Golden Time:Volume1 Chapter2

Golden Time 1: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tada Banri was eating a boiled egg.

Thursday, first period. If one attended for a given number of times, an "excellent" mark was easy to attain, so sports science was popular. It was five minutes before the lecture started.

Rather than to miss breakfast because he slept in late, he had brought along in a plastic bag, the two remaining eggs he’d boiled last night, and in the fifth row from the back, he was quietly munching on them.

I was sitting on a seat diagonally behind him, watching this scene, but it was really dull. Banri brought a whole blue-capped bottle of Ajishio with himself, which was at his right hand. In his left hand, an egg. Writing with his right hand, he ate with his left. Write. Chomp. Write. Chomp. ...Really, truly, it was a dull scene. Speaking of highlights, he remembered his regret from last night, when he’d hurt himself while trying to crack the eggs with his own forehead, and the only result was pain. Changing his mind, he knocked the egg on the corner of his desk. Whack. the guy sitting near, an empty seat between them, gave out a startled sound.

Did you bring boiled eggs? Yep. Did you bring salt too? Yep. And so on. A conversation nearly blossomed, but shortly the guy’s buddy showed up, so Banri turned back quietly to his boiled eggs.

The girls right behind Banri, so he couldn’t hear them, were typing notes to each other on their cellphone displays. That guy in front of us petrified his eggs, didn’t he? They’re overcooked. The yolks have turned black. He’s drinking so much oolong tea. You can see his lips wrinkling. It looks like he brought salt in a bottle. LOL. And so on.

Banri didn’t notice he was being talked about.

Nor me without a body, viewing him all the time.

In the week and some days that had passed since the entrance ceremony, it had been registration time, and the campus overflowed with students. From the confused freshmen like Banri, who received information on lectures from their seniors at the club recruiting event, to the seniors in their suits. Holding huge schedules about the size of tatami mats, that were on the verge of tearing at the folds from opening and closing them while strolling about the corridors, going to and from classrooms, occupying benches, sending messages by cellphone.

But the only time so many students come to college must be in the spring, I think. Once the long summer vacation is over, half the campus population will naturally disappear. One or two of them, perhaps a few more, might even loose their bodies like me. Which means that they died. I’m not waiting for it eagerly though, really, but that kind of thing can’t be avoided.

Banri had better pay attention too. Unaccustomed to drinking, unaccustomed to staying out late at night, living alone out from under his parents eyes, newly licensed, new friends, with an excess of energy, lots of free time to waste --- the world of young men is full of danger.

Sports Science was the most popular easy-credit course, and all the students were filing into the classroom. The seats were filling steadily from the back. In any case nobody can see me, and since in my state I cannot affect anybody, it really didn't matter where I was, but for some reason, I got the feeling that I should give up my seat. The clicking of highheels rang out, and from down the aisle a girl came and sat in that very seat.

Banri’s mouth still bulging full of boiled egg, he turned at the presence of the girl.

The lecture about to start, another one came running into the classroom. Her Nikes made hardly a sound. It was Linda.

Linda still standing in the aisle, unseated, noticed Banri and looked at his profile. Banri didn’t notice this. He didn’t notice my existence either, of course.

* * *

"Today, Kaga-san talked to me."

"Really? What did she say?"

"She said 'Takada-kuuun'."

"There's an extra syllable", Yanagisawa laughed uproariously, while he slid a cutter along the cover of a cardboard box. Turning his T-shirt's back to Banri, he sat as if over an old japanese style toilet, in an orderly fashion cutting the packing tape from all four sides of the box.

This place is Banri’s castle. It’s name is Neo-Phoenix. This apartment, even if burnt down any number of times, would reborn from the flames... it felt like. Room number 204.

A small twenty square meter 1K, but with a wooden floor. Not new construction, but relatively new. No need to change lines commuting to school, direct connection. Facing to the northeast, but at least a corner room. The room his mother liked was a much larger 1DK, same rent, but Japanese style, with bright southern exposure, but built twenty-four years ago. Its big closet seemed convenient and the room wasn’t all that run down, but he’d been a little nervous that it was older than himself, so he’d decided on this room instead. There wasn’t much furniture and other stuff yet, and maybe because of this, it was comfortable for now.

Unconsciously searching for bald spots on the top of Yanagisawa's head, Banri was sitting on a tall stool set in the combined kitchen and entryhall, his feet swinging idly. In spite of it being from a second hand shop, and costing only four hundred yen, it was stable and pleasant to sit on. There were some strange stains scattered about on the top, they bothered him, but he didn’t care.

Yanagisawa grabbed the cutter again from where he had set it on the floor, cutting clean through the rest of the packing tape. Banri’s mother, worried about her helpless son, had sent him a care package from Shizuoka, almost at once.

"So, when I told her that I wasn’t Takada, she said 'Oh, pardon me, ta, Tanaka-kun'."

"She only got the 'ta' right. You see, that’s the kind of person Kouko is. She doesn’t pay much attention to others, and doesn’t remember their names. She’s always full of things related to herself. Let's see, it's open now. Just what kind of treasure has your mother sent?"

