Hyouka:Volume 4 To Commit A Deadly Sin

Story 2 - To Commit A Deadly Sin

1

We were learning about China's history in our World History class. Unfortunately, I already knew a lot about the Warring States period, so I was feeling extremely bored. However, I neither had the interest to draw little comical illustrations in the margins of my neglected notebook, nor did I feel like circulating pleasant notes to my classmates. Besides, I didn't have any hobbies, which can be said to be as tedious as side jobs, or interests in general. While ignoring the wearisome explanation of the tactic of horizontal and vertical alliances, in order to pass the time I motionlessly reflected on the good fortune of having nothing to do while craving idleness.

Since Kamiyama High is a high school centered around preparing students for further studies, the pupils here largely have good attitudes towards learning. The old teacher's clear voice resounded in the classroom where tranquility is preserved. A stiff scraping sound rang out as the chalk hit the blackboard. It was currently the fifth period, so I'll probably get attacked by the sleep demon soon. It was a clear day in the June rainy season. And thus, my high school life is wasted. I knocked my mechanical pencil. It was not because I wanted to write something, but because the lead would not come out. I hadn't noticed that the lead was broken. I took out a spare pencil lead from my pencil case, holding it with my thumb and index finger. Instead of inserting it from the back, I tried inserting it from the front, as if I was threading a needle.

However, the peace was suddenly broken.

A dangerous sound rang out. It seemed like the sound of bamboo striking some hard object. Taken by surprise, I cringed. All sleepiness dissipated as the HB lead broke in the middle into two clean pieces. What a waste. Oh well, I guess I can still use them.

It seems that I was not the only one being startled, as commotion filled the classroom. Beside me, a female student said to her friend behind, "What was that? It totally surprised me." It seems that no one would give up the opportunity to talk.

The sound did not occur only once. It rang out a few times in succession, mixed with some irate words. It was a loud, frightening male voice, but since it was in the classroom, I couldn't understand what it was saying. At that point, my classmates and I had deduced a large part of what was happening. In the classroom next door, the math teacher, Omichi, had lost his temper yet again.

The teaching profession is commonly referred to as picking up the teacher's cane, but in this era, I haven't seen a teacher hold a cane. At best, they had a flexible pointing stick. In the past, I had a teacher called Morishita in the student counseling department who embraced the belief "Even though you are not holding a fencing stick, there is no doubt that you want to hold it if it is allowed." Speaking of which, Omichi-sensei has a rough bamboo pole shaped like a fencing stick which he carries around and sometimes uses as a teacher's cane. However, Omichi-sensei, who can be said to be the most veteran teacher in the school, would definitely not use his pole to hit a student. He would only wield it on the teacher's desk and blackboard in order to coerce students to behave. Omichi-sensei is the honored teacher who has taught me that the blackboard is unexpectedly firm and difficult to damage.

Nevertheless, while I have this impression of Omichi-sensei, I neither dislike nor have disdain for him. I had this kind of teacher in middle school, and even in elementary school. If I had to say what I felt about him, it would be the same feeling I have for the girl that sits next to me. I know their faces, names and personalities, but I don't really care.

At any rate, I was not impressed by him causing a racket in my class. While I was thinking about that, a clear voice cut into the unstoppable, angry voice. That voice sure rings a bell. When I realized who the voice belonged to, I muttered at the same time without thinking,

"No way..."

That was Chitanda's voice.

I got to know her through a little fateful incident right after entering this school, and we have been in the same club ever since. Come to think of it, Chitanda was in the adjacent class. I was surprised that there was a student in this school who would argue with Omichi when he had just started hammering on the blackboard, and I never thought that the student would be Chitanda. I strained my ears to confirm that it was indeed Chitanda, but in any case it was a voice from across the wall. I can't say for sure, but the intonation also sounds like Chitanda.

I couldn't understand what she was saying, but her every word was without a doubt sharp and excited. I have heard her voice countless of times, but it's the first time I've heard that tone. It seems that Chitanda also gets angry and raises her voice.

She had probably said whatever she wanted to in one go, as the voice soon died down. Silence had also descended in our classroom for a short while, as if we were collectively holding our breath. On that note, stillness had returned to the classroom next door. Did Chitanda seriously cause Omichi to shut up? The irresponsible atmosphere which made us expect further trouble relaxed in an instant. In any case, since it was now quiet, we had no choice but to be brought back to our history lesson.

I took out another piece of lead for my mechanical pencil. This time, I refilled it quickly from the back, then spun it around my finger.

2

It was after school. The rays of the early summer sun shone diagonally into the Classics Club room, the Geography Lecture Room.

