Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume2 1st Play (section)

===Part 2===

The wind blowing through the campus stirred up sand from the ground.

“……It’s really hot!”

Taking shelter in the shadow of a school building, Neight wiped the sweat from his forehead. He should have worn some light clothes like Kluele, but he had reflexively worn his usual white school uniform. He could return to his dorm and change, but that was just as troublesome.

“……Kluele-san still hasn’t returned yet.”

It took around ten minutes round trip to go to the café in the first year school building. But because it would be crowded today, it should take a bit longer.

“Oh, if it isn’t Neighty. What’s wrong?”

—Should he have found a place to read a book today, just like Mio?

“……H-Huh? Neighty, didn’t you hear me?”

Sure enough, he should have stayed in the library. Mio-san was also there.

“H-Hey, over here, Neighty. Don’t ignore me…… Aah, fine, Neight!”

Neight?

When he suddenly heard his name being called out from behind him, he reflexively turned around. In front of him was a tall, familiar girl with black hair.

“……Eh, Serges-san?”

Like Mio and Kluele, she was a girl from his class. She wasn’t wearing the designated school uniform, but indigo sportswear. On her back was a bulky backpack.

“Good morning, Serges-san.”

“’Morning. But you should’ve noticed me from the very beginning. I was calling out to Neighty since a while ago.”

“By Neighty, do you mean me?”

Although he had thought the name was similar, Neight didn’t expect it to be directed at himself.

“Because, you see, although we aren’t the same age, we’re still classmates. It doesn’t feel right to use ‘kun’ and call you ‘Neight-kun’. So you need a nickname. Well? Isn’t it great? Isn’t the name I thought of just now great?”

“No matter how you put it…”

Recoiling back like he had been pushed, Neight slowly pointed to the backpack she wore.

“……Um, Serges-san, why are you still at school even though it’s summer vacation? And why are you wearing such a large backpack?”

“Don’t change the topic so casually. ……Well, I guess it’s alright.”

Murmuring quietly, the girl lowered the backpack she shouldered. As she set it down on the ground, there was a heavy thumping noise, along with a cloud of dust.

“What’s inside that?”

At that moment.

“Hm, this? You want to know? You want to hear about it, don’t you? Don’t regret it, okay?”

With a suspicious twinkle in her eyes, smiling, Serges drew closer.

“Ah…… A-Actually, it’s fine. It somehow seems scary, so…”

“No no, it’s nothing major. It’s just someone’s fresh corpse, someone young just like Neighty—”

“Uwaa, someone come and help meeee!”

“Hey, wait! Hey Neighty, don’t run away! I was joking!”

Just before Neight started running as fast as he could, Serges gripped his neck from behind. Fearfully, Neight turned around to face the girl.

“……Just what is really in there?”

“A tent, a sleeping bag, food, rain gear, and various other things. Because I’m in the mountain climbing club.”

The mountain climbing club. Speaking of which, Neight felt that there truly was such a club. Sure enough, the shoes she was wearing weren’t ordinary sports shoes, but something thicker.

“Starting tomorrow, we’re going on a trip for five days and four nights to try mountain climbing during the summer, so today is the club’s last meeting. Say, what’s Neighty doing?”

Staring intently, she sized up Neight’s school uniform. 

“Umm, I’m practicing Recitations with Kluele-san and Mio-san.”

“Ah, I passed by Kluele a while ago. Where’s Mio?”

“She’s reading mystery novels in the library. This summer, she wants to finish reading all of the five hundred seventy books in the library.”

“Isn’t that not related to Recitations at all?”

Her words sounded like that of a natural comeback.

“Her enthusiasm is amazing. These last few days, she seems to be coming to the library at seven in the morning just to wait for it to open. She was even bragging about how she’s the earliest student to arrive.”

“……Hmm.”

Slowly, the color of Serges’s eyes dimmed.

Like she was thinking of something, she seemed to gaze into space.

“If I remember correctly, Neighty is living in the school dormitories?”

“Yeah. There happened to be a vacancy, so I was put there.”

Tremia Academy’s dormitories were located within the school campus. Because it was only about a ten minute walk from there to the first year school building, the dorms were popular among students. Because there was much competition, unless your home was especially far from the school, it was hard to get accepted in.

“Well then. Tomorrow, wake up early and get to school by six-thirty.”

At hearing her smooth words, Neight doubted his ears.

“……Six-thirty?”

“That’s right. Well, it’s six-thirty to arrive at the ‘rooftop of the first year school building’.”

Of all places, the roof of the school building? Impossible. Although the school gates might be open at six-thirty, the school building itself should be locked at that time.

“Use the emergency staircase. That way, you can get on the roof without entering the building.”

The emergency staircase was normally a prohibited area for students. But why were they now doing such a thing?

“Is someone there?”

“You’ll find out if you go. Well then, it’s about time for me to go to my meeting.”

Glancing at the large clock on the wall of the school building, Serges picked up her backpack.

“Well then, you two. The interferer will be going now, so enjoy yourselves.”

You two? Before Neight could guess at the meaning…

“……What an unsettling way of talking.”

Neight heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere behind him. Turning around, there stood Kluele with a cup in each hand. Standing opposite to Kluele who was raising an eyebrow, the girl shouldering a backpack waved her hand cheerfully.

“No no, there wasn’t any deep meaning behind that. Also, Kluele, make sure your left shoulder heals quickly!”

With the sleeve of her one-piece dress fluttering in the wind, Kluele’s shoulder was slightly exposed to the sunlight. The white bandage seemed pitiful against her slightly flushed skin. It was a wound she had gotten two weeks ago, during the incident that happened on campus. According to her, it could be called healed already.

“……Got it.”

“You……You seem mature, but you act rash when doing something unexpected.”

With a disappointed face, Kluele pouted. Seeing that, the black-haired girl’s amused expression softened.

“But, that’s also what makes you cute.”

“Wha……What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kluele didn’t expect those words to be used back on her and stepped back embarrassedly.

“Well then, bye bye, you two.”

With a mischievous smile, Serges left, heading in the direction of the school building.

Watching after her until her figure had disappeared from sight on the campus—

“Oh, speaking of which, I wonder what Serges is doing carrying such a large backpack.”

Having forgotten to mention it, the question floated into Kluele’s mind.

“A club activity. It seemed to be a mountain climbing camp.”

“I see. If she’s going somewhere far, I should’ve asked for a souvenir. But I wonder what kind of souvenirs there are from a mountain.”

“……The fresh corpse of a victim. Moreover, someone who’s around our age.”

“Eh?”

“……It’s nothing.”

The image of such a thing being in the backpack arose from his imagination. ……Ugh, that probably wouldn’t leave his mind for a while.

“Ah, that’s right. Kluele-san. Tomorrow, I want to come to school slightly earlier.”

“Sure. But I’ll still be coming at the same time as always. Although, what’s up all of a sudden?”

How should he explain? He contemplated for a few seconds.

“Just checking whether or not someone will be on the roof.”

Neight answered by saying what Serges had said to him.

“Who do you mean by ‘someone’?”

“Well……She didn’t tell me.”

Unsure of what expression he should make, Neight bit his cheek.

I wasn’t told— Another way to put it would be that she didn’t tell me just now, but I’ll find out if I go to the rooftop. That was what her words implied.

……In other words, someone I know?