Two weeks had passed.
Everyday life was frighteningly peaceful.
Not that nothing had changed, though.
I hadn’t fully accepted becoming the symbolic presence in social circles yet. But it seemed Kagami had already come to that conclusion after our last conversation.
Well, it did look shabby on the outside, but actually it was a very important place in our social circle.
Besides where the young man next door lived and my own place, it was also where Koko’s body was still sealed.
Koko still seemed unwilling to fully reveal her body just yet.
It seemed Kagami had no intention of moving what was in the fridge elsewhere either.
Oh.
These days, I occasionally run into the young man next door in the mornings.
I think I’ve heard his name before, but I can’t quite remember. Actually, judging by how he doesn’t bother to call my name, it seems he’s not aware of it either.
The nameplate didn’t even have a name on it. Is it because it’s a rented apartment? Though, even in Korea, it’s rare to have names on apartment doors.
Since he comes out at this hour, it seems he has finally found a job that doesn’t switch night and day. It seems Kagami’s words about finding a decent job were sincere.
“Going to school?”
“…Yes.”
Koko hid behind me as I answered.
I could slowly guess what kind of person Koko was who prefers to hide.
Koko showed little wariness towards other girls my age. Maybe it’s because of my presence.
It seems she learned that humans “similar” to my appearance aren’t that dangerous.
Of course, that was a misjudgment in a way. The kids Koko had seen so far had mostly been friendly or neutral towards me, but there were some who had attacked me in the past.
Well, let’s just think that good is good.
On the other hand, she was still quite wary of adult men. It’s not like she trembled in fear and didn’t speak at all, but she preferred to hide behind me and hoped I would speak for her.
…I felt like she might jump out and kill someone if I were to get attacked, but anyway, outwardly speaking.
“Is the job going well?”
“Uh, yeah.”
It felt a bit strange for a high schooler like me to get such a question, and the man answered with a complicated expression. A smile tinged with bitterness, the expression of an adult.
“I happened to meet a good person and got to work in a field that suits my major.”
“…”
Somehow, I felt that job must be closely related to social circles.
But I didn’t bring it up, merely nodding my head.
“Congratulations.”
“Haha…”
Well, he’s the only neighbor in this apartment complex. It can’t hurt to at least recognize each other’s faces.
And knowing someone related to social circles is even better. He still seemed to be quite close to being a civilian.
After exchanging casual greetings, we walked separately to the train station.
After all, since we came out of the same place and exchanged greetings, if we stuck together, we might catch the attention of the other residents.
Fortunately, many people, like us, used the train to commute to Tokyo. Seoul has murderously high land prices, but Tokyo is even worse. One could say it’s a boiling cauldron of exorbitant monthly rent. There’s no such thing as jeonse in this country anyway.
As we walked separately, we blended into the crowd of other unknown people.
As I got lost in the mass of people rushing into the station, I tightly grabbed Koko’s wrist. I didn’t want to lose Koko just because I let go, but still, I couldn’t shake off my uneasy feelings.
After a while, we made our way towards Minato Ward, getting off at Tamachi Station.
The path from here to school wasn’t too far. At least it was much closer than the walk from Omiya Station to my house.
And starting from here, I sensed a strange presence.
Saying I sensed a presence makes it sound too fantasy-like, but this presence isn’t anything extraordinary.
Since I got off the train, there have been dressed-up individuals following the path to our school.
They’re not acknowledging us. The people change each time. Sometimes they’re in their early to mid-20s, and other times they’re older folks with gray hair. Yet, I felt more suspicious because of the fact that their appearance keeps changing.
Isn’t that odd? If they were just commuters whose routes overlapped with mine, their appearances should always be the same.
In reality, this could just be my meaningless suspicion. Perhaps it’s merely because I’ve had such experiences before that I’m being overly sensitive.
…Though I’d think those people wouldn’t have any negative feelings toward me.
*
“Oh wow!”
Kaoru’s bread fishing continued as usual.
But now, there was a girl who reacted before me.
Besides, unlike me, who could never grab the bread all at once, Koko skillfully lunged and seized the bread lying on the floor.
“Hehe, so cute, so cute~”
As always, Kaoru scooped up Koko, who was caught by the bait, and affectionately ruffled her head while speaking.
“Kuu-chan doesn’t show such a side anymore.”
“…She never showed it from the start, you know.”
When I looked at Kaoru with a face that basically asked what she was talking about, Kaoru pouted her lips like a cat and chuckled.
“Could it really be? You don’t remember the expressions Kuu-chan showed back then.”
No, I know. I’m also cautious of my expressions.
…
Although I’m not entirely sure.
“Did you grow up because you have a younger sibling? This big sister feels sad…”
Who’s this big sister?
I released a small sigh and entered the literature club room.
By the way, Kaoru’s nickname had reverted back to what it usually was. After the break, she called me by my name for a while instead of a nickname.
I figured Koko had probably gotten used to the nickname by now.
