Kamisama no Memochou:Volume 1 Chapter 1

2011-09-08T15:48:38Z

220.255.1.77: /* Chapter 1 */

"It's a primitive response to gratitude. To give pleasure. You see, our normal hosts are quite mindless; they can be thanked only by physical sensation"

"Thank you for accepting transporting me. Thank you very much."

*from "The Only Neat Thing to Do" by James Tiptree, Jr.

==Chapter 1==
On the winter when I was sixteen, I actually met many different types of people – there was a boxer, a soldier, a gigolo, a detective and a yakuza member. They were all NEETs – just of different varieties. The term ‘NEET’ occasionally surfaces on the news or in the newspapers, and I thought it merely referred to unmotivated and unemployed youths, but in reality there are actually many different sides to them. There is no all-encompassing reason as to why they remain jobless or do not go to school.

“The term ‘NEET’ refers to neither ‘useless people’ nor ‘lazy people’.” That is what the detective said to me. “The only difference lies in the rules. While everybody else uses the board to play checkers, we use chess pieces instead.”

“I don’t really get it. Does that mean you’re just getting in the way?” I naively questioned. The detective thought for a moment, pursing her cherry-like lips which eventually gave way to a silent smile.

“I suppose it would indeed seem that way to those who merely want to rush ahead. I understand that society wishes to group us all up and label us thus, and fling us out into the rubbish dump; I also understand that they wish to point at us and laugh mockingly. Let them laugh all they want. No matter how you may want to argue it, that we are a negative influence to the society at large is an undeniable truth.

The detective gazed at her opened hands, eventually raising her head again. This time, her smile wasn’t one of sarcasm and bitterness – but one that was comparable to the sun’s rays on a freezing winter’s day. “We will never laugh at ourselves. Just as the earthworms do not fear darkness, a penguin will not be ashamed of its inability to fly. That is the meaning of what it is to live, is it not?”

I couldn’t give her any answer, because I had never thought so deeply about such matters. Regardless, no matter how many bombastic words you use, isn’t the fact that you are all useless people the main gist of it?

However, it was also that very same winter when I first saw a dead corpse, and when I first assaulted another person. It was the first time in my life that I personally contemplated about what it means to actually be alive. I suppose anybody who has witnessed another person giving up on his life or giving up seeking death will feel the same way as I have.

Yet, that is a story for much later. For now, I would like to talk about the winter when I first met all these people, and the story of a non-NEET, normal girl.

<span style="font-size: 300%;"><center>*</center></span>

Near the end of November, I met Ayaka for the first time.

After school ended on Tuesday, I sat on the water tower on the roof of the southern campus, staring into empty space facing the tall buildings far away. Normally once school ends, I would go report in at the computer room and focus on club activities that only consist of one person. But on afternoons with computer lessons, even after school there will still be a lot of students staying back to play with the computers that they usually don't come in contact with. I am unable to bring myself to walk in just like that, so every Tuesday and Thursday I always come up to the roof to waste time. Staring at the computer room on the second story of the northern campus, giving off a huge amount of "Get Lost Already!" waves, and sighing as I look down onto the streets.

The streets I currently live in can be separated into two colors, the long thin river that flows like the artery of a patient is the divider of the colors. The side closer to me has rusted roofs of factories, cheap housing lying back to back to each other, then high school. I am not sure why, but there are a lot of shrines and graves in this area; My house is also on this side. On the other side is a tall flyover bridge for a highway to the capital, a gigantic train station with countless railways, tall buildings packed along complicated slopes, shopping malls and television stations. On sunny days, you can even see the shadow of the government building far away. Tokyo is an amazing place to let boring housings that can be found anywhere in Japan and tall modern buildings to co-exist peacefully here.

Looking down from the roof, the train station is like a scene in an advertisement on TV, without realism. Probably because I don't want to get close to that area? As we can wear our school uniform and just go out and play immediately after school, I heard that our school is rather popular in Tokyo; If the sailor costume has bright colors, it might even increases its attractiveness by around 40%.

It is a cloudy day that day, just nice enough that you can examine closely the glass panels of the tall buildings that are normally not possible due to their bright reflections. But talking about it, it is just a bunch of glass windows that are cut by similar methods. I always fill those glass squares with colors in my mind, sketching pixel art.

I've gotten used to killing time like that. I think it's because I'm always transferring schools because of my dad's work. At the beginning of October, when I transferred into my current high school, I joined the PC club just because there was no one else active there, and went about my school life without being noticed by anyone. I've often thought that there's no point in me going to high school. I don't go to classes either.

As I was gazing at the building, I suddenly heard a clattering sound below me, causing me to raise my feet. The water supply tower was set on top of the stair room jutting out from the roof. It was the sound of someone who had climbed up the stairs opening the door.

