Mushi:Vol1 Ch1

Night 1: Usarin-kakka's Daily Edict

From    ★ Usarin 
To      ★ Sensei 
Subject ★ Edict 
Body    ★ Hello, Usarin here. I know that you should be the busiest during after class hours, but since you said that I could text 
you whenever I pleased, that’s what I’m doing now! If I’ve done anything wrong, just lecture me, okay? I’m currently at home, are 
you still in school? If you think it’s too much of a hassle, you could just ignore this message, but if you’re free, do reply! I’ll 
be waiting!

From    ★ Sensei 
To      ★ Usarin-[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes#kakka|kakka]] 
Subject ★ In the middle of a teacher’s conference
Body    ★ I’m bored. I have no idea why the job as a teacher is so long-winded. I’m so bored that I’m drinking cup after cup of 
coffee… But that wouldn’t be good for my stomach. Why did you text me anyway? Is anything up? Cause if there is, I, Sakaki Guryuu, 
will hightail out of here right away. It’s not like I’ll be missing much from this kind of meeting anyway, don’t worry.

From    ★ Usarin 
To      ★ Sensei 
Subject ★ Edict 2 
Body    ★ Ehh~ You’re in a meeting, sensei? I’m sorry, I must have distracted you. I’ll get straight to the point then: After your 
meeting dismisses later, please come over to my house, sensei. Do you remember what day it is? 11th November… It’s your birthday! 
It’s impossible to hold anything grand at my house, so I’ve only prepared a cake for you. If you’re free – and I mean really free – 
please come over to my place. Happy birthday sensei! I’ll be waiting!

If words were used to describe Kannonsakazaki Private High School teacher Sakaki Guryuu, they would probably be something along the lines of “talented”, “elegant”, “genius”, “stunning” – you could probably list out every positive adjective you knew and compare them to Sakaki, and none of them would seem out of place, because he was perhaps the most perfect human being in the world, a being bearing the closest semblance to God. Even “godlike”, “flawless” and “one-of-a-kind” seemed to match him – the pinnacle of human evolution, Sakaki Guryuu.

Obtaining a doctorate at 12, skilled in all fields, being hailed as the incarnation of Leonardo Da Vinci – not only was he intellectually gifted, he was physically talented too. Aikido was meant as a method of passing time, but soon he found his way into the Olympics. His touch of the piano melted hearts, his paintings of the brush shook worlds. The titles “The best, the finest, the greatest” seemed to perfectly suit him, and backed by the extremely wealthy Sakaki Organization (he was already picked as the Organization’s heir), it seemed that he had already succeeded in life. Failure was clearly not on the menu.

However, Sakaki had a weakness, no, more of a problem actually. This “problem” was why, when he was 19, he went down to the countryside and started teaching in the private high school he used to attend. This was also why he never fully concentrated in literature, arts or sports. It was a “problem” the large organization were powerless to deal it.

Yes, it was a “problem”; a reason, known as Usagawa Rinne.

She was a normal, high school girl that Sakaki loved, enamored even. In fact, you could even say that Sakaki worshipped her.

It was because of her that Sakaki Guryuu strayed of the path to elitism.

Hoping to spend more time with her, Sakaki decided to become a teacher in her school. All the other literary, artistic and sports matters, which were meant as time-passers in the first place, were put on indefinite hold. All of her living expenses, including her apartment rent, water and electricity bills, tuition fees and pocket money, were fully sponsored out of Sakaki’s pocket. In short, he was her Daddy-Long-Legs.

Since there was nothing wrong with that nicknamed, Sakaki silently acknowledged it.

“What a waste of talent, what the hell is he doing?”, “Resign from being a teacher! Go to something proper instead!” These were words uttered by people who didn’t know Sakaki’s feelings; pointless words of advice. To Sakaki, there was something more important than producing a thesis which upturned the most fundamental laws of science, securing a gold medal from beating the world champion in Olympics, or even making a name as one of the most prominent artists in history – it was spending the day with Usagawa Rinne, doing ordinary stuff, living an ordinary life. That was true happiness to him.

