Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume2 4th Play (section)

===Part 1===

On the first floor of the branch school, not a soul could be seen in the lounge. Other than the occasional footsteps passing in the corridor, the lobby was quiet like a lake in midwinter.

……Well, it was class time at the moment, so it couldn’t be helped.

At the far end of the lounge, with her elbows on a table and resting her chin in her hands, Ada gazed beyond the glass-paneled wall at the scenery outside.

“—I’m supposed to be doing self-study, but……”

She flipped through the textbook lying on the table and skimmed the contents written on the pages. But that lasted no more than a dozen seconds. Letting out an exhausted sigh, Ada put her head down on the table.

For her, the act of staring at a book on the table felt impossible. That’s right. Moving her body around outside was much more comfortable. Holding onto her {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}} was much more—

“Ah, no, no!”

……Geez, what was she thinking?

She was no longer an {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}}, but a student studying at a Recitation school.

That’s right, she didn’t need an {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}}. ……Well, she shouldn’t need it.



‘But if that’s so, why are you still practicing like this with the {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}}?’



“……Yeah, I wonder why?”

Lying sprawled on the table, she turned only her gaze toward the lights on the ceiling.

The question that Neight asked her yesterday had left her at a loss for words.

She had practiced until the feeling of the {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}} seeped into the marrow of her bones. She had also joined the spear-wielding club. She had thought again and again that she wanted to quit, but when she came to her senses, she always found herself swinging a spear.

If she was asked that question once again, how should she reply?

Feeling exhausted, she closed her eyes for a few minutes—

Suddenly, faint footsteps echoed through the lobby. In any case, it was probably just the school janitor. Arbitrarily deciding that, Ada closed her eyes once again.

However, those footsteps did not pass by, but instead stopped right behind her—

“Hey Ada, what’s wrong?”

Huh? This voice is…?

Hearing the familiar voice, Ada raised her head. In her field of vision that was still fuzzy with drowsiness, she saw a female classmate peering down at her.

“What about you, Kluele? It’s class time right now, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s true. But I ended up doing some self-studying.”

Carrying her self-study textbook and a drink in a paper cup, Kluele sat down across from Ada. As she waited for Kluele to settle down, Ada opened her mouth.

“……Hey Kluele, I was curious about it before, but you get along well with Chibi-kun, don’t you?”

“By Chibi-kun, do you mean Neight?” Raising the paper cup to her lips, she tilted her neck.

“Yeah, yeah. I heard from Chibi-kun that you two spent the entire summer practicing Recitations together?”

“It wasn’t the entire summer, just when I had time,” Kluele replied casually with a nonchalant expression.

Just when I had time— Knowing Kluele, that meant the same as ‘during all of the free time I had’.

……You know, that’s what we call ‘entire’.

“Were you playing the role of an older sister?”

“It wasn’t like that. I just couldn’t leave him there by himself.”

“Well, he’s only thirteen years old. And he’s quite a hasty, scatterbrained person as well.”

Imagining Neight’s hurried manner, Ada let out a small wry smile. It still remained fresh in her memory how on the day Neight had transferred in, his Recitation in the lab had accidentally turned into black smoke. 

“That’s true as well. But…….there’s various other reasons too.”

What exactly these various other reasons were, Kluele didn’t mention. But just by looking at her expression, Ada could tell that they weren’t simple matters.

“Well, Chibi-kun’s also a handful, isn’t he?”

“’Chibi-kun also’?” Her sharp-eared friend asked, repeating back a part of what she had just said.

“……Um, you see……”

Ada lowered her gaze slightly.

“Let’s say for example that there was a student in the class other than Chibi-kun who was alone. If that were so, what would you do, Kluele?”

“……For example, who?” With her eyes reflecting the tense atmosphere, Kluele asked in a quiet voice.

“For example, people like me.” But as soon as Ada finished saying those words……

“Ah, it’s fine. That’s not true,” Kluele said lightheartedly, waving her hand.

“Eh? ‘It’s fine’, meaning?”

“Honestly, I was wondering what you would say! The day when someone sees you depressed, the entire school will be in an uproar, you know. The student council will hold a special meeting, the newspaper club will mobilize to gather information, and the mystery investigation club will also start investigating the origin of the uproar.”

……Eh? Wa-Wait a second, that’s too crue—

“In the first place, asking that sort of question isn’t like you. You’re usually using your strength to foolishly cause commotions and get teachers angry. And on top of that, aren’t you ‘Ada the Demon of Lateness’?”

