Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Chapter 10

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"Yo! Been doing your job?" I hadn"t even greeted a curled up Erio, "Hey~ Yeah!" when a loud Ryuushi-san in her casual shoved me from behind and surprised me.

Since today was the weekend, I went to bed late yesterday and overslept. When I woke up during noon, I s.p.a.ced out for a long time before deciding to visit Erio"s work on the way for food. I slid my bike here in the rain. Erio never touches the bike on her own; she would only move on her two feet. Is it a habit? Or fear? Does she have PTSD with bicycles? I was there too... Though I don"t want to think of it this way, but we did almost killed ourselves. Young people are just too rash.

That"s it for boring things — just as I planned on entering the muggy store, Ryuushi-san, who dashed with all her might, appeared. Her hair seemed slightly wet, carrying a tiny bit of moisture.

Running into a girl cla.s.smate on the weekend… The situation should be the boiling point for youth; yet I noticed somehow that this meeting wasn"t a coincidence, unable to press down on the calculator in my mind.

Since I have been occupied with the company of Erio on her ‘return to society and other things,’ they were sort of put to the side with the att.i.tude of "it"s not really important right now." Even so, I still remember about the existence of my Youth-points.

“H-hi~ Niwa-kun. Touwa-san too, mornin’!”

I raised my right hand like in the movie "S*t.u.r.day Night Fever" to greet her, and then put my plastic umbrella in the stand next to the store entrance.

“...Mornin"!”

Erio lifted her body and kept a half-crouched posture with her mouth slightly opened: “Cous...” This word was cut. With nowhere to go, it returned to the stomach along with air.

On her side laid her favourite Calamus futon. Was that especially carried from the Touwa house? Or did she walk here with it wrapped on? Erio probably planned to wear that thing during a break to kill some time. If I was there, forget about tidying up this outfit that challenges the line between freedom and eccentricity, I would probably have intervened. Speaking of the girl, she actually tried to welcome customers in a futon when Tamura Obaa-chan and I were talking inside the house. She silently closed in on the customers and scared the c.r.a.p out of the old lady neighbor who came to get grocery. And the owner Tamura Obaa-san a.s.sented to that kind of behavior, even though she couldn"t stand it anyway. As a side note, after seeing Erio"s outfit, Tamura Obaa-chan actually said:

“Like father, like son; like mother, like daughter!”

Which side of Erio"s parents was this comment for? And then Obaa-san went on: "of course! If blood goes backward, wouldn"t people die? Really now! Things like going against the flow make no sense, since life is but a domino in destiny. Forget about standing out: if the flow stops, what would it even be?" Was that toward me, who sat next to her? Following my mute response, she intentionally humphed.

But now wasn"t the time to ponder about the bedridden Tamura Obaa-chan. The problem was with Ryuushi-san, who came in energetically, yet subtly hostile.

“Uh… What business do you have with us today?” I rubbed my hands, asking her purpose here.

"That"s my job!" I ignored Erio"s protesting glace and asked Ryuushi-san.

“What business do I have, of course… Hm, I"m here to buy stuff! Shopping!”

She hummed, coiling her ankles toward the shelf. A flexible motion — I admired that her leg muscles were indeed trained. Shake, shake~ the fluid in the bottle Ryuushi-san held shook as well.

“Is that cola? You carried that with you?” How dare she brought that evil drink? I don"t drink carbonated beverage!

“This? Smooth-skinned sensei gave it ta me at the corner there earlier!”

“………” I felt like I"ve heard of that name before.

It"s a Deja Feel! That"s it! After the word’s creation, I felt "what kind of name is that?!" So even for her, she"d still care about how her daughter is doing at work! She visited on Erio"s first day, but was promptly given an embargo, so now she snuck here. I see.

“Ah, Touwa-san...”

I don"t know if Ryuushi-san knew it either, but she is currently talking with smooth-skinned sensei"s offspring. Erio jumped, her shoulders wincing as if she would run into a dark corner to avoid Ryuushi-san at an instant.

Even though she stole glances of rescue at me, I decided to watch for any changes first. I"m interested in how these two would talk as well; besides, Erio wants to return to society, right?

“Uh, um… Um… Is Obaa-chan ok?”

“In… Inside.” There. With quivering fingers, Erio pointed out where Tamura Obaa-chan was. She rarely comes into the store. Or rather, she couldn"t come? Her health seemed to require care.

“I see~ Uh~ Can I go say hi to her later~?”

Ryuushi-san glimpsed, her eyes alternating between me and Erio. What"s going on with her today? She showed a strangeness different from the usual.

“Um!” Erio opened her mouth with the force that almost threw her forward.

“Eh?! W-what do ya want~!” Ya lookin" for a tussle~? She raised her cute fists onto her chest, readying her stance.

“We-...Wel...come.” Erio sincerely bowed down.

Do I call her serious? Or a dingus? Both? What a deep-seated problem.