Priorities did, after all, differ from person to person.

And so did happiness.

The head teacher stood up and began making a speech about teenage delinquency and the current state of social safety; about how they were a threat to society, and if they were all rounded up and expelled, what a better world we would be living in. From a third person’s point of view, this would seem like anything but a peaceful discussion.

What was he mad about? Was he generally mad about the degeneration of society? That was highly unlikely – the Head Teacher was probably just pissed, that’s all! Pissed at the fact that nobody wished him “good morning” this morning, pissed at the students who secretly called him “anteater” behind his back! In order to vent out his anger, he was directing his hatred towards all teenagers in general.

“Boring.”

Sakaki said softly. It was indeed boring – everything was. Due to the low birth rate and a new policy to prioritize senior citizen introduced by politicians, the school was becoming poorer by the day. In order to save electricity, lights were not turned on, resulting in the meeting room being extremely dim. Married couples that refused to have children as raising them took too much money, snobbish politicians who prioritized elderly citizens hoping for a higher voter turnout – even if the school’s fortunes were rapidly declining, it was still no reason to pin it on them. Plus, there was nothing wrong with being poor, Sakaki reasoned. Looking at Usagawa Rinne made him think that way.

Human beings, after all, were only able to gain happiness by fulfilling their own goals. Even if someone owned lots of property, if he felt that he hadn’t achieved his own goal and was unhappy, then he would of course become unhappy! Similarly, even if someone was poor, as long as she felt she was happy, then of course she would be happy! “He” in this case referring to Sakaki before he met Usagawa Rinne, “She” in this case referring to Rinne.

Rinne was extremely poor. Her only hobby was cooking, and even though she had to work hard to make ends meet, she still bravely lived on. She must be happy, and the one who got to meet her – Sakaki, must also be equally happy.

Sakaki, who was previously listening to the meeting in a corner, shifted his attention towards his cell phone upon receiving Rinne’s message.

The Head Teacher was still going on loudly about something. “It must be hard on him, screaming out loud like that in the winter will evidently sore his throat,” Sakaki thought, as he withdrew the vibrating cell phone from his pocket, preparing to read his new message. Even though the Head Teacher visibly frowned at this, Sakaki pretended not to notice, as he indifferently began replying the message on the long table.

The Head Teacher immediately lectured him.

“Sakaki-sensei, please refrain from using your cell phones in a meeting…”

“I apologize.”

Sakaki said softly, while still maintaining a conceited attitude.

“I was previously evaluating which was more important, listening to you ranting or reading my message. I acted according to the order of importance. If I offended you, I hereby apologize.”

Sakaki haughtily – or should we say arrogantly, silenced the Head Teacher. The Head Teacher coughed, as if wanting to display an air of strictness, and continued talking.

Not too long after, Sakaki’s phone made a “Rat-Tat-Tat” sound as it vibrated on the table. It seemed as though he had a new message. Sakaki naturally reached for his phone.

The Head Teacher, who was in the middle of another meaningless rant, warned, with spit flying everywhere, “Sakaki-sensei…”

“… I’m sorry, I suddenly have urgent matters to attend, and need to be gone now. Oh yeah, you, the Head Teacher, make sure to send me the minutes by tonight. Only list down the points, there shouldn’t be much anyway seeing how things are going now.”

“Wha---”

Seeing the Head Teacher’s face darken, Sakaki immediately retorted, “No buts! I have urgent business to settle now. Don’t forget, this school is under the jurisdiction of my Sakaki Organization, and the teacher’s guild is also funded by it, so I think that those who sit down and quietly listen are the bright ones.”

