Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume2 3rd Play (section)

===Part 3===

Bright, dazzling rays of heat poured down from the sky overhead. Grains of finely-ground coral seemed to be spread over the white sand. The ocean was a transparent azure blue. The clear waves lapping back and forth seemed to wash away even everyday troubles.

What was called Tremia’s campus was also like a type of private beach. It could be appropriately described as exactly like paradise.

However— Although the scenery was beautiful, Ouma and the male students were interested in another matter.

“……That Neight, he’s attractive, isn’t he?”

In the shade, sitting down on the sandy beach and gazing forward was a single boy in a swimsuit.

“Aah, and to make it worse, he doesn’t even know his own worth…”

Holding juice in his right hand, a fan in his left, and also wearing sunglasses, Ouma reluctantly nodded.

There was a kid having fun playing a game with ten-odd girls in swimsuits.

“Hey, Neighty, go over there! Catch!”

“Eh……Ah, eh……?”

A young boy futilely chased a ball being blown away by the wind. Because he wasn’t accustomed to the sandy beach, he ran unsteadily, his sense of balance even more off than before.

“Ah, ah, ah—!”

The unreliable boy yelled. Soon after, the ball fell onto the sand with a quiet thump.

“Ahaha! That’s no good, Chibi-kun.”

“But he’s so cute—”

“Yep. I’ll forgive you because you’re cute! I mean, it’s more fun this way!”

The cheers when he failed to catch the ball were louder than when he succeeded.

It wasn’t that he made a particularly amazing play, but that the times when he missed were funny. The girls found those times more amusing. 


“……Is that it? Is that the charm of the young thirteen-year-old boy?”

“For a boy, his face looks quite androgynous. He’s also short and fragile. To the girls, is he considered more like someone to tease, or someone to play around with?”

In the beginning, they had been wrong to not consider this boy as their rival. In reality, he was a formidable enemy who had transferred into their school.

“Hey, speaking of which, where did the other boys go?”

Some of them had gone to a nearby convenience stand, while others were having fun diving in the ocean. Even though they were each doing what they wanted, there still seemed to be only a few people.

“Hm. Look at that over there.”

Ouma nodded in that direction. There, holding the ball that she was playing with and frowning, was a blonde girl with a childish face, as well as a girl with scarlet hair who was watching with an amused look.

“Huh. That’s strange. According to the theory in the volleyball book…… If I hit it here like this, the ball should fly up. But I don’t understand why Kluele, who hasn’t read any book about this, is better than me……”

“Mio, I already told you, you’re too reliant on books. If you don’t practice for real, you won’t get better at it.”

“……I see. Perhaps you’re right.”

“But more importantly, you didn’t practice swimming either?”

“Yeah, but in that case, if I start reading a book about swimming right now—”

“……You just don’t listen to what people tell you, do you?”


He gazed briefly at the scene.

“What’s wrong with Mio and Kluele?”

“They’re just thoughtless people. Coming on this trip seems to be a good chance to confess to them.”

Ohhh. Letting out a small sigh of admiration, one of the male students stole a glance at where the girls were gathered. Looking at them, he could clearly see the reason why several of the boys had their eyes on them.

Mio Lentear— She had gotten the best in their grade on the written exam and was rumored to be a genius. Along with that, she was also a girl whose lovely smile and calm manner made her stand out. Her behavior of treating everyone equally had earned her deep trust from both students and teachers.

And then there was Kluele Sophi Net. She had a very helpful personality, an unforgettable appearance, and excellent reflexes. Even though she only scored moderately well on exams, that was just another part of her charm.

“So, what was the result?”

“The girls said something like ’……I’m sorry, but about that sort of thing, we still aren’t—’ The several people who were involved are currently feeling heartbroken. They seem to have gone to a part of the beach farther away from here to nurse the wounds in their heart. So, let’s leave them alone for now.”

“……I’ll be next.”

“Stop it. More and more people seem to be having their confessions backfire.”

Throwing him an indifferent look, Ouma pushed up the bridge of his sunglasses.


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“Alright, the next person to drop the ball will face a punishment! Whoever drops the ball will have to go to tomorrow’s lectures in their swimsuit!”

While all of the girls cheered excitedly, a single boy’s face paled.

“Eh. W-Wait……I have a bad feeling about that……”

“Well, let’s start, Neighty!”

“U-Uwa! Why is the ball suddenly moving so fast?”

“Oh, wasn’t that a nice catch, Neight-kun. Well, one more time!”

“Eh, W-Why…… No, please don’t— Wah!”

“Tsk. You survived for the second time in a row, hm?”

“U-Umm……Did you just click your tongue just now?”

“Alright, this time for sure! Chibi-kun, I challenge you for the third time in a row!”

“Uwaaa! So you are aiming at me, aren’t you?!”

“Ah, Neighty ran away! Everyone, chase after him!”


“Hey, even though they forbid boys to play with them, why is only Neight allowed?”