“……Wh-Why you!”

Although her facial expression twitched, she somehow kept calm. Yes, she should be staying calm. She was calm. She definitely wasn’t clenching her fists under the table.

“—But……”

Kluele deliberately changed her expression to one different from her teasing look before.

“If there really is something troubling you, I wish you’d talk to me about it. If it’s just listening, I think I can do that for you.”

……Consulting her? It would be good if she could do that, but……

Within her heart, Ada shook her head.

It was a problem she couldn’t tell her parents or her teachers about. Telling her to consult someone about it was simple, but for the troubled person herself, she needed the utmost courage. If she could do something like consult with someone—

“’If I could do that, then I wouldn’t be so troubled.’ Ada, could it be that you were thinking something along those lines?” Without any prior notice, the girl sitting across from Ada bluntly declared.

Her voice sounded unusually strong, like she had absolute confidence in her words.

“…….Why do you think so?”

“Because I was like that just a little while ago.” Ada’s classmate solemnly informed her.

“……You were?”

“Yeah. Even though I seem like this right now, I’ve been feeling lost for quite a while. You might think it’s strange of me to say this, but there were times when I felt so lost that it was a nuisance just to come to school.”

She didn’t act like that at all in the classroom, but was instead always a bright and helpful girl. Other than that cheerful image, Ada couldn’t imagine Kluele any other way. ……But surely she wasn’t lying. If she was, there was no way that she could have read Ada’s feelings.

“But because of that, I think I can empathize with others who feel the same way.” Kluele calmly placed her hand on her chest.

“That’s why it’s fine for you to come and tell me if something happens. It doesn’t need to be a formal consultation. We can even discuss it casually in the dorms. If you’re fine with telling me, I’ll be there for you anytime. After all, we’re friends, right?” Resting her chin in her hands, Kluele smiled.

“……”

“Huh? Ada? What’s wrong?”

“……It’s nothing.”

Ada nonchalantly turned around so that her back faced the girl who was staring at her.

Kluele would listen to what she had to say. Naturally, Ada was grateful to hear those words. But— Although their worries were different, there was someone who had felt lost like her, but continued to work hard despite that. Knowing that made her feel very happy.

“Well, I should thank you for that. But don’t worry about what I said, it was just an example.”

Quietly standing up, Ada stretched a few times.

“Ah, by the way, why are you resting here at a time like this?”

“Apparently Enne-sensei, who’s in charge of my lectures, isn’t feeling well so the lectures for students of her specialty are canceled.”

That morning, it had been suddenly announced that the lectures were cancelled. Because Ada had nothing to do in her room, she ended up strolling around aimlessly in the school building. But she had gotten bored of that as well, so she took a rest in the lounge.

“Ah, it’s the same situation I’m in. My teacher has a cold.”

“Kluele’s specialty is in [{{Furigana|Keinez|Red}}], right? Who’s your teacher?”

“He’s named Zessel. Apparently he usually teaches students in higher grades.”

……Zessel-sensei?

After hearing Kluele’s answer, in her mind, Ada frowned.

How strange. If she were to believe what Enne-sensei had said, Enne and Zessel had joined the summer camp in the place of two teachers who weren’t feeling well. But now they had gotten sick as well?

“Hey Kluele, your [{{Furigana|Keinez|Red}}] lecture yesterday was taught by Zessel-sensei, right?”

“Yeah. He seemed fine yesterday though.”

He had taught a lecture like usual yesterday. It had been the same with Enne. And if Ada remembered correctly— there was something in common about the two of them yesterday.

“After class yesterday, when I walked past Zessel-sensei, I remember he was wearing formal clothing. But on the first day, he wore a casual T-shirt on the train.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Other students have also been saying how unusual it is.”

Although Tremia Academy provided teachers with a blazer to wear, what the teachers usually wore everyday was up to their own discretion. For Zessel, he seemed to be the type who liked light and convenient clothing.

But oddly, he had been wearing formal clothing. And moreover, at this time in midsummer?

Some general ideas that Ada could think of were— He could be attending an important meeting, or maybe someone was coming to visit the branch school, or conversely, he could be going to visit someone important.

First of all, attending an important meeting here was hard to imagine. This was a branch school instead of the main campus, and there couldn’t possibly be an important meeting in the middle of summer holidays.

