Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume1 3rd Play (section)

===Part 3===

“This is a general announcement. All students, please gather quickly at your designated locations.”

The recital contest was divided into two parts, morning and afternoon. The morning was for the performance of White and Green colors. Students specializing in those two colors began to make their way to the center of the campus— The administrators and judges moved to the front. 

Students specializing in Green went to the right side of the headquarters, while those specializing in White gathered on the left side. Five Reciters challenged each other at a time. Mio was in the sixth group. As for her other classmates, Ada, who specialized in White, was in the fourteenth group.

“Good luck—”

After hearing Neight’s encouragement, Mio waved her hand as she walked to the center.

“What does Mio plan to call out?”

“She said it would be something large and worth seeing.”

[Speaking of large Green animals…… A wyvern?]

The lizard said, completely missing the point.

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

A dragon was considered to be Green’s {{Furigana|First Scale Recitation|High Noble Aria}}. Even to the famous Reciters currently acting as judges, it was a very challenging Recitation. If a first-year student could call out that kind of creature, it would ruin the reputation of the grown-ups. First-year students, including Kluele, could only conduct {{Furigana|Fourth Scale Recitation|Common Aria}}. To call out something large—a normal creature that could not understand human speech—was already very difficult. This was something even Mio could not change. She should know the amount of strength that she herself has. 

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

“It will be fine as long as she doesn’t get too nervous in front of the judges.”

……If I remember correctly, Mio is unexpectedly weak at performances.


In accordance with her prediction.

Because that Rainbow Color Reciter was a judge, students who were too nervous and failed their Recitations appeared one after the other. It wasn’t just first-year students, there were even many higher-grade students whose concentration was broken and they had to urgently lower their planned Recitation by one rank. 

Also, this was also within the predictions—The Rainbow Color Reciter Xins Airwincle also caused the unusually enthusiastic Mio to be a part of that group.

“Aaaaah! I’m too embarrassed to keep on living!”

Sure enough, she had turned out like that. Sighing, Mio pulled up her dress and sat down on the ground. Because Kluele was also wearing a dress, she couldn’t make any large movements. Unable to do anything else, she waved her hand and called Neight beside her.

“It’s alright, stop crying. Hey Neight, help me pull her up.”

According to Mio, who had large teardrops in her eyes, she had been able to concentrate smoothly in the beginning. However, when the {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} opened, she made eye contact with “Xins-sama”. Her memory after that was blank for ten seconds…… When she was back in control of her body, the {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} had already closed, and she was disqualified because of surpassing the time limit. 

“Now I’ve definitely failed Xins-sama.”

With both Kluele and Neight pulling at the same time, they finally made the girl start to walk forward unsteadily. 

“So, Mio. What did you want to call out?”

Mio sobbed and replied in a tearful voice.

“Um, a Quetzalcoatl.” <ref> Quetzalcoatl – Literally a “green-winged snake” (緑翼の蛇). It is a Mesoamerican deity also known as a feathered serpent, often depicted as a snake with feathered wings. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl link]</ref>

……Quetzalcoatl?

“Mio, are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

……Oh, I see. So it’s like that.

Suddenly, Kluele let go of Mio’s hand. Because Mio had been holding on and Kluele had let go without any warning, she lost her balance and wildly tumbled to the ground.

“Wait, wait a moment…… Kluele, you’re terrible!”

“Neight, you don’t need to keep pulling. Come, let’s leave. Ignore this kind of person.”

Ignoring the girl pouting behind her, Kluele walked away. Ah, it was really stupid of her to feel slightly sympathetic. 

A Quetzalcoatl is classified as a subspecies of dragon. Of course, it was considered as a {{Furigana|First Scale Recitation|High Noble Aria}}, so it was impossible for Mio to succeed. At least she had succeeded in making eye contact with the Rainbow Color Reciter.

[Neight, what are you planning to do?]

The Night Color lizard being held in Neight’s left hand dangled down its tail. 

“I want to try calling out the black horse. This is a rare opportunity, so I want to challenge myself and see what happens.”

“What time is Neight starting?”

Because Night Color Recitation isn’t an official Recitation Color, Neight had obtained special permission to join the performance with the Red Recitations. This was something that their teacher, Kate, had directly requested from the headmaster. 

“I think it’s the twenty-first group in the afternoon.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Kluele was in the afternoon’s twentieth group. Based on the program, the time when she exits the stage would be just when Neight begins performing.