In fact, when Koko first told me her name, she only got a little confused at the beginning, but after calling it for a while, she eventually understood. Kaoru didn’t listen to the whole explanation I gave at that time.
Yet, unexpectedly, we became a circle where we called each other by our names, and thanks to that, Yuka and I started to refer to each other by name too, so it may not have been too bad for me.
“Hello, Koto Ne, Koko.”
“Hello, Izumi-senpai.”
“Hello!”
As soon as I greeted, Koko, holding a piece of bread, energetically echoed my words. Izumi smiled broadly at the corners of her mouth.
As usual, I sat in my seat. Koko, too, sat next to me and tore open the bread bag.
Inside was castella.
Without hesitation, Koko cut the bread in half and handed one half to me.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
I wondered if she was copying me giving her food all the time. I thought it was fortunate that she didn’t grow up completely selfish, and I accepted the bread without refusing.
As I savored the soft, sweet bread, Kaoru spoke up.
“Where’s the first-years going for the school trip? Is it Kyoto?”
I nodded.
I remembered going on school trips in my first and second years when I was a high schooler, but it seems that’s unusual in Japan.
Thinking back, I remembered there was only one episode about school trips in a slice-of-life anime. Is it typical to go only in the second year?
I assume third years are treated as students who need to focus on studying for their entrance exams even in Japan.
“Where are the upperclassmen going?”
At my question, Kaoru and Izumi exchanged looks and suddenly made confident expressions.
Then, they shouted in unison.
“Hawaii!”
…
What a magnificent scale.
I often forget that this was an expensive private high school.
Hawaii, huh.
For someone like me, who hasn’t even been out of the Korean Peninsula, it’s a place I’d love to visit at least once.
It’s famous after all.
I don’t know if I’ll get to go or not.
*
Well, for me, just going to Kyoto would be enough for a joyous experience.
In some way, this situation is like a journey in itself. There’s a hint of danger lurking, similar to traveling.
Moving on a different train than usual makes me a bit giddy.
Besides… it might differ from school to school, but school trips in Japan are often described as students forming groups and acting freely.
It was the same in [Tokyo Slayers]. So, we would surely act accordingly.
“Since my classmates…”
On the way home from school.
The way to the subway with Yuka wasn’t particularly long, but we always walked together whenever we could.
Of course, we chatted on the way.
There were quite a few topics I couldn’t discuss in front of Kaoru or Izumi.
“Why?”
“Nothing, just.”
Yuka answered while slightly scrunching her eyebrows at my question.
“Not very close?”
“Not that we aren’t close.”
Yuka gave me a look that said I was ridiculous.
Well, it had already been several months.
Yuka’s personality isn’t particularly peculiar, and since she hasn’t fallen for Sasaki, there wouldn’t be much reason to act sharp with me, so she probably naturally made friends in class.
If not, she wouldn’t have participated as a representative in the athletics festival.
“Then why?”
“Um…”
Yuka pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Honestly, when I went on a school trip, I wasn’t that close to the others.”
“…”
I see.
If you’ve gotten so friendly by now but suddenly changed schools, then Yuka’s school life probably hasn’t been smooth.
Perhaps there could have been a year where she went on school trips twice. Just thinking about it, going with kids she’s awkward around… doing that multiple times sounds rough.
…
In that sense, I got a glimpse of how contradictory Yuka’s situation is right now.
To Yuka personally, it probably seems like a very stable life. After all, she’s attending the same school without needing to transfer.
However, ironically, the reason Yuka can do that is because something “extremely unstable” is happening at this school.
I used to think it’s because the bad spirits hadn’t caught on yet, but now, looking back, there’s no reason for the yōkai to have settled down enough to linger in this school.
And the reason Yuka is here… I could easily recall without having to think deeply.
It’s Koko.
A being closely related to social circles, one that can be judged as not human by a hair’s breadth.
If I said that to Yuka, I’d surely get a strange reaction, but I think the higher-ups keep Yuka here to eliminate me when the necessary moment arises.
“…Then how about trying to hang out with your classmates?”
“With my classmates?”
Yuka spoke while giving me a peculiar look.
“Occasionally you could try coming home with them.”
“With them?”
I cautiously brought it up, hoping I wasn’t shocking her, but Yuka seemed unfazed.
I definitely didn’t intend to imply anything like that, but I wouldn’t want her to think I didn’t want to hang out together either.
“Um…”
After a moment of hesitation, Yuka replied.
“To be honest, if I suddenly decided to hang out with them now, it would be a bit weird, don’t you think?”
Is that so?
Well, during the start of the semester, it’s awkward, but having spent this semester, it’s normal for everyone to have formed their groups.
Once the new semester starts, you wouldn’t naturally break your groups unless you had to make new friends.
In fact, it might be that when they become upperclassmen, they still get together for meals.
“…I think there’s no need to rush it.”
“I’m not rushing.”
In response to my words, Yuka let out a deep sigh.
“Well, I guess there’s still time… no matter what, I have to hang out with my classmates. During that time, I should try to talk more with them.”