I held my paperback book open between my fingers, as I noticed Chitanda's flustered state. As to why she was being so nervous, it was because of the argument between Fukube Satoshi and Mayaka Ibara, who had taken up positions in the middle of the classroom, though it was not actually feasible for the two of them to quarrel. It was actually Ibara unilaterally criticizing Satoshi, and Satoshi avoiding it with some frivolous talk or taking it with a wry smile. Although I have been a witness to the squabble from the beginning, I have no idea what it is actually about. It probably started as a debate about something trivial like whether all telephone poles are tall or whether all postboxes are red.

It was April when Chitanda, Satoshi and I joined the Classics Club, which had no members. In May, Ibara approached Satoshi and asked to join the club.

Ibara has been in the same class as me since first grade, but we didn't really talk to each other. We finally went to different classes in high school, but now we're in the same club. Just how closely are we linked by fate? Then again, Ibara is currently engaged in three trades at the same time, as she's in the Library Committee, the Manga Research Society as well as the Classics Club. Satoshi, who is in the Executive Committee, Handicraft Society and Classics Club should go well with her.

The Classics Club was such a quiet, peaceful place when there was only three of us.

Satoshi talks with frightful passion, but if he has nothing he wants of others he would stay quiet. And Chitanda would be really calm, as one would expect, if her usual curiosity does not explode.

It's a peaceful place where we have our club activities and nothing happens. Little by little, I have been going to the Geography Lecture Room. It's not that I'm particularly interested in the activities, but I've come to think of it as a relaxing place to be.

But the situation changed when Ibara joined the club. If Ibara is alone, she's just an unsociable classmate. However, when put together with Satoshi...

"You were the one who said you were going to do it in the first place maybe you have a reason but that's beside the point isn't it obvious that you should have just contacted me it would have been alright to cancel but you should have at least given me a call I know you had your phone with you it would be fine if it were just a hassle for me but it's not what's with that look can you listen properly do you understand the position you're in this won't be fixed just by saying sorry to me."

It turns out like that.

How many times has it been? The first few times, Chitanda got terribly flustered and somehow tried to arbitrate. She tried to coax and cajole them, but unfortunately it was just wasted effort. Now she was not trying to interfere, but was waiting for the right time to ask about what was wrong. I looked up and met her troubled gaze. She quietly pointed at the two of them with her index finger.

The book I was reading was a SF novel, and although the opening was interesting, it got difficult to understand at the climax. I knew that something bad had happened, but I had no idea what exactly it was. It couldn't understand it even after reading it a second time, and that was when I gradually found the two voices to be noisy. I sighed and put my book face down.

"And I know you're aware of it but you don't have a shred of decency when it matters you know what was going to happen but you didn't say anything after that it rained it was windy there was lightning and even hail fell in the end I didn't really care about this meeting but I spent time picking what to wear and all of a sudden they're a wreck and it's all your fault you can't say anything about it right?"

Ibara shouted on and on with one breath.

"Are you tired yet?"

Ibara, who was staring daggers at Satoshi, turned to look at me, and gave a short and clear answer.

"I am."

"Then take a break."

"Fine."

She sat down meekly on a table nearby. She was really angry just now, so I'm not sure if her ire was dealt with so easily. Satoshi faced me an gave me an American-style thumbs-up as a sign of gratitude, and shamelessly said,

"Boy, you sure can get mad. I bet you released a lot of stress there."

"If Fuku-chan had more common decency, I wouldn't get stressed in the first place."

"Well, but..."

At the blatant falsehood, Satoshi turned to Chitanda.

"You should learn from Chitanda-san. I've never seen her get angry."

Chitanda was heaving a sigh of relief and stroking down her chest as she witnessed the truce. I've never seen her do that before. Upon suddenly being dragged into a conversation, she let out a startled reply.

"Eh? Me?"

But Ibara frowned.

"Really? But doesn't she get angry whenever Oreki is late?"

There was indeed something like that in the past, but that anger is slightly different from Ibara's ire. What's the appropriate word for it?

"I also saw it. But that was more of a scolding than anger."

That's it, I thought for an instant, when I realized that I was quite pitiable to be scolded by a girl of the same age.

"Ah, yeah, that's right. It did seem more like a remonstration."

That's also not good.

With a troubled smile and a vague expression, Chitanda tilted her head.

"If you're talking about not getting angry, I have not seen Fukube-san or Oreki-san get angry, either..."

After a brief moment, Ibara and I opened our mouths at the same time.

"Satoshi totally gets angry."

"Fuku-chan does get angry."

When people are attacked from two sides, their ability to judge falls considerably, and it was no different for Chitanda. Her large eyes tried to focus on both Ibara and I, failed, then settled on Satoshi, who was in between us.

"Is that so?"

