Editing Hyouka:Volume 6 5 (section)

=== 1. ===
 
 
 
From the second I woke up, I had the feeling that something was off.
 
I opened my eyes and turned to look at the clock next to my pillow. The display showed 7:00, and next to it was an indicator reading Sunday.
 
I felt none of the light-headed grogginess that usually accompanied a rude awakening. The slightest bit of drowsiness remained in my head, but I didn't feel like going back to sleep. I slowly struggled to roll over face-down in my bed and then did what was essentially a pushup to raise myself up.
 
The strange thing was what happened when I let down my legs from the side of the bed. As I stared at the morning light seeping through the crack in the curtains, I started to mutter to myself in disbelief.
 
"I feel good."
 
Both in body and in spirit, absolutely nothing was amiss.
 
That's not to say I was used to constantly being in some kind of bad bodily condition. In that sense, rather than saying I was in good condition, it'd probably be more appropriate to say that, today, I felt perfectly full of energy. So much that it even crossed my mind that I might even need to do something completely pointless to lower my energy reserves back to normal levels. Moments like these didn't come often.
 
I went to the kitchen and peered into the refrigerator. We had bacon, maitake mushrooms, and mustard spinach, so I took them out and cut them into large pieces. I put a slice of bread into the toaster and then beat some eggs in a small bowl. As I did so, I haphazardly added some processed cheese, milk, and a little bit later, some curry powder to the mix. Of the two burners, I used one to fry the bacon mix and the other to cook the eggs. Shoot... I didn't have enough room to heat the water up, so my coffee would have to wait.
 
I brought my meal with me to the living room. Spreading nothing on the toast, it was fluffy as I stuffed it into my mouth. I heard the sound of someone descending down the stairs. My parents are both away on a business trip, so it had to be my older sister. The sound of footsteps continued towards the kitchen.
 
"Wow, there's breakfast!"
 
She has a lot of energy this morning.
 
"Did you make this, Houtarou?"
 
"Who knows? For all we know it might've been a burglar."
 
"It's still hot, too. He must still be close... Don't give me any of that sass."
 
Without responding, I took a bit of the bacon dish and put it on top of the toast. My sister started talking again.
 
"Can I have some?"
 
My mouth was full, so I simply nodded. There's no way she'd see it all the way from the kitchen, but she'd still take some even if I said no, so there wasn't any point in asking. Besides, I made enough for her portion as well.
 
"Hey, it's actually not bad!" she said. She sure didn't waste any time when it came to being rude.
 
"Get yourself a plate."
 
"What's with this taste? Did you put something in this?"
 
She probably had a bite of the eggs. The jar of curry powder was left on the kitchen counter, and I had enough faith in her that she’d figure it out herself, so I continued to eat without saying a word. Sure enough...
 
"Oh, this, huh?" she asked. "It's not like it's anything complicated, but it's still pretty above and beyond you. What going on, Houtarou? Did anything happen?"
 
Sharp as always. I took a sip of milk and said, "I feel good."
 
Just as I imagined would be the case, she returned a single, dubious "What?"
 
 
 
After getting out of bed and eating breakfast, I did some cleaning and laundry. I scrubbed the bathtub and then boiled some udon for lunch. It was 1:00. The day was long.
 
I went into my room, planted myself on top of my bed, and started to think. What should I do now? Peering out the window with its curtains pulled back, the sky looked perfect. Due to a recent stationary front, rain had continued to fall and fall these past days. This kind of sunshine was the first in a long time.
 
"I guess I'll go outside..."
 
I changed into a pair of pants with deep pockets and stuck a small paperback book into one of them. I put on a polo shirt and looked outside once more. A smile had formed on my face before I realized.
 
"Wouldn't want to waste this perfectly good weather."
 
To think that I, Houtarou Oreki, of all people, would grow unwilling to spend a sunny day inside... If Satoshi heard me say that, he'd probably come rushing over to check me for a fever. I picked my wallet up, but on a whim, I instead took out a single thousand yen note and stuffed it into my other pocket.
 
Although I left the house, it wasn't like I had any specific plans in mind. It'd just be a simple walk, is all. Though I do want to decide on a destination.
 
"So, where's a good place to go?"
 
I thought of going to a bookstore, but due to various reasons, I was short on cash this month. Besides, the paperback in my pocket could probably last me throughout the day.
 