One of the boys said in a tone sounding like he had already given up.

“Rather than being allowed, it seems more like forced participation.”

In the afternoon, the male students had all planned to go to the beach together during their free time. When they had gathered, amongst almost all of the students, Neight had been nowhere to be seen.

When all of the boys Ouma gathered had gone looking for him— They had suddenly heard a grating shriek. When they went to take a look…… There was the figure of a boy whose limbs had been bound by several female students and was being dragged far away.

Although they had tried negotiating with the kidnappers for the hostage, unfortunately, the girls’ true intention didn’t seem to be a ransom, but the boy himself.

“……Kuh, is that the charm of the thirteen-year-old boy?”

He had heard those words a little while ago.

“To not be seen as a man, that sure is pitiful.”

“W-Wait a moment, Ouma-san! Please don’t just silently watch, help me!”

Even now, Neight was still running away from the group of girls chasing after him.

“……What did Neight say just now?”

“I’m not sure, I couldn’t hear him either. You probably misheard him. I definitely didn’t hear anyone asking for help.”

Shaking his head with certainty, Ouma took out the magazine he was in the middle of reading from his bag.

……Damn, what an enviable guy.


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“Ahh. I wonder if the students are playing around nicely at the beach right now.”

Walking down a road covered in sand, Zessel kicked at the pebbles scattered by his feet as he grumbled.

“That’s all they seemed to be doing a while ago.”

Enne, who walked beside him, smiled wryly.

“Mirror is stuck inside the information department, so you should feel glad compared to him.”

“But he hates the ocean. After all, he can’t swim.”

“……Even now, he still can’t swim?”

Mixed into his colleague’s voice was a teasing tone.

According to the books about swimming that I’ve read, using this theory, I should be able to stay afloat— Back in the time of Elfand school, in a pool 1.2 meters deep, just how many times had that intelligent person said those words and nearly drowned?

“Hey, do you remember our graduation trip to the beach?”

“Although it was quite a long time ago, I still do, more or less.”

Letting out a small laugh, Enne covered her mouth with her hand. It wasn’t the ladylike laugh that she normally showed as a teacher, but because Zessel and Mirror were her childhood friends, it was the lively laugh she secretly showed them.

“Since he’s a teacher of Blue Recitations, it’s unusual that he dislikes the ocean of all things.”

Their graduation trip had been five days long. At the very end, only Mirror hadn’t gone swimming in the ocean even once.

“Well, a certain someone had to use a flotation device even when she was sixteen.”

“I can swim now, you know. I already did special training for it.”

“Is that so? Did you pack a flotation device into your bag this time as well? Enne-sensei, you seem to be quite eager to go swimming.”

“……How do you know about it?”

Idiot, I tricked you into saying that.

Annoyed, Enne pouted. Zessel smiled faintly as she did so— Abruptly, their casual conversation died off.

From the sandy road, they turned a corner and onto an area where dry, hard soil covered the ground.

“……Well then, shall we pay them a visit?”

Zessel let out the breath he had been holding.

Kelberk Research Insititute, Fidellia branch.

Casting a backward glance at the name of the place carved into the large brown rock, they stepped through the open gateway.

……So it’s open, huh?

The inside of the facility wasn’t very wide. There were only weeds growing thickly all over the place.

“Is anyone there?”

“Just like it seems, I don’t think there’s anyone inside.”

“Well, to anyone inside, excuse us for coming in!”

At the front door of the research facility, they pressed the buzzer meant to be used by visitors, which was beside the door. A mechanical sound echoed throughout the inside of the building. The reverberations were even transmitted back to them, who stood by the door.

“At least we can confirm that it rang.”

—But why was there no response from inside?

He winked at the woman beside him. As if his intentions had been conveyed to her, Enne silently gave her approval.

While hiding an emergency catalyst in his left hand, he opened the door of the research institute with his right hand. With a rusty creaking sound, the door slowly opened.

“……It’s dark?”

Although he thought that the lights would be on, a curtain of darkness stretched out before him so that he couldn’t see more than a few meters in. Sure enough, something strange was going on.

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Sunlight from outside shone through the open door. Little by little, his view of a few meters grew wider—

The scene in the entrance hall reached his eyes.

“…………!”

Enne let out a soundless scream.

Clutching the shoulder of the woman who had collapsed to the ground, Zessel barely managed to keep calm.

……This must be some sort of joke, right?

Stone statues. Or at least, that was what they first thought. That’s right. Decorating the front lobby were things resembling monuments.

After gazing carefully at them however, Enne and Zessel realized that those were not simply stone sculptures. Even if they didn’t want to, they couldn’t help but understand. The sculptures were just too realistic, and too repulsive.

They had read about it many times in things like fairy tales. But until now, they hadn’t believed for an instant that such a phenomenon could become reality.

The features of the stone statue looked afraid. The forms of the stone sculptures looked like they were running for their lives. 

—Before Enne and Zessel’s eyes were the staff members of the research institute, who had turned to stone.