"I said my name is not Tanaka either, but I'll give her a hint, it's two-letters, she gave me 'Two letters...? Kaga-kun...?' That’s your last name, right? I said. "

"Didn't you just make that up now? ...Oh! Look, Banri!"

Turning to face him with a delighted expression, Yanagisawa lifted the open box with some difficulty, and tilted it towards Banri to see.

"Incredible, Tada Mieko-chan, you really know how to choose! Wonderful choice!"

"What's that? And anyway, how did you know Mieko is her name?"

"Because I looked at the return address, of course! I love Mieko! Look at these ramen! Yakisoba cups! It’s enough to make a guy cry... ah! Pasta! There’s pasta sauce too! Calorie Mate pastries, canned tuna, canned mackerel, sweets, and also... what’s this? A film case? And there’s three more."

Getting up from the stool, Banri peeked into Yanagisawa's hands.

"Ah, those. There's tea powder in them. We grind it at home, so the containers are just something random. You put about a half teaspoon into the cup with hot water and drink it as is, you don’t need a teapot nor a strainer. You want one? It’s super easy, and you can drink the tea leaves entirely, which is said to be good for your body too."

"Gimme gimme gimme! I’d love to do my body some good! Oh, there’s a letter stuck in here."

The white envelope surrendered to him, Banri sat down again on the stool. On the front, only "From Mother" was written. Letters like rain-wetted willow leaves could be seen.

Lectures long over, it was nine in the evening.

Yanagisawa’s condo was about three train stations away from here, and when he heard that a care package from home had arrived for Banri, the guy said "see you in five minutes", and flew over, at night, by bicycle. Aiming to get something for nothing, the mooching rascal. That he really showed up in five minutes was scary... just kidding of course.

Yanagisawa seemed to have been raised in affluent surroundings; he certainly lived with a certain refinement, Banri reflected. But according to him, it seemed things had gone somewhat sour in his parent’s house after he faced them down over taking the outside examinations. In any case with no hope of getting a school expense allowance, despite a long time interviewing like crazy for part time jobs, looking for a job anywhere, he still hadn’t gotten one, and it was still unclear how he will pay his tuition. (he himself thought it was 'My parents or Kouko’s fault!', but the real reason wasn’t known). For now, as he had no other choice but to endure at a temporary job, he got a painful lesson about his future.

"What’s the letter about? They are telling you to share everything among your friends, aren't they?"

The letter mentioned no such thing, though Banri of course intended to share what he got.

"Take care of yourself. Don’t skip classes. Don’t spend too much time on the internet. Get enough exercise. Keep in mind that there are responsibilities that go with being an adult. ...Like that."

He even showed Yanagisawa the five lines of text written on the paper, put the paper back in the envelope and stuck it in a kitchen drawer. While he wasn’t looking, Yanagisawa grabbed a few packs of microwave ready meals out of the box.

"Ah! Just a second Yana-ssan, would you mind not putting your hands on him?"

He planned to share everything he got, but that was a different matter.

"As far as I’m concerned, Satou-san is something special. I couldn’t share that even with you, Yana-ssan."

Yanagisawa obediently said "I see...", and nodded, quietly returning the ready meals back to the box.

"Well then, what about ramen? Could I have some ramen? How many would be OK? There are four bags with five packs in them each. A total of twenty."

Up to five, he thought, but instead

"You can have half of what I’ve got..."

Out of kindness. At a glance, he could see three or four mosquito bites where his pal's arm extended out from his T-shirt.

"Also, if you like sweet stuff, you can have all of the cookies too..."

"Really? You’re giving them to me! Why!?"

"Because you looked so pitiful, putting up with the mosquitos having a bite of you... and yet, it’s only April..."

"Yeah, it got soo itchy not long ago."

"Besides, when I moved in I've brought a lot with me. There's a factory in my neighborhood that makes them, and a relative of mine works there, making so-called second class goods. I can get a ton of the stuff from them. So at my parent’s house this is the only thing we can eat without limits. I don’t think we’ve had to buy this stuff at list price in all my life."

"Really!? That ‘second-class stuff’ is just as good as the real thing! It’s been that way since you were a kid? If I were little, I’d be dancing around for this stuff!"

"Childhood, ...well... what was that like?"

"Come on now, you had your own."

"So I did, but... So I did, but yeah, I guess I did."

Yanagisawa’s laughter washed away Banri’s vague response. He spread out a yellow plastic bag from Matsukiyo, that was wrapped into a pentagon in an old-fashioned way, and immediately, chuckling to himself, started stuffing cookies into it.

While Banri was watching sidelong, his mouth opened a little. He took a breath, like a child watching a jump rope, trying to figure out when to jump into it, his head bobbing slightly. "By the way...", he tried to start. But. Hesitating just a little, becoming strangely reticent, Banri’s gaze darkened. ---Impossible. Stop. Let's put it off for today after all. Not more just a bit grave timing is... not yet.