Sakaki stood up after finishing. Full of rage at being humiliated, the Head Teacher’s face was as red as a tomato. Sakaki ignored him and continued to avoid his gaze. Nodding at the other teachers, who were rendered speechless, Sakaki turned and left the meeting room. “Usagawa Rinne is calling me, why should I waste my time in ausch a pointless meeting. She should be my main priority,” Sakaki reasoned as his long strides echoed in the empty hallways.

Sakaki’s elegant strides would often make people stop in their tracks. Some girls would even point at him, as if trying to say “unbelievable!”

Be it a guy or girl, anyone who saw his elegant demeanor would be robbed of the ability to think for a few seconds, as they stop in their tracks to marvel at him. Of course, “him” in this context refers to Sakaki Guryuu, who was making his way to Usagawa Rinne’s apartment. Like a wave rippling outwards, Sakaki ignored the stares of the crowd and walked ahead.

That head of Blonde Hair, inherited from his American mother, shimmered transparently under the sunlight. This was in addition to a series of proper facial features and a perfectly proportioned body. Disliking outlandish outfits, Sakaki frequently wore a suit, save for occasions where he went to Rinne’s how. Every time he tried to wear something fancy, he would be mistaken as a celebrity though, sometimes accompanied by fans screaming “Give me an autograph! Give me an autograph!!” while dashing towards him. Sakaki often wondered, what use was it getting a high school teacher’s signature? Even though he had a celebrity-like name (and signature), it didn’t mean he was a celebrity!

Since this was a countryside town after all, as soon as Sakaki left the main street, the crowd would begin to thin. He began jogging on the long, dark, uneven path, as he made his way to Rinne’s apartment. He could have reached her place faster with a bike or car, but since Sakaki wanted to avoid his perfect hair (which took him great effort to dry and comb every day) getting messed up by the wind, he opted to go on foot. Besides, Rinne’s apartment wasn’t that far anyway. Looking at his new, handpicked clothes, Sakaki wondered, “Do these clothes suit me?” Although he never really felt comfortable wearing clothes marketed towards youngsters, Sakaki felt that wearing a suit to a party was simply too ridiculous, and ended up putting up with it. Plus, wearing a suit often gave him a “teacher-ish” aura. Whenever he was alone with Rinne, Sakaki hoped to shed his teacher “shell”, and be himself with her.

It was quite a distance from the nearest station before there were any houses. Large fields were left abandoned without any reasons, some which had wooden houses erected on them. These wooden houses, some even having tile roofs, gave one a sense of antiquity, as if time had suddenly stopped here.

Just as Sakaki was making a couple of pointless observations…

“Hey there, Onii-chan…”

A voice drifted out from somewhere. It sounded like a guy, or a low-pitched girl’s voice.

Sakaki turned towards the source of the voice, and saw an odd, little stall in the middle of the field.

Could that even pass as a stall? A purple mat was placed on the floor, hammered to the ground with nails. On top of the mat a person, who was clad in a long, robe-like garment, quietly sat there, cross-legged. The person’s face was blocked by a long hood, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or woman under it. There was also a large, crystal ball on the mat, which the person was gently polishing. There was also a small sign placed on the mat, which simply read “Fortune telling, 100 yen”.

“Fortune telling…?”

Why would a fortune teller be in such a place? Shouldn’t they be in a shopping district or something – no wait, what was a fortune teller doing in the countryside anyway? And could one really make a living by a measly 100 yen per fortune telling? Lots of questions surfaced in Sakaki’s mind, this was a suspicious trader indeed.

The mysterious traded lifted both hands. Maybe it was due to the long sleeves on the robe, but this made the trader seem positively inhuman. The trade then said to Sakaki, “Yes, Onii-chan, fortune telling. Would you like to give it a go? I’m very accurate you know. Your fortune in wealth, in love, or in life… Or perhaps you would like to hit it big? Win a big prize? Look for something long lost? Get rid of something bothering you? I can tell all sorts of fortunes!”

“Sorry, but I’m not interested.”

Sakaki replied shortly, as he quickly turned his back to the fortune teller.

