Kanon

Chapter 9

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Prologue

A lot of fairy tales begin like this.

Two sisters live in a place somewhere.

The older sister is ambitious, likes to bully people, and proud of her own beauty. Every day, she keeps bullying her younger, kind sister.

The older sister thought this unfair. She believed she didn’t do this because she liked to be harsh on her sister.

It was just that merely looking at her sister, looking at her clear, pale brown eyes was painful, depressing, and irresistible.

It was because she loved her sister that made it more painful.

“Hey.”

“Ah?”

My contemplation was distracted by someone’s call from behind.

“It’s snowing again, you see.”

“Oh, right.”

Aizawa Yuichi and I, Kaori, stood alongside and gazed at the sky.

Upon going out the entrance, we could see white flakes falling between the school buildings.

“It’s getting cold again, I guess.”

Yuichi shrugged, puffing some white smoke.

“Snowflakes these small would end quickly.”

“Even so, it’ll be cold.”

I laughed at his sad look in attempting to oppose the weather.

“What are you talking about? Today’s quite warm already.”

I was quite knowledgeable in this since I had grown and lived in this snowy town.

“I think I’m going back to my country.”

“Just give up already.”

“Country? Which Country?” I said, smiling, lightly patting my shoulder.

Yuichi was a.s.signed to my cla.s.s.

For some reason, I heard he was now staying at my good friend Minase’s place.

“Does Nayuki have club activities?”

“Yeah, I can’t believe she can be having some track activities in such snow.”

The two of us headed to the gate.

“What are you going to do now, Aizawa?”

“I think there’s a place I want to go to.”

“Is it somewhere suspicious?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because Nayuki told me you’re unbelievable.”

“I’m in no way unbelievable.”

“Is that so?”

Even from my eyes, I could tell Yuichi was not a person easy to understand.

It was just a very normal chat, but he could get to the point of what others say despite showing wandering eyes. Perhaps he looked quite similar to that child…

No.

I am thinking of that child again.

“The main point is where do you think is suspicious?”

Hearing him, I guided our conversation to a new path.

“The bread shop near the station.”

“How’s that suspicious?”

“They use a signing pen to rub away the expiry date.”

“Um…that really is suspicious.”

“Am I right? I can buy one for you to eat next time.”

“No way!”

“If it’s Aizawa, I think he might be able to eat it.”

“Do you think my intestines can make miracles happen?”

“Of course not.”

I creased my brows, smiling.

Upon hearing him say miracle, I remembered about that child.

It’s called a miracle because it doesn’t happen, my older sister.

You were right, but how was I to answer you when I see you saying that smiling.

“Kaori, is there anything troubling you?”

Yuichi looked at me with the corner of his eye.

“Nothing. What’s up?”

“Because you look the same as the time when I just called to you back then.”

He could tell my expression without looking directly at me. He was indeed unbelievable.

Even so, I didn’t reply and said, “Right. I’m heading this way. How about you?”

We reached a diverging point after pa.s.sing through the gate.

Yuichi pointed to the opposite direction.

“I see. So see you tomorrow.”

I turned around and ran on the fine snow.

“Eh, hey, Kaori.”

“See you!”

Safe, safe…I almost spoke something unnecessary to him. I should have been more careful.

A lot of shoujo mangas (mangas aimed at young girls) have this setting.

Two sisters live in a place somewhere.

The older sister is a beauty, but the younger sister is insignificant and untalented, who always looked up to her sister.

The younger sister thought this unfair, but she knew it was the truth.

She doesn’t hate how she looks like in the mirror, but however she looked at herself, it is incongruous with her sister’s curly long hair.

Not only is her sister beautiful but also smart, ranking first in grades in her year.

Compared to her, I—let alone grades—I can’t even really go to school.

Right.

My mere presence hurts her.

I always smile so as not to hurt her, but the more I did, the more sorrow her eyes grew. I can do nothing about it.

So I…I…

Whoosh!

A cold, sudden hit on Shiori’s head distracted her contemplation.

“…wah!”

Moving backwards in reflex, I find something frozen to ice. I slipped and fell into a sitting position.

“Ah…”

The things I bought in the convenience store were scattered on the ground. I couldn’t let them be, but I couldn’t comprehend what happened and just stared into s.p.a.ce.

“Do you still feel okay?”

From the side of the road, a young stranger approached me. His age was similar to mine or a bit older.