Satoshi answered with a wry smile.

"Well, I guess. I don't display my anger as much as Mayaka, but I do get angry every now and then."

I just realized that I haven't seen Satoshi get angry in front of Chitanda yet. Well, it's only been two months. Anything's possible.

"I cannot imagine Fukube-san get angry, though."

It's understandable from Chitanda's perspective. Since Satoshi likes to show off his prowess in weird areas, he rarely displays his emotions without being afraid of what others might think, much less to the opposite gender, with Ibara being an exception.

"He's not at all scary when he's angry."

Yeah, his anger has hardly any intensity. He just speaks less, doesn't make eye contact and distinctly changes the topic by saying "Let's not talk about this." From my experience, it's not actually that rare for Satoshi to do this.

"Not scary? You really look down on me..."

Looking at the grumbling Satoshi with upturned eyes, Chitanda muttered.

"I think I am curious."

It seems that Chitanda is planning to rile up Satoshi. I'm totally looking forward to that.

"What about Oreki?"

Ibara was looking at me.

Just when I was about to tell them about how I haven't been angry lately, or that I was enjoying myself in this situation which was as stable as a spring day, Ibara smiled. While a smile is a smile, that was unmistakably a sneer. Ibara then turned to look at Chitanda, and in a tone that seemed to say "Get ready for it," she spoke.

"Oreki would never get angry."

"Is that because he's too gentle?"

Ibara shook her head.

"No, it's just that he's a lonely human being who can't even gain satisfaction from getting angry."

... Hey, isn't that a little cruel, whatever the circumstances?

Ah, but I realize that I didn't even get angry from that. I haven't been angry lately, but when was the last time I lost my temper? Well, no need to be bothered about it. Ibara'a pithy sayings are always accurate... not. It does get one aspect of the truth, but I can't say that it is totally correct. There's also the explanation that I'm too gentle to get mad, after all. Wait, that not right either, I can get angry if I want to.

"Haha, Houtarou's unsure."

I was a little annoyed at Satoshi stating the situation so frankly. Hey, I got angry!

Not caring about me, Satoshi carried on with his joke.

"Houtarou's lack of emotions aside, I think Chitanda never getting angry is a special case. It's like she's used to having forbearance and being composed. Mayaka should try to be more calm and collected, not in Houtarou's style but like Chitanda-san."

"Even if you say that, it's not like I can change that part of me just by trying. I don't want to be like Oreki, and I can't be like Chii-chan."

Chitanda's eyebrows clouded over. In a voice which was difficult for me to hear, she asked.

"Erm... am I being praised here?"

I wonder, although I'm definitely being spoken ill of. I somehow met Satoshi's and Ibara's eyes.

First, Ibara spoke.

"I think you might be."

Next was me.

"We were just making observations, so we said nothing positive or negative."

But Satoshi smiled with extreme amusement.

"No, no, forget those people who are unable to get angry, but I believe it's an excellent trait to not get angry. Wrath is a serious sin, after all. I think you should scale back on your outbursts, Mayaka."

"Sin? Do you get fined for them? Like for loud noises?"

Satoshi shook his head in a self-important manner, while Chitanda gave an explanation with a slightly red face.

"The deadly sins, right? I thought it was known as rage..."

But then she continued.

"If you are trying to praise me, please stop."

Chitanda was hanging her head in embarrassment. On top of that, her voice was even smaller than before, so no one accepted the protest. This is probably the first time I'm seeing Chitanda feeling shy. On the other hand, Satoshi nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right. As expeected of Chitanda-san. Since it's a popular topic, I believe Mayaka has heard of the seven deadly sins?"

"Yeah, of course I would know that."

I don't.

"Aren't there 108 sins?"

"That's klesha."

Whatever.

"The seven deadly sins are concepts from Christ's teachings, but they were only put together in posterity, so they are not recorded in the Bible. Er, besides wrath, there's also..."

Satoshi said as he bent his thumb. Bending the rest of his fingers in order, he continued.

"Pride, greed, avarice... Hmm, I can only remember these four..."

Satoshi, who was looking like an idiot staring at his fist, was saved by Chitanda.

"Envy, lust and sloth, I think."

When she said the last sin, it seemed like Ibara looked at me and laughed... Well, it's not good to have a persecution complex. Currently, Ibara was looking at Chitanda.

"So that's the seven deadly sins. Doesn't that make Chii-chan perfect? You're diligent, and you don't overeat."

"I can't imagine you being greedy, and you're definitely not lazy."

"And, er... you're not dirty-minded."

"It's hard to tell if she's envious of anyone, though."

These two were now clearly mocking her rather than praising her. Chitanda's cherry-colored face became gradually redder. She wrung her hands to deny the allegations and spoke at a rapid pace.