“I see. Our times overlap, so we might not be able to see each other’s performance.”

“Even if I won’t see it, Arma will watch Kluele-san’s performance for me.”

For some reason, she felt pleased but also unhappy. 

—Eh?

Suddenly, a peculiar feeling appeared in her body. 

Her body began to tremble slightly, and as the time of her performance approached, she shuddered harder. 

Am I nervous? How strange, something like this has never happened before.

“I’m sorry, but can I be excused for a while? This is a rare opportunity, so I want to practice a bit before my time comes.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Neight waved his hand, the one that Arma was climbing on. 


“The afternoon performances are about to begin. Students in the fourteenth group, please gather at the entrance. I repeat, Students in the fourteenth group, please proceed to the entrance—”

From far away, the students called by the speaker could be seen gathering. The program was progressing smoothly since no accidents had happened, and it was still on time with the schedule. 

In a corner of the campus, Kluele tightly closed her eyes and sat on a wooden chair under the shade of a tree. Her hands were placed on her knees, and she was repeatedly visualizing the Recitation process. She imagined herself in the midst of a chaotic red world. Like sewing a piece of clothing out of a single thread, she wove the vague image into a concrete vision.  

However, even after trying that several times, that thread would always snap midway. In the very end, before she could call out “that”, her concentration suddenly broke. 

……Why?

Because of her anxiety, the speed of her eyes blinking naturally became faster. Why? It certainly wasn’t a very difficult Recitation. She had succeeded in it both yesterday and the day before, and she could even do it this morning. However, just before the official performance, she was suddenly unable to conduct a Recitation.

[You are troubled.]

Someone’s voice sounded from beside her, where there should be nobody. Also, it was quite close to her. Keeping her head motionless and moving only her gaze, she saw that on the bench she was sitting on— The Night Color lizard sat calmly on the other end. 

“You were too loud just now—”

[You are unable to enter the state of concentration for conducting a Recitation.]

Perking up his nose, he gazed at Kluele’s face. 

“I’m just slightly worked up, that’s all. Please be a bit quieter—”

[Do you want to stay like this for your whole life?]

……For my whole life?

The declaration that sounded like a death penalty left Kluele speechless.

[Little girl, you are torn between two things. It is a conflict between growth and stagnation. Just like a little bird that wants to break free of its shell, but is unable to come out.]

The tone of the Night-colored judge sounded unchanged from how it usually was. Despite being a voice that she had only recently become familiar with, those words lingered in her mind and wouldn’t leave. She usually wouldn’t take those matters seriously, but that was impossible right now.

[Before, you had high standards for yourself. It meant that no matter what you did, it would be completed without difficulty. For this next performance, you planned to carry it out smoothly, steadily, and without taking any risks because you would certainly succeed even without them. However, after seeing Mio’s Recitation, after sensing the effort Neight puts in, you started to feel confused about your way of thinking.]

That golden pupil like a crescent moon made her feel pressured even if she didn’t want to. 

“……You sure talk a lot.”

Was she resisting the strong pressure? Under circumstances that she didn’t even understand, the Night-colored lizard’s pupils intertwined with her gaze. 

[The thing that you’re gripping preciously in your hands, is it a catalyst?]

[[File:Fb3-308_159-1-.jpg|thumb]]

The pair of crescent moons focused on her hands, which rested on her knees. After letting out a sigh, Kluele uncurled her fingers. The tube of paint with a red label stuck on it rolled in her hands. 

“I need it when I’m Reciting. Isn’t it obvious?”

[Really? I think that is the cause of your troubles.]

Still sitting on the other end of the chair, the Night-colored Recited creature declared airily.

[Paint is a very convenient catalyst, even I know that. So you plan to use it as a catalyst, and perform a safe and steady Recitation. However, isn’t the situation of the recital contest different from what you originally expected?]

Kluele didn’t intend to reply, because the lizard hadn’t finished talking. She sensed that he would continue speaking.

[Is he called Xins? In order to earn his recognition, some people bravely tried to challenge themselves, Mio included. As for Neight, even though he doesn’t have that intention, he is brave enough to keep on accepting failures for the sake of completing his promise. These accumulated failures are so that one day, he will definitely be proficient in Night Color Recitations. In this performance, Neight wanting to call out a black horse is a great example. Even though he clearly knows that he simply doesn’t have that kind of ability.]