“What about hanging out with Sasaki?”
At my question, Yuka fell into thought for a moment.
“Probably, Nakahara would really hate that, right?”
That’s probably true. Surely, she’d try to close the gap as much as she could while Hagiwara, who’s in a different grade, couldn’t catch up.
Without Shii around, she wouldn’t have to be wary either.
In the original work, Yuka subtly lingered on and had a cat fight.
Thinking about it like that just makes me overly annoyed. Even though the future has changed, she still has a harem.
…By the way, isn’t Shii going to feel a bit uncomfortable too?
She’s the type of girl who didn’t want women clinging to her brother and even dragged me into it.
In the original work, there’s a scene right before the school trip where Shii reprimands Sasaki heavily.
Asking him to tidy up and not do strange things to the girls… stuff like that, and of course, our oblivious protagonist Sasaki wouldn’t understand what those words meant.
Being told to tidy up means not seducing other girls.
…
Once again, I felt a surge of irritation.
Even if I really had been born as a boy, I wouldn’t have had the heart to touch those girls, but it’s still annoying.
“Don’t worry too much.”
Noticing my expression, Yuka said.
“You’ll probably still meet each other there. It’s a free action, right? Even if we start moving together, we’ll eventually split up to see our close friends, right? And…”
Yuka glanced at Koko, walking alongside me.
“If your teacher thinks about it, she would surely put you and Koko in the same group.”
“Is that so?”
At least concerning that point, it was nice to have a teacher I wouldn’t need to worry about.
Yeah.
Let’s just think about what will happen in Kyoto when we get there.
There’s no point worrying about things that haven’t happened yet.
Lightened up from the conversation with Yuka, I was able to return home.
*
And then, Thursday arrived.
Despite how I look, I often keep in touch with acquaintances.
Of course, my previous life, that wasn’t the case, but now it is.
To put it accurately, since there are an influx of talkative and emotional teenage girls around me, I have plenty of opportunities to converse.
Shii was also similar. In the original [Tokyo Slayers], Shii is portrayed as a fairly popular girl in class. After all, it would be odd for someone with her looks not to be popular.
So, even as an upperclassman, she casually sent me emails without hesitation. Given that Shii naturally has a very polite tone of voice, she wouldn’t make any inappropriate remarks in her emails.
Conversely, it’s natural for a few days to go by without any contact. Unless they’re really close friends, I mean, even if they are, they probably wouldn’t chat every single day.
The reason I didn’t think much about Shii’s lack of contact this week is that we’re both working at the same job, so we’ll see each other soon anyway, and we can catch up then or even as we leave the ramen shop.
However, when I finally saw Shii’s face after a few days…
“Hello, Senpai.”
Didn’t really seem like her.
Well, her expression didn’t seem drastically different from usual.
However, her skin looked dry, and the dark circles under her eyes were slightly evident. It looked like she hadn’t slept well for days.
“…Is something wrong?”
“Hmm? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
At my question, Shii slightly averted her gaze, evading my query.
After thinking about it for a moment, I could easily recall one of the troubles that might be bothering Shii.
In the original story, Sasaki and Shii were involved in the Hacha incident. Sasaki went through it somewhat unscathed, but Shii ended up drinking the poison and had to stay hospitalized for days.
And Sasaki felt guilty as he wasn’t able to protect Shii properly, and above all, no matter how dirty his personality might be, parents are parents.
The person who died was a mother. It’d leave quite a mental shock too.
Meanwhile, the father didn’t offer much help.
In the original, it got portrayed that Shii’s mother came and made various demands on her, but she died before even addressing those demands.
So here…
“…”
However, I cannot claim to know that fact.
No matter how you look at it, that’d be way too creepy.
“…If you’re too tired, should I let the boss know?”
“No, I’m fine! I just haven’t slept well!”
“…”
If she puts it like that, I won’t have much to say right away.
At least I nodded, and I went to change my clothes.
*
What should I do?
As we left, Shii still looked exhausted.
In fact, even the boss asked, “Is something wrong?”
Even while eating ramen, Shii was lost in other thoughts and barely finished half of her ramen.
Seeing her condition was too serious, my initial intention to let it go started to change.
As we walked from the ramen shop to the train station, I contemplated how to draw out her story—one idea popped into my head.
Hmm, but will it work?
This was something I used to do with friends back when I was a college student.
Well, whatever. I couldn’t think of any other way anyway.
“Can we talk for a minute?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I want to say something.”
“Ah, okay…”
Saying that, Shii carefully followed behind me.
Sometimes, nearing graduation, when the future looked dim and uncertain, my friends—including me—often called others to go out for a chat.
Since we’re broke students, we’d never go to bars. Simply grabbing a can of beer at a convenience store and snacks, we’d sit in front of the convenience store or some dark place and quietly chat.
For some reason, sitting in a dark place late at night while talking made it oddly easy to express deeper thoughts.
…Ah, but we’re middle schoolers and high schoolers, right?
Where should we even sit?
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