Also, there was no need for visitors to come specifically to the branch school. If they had a really important task, then they should go to the main campus instead. Contrarily, if there was something minor to attend to, then sending something like a letter should be fine. Realistically, there was no chance that an important guest would come during summer vacation, to a branch school in the middle of summer camp.

Therefore, by process of elimination, the only remaining option was that Zessel had gone to visit someone important.

……Ada thought back to Enne’s lecture yesterday.

Enne had given the students a practice test and allowed the students who finished to leave immediately afterward. Actually, other than Ada, all of the other students should have left the classroom before class had been officially over.

—Was there a reason why Enne had ended class early?

Furthermore, that time, Ada had passed by Zessel in the hallway. She had passed by him after leaving Enne. In other words, Zessel had been walking in the direction of the classroom that Enne taught in. Which means after that, did Zessel and Enne have plans to go somewhere together?

Go somewhere…… And now, for some reason, the two of them were in a situation in which they couldn’t teach class.

Supporting this theory was the class that had been cancelled abnormally. If the teachers had known beforehand about the cancelled lecture, they should have assigned someone to be substitute. In short, there was a high possibility that this cancelled lecture was unexpected.

“Hey Ada, don’t you feel like it’s a little unnatural?”

Holding her self-study textbook in one hand, Ada’s classmate stood up. Since Kluele seemed to feel the same doubts, should she tell her what she was thinking?

“Yeah, it feels strange. Kluele, what will you do? Do you have time?”

“I do. The lecture’s cancelled, and I’ll just get more confused if I stay here like this, so I’ll go along with you.”

The two of them made eye contact, then turned around so their backs faced each other. What they needed to check was — whether the two teachers who weren’t feeling well were actually in the branch school right now.

The two were probably not inside the school.

If that was the case, then for what reason did they suddenly leave?

“Kluele, can you go check the nurse’s office on the first floor? I’ll take a peek in the second floor staff room.”


<div align="center">***</div>


There was a knock on the door of the small classroom.

Neight looked up from the blank exam sheet he had been working on. After opening the door, he saw a tall girl with black hair.

“Hey, Neighty. What are you doing alone in this classroom?”

“Ah, Serges-san. Good morning.”

Serges held some paper and writing utensils in both hands. In the hallway behind her, for some reason, a few dozen students were moving around as a group.

“Are you going somewhere?”

“Yeah. Everyone specializing in [{{Furigana|Surisuz|Yellow}}] is gathering at the beach. The teacher’s going to show us a demonstration. After that, it’ll be free time.”

“A demonstration? Sounds fun.”

No, just watching will make us sleepy—After saying those words disinterestedly, the girl shrugged.

“Neighty, if you’re interested, do you want to secretly come along?”

“……I still haven’t finished a history class yet. I’m taking it while there’s time for summer supplementary lessons, and Kate-sensei has been teaching me the whole time.”

“Oh? So then, where’s the essential Kate-sensei?”

Looking around the classroom restlessly, Serges tilted her head.

“Apparently she had something urgent to do this morning. She said, ‘For this morning, do the quiz from the section you learned yesterday,’ and then left.”

“Oh, I see. Well then, good luck, kid!”

After saying that, Serges swiftly turned around, making Neight think she would exit through the closed door.

“Ah, that’s right.”

With her back facing Neight, Serges suddenly said.

“Neighty, I told you before to go take a look on the roof… How did it go? Did you meet her?”

“Yes. Ada-san, right?”

“What did you think?”

Hearing the complicated question, Neight looked up at the ceiling.

“What did I think…… ‘It’s amazing’. She’s also in the spear-wielding club, and…… um, an {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}}, was it? She seemed to have had a lot of practice.”

“I see. So that’s how you think of it?”

Serges nodded. The action seemed like she was agreeing with him.

—Practice…… It doesn’t seem to be…… that simple—

“Eh?”

The words of the girl with her back facing Neight were said in such a quiet voice that Neight couldn’t hear the end of her sentence.

“U-Um.”

Before Neight had time to ask, Serges turned around to face him.

“I share a dorm room with her, so I’ve heard various things. ……Neighty, don’t say anything to other people about her!”

“A-Alright.”

He didn’t ask why, because the girl’s tone of voice sounded extremely sad.

“Well, until she can say it aloud herself.”

“Until Ada-san can?”

“Yeah. She’s really conscious about being ‘different’.”

—Different? What did that mean?

Not noticing Neight’s bewilderment, Serges leaned against the door. Her eyes that seemed to have turned weak looked beyond the window of the classroom, gazing at a place even farther away.