And she"s even giving me a smug of "I didn"t forget!" Um, if possible, do it when Ryuushi-san just came in, but I"ll let it slide this time. After all, rather than coming in, Ryuushi-san a.s.saulted the door.

“So, what"s Ryuushi-san getting?” I turned to face the shelf on the right.

“Eh— Y-yup, I"m gettin" sumthin"!”

Ryuushi-san, who was quietly staring at the interaction between me and Erio, suddenly shone her eyes. Was she just in a computer"s sleep mode? As if desperately trying to catch up with us, she hurriedly grabbed a snack off the shelf. It was a bag of chicken-flavoured potato chips. I haven"t eaten this stuff lately, but apparently it"s gotten more flavours now.

“Oh yeah.” I noticed something and walked deeper into the shop. Following the hallway, I recycled something in the kitchen and returned.

Ryuushi-san was still in the same pose before I left.

“Here, for you.”

“Hmm?” Ryuushi-san tentatively took the towel I gave.

“Your hair and shoulders are kinda wet.” So I thought you could use a towel.

“O-oh. Oh!”

Ryuushi-san first shown a look of slight shock, then bloomed into a smile. Was my act of kindness really so out of her prediction?

I kind of wanted know how the girl in front of me thought of my action.

“Let me take whatever is on your hands.” I further piled on the kindness. This was totally not because I"ve decided to change my character from a normal high schooler to a kind high schooler (with indecent intention). Really.

After putting the chips and the cola on my side, Ryuushi-san picked up the towel with two hands. She first stroked her shoulders, then gently dried the droplet on her hair. And then she sighed while holding on the straight bang that stuck to her forehead:

“Hair"s gettin’ straight again, geez~ I hate it~”

“Plan on perming it again?”

“Mm~ Maybe it"d save more money if I just get an electrified-afro!”

Her tone and face didn"t look like she was joking. You just can"t underestimate her in this kind of situation!

Ryuushi-san paused her towel-holding hands and looked up. Probably imagining herself with an afro. If this was a manga, there definitely be onomatopoeia for warmth all around her — her relaxed face looked so.

“Would I look cool like a rock star?”

“Nope.” Feels like it"d be a fail of a healing character. A fierce criticism.

“Really~?” Tch. Ryuushi-san tutted. Just what on earth did she picture?

After wiping her neck with the towel, she finished after shaking her head; water no longer flew from her hair.

“Ryuushi-san, totally dry now!”

“You"re sparkling!” I meant to say her hair. Compared to when we just met, her hair indeed had become straighter.

“Even we have become dried (embarra.s.sed)!”

“And what does that mean?”

“Thanks for the towel~” She stopped playing around and gave the towel back cutely.

“You"re welcome.”

“Niwa-kun scored three Ryuuko-san points because you"re attentive!”

And what are those points? Why does everyone make the same scoring guide? There are so many out there, I can"t even keep track anymore.

“What do I get after getting those points?”

“After seven points, ya won"t call me "Ryuushi" anymore.”

“What a groundbreaking scoring that punishes you for doing well!”

Even scores for breaking traffic laws make more sense.

I returned the chips and cola in exchange for the towel. “Ung~” Despite of her mumbling, Ryuushi-san turned toward Erio. “I"m getting this.”

“Thank.. yer~” Erio"s response failed as an imitation of a straightforward athlete; she received the chips and ran to the register. Her flip flops slapped, and as if pouncing the box full of money, she flew. “Hun-hundred twenty yen… About.” She clumsily clicked on the register while talking to Ryuushi-san. Witnessing Erio"s all-out hospitality for a customer, Ryuushi-san took out her purse, cheeks twitching, and gave the proper amount of change. Erio collected the money with rigidly curvy fingers, gripping twice on the three coins in her hand.

Only her lips arced in a smile, showing her satisfaction. Her expression bragged, similar to a child successfully accomplishing a task beyond her ability. Hm, after all, touching something that she had only watched from the side is an easily understood growth.

On a side note, Erio"s job as a shop tender grants her a daily salary of five hundred yen — a coin. Even with whole month with no days-off, she"d only make about fifteen-thousand yen. For a sixteen year-old kid, it seems like a lot of allowance, but from a part-time view point, it is a lamentable number. It"s just as shocking as the bleaching power of a new laundry detergent. That example may be a bit unintelligble, but in a store that runs on no more than 3000 yen a day, this amount of salary might actually be a generous treatment. I thought of this later. After all, hiring Erio is pretty much the same as letting the loss in profit be.

“Then, should I go visit Obaa-chan~?”

Ryuushi-san"s gaze floated behind as if trying to peer into the back. She stared at Erio, seemingly wondering: ‘Can I?’

Erio first put the change into the register, then unhesitatingly replied:

“Ah, let me lead in you.” Erio spoke weirdly and jubilantly kicked her sandals off. Looks like she was happy to have an excuse to not wear shoes. Hm~ jobs that would not need shoes… Jobs at home?