“Wait, wait!!” the fortune teller said and hastily got up. The fortune teller then proceeded to say something that made Sakaki freeze in his steps.

“You won’t lose anything by just getting a reading, Onii-chan! I sense a malicious aura around you, if you don’t get rid of it soon, it is certain to bring you misfortune! You seem to be a powerful person, who doesn’t really care about what happens to himseld. However, this malicious aura may cause misfortune to befall those around you! I know you don’t want that to happen, don’t you? Sakaki Guryuu…”

“Huh…?”

Sakaki furiously turned his head. There was a crystal ball in the fortune teller’s outstretched hands, as the fortune teller mystically continued, “… The one you like, ah, Usagawa Rinne? She will be the first victim, and die a very horrible death. You don’t wish such a fate to befall your lover do you, Onii-chan? A corpse, with a gouged out eyeball…”

“You…”

Sakaki roared as he charged into the empty field, towards the stall. This shady character not only knew his name, but Rinne’s as well! He forcefully grabbed the fortune teller by the collar.

“Ouch! Don’t do that! It hurts!” The fortune teller yelled, somewhat emotionlessly. Sakaki ripped open the fortune teller’s hood, revealing the face of a surprisingly young man. His expressionless face, however, gave Sakaki the chills. It was like a bugs’, totally void of expression.

The guy’s hair was messy, and his eyes shimmered a frightening crimson.

Sakaki hollered in a loud voice, “Who the hell are you? How do you know my name and Rinne’s? And what’s this about a corpse? Are you saying Rinne is going to die? What on earth do you mean? Answer me, brat!”

“That’s why…”

The fortune teller wasn’t the least bit shaken. He was also not the slightest bit attracted towards Sakaki, as he looked at him without blinking, his eyes like clear accessories.

“… I told you to come for a fortune reading, didn’t I? That’s what I could tell anyway, I’m a fortune teller after all. You will encounter a series of misfortunes after this, misfortunes which will destroy your normal days, shatter your everyday life, and bring forth pain and suffering to you! And the overture to this catastrophe, the first victim, will be the one you adore, the girl named Usagawa Rinne…”

The fortune teller said in one-breath. Not pausing to draw a breath, he continued, “… She will be killed by a devil, in a brutal, inhuman way – her eye sockets will be pierced by a spoon, and her eyeballs will be gouged out! She will slowly die, with pain being the last thing registered in her brain! Because it’s such a painful way to die, I bet she’ll even hate you! Compared to being murdered like this, I bet she’ll wish that she died back then, in that big, blue sea. ‘Ah, it would have been so much easier if I had died in the sea back then~ Why did you have to save me, sensei? I hate you, I’m going to curse you for all eternity…’”

Sakaki planted his fist in the fortune teller’s face, as if trying to stop that prediction from coming true.

Even after being walloped in the face, the fortune teller’s expression did not change. Since he was being grabbed by the collar, he did not fall, as he said, in that feminine-yet-masculine tone, “That’s what’s going to happen in the future, punching me isn’t going to change it.”

“What the… You son of a…!”

Sakaki yelled, clearly shocked by the fortune teller’s inhuman response. “Who the hell are you? What is your motive? What are you planning to achieve? Why are you saying such things? You’re saying misfortune is about to befall me? What misfortune? Why must Rinne die?”

Sakaki had no doubt that this fortune teller was a real one now, that was most likely due to his inhuman reaction and aura. Also, Sakaki was clearly disturbed by his shimmering red eyes. Normal human eyes don’t glitter. This guy was clearly not human.

“We are called ‘Mushi’.”

The shady fortune teller said in the same tone.

“W-We?”

“…… Yes we. We do not have form, we do not have sentience. We only obey orders from our superiors, a collection of individuals who have forsaken individuality. We are known as ‘Mushi’. Not ‘Bugs’, but rather, ‘Mushi’.

The ‘Mushi’ said, with ironically bug-like eyes.