That meant that I should probably look for a place where I could read. I thought about going somewhere along the riverbank, but we were nearing the season when the bugs start coming out again. I had a bad feeling about being next to the water at this time. Also, the bank is out in the open, so I'd be easily seen by passersby. I wasn't generally concerned about being stared at by others and have some tolerance with it, but even that tolerance has a limit.
 
There was a shrine for Hachiman nearby.<ref>A god of war.</ref> It'd be quiet, and there were rocks good for sitting on as well. How about that? Feeling good about that option, I started to walk towards its direction, but something held me back. The shrine was too close by. I was feeling too good today; I felt like my energy would overflow if I didn't go far enough away.
 
"Then, how about this?"
 
I turned on my heels. Arekusu Shrine should be sufficiently far. Although it might sound like I was being overly preoccupied with shrines, I probably ended up wanting to go Arekusu only because I considered Hachiman's shrine first.
 
I started to walk. At first, I felt I bit cold with only a polo shirt on, but I quickly began to warm up and soon felt perfect. Purposely avoiding the road I normally took on the way to school, I instead threaded along unfamiliar back streets. The area might've been a natural wind tunnel as, although I was surrounded by fences on both sides, I still felt a cool breeze blow up against me. I spotted a cat sitting atop one of the fences. It had tiger stripes and a somewhat pissed-off expression.
 
"Hey," I said, raising a hand in greeting. Perhaps startled, however, the cat immediately ran away. That was bad of me.
 
I continued to slowly stroll on and neared a bridge. Because of the rain yesterday, the river had risen considerably. I stopped momentarily and gazed upon the murky, rumbling waters.
 
"Early-summer rains
 
Add to and ever hasten,
 
Mogami River..."<ref>A verse by the most famous Japanese haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694).</ref>
 
Well, this wasn't the Mogami River, and yesterday's weather conditions weren't really early-summer rains either. Maybe I'd be able to think up a more suitable haiku if I was more cultured, but you can't give what you don't have. Satoshi would've probably been able to come up with a good one. Or maybe this was more up Chitanda's alley.
 
I passed by in front of a takoyaki shop. A sweet aroma wafted in the air. Although I'd already eaten breakfast, something about it was oddly alluring. I had a one thousand yen note with me—the takoyaki were something I could buy... The temptation slowly crept upon me. Wait... Hold on. Get a grip. If I were to buy some now, where would I sit down to eat them? I managed to endure the urge by the skin of my teeth, and I could feel myself speeding up as I walked away.
 
After I walked for around ten minutes, I noticed that the number of unfamiliar roads increased. Although I've never left this town in my entire life, a mere ten minutes brought me to such unknown areas. What an economical life I've led. I've never thought too poorly of my sense of direction, so I was able to continue along this untrodden route with a certain degree of confidence. Go over here and then there, and then if I turn somewhere around here...
 
I entered an open area. That was splendidly done, if I do say so myself. I stood facing the very Arekusu Shrine itself.
 
"Now then..." I muttered, looking up at the large torii gate. I had forgotten about that. The shrine was on the side of a hill. What that meant was, to get to the main grounds, I'd have to continue up the long flight of stairs leading up to it. It didn't matter how good I was feeling today, possessed by some strange condition leading me to take an idle stroll—I wasn't so sure about doing <i>that.</i> I hesitated for a moment, and then—
 
"Oh well, I guess it's fine."
 
—I then proceeded.
 
I walked up and up, counting each step along the way. Not before long, I noticed overgrown cedar trees starting to line both sides of the path. The temperature gently started to fall. As I passed thirty steps, I lost count. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, a whole bunch... I'd never given much thought to what kind of job I wanted in the future, but I'm fairly certain that one involving counting might not be the best match for me.
 
My breathing quickened. I'd have a difficult time reading my book now, too. Should I just sit on the steps and start reading here? No, no... I'm already more than halfway there. Just a little, little bit longer. I continued to climb, my body leaning forward as I did.
 
I must've done more than a hundred steps—not that I counted, of course. I finally made it to the top and took a deep breath. My eyes fell on a small structure containing a basin of water for ceremonial washing. I wanted to drink a mouthful, but I doubt the water was intended to be used that way. I looked around for a vending machine... but like one would've figured, there weren't any in sight.
 
My eyes were wandering around the area when I locked eyes with someone who had just left the shrine's administration office. She had on a casual T-shirt and shorts, looking as if she hadn't even left her house for the day. She wore glasses with small lenses, and her hair was long.
 