"Is someone there?"

I heard a girl's voice. When I carefully leaned forward and and peered directly below, she turned around, meeting my gaze.

She had short hair, and strong-spirited eyebrows, contrasting her eyes, which gave off a cute, friendly impression. I felt like I'd seen her before. As I moved to get up, she made a surprised face, letting out a "Wah!" I tumbled down from the water supply tower.

It was lucky that I fell from my feet, but because the backs of my hands scraped roughly against the concrete wall, the first thing she did when we met was wash my wounds with water from the watering can she had.

"Why would you climb up a place like that, it's dangerous!"
<~~5% Completed~~>

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| Forward to [[GN:Volume 1 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
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Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter1

2011-05-21T17:29:12Z

220.255.1.77:

==1st Ammo: Case E8==

Reki.

Always expressionless, unfeeling and taciturn Reki.

Protecting me on orders from the “wind”, the Reki who, armed with only a single sniper rifle, bravely took on the Thousand Skill Warrior Koko.

Under the starlight, that Reki was sprawled on the roadway.

“This wound…..It’s not a gunshot wound.”

Said Shirayuki’s younger sister, Kazayuki, who was kneeling on one knee at Reki’s side.

The astonishment at her previously abrupt and hard to believe exclamation about Reki’s bloodline still remained. However, now is not the time to be speaking about family lineages.

Medical aid for Reki has to be quickly administered.

“Reki was wounded by some sort of light that I don’t really understand; some kind of invisible bomb. She bled considerably before you arrived. Shirayuki, your….healing art or something; can’t you use it?!”

Clinging onto my words, I shook Shirayuki by the neck, trying to get rescue to come.

“Ordinarily, I would be up to the task…...but right now, my powers are unstable.”

“Unstable….?”

Kazayuki explained to me with my furrowed eyebrows,

“Lately, in Japan…no, throughout the whole world, there has been a weakening of supernatural abilities. The reason for this drop in success rate is unknown. Among the Hotogi, the ability to heal wounds has been especially limited. In the event of failure, it could kill the person.”

I weakened at her words….

Somehow or the other, simply having Shirayuki’s magic turn the game for the better would not be the case.

Then how can I…..

As I agitatedly paced around, Shirayuki took Reki’s temperature.

“Terrible. Her body temperature has plummeted to extremely low levels. If we don’t get her to a hospital fast….”

From behind, Shirayuki and her sisters boarded a convertible, a Himiko, a solid sedan of Mitsuoka Automobile and a Kushinada that came along with it.

Shirayuki and her sisters used this bulletproof car for retreat in accordance with the battle situation.

Just perfect. These guys can transport Reki.

However….

“Don’t go to a hospital. Our enemy from just now, Koko, was using a sniper rifle.”

Right now, there is no sniper here.

If the hospital in the city came under attack from a sniper rifle, we won’t be able to do anything.

Urban areas with plenty of buildings are where a sniper holds the most advantage.

“In that case, we’ll take Reki-sama to a branch shrine of the Hotogi. We’ll call a doctor there.”

Kazayuki grudgingly soaked her miko garb in blood carrying Reki.

Carrying Reki in the back seat of the Kushinada, I supported her, together with my neighboring passenger. With our cell phones destroyed, Shirayuki got into the co-driver’s seat and called Butei High.

With the engine primed forward, Kazayuki settled down on a passenger seat with a sharp expression. Right now, her wakyuu was in her hands in preparation for a pursuit with Koko.

The driver opposite and the driver here; both of them dazzling beauties started their vehicles to maintain a lookout over the river bank, heading down the mountain road.

“Kin-chan, it’s connected. The Masters’ night duty room. It’s Nangou sensei.”

I accepted the white cell phone from Shirayuki, and explained the situation to Nanchou sensei of Snipe; how during Caravan 1, we came under sniper attack on the outskirts of Kyouto, the battle near Mt Hiei, Reki’s wounding and the assailant being a Hong Kong exchange student named Koko. The silent Nangou listened to my words, all the while not saying anything.

“That’s Case E8, Tohyama. The Masters cannot act.”

A low voice at the end was the reply.

Case E8.

That was cipher code for “possibility of perpetrators within being high and as such, this common knowledge cannot be leaked out. Make contact with trusted individuals as active partners; resolve issue by the hand of concerned parties.”

Nangou’s decision was….right. The perpetrator infiltrated under the disguise of an exchange student from Hong Kong.

If the situation became common knowledge amongst the entirety of the student body, the enemy could obtain information.

Thus, Butei Article Chapter 4:

Butei must be independent.

Upon reaching their 2nd or 3rd year in Butei High, it is a general rule that they defeat their enemies on their own.

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Kamisama no Memochou:Volume 1 Chapter 1

Hidan no Aria:Volume7 Chapter1