Read or Die:Volume1 Chapter1
Chapter 1: The Two Sensei
Cherry petals were dotted across the pavement, seemingly the last vestiges of spring.
Up the road that led through the school’s gate, groups of girls walked at a measured pace, their forms wrapped in uniform blazers.
Two weeks had passed since the start of the new school year, and the early nervousness had now faded from every face. In its stead, relaxation or, even at this early stage, boredom, would peak through before being hidden away.
The first-years were discussing the fact that high school apparently wasn’t going to be a mere extension of middle school; the second-years were enjoying putting off concrete concerns about their next so-called battle, the college examinations; and the third-years were lost in uneasiness-tinged dreams of whether they would, in a year’s time, find themselves standing on that battle’s winning or losing side.
It could be said that the road that lead to Kakinezaka Metropolitan High School was a model of peace and tranquility.
To examine the quality of the individual students, while there were probably a few problem students, there hadn’t been any incidents severe enough to warrant coverage in newspapers or magazines.
As far as schools went, this one had no real distinguishing characteristics, and due to that, was known to local teachers to be a “no-risk” school. Thus, this school should be as calm as could be expected of a city school.
Up the hill to this peaceful academy, a single woman walked in the midst of the students.
Although the sun’s rays were already quite warm, she wore an unfashionable white coat.
She was going on a trip, or perhaps returning from one. She pulled behind her a suitcase with small wheels and an extendable handlebar. It produced a clacking sound as it rolled along.
Her hair was black and worn long. On her face was a pair of frighteningly thick-framed glasses.
This was a woman who seemed to have neither knowledge nor interest in fashion, style, or trends.
She looked to be in her mid-20s, perhaps a bit younger.
Most of the students didn’t seem to pay her much mind. They thought it was just another O.L. passing through on a trip, a perfectly normal event.
Compounding the situation, she was just as oblivious of the students as they were of her. Her awareness was fixed exclusively on the book that she held poised before her eyes.
“............................”
Her gaze chased rapidly along the lines of characters arrayed upon the pages. From time to time she took a page between her thumb and pinky, and with a flicking motion, sent it flying.
On the cover of the volume could be seen a logo featuring the title “The Streetcorner where the Cats Live”, as well as an illustration of a smiling girl embracing a mass of kittens. It looked like a junior novel, the sort aimed at teens.
The woman’s steps led steadily onward, while she remained wholly engrossed in the book, but even when she went astray, there wasn’t anything that posed any danger to her. Even if it looked as if she was going to crash into a telephone pole, or if a bicycle came at her, she always avoided it. Without paying any attention, she seemed to posses an innate, immensely accurate evasive ability.
(~3%)
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