"Please stop! Besides, when I get hungry I can eat a lot!"

So would anyone.

"She seems like Saint Eru, right?"

"Doesn't 'Chitanda Eru' sound kind of angelic?"

"Uriel, Gabriel, Chitandael? Ahaha!"

These two sure go well together. Chitanda was pressed for a response in the face of extraordinary coordination. She cleared her throat, and mustered her fortitude and dignity. Then, suddenly,

"I said, please stop it!"

She cried in a clear voice.

"She got angry..."

"And scolded us."

Chitanda smiled at the two despondent-looking people.

"Besides, I don't think that it's a good thing to never get angry."

Ibara and Satoshi looked shocked, and I probably also had a similar expression. Chitanda continued smoothly without showing even a hint that she was searching for words to say.

"Is it not thte same for the other deadly sins?"

"Sorry, Chii-chan, but I don't really understand."

"Is that so? I should have used a better choice of words, then."

Chitanda smiled while answering.

"I think that one cannot do without pride and greed. Although since they were based on religious teachings, there must have been various reasons as to why they were considered deadly sins."

Satoshi tilted his head at an unnatural angle.

"Any examples?"

"For example, if you have no pride, then that means that you have no self-confidence. And someone who can never be called greedy would be unable to support their family. Furthermore, if no one in the world felt envy, new technologies would not have been invented."

Chitanda stopped in surprise. Looking at our expressions, she spoke.

"Umm... I didn't mean to turn this into a lecture..."

Satoshi, who had been listening attentively, folded his arms.

"Hmm, I see. Interesting..."

I was pleased that my way of life was being defended. I asked with a light tone.

"Basically, you're saying that it's a matter of degree? That's like Confucianism."

"I cannot explain the Bible, but I just don't think it's useful to take the deadly sins as absolute and apply that to our lives."

She asserted without shyness. I hadn't thought about what Chitanda believes in, so this is quite interesting.

"So do you think that getting angry is not a bad thing, Chii-chan?"

"That's right. If you can never get angry at anything, that probably means you have nothing that you like."

I can totally get angry.

"But if that's the case, then why don't you ever get angry?"

That was a quick response.

"Because it tires me out. And I do not want to be tired."

Oh?

Satoshi held his head, which had been drained of color, in his hands and rose to his feet.

"Chi-Chitanda-san's been poisoned by Houtarou! What in the world! I should have at least prevented this from happening! There's a ghost haunting Kamiyama High! The ghost of conserving energy!"

"No, that was just a joke."

Silence descended.

In a voice that seemed like it would vanish soon, she apologized.

"Sorry, I had a sudden impulse to play around."

I could say that it was obvious, but that's just escaping from the fact that I was just fooled by Chitanda. And I thought that I had found a soulmate.

Chitanda answered the question again, as if the tomfoolery earlier had been forgotten.

"It's not that I can't get angry. I can also lose my temper. Hmm, for example..."

Our attentive gazes were gestures prompting her to get on with her answer.

"When I see people wasting food, I get angry."

... Well, she's the daughter of a farming family. She believes in the saying "Each grain of rice is a drop of sweat."

Thinking about that, I suddenly remembered about the incident during the fifth period. I spoke without giving much thought.

"On that topic, wasn't it you who got angry in Omichi's class during the fifth period?"

While speaking, I felt Chitanda's mood change.

Now I've done it. A wave of regret caused my back to stiffen.

Chitanda, who had been enjoying the amusing a calm chat, slightly pulled back her slender chin and closed her lips tightly. While she doesn't exaggerate her emotions, her mood changes are easy to understand. She muttered.

"Ah, that's right! How could I have forgotten? I was hoping that I could ask Oreki-san about that!"

Great. Another blunder. Satoshi and Ibara were teasing Chitanda about being a saint or blessed person just now. I was thinking that the image didn't really suit her if you consider the aspect of doing things in moderation. That was a huge error. While she is diligent, the trait that makes her differ from a perfect person is her curiosity.

Having stirred up trouble for myself, I clicked my tongue silently. Indifferent to my plight, Satoshi seemed to be at ease.

"Did something happen, Chitanda-san?"

"Yes. Actually, during the fifth period, I got angry in math class."

Chitanda gave Satoshi and Ibara a vague nod, and then turned to look at me. I wish I had been looking elsewhere, but there's no use crying over spilt milk.

"But I do not know what happened to make me angry. Of course, there was no need for me to get angry, but something happened to make me angry, and I do not know what it was that happened."

I had to work really hard to grasp the meaning of her convoluted sentence. In short, it's probably what Chitanda said next.

"I'm curious!"

Translator's Notes and References

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