His chest filled with air, he had to let it out little by little so it wouldn’t be noticed. He couldn’t say it today either, but that was OK. Next time, next time.

In a high pitched voice, he playfully called "Yana-ssan!" "Gross!" his new friend answered in the same falsetto, without turning his head.

"Anyway, can we go back to the previous conversation? What I said about Kaga-san. I met her in the first period today."

"Ah, sports studies? I was perplexed about it but I'm glad I haven't attended."

"Kaga-san asked me to tell her everything about your schedule."

Yanagisawa had been grabbing various flavors of ramen noodles, one by one, glaring at them like licking them with his hungry eyes, as he decided which he would take back with him, but then he suddenly stopped moving. Soon, still crouched down, he turned slowly to look up at Banri, who was seated on his stool swinging his feet. Mitsuo's face became serious. After his somewhat refined features, this sudden lack of expression was rather scary.

"...Perhaps, you..."

"No no no! I wouldn't tell her, as I know you’ve been trying to avoid her."

Saying something like "Good", Yanagisawa nodded his still-serious face. Because of how he was sitting after turning back, one knee on the ground, he wound up looking like a dog trainer.

And then, as if to say "Come on!", he pointed a finger at Banri bending it a few times, gesturing "OK, keep on talking."

"...But, even Kaga-san herself seems to have realized that you are avoiding her. She was sighing, 'Whenever he sees me, he runs away, he even avoids having the same lectures with me. Coming to this college just to be together with Mitsuo is meaningless this way...'"

"It's not like her so stop it. But well, it really is that way. Even she understands, sort of."

"'So, as kidnapping is a no-no, could you please give information once Yana-ssan's registered his classes?' she asked. She postpones her registration until you do, as it seems she wants to match yours."

Yanagisawa gave quite a frown.

"Which I refused to do of course, from the start. And then she said something like 'I wouldn't want it for free.'"

"...She’s that kind of girl, so she..."

Tsk, Yanagisawa clicked his tongue, his mouth twisted with a fed-up look, and he rotated his head. There was a loud crackling sound, echoing as if from the deeps of the underworld. Might that be a threat? But to whom?

"When I heard that, as you would expect, I put on a face like 'What does that supposed to mean?' Then even Kaga-san seemed to realize my refusal, and stopped nagging me. Though she was seated behind me and to the side, she must have felt uncomfortable, "See you", she said and moved up to the first row of seats. With nobody else in the front row she was alone, sitting there, and it seemed that she had nobody else to talk to..."

"Well, not that I had anyone to talk to either, since Yana-ssan wasn’t coming", Banri went on, and this morning’s scene entered his mind.

Amongst the other students, dressed in their colorless jeans and hoodies, Kouko, wearing what must have been brand-name, an order or two of magnitude more expensive than the other's, a bright pink, one piece silk dress, she really stood out from the crowd.

Dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders, in her ears were diamonds set in flower-shaped earrings. Her arms so white, her wrists so delicate, her neck so smooth it was scary, she could hardly be more different from the rest of the class.

Besides, seen from the side, she appeared to be bored, listening to the lecture. Her profile was pretty without doubt. Even Banri as a guy understood, that she was spending her time carefully doing her makeup. It was not only Banri watching her profile fixedly for an hour and a half for sure. But everybody in the classroom --- both boys and girls, even the professor, was looking at the rose-scented Kouko, he thought.

The was not a single person, Banri included, to call out to her.

"As I saw Kaga-san like that, somehow I..."

When the lecture ended, Kouko, in order to shake free from the many eyes that had glued themselves to her, quickly left the classroom. Colliding with some other students at the door, she formed a perfect smile like a princess in an instant and halted, signing with her hand for them to go ahead. The girls near Banri, "So forced." "She is always wearing nothing but brand-name stuff." "’Cause her parents’ve got money, of course!" "That, or she's selling water." "Some guy bought it for her, for sure", and so on, were heard tossing biting words back and forth.

Society is always harsh towards anything that's different.

"Well, she seemed quite... pitiable, to me."

At Banri’s words, Yanagisawa’s eyes opened wide and his face twisted. "Huh?", he made an exaggerated gesture, and with an expression that could have been taken as a confused smile, he asked,

"What? Do you perhaps sympathize with Kouko?"

"A little, yes. Really, just a little. You too, if you’d seen it you would..."

"Not."

To the words that were returned in an instant, "But, look..." he tried to retort.

"But reaaalllyyy! Life is so easy for beautiful girls!"

Overcome by the sudden force of that line, even Banri fell silent.

"She can do whatever she wants, and fix it by making such a face that makes others think ‘poor thing’, ‘poor thing’! You are the same, you were there with me when she attacked us with roses, and yet because she was pretty you didn’t get angry, right? Instead you say things like ‘poor thing’, right? She didn’t injure me, though it did hurt, but most of all she humiliated me! What would it be like if an ugly girl did the same thing? What if a really ugly one blasted you with a bunch of roses? You would have been like ‘scram, get out of here’, am I right? Even if some diarrhea faced girl were to turn and chase after me, could you say the same thing? Could you speak of how pitiful and lonely she is? You couldn't, right? Anyhow..."

