behavior for unrelated reasons."
[Kotarou]: "Ah, you mean when I mentioned cherries? I'm definitely sorry about that, but you know, when life gives you cherries..."
[Ohtori]: "Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Crap. Shouldn't have said that.
[Ohtori]: "That's what I hate about you!!!"
[Ohtori]: "Anyway! I already arranged to hang out with someone else so I can't go with you today!!"
[Ohtori]: "Goodbye!!"
She gives me a quick glance, goes "Hmph!" and heads for the door.
[Kotarou]: "...see you tomorrow then."
[Ohtori]: "I just told you acting like that makes me hate you!"
She turns toward me while walking.
[Kotarou]: "Ah, Ohtori."
[Ohtori]: "What!?"
[Kotarou]: "The door's closed."
*bam!*
...she hits her head on the door.
[Ohtori]: "O-owww..."
[Kotarou]: "You should really watch where you're going."
[Ohtori]: "I would've if you hadn't started talking to me!"
[Ohtori]: "Anyway! Goodbye!"
She throws the door open with all her might.
*pop*
The door falls off its track.
[Ohtori]: "Aaaaaaaaaaaa!?"
She desperately tries to keep the door from falling all the way over.
[Kotarou]: "Umm, it just fell off the rail, so..."
[Ohtori]: "Uu...uuu...why does this always happen..."
[Kotarou]: "Don't you have somewhere to go? I'll fix it for you, so get going."
[Ohtori]: "I-I can't just...!"
[Kotarou]: "Owowow! You're pinching me!"
In the end, we fix the door together.
[Ohtori]: "Haa, that was tiring..."
[Kotarou]: "Yeah, job well done!"
[Ohtori]: "Yes...that was tiring...why did this have to happen..."
[Kotarou]: "Don't worry. Everyone has their off-days when their biorhythms simply aren't in sync for whatever reason."
[Ohtori]: "It's been happening every day since I met you."
[Kotarou]: "That's a coincidence. For all we know, everything might be rosy starting tomorrow."
[Ohtori]: "What color of rose?"
[Kotarou]: "Dunno."
I guess red or pink.
[Ohtori]: "Anyway, I'm going home now..."
She walks off.
[Kotarou]: "Ohtori."
[Ohtori]: "Yes?"
[Kotarou]: "Weren't you gonna go meet someone?"
She spins around.
[Kotarou]: "You forgot all about it."
[Ohtori]: "N-no I didn't forget it!"
[Kotarou]: "Well, if you say so..."
[Kotarou]: "Bye then!"
[Ohtori]: "B-bye..."
I wave to Ohtori as she leaves, then I get ready to go home myself.
[Kotarou]: "...huh?"
Wait a minute, who could she be meeting?
She just transferred here. Is there someone in another class she knows already?
I wanna know.
[Kotarou]: "I guess it doesn't matter..."
In the age of the internet, people have lots of friends far away from where they live.
It's certainly possible for a student to transfer to a town near one of those friends.
[Kotarou]: "Oh well..."
I leave the classroom.
Let's try following her.
Normally I'd just ask who it is, but it's hard to tell if we're even on speaking terms.
So I have no choice but to stalk her.
...I shouldn't make a habit out of this, but I only want to get a glimpse of this person.
I'll follow a fixed distance behind her so she doesn't notice.
She walks along, completely unconcerned.
But she is wearing that uniform, so she kinda stands out.
[Kotarou]: (Hmmm...)
Does she even know how odd she looks?
...actually, she probably doesn't care.
She starts going up the stairs.
[Kotarou]: "Uh-oh..."
She could go in either direction when she gets to the next floor.
It'd be bad if I lost her here...
[Kotarou]: (It's risky, but I'll have to get closer...)
This is the most perilous part of a stealth mission.
She might see me when she turns around on the landing, so I have to walk around the outside.
[Kotarou]: "Hm...?"
There's a small puddle in the corner. Someone must've been cleaning the stairs.
And they forgot to wring out their mop.
I have a bad feeling about this, so I move toward the center.
[Ohtori]: "Ah!"
She slips and falls.
[Ohtori]: "Wa! Wa!"
A short pause.
[Ohtori]: "Waaaaaah!!!"
She tumbles.
[Kotarou]: "Mm..."
*catch*
[Ohtori]: "Wa...eh?"
[Kotarou]: "You okay?"
I successfully grab hold of her.
[Kotarou]: "You trip on things a lot."
[Ohtori]: "Ah...aau..."
This wasn't my goal, but I'm glad I stalked her.
[Ohtori]: "U-umm..."
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
[Ohtori]: "C-could you, well...let go of me...?"
[Kotarou]: "I was waiting for you to stand up."
[Ohtori]: "Wah!"
Ohtori's the one leaning on me.
She stands up.
[Ohtori]: "Umm!"
[Kotarou]: "Yes?"
[Ohtori]: "...thank you very much."
[Kotarou]: "I saw some puddles around here, so watch out for them."
[Ohtori]: "B-by the way...why are you here?"
[Kotarou]: "Eh? Me?"
I followed you.
...but if I say that, her opinion of me will plummet even further.
[Kotarou]: "The wind called me..."
[Ohtori]: "Huh?"
[Kotarou]: "Just passing through."
...does she suspect something?
[Kotarou]: "Well, something like that."
I should probably get out of here quickly.
I raise a hand in farewell and turn around.
[Ohtori]: "U-umm..."
[Kotarou]: "Hm?"
[Ohtori]: "I didn't need your help!"
[Kotarou]: "Haa..."
[Ohtori]: "Ah, no, I'm not saying I'm not grateful!"
[Kotarou]: "You're not making much sense, but..."
[Kotarou]: "Are you saying you're an adult woman, so you can handle situations like this on your own?"
[Ohtori]: "Yes!!"
[Ohtori]: "Why aren't you saying anything!?!"
[Kotarou]: "Well, you know..."
Saying that doesn't make me any less worried about you.
[Ohtori]: "Anyway! You don't have to keep helping me!"
[Ohtori]: "...it's always awkward trying to figure out how to interact with people like you." |
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