“Eh…ah…”

Being pulled back to reality from my convoluted thoughts, I couldn’t adjust myself at the spot. I just sat there, knowing nothing to say.

“What’s wrong?”

Behind the young man was a small, adorable young girl. She has wearing a strange bag decorated by wings, her mittens pressing her nose.

“It seems to be the snow on the branches. Your face hit the tree and it did that.”

“You sound like you’re blaming me.”

The girl with mittens oddly called herself as boku (a male referral).

“Isn’t it the truth?”

“The reason I hit the tree is because you evaded me!”

“But you ambushed me.”

“You’re rude! It’s not an ambush. It’s just a sentimental reunion!”

“How’s it sentimental?”

“I’m saying, I tried to make it sentimental, but you…”

The two of them bombarded each other, treating me like their crosstalk audience.

The two of them looked like they were either friends who came together in this town after many years or childhood friends.

“Okay, let’s leave that aside for now.”

“Don’t leave it aside!”

Turning away from the protesting girl with mittens, the young man called Yuichi came to face me.

“So can you stand up? Did you get injured anywhere?”

He placed his hand lightly on my head and brushed away the snow there. I stole a glance through the hair on my forehead and looked at that hand. It was a warm and large palm.

As I didn’t feel any pain, I simply nodded. But since the ambience Yuichi and that girl created by their close relationship was too intense I couldn’t stand up and kept my head lowered.

“…Eh. Okay, let me help you pick up those stuff.”

The girl stretched her hand on my bag on the snow.

“Ah!”

No. It was the first time I had such a swift reaction. Although there were only some snacks, stationery, and boring stuff inside…

“What’s wrong?”

The girl immediately stopped.

“Um…it’s nothing, really.”

Anyway I retrieved my sense of reality and started picking up the things around me. Yuichi stretched his hand towards me. I gently held his hand. As imagined, his hand warm hand held my small hand with force and pulled me up.

Once I stood up, the snowflakes on my shoulders and my cape fell down all together. As I picked up and checked my stuff, I put them back into my bag.

Having done so, I glimpsed, unintentionally, at Yuichi, who was still looking at me. I felt my face becoming a bit red. To hide my embarra.s.sment, I pulled the cape on my shoulder that had lowered upwards to its original position.

“Hey. Which grade are you in?”

The girl looked at me with eyes full of spirit.

“…first grade.”

I even told her the name of the school I had barely gone to.

“Ah. So you’re in the same school as I am?”

“’Really?”

Hearing what Yuichi said, I made such an excited, large sound I would never make and became embarra.s.sed again, tucking the tip of my nose into my cape.

But Yuichi and the girl didn’t seem to have noticed my waver.

“So you’re one year below me.”

“Ah! So you’re in the same year as I am?”

“Yeah!”

“I didn’t know…I reckoned…”

“What did you reckon?”

Although that girl put on a smile on her face, her eyes and her voice contained nothing of a smile.

Yuichi, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to get over it with a joke.

I secretly heaved a sigh.

What was I thinking all alone? Stories that start through an accidental encounter on the road only exist in shoujo manga.

“Soon the sky will get dark.”

I spoke softly, looking at the sky. The orange setting sun exposed itself among the gaps between the grey clouds.

“You’re right. It’s time to go.”

Yuichi and that girl looked at the sky I was looking at.

“So we have to go too.”

“Sure.”

“Are you really fine? Does anywhere hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry for making snow hit your head.”

The girl lowered her head a bit.

“…It’s fine.”

The two of them said and waved me goodbye, and then walked on the evening road.

“Um.”

I didn’t plan to make a voice, but it rushed out of my mouth.

“Yes?”

Yuichi turned around.

“Um…nothing, forget it.”

I gave it up.

When I remember I had been occupied by those troubles when I met them, I felt it weird to tell it to them now.

“Oh, I forgot something to ask too.”

Yuichi asked me how to go back to the shopping district. Why were these two wandering around here when they even know the directions? Thinking about these weird things to myself, I told him the directions.

“Thanks. It’s great you stopped me.”

“N-Not really.”

As such, I saw them off again.

The swaying wings on the girl’s backpack were very adorable.

Reality isn’t like a shoujo manga.

It’s called a miracle because it doesn"t happen.

But…

Only in my heart I said to Yuichi who was already far from me.

Um…

Could I…see you again?

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