He declared, pointing at Banri’s nose with his finger, but even with that, Yanagisawa still couldn't vent his frustration. Wrinkles gathered about his nose as he repeatedly tried to move his bangs away from his face.

"...All and every one of them say the same thing, after all it’s somebody else’s problem. ‘She's beautiful so don't mind it’, ‘I envy you’, ‘I want to be in your place’, ‘What is your problem?’ ‘Don't be selfish’... If you’re beautiful, are you automatically loved? No way. Seriously, put yourself in my shoes. Everybody’s been too easily fooled."

He roughly opened another Matsukiyo bag turning his back, but Banri had something to say too.

"What’s with you? Not that I've ever said anything like those! I refused to tell her your schedule even after she asked, didn't I?"

He didn’t deserve to get a sermon. For that matter, be it all or every one of whoever, there was no reason to include him in the same lot.

"It may be true that I sympathize with her because she’s beautiful, but that’s within my rights. But I don’t think that you must go and talk with Kaga-san! If you want to ignore somebody, that’s your right. But you don’t have the right to make somebody else do so. As for me, when I saw Kaga-san alone I felt sympathy for her. Because of that, I’m thinking that the next time I see her I will call out to her."

"...Is that so?"

He was serious, he nodded.

Today’s encounter with Kouko was cut off with him giving her a sharp look in refusal. That ambiguous conclusion made him feel awfully bad. It left a bad aftertaste.

He had no intention to give Yanagisawa’s course information to Kouko like she wished, but it was because he wanted to give priority to Yana-ssan's wishes. On the other hand, Banri himself wasn’t holding anything against Kouko, and he wanted to make sure she knew of this somehow. Even though he was brought into the conflict, even though his friend loathed her, even though his name wasn't remembered, even though he was never even noticed to begin with, Banri didn't hate her for such reasons. He could not reject her.

Like Yanagisawa said, it may be simply because Kouko is beautiful. It could be that he only felt sympathy for her because she’s beautiful. But, let's suppose--- If Kouko’s appearance wasn't that pretty, say, she looked like some rascal instead, even if she did the same things, Banri didn’t think he could come to hate her. Or you might say, he didn’t want to be like that.

Yanagisawa stopped talking back. He was sullenly silent, frowning, looking down at the bag stuffed with candy and ramen. Saying "I don’t need these", he would leave, ending the friendship they had only just built. If that happened, what should he do? Should he apologize? But what about? Banri awkwardly stared at his own tiptoes. Really, he had no idea what he should do. He didn’t have the experience for this situation. However,

"Well, ...you have a point. Just because I'm avoiding Kouko, that doesn’t mean I have the right to make you do so too."

His irritation and hunger were pulling him in different directions, but it appeared that hunger was getting the upper hand.

Or that perhaps he really wanted to keep his friendship with Banri.

Yanagisawa shrugged his shoulders and said, “Let’s stop this. Kouko is not something we should argue about.” Was it the free stuff, or rather their friendship? Whatever he really felt about this matter, there was no reason for them to argue, Banri agreed. “Yeah”, he said, and got down from his stool.

"This is what being friends is about."

He put a pack of microwave ready meal into the vinyl bag. What is more, two of them.

* * *

Banri caught sight of Kaga Kouko in front of a club recruiting booth in the first floor lobby.

It was after the fourth period, moreover on Friday, and many large groups of people were streaming to club welcome parties for new members. All the booths that were nothing more but long tables lined up, were getting a lot of traffic. It was already almost impossible to see where one club started and another ended. The lobby was jammed with students from all collage years mixed together in great turmoil. As they were distractedly walking and chattering, some guys stepped on Banri's feet, hard. He shouted automatically. When he looked back, they weren’t there. It was so deafeningly noisy in that confusion, that Banri’s voice was swallowed without a trace.

In the middle of all those students, Kouko was by herself today too.

An air pocket, about one meter around, isolated her from the Friday crowd, leaving her alone. Her head bowed, the white nape of her neck exposed, she was reading some pamphlets in her hands. To Banri, she looked like a flower in bloom.

Nobody was approaching her.

Beneath the old fluorescent lights, as if wearing muddy shadows, everybody were sunken under a shade, but somehow the silhouette of Kouko seemed to be shedding a faint, gentle white light. Yet that same appearance created an atmosphere that made it difficult to call out to her. Even the gangs of fanatical club recruiters seemed to be keeping their distance from her. There were guys peeking at her, passing through the three-meter wide area around the air pocket, hardly noticeably pointing fingers at her and whispering. Whether it was restraint, or paralysis, to Banri it seemed that everybody was avoiding "to be the first guy to talk with her".

Perhaps she was simply too overwhelming.

Anyhow, they all had to be thinking that she wouldn’t talk with them, or that she must be different from them, or that talking with her would be pointless. That they wouldn't understand each other. To tell the truth, even Banri was thinking a bit like that.