"Ah!"
 
It was Kaho Juumonji. I guess she technically hadn't left her house for the day, considering she lived here as well. It looked like she had also realized it was me and slowly walked over.
 
"Welcome."
 
She placed her hands in front of her body, palms-down, and lowered her head politely. Normally, I would've been shaken up being unexpectedly greeted like this, but I remembered falling for the same trick in the past.
 
"Thanks," I replied, at any rate. She pouted back, probably unsatisfied with my calm reaction, but quickly smiled.
 
"Did you come to pay the shrine a visit?"
 
"Not really, but... actually, I guess I could do that too."
 
"You're weird."
 
"I'm taking a walk."
 
I guess it was a bit difficult to say that the shrine was any old location for me to someone who actually lived there.
 
Juumonji turned around to face the direction of the administration office she came out from.
 
"Eru's here."
 
"What?"
 
"Eru's here."
 
Sounds like something Gennai Hiraga would invent.<ref>Gennai Hiraga (1728-1780) is a famous Japanese inventor, among other things. Oreki here is referring to how his electrostatic generator (erekiteru) sounds like "Eru's here" (eru kiteru).</ref> Eru's here...
 
Wait... Eru's here?!
 
"Wha... why?"
 
She snickered back. "She's just here to hang out. You can also come in if you'd like. I'll make you some tea."
 
"No, it's okay. I'm just—"
 
"It’s not like you’re unrelated to what we’re currently talking about, you know."
 
Me? What could it be about?
 
"I won't force you," she continued, "but you know what they say. 'Even chance meetings are preordained.'"
 
"Is that a Buddhist saying?"
 
"It's a principle that goes beyond the boundaries of religion."
 
"I don't know..."
 
"Still, I have to say... Actually, never mind.  I think I'd rather you see it for yourself. Come now."
 
Before I realized it, I was already being escorted into the shrine's administration office.
 
I don't think I put up much of a fight.
 
 
 
In one section of the office was a six tatami mat-sized room. The traditional sliding screen door was like the rest in the building, but upon entering, I could see it was a bedroom, full of personal belongings. There was a cabinet and an alarm clock, a bookshelf with novels and magazines, a small teapot, and in the center of it all, a low table. She probably had more stuff at her house, but it looked like this area was put aside for Juumonji to occupy.
 
Not to mention...
 
"H-huh? Oreki-san... Why are you..."
 
Chitanda was there, flustered. She looked around, frantically running her hands through her hair, and then, as if it suddenly dawned on her, she reached out and started gathering together everything on the low table. Juumonji started to speak, a hint of laughter in her voice.
 
"You don't really have to hide it, you know."
 
"A-ah, yes. I see. Now that you mention it, you do have a point."
 
She pointed her face downwards, probably trying to pull herself together a little, and then finally sat properly back up.
 
"Good afternoon, Oreki-san. Fancy meeting you here."
 
"Yeah. I was surprised."
 
"But you knew I was here, right?"
 
What the heck was she talking about?
 
"Oh, really?" asked Juumonji, as she turned to look at me. I shook my head.
 
"I said it though, didn't I?" interjected Chitanda. "I said that I promised Kaho-san that I'd visit her on Sunday."
 
"When and to whom did you say something like that?"
 
"I told Mayaka-san after school on Friday."
 
Why would she assume I'd know that from her telling Ibara? Right as I was about to ask her this myself, she seized away the initiative.
 
"Weren't you sitting right next to her?"
 
My memory was a bit hazy, but I feel like I did visit the clubroom that day, in which case, I may've very well been sitting next to Ibara then. Even still...
 
"I didn't hear it."
 
My denial wasn't very strong, so I had the sinking feeling that it sounded more and more like I had eavesdropped on their conversation and then purposely gone to the place where Chitanda had plans. I said it once more, this time with conviction.
 
"I heard absolutely nothing."
 
Chitanda readily nodded. "I understand. You were reading at the time, Oreki-san."
 
Juumonji let out an unconvinced hum from the side. I was a little worried she didn't believe me.
 
She then brought out a floor cushion for me to sit on and poured me a cup of green tea. As she did that, Chitanda started to rearrange the things she had previously tried to hide back on top of the low table.
 
"I came to look at these."
 
They were photos—photos of the living doll festival that had taken place back in April, near Chitanda's house.
 
"It really is too embarrassing."
 
She started to hide them again.
 