“She’s such an idiot, wondering if she’ll become distant from her friends because she’s ''that'', and if she’ll be hated one day. She can’t help but always worry about it…… Even though there’s no way that would happen.”

“U-Um. What do you mean? I don’t hate Ada-san at all.”

“No, she just selfishly convinced herself of that. It’s not something Neighty should worry about. ……But hey, Neighty, just remember this.”

Once again, Serges turned around so that her back faced Neight.

“Although it was because of different reasons than Neighty, a long time ago, she was alone as well.”


<div align="center">***</div>


In the communications room of the branch school, facing the radio equipment, Kate tried her best to keep calm.

“Has there really been no message from…… Zessel-sensei or Enne-sensei?”

“The main campus hasn’t received any.”

The person she was talking to bluntly stated the truth.

“Kate, can you confirm one more time? Zessel and Enne left for Kelberk Research Institute after one o’clock yesterday. After that, their regularly-sent reports stopped.”

“—That’s right.”

The clock on the wall showed that it was currently nine-thirty.

Twenty hours had already passed since the last time that the two had been seen inside the branch school.

“They are out right now on a special task for the headmaster, which means I can’t personally give you instructions on what to do…… How are the students doing?”

“We’re treating it as cancelled lectures. All of the lectures have been cancelled, so the students are probably also feeling suspicious, but all of the other lectures are going as planned.”

For a few seconds, there was silence from the other side of the connection.

Mirror Kei Endurnce.

He had become a teacher at the same time as Zessel and Enne, and was also a knowledgeable person in Tremia Academy’s information department.

“You should also have classes this afternoon, right?”

“Yeah. Starting this afternoon, all of the teachers have lectures planned.”

Right now, she had her hands empty. But once afternoon came, there wouldn’t be a teacher who could go support the two who they had lost contact with. In the beginning, they should have organized an emergency support team.

“……Even without your saying, their disappearance is suspicious.”

The quiet voice coming from the wireless radio agreed. It was natural to think that something had happened in Kelberk Research Institute.

“I’ll—”

“You can’t!”

''I’ll go look around.'' But before Kate could finish speaking, she was cut off.

“Those two should have been cautious when going inside. Even though they were completely prepared, they ended up getting involved in some unknown situation. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone. You should go in a team of at least two, no three people.”

That….. I know that.

She was still a new teacher. She understood more than anyone that she lacked experience and knowledge.

“If we still don’t hear from them until seven tonight, then I’ll head over on the eight o’clock train. Wait until then. Have faith in your colleagues.”

Mirror cut off his side of the call.

Kate glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. There were less than ten hours left until seven o’clock at night.

But…… She couldn’t wait until then.

If it was just a temporary accident, then Enne and Zessel should be able to call out something to deliver a message. But if they were under circumstances where they couldn’t do even that, then just how serious was their situation?

—Sure enough, she should go take a look around the research institute.

Kate headed towards the lockers assigned to teachers and took out manmade gemstones and catalysts that she had created herself. She hid the catalysts that she was most accustomed to using in the pockets sewed into the lining of her shirt.

“……You two, please be safe.”



The teacher wearing a pale green suit left the communications room and walked down the hallway with quick steps. The sound of her footsteps overlapped with Ada’s, who was quietly following from behind.

—Kate-sensei, where are you going?

There was no hesitation in the teacher’s gait. She descended from the second floor to the first, then walked through the entrance hall and exited the school building.

……Oh no.

The teacher’s movements were faster than Ada expected, making Ada scowl.

When she had been eavesdropping with her ear pressed to the room’s outside wall, she could barely hear Kate’s voice talking. No, the teacher had purposely lowered her voice so that nobody outside could hear.

The one thing Ada knew was that her homeroom teacher was heading somewhere.

Ada peered out from the door that was open a small crack. Kate seemed to have been in such a rush that she left her locker open. It seemed like she had been carefully choosing what catalysts to take out.

—It was a bit too strange.

The anxious look on the teacher’s face was clearly different from her usual expression.

Well then, what to do?

Right now, there was no time to contact Kluele. Ada had thought that the teachers would start making their move this afternoon, but they had already started right now.

It couldn’t be helped, Ada would just have to trail her alone—— Huh?

Feeling a presence behind her, Ada suddenly turned around.

“Eh, Ada-san?”

There stood a boy with young-looking features and deep night-colored hair.