The purple mat Sakaki was standing on seemed to shimmer, as if it lacked substance, as if it were ethereal. What’s going on here? Is this really true? Those were the thoughts racing through Sakaki’s head.

“As a ‘Mushi’, my orders are to pass you these warnings from the future. You are to ponder upon my words, think of an appropriate strategy and try to delay the inevitable. Who knows? You might be able to avoid the worst case scenario.”

“Worse case scenario?”

“The coming of the devil.”

The “Mushi” spelled out.

“It could happen anytime – today, tomorrow, 10 years later, maybe even 10 seconds later. However, in the end, that day will still come. The devil will appear before you, murder Usagawa Rinne and cause the worst case scenario.”

“Worst case scenario?”

“I can’t tell you.”

The “Mushi” answered, rejecting Sakaki’s second question just like a faulty calculator failing at the last moment. Does he mean to say that that is not part of his fate?

“Even though I can’t tell you, what I can say is, it’s the worst case scenario.”

“Then to me, the worst case scenario would be Rinne dying. Even if you were to weight the Earth exploding or the Universe imploding on one side of the scale and Rinne dying on the other, the scale would clearly tip towards her favour.”

“That might be it, I guess!”

People, after all, had different priorities. The “Mushi” ambiguously replied, before saying, “In a situation like this, it doesn’t matter what you hold as the worst case scenario. After all, if Usagawa Rinne isn’t murdered by the devil, then the worst case scenario will never occur. So try to keep it that way.”

The “Mushi” brushed Sakaki’s hand away, as he rummaged through a small cardboard box on the mat. A while later, he produced a giant egg and cupped it in both hands.

What kind of egg was that? It was slightly smaller than a human’s skull – around the size of an ostrich’s egg. It had a white base and, as if wanting to look less dull, had red and green patterns on it. However, these patterns seemed genuine, and it certainly didn’t look like something someone had painted on it.

Of course, this was no egg a bird, reptile, amphibian or bug could ever lay.

What was this egg? And why was the fortune teller holding it?

The “Mushi” carefully raised the egg, and handed it to Sakaki.

“This is the egg of a Dream-world beast. It’s not a creature of this world, so don’t bother searching any encyclopedias for it. Don’t forget to hand it to Usagawa Rinne. You don’t have to keep it warm, it will hatch after some time. If you’re lucky, it’ll hatch into a Dream-world beast before the devil arrives. Dream-world beasts are primitive beings, and just like animals, they have filial imprints, and will recognize the first thing they see as their mother. So it should theoretically recognize Usagawa Rinne as its mother, even though they are physically different. Since Dream-world beasts are very powerful, they should most likely be able to ward off the devil.”

“Because of its parents?”

“Because its parents are in danger. Dream-world beasts value family ties, and they are the best counter to the devil. Hmm… Before the Dream-world beast hatches, though, you should carry firearms on you, in order to protect Usagawa Rinne, even though they are forbidden!”

The “Mushi” gently prodded Sakaki’s chest, and true enough, a handgun was hidden inside. How could he possibly tell? Sakaki was shocked. He felt as if he was breathing another planet’s air, and the air was composed of different components, causing him to feel very strange and dizzy. It was as if the world had suddenly gone mad.

“Who… What on Earth are you?”

Sakaki yelled, having asked this question for the third time.

For the first time throughout their encounter, the “Mushi” smiled.

“I wonder what should I answer, for you to believe me?”

For some reason, the old apartment looked even more run down than the tile-roofed houses today – the old apartment Usagawa Rinne stayed of course. It was a three storey building, with a total of 6 rooms, 3 of which were vacant. The 2nd floor was where the office was situated, and room 1A, on the 1st floor, belonged to Rinne. Room 1B, which happened to be situated next door, by the way, was occupied by a self-claimed musician. According to Rinne, she was either bad at socializing, or she just plain hated humans, since she rarely mixed with anyone at all.