In the living doll festival, Chitanda played one of those dolls and wore an intricate twelve-layered kimono. At her request, I played the umbrella bearer. Satoshi had taken pictures of the festival and showed them to me as well. The photos currently on the table, however, were different ones.
 
I was also embarrassed and wanted to hide them as fast as possible. My eyes wandered to a certain photo. Behind the doll-dressed Chitanda, whose gaze seemed to be looking slightly down with elegant composure, walked me in a traditional court hat... with the dumbest-looking expression on! My mouth was hanging wide open and my eyes looked dull and unfocused.
 
I subconsciously averted my gaze.
 
"That's one cruel picture."
 
"Ah, this one?" Chitanda pulled the photo in question closer to her. "It certainly isn't the best shot."
 
Juumonji placed her cup of tea on the low table and started to talk as she sat on the cushion. "You were yawning, huh. What miraculous timing on your part."
 
"More like nightmarish."
 
That face of mine wasn't from a yawn. If I had to guess... the photo had captured a moment of fascination. I didn't really see anything like that in Satoshi's pictures, so it's clear I wasn't making that expression the entire time. At least, that's what I wanted to believe.
 
"Sorry I dragged you in here like this, but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this picture. I figured that if you weren't here, it'd be like laughing at you behind your back, and that left a bad taste in my mouth."
 
I got where she was coming from, but I doubt she looked at the picture intending on laughing at it from the start. What an upstanding person.
 
"By the way, this picture of Eru over here's pretty terrible, too."
 
"Kaho-san! That's off-limits!"
 
The two of them continued to talk on and on, laughing as they discussed the photos, and I quietly sat between them, slowly sipping my tea. Although Juumonji was the one who invited me to sit with them, I was definitely in the wrong spot. In other words, I desperately wanted out, though my parched throat did appreciate the tea.
 
I tried to wait for a lull in the conversation that I could use to say my goodbyes, but it was near-impossible to find. As I was doing this, I reached the bottom of my cup. I guess this was definitely a sign that I had to go, but as I thought this, Juumonji suddenly looked at the clock.
 
"It's already this late? You should probably get going soon, Eru."
 
Chitanda smiled. "Yes, I know. Have you finished with your errands?"
 
"Oh," said Juumonji as she froze. "Shoot. I was going to do it but saw Oreki-kun and got distracted."
 
I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it sounded like it was my fault. Juumonji's brow furrowed slightly, and she lowered her head.
 
"I'm really sorry. I wonder if I can still make it..."
 
"What happened?" I asked.
 
To that, Chitanda responded, "Today, I was planning on showing Kaho-san these pictures and then helping her with something after."
 
Juumonji explained the rest. "I was also asked by my family to do some shopping. I left because there wasn't much time left, but then I got surprised when I saw you and ended up forgetting about it."
 
She was surprised? Not an ounce of it showed on her face.
 
"If that's the case, I'll take care of the preparations," Chitanda said. "You go on ahead, Kaho-san."
 
"Are you sure?"
 
"Yes. It's not the first time I've done it."
 
"You're a lifesaver." As Juumonji said that, she closed her eyes and brought her hands together in prayer towards Chitanda. "<i>Namu.</i>"<ref>A Buddhist prayer, meaning something like "amen." Juumonji's shrine is Shinto, however, not Buddhist.</ref>
 
"That's Buddhist, isn't it?" I said before realizing it. Juumonji opened her eyes.
 
"It's a principle that goes beyond the boundaries of religion. Though, what'll you do now, Oreki-kun? I don't mind if you stay here."
 
"No, I think I'll excuse myself. Thanks for the tea."
 
"Really? Well, you're welcome."
 
As I was about to stand up, I suddenly thought of something.
 
"By the way, what are you going to help her with?"
 
Chitanda gestured with both arms as if doing some kind of dance.
 
"Cleaning!"
 
I guess she was imitating a broom-sweeping movement. Juumonji added on to that.
 
"We have a miniature shrine dedicated to Inari.<ref>Shinto god of harvest and commerce.</ref> Though, it doesn't really have to be cleaned today."
 
"It's alright. I had intended on coming here to do it today anyways."
 
So essentially, one person was going to be doing a two-man cleaning job... I wish I hadn't heard.
 
As I did hear, there was no getting around it. I only had one option available to me.
 
"I'll help out."
 
At first surprised, Chitanda immediately said that I didn't need to. After that, however, she didn't reject my offer any further.