Ryuushi-san looked at my face for no reason, creating a mien of "aren"t ya coming?" I went with the flow, deciding to head to where Tamura Obaa-chan is. I see her often recently anyway. I would go inside after checking on Erio, and take care of her if she"s not feeling well, as well as listen to some old stories of Erio"s. I don"t know if she likes it or not, but I talk about myself too, and occasionally I hear about Meme-san too. The most shocking truth was that, summarizing Meme-san"s young deeds, she"s actually a slightly dumb, but honest and cute girl. Tamura Obaa-san herself even said "Mm~ That"s pretty much it, but her level of stupidity was really bad" as words of recognition. Was time and age too cruel, or did something else go wrong? Humans are truly mysterious.

With Erio in lead, Ryuushi-san in the middle, and me in the rear, the trio advanced along the hallway. With three people moving at once, the usually austere hallway bustled with sound. Was there a similar sound when Tamura Obaa-san"s husband was still around? Meme-san said, though, that Tamura Obaa-san"s husband pa.s.sed away twenty years ago.

“Here.” Erio clarified for Ryuushi-san and opened the slide door in the hall. Inside was the usual: in the middle a slightly bulging futon. With a bit of focus, the bulge could be seen moving up and down along with its content"s breathing. Obaa-chan sleeps with even her head under the sheet.

“Obaa-chan, Ryuushi is here.”

“I told ya I"m Ryuuko!”

Ryuushi-san protested against Erio"s erroneous introduction, at the same time kneeling next to Tamura Obaa-san.

“Hah? What did you say? What -ko?”

Perhaps unable to hear well through the sheets, Tamura Obaa-san stuck her face out of the futon and asked sleepily.

“It"s Ryuuko. h.e.l.lo, Obaa-chan!” Hi~ Ryuushi-san happily greeted with a raised hand.

Tamura Obaa-san looked up to her face and right hand, and closed her eyes as if defeated:

“Who?”

“Uwee! How could ya forget the super-special Ryuushi~! I am not plain!”

As if fighting with an overhead object, Ryuushi-san"s feeble fists waved in the air unreasonably.

“Of course it was just a boring joke; why are you so excited? You are Mifune Ryuuko, right?”

Tamura Obaa-san breathed out disapprovingly like a turtle mimic. “R-right… Ah, right, I was just pretending that ya tricked me, is all.” Ryuushi-san made an excuse with her face beet red.

“Makoto, gla.s.ses.” Tamura Obaa-san ordered me to hand her the gla.s.ses. Calling my name directly had been set! I calmly thought while retrieving the gla.s.ses and categorized:

Tamura Obaa-san → Makoto

Meme Oba-san → Mako-kun

Ryuushi-san → Niwa-kun

Maekawa-san → Transfer student

Erio → Cousin

Hmmm, it felt like how the further a rumor spreads, the more ridiculous it becomes. If the order could at least be reversed… Yep. Just as scary.

Tamura Obaa-san put on her reading gla.s.ses — more precisely, on her nose to have clearest image — and looked up to Ryuushi-san. As if understanding something, Tamura Obaa-san hid her chin back into the sheets with an "ah, ah~" after seeing a coy Ryuushi-san:

“You"re the kid who isn"t one of Erio"s friends, now I remember.”

“Ah~ Ugh, yes! Touwa-san and I went to different elementary school.”

Ryuushi-san shot Erio a glance after finishing; Erio lightly nodded concurringly. Um, the air between these two seemed a bit estranged. From Ryuushi-san, I could tell that she didn"t want to be acknowledged as Erio"s friend.

“What, you are not friends?”

Sensing the atmosphere, Tamura-san bluntly crossed the line. Even though she looked like a defense-oriented sh.e.l.l, her offense did not have second thoughts. Tortoise sh.e.l.l combined with experience of age make the perfect team~ I absentmindedly enjoyed this misguided reverence.[1] As for me, shutting up would be the wisest thing.

The wall existing between these two was likely related to Erio’s expulsion from school. And if that’s true, for an outsider, it’s a bit, you know, for me to interrupt.

“Ugh… No… We~ Are~ Friends…?”

Ryuushi-san’s ambivalent smile jovially slanted with the words that failed to combine, seemingly about to sink. Erio, too, was unsure and restless about the noun ‘friend.’ She requested helped from me with her eyes. What do you want me to do? I haven’t even decided if I should categorize you as a friend or whatever. The enigma of being relatives truly boggles me.

“Seriously, there is too many signals here!” Tamura Obaa-san complaint about the mist above:

“Listen well, I am changing the topic completely, so let the air breath!”

“M-mm.” “O-oh!” One of them nodded; the other raised her right fist.

“Cough!” Tamura Obaa-san cleared her throat convincingly, squeezing out a wrinkled yet gleeful voice. Looking at her like that, I thought it looked like a person who desperately sucked on an old bottle with few drops of sweet fluid inside.

“Your father should be called Naoya, right? Is he doing okay?”

“Mm, he’s great! Dad just went mountain climbing last Sunday!”