Today too, Kouko’s outward appearance was just right. Her gently curled hair was bound by a black satin hairband, such as a rich lady might wear. Light yellow fluffy blouse with a matching gray flared skirt, strapped high-heeled sandals. Her soft leather purse was black, although it had no brand marks. Beautiful face. Beautiful figure.

In comparison with the pink mini one piece dress of the day before, it looked like she intended to tone it down a bit. But, as usual when compared to the other co-eds, she could hardly be more different. Thinking that this difference is so unfortunate, craning his neck from the shadow of a pillar, Banri gazed at Kouko’s slender, well proportioned waist. Though it couldn't be said, that with the other people passing behind her, she would have looked like a crane in the garbage dump--- about as different as a pearl from crabs. About as different as the 'Birth of Venus' receiving the blessing of angels and shining among waves is from sea grapes arranged in an oyster shell, and carried around wearing geta. Yes, around that much.

By the way, it wasn’t that Banri was hiding in order to stare at Kouko as much as he wanted, but rather because of the older girls of the Tea Ceremony Club right next to her.

This week he and Yanagisawa had made the rounds of all the clubs that were trying to recruit new members, getting all sorts of free food and drink. They visited the tennis club, the gourmet club and the advertising club; out of curiosity they even peeked at the large scale party of another college's event club... and then went to the Tea Ceremony Club too.

The drinking party of the Tea Ceremony Club was fun as such. But, the mood with only women was formidable (Crying out "My dear elder sister, that smells delicious!", girls bowing so deep down in the tatami room, that they almost push their faces into their senior’s groins isn’t something you see often...), and seeing the few male members used as slaves was terrifying as well. 'You there! Bring the pitcher!' 'You! Pour!' 'Hey you! Decide where we’re going next!' 'You fish! Distribute this to everyone!' 'Hey hey! Do you think the Tea Ceremony Club is for bowling?!' 'Gulp.. Elder sister, it's delicious!' It went like this. Male help is warmly welcomed! Come join the club! Let's work together! Such invitation e-mails full with sparkling swarm of emoticons, mostly sent out by the older guys, was even more frightening.

So, not wanting to be seen by the girls if at all possible, Banri was hiding behind the cover of a large standing sign, that was carried by a group that luckily happened to pass by. Bent over, he moved behind the thin plywood, getting closer to Kouko with small steps. For some reason there were big and small holes, just in the right places in the sign.

"Kaga-san, what you doing?"

"...This is, unexpected..."

Hiding his nervousness, he popped his face out of one hole, just right for a face. He stuck his right hand out of another hole, just right for a right hand. The front of the sign, bearing a full length portrait of Sakamoto Ryoma, had had the hand and face removed so that people could pose and have their pictures taken there. It was a little surreal that Ryouma, carried at an angle surprisingly called out to Kouko, moreover,

"Aah! Ouch!"

As it was, with the sign being carried sideways, Banri’s head was about to be torn off. He was scolded by the guys realizing this. Probably, they all were from the history club.

Pulling his head and hand out, Banri appeared from behind the sign. For only a moment, Kouko stared at him, bewildered.

"...Um,"

But right away, her perfect lady-like smile could be seen again. The short conversation that ended unpleasantly yesterday, her loneliness just now, as if declaring "I'm pretending like those have never happened!" she smiled sweetly.

"Takada-kun. It's OK if I call you that, right? Good day!"

Still getting it wrong.

"Tada, Tada Banri. Since I saw you were alone, I was wondering what you are doing here."

"Yes, yes, Tada-kun. Good day!"

While she smiled beautifully with her deep red lips, Kouko wasn’t looking at Banri’s face at all. She seemed to be looking all around him, searching for somebody else. Banri figured she was probably looking for Yanagisawa. That guy told him that today he was going to the welcoming party of the Video Research Club. Banri was invited too, but all those real movie otaku like older students left him feeling overwhelmed and he'd decided to do something else instead.

"If you’re looking for Yana-ssan, he’s got a meeting today."

Kouko blinked and only moving her pupils, she finally looked at Banri’s face.

"Where at? ...Even if I asked, you wouldn’t tell me, right? Tada-kun?"

While slipping a finger through her glossy hair, she raised her chin a little bit. White teeth glistening through her fixed smile, she slowly eyed Banri up, from the top of his head to the tip of his shoes and back. Folding her arms, giving an unusual impression, she slightly tilted her head to the side,

"Or perhaps you’ve changed your mind?"

Deliberately taking plenty of time to wink once more.

Still not moving, she gazed at Banri with a perfect smile, almost as if she were flirting with him.

It didn’t feel at all like hostility, though.

"No, ...that hasn’t changed."

"Of course."

Out of habit, perhaps, she ran her fingers through her hair again.

From those gestures alone, thoughts like "she may be pretty scary..." had come to mind. In the prettily upturned corners of her mouth, in the expression on her face, you couldn’t tell what she was feeling. It wasn’t too warm nor too cold, too dry nor too wet. Like something artificial, something you might suspect incapable of feeling. In front of Banri, with a decidedly overwhelming sense of indifference, that smile shone beautifully.