There was also the question as for why an apartment was even built in a place like this. Despite being an apartment, however, the rooms were uncomfortably small and narrow, which in turn caused the rent to be very cheap – so cheap, in fact, that even Rinne could afford it with the money she earned from her part-time job. Also, despite Sakaki’s frequent “Don’t worry about the money, just go get a better house”, Rinne stubbornly refused to listen, replying with a simple “As long as the room is long enough for me to lie down, its all the same to me!” Not only did Rinne turn down Sakaki’s offers, she was also very against receiving any form of cash from him, insisting that she could take care of herself just fine.

Of course, Sakaki had, behind Rinne’s back, gave her all forms of help. Like threatening her boss the prospect of not being able to establish himself in society should he ever fire Rinne, or installing a water purifier in her apartment’s water supply in fear of her getting sick after drinking contaminated water.

Back to the story, by the time Sakaki reached Rinne’s apartment, it was already six. Treading on the old cement floor, he made his way to room 1A and stopped. He took a deep breath; appearances were indeed deceiving, Sakaki was in fact, quite vulnerable to girls, especially when the girl in question was Rinne. He tended to get nervous quite easily, so stopping by the door and taking a deep breath every time he visited this apartment was already a routine of his.

Again for some unknown reason, this run-down apartment had an intercom. Sakaki pressed the door bell, and waited.

Rinne’s clear, chine-like voice quickly came out from the intercom.

“Who is it?”

“Usarin-kakka, its me”

“Hai~~”

Even though he never said who he was, Rinne already knew who it was on the other side of the door. The only person who would address Rinne as “-kakka” would be Sakaki. Rinne immediately let out a squeal, and cut her reply short.

Since the room was small, Rinne literally reached the door in less than two seconds.

Appearing behind the open door was the silhouette of a cute, little girl. Because her clothes were quite dated, she looked somewhat old-fashioned, but ignoring this fact, she was indeed really cute. Clean, straight hair, snow-white skin, a gentle smile on her face, those alone were enough to make her very attractive, but what attracted Sakaki the most was her clear, chime-like voice.

Rinne, who was up to Sakaki’s chest in height, looked up to him and smiled, like a blossoming flower.

“Sensei, you really came!” Rinne said in a transparent, bell-like chime. “I’m so glad you did! Come in, it’s freezing outside!”

Rinne pulled Sakaki’s arm and dragged him into her room. There was only enough space for one to take off his or her shoes (and also store them at the same spot – there wasn’t room for a shoe rack). Sakaki took off his shoes, and let her drag him into her room.

Rinne’s apartment was about 4 tatamis wide, and consisted of her room, a toilet and the kitchen, so the four-and-a-half tatami standard measurement for rooms (including a toilet) actually took up the entirety of Rinne’s apartment unit. There was no bathroom in her unit, so Rinne had to use the bathroom located outside everyday.

Sakaki took off his coat and placed it in a corner, along with the egg.

Most likely due to Rinne’s cooking, there was a huge aroma in the room that wouldn’t disperse. There was a small window in the room that was tightly shut, because of the cold outside. Even if she turned on the ventilator, it wouldn’t have helped much. After telling Rinne about his empty stomach, Sakaki snuggled both his legs into the futon beneath the table.

Rinne opened the fridge and withdrew a box and some malt tea. She poured the tea into a cup she withdrew from a sink, and placed it onto a saucer. She then took the box, along with the tea, and went to Sakaki’s side.

“It’s done!”

“Thanks a lot… But why are you sitting next to me? Isn’t it squishy? The table is square anyhow, you don’t have to squeeze beside me right?”

“You don’t understand?”

Rinne smiled as she leaned on Sakaki.

“It’s because I want to be by your side! Even if its 1 centimeter closer, I still want to be closer to you”

“Happy birthday, Sensei…” Rinne concluded as she looked up at Sakaki.

Sakaki looked as if he was trying very hard to withhold something.