Ryuushi-san replied Tamura Obaa-san’s tone with her own cheery att.i.tude. But I can’t deny that there was acting involved.

“How nostalgic! When he was in second grade, he ran into the store crying about UFO’s.”

Eheeheehee, a reminiscent smile climbed onto Tamura Obaa-san’s face. “Oh…” The momentum from earlier disappeared; Ryuushi-san subtly took those words. Of course, since it didn’t sound like her father’s heroic history, but something in the listing of a braggart.

“And then? And then?” Even though it was none of her business, Erio still pounced at the word ‘UFO.’ Compared to not having a hint of acting, her att.i.tude was more like she had completely forgotten about the previous conversation. I might have almost forgotten, but Erio is that Meme-san’s daughter. Things like getting or giving information according to her personal needs might just be as natural as breathing.

“In the end someone found out that it was a lie, and he tasted his friends’ punishment. Of course: UFO aren’t that easy to find! Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are extremely cautious!”

Like introducing a friend, Tamura Obaa-san described the secrecy of UFO’s.

“Yeah. You can’t even see them with binoculars.”

Erio complied. Normally, this shouldn’t be a topic discussed with a serious face!

Forced to listen to her father’s shameful history, Ryuushi-san lowered her head; to how easily this topic floated, she could only give a bitter courtesy smile.

“Is it raining outside?” Tamura Obaa-san calmly listened and mumbled: “Lately, I’ve been not wanting to see the weather change.” Then she spoke equivocal words that seemed like a complaint or else, eyes stared boringly at the ceiling.

The time of silence continued; Ryuushi-san and Erio awkwardly traded their glances. Looked like they both saw each other as aliens, investigating the other’s ecology.

And I stood about a step away from them, conducting my observation on the two.

“Hm? What, again?” Tamura Obaa-san’s mind returned ground from the weather as she asked bluntly.

Noticing our different positions – I don’t know how she saw it – she spoke:

“Listen, don’t you be thinking about all that stuff. I don’t want full-colours; no romantic comedy! If you’re doing that, go somewhere else!”

Shoo~! She seemed to drive us away with loathe from the bottom of her heart.

“This isn’t a romantic comedy! Ryuuko-san only does serious things!” Someone else hopped.

And thus we made it through the tension.

In general, I would never get into a pot full of so many Youth-points.

My daily life was basically white and black; vivid people occasionally appear in the frame and leave their faintly-coloured footprints. I will carefully save those fragments and name them ‘Youth-points.’

…Whatever, it was just something I decided under my own discretion. Part 2.

For a while after that, it was just Tamura Obaa-san talking and Ryuushi-san listening. Perhaps that’s how Tamura Obaa-san shows kindness, but she’s usually so talkative that I didn’t think it was any different.

When Ryuushi-san’s about to head home, I followed her toward the entrance; Erio sat still without moving. Ryuushi-san, too, when she held onto the pull door, gaping as if giving up the chance to talk with Erio. She left never saying a word to the back that curled up.

I forced the hard-to-move slide door – which became even more so in the humidity – and went outside. The small rain grew into a medium rain (p.r.o.nounced naka-same). Rain obstructed the sight of the wall across the street; splatter on the roof were more like the cacophony of rooftop construction rather than the splash of rain.[2]

“Did you ride here, Ryuushi-san?”

Standing next to me, Ryuushi-san, who stood next to me, nodded slightly melancholically:

“Mm, yep. But my bike is a bit further away from here.”

Huh? Strange, she didn’t add ‘I told ya I’m Ryuuko~’! For someone who’s grown addicted to that ‘I told ya~’ I am tempted by the dissatisfaction to run around Ryuushi-san and tell her ‘hey! You~ Are Ryuu~Shi!’ Just kidding.

Indifferent to my feeling, Ryuushi-san spoke while playing with her umbrella grip:

“Touwa-san~ She’s a lot mellower now!”

The expression was just like using popcorn as filling for your teeth. You need to go talk to an orthopsychologist to get a proper filling… I almost blurted out, but stopped because it made no sense. NO denpa.[3]

“Hm? Mm, I guess. Pessimistic, maybe?” Or shy? In reference to the futon.

“She used ta be really mean and would never stop talking!”

“Really?” Verbally abusive I get, but I can’t picture her not shutting up. At most I could trace an expressionless Erio twirling her tongue.

If she hid in the shadow of the house of Tamura Obaa-san, she’d be a new breed of Youkai.

“Niwa-kun.”

As if wanting to cut something between us, Ryuushi-san exaggeratingly waved her umbrella, showing a serious att.i.tude.

She straightened her back and stared at me with no embarra.s.sment. I did feel a little tingle on my face though.

With rain scattering in the background, a face to face with a girl — the scenery stirred the remnant of Youth-points like leaves in the wind. Yet the result of those fragments combining seemed unlikely this time.