Under the flashing light of those black eyes, thinking how pitiful he was with regards to women, Banri suddenly and unexpectedly thought about what he had been thinking the day before. As it was, standing there and supplely twisting at the waist, with good looks, a smile and fashionable to boot, was she not perfect? He couldn’t see any weaknesses nor faults. He had a feeling nobody else in this world could outshine Kaga Kouko.

Already forgetting just why he wanted to talk to her, in which case, please pardon me… as it was, his back clumsy and stiff like a crayfish, and somehow reluctant,

"Ah, Tada Banri!"

He’d been caught off guard.

"What what, you went to what new club!? Are you maybe cheating!?"

"We drinking again today aren’t we? You’re coming, of course?"

Somebody had caught both his shoulders firmly and was shaking them. He’d been discovered. He was afraid of a pair of second-year girls from the Tea Ceremony Club. Their names: Sao-chan and Shii-chan. Sao-chan was fierce, and Shii-chan relatively subdued by comparison. These older girls stuck like glue to the babyfaced Banri, who was easygoing and outwardly lacked many of the less redeeming qualities of guys. Well, it wasn’t all that bad, but as you might expect, it wasn’t all that good either.

"Ah... uwaa... ladies... I’m very sorry..."

"Sorry my foot! You’re a spoiled brat!"

For the time being, it was quite frightening. While being poked in the ribs by Sao-chan,

"Come on, you’ve gotta sign up quickly for the club, that is, could you please answer the our boy’s e-mail? They’re crying because nobody’s answering! Hmm?"

"Really!"

Shii-chan waited, the end of a pen stuck into the opening of her ear. Banri’s back was about ready to break, aah, please, no more... should he join the Tea Ceremony Club?

"Ah, excuse me. He’s with me."

Tilting their heads and looking over, it looked as if Sao-chan and Shii-chan had only just then noticed Kouko’s existence.

Letting go of Banri, looking at each others faces for an instant, they looked at Kouko again. Her smile perfect as always, Kouko waited for introductions, keeping her mouth shut like a well trained house dog. The two older girls once again looked at each others faces and said, "Well, really, you can look at the e-mail if you feel like it", "Catch you later, Tada Banrii" (sigh), waved, and left.

Banri no longer had plans to join the Tea Ceremony Club, Kouko having saved his skin.

"...Just now, what was that?"

He hadn’t been muttering aloud.

Kouko placed her slender finger by the side of her chin, as if wondering, and suddenly turned towards Banri.

"Hey Tada-kun, what do you think? About now."

"Eh? Right now..."

Right in front of him. Kouko was looking at him from point blank range, and once more he gulped, thinking ‘She sure has a nice face!’ Sadly, it seemed like her gaze itself was no different.

"R, right now, it was about the two girls from the Tea Ceremony Club, I think."

"I wasn’t talking about that."

"Sa, Sao-chan and Shii-chan, I meant."

"I don’t want to know their names."

Kouko slowly shook her head, once more coming closer to him without hesitating. Then, for some reason lowering her voice,

"...Could you answer me honestly? Setting Mitsuo aside for the moment, that’s what I really want."

Eh? Eh? Once more Banri’s nose twitched, tickled by a thick sweet aroma.

"Tada-kun, from the entrance ceremony to now, how many clubs have you been invited to join?"

She was wearing rose scent again today--- recovering his reason, he returned from that dangerous place where his brain was about melt. Kouko was waiting for an answer.

"Hey, answer. How many?"

"'How many', so to speak… err, well... I’ve stuck my head in and looked around at around five or six recruiting meetings... only to turn around and leave, just sneaking into the afterparties, umm umm, but"

Despite no longer being a kid, in situations like this Banri was a miserable liar. He desperately searched his memory, but,

"The number of invitations itself, precisely, well... I just never memorized it, and from where they came, I’m not all that clear about that either, and there were countless times they just called out to me."

Ever since the entrance ceremony, the chaos from the recruiting meetings hadn’t stopped. The freshmen in front of the club booths passing by gawking, the older students swarming like hyenas all over the place. Both Banri and Yanagisawa, they were caught so many times, leaflets stuck in their pockets, and invited to welcoming parties. Having been among them a sitting duck for some time now, he kept an eye out. It might have been smarter to have attached himself to a group already, bound up and down, left and right.

"...Countless..."

Keeping her handy smile in place, Kouko,

"That’s... very many, many many manyyy, right...?"

"Kaga-san... are you Ruu Ooshiba...?"

"I’m..."

Quickly looking both ways, checking the coast was clear, she rolled in her hand some club leaflets from somewhere, and covered Banri’s right ear. And then in an unexpectedly low voice, as if he were confessing something shameful,

"Not one."

Her breath seemed to burn his right ear.

Not seeming to be bothered by Banri’s expression as he jumped back, Kouko backed off, one hand on her hip. Through the prettily upturned corners of her mouth, her white teeth shone. Even her pose, her smile like she were deciding to be an actress,

"...I wonder why? Why, why would nobody even raise their voice to call me?"

Oh boy, he thought.