From somewhere far away came the sound of a clock. Kluele could clearly feel those words pounding heavily on her heart. 

However, it didn’t arouse her curiosity or excitement. It was probably because the lizard did not show any personal emotions. He didn’t have the intention of criticizing or mocking her. Just like looking in a mirror, he was simply informing her.

[Under these circumstances, you only have to use a simple catalyst to conduct a simple Recitation, and be done with it. After comparing someone else’s attitude of challenging themselves to your attitude, it makes you feel suffocated.]

The tube of paint slipped out of her hands.

[Do you want to withdraw into your shell once more, or struggle to escape? That is something you have to decide.]

Having finished speaking, he lapsed back into silence. 

She didn’t know how much time passed like that. Even though it may have only have lasted a few breaths, it felt like the weariness of sitting for a few hours straight. 

Finally, just when the sunlight spilling out from gaps in the forest caused her to squint, a soft voice flowed out through the speakers. 


—Students in the twentieth group, please gather at the entrance. I repeat……—


……It was time.

Without looking down at her feet, staring only at the place which she was about to leave, Kluele stood up.

[Aren’t you going to pick it up?]

As if waiting for her to take a step, an inquiring voice called out from behind her. The voice was imbued with a slight intonation, and she didn’t need to turn her head to know that he was teasing her. Therefore, there was no need to stop her footsteps or turn around.

—I just need one word, to reply to that.

“I don’t need it, you can have it.”

Without turning around, Kluele declared in a low voice. She didn’t stop walking, and moved forward without waiting for Arma’s reply.

[That’s good. You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?]

Hearing that voice which barely held back a smile, was like receiving a push from behind.


“Ah, I found you, Kluele! Where did you run off to? It’s almost your turn.”

Kate and Mio had been standing in front of the entrance for a long time. After nodding at the teacher Kate, Mio’s expression finally relaxed.

“You’re here, Kluele. That’s a relief. Since you hadn’t come back, I was feeling worried.”

The four people other than her had been gathered at the front gate for a long time already. There was a girl wearing a red dress to be used as a catalyst. Another person seemed to be planning to use fire as a catalyst, thus was holding a torch in one hand. All of them had their catalysts ready.

“Kluele, where’s your catalyst?”

“Don’t worry, I have it.”

Because she didn’t have anything, Kluele clenched her fist.

—Red group twenty, please move to the performance site—

The spectators and judges welcomed them with applause. She could see several hundred, several thousand people staring at them. 

But I must stay calm.

Even though she said that, the nervous feeling felt rather comfortable. While feeling the beat of excitement in her chest, she advanced forward. She felt calm and peaceful like the lakeshore in midwinter. The feeling overflowed endlessly like a fountain of spring water.

She stopped her footsteps in the middle of the campus. The applause faded away, and the surrounding noise quieted down. Kluele entrusted herself to the world of resounding silence whispered by the wind.

'You are unable to enter the state of concentration for conducting a Recitation.'

Right now, that nagging lizard was surely watching her. 

'Do you want to withdraw into your shell once more, or struggle to escape?'

……I won’t thank him.

After curling the corners of her mouth slightly, Kluele closed her eyes. I won’t thank him, because I wasn’t really moved by his words. I’m not honest enough to take strength from those abstract words.

But even so, she had made a firm resolution.

'''''Resound from within the deep red'''''<br>
''[—sheon lef ped-l-clue riren-c-soan]''

I will call out the thing I want to recite. It doesn’t matter if I fail. Regardless of whether I succeed or fail, I can swell up my chest, go to the place where everyone is, and report it to them.

'''''Praise (you) your name'''''<br>
''YeR be orator Lom nehhe''

'''''Red, Shameful (gentle), Pitiful (beautiful)'''''<br>
''lor besti redi ende keofi-l-lovier''

'''''Floating in the gentle breeze (drifting) Fragments of pure scarlet piling up'''''<br>
''Hir qusi clue lemenet feo fulleftia sm jes glue I''

Slowly, as if teaching a child, she sang the <{{Furigana|Song of Praise|Oratorio}}>.

Turn from an image to a vision. Sing, weave, open a {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} to the object I seek. 