“… Usarin-kakka, if you utter such cute words, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold myself back. Please don’t be that way, I’ve already promised Usarin-kakka that before you graduate, I won’t hold your hand or anything so please, don’t make me break that promise.”

“Those kind of promises, I won’t mind if you break it. You shouldn’t have to hold yourself in the first place.”

Rinne said a matter-of-factly, as she continued to lean on Sakaki.

“This is bad,” Sakaki thought. Rinne was too cute, to the point that Sakaki wanted to hug her one the spot. But he couldn’t. If a teacher did that to a student, it was considered an offense.

Sakaki resisted the notion with an iron-clad will, and steered the topic to a safe direction.

“Speaking of which, Usarin-kakka, it seems that the things in your room have increased yet again?”

“They have?”

“Yeah, like that television for example. I didn’t notice it the last I was here? Did you buy it recently?”

“I wouldn’t be able to afford such a thing! It’s too expensive! You know how the shopping district has these lucky draws once in a while? Like on their 10-year-anniversary or grand sales and such, this was the prize for the runner-up!”

“So you drew the 2nd place lot?”

“Nope, its just that nobody did, and the television became an extra. The uncle who was in charge of the lucky draw said ‘It’s no use keeping it, I guess we’ll just give it to Rinne!’, so that’s how I got it~”

“He’s abusing his authority that way, it’s fairly easy to see what he was after.”

“Yeah! But since he said he would give it to me, there wasn’t any reason for me to refuse him, was there? Actually, I kinda wanted a television myself too, that’s why I accepted it. Oh and I also took lots of instant noodles back with me.”

In a corner of the room, there was indeed a cardboard box labeled “Kannonsakazaki Shopping District”, and if it was filled with instant noodles, then it would certainly have been a lot of instant noodles. Sakaki warned Rinne, “Don’t make it a habit to accept things from strangers. There have been lots of reports from school about students accepting such things, before being charged with high installments.”

“Okay…”

Rinne smiled bitterly, as she opened the box on the table. There were two slices of cake inside, she was too poor to purchase an entire cake.

Rinne placed the cakes on the saucers, and announced, “I don’t have any forks!” She then stood up, hesitated a while, and stood rooted to the spot, as if thinking of something. After a while, she went to another corner of the room, and took a paper bag.

Her face was flushing red. It was as if she was embarrassed and frustrated at the same time.

“Erm…”

Sakaki more or less guessed what the paper bag meant, and why she was hesitating.

The bag must have contained Sakaki’s birthday present, and Rinne was obviously hesitating whether or not to give it to him. She was probably thinking something along the lines of “Would this be appropriate? Would Sensei like it, and what if he rejected it?”, and thus was hesitant to present Sakaki his present.

Sakaki understood, as he said to Rinne with a benevolent expression never seen by anyone else, “Don’t worry! As long as its something from Usarin-kakka, then I’ll definitely treasure it, no matter what!”

“R-Really? But Sensei, you’re so rich, I bet your previous birthdays were much grander, and the presents must have been extraordinary right? I’m sorry, or maybe I’m ashamed of myself.”

“That’s not true.”

Sakaki answered truthfully: “A present’s value is not measured by how much it cost; a birthday’s worth is not based on how big the modal was. To me, Usarin-kakka, being able to spend the day like today sitting by a warm table and enjoying cake, toasting with malt tea, this is more enjoyable than anything I’ve experienced thus far. This is definitely by best birthday by far, so please, don’t put on such a face.”

“B-b-but…”

“Stop but-ting anymore, I’ve sworn to you that I’m with you not because I pity you but because I really love you, from the depths of my heart. Trust me, you aren’t worthless, I’m not a superior being, and Usarin-kakka, you are more than a match for me, please believe me when I say that you are a special girl to me. I’m given you my word, am I right?”

“Yeah…”

I’ve given you my word.