The tilt of her head and the tone of her voice revealed her inability to endure the isolation, shaking slightly from trying to hide too much. That’s how it sounded to Banri, at least.

Kouko’s form radiated loneliness, and the reality was brought home to him once more. "Beautiful people have it easy!", he remembered even Yanagisawa’s voice shouting. How can everybody be deceived so easily--- is that it?

Isn’t that precisely what is called ‘being deceived’?

But, for now, Banri’s heart hurt for the real woman before him. Really and truly.

"Never mind, but there’s just no club that interests me. Nothing the invitations say. Since I’m not with Mitsuo, I’m not thinking about any group I want to join. But, somehow, I hardly... I don’t know if I should say something though… Since coming here, at any rate, it’s been awful..."

So lonely, so pathetic. So,

"...I feel like I’ve become invisible. Like I’m being ignored, that’s what I feel like. And not just by Mitsuo. ...Everybody around me."

Message received, loud and clear! Leave it to me! Not Yana-ssan’s classes, nor his club plans, but anything else I will run and get for you! I’m here to help you! ---What might you like me to do?

In sympathizing with the person before his eyes, was he simply being deceived and taken in by a pretty face? After all, it seemed he was being used as a replacement for Yana-ssan.

But really, it looked like Kaga Kouko’s lonely days were beating her down.

But being deceived, being used rather, was there a problem with that? Was there? At the least, his sympathy for her wouldn’t exactly be news to Yanagisawa, to him she was a problem more than anything else. ...That being so, then if it was deception, would not Mitsuo have warned against Kouko playing on his sympathy? As for himself, ...what should he do?

As for himself, what did he want to do?

How can I not show sympathy? Can I not be deceived? Why this puzzle? For Yanagisawa’s sake?

Simply getting more confused, his own feelings were even more lost. Banri gazed up into space, his mind a blank. Divine revelation, the promptings of a guardian angel, no matter where it came from, a message showing him what to do would be welcome, but thinking such things was foolishness. But of course, no such thing happened. His head and heart could not think.

Kouko,

"I wonder if, in some way, I’m strange."

The pamphlets in her hand surrounding her round forehead like a picture frame, she tried to hide her face. Only the shape of her mouth could be seen, where once there had been a smile.

"I wonder if that is why not even Mitsuo will go out with me."

"...Kaga-san, this..."

Was this an act for Yana-ssan’s benefit, wanting to draw out his sympathy?

Or, seriously,

"...is breaking your heart?"

"No"

He couldn’t help but laugh: she had spoken the one word with a broad smile on her lips. She had taken on an unconcerned stance, raised her voice a little and had indeed spoken firmly, even echoing.

He had been staring at her mouth without thinking, when,

"Hey, why don’t you take a look at our club? Excuse me, excuse me, this booth has just opened!"

Kouko raised her face from where it was hiding behind the pamphlets, and the woman grinned at them.

Kouko looked at her with surprise in her eyes. Just what she was doing to her face behind those pamphlets, nobody will ever know.

"You two, you’re freshmen, aren’t you? Thank you for your interest. We are a well rounded club, with an easygoing atmosphere, like a picnic in the spring to go see the cherry blossoms, you might say. Many students have made more friends here. I’m not really even a student here; I’m a third year from **** girl’s college."

Materializing unexpectedly, the person was taller than either Kouko or Banri. She wore slim denims with a matching V-neck knit top, and swinging from her neck was a silver necklace made like snowflakes. Her hair cut in a bob, she was cheerful, clean cut and refreshing, somehow seeming like a television announcer.

"You look a little down in the mouth, though. What’s up? Are you OK? Ah, perhaps something happened during the solicitations?"

She anxiously looked into Kouko’s face. In an instant, Kouko had her normal smile restored,

"No such thing. I’m doing fine. Thank you very much."

With an princess-like attitude, she calmly bowed her head. Reflexively, Banri bowed his head too, in unison with her.

"That so? In that case good. Rather than holding back, or anything like that, if you’re worried about anything, then by all means tell me, OK? We try not to be very pushy. I’ve heard all sorts of things about the tennis club! They’re super insistent in doing their invitations. By the way, you two, what are your names?"

"Ah, well, I’m Tada. Tada Banri."

"I am called Kaga."

"Is that so? Tada-kun and Kaga-san, right? What other clubs have you tried joining?"

"Eh? Well, then, yes.", Banri tried to nod.

"Well tell me! Where, where? Where were you at?"

The upperclassman girl from the ‘all around club’ peppered him with questions. Banri wanted to give an honest answer, listing all of them, but,

"Ah, so it is!"

A cheerful smile still showing, she clapped her hands softly and spoke, interrupting him.

"If it’s all right with you, later, perhaps over tea, could you not tell me the story? I mean, my throat has gotten so dry, look, from spending all day long in this booth saying, 'Are you a freshman?', I’m exhausted! It’s like I get to hang out with lowerclassmen, even skipping class without getting scolded, right? Haha, the Doutor place at the station is always so terribly crowded, frankly, do you know a decent hole-in-the-wall coffee shop? Would you happen to know one? Would they happen to serve café au lait the right way, in a bowl? Does Tada-kun know what I mean? In a café au lait bowl."