“Saying stuff like this… Mm, even I think it’s too mean…”

Ryuushi-san twirled her hair with a finger; instead of waiting for the punchline, it’s more like she found it hard to spoke. “What is?” Under my nudging, she fearfully opened her mouth like dragging a numb foot. She even looked to the store midway through:

“Touwa-san is~ She’s notorious, especially in our school.”

“Mm.” I was neither involved nor familiar, so it didn’t seem real to me. But I nodded.

“So, if anyone knew I’m friends with her, people might shout ‘Hold it there!’ at me.” Saying so, Ryuushi-san suddenly reached out and slashed the umbrella at my side: “That might happen~ So Ryuuko-san is kinda worried about your future.”

“Mm, I see.” Meaning I won’t have any friends?

Indeed, the chance of something like that happening in a school is more than likely. After all, there is nothing else more controlling than ‘group mentality.’ If someone — especially a girl who’s the core of the cla.s.s — who hates Erio appeared, the wave to ostracize me would spread like a virus.

Ryuushi-san awkwardly stared at her swinging feet, as if kicking some imaginary pebbles:

“I came here with my friend Mikki yesterday.”

“You’re friends with M*ckey?”

That’s quite a thing to say, Ryuushi-san. No, should I call you Ricky? Sounds like a rip-off![4]

“Ah, Mikki’s my friend in club!” In other words, that person approached wearing the costume and asked ‘do you like basketball?’ …Ok, enough of the same joke. By the way, that whole manga was purchased one by one when I went shopping with Ryuushi-san in the bookstore. Currently I don’t plan on buying the whole set.[5]

“Watcha call it. Mikki doesn"t wanna come here anymore because of Erio. So I thought, "ah~ so that"s what everybody thought~" For me, it"s a bit complicated with Touwa-san in many ways, y"know~ But, like, is it normal to think like that at school?”

“...I guess.” Mikki-san"s reaction was probably correct.

Covering for Erio isn"t easy. Personal complication isn"t an amnesty — rather than involving personal issues, might as well just make something up. It"ll be better to just tell a story.

But between the two choices, the mere difference is "the lowest of lowest" and "the highest of lowest." Whatever the case is, Erio would be the latter. She did, after all, bothered everybody at school with her incomprehensible fits.

Hence for Erio, it doesn"t matter whether it"s not being hired or scaring others with her antics, everything was reasonable — it was her own making. Not even herself could deny it.

Life cannot be reset. No matter the age, it is impossible once shouldered with a lethal burden.

But it is still unclear whether Erio"s past was the fatal wound for her.

“Um, y"know~” Ryuushi-san tugged on my shirt; my conscious was also pulled back.

“Hm?” When I realized, Ryuushi-san was unexpectedly close to me, sending me to a daze.

“Niwa-kun, do you… hate me now? Am I despicable?”

She looked like and spoke with a slightly fawning voice… That"s what I thought. But since I haven"t received the certification of Ryuushi-san identifier, I couldn"t tell the minor differences.

“Why?”

“Uh, cuz, I just am! Like, I"ve been trying all this time to make ya think I"m a good kid. So, y"know...” She muttered.

Ahh… Really? Hm, is that how it is? I get it, but I don"t really think it"s a problem.

"Niwa-kun, do you... hate me now? Am I despicable?"

“Not wanting to be friends with weirdos, and not wanting to be alone. These are all normal.”

“I-i-it"s not normal! Ryuushi-san I have a th.o.r.n.y reputation because of my personality! Ya might get stabbed by me!”

“No, that"s not what I mean!”

“I know~ Geez, I just can"t stand sudden serious topics. I"m not very good with things like silica-gel. Mm.”[6] Usually no one is. Also, you are responsible for being serious? Or rather, there wasn"t anyone like that around me anyway.

Like there"s wouldn"t be a doctor on an airplane. Not that I really know.

“Embarra.s.sed~ Embarra.s.sed~” After taking in a serious breath, Ryuushi-san seemed redden.

The background rain poured on. Since I looked away, Ryuushi-san also turned back, letting the air of "ah, then see ya later" slip in.

Ryuushi-san raised her umbrella toward the sky; the melody that played when droplets. .h.i.t it circled in my eardrums:

“Thanks for your advice. I"ll think about how to deal with Erio.”

“Eh. Ya wanna think — ah, but… I see, so that"s what I meant. Wuu… Nnngg~ Ahhhhhh!” Ryuushi-san began struggling. She held her head and put the umbrella down; rain trickled down the inside of her neck. “Uh, Ryuushi-san? Do I need to throw you another towel?”

“Wuahhhhhh!”

She yelled abruptly and straight-up sprinted. She swung her arms dramatically; the umbrella were meaningless, or rather, an obstruction! She ran forward without balance, probably because of the umbrella"s air resistance.

“I hate my weakness~! I know it~!”

Ryuushi-san kept screaming about something while sprinting in the rain. Even though she rides slow, she"s pretty fast running. Running in the rain without the protection of an umbrella — could she be looking for Youth-points…? Not that it looked like that for me. I scratched the back of my head.

“Erio, huh…?” A mysterious name that sounded like the keyword.