'''''Weave a song to the beyond, My thoughts pile up and perform (dance)'''''<br>
''melodia fo Hio, O ect ti hear Yem sophit''

'''''If the world desires you……'''''<br>
''ife I she cooke Loo zo via''

'''''Come, Be born, O child'''''<br>
''Isa da boema foton doremren''

A cheering noise sounded in her surroundings. It seemed that one person, or even several people, had succeeded in their Recitation. But don’t rush. Surely there is enough time. Surely I can do it.

'Kluele-san is definitely suited to becoming a Reciter.'

……Neight, your words from that time, can I believe them?

'''''The beyond becomes a lady, Numerous dancing, gathering dancers'''''<br>
''[O evo Lears— Lor besti bloo-c-toge = ende dence]''

Opening her eyes, red light swirled in the center of her hands. The light slowly strengthened, gradually engulfing her body. This is my identity as a Reciter, the first Recitation I ever conducted.

Flashing, the red light cracked open.

——[{{Furigana|Keinez|Red Song}}]——

In that instant, as if flowing from the girl’s hand, countless deep crimson feathers flew out. 

It wasn’t a bird, but a Recitation purely for calling out those feathers. 

It could have been hundreds or thousands. An innumerable amount of feathers were swept up by the wind, covering her figure. 

It was as if they were blessing her, embracing her. 

Each and every feather was like a red fairy. The objects receiving praise— The things summoned by the girl were very pitiful and illusionary, just like the “Crimson World” itself.

A gust of wind blew through the campus. With a *zaa* noise, the red wind surrounded the campus. Like red snowflakes, the enchanting feathers fell on the seats of spectators, the bodies of surrounding students, and the guests sitting in the judges’ seats. 

……Ah……

Finally remembering to breathe, the depths of her heart felt burning hot. The red color enveloped the campus, and even now, feathers still floated in the sky. Compared to a bird, calling out feathers was not challenging at all. However, it was her first time attempting to call out such a large amount. Because it had been successful, she felt a weight lifted off her heart. 

—But…… Why?

With her fingers, she gently picked up a feather that had landed on her right shoulder. 

It was precisely the scarlet feather that she had imagined. However, the feather before her eyes was surrounded by flame. Could this flickering radiance be an illusionary thing of this world?

I definitely hadn’t planned to call out this kind of flaming feather.

……Flaming feathers. No…… Flames in the shape of feathers. 

Even though it was burning, it didn’t feel hot. This is……

Before she finished thinking about the question, Kluele glanced all around her.

An unnatural silence enveloped her surroundings.

Eh? What’s wrong? Had something bad happened—

At that instant, Kluele’s eardrum nearly ruptured.

The applause was like a storm, along with unprecedented cheers. Wave after wave of applause sounded. But, why are they clapping?

She instinctively wanted to clap with them, but then realized that everyone’s gaze was focused on her. 


Amidst the thunder-like applause that had not yet quieted down, Kluele returned to her seat among the spectators. Mio came running towards her.

“Kululu, you were amazing! That was really pretty!”

“Really? I don’t even remember what I did.”

In any case, she had been absorbed in what she was doing. Although it wasn’t like Mio had done, she truly didn’t have memories of what had happened.

[What did you use as a catalyst?]

The unusual creature on Mio’s shoulder asked in an inquiring voice.

Seeing it once is better than hearing about it a hundred times. Before she replied, she held the ring on the pinky of her left hand close to his nose, and let him observe it in detail. Under the light, the gem embedded in the ring emitted a bright red glow. It was a ruby. Although it was an imitation, it still produced extremely good results when used as a catalyst. Until now, she had never succeeded at conducting a Recitation using the gem as a catalyst, so she originally hadn’t planned to use it this time.

“Actually, I only wore it because it was fashionable.”

Once it is used as a catalyst, the ring would be unable to conduct any more Recitations. However, the end result had been worth that decision.

“What do you think after seeing it?”

[You were lucky that the wind was blowing. If there had been no wind, you wouldn’t have gotten such applause.]

Pausing in the middle of his speech, in an unusual gesture, the lizard narrowed his eyes in happiness.

[However, if you explain it by saying that you took advantage of the wind, the result wasn’t bad. It was a Recitation suited for an arrogant little girl, isn’t that right?]

“……Anyway, I still want to express my gratitude.”

The lizard unexpectedly began to admire himself in a meek manner. It made her feel unusually embarrassed. 

“Eh? What? You want to express gratitude to Arma?”