"...Eh? Well, no... I don’t know."

"But isn’t that right, boys don’t know anything about this custom, though as for me I think that girls really like coffee and such things."

The upperclassman gave Banri a light poke in the shoulder. And then she gleefully turned her smile towards Kouko,

"Girls understand!"

"Eh?"

"Café au Lait bowl! You understand, right Kaga-san!"

"E...eh, yes..."

"All right then, it’s decided! Let’s go!"

As if they were old friends, suddenly friendly, she took Kouko’s hand. Visibly a bit surprised, Kouko looked down at the hand that had been taken, her well-formed lips quickly opening to say something.

"Tiffany!?"

The upperclassman yelped. The sudden volume of her voice might have been overpowering: Kouko’s long eyelashes fluttered, her chin pulled back a bit.

"No way, no way, ehhh, that’s a super pretty ring! That’s a diamond, right!? Is it that Tiffany!?"

"...Er, well, but... hold on, I thought was a bit flashy for wearing to school, but, your hand..."

"Eh, why why!? It’s completely OK, it’s not overboard! It’s OK OK OK! It suits you incredibly well. I had seen it recently too, and had already been thinking about getting one! I mean, if I got it, wouldn’t I absolutely wear it to school, and to work after school? What’s the point of having it, if you don’t wear it! It’s OK, let me see it closer, ah, it’s as pretty as I expected!"

Almost by brute force, that very moment she pulled Kouko up and off they went. Maybe the upperclassman was expecting somebody else to take his hand… so to speak, but Banri’s worries were groundless. She simply called out to Banri, "Go out through the side entrance!"

"Oh, don’t worry, it’s my treat! It gives me the chance to get out and socialize! I mean, I can tell you all sorts of stuff about the lectures!"

...Could gossip from the lectures be going around even amongst other college’s students?

Banri marveled, but regrettably, with lively new freshmen, such things happened. You couldn’t really avoid it.

"I remember a year back, when the upperclassmen taught us this way. That’s something I’ve missed this noisy spring! The mood of the season, there’s something special in the air! Something is coming, something exciting!"

Yes, there was excitement in the air, and in that mood they had no choice but to nod back--- in the spirit that it was done, so they did.

While still being pulled by the older girl, by the hand as if she were a little child, Kouko looked back towards Banri, who followed behind. With only that glance, even Banri understood that Kouko was confused. Banri was confused too. He was plenty confused. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable, what with this upperclassman having appeared out of nowhere like she had. She was refreshingly cheerful, chatting away about this and that, but after all, just what could she want to say without some motive he had no idea. To begin with, to where, and for what reason she was dragging them along, to do what, he had no good idea.

Well--- whatever. "Let’s go see", Banri mouthed in response to Kouko’s look back at him, nodding a bit too.

Together with Kaga Kouko to the coffee shop to listen to what the upperclassman had to say, what a curious situation, what lay ahead, he had a feeling he’d never had such a strange meeting. Rare it was, rare. He would never have been able to casually invite a girl to tea. But this mysterious upperclassman-like however, was rather pretty.

Beyond that, and more importantly, this was Kouko’s first invitation to a club. This was the long awaited opportunity, so you might as well go ahead and get on with it, thought Banri.

Of course, Banri didn’t know what Kouko’s real motives were with regards to himself.

She really was lonesome, and with nobody calling out to her in her current state, it must have been painful.

But it might be a lie, that she wasn’t really lonely, that she was wearing that face, using that voice, all as part of a strategy to draw out Yanagisawa’s schedule from Banri. If Yanagisawa wasn’t in this club, being invited or not probably didn’t matter. Being ignored by anybody but Yanagisawa probably didn’t really matter to her.

But, if indeed he was being deceived, then so be it, was Banri’s thinking. Disliked and avoided by Yanagisawa, and with everybody else keeping their distance from her, the lonely Kouko with her downcast eyes was a pitiful sight. Whether it was a lie, or the truth, every time he saw Kouko, Banri’s chest hurt.

He could live with being deceived. Banri wanted to do something about Kouko’s loneliness, somehow. But, giving out Yanagisawa’s personal information wasn’t going to be part of it.

If that be the case, then he’d go along for this strange ride. Looking back occasionally at the following Banri for reassurance, Kouko, pulled along by the upperclassman’s hand, left the school building.

Thus extended an invitation to the club, they went to listen to the upperclassman talk. Afterwards, if they wanted, they could go to the after-party. They could either join the club officially, or maybe just stay friends. Looking in from another world, I’m thinking that perhaps for Kouko it was a victory.

You could call it selfish meddling, and I certainly agree, I think.

But, even if all this, as far as Kouko is concerned, is useless interference, so be it. It’s Kouko’s own fault that she drew out the sympathy of a simple fool like me, such a guy is he.

Anyway, for now, with everything he had, Banri set himself to rescue Kouko from her solitude.

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