Erio already left school.

Yet, the influence of Touwa Erio lingered.

It"s unfair. My mouth moved for no reason.

“So why am I still here, after listening to all that...”

I was confused with why I returned next to Tamura Obaa-san"s bed in her room without thinking. I even prepared a cushion, sitting on there with my hands holding my cheeks. Was I too relaxed?

“Your tea is not bad. At least better than Erio"s.”

Sitting down and drinking with an old lady; I felt like I"m playing subst.i.tute grandpa.

We let the hot tea touch our tongues, sitting away from each others from a distance. Tamura Obaa-san trembled, but remained seated on the sheets; though the cup and the water within shook, she still enjoyed the tea.

Every time I head into the kitchen to make tea, my heart sinks.

There was only a blurred window with some cobwebs on the corner. Plus it was raining today, a darkness different from the night"s filled the kitchen.

As if carpeted by coal ash, the room did not feel alive, like n.o.body has used it. Whether the diminutive stove worked was suspicious; the plates stacked on the shelf felt like they couldn"t hold anything. A plate for kids with bunny pattern was placed on the top, giving off an intense sorrow for some reason. Is it because I thought the plate held an important past for Tamura Obaa-san?

“A while ago I had Erio make some tea. The idiot almost burned herself.”

I grumbled with a voice bitterer than the tea.

“Just how much did Meme spoil her daughter?”

“How would I know? She suddenly rolled out with the futon. Is she throwing a tantrum?”

It was an objective a.n.a.lysis. Obaa-san could actually understand the emotion of Erio, the recluse. Sigh, it"s actually not hard to. n.o.body in high spirits would ever hide in a futon, right?

“And then?”

“Hah?” I raised my head only after covering the cup.

“You are worried about something else, right?”

Tamura Obaa-san kept her left eye shut, turning only the right on me. Fortunately, it didn"t look like she was winking.

“Can you manipulate people"s heart when you"re old?” I questioned first.

“Anyone could listening to you mumbling about things like "why am I still…" Dimwit.”

Obaa-san arbitrarily censured me, in a way almost like spitting. And then, she looked to the ceiling wearily: “The rain has become louder.” Is she worried about a leak?

“May I talk this over with you?”

“If I"m only listening, then I will listen. As of whether it"s worth talking over, it is not my business.”

Her att.i.tude was pulling with one hand while pushing with another. Using modern terms to translate the unique quirk of old people, it"ll probably be tsundere. How intriguing, I thought.

“If I don"t listen to people talk occasionally, eventually no one would listen to me. This is what my stupid husband told me, but I basically follow it.”

Seemed like the target of Tamura Obaa-san"s dere wasn"t me, but her deceased husband. Good.

Actually, I kind of thought about whether it should be discussed with someone else. But after keeping my voice down in case anybody can hear it in the hallway, I began.

“It"s actually about Erio, there"s a bit...” More correctly, there a problem with yours truly who"s always around her.

“Only "a bit" when talking about her. Impressive of you.” As you"ve said.

“Ryuush… Ryuuko-san from earlier said that Erio is considered as a freak in town. To be frank, people hate her.”

“Oh? And then?” Tamura Obaa-san urged me to continue, somewhat disinterested.

“Because I"m Erio"s cousin, we"re pretty close. But if rumors spread in school, I"ll be shunned. That"s the advice I got.”

“Hm, one moment, let me drink my tea.”

Upon finishing, Tamura Obaa-san held up the tea quiveringly. With the sound of sipping noodles, she let the fluid rolled into her throat. Following her, I smoothed my mouth with some tea.

“Now, proceed.” Cough, Tamura Obaa-san lightly breathed out.

“So, I"m wondering about what I should do.” I personally think that it should be "worrying."

In truth, isolation at school is deadly to a student. There won"t be any way to enjoy things like Youth-points; mental stress adds up continuously, and could potentially cause permanent damage.

Of course, such unseen hara.s.sment exists in my school.

I don"t want be there. I honestly thought.

Only, was my brain thinking about that specifically? It was dubious. It seemed that I"ve mindlessly accepted the current situation, unreasonably and wishfully thinking that it will continue forever.

The apprehension for such thoughts hid in my heart. Did I want to do nothing, without letting go of anything?

“Hm… I see, I see.” Tamura Obaa-san glancingly replied and nodded slowly.

“...” Sips.

“You"d only drown us both if you want me to help you. Don"t think I can ever pull you out.”

You murderer of the old lady! I was reprimanded as if I"ve already committed the crime.

“"What should I do" is just searching for possibilities. People can only step on the ground of reality once they start worrying about what they will do. The so-called advices are things that you seek after that. Who would offer help for things in a person"s head?”

She criticized me, the water in her cup shook. Faced with Tamura Obaa-san, I bluffed as well:

“Well, I"ve planned on deciding on my own since the start.”

“Good. Even an idiot can think of something after contemplating.”