If she were to explain her words to Mio, then she would definitely be continuously bothered about this matter for the following week. After hesitating slightly, Kluele decided to ignore the question.

[Little girl—]

At that moment, she felt a shock on her shoulder. The Night-colored lizard had jumped onto her shoulder.

“It’s rare for you to come on me.”

[That’s because I want to confirm one thing.]

In a voice somewhat different than a few moments ago, the lizard raised his head to look at her and said in an emotionless voice.

[Do you understand the reason why I asked you what catalyst you were going to use?]

“……Eh?”

[Really, were you not aware of it?]

He seemed surprised, but also relieved. Whichever one it resembled, he let out a sigh that seemed different from either. 

[After seeing the Recitation you just conducted, I finally realized it. It seems that this little girl’s Red Color Recitation appears very promising.]

“Are you complimenting my Recitation? That was because I used an exceptional catalyst, the gem.”

But—

[No. Rather, it’s the complete opposite.]

It was the opposite of what she had expected. Not only that, but he also shook his head.

[When you were conducting the Recitation, if the catalyst you had used was not a gem but ‘something else’ instead, you should still be able to call out something equally amazing.]

She totally didn’t understand…… A different catalyst? Something equally amazing?

However, even before he had brought up this topic, the Night-colored lizard had already quickly returned to Mio’s shoulder.

[You should think about this point yourself. Especially about Red Color Recitations, you have the same level of sensitivity as Neight’s mother. That’s why— In order to prevent you from becoming too complacent, you should look for the answer for yourself.]

“Well…… To be honest, I don’t really understand. However…… I will try my best.”

After answering vaguely, Kluele ran her fingers through her hair. This lizard’s words were really too abstract. No, although the conversation itself was concrete, the contents may have been too sudden. 

“Anyway, don’t worry about it now. We should go watch Neight’s performance.”

[There seems to be no need to do that.]

The one on Mio’s shoulder, who had talked, turned the tip of his nose in the direction of the campus. 

……I see.

After glancing in the direction, Kluele closed her eyes and began to count the seconds. On the campus, at a distance of several meters away, thick black smoke was already rising. 

“……Seems like it was a failure.”

Mio muttered with a sigh. The twenty-first group’s performance was apparently finished, and a boy walked unsteadily towards them. On his body, the dark blue robe was slightly too big. Because of his sagging shoulders, that robe seemed to fit him even less. Even though he knew that the chance of failure was high, he still felt upset. This kind of mood was easily understandable.

“I failed……”

There were no tears on his face, and instead he tried hard to show a smile. He sounded like he was obviously crying, but he desperately tried to deceive them so that nobody would find out.

[Neight—]

Before the Night-colored creature opened his mouth……

“Neight, you worked hard.”

Kluele uncrossed her arms and gently gripped the boy’s hand.

“Okay, try your best starting tomorrow!”

“……Kluele-san?”

The confused boy showed an expression even more childish than his age. 

“Your goal is to fulfill your mother’s promise, right? If that’s the case, then you shouldn’t be feeling discouraged at this stage.”

The one who had given her the opportunity to advance her Recitation one step further was this boy. Because of that, she wanted to do something for this young Reciter.

“If a failure is shameful, then I would be ridiculed along with you. Therefore, do your best to accept the challenge.”

The boy’s hand trembled. Even so, he still met her gaze directly.

“……Thank you very much. However, I don’t wish for Kluele-san to be ridiculed because of my failure.”

He felt timid and frightened; it could be called a powerless strength. But even so, those hands still returned her grip.

“Therefore, next time I will try my best to have it succeed.”


He hoped that nobody would find out.

Xins Airwincle pressed his incessantly trembling arms on the table. The black smoke residue that he had seen in the laboratory— He had continued to feel skeptical about it, but he didn’t expect his suspicions to be true. 

The black smoke hadn’t been caused by a fire. Even a Rainbow Color Reciter like himself was unable to cause something like that. Rejecting other colors with a jet-black Song of Praise was the only thing impossible for a Rainbow Reciter. 

Although the Recitation itself had failed, he was not mistaken. In other words—

……That was a Night Color Recitation?

Involuntarily, an inhuman sound came from his dry lips. But, why was there a thirteen or fourteen year old boy who had conducted that kind of Recitation?

“Evhemary, you……”

Although it was the middle of summer, he shivered unstoppably. The chill rising from the depths of his heart made the Rainbow Reciter pull his coat closer to his body.