Usagwa Rinne shouldn’t have been ashamed in the first place. Who cares if she was poor, as long as she was herself for Sakaki, she would be the one he loved the most. Sakaki had told her this before, when the both of them had first met. Back then, Rinne hadn’t been able to smile naturally, and wasn’t too capable of having long conversations. Compared to then, she had become so cheerful now.

“T-then, at least for today…”

Rinne said as she lowered her head, “Don’t call me ‘Usarin-kakka’.”

She said in a voice that sounded as if she was pouting, yet teasing him at the same time.

This was Rinne’s true desire, expressed half-jokingly.

Sakaki obliged and said, “Usagawa.”

“Call me by my given name.”

“Rinne.”

“Yeah…”

Most likely satisfied, Rinne nodded, as she withdrew his present from the bag.

It was a wool scarf. Rinne’s handwork was good, and the weaving was absolutely fantastic.

“I was going to give you this for Christmas, but since I managed to finish it early, I’m going to give it to you now. I’ll prepare something else for Christmas.”

“Thanks. Wow, this really is some handwork. Did you learn it from anyone?”

“I learned it from one of my friends. I stayed at her place for about three nights, and begged her to teach me her secrets. All I needed to do was master the basics, and it was continuous repetition from that on, which is why it was surprisingly easy once I got the hang of it! Although the wool is of cheap material, its 100% hand-sewn with lots of love!”

“I see, it’s very warm!”

Sakaki smiled in joy. Love – it definitely provided the most warmth!

Rinne held the scarf with both hands, and sat down facing Sakaki.

I’m going to help you wear it, lower your head a bit.”

“Okay.”

Sakaki obliged and lowered his head. The scarf gently went around his neck.

It was then that Rinne kissed Sakaki.

Time seemed to freeze as that moment, as Sakaki’s face was plastered with shock. Rinne put her hands by his ears, and gently kissed his lips. The scarf, which was gently wrapped around his neck, softly fell to the ground. This sudden act caused Sakaki to blank out, as he felt the warmth emanating from Rinne’s hands, lips and heart.

“Umm…”

Suddenly, her lips parted.

Rinne slowly furrowed her eyebrows, and mumbled, “……I’m sorry Sensei, I broke out promise.”

“Ah…”

Sakaki said at a loss of words. Rinne looked down, and her thick fringe veiled her expression from Sakaki.

“But I’m constantly in pain, wondering what am I to Sensei. I like Sensei, I like Guryuu-san, but since we’re in a teacher-student relationship, and Sensei refuses to hold hands, call me by my name and all, sometimes I feel really scared…”

Rinne said as she shook her head.

“…… I’m very stubborn aren’t I? Sensei treats me so well, yet here I am, asking for more. I wonder, what am I to Sensei? Does Sensei really like me? I believe you when you say you do, but even then… I’m scared, really scared, that’s why I wanted some affirmation…”

Rinne said, as if on the verge of tears. She wasn’t crying; even though her voice was trembling, she wasn’t crying. Sakaki understood – it was because these were her true feelings, that’s why she wasn’t crying. He understood that these weren’t just words uttered at the spur of the moment; these were matters that were troubling her deep in her heart.

Sakaki suddenly felt the urge to curse himself. Rinne mentioned that she was in pain, in fear; fear of being hated, being dumped by Sakaki. She loved him that much!

And just like how Usagawa Rinne loved him, Sakaki Guryuu loved her just as much.

Because the two of them treated each other so importantly, they were afraid of losing that “importantness”, of losing each other. Just like the flip sides of the coin – even though they were totally different, both of them were just as real, even though the both of them were technically unrelated, both of them were as tightly bound.

Sakaki caressed Rinne’s silky hair, before bending down and kissing her lightly. Rinne’s hair gently trembled, as she closed her eyes and cried, this time with tears flowing down her cheeks.

Because humans are a fragile species.

That was why we sometimes seek affirmation.

Affirmation of love, feelings, and a few other emotions.

That’s definitely not something bad.

So Rinne, you can stop crying now.

(~To Be Continued~)