At that point, Tamura-san spat out some tea leaves as if she thought of something:

“Excluding gains and losses, an idiot"s thought is basically correct. Idiots are simple, after all.”

This time, her cheeks and wrinkles relaxed elegantly, carrying a reminiscent kindness.

Was that an advice? Though the point is to think on my own, after talking with someone else, something deep down felt surprisingly easy. Like shoving extra luggage to someone else, it became lighter.

Then, let"s think. Picture it: if Erio and I severed all relation.

Even if Erio called me with a staccato of "Cousin~" "Cousin?" while approaching me, who never turned back, I could completely ignore her… Nope, probably not. It"s already impossible, huh?

“If there is one thing I could clarify, it"d be… People can live without friends.”

Perhaps unable to stand even temporary silence, Tamura Obaa-san spoke on.

In the end, she still agreed to give me something like an advice. People who like to talk can never keep quiet.

I guess it"s because she"s a dishonest yet caring person? Must have been popular seventy years ago.

“Friends are neither oxygen nor water. If anything, they are a luxury: if they exist, people will naturally feel fulfilled, and if they don"t, they"ll find a way to make due. It isn"t any different than coffee or tobacco, the existence of other people. Let"s say a smoker: it"s normal for him to not have smoke on him as well. There is no need to feel ashamed to have no friends; if you feel arrogant having many friends, then you"re just simple-minded fool, since that"s synonymous to admitting that you"re addicted. Sigh, it"s good to be confident in your communication skills, but that"s no different than being able to hold your liquor.”

Getting here with one breath, Tamura Obaa-san took a breath. Her shoulders slouched weakly, beginning the oxygenation of her lungs.

“In other words, don"t be afraid of your friends now, or friends who might become your enemies in the future.”

“...” Hearing the word "friends," the first thing I thought was Ryuushi-san.

Even for her, would she point at me when everyone around has become the enemy? Were the frivolous things we said the first time we met at the parking lot all a big joke in the end?

“If you"re scared of loneliness, don"t live for too long. Just look at me: friends or husbands, they"re all dead. Aren"t I the last person around?”

Those words were a complaint spoken with a cheerful determination — an oxymoron.

“I"m almost there myself. Lately, I think about how I"m the next every night. That"s why I say the aliens will perform cattle mutilation on me.” Eheeheehee, Tamura Obaa-san concluded with her befitting laughter.

“Worry about it slowly! Worries are a thing that could be solved in a day! Rest well for the next 364 days.”

Tamura Obaa-san added one more thing, put the cup next to her pillows and tremblingly lied back on the futon.

Without the sheet, her back looked lonely — emaciated and without energy.

“To think, and worry...” I looked up at the ceiling. The wood looked darker perhaps because of the seepage; drops of water seemed like they"d fall anytime. I stuck on tongue out, waiting for the drip that never came. I simply gawked stupidly.

My relation with Erio will affect that with other people.

For example, uhh… Ryuushi-san would one of them.

So what should I do?

Ignore the idiot rolling around in the hallway behind the slide door who emitted an air of "give me attention~"

I can ignore the futon roll, but not Erio. This could be the key.

I stuck my tongue into the cup and touched the green surface.

The tea was lukewarm — the perfect temperature.

With one motion, I swallowed the entire cup of tea, enjoying the sensation of water swaying in my stomach.

“Can I go to transfer student"s house today?”

When I was sitting the school cafeteria eating a pork bowl, someone whispered in my ears: “I want to see your room...”

Of course it was a dramatic replay, but the conclusion was the same, right?

The event occurred on June 25th, Friday noon.

Maekawa-san, who sat opposite of me, requested after finishing talking about the flavour of pork bowl.

Gravity claimed the skin off the pork I held in chopsticks; only the meat stayed.

“Eh… Um, it"s not my house...”

The sudden proposal shocked me into refuting an irrelevant detail.

“Oh, right, it"s Touwa"s house. So, can I?”

The "can I" part somehow carried a hypnotizing charm. My ears are done, oh no!

“M-my parents won"t be home today!”

“It"s not like you live together anyway, I recall.”

“That"s right.” That made no sense.

Maekawa-san picked up the pickled radish with her chopsticks, raising it to the light and spoke:

“Relax! I"ll go home too; I won"t eat you!”

Such adult declaration made my heart overly sensitive to the Maekawa-san who had on a teasing smirk. My head hurt:

“I-is that so? To my house, huh?”

“Transfer student, you"re not picking anything up. Your chopsticks are missing!”

“I"ve lost depth perception because I looked down on blue berries. Now my eyes are rebelling.”[7]

Inviting a girl to my room. More specifically, a girl visiting. But it"s worth three-points. I"ve gotten five-points, and considering four-points" are only in certain occasions, then isn"t now the chance for the highest possible point in daily life? I made up these wordy definitions because I"ve actually nervous. Inviting a girl to my room — the last time I did it was in sixth grade.

“But why?”

“Pure interest. I just want to see what kind of room the transfer student lives in.”

And I have the day off — she added boredom as part of her motivations and bit down on the radish.

Having a… Tour? In my house with Maekawa-san after school. Not that I will find anything new, but oh well. Let my heart beat to a point where I can"t focus in the afternoon lessons!

I tried to calmly grasp my excitement, almost vomiting:

“Having said that...”

“Hm?”

“Maekawa-san, do you have friends?”

Was the question surprising to her? Maekawa-san"s eyes repeated performed a blinking action.

“You are my friend.”

“Hm.” Touche, I thought.

With a pause, I asked another question:

“One more thing.”

“Hm.”

“What do you think of Erio?”

Hearing my query, Maekawa-san"s no-so-big-eyes squinted even more.

Did I say something wrong? But since Maekawa-san already knew about me and Erio, it shouldn"t be an issue.

Besides, this isn"t a cla.s.sroom; our chatter will be swallowed by the messy air before entering others" ears.

“Looking at Touwa, I couldn"t help but think of one thing.” Maekawa-san spoke looking at the bowl.

“Which is?”

“If everyone belongs somewhere, where does Touwa belong?”

Maekawa-san stated solemnly while picking up the remaining rice with her chopsticks.

A place where Erio belongs.

In the futon… Not funny.

After picking out all the rice, Maekawa-san added:

“In any case, I think...”

“Hm.”

“The cafeteria lady needs to give up on the pork bowl and think about making a proper Oyakodon instead.”[8]

You"re completely right. I fully agreed, shoving the onions in my mouth.

“Alright, lets go!”

Maekawa-san dragged her bag and came to my seat as soon as school was out.

The model-like cla.s.smate who usually leave cla.s.s after school"s out actually walked to the window opposite to the door in a straight line. Her advance toward the transfer student"s seat stole many eyes from the room.

Ryuushi-san, who melted into a crowd, was no exception. She jaunted toward us:

“Niwa-kun, where are ya goin"?”

She wore an extra bag aside from her school bag, slightly displeased to ask about my schedule today. I recently noticed that on the days when she carries that bag, she goes to club.

“I"m going to transfer student"s house!”

“Wha...”

Hearing the destination, Ryuushi-san had a strange reaction. It was neither anger, nor envy.

Though the reply had a sound, it seemed lost as if a person wondering where to go.

I immediately realized where that expression came from.

Because my house equals to Erio"s house. She"s still worried about what happened six days ago.

“And we"re gonna do all sorts of things.”

“Whuoa!”

But Maekawa-san"s next line seemed to break her out of contemplation.

Rip the chains, be completely surprised, and charge forward… Oh.

“All sorts! Of things! Things… Sorts of things… Wu~!”

As if picturing something, Ryuushi-san eyed Maekawa-san from the feet up and began bouncing.

“Don"t you think Ryuushi is surprisingly misinformed about things between guys and girls?”

Maekawa-san, with a big grin, asked bluntly for my a.s.sent. If I held her up by the collar it"d a simple hara.s.sment, so I only glared at her:

“Why do you only speak in confusing ways (語弊)?”

“How about dressing up like a gohei-mochi (五平餅) and speak in confusing ways (語弊)?”[9]

“Did I ask you to hold a conference for costume-and-lame-jokes?”

“But won"t it be boring just glaring at each others in a room? So I categorized possible activities like video games and Reversi into "all sorts of things."

“So you knew?”

“Hehehe, I told ya if you"re ever in trouble, just find Maekawa.”

Did she really understand what she meant?

“Hey~!” Ryuushi-san tossed out the bag on her hand; the object flew through the opening between students, beautifully landing on the podium.

For some reason, she spun twice before smiling at me.

“Actually, Ryuushi-san doesn"t have club today!”

“…...”

I traded looks with Maekawa-san. I looked up, and she looked down.

“I don"t really mind?” Her expression was both expectant and calm:

“My goal is to become the best support! Hm, this time.”

It"s kind of rude to say this when she"s so absorbed, but that"s just some meaningless excuse to me.

Oh well, whatever!

It"s settled.

Ryuushi-san and Maekawa-san will visit the Touwa residence.

Hold on, part two.Translator"s notes and referencesJump up↑ 亀の甲より年の功 Literally age is better than sh.e.l.l, meaning that experience of age is the best teacherJump up↑ 中雨, p.r.o.nounced naka-same as the author indicated, is not an actual vocabulary in j.a.panese. But the characters do mean medium rainJump up↑ I would love to know if someone else could translate the word denpa, in this context, into an equivalent English termJump up↑ Referring to Ricky Martin, who’s had a Disney alb.u.mJump up↑ Slam dunk reference. It"s the first thing Akagi Haruko said to Sakuragi HanamichiJump up↑ Ryuushi’s typical word punJump up↑ Blue berries supposedly improve eye sightJump up↑ 親子丼A donburi with chicken, egg and sliced scallionJump up↑ Gohei語弊refers to issues when wording or similar words could cause misunderstanding. Gohei